Lori, think of you and hoping all is well with you and the kids.

Ann

I've also been thinking of Lori and the kids, hoping all is well.

Annie

Hey Lori - you me and bizzo need to get together - maybe meet in Mystic? Or how about Stonington?

I'll see if I can find her.

Miss you and hope life is treating you well Lori!

: )
lyra

Thanks for the mail, lyra.

I'm here! Lots to update everybody on, but I'm on the way out the door. I will try to come back later tonight and say hi. :)

Thank you everybody for thinking of me.

God, I miss you guys! Love you all!

Hi again :)

What's the barnmom thread? What else is new around here?

Okay, so an update on me and the kids:

It's been a year and a half since I lost Bob. June 9 would have been our 18th anniversary. I think I mentioned I organized a widow/widower group that has grown to about 20 people. We'll be planning get-togethers every other month or so. I've come a very long way in grief. My bad days are less often but when they come, they are worse. It's usually just a 1/2 hour freak out then I'm better.

Our memorial road race/walk is scheduled for August 15, a Saturday evening, and we are expecting about 800 people. I think it's weird that I'm looking forward to it. Last year we raised over $20,000 to go to the American Heart Association and offered almost $5,000 in scholarships for graduating high school seniors in Bob's memory. Obviously we hope to improve those numbers this year.

The kids are doing well. Brian will be a senior and Connor will be a freshman (holy cow!) Mackenzie will be in the third grade. I'm taking a month off this summer to travel and see some colleges Brian might be interested in. We'll be travelling through Boston, to Cornell, Dartmouth, Syracuse, then over to Wisconsin, southeast to the Carolinas, north into the DC area, and head up the coast. Maybe in our travels if somebody wants to get together (Of course I'll have the kids), let me know.

Life does go on. We keep busy with the day-to-day things and we have settled into our own crazy routine. Aside from the obvious, I am happy. I've even realized I am probably ready to start dating, although my phone isn't exactly ringing. I think there's probably something not so attractive about a 42-yr old woman with 3 kids (who hasn't been to the gym in months, BTW).

The house remains a huge project and I casually look for a piece of land that I can possibly get for a song. If that happens, I'll put my house on the market and build something smaller, but I'm in no rush whatsoever.

My cooking still sucks. LOL I almost never bake now - maybe once a week. There's no time.

So somebody let me know what I've missed here. I hope everybody is healthy and happy. I'm sure I've missed a ton of great recipes and beautiful pictures of them.

It makes me so at home to know you are always checking in on me. I think of you all often too.

I miss you.

Hey Lori! Thanks for the update. Glad to hear you and the kids are doing okay. You sound very busy. I can see why there isn't much time for baking or posting here.

We were wondering where Barnmom (Eileen) was, and then we wondering about you, too.

Let us know how you are from time to time. We miss you, too.

Hey, Lori, are you going through Michigan on your way to Wisconsin?

I'd be glad to put you up and all three of your kids too!

Annie

Hi, Annie,

Nice of you to offer! Wow. Just...wow.

Mackenzie would love that...visiting a "real farm"

I don't even know the geography of Michigan (embarrassing). Does Michigan connect to Wisconsin on the north or is there some big lake in the way or somethin'? Heehee...I'm bad with that stuff. I'm also trying to work a Chicago run in there somewhere if possible. Not sure how much time we'll have.

College searching is alot of work, and I havent even started filling out the financial paperwork yet (heck, I haven't even done my taxes yet. Yikes!)

I'll be in touch as we get closer.

Chicago? Keep me posted and maybe we can get together. From Annies you can either swim across Lake Michigan or drive south a bit and come around the lake. Much easier but the traffic on the roads is a pain.

Where in Wisconsin are you going? And get a GPS for the trip too!

Peppi

Lori, like Maria, I'd love to get together if you have any time in your schedule! It would be fun to include Tricia, too... maybe meet in Mystic so it's a little easier on her, and part way between you and Mer... (Floodtide? or try again this year for Abbott's?) I'm thinking with your summer schedule we might need to aim for late in the season!!

I also love The Up River in Westerly. A little pricey, but quite fun... You aren't by any chance coming through CT on your way to the midwest??

Hi Lori,

great to see you posting! Re your taxes, I have not done ours yet either, but I am working on them this week and using TaxAct online to do ours and the llc. I noticed they have at least one edition that is not only the tax return, but the FASFA and if my memory serves me right, FASFA was a giant pain.

Arent' there any schools in TX you want to visit? we'd love for you to visit here and stay with us. We don't have a farm, but Shamu doesn't live too far from us.

Brenda

Lori, Michigan does have a small border with Wisconsin, but it's via the Upper Peninsula, several hours north of me, LOL.

I'm about half way up the state, on the west side, and about 40 miles inland from that "big lake". Wisconsin is pretty much straight across from me, Peppi is a little bit south.

Hey, I promised to take stepmom to Chicago sometime in August, maybe we could all meet at Peppi's! (snicker)

Another possibility is Elery's house, he's in Jackson, not far from the southern Michigan border. No working farm, but I could drive down there, meet you and you could at least save the cost of a night's lodging and get a meal or two, if the timing is such that you wanted to stop for the night. Every little bit helps when you're travelling, and especially with kids...

Annie

The UP to Wisconsin route avoids Chicago traffic. Depends on where in Wisconsin you are going on how the extra distance affects your time. More animals to dodge going the north route and the Mackinac Bridge across where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet. The bridge is 5 miles long and 200ft over the water so an interesting experience. Mackinac Island would also be up that way with the Grand Hotel, Fort Mackinac, and fudge. The Chicago route is a 40 lane endless traffic jam where you had better be in the correct lane... hmmm hmmm mmmm... not that I'm trying to sell the northern route.

: )
lyra

what about the Ferry? Isn't there still a ferry (Ludington, I thought)?

HI Lori good to see you! I've thought of you many many times wondering how you were holding up. Everything sounds good. Glad to hear it.

So doesnt Brian want to go to college in Florida? hahahaha!!

Thanks for checking in - we all get worried when we dont hear from you.

xoxox

Oh yes, bizzo, there's sstill a ferry in Ludington, The Badger, it goes across The Lake to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It's kind of expensive if you pay for four tickets plus a vehicle, but might be cheaper than the gas, wear and tear and a motel....

Annie

I took the ferry once, going the other way, from Wisc. to Ludington. Very nice in the summer, and beats Chicago traffic that's for sure!