Hi! I’m Jess. I grew up in Northern California and taught in Asia for a few years in my twenties. Upon returning to the U.S. in 2012, I embarked on a journey to pursue my new-found passion for teaching and recently completed my masters in Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics at the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville. Currently I work as an adjunct professor at UT and remotely as a technical writer. Besides writing and teaching, my passions include cycling, running, triathlons, sunsets, stars, and being outdoors.
“As for the future, it is not for you to foresee, but to enable it.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery
“Not all those who wander are lost.” — J.R.R. Tolkien
“It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
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shift 
Very descriptive introduction!!
Nice… I liked it!!
Thanks!
i’d like to know what the elephant said before he kissed you. tony
as i don’t speak elephant, i don’t really know. i *do* remember what i thought just after the kiss, though… “uck!” and i laughed and laughed. his lips were as big as my face!
Hi Jessica.
Thanks for visiting my website and for fav´ing some of my images. I´m glad you liked them :-)
Looking forward to following your blog and seeing more of your posts in the future!
Have a lovely day/evening.
Thank you! I did like your blog. And you have a wonderful day/evening, too! :)
Hello jessica really interesting blog.I’m inviting to write about writing tips in our blog.keep writing and enjoy
Thanks cyril
Thanks, Cyril! I’d be happy to help out. How? I’ll contact you soon on your blog. Have a great day!
Always Welcome Jessica .Thanks for your support.Contact Through blog or mail cyrilpabraham@gmail.com
You had some great travel experiences! Congratulations on your blog!
Yes, I did. And I hope to have more soon. Thanks so much for your kind words. I like your blog, too!
thanks for visiting my blog, yours is cool, great to read of your travels. Also professional interest in what happened to you, I was a OR nurse for many years, glad you came out of this so well!
Thanks so much! I’m glad I came out of it well, too. :P And I very much like your photography. Very impressed.
Thanks for followship and sharing. God bless!
The same to you! :)
I like one of your favorite quotes: Not all those who wander are lost.
Kahlil Gibran says,”Build of your imaginings a bower in the wilderness ere you build a house within the city walls. For even as you have home-comings in your twilight, so has the wanderer in you, the ever distant and alone.”
What about your home-comings?
Just love your blog. :) Best wishes to you. Stay well !
Thank you! That means so much. I no longer feel at home in just one place. Travel and thought have made me restless, a wanderer. I like the quote from Kahlil Gibran. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
That’s a great motto, Jess! I love it. It’s quite similar to mine.
I don’t know how I never responded to this, Subhan! Thank you. I hope you’re doing well! Looking forward to when you come back to your blog. :)
Hey Jessica, how are you?
I have nominated you for the “BEST MOMENT AWARD“. Congratulations and enjoy the rest of the day! http://followmyfreedom.wordpress.com/2013/04/01/09-03-2013-best-moment-award-update/#more-530
Why, thank you. I am honored. I may not be able to take action right away, but I’ll let you know when I do. Thanks so much!
Great blog, nice narration in your posts, and must mention great pictures. Good luck with your traveling and writing… I hope you’ll stop by my site, too.
Thank you!
Wow girl looks like you have been doing some great stuff… i have been thinking of trying wake boarding—must be fun… great to know you, dear… keep blogging and thanks a lot for stopping by.
Thank you, Kavita. You should definitely try wake boarding! It’s so much fun! It’s nice to meet you, too. :)
just lending a pair of wings to an angel.
Haha. Thank you! The angel will appreciate that!
Hi Jessica… I’m glad to connect with you.
Thanks for stopping by and following my blog.
Greeting from Jogjakarta, Indonesia.
Hi, there! I really enjoy your blog! Your granddaughter is adorable. Thank you for stopping by my blog, too! All the best from California. :)
Wow! You definitely get around!
I try… The more you see the more there is to see. I’ve been stationary for nearly a year now, and it’s killing me. Thanks for stopping by!
Hoi, hallo Jessica,
Was ich hier sehe, gefällt mir sehr. Ich bin ein Reisefreak. Meine Lieblingszitate :
“Meine Heimat ist dort, wo ich meinen Aerger habe.” ( P. Bichsel Schweizer Schriftsteller)
“Es gibt wichtigeres im Leben, als beständig dessen Geschwindigkeit zu erhöhen.”
(M. Gandhi, ind. Freiheitsk. Politiker)
“Wir sind nicht nur verantwortlich für das, was wir tun, sondern auch für das, was wir nicht tun.” (J.B. Molière)
“Wie schade, dass so wenig Raum ist zwischen der Zeit, wo man zu jung, und der, wo man zu alt ist.” (de Montesquieu Charles Louis)
Liebe Grüsse. Ernst
“Hoi, hello Jessica,
What I see here, I like very much. I am a travel freak. My favorite quotes:
Best regards,
Ernst”
Well hello again, Ernst! So good to hear from you, and thank goodness for Google translate! Alas, it is a pity language is not studied earlier in American schools. I feel that that was the biggest short-coming of my education and a huge disservice to the American people at large…
I like these quotes very much! I was trying to pick a favorite, but they are all too good to choose. Thank you so much for sharing! I may have to add one or two to my favorite quotes section in my “about the author” page…
I hope you’re having a wonderful week. Cheers! Jessica
Is that you doing that crazy slalom ski on lake trinity? Very impressive…if I got that horizontal, I’d definitely end up drinking the water.
Haha, yes it is. I wish I looked like that all the time. This was just a lucky shot. ;) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Jessica,
Nice and creative blog. You write that you enjoy studying culture, I was wondering if you study religious groups as well, because religion is sort of a culture. I’m thinking about the Jewish culture in particular. Anyway take care.
Eli
Thank you, Eli! I DO enjoy studying culture, very much, and learning about religion is high on my list of priorities. It is such a huge part of culture and who we are… I don’t know a lot about the Jewish culture, unfortunately, but I definitely want to know more! Why do you ask? I will try to check out your blog soon!
Best regards, Jessica :)
awesome blog you have here Jessica…love the story where your brother proposed his gf …
Thank you, Kavita! I thought the story was pretty special, too. And I like your blog as well! Thanks for reading and commenting! :)
thanks Jessica….love to know about you and read your blog :)
Thank *you*!
i have nothing unique or interesting to say, only that i saw your gravatar pic and now i’m in love. have a great day.
ahh, photos can be deceiving, can’t they? so glad to have you on board. cheers, jess
Hi Jessica, I’m very intrigued by your blog so I’ve signed up! Normally I follow pretty straight forward photography blogs but yours has grabbed my attention. Also wanted to say thanks for looking at some of the photo offerings on my blog, it’s much appreciated. All the best.
Glad to hear you liked my blog! I talk about a little of everything, but mostly I am interested in travels abroad… Which is why I liked what I saw on your blog, too! Looks like you’ve been to some pretty amazing places. So glad to connect! Thanks for saying hi. :)
Yeah, if I could I’d travel abroad full time. I love meeting people and experiencing different cultures. Thanks for deciding to follow my blog.
You’re more than welcome. It’s funny, growing up I never imagined I’d end up wanting to live abroad, but that’s exactly what happened! Your photos are worth following, and people who engage in conversations make the following all that much more worthwhile! Best regards, jess
Hi! I’ve nominated you for a ‘Versatile Blogger Award’…because you’re awesome of course. If you’re not the awards type that’s cool but if you are go get it here http://wp.me/p3CH62-pt ! Yeah, there are rules but they’re pretty easy to follow. Thanks for reading my silliness!
: )
Wow. Thank you, Melissa. That’s very sweet of you! I’m honored. I am really late on awards, honestly. I have several to accept and act on right now, so I suppose I will add this to my list! I love your blog, too, by the way. Impressed by your large following! Very happy to have met you. Cheers! :)
you’re very welcome!
: )
Nice to have met you as well
E’ bello incontrare una Donna come Te che ama il cambiamento!
Io ho fatto del cambiamento un motivo di Vita!
Piacere di conoscerTi dolcissima creatura!
Un saluto dal mio Cuore.
A presto
Claudio (Italy)
It’s wonderful to hear from you again, Claudio — and a blessing to be visited by such a sweet heart who also understands the importance of change and its role in our lives.
Con affetto,
Jessica
Thanks sweet Jessica!
I will follow with interest and deeply through your Heart!
A hug with affection and esteem
Claudio
What catched my eye at the beginning was the sentence “the only thing constant is change” Very true, either evolve or your going to end up being a parasite or a cave man. I like your philosophy in life. You seem like a very productive person, always trying to improve yourself. And making a difference thorough writing, you did it! I´m your new stalker.
Stay Frosty, have fun at that wedding your going.
Thanks, Charly! Yup, that the only thing constant is change is so true. For all of us. And you’re right that I’m a productive person — can’t stand sitting around! lol ;) Thanks for the follow and hope you’re having an awesome weekend!
Hi Jessica! I believe you’re a wonderful person and I feel blessed to share the same blogosphere with you. ;)
Great Blog. Jessica you really impressed by your writing skills and life events. Really appreciate that. I am a great admirer of your work :)
Thank you, Ahmed. You are too kind! Hope you have a great day!
jealous of your travels, but excited to live vicariously through your blog!
Why thank you! It is wonderful to meet you. Thanks for stopping by!
Your journey looks quite interesting. Liked the bio :)
Thank you! I wrote it a while ago, but it is still quite accurate today!
It has been written well, an interesting and sincere bio :)
Thank you for the Seussian Quotes. I love Dr. Seuss and I used one of your quotes for an assignment for my professor. I made sure to read your about section so I could list you as a resource. Thank you and look forward to using some more of your quotes for my professional portfolio. Don’t worry, I assign credit, where credit is due. :) Loved the picture of you kissing an elephant!! My dad use to work with elements, so it was quite funny and brought back memories.
Awww! So glad to hear it! I really like Dr. Suess, too, and so glad I could help with an assignment. That photo of the elephant kiss in Thailand is a great memory. Wish I knew when/how I was going to make it back!
Hope you’re having an awesome weekend!
It’s a Wonderful Life…. if you take the time to live. If you don’t mind my asking , when did you live in Collegedale? I’m a product of that community. Love riding…,