Thanks, Patti. That's good that you're happy in your new home and town. It turned out to be the right decision for you. I'm getting back into things, trying to figure out what I want to add to my life here. Maybe some kind of Big Sister volunteer job? I like little kids. We'll see.... Now I'm off to Curves to try to repair the damage of eating too much in Israel!

Welcome back Lori its wonderful to hear from you again. So glad that once again you saw all the folks you love to see. I hope your family are all well.

I wonder what the trick is to having both the social and private life you seek? There must be a way to make this happen.

I'm settling in here in Hampden. I decided I like it quite a bit. It's a tiny hamlet with not much of anything going on but we are enjoying our home particularly with the changes we've made. It's becoming more and more "ours".

I've been over to VT a couple of times. Just to see my sister Lynne who is very ill. I spend a few hours with her and then I go back to NH. It's been tough.

I'm starting work at LLBean in Customer Service in early Oct. It's a seasonal position. Hopefully one that will take me through much of the winter. I do so like having the summer time off.

Once again, welcome home Lori!

Hi everyone. I got back from Israel yesterday. I landed at 6 a.m. and was so tired, I ended up sleeping most of the day. Then I couldn't sleep at night. So today I didn't let myself take a nap because I want to be able to sleep at night. I spent the day unpacking, catching up on mail and bills, and just finished catching up on the blog. I had a good time in Israel as usual. It's always good to spend time with my family and friends--though it does get tiring after a while cuz I'm constantly driving from one place to another to see people. I don't have much time to myself there. I think I need more balance in my life. In L.A. I have plenty of time to myself (for my writing, etc.), but not enough social life, and in Israel, it's the opposite--lots of people to see, but no time to myself. Oh well, at least I get recharged there. I love going to the beach there--the Mediterranean is nice and warm. It sounds like all of you have been having busy summers, too.