Wanderlust

the view from Aunt Coleen's yard :: the house my grandfather grew up in :: it lays empty except for being used as a hanged house :: the quilt that was on my father's bed when he was little :: a county fair character :: family headstones, Amanda was my grandfather's grandmother :: back to the county fair with cousins :: fried chicken in Kentucky :: my first ever apartment

My cousin, Natalie, has landed a wonderful job at my alma mater, the University of Tennessee. This weekend, I went to Knoxville with her to help her learn the lay of the land and find a place to live. The trip was wonderful. We met at her parents' house Friday before driving through Kentucky to Tennessee.

I arrived a day earlier than Natalie, so her mom took me around to some family places. I've grown up seeing a painting of the green house on Grandma's wall (my mother painted it) but had no memories of being there, so we went. I also was on the hunt for some family records because in the past few years, we've been speculating that Amanda was a family name. After some time at the Wirt County fair, we embarked on our journey.

The whole trip was exhausting but couldn't have gone better. Natalie found a place to live, met some of my old friends, and I think her transition will go swimmingly. It was good medicine for me too, to be back in a place that I love so much. I couldn't be happier for her!