The word “blessed” doesn’t even begin to describe my life and all that I have. No matter how many struggles or hard times I have gone through, I wouldn’t change the way things have happened. Now, close to graduation, I constantly look back and am thankful for all the chances and experiences I have been faced with.

You always hear about moving as being such a struggle. Having to meet new friends, adjusting to a new school, and getting comfortable with a new town is definitely not easy, especially being a teenager starting high school. But, the past three years I found myself looking at my life as a constant saying of “Everything happens for a reason.” My freshman year, my family and I packed our house along with our memories of living in Pasco, WA for the past 8 years and set off to a small town called Kitimat in British Columbia, Canada. When I think back to living in Canada, I think of adventure. I met so many amazing people who I still keep in touch with till this very day. It was an amazing year which I will never forget. While living there, I developed such an appreciation for the things some people don’t get to see. For example, the great mountains and forests I walked by everyday and literally heard bears sleeping among the trees. It’s a different type of living that is hard to explain, but I will cherish the memories I have there forever and hope to visit again one day.

As exciting as freshman year in Canada was, that wasn’t the end of my adventure. Towards the end of the year, my family decided that living in such a small town wasn’t what we wanted anymore. So once again, we packed our bags, said our goodbyes, and set off to drive to Richmond, Kentucky. There’s nothing I love more than spending time with my family, so being stuck in a little car with two cats, a dog, tons of luggage and 3 other people for an entire week was actually a lot of fun. We visited so many places and saw so many things that some people will only ever be able to see on TV or in a magazine. 2800 miles later and we had finally made it to Richmond. We had no house, no friends, and no idea what to expect, but like I said, my family lives for the thrill of adventure and that’s exactly what we were doing. For several weeks, we lived in a hotel while looking for a new house to move into as well as searching for a high school to enroll in. Before I knew it, I had tons of friends, I had adjusted to the new town as well as even making it on the varsity volleyball team at school. Another year passed and things were going great, but it was time for yet another adventure.

Junior year had arrived and it was time to enroll in Chiawana High School in Pasco, WA. Moving back to our old town and even the same house we had previously lived in two years ago was exciting, but for a long time all I could think about was my past. I missed my friends in Canada and Kentucky and was constantly feeling guilty about leaving all of them behind. Goodbyes are difficult but something I learned was its not always goodbye, but instead, “See you later.” As junior year went on, I began to participate in cheerleading as well as being reunited with all my old friends.

The past three years have been crazy. Not many people can say they have lived in three different places in three years, but like I said, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’ve met incredible people who have changed my life, been to so many places that some people only dream of seeing, and most importantly, learned a lot about appreciating what and who I have in my life. Things can change so quickly, and I never know what is going to happen next. Some people wonder why my family chose to go through the constant drama of moving and starting over again, and while everyone is always asking why we did it, we continue to say, “Why not?”