A Royal Visit

Last week the King and Queen (my awesome parents) visited me for the holiday weekend [insert blaring trumpets here]. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and, the next day, I invited some friends over. Unbeknownst to me, my mom was armed with a photo album containing some of my childhood photos. Having a captive audience, she proceeded to do what moms do, much to the amusement of my friends. Although slightly embarrassing, it got me reminiscing about my childhood, which led to this post:

5 Childhood Facts about Yours Truly

1. I was born in England.

My dad was stationed at RAF Alconbury, and my brother and I were born on Lakenheath AFB. I was a fat baby (there’s no sugar coating it); so fat, in fact, that the local women referred to me as a heffalump–not a good set up for positive body image, self-esteem and girl power, but I digress. Since my brother and I were so young when we moved away, my parents took us to visit London when we were older and it was one of my favorite childhood trips.

2. As a military brat, I moved often.

After leaving England we lived on (or near) Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts; Shaw AFB, South Carolina; Hahn AFB, Germany; and Hill AFB, Utah before my dad retired after 26 years of service. Thanks, Dad!

3. I’ve been to 9 countries and 26 states. 

Along the way I visited many historical landmarks both overseas and in the U.S. The prettiest country I traveled was Germany, which also had the best food; I remember Amsterdam [correction: my mom says this was Rotterdam in the Netherlands, not Amsterdam] being the most fun, although I don’t quite remember why–I’ll have to ask my brother; the saddest place I visited was Dachau.

4. My favorite childhood memory is living in Germany and traveling  with my family.

Since Europe is so small, traveling between countries is similar to driving from state to state, so it was nothing to pack our bags and head to Belgium or Luxembourg for a  weekend, and flying down the autobahn made it super quick (and a little scary).

5. I consider Beaufort, South Carolina home.

We moved to Beaufort upon my dad’s retirement from the Air Force. Both my mom and dad were born there (although my mom was raised in New York), so we spent a lot of time both in Beaufort and in New York visiting my grandmothers and other family between moves. I love my hometown. In addition to the beautiful people and scenery, Beaufort boasts a rich heritage, history and culture that you’d be hard pressed to find in any other city.

So that’s it!

I’m feeling a little nostalgic and wanderlust is creeping in. Do you have a favorite childhood memory? More importantly, are you creating great memories now? I hope so!

Until next time…