If you’re here from my Instagram, you’ve probably seen me share bits and pieces of my story a time or two (or twenty).

Let’s start by rewinding about 15 years.

Picture it: 2010, kindergarten, home in rural Florida. Keep in mind, I was maybe six years old, so this part is a little fuzzy. Long story short, being from a small town, there’s not a whole lot of opportunity – something that, unfortunately, remains unchanged even today.

From what I remember, my dad was offered a contracting position. The only issue? Location: Astoria, Queens, New York. The upside? Timeframe: two weeks. Off he went, swiftly returning with more than just a hot pink kid’s Statue of Liberty t-shirt. A whole new life was about to unfold.

That’s really what started it all! From that first experience up until a couple of years ago, I spent most of my life migrating around the US, pitching the circus tent in nine different states. Here’s the list if anyone’s interested:

• Franklin, Texas
• Riesel, Texas
• Sioux City, Iowa
• Phoenix, Arizona
• Marietta, Ohio
• Front Royal, Virginia
• Sunrise, Florida
• Louisville, Kentucky
• Wharton, Texas
• Gaffney, South Carolina
• Convent, Louisiana
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
• Conroe, Texas

Starting to understand how I can write a whole entire blog yet? The stories I could share from each of these places, including the journeys between them are enough for an entire lifetime, much less just the beginning of one!

As you can imagine, it wasn’t always easy. Although I look back with fond memories and immense gratitude, at the time, I wanted nothing less than to explore new places. Crazy, right?

I guess you can’t really blame a little kid for only worrying about friends at home and missing out on school events, but I’d love to go back and have a little chat with her – trust me, when you’re an adult, NOBODY, not even you, will care that you missed the third grade Valentine’s Day party because you were too busy taking pictures in front of Mount Rushmore.

Now, as an adult, I find myself ironically craving the exact experiences that I didn’t want when I was a kid. Isn’t that just how life goes though?

So, here I sit, freshly 20 years old, hammering this out for whoever might find it, hoping that they can be inspired. Bet you didn’t expect to get life advice from a 20 year old today, but that’s okay. First, that you get out and explore! Travel is the best education and I will die on that hill. Second, that you can appreciate where you came from. If you told me that I’d have this mindset towards my upbringing at ten years old, I don’t think I would have ever believed you. Lastly, I hope that everyone digs deep and realizes that they do have a story worth sharing. It took me a long time to understand how my experiences really shaped me, and that I can share them!

Back to the point of craving the adventure that I was raised on, I hope to use this platform, along with the one I’ve been creating on Instagram, to help me continue exploring more of this world. It’s no surprise that it’s nearly impossible for me to imagine a “normal” life, so I hope to really grow this space into something.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you! Seriously, thank you. I hope you stick around so I can take you along on more adventures, all shared through the unique perspective that this life’s journey has offered me.

Follow @mileswithmimifl on Instagram for the daily download on my adventures!