I have lived in this house for about twenty seven years.

@GardenGerty (160665)
United States
May 1, 2012 8:53pm CST
I have lived in this town for thirty five years. How about you? Have you lived long in your place? Or have you moved around a lot. Growing up I knew lots of kids who moved a lot because their parents were in the military. Mine were not, but we moved two or three times just trying to find the right place that we could afford. I will not be moving from here, I don't think.
7 people like this
28 responses
@allknowing (136412)
• India
2 May 12
This is my fourth place the first one being where I grew. I left that place to pursue my career and then got married having stayed at my sister's till I got married. Each place that I shifted from was to get a bigger place but the one I am now living is my dream home, designed by me.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
How wonderful to live in a place you have designed. I imagine how lovely your home and gardens are. My sister lived with me for a while when she was very ill.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
This is such a lovely home. I see you grow many things and I can imagine that the wildlife is abundant there as well. It is just really beautiful.
@allknowing (136412)
• India
2 May 12
Solitaire my dream home - A long time dream fulfilled
My dream home
1 person likes this
@Suebee (2013)
• Canada
2 May 12
My ex-husband was in the military (Canadian). That was quite an experience for me as when I married him I was green as far as military life goes. I didn't know anybody in the military, did not grow up in a military family and did not live anywhere near a military base. In the 24 years we were married we moved 12 times. By the time my oldest son was 3 years old he lived in 3 different provinces. At first I thought it was a great adventure, getting to see the country. After about the 5th posting it was more like Ohhhhh, not again! I now live in a condo that I share with my current husband and we have been here for 3 years this month. I plan on having only one more move in my life and that is to my place of retirement as we plan on retiring closer to family.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
Military lifestyle can be quite an eye opener. It is good to plan for retirement. If I were to move by choice right now it would be to be near my family. However my son lives in this town and his girlfriend will be moving here, so I plan to probably be here to be connected to them. She has two young girls and would like perhaps to start a business, so they will need me. I get on well with her as well, unlike my first daughter in law.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
I am glad you can be settled more now. Welcome to MyLot, by the way. I hope you make it an online home.
2 people like this
@Suebee (2013)
• Canada
2 May 12
Yes military life can be an eye opener, but that's a whole other topic! My motto used to be "Home is where the army sends us".
2 people like this
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
2 May 12
hubby and i moved into our present house just after our youngest daughter was born (we have 2 girls) and so we have lived here almost 15 years and will be celebrating our 25th here too in october! i imagine that we will have to move sooner or later because we live in a 5 floor townhouse and i have bad knees.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
Wow, a five floor townhouse. If it were not for the stairs would you like to stay? Is there any way to put in a chair lift or elevator? It sounds as if you have made lots of memories in the house.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 May 12
I've lived in this house for 10yrs. I moved alot as a kid. I too wasn't a military kid but we too moved everytime the rent went up we were on assistance with our rent and section 8. I think the longest I lived in one spot other than in this house was maybe 5yrs and all rentals except this house.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
Do you enjoy the fact that you own your own home now? My parents rented when I was around five, but after that they bought homes, but still sometimes they needed to downsize.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
Yes, spring is here and there is a lot of outdoor work. I do not mind it except that I have so many little jobs to help make ends meet as well. Our plan this summer is to tear off a porch, I think.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 May 12
My house isn't quite that old but it's abt 65yrs old and they built this house the cheapest way they could it seems in some aspects. We had the right attitude when we bought the place and two full time incomes. We fixed the stuff we needed to, to make it liveable... even tore out the kitchen and bathroom and all the carpet. However with doing it ourselves we went inexpensive and need to replace some of that already as well as the big things we hoped would last a bit longer til we could scrape up the cash to do so. Hubby's been so exhausted from his job, getting him to mow the lawn and do little things that aren't an emergency are little blessings.
1 person likes this
@MandaLee (3764)
• United States
2 May 12
Hi Gerty, I have lived in my house for thirty years. I don't remember living anywhere else. Have a great day!
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
Hi, MandaLee. I would hardly have thought you were thirty years old. I hope you have lots of good memories of your home. It is a good thing to have roots.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
3 May 12
You are right in between my two kids. This house is home to both of them.The one we had before this has been torn down, the property divided and a brand new house built there. I have fabric that was curtains in my daughter's room and each of her children gets a small quilt with some of it in it. It was Holly Hobbie fabric, and her married last name is Hobbie, so I could not resist.
@MandaLee (3764)
• United States
2 May 12
I sure do. I am 34. It's a blessing to have roots.
2 people like this
@ryanong (9665)
• Vietnam
2 May 12
My parents moved many time so that a house that i lived longest is 5 years. When i was 17, i went to the city for my studying and i just move and move every year. Right now i don't remember how many a house that i rent already. And i know i have to move and move more...i think i wont move when i have my own house only...but i don't know when at all...
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
When you finish your education and get established in your career perhaps you can be still in one place and buy a house.
1 person likes this
@ryanong (9665)
• Vietnam
3 May 12
It is really difficult for me to buy a house in here...House are too expensive while my income is just enough for living. I haven't find out the way to earn good income yet...there is a long way to wait me in the font...
• Philippines
2 May 12
Hi there, GardenGerty. :) I've lived with my parents until 2007, then I moved out. Had to return in 2009, but moved out again. I've moved places since 2007, from Manila, back to Iloilo then Boracay and now in Kalibo, Aklan. I'm not sure where the wind will take me next, but I'd hope this is "home" for now. :)
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
3 May 12
I hope each move has been progress for you. Do you still visit your parents often. I guess where ever I interest is is home.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
3 May 12
I looked online and saw pictures of things in Aklan, it is beautiful. I was not sure where it was, so I had to go look it up.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
2 May 12
I have lived in my house for over thirty years..Since I have grown older though I truly wished it were a one story...mine is an old two story and personally I am getting sick of the steps...and when I try to paint or whatever I feel like its a struggle....the old walls...are crooked...the floors slop. The house itself is over a hundred years old....the best part though is that the house is paid for!
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
My house is that old as well. It has lots of the same "character flaws", and the redeeming virtue is that it is very nearly paid off, and the payments are very low. Old houses have character. A little secret--my dad managed real estate and helped sell a brand new development that at the time was a bit high end. I got to check out those homes, and they also had things that were crooked, or finished poorly and were not worth near what the price tags said, in my opinion. My old home at least has stood the test of time.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
3 May 12
Good point!They have lots of memories inside too making them that much more special!
@jazel_juan (15746)
• Philippines
2 May 12
The first house we lived in was near my father's work, near the base as he was in military. We lived there for more 16 years! Then the owner of the land said he will use the land and we had no choice but to move out, the land is now owned by us and we are now living here for more than 12 years as well.. it is my parent's house though, i am planning on going to look for a house and lot so i could have somethign to call my own.. my parents still did not announce as to whom the house will go to..in the future that is. There is only me and my brother..
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
My daughter and her husband have a house, my son does not. He also is not married right now. If something were to happen to my husband I would probably look for a small place for me, give this place to my son and give some money to my daughter. I hope nothing happens to my husband, though.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
Oh, I do. I want to get to enjoy my older years with him.
@jazel_juan (15746)
• Philippines
2 May 12
Just have faith i guess..
1 person likes this
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
2 May 12
When we were recently in the USA, I was surprised by just how many people there were who had family ties in the military! It was shocking! It seemed like half the USA was military! We lived in our last house for ten years, but before that I moved pretty much every year at least, since I moved out of home at 21 years old. When I was a child though, we lived in the same house the whole time, which my parents are still living in today. We have been in this house for almost a year and plan to stay one more. We will probably move again around June 2013.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
I believe you said you were in California, right? Lots of military bases on the coast so lots of military family. Navy, Marines and maybe Air Force as well. I guess there is a lot to be said for moving, but I do not like to do it, so I just sit right here.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
Just imagine the "stuff" I own. I need to pretend to move and get rid of some of it.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
2 May 12
Yep. California. Yes, I did see a few bases and even drove through one of them. Yes, moving takes a lot of effort. Our last move was massive, after ten years we had accumulated loads of stuff and we also had our home business to move as well!
1 person likes this
@nicanorr (1789)
• Philippines
3 May 12
From birth up to Grade III that's 10 solid years, I remember living in a one-story affair wood and tin-roofing house in the town of San Sebastian, Samar with my parents and 5 siblings. Then- because of the call of service- the family settled in Paranas, also in Samar, a place across the sea about 2-hour ride northward. Parents built a 2-story affair house for us 8 occupants in all in Paranas till 2 of us children got married. A criminal dispute between a family neighbor and ours broke up in Paranas, forcing us to move 23 kilometers northwest to Catbalogan, Samar, where we built another 2-story home for the family. In October 10, 1979, I declared independence from my parents and got my very own family settled permanently in BLISS, Catbalogan where we plan to spend the sunset of our lives. We begot 5 children who now have families of their own and 3 of them are likewise situated in BLISS in their own homes,
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
3 May 12
I am learning more about the Philippines today. I did not know where Samar was, so I looked it up. It seems that it is common for families to stay close together in your country. In many ways I wish it was so here. The pictures I found of Samar were lovely.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
8 May 12
When my first husband was in the US Navy they had many Filipinos in that branch of service and they provided good work on board the ships. He was based out of San Diego California.
@nicanorr (1789)
• Philippines
4 May 12
Thanks for finding Samar pictures lovely. In our case indeed we relatives lived close to each other, save for employment. Filipinos can be found worldwide, in fact I have a son in London, 2 grandchildren and 1 niece in the Middle East who are working there as nurses.
1 person likes this
@gloryacam (5540)
• Philippines
2 May 12
I've lived with my parents in the same house for 28 years. It's an ancestral house - owned by the generation ahead of me, made prior to the World wars and handed down to my dad. And, this time it's been handed down to my brother. I live now in a different city (I have moved twice since I first moved out), but, every now and then (okay, every month), I go back (well, not in the same house, but in a neighboring house built by my parents which is intended to be mine eventually).
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
This house is about that old, but it has not been in my family. In fact my family lives in another state. I think it is nice that your parents are able to provide for your brother and for you.
@gloryacam (5540)
• Philippines
2 May 12
That's right. And I'm very thankful to them for that.
• India
2 May 12
Moving from one to school to another,shifting from one house to another,moving to a new locale for various reasons-either by compulsion or situation by force- all these have their own vistas and prospects and impacts on the people concerned. But living longer in a house,that too a house which is your abode of long standing a house of ancestral origin would certainly have its own meritorious qualities. That longing, that memory, that inimitable blending with the environment shows its own delectable results.I have lived in places from my childhood days for a longer periods - memory still linger on
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
3 May 12
I have lived in Austin, Texas since 1972. Austin was a small city of about 150,000 when I came. Now it has a metro population of about a million. It has grown up to become a very pretty, exciting, cosmopolitan, affluent, dynamic and diverse community with lots to do and a good economy. I am bored out of my mind. I have burned out on the city and am looking to relocate. I plan on leaving in about three or four more years. The only thing keeping me here is my part time job which I have been at over 20 years. At 67 years old, there are not a lot of job opportunities out there for me and I need plus like the extra money.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
3 May 12
In such an exciting city it seems strange to hear of boredom. I agree, jobs are not that plentiful for us experienced people. I know you want to travel a lot, and it is great that you can.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
8 May 12
I can see wanting to move somewhere more pocket book friendly. Change in environment is also nice.
1 person likes this
• United States
3 May 12
Well, you might say that I have been there and done that. For me, a lot of it is the same old, same old. Everything has gotten very expensive. I was interested in a concert last week but tickets began at $135.00. Last weekend, there was a food and music festival which cost $250.00. Austin is a very trendy and cutting edge city. A lot of the newer population make a lot of money. I don't. And I also do not drive. When I came to Austin, it was very laid back and life was simple. Now it is fast moving and intense. It is very new age, high tech and politically correct. I am none of these. I am wanting to go to a smaller community and or a different physical environment. I am wanting to head to the mountains or the ocean.
1 person likes this
@almond24 (1248)
• Hungary
2 May 12
I lived in the same place with my family from the age of 5 to 18. We moved three times before that. I left that house when I graduated from high school, and moved to our capital to study and then work there. I moved to a new place almost every year... last year I moved three times when I was abroad. I'm at my family's house again now but will move again soon... I never felt at home anywhere else. I hope I can settle down and have my own home some day.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
Are you traveling and moving because of your career, or as a choice? I think it i interesting that you have traveled so much as a young person. My daughter lives far away, my son will probably always live in this town. Those are just some of the choices they make.
1 person likes this
@almond24 (1248)
• Hungary
2 May 12
I moved for different reasons, not always by choice... sometimes I had to move to be able to study at all because of roommates, sometimes to be able to afford the rent. Lately I moved because the places where I found jobs were far away from my home.
@ladygator (3465)
• United States
2 May 12
Hi Garden, I have been in my home for years! And thats the longest for me. Besides when I was younger. I lived in one place for about 15 years. I think anyways, but my dad lives in his parents house now and thats been in the family for over 50 years. There was once talk about selling the house and I really dont want that to happen. But I guess everyone moves on eventually. My mom will inherit her dads house and they have had that one for like 70 years now from passing down generations. Its considered a historic home. Its pretty nice, very antique in as the walls are plaster. And it has a few very old buildings out back that used to be chicken coops.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
3 May 12
They had to sell the home that belonged to my husband's grandparents as it was too old and large and the different family members could not keep up with it. No one in the family could buy it outright, either. That happened to my brother's wife's family property as well. It just is hard to keep things in the family any more. So do you plan to stay in your home that you have?
@MoonGypsy (4606)
• United States
8 May 12
that's great! is that the house you grew up in. it probably has a great deal of memories and history for you. i didn't move around alot as a kid. i basically stayed in the same house until i left to be on my own at a young age. my bf move around alot. his mother couldn't keep a stable place ever, so they live in shelters half the time.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
8 May 12
No, I am nearly 60 years old, well 59, anyway. Growing up I lived in at least six different housed, five that I remember. I do still have lots of memories from this house, and building more all of the time. I think moving around a lot and being in shelters would make it hard to have a stable life as an adult. I could be wrong, though.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
2 May 12
hi gardengerty I lived in our farm house on our farm for my first 18 years then off to college, nurses training back home , off to college. left to go to work but came back home on weekends. then I moved to Phoenix Arizona well really Tempe arizona with my parents, they went back and forth, spending summers in South Dakota and winters in tempe but when I married a co worker they moved back to tempe Arizona to stay.Myh dad had arthritis and the cold winters got too much for my dad so they decided to come to Arizona and stay. they sold the farm and house and cut off all ties with their friends.I flunked out of Nurses training, mostly because I was not Catholic and refused to go to their services. I did get some more nurses training but was never a registered nurse but a practical nurse then a certified Nurse's aide.anyway I am now in a retirement center. c
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
3 May 12
I know that nurses training used to be a lot stricter about behavior, appearance and other forms of conduct. I had an adult friend who was a nurse who nearly flunked nursing school because she got a sunburn. Arizona is much kinder to arthritis than cold winters. South Dakota is one of the few states I have not visited, but I would like to.
@Chevee (5905)
• United States
8 May 12
Hi GardenGerty, I have lived here for years also. I am in my early 60's and I am waiting on my SS to start. Thank God my home is paid for and I don't see myself moving anytime soon. Or I would like to say at all. Unless something beyond my control forces me to move. I am totally satisfied. There are somethings that I would like to update or improve but that isn't a must or priorty. Have a blessed day.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
8 May 12
Hi, Chevee, that is a blessing about having a home paid for. In this day and age it is a major part of retirement. I know you have had a bit of a rough time since your job ended. I am not close enough yet to decide if I will take early Social Security or not. I believe I would be able to, and then when I am sixty six switch and draw from my deceased first husband. They keep changing the rules on it, so it would not be a sure thing at this time, either. I am needing to get some more regular work to afford some basic repairs and upgrades on the house here.
@nonersays (3335)
• United States
2 May 12
We have lived in this house not quite 10 years. Before that I lived most of my life in one house in one town. When I was a baby/toddler I know we lived in a different town for a little while and even in a different state for a little while, but for all my life I could remember, up until I met my husband and moved, we lived in the same place. It seems like people do move around more these days. I was thinking, just recently, about how familes used to live in the same house ALL their lives. Generation after generation living in the same house, sometimes even at the same time.
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
The responses I have gotten from other countries so far show that they still do live in family homes, many times two generations and homes are passed from one generation to the other. I wonder what that would be like, we sure do not see that a lot anymore, except for farm families and then often the younger generation does not want to live on the farm.
@nonersays (3335)
• United States
2 May 12
I wonder if that means that family value in other countries are different/better than ours. Or is it the property value instead of the family value. Here with so many tiny houses being built that younger familys are moving to, there doesn't seem to be as much house OR land to sustain large family in one home. Though I think it would be GREAT. I would love to move my in-laws and us into a house together with us.
@factorial (977)
• Philippines
2 May 12
Me? I have lived in this house for 50 years! Of course the physical house has undergone so many renovations.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160665)
• United States
2 May 12
Hi, factorial. My house needs lots of renovations. It takes money that I do not have. The first thing indoors will be one bathroom and the kitchen re done. Welcome to MyLot, I hope this feels like home as well.