I just posted several pics of my beautiful granddaughter Sophia.  The handsome young man you see holding her in one is my son-in-law Shawn, and the beautiful mommy my daughter Dana.  Still haven't been able to get away to see her in person yet, my life is just nuts right now.  But, you can at least see her as I have...Enjoy the rest of your week my friends!!!  Lori

Much has changed in my life in recent weeks.  I got married June 20, 2008 (I eloped, but we re-did our vows in a quiet ceremony July 10, 2008 for our best friends' benefit) to a wonderful man who actually has been my friend for over a year.  My Brunswick crew who has been to Bourbon St. or Legend's know Rob Stuart, he's the big guy who has taken such great pics of numerous bands that have played at the Street.  My heart was in denial for a long time, though he and I had been seeing each other for several months before we decided to do "The Do".  I cannot put into mere words how incredibly happy Rob makes me, they just wouldn't suffice.  I can say he makes me laugh, he looks after me when I'm feeling puny, charms the socks off me and makes me feel a love that I thought only existed in Fairy Tales.  Where the Hell has this man been all my life?  Could have saved me a lot of heartache and disappointment had I met him, say in 1981.  Oh well, that's life I guess, and they say everything happens for a reason.  Because of the hurt I've felt over the years, I can truly appreciate all the love, generosity and kindness I get now.  But all you have to do to see I'm genuinely happy is to look at me when I talk about Rob, or better yet see us together.

My granddaughter Sophia Evelyne Marie Vestal was born via emergency C-Section Monday, July 14th at 10:15 a.m.  Weighing in at a tiny but healthy 4 lbs., 12 oz., she was a remarkable 18 3/4" in lenght.  She is a beauty, with a head full of strawberry blond hair.  When I have more than a few minutes I'll post pics.  Mother and baby are fine and home from the hospital.  Daddy and Mommy are realizing now just how much having a baby changes everything.  Hopefully in the coming weeks when I recover fully from this sinus/upper respiratory infection, and my schedule allows, I'll be able to go down and hold her in my arms for the very first time.

Project Move To Savannah is finally complete.  Moving myself, the hubby and all our stuff was, to say the least, a living nightmare, but thank God it's now over.  Now comes the fun part, unpacking the dozens of boxes and making our townhouse look like home.  The kitchen, dining room and living room are nearly complete pending integrating the home entertainment system and hanging a few more pictures on the walls.  The upstairs is coming along as well, with the Master and Guest bedrooms nearly finished.  The office, on the other hand, is a MESS!!!  Being married to a man who owns and operates his own business from home makes the move that much more complicated.  So many details to finish, a business license  to acquire for our new County, etc. etc. etc.  But we love our new home, and will hopefully in the coming weeks be able to have guests over.

As for the career, that's going great!  I'm pretty much booked solid through the rest of the year, doing 3-4 shows a week.  Bill and I are in the process of recording a new demo for our duo, The Electric Cheese.  I laid vocals on about 6-8 tracks last week, and he has since added backing vocals/harmony and is in the process of mixing the tracks down as I type this.  Once our bio is written and we get some pics that are suitable, our new Press Kit will be ready.  The band is kicking as well, and has no more available dates to perform for the rest of the year.  As of this date, I've done nearly 80 shows, and have nearly 50 more to do before 2008 ends.  I feel so incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity to entertain audiences, and actually get paid for it!  Though the work is occasionally hard and the energy level required to do what I do is very high, I do it with zeal and enthusiasm.  After all, I gotta make money to spoil the grandbaby and my new husband, now don't I?

Well, friends that's about all I can think of to letcha know about for right now.  Y'all take care of yourselves and one another, and hopefully I'll see YOU soon!  Peace...Lori

Well my friends, it's official!  Dana called me with the news Friday, she's having a girl!  Sophia Marie Vestal is scheduled to arrive July 19th, 3 days before my birthday.  I have pics from the latest ultrasound, in the first one you can actually see her facial profile.  Technology, what a concept!

I thought I new joy when I had my children, but now that my granddaughter is coming, I think I am experiencing the ultimate in happiness!  Having a successfull career was filling that empty place in my life for the longest time, now I know it's not the things that are important, it's the people.  That's why I felt I should share this with my new friends here on the Mix.

Just makes me cherish every day all the more, and knowing I have such incredible people in my life makes it all the more worthwhile.  Have a great week, and never forget...Life Is Good!   Lori

Just a FYI, I just added some pics from our Warehouse gig this past Saturday.  Hope you like 'em!  We sure had fun playing there, but then again, we always do!  Have a great week everyone!  Lori

As I struggled to climb out of my warm bed this morning, a strange thought hit me.  Why can't people hibernate in the Winter?

I don't know about you, but it seems as though I get my best sleep this time of year.  Being the night-crawler that I am, I appreciate the few blessed hours I can get uninterrupted slumber.  I know what you may think, that I sleep a lot during the day, not true at all.  Despite finally getting to the land of nod about 3 or 4 a.m., I'm usually up by 9 or 10.  I seldom sleep 8 or more hours, if I do, I'm either genuinely sick or recovering from self-inflicted brain damage from consuming excessive amounts of alcohol.  But those two times don't happen all that often.  I'm one of those rare individuals who can survive on 4-6 hours of sleep a night.  But, medical research has proven that this is completely normal.

Mind you, it wasn't always considered to be that way.  There are still some "medical professionals" out there who think if you don't sleep an average of 8 hours a night you have some inherent mental problem.  I know, you're wondering how I discovered this...easy.  There was a time in my life in which I had to seek professional help for some problems.  And no, I'm not ashamed to say that yes, I've undergone therapy.  It actually helped me turn a critical corner in my mental and emotional development as a person.  The best part is that it truly affirmed that I'm a perfectly normal person, and my problems stemmed from previous physical and emotional trauma that I'd been subjected to when I was younger.  I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say the sessions empowered me and affirmed that what happened to me wasn't my fault.  Unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen to good people.  But, I digress...

There's a part of me that wishes we had that bear-like mechanism in us that allows a body to sleep until the weather improves.  But then, we'd have to eat everything in sight for a few months to build up enough fatty deposits to sustain us during that long time of slumber.  After winning my personal battle with the bulge (I lost 45 pounds last year, and it was difficult, middle age), vanity would prevent me from doing that.  However, who would see you during that hibernation period?  And by the time you awoke from your suspended animation, those fat deposits would be long gone, absorbed by the body.  But then there's the problem of eliminating waste in your sleep. Hmmm, I wonder if, in that period of suspended animation, the body's mechanisms slow to the point you wouldn't have to worry about that bodliy function.  Do bears pee and poo while they hibernate?  People don't generally dig lying in that, gross.  Guess I'll be doing some online research on that topic, eh?

From a more realistic standpoint, there's no way I could afford to be away from the world that long.  Let's face it, career, family and other factors would be a huge obstacle.  And besides, who would pay the bills and deal with the daily necessities of basic living?  And I'm not exactly the kind of person who can be stationary for extended periods of time.  I'm pretty active nowadays, and sedentary behaviour isn't a part of who I am.  I gotta have something to do to keep my mind and body running like a finely-tuned machine, despite the high mileage.  So I suppose, weighing all the possible pros and cons, hibernation isn't a viable option for me.

Just another of the many nuggets of interesting trains of thought that run through my head, submitted for your perusal...Enjoy your week.