Journal Jar Question #1

Tell about the house(s) you lived in during your childhood. Do you remember the addresses or phone numbers?

Hold on to your hats folks. This is going to be one lengthy discussion of my childhood. Seeing as how my family moved approximately every three to four years I have had several dwellings.

Orem, Utah: Happy Birth of me! My parents pride and joy. I was born October 3, 1988 in American Fork, Utah. Not only was this a big day for my parents, my aunt Sherry also had a rather exciting day. She won a handmade quilt and pillow in a raffle at the hospital. Yay homemade crafted gifts! My first home was a bottom floor apartment in Orem, Utah. I was very jaundice as a baby and had to lay in an incubator wearing shades and chillaxin under the light. I was destined to be a California girl. My family went back a few years ago so I could see my first home and all I remember is that the building is brown. I believe my mom told me that the snow would cover up the windows because we were on the bottom floor.

Glendale, California: Birth of Nelson! Not nearly as exciting as me coming into the world (of course) but still pretty fun. This apartment complex was a couple of floors. The front entrance of the building was covered in blue tiles. Kinda strange, but hey, it's Glendale. From pictures I would dance and sing to Wizard of Oz and probably any other Disney movie.

Beaverton, Oregon: Birth of Jane! Yay for my first little sister! I loved Oregon. I loved the rain, the beautiful landscapes, and of course, the Tillamook cheese. This house was at the corner of a cul da sac and it was beautiful. It was white with green trim. The backyard sloped down to the street and we had a white picket fence. Inside the house, we had a sliding door that separated the hall from the kitchen. A "Don't Eat Pete" game board got stuck back behind the door. I'm not pointing fingers, but I'm pretty sure Nelson is to blame! Oregon is also where I broke my arm by falling off the monkey bars. From then on, no monkey bars for me.

Valencia, California: Birth of Katie! Yay for my littlest sister! Valencia was a good time. We moved into a brand new neighborhood. It was so new that there were still houses being built at the end of our cul da sac. Also it was so new that a few streets had no houses on them! My friends Noelle, Brittany, and I would ride our bikes in the dirt. It was a party. Our family got our first dog, Burnsey here in Valencia. Our house was very clean looking. Our front lawn however was a disaster. We could have had an ogre living in the swamp that was our front lawn. I don't know why it was like that, but we could never get it to be dry. We had a garden on the side of our house complete with boysenberry bushes. The pro's of that house were the big backyard we were blessed with and the way cool jack-and-jill style kids rooms. We also had Grandma's old swing set and all that extra space in the backyard was great for jumping off the swings.

Fountain Valley, California: Ah, middle school and high school years. I loved it here. Fountain Valley was definitely my favorite place to call home. Our house was a behemoth though. Seriously. We had two master bedrooms; one of which had a closet so big that Jane called it her room for a while. Coolest feature of the house: the laundry shoot. I had never seen anything like that and I loved it! Worst part of the house (besides the size): all the windows downstairs coupled with the location of the house aka backing up to a busy street. I was always paranoid of being home alone at night downstairs. I figured that someone could hope the wall and come attack me. It was a legit fear! That and when we first got there, the windows had no curtains. Creepy! The schools were amazing. I loved our ward. Oh yeah, and we lived super close to the beach. I miss my beach cruiser. That thing was amazing. I could ride for hours! Another fav part of the house was my parents bathroom. Sick, nasty pink tile (even on the walls), plus a "beam me up Scotty" shower, plus a jet tub. Okay, the jet tub was pretty sweet. I'll give the bathroom props for that. Also, my room in that house was amazing! I went on a pioneer trek with our Stake and when I got home Diana and Kyle made me wait downstairs because they had decorated my room and it wasn't done yet. If I'm not mistaken, Kyle was getting candles or potpourri or something very similar. I LOVED THAT ROOM!! Yellow walls, purple velvet comforter, floral curtains, white furniture with gold accents...amazing. I was so sad to leave that house. Thanks again Diana and Kyle!

And most recently, though most likely not last...La Crescenta, California: Yay for turning sixteen, going to my first high school dance, getting my driver's licence, graduating high school all in this house. Smaller than the FV house, but more put together. We live on a mountain so the house is a tri-level. Parents, Jane, and Katie room upstairs; family, living, dining rooms and kitchen on middle floor; Nelson's bachelor pad and garage downstairs. I love looking out the back windows down on Los Angeles especially at night or on a clear day. Complete with pool and fire pit this house is the ultimate hang-out place. It sure helps that my mom feeds everyone who comes over! This house faces the Los Angeles National Forest although it doesn't look like much of a forest to me. I love this house and love coming home from college to this beautiful home and to my family. Fountain Valley may have been my favorite place to live, but home is wherever my family resides. Love at home!