Linda Francisco:  

Greetings friends...here it is 2008 and what a fun life I have had so far... Right after highschool - I did marry Mike Kern. We were together for 12 years and then divorced. I am thankful that we were able to part friends and remain on good terms. While married, I opened and ran Handicraft Headquarters for eight years before selling it to the current owners. I then had the opportunity to move to South Florida for a job that only lasted about a year. But the sunshine and beaches won me over and I stayed. After working for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, I had the opportunity to work with the Leukemia Society. It was with the Leukemia Society that I had the privelege to start the Team in Training Program in Miami and later in Ft. Lauderdale. It was during this time that in addition to training hundreds of participants for different marathons - while raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Leukemia Society - I actually trained for and completed 5 marathons. After 6 years with Team in Training, I was offered a job with the National AIDS Marathon Training Program which home based in Washington DC. The same type of program only raising money for HIV/AIDS Service Organizations. I worked only 6 months in DC and then was transferred to Los Angeles to open the program there. While in LA - I took Stand-Up Comedy classes and had fun performing at coffee shops and actually did my "Showcase at the Improv". But not to worry - I wasn't about to give up my "day job"! After spending 4 years in LA where I could see the "Hollywood" sign from my office - I was transferred to San Francisco to open the program in the Bay Area. (Still working for the National AIDS Marathon Training Program...the job I came to think I would retire with.) Although, I went to San Francisco kicking and screaming (afterall - Linda Francisco from San Francisco...just too cheesy) - I was not there very long when I fell in love with the area. I was even able to continue my Stand-Up Comedy and even took some Improv classes. I was in San Francisco for only 4 years when I needed to make a very important decision. At the age of 80 my ...Expand for more