Tag: Knoxville

Hassles of Luggage…..

After a few weeks being back in Knoxville I left TN again the first of June 2011. I was so glad to be back on the road again. It seems its in my blood to travel. Even more so than I had originally thought. I knew from a very early age that I wanted to just be “going”, but didn’t have any idea how deep that ran within me. I have traveled with my kids their entire lives, but this is so different. The ability to change plans and go where I am drawn is just incredible.

One of the BIGGEST mistakes I made in the beginning was too much luggage. I’ve learned this lesson and am benefiting from learning it BEFORE leaving the USA.

When I Started the Journey 2011
Luggage I left Knoxville with June 2011. Colors don't match, but still a lot better...
Current Luggage!! Now I Match and Can Move About At Will....

SO…..

There are many lessons I am learning. One of the main ones has been how little material things I need. This is beginning to sound like such a cliché in our society (and so few people really do it), but life is a lot more enjoyable the more we simplify.

I took several months before I began my current journey getting rid of almost everything I owned. I have roughly 15 boxes in a friend’s attic back in Tennessee, but the rest of my things are gone.

The first time I took a cruise with my family in 1996 we over packed even though I thought we had done so well. I heard from many seasoned cruisers on that trip that the trick most adhere to is to pack everything you “think” you might need about a week before the cruise. Two days later take out half of the stuff you packed. Two days after that reduce the remaining stuff by half and then the day before you leave do it once more. Still one will certainly still have too much stuff after all the reducing. The wisdom of that rule proved itself to me on later cruises.

Well I made the same mistake (even though I would have sworn I had mastered packing for trips) in April 2010. I took along so much more than I ever needed. And it caused a lot of issues. From the aches of pulling, dragging and hauling all this stuff to not being able to enjoy several last-minute opportunities because of luggage…

I rely on public transportation and ride shares to travel everywhere. I am a solo traveler without any help so this is the one area I have to be sensible and I sure wasn’t in the beginning. The thing is I THOUGHT I had really done so well. I was wrong.

After I was burglarized I got a new lesson in doing without for a bit. But since I lived with South Beach models for a few weeks I soon had more than enough clothes again. I’d made a decision that when I stopped back in Tennessee to see Marley and friends I would pack only a very small carry on and a day backpack. Ideally I would love to be able to travel with only a day pack. I doubt it will ever happen, but this is good too.

So when I flew out of Knoxville on my way to Denver I had no luggage that had to be checked in! It was wonderful to fly without that hassle included. Although when I went through security at the airport I was not happy that I they took my new toothpaste, lotion and conditioner I had bought but forgot that they would be carried on with me so I hadn’t thought to look into the size allowances. It was a small price to pay for all the advantages.

The backpack I left Knoxville with this year was the same one that has been with me since the beginning. My dear and special friend, Jessica Young, gave me hers. It is a UT-K college backpack. It has been through a lot with me. I got the pink carry on from my other great friend, Callie Spears.

For convenience and ease I was set. Aesthetically I was not. I do not like purple and red together nor do I like orange and pink together. Those that know me know if something is bugging me I get a bit obsessive about it. So having two of the things that have to be with me all the time such an awful mixture of colors drove me crazy.

It worked out that once in Denver a week apart both my backpack and then my carry-on broke from all the wear and tear. I replaced both in black. All was right with the luggage.

Lesson learned and action taken…

What a difference it makes having just two really small and light pieces of external stuff to take with me everywhere. I can get up and go when I have an opportunity I want to take. I can walk, get on buses and move around with no problems!

I pull behind me the carry-on (or lift when needed by the Velcro handle) with most of my clothes, the electrical plugs and toiletries inside. Then in the backpack I have a set of clothes, a spare pair of shoes, my netbook, camera, iPod, phone and beach reading. Plus it has a place for wallet and ID in the front pouch. When I am on the go I usually put the backpack on top of the carry on and secure it to the pull bar and just use the wheels.

It has been such better way to travel. I don’t think that I will ever get down to just the backpack as I would have liked, but this is definitely the next best thing.

Visit to Knoxville November 2010

I left Knoxville, Tennessee after a visit that was supposed to be about 10 days and ended up being exactly a month. I wanted to see Marley mostly and then see a few friends as time permitted. Well I got to see Marley only twice in that entire time, but I did see many friends. That part was great.
It was very hard to say “goodbye” both times to Marley. She thought I was home to stay. She has gotten so big since I’ve been gone. She is a busy girl and played with my friend’s 7 year old boy for most of my Welcome Home Party, but that was fine. I just loved seeing her and hugging her. The second time I saw her we painted a picture I had started for her of under the ocean. It was wonderful just spending one on one time together. We painted and talked about everything. Plus the picture came out really good. It is going her room. Marley and my ocean painting


The way to Knoxville was via Nashville. The original plan in Nashville fell through at the last-minute. Literally. I was boarding the plane in San Francisco and found out by text that the friend I was meeting there had to go to Atlanta instead.

That left me getting on a plane with no plan. Luckily I sat in the very front (the best leg room too) and got to talking with the stewards while I wrote out a sign saying I needed a ride. They let me make an announcement. Although I found out later that many of the passengers thought it was a joke. No one came up during the flight so upon landing instructions the very kind stewardess made the same announcement.

At the baggage claim a couple of people made various offers. Sadly I picked the unknowingly chose the “conspiracy theories” guy. Could have been interesting conversation if he wasn’t a bit nuts. Gave me lots to talk about when my friend, Melissa, met us in Crossville, TN.
It was wonderful to see my great friend Melissa. She is at such a happy and fulfilling time in her life. It made me so happy. I stayed most of the time at her house with her and her daughter, Megan. We spent so much time laughing and playing it was awesome.

Now the reason I stayed longer than I intended was first the WWOOF property I was going to work at in Georgia fell through at the last-minute. I searched WWOOFing hosts in several southern states and I received an offer to WWOOF at Oakland Organic Plantation in Gurley, Louisiana. I told them I would be there on November 20th. With that time frame in mind I was free to enjoy Knoxville for an extra week in a half and see most of the people I wanted to and make some extra money cleaning houses.
I was cleaning Melissa’s mom and dad’s house and her mom had to go to the doctor because she was having intense pains in her chest and back. I was left to the house cleaning. She was upset when she came home, because she found out she had shingles. Not only did that mean weeks of pain it meant that she couldn’t help Melissa after her major surgery, which was the reason they had me cleaning their home to begin with. The decision was made that I would stay for a couple more weeks and take care of her. Her mom was not happy and inundated me (and everyone else) with instructions for how to take care of her baby.
That left me leaving at the end of the month. But with that I had plenty of time to hang out and relax.
My dear friend, Louise, and her lovely husband, Pierre, welcomed me at their home for several nights also. This gave me plenty of time with them. They are from Canada and relish in relaxation. I loved it. I went back while Pierre was in Canada on a business trip and stayed for two more nights with Louise. We went to the movies, took a walk thru Ijam’s Nature Park, and Market Square. It was so nice and so relaxing I also spent Thanksgiving with Louise and Pierre at their wonderful friend’s home. It was so fun and such a beautiful place out in the country. I was the youngest so I got the children’s table since there was not enough room for me :). We played Canadian Rummy. I have to get that card game. I have so amazing and loving friends. I am very blessed.



I took many many baths while I was in Knoxville. I hadn’t had any while I was in California.
I had two welcome home parties (one Marley with Marley and one with great friends), I went dancing with Melissa and our friends, played for Halloween, went to a male revue, several movies, and lots of walks. It was a lot of fun to go to the downtown YMCA and see all my former guests. I adore them and they seem to adore me!

I knew when I left Knoxville that it was time for me to leave. Being back knew it even more strongly.  I felt such a huge disconnect while there. I certainly miss people from Knoxville. I loved getting all the warm welcomes and hugs. They meant so much to me. There is just a lot of  memories but no future for me there. The entire time I felt restless and anxious to be going again.
Melissa recovered really quickly from her surgery and I was able to leave on the 28th of November for the next farm in Gurley, Louisiana.

Sadness…Anger…

There has been only a few drawbacks to this adventure I am on. But a big one is – not physically being in Knoxville – I miss events and news.

My friends and family are really good at keeping me updated, but of course some things fall through the cracks…

A woman I loved dearly, Lucy Frye, passed away. This was an expected death after a long life and health issues but still I found out by chance in a casual conversation with a reference to her funeral. Hard.

Then Marley lost her first tooth. The beginning of lots of first with her I knew I’d miss. But still we can Skype about it and I get to see it as it is happening due to such amazing advances in technology. Cool.

But with the same technologies, social media, I found out about a devastating event in a life of someone I happen to know and care about.

The ravage beating and murder of Henry Granju. I got up on Tuesday to check my emails and Facebook notices before heading to my next couch-surfing host in Costa Mesa, CA to see the “RIP to Henry” on Facebook. A couple of years ago when I was employed at St John’s Cathedral, I knew Henry as a fun and smart member of the youth group. I immediately called  a few  people I know in Knoxville and was told that Katie had been blogging about Henry since the beginning of his hospitalization. I decided that was the best way to get a full idea of what had happened.

Katie’s Blog, http://mamapundit.com, has the full details of the past several weeks in Katie’s (Henry’s mom) words. I have read it several times and I have not yet been able to process it all in my mind.

HORRID. SCARY. TRAGIC. UNBELIEVABLE.

This coming on the tail end of the total injustice in the Christian/Newsom trials has just left me wondering how we, as Americans, have let our justice system deteriorate to this extent. Where the police department tells the mother of the victim that it’s not sure there is a victim so there isn’t really an investigation going on.

But once Henry actually dies –  not just suffers through pain for 30 some days while the family pray, love, help, wait – and Katie publicly blogs about the unwillingness of the Knoxville police department to investigate and follow-up on the many readily available leads are we seeing them acknowledge and investigate as they should have from the beginning. WHY???????????

We talk about and I agree that we need a complete overhaul of our health care system, but I believe that if we did a thorough and complete overhaul of our judicial system and stopped letting the criminals use the system and the victims pay for crimes against them we would have PLENTY of money for health care for everyone.

I have worked in and with the judicial system since 1994, as a mediator and a paralegal, and have seen many things in that arena that make me sad as an American. We are born of freedom. Freedom is NOT putting the victim on trial to make sure the perpetrator gets a fair trail and punishment! Or in this case charged!

I do not want to use this blog as my pedestal for reform. But I am sad that not only was I not aware of this ongoing tragedy from the beginning so I could pray and give my thoughts to the family and Henry, but also at the way it is being handled within the sheriff’s department.

God bless to the friends and family of Henry Granju and I so hope in my heart for justice for his family and peace and rest for him.