Where Are My Clothes!

 I think I've finally realized and accepted something about myself; That I am utterly and COMPLETELY different then most I meet in my life...Its kind of awkward and sometimes even embarrassing sharing stories from my past because they're too far out there that people cannot relate. Oh, these people are fascinated but I still feel like they look at me and think I belong in a time capsule? Maybe that's not the right analogy but you get my meaning...So, I am going to go out on a limb here to share some short versions of myself...I guess I just want confirmation that I am not from space and my home is not Jupiter:) Here we go...

1) Well at least I can say I lead a pretty normal life, up until the year I turned eight...This was a huge year of change for me. I remember it started with a name change, but not just any name change. I went from the name Becca to the name Josh however, not legally so I don't go by the anymore:) Two minutes after my mom tells me that I will no longer be known as Becca she hands me this white folded up piece of cloth...hmmm...I stared at it for a minute then looked up at her with even more confusion as I start to unfold what I was holding. It was a bonnet...Yes, a bonnet...My parents had become really fascinated with the Amish way of living and decided that we were going to adopt this life style as a family. They had apparently tried joining a community but was denied as both my parents were divorcees and this was looked down upon. So there I am holding this thing that I didn't know what to do with and not really liking the fact that they just took my name from me. Talk about identity crisis! So as I'm trying to figure this all out my oldest sister, D, comes stomping down the hall yelling at mom, "where are my clothes!" Okay, so wait, what do you mean were are your clothes, I thought...I made my way into the room that I shared with four of my other siblings and found that my parents had paid the community to sow three dresses a piece for each child with matching aprons and of course, the most important accessory, bonnets...If you thought an eight year old took this bad, imagine my sister D who had just started going to high school three days prior...The kids were so mean, but I realize now it was just because they didn't understand. The positive side to this was that you really knew your friends by the ones who stuck with you vs. the ones who mocked you. Okay, so that was the mini version, so onto the next!

2) So I was trying, best as I could, to settle into our new way of life, yadda yadda...Six months into it my dad and mom tells us that we are going to move away from the only home we knew. It was a small town in PA where my grandparents lived and, for the most part, we were all happy there. I know when I think about moving I thought you usually had to have a destination in mind, but apparently that wasn't my dads idea of moving...My dad was such a nomad and is to this day...I swear I'll write another blog about that man because his life is fascinating...Anyhow, He decides that he cannot stay in that one horse town another minute and packs his family of ten up in a fifteen passenger van. I seriously had doubts that van could even make it down our drive let alone make it to the state line. So with fifty dollars in his pocket, us kids say our teary goodbyes and hit the road. Okay, imagine this, TEN PEOPLE, one guinea pig and two large dogs with all our gear sandwiched into this van...I think anyone could have handled that for a few states until you got to your destination however we did it that way for three solid years!!! No home really, stopping off in towns long enough to make the next tank of gas and there we'd go again...Are you mind boggled yet?

Well just wait because it gets crazier! I promise to post some more tomorrow because there are tons of other crazy situations we've found ourselves in to blog about! I guess this is where I should type, TO BE CONTINUED...Don't you just hate when they do that! lol...