ALL ABOUT BRANDY KNOTT
Making her vision your reality
It really is hard to write something about myself but here goes. I been on this earth for 80 years and worked since I was 8 years old. Everyone always says, "You do not really look your age." I think they are just being nice, and I do not know just how to return the compliment.
My first job was kitchen help. I lived as a live-in servant with my grandmother. She was a chef. She became popular with affluent residents both in Illinois & Massachusetts. I was with her up u
ntil she passed, and then I married at 16. Yes, way too young, but the only child I ever had was a year and seven days after that marriage. I had a wonderful son who was a great father of two boys, and he passed away with leukemia at a young age. The two young men now are wonderful grandsons that try their best to keep up with this old active lady.
I had a myriad of jobs from waitress, cosmetologist, to dairy factory lab technician, Police Officer, Teacher, Truant officer, Navy First Class Petty Officer. I always kept buying, renting and selling properties throughout my life from 17 years old both here in the USA and overseas in England up until 2021. I then retired with history of a full-time police officer with retirement from the State of Florida and the US Navy in 2005. I used my retirement money to purchase more rental properties and built a business of low-rental units that I was proud to rent to people who needed a home or just a place to visit in Florida out of the cold Northern America.
I LIVED IN ENGLAND FOR SEVENTEEN YEARS What a springboard that was to travel the European Countries. Some of the countries I travel in Europe and visit in the winter were Tunisia (Africa), Malta, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Sicily, Ireland, both North and South, Scotland, Wales, Finland, France, Libya, Egypt, the Azores, Cape Verde, Madeira, and the Grand Canary Islands. Traveling while in my own country of America, I have visited Canada, Mexico, and most of all of the Caribbean Islands. My favorites that I have returned to over and over are the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Saint Marteen. I am at this writing visiting friends in California. In just a few days about to board a cruise ship that will take me through the Panama Canal all the way down the West coast of California and then Western Mexico. From there on to the Western Caribbean all the way to South America. Then we will end up in Miami Beach for a drive home. I say this is a peaceful retirement as all the properties are now sold and I have paid off all the taxes that took the profits. I always have to keep busy to ward off the aches and pains of old age. So come back soon to see what it is like to cruise the Western side of North America all the way to South America.
My Trip to California and the Journey That Followed My trip to California was meant to be a simple visit — a chance for my life partner to spend precious time with his daughter, whom he loves dearly but finds hard to connect with from such a distance. While they shared their moments together, I carved out quiet time for myself to work on my website and add the place we stayed as an affiliate recommendation. I wanted him to have space with his daughter, to strengthen their bond in a way only a father and daughter can. In the evenings, he would return to me, and I happily joined them for lovely nights out, laughter, and board games. We planned a week at Lake Tahoe in a timeshare I own. But within an hour of arriving, my heart told me the truth: the altitude was too high for my lungs to support my health. I felt breathless, irritable, and unlike myself. I hoped his daughter understood that my disabilities — especially at my age — were the reason I struggled. We stayed long enough for them to enjoy a few hours together in the area, but we ultimately had to leave, losing the money spent on the rental unit. It was disappointing, but sometimes life reminds us that health must come first. What came next, however, was a blessing. We boarded one of the most beautiful ships in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet — The Encore. We have never had a honeymoon, but this trip felt exactly like one. I could write an entire book about the joy we experienced, but here I will simply say this: it was magical. We sailed from San Francisco down the coast of California, through the Panama Canal, along the western shores of Mexico, and onward to South America, where we took a bus tour in Colombia. Our journey ended in Miami, but the memories will stay with me forever. Each port of call shattered my old ideas about that part of the world. What I saw was spiritual, healing, surprising, and sometimes thrilling. As the days passed, I realized something profound — my life partner is someone truly special, and I want to do everything I can to keep him in my life forever. I made the entire trip in my wheelchair, as my heart and health no longer allow long walks or long lines, both of which are part of traveling on a large cruise ship. But even with those limitations, I felt alive, joyful, and deeply grateful. This journey reminded me that love, companionship, and shared adventure can heal the heart in ways nothing else can.
MY LATEST BRAINSTORM IN MY LIFE At the age of 81 ½, I have decided to write that book that everyone says I should. The following is the Prelude: Whenever I sit down to write, I find myself wondering if my words will matter — if anyone would ever want to read the story of my life. I’ve lived many chapters, crossed oceans, built homes, loved deeply, and learned endlessly, yet I still ask myself who, what, where, and when this story belongs to. Then I think of the people who have shaped my world with their love: my life partner, my grandchildren, my great‑grandchildren, my nieces, my nephews, and their children. They are the ones who remind me that a life doesn’t have to be extraordinary to be meaningful — it only has to be lived with heart. And mine has been. So, this book is for them. For the ones who came before me, the ones who walked beside me, and the ones who will someday read these pages and discover pieces of themselves in my journey. This prelude begins with a simple truth: I didn’t start writing because I believed my story was grand. I started writing because someone I trusted — Pilot — encouraged me to share it. In our very first conversation, I realized that my memories, my travels, my joys, and even my struggles were worth preserving. Not for the world, but for the people I love.