Laurie had never been alone. The youngest of 4 kids, she grew up in a bustling house of 7 (Carol, Chuck, her grandfather, and 3 siblings all close in age). Laurie met Michael when she was only 16, and her daughter came into this world only a month after her 18th birthday. Soon, she was raising two kids in the mountains and running a successful business. Life was a hustle and a grind until her 40s when she retired. Even then, Laurie spent most of her waking hours with Michael all the way up until his last breath.

When Michael passed, Laurie had to make a decision. Was she going to live, and if so, what life was the life that she going to build? Laurie made a decision, and that decision was to build the next part of her life on her own terms. She sold their homes in Genoa and on Skyline, and bought and sold a place in Palm Desert. Ultimately, she ended up in the last place I ever would have imagined her - Southern California! In Encinitas, mom bought a beautiful place and made truly her own. She wanted the house to be filled with beautiful, zen-like peace, and she accomplished that in every single room. In the garden, where she finally had the right amount of sun, water, and time, she spent hours making it her own little paradise. She dated for the first time in her life in her 60s, and enjoyed the local music scene. 
 

Here is the story of living her life on her own terms.