Tuesday, July 22, 2025 – Day 343

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Good morning!!

It’s getting busy around here—almost like we’re moving to a new home. We’re heading up to Wisconsin for a family vacation, and depending on how things go, we may be gone for nearly two weeks. Over the past few months, so much medical equipment has been delivered to the house—and the truth is, I use all of it. So when it comes time to pack the car, it’s going to be a tight fit. Good thing we’ve got the hitch carrier for extra cargo space off the back. I’m starting to think this trip might resemble National Lampoon’s Vacation. My sister Lis is going to think we’re moving in permanently when she sees us unloading everything into her home. Fortunately for us, she won’t be there the first couple of days when we arrive. 😳

Last night, we went out with friends Terri and Jerry—whom I hadn’t seen in nearly 20 years. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that… it’s been far too long. Honestly, if it weren’t for Kim (my ex-wife), this reunion probably wouldn’t have happened.

Here’s the chain of connection: Terri’s daughter, Kristen, is a color specialist at a salon in Libertyville, and Kim happens to be one of her clients. Kristen and Kim became friends on Facebook, and Kristen noticed a post Kim shared about my ALS. Kristen had a vague memory of my name from her childhood, put two and two together, and helped reconnect Terri and me. So chalk this one up as a win for Facebook.

Terri and I go way back—we started working together in the mid-’80s at a company called IMC. It was my first “real” job out of college. Now, for those of you doing the math… yes, I graduated college in ’77 and didn’t start that job until ’86. That’s a nine-year gap. I hit a few bumps in the road early on, but I managed to overcome them and eventually became a productive member of society. Some of us just take a little longer to find our way.

Terri and I worked together for nearly 20 years, and we became very close during that time. I used to jokingly call her my “work wife.” Those were some truly fun years, and we got to know each other’s families pretty well (which made last night’s reconnection even more meaningful). In 2004, when IMC became Mosaic, I started traveling to Tampa nearly every week for work—and like so many long-distance friendships, we slowly drifted apart. I should’ve reached out when I retired in 2015, but after moving to Crystal Lake in 2007, I got caught up in my new life and let my Lake County days fade into the background.

So last night felt like a real gift. Terri and I picked up right where we left off—easy, natural, and full of laughter. We swapped grandkid photos, caught up on our kids (we both had plenty to brag about), shared stories, hugged, and—best of all—made tentative plans to see each other again. That felt really good. You just can’t fill in a 20-year gap in two hours… but it’s a start.

So a big thank you to Kim and Kristen for sparking the connection and helping bring two old friends back together.

Everybody have a great Tuesday. Talk to you tomorrow.

Love you guys!❤️