around the things she valued most, she found herself making more time for the little things, the things of deep enjoyment. And whether it was getting lost in the mountains, on foot or snowboard, or surfing, or simply making time for real conversations over coffee with loved ones, the quotes and the poems made their
way back into everyday life in a very real and tangible way. "They became reminders of the things that I longed to put first on a daily basis. So I pulled out the book and started writing down something different as I felt I needed new inspiration. I'd write them on sticky notes and put them on my dashboard in my car. I'm sure it looked crazy, but if you know L.A. traffic, you know you REALLY need to use those moments to focus on what's important, what's true, and what you're ultimately here for!"

Living in Santa Monica, she stumbled across a studio that taught metal-smithing and wax-carving classes for jewelry design. Whether it was her pyromaniac tendencies or just her "creative urges", she won't tell, but Lori was instantly drawn to begin experimenting with this new medium. After taking just one class, she was hooked, and began hanging around as much as she could to just watch what the teacher was going to do that day. She spent hours playing, experimenting with any new technique she could learn or figure out. "And then the quote book resurfaced. It was one of my dearest friends birthdays. And we had both spent the last year taking turns picking the other one up after a really tough time. I had this quote. It WAS him. It put into words what I never could