Vikki Coggsdale:  

Life or something like it: Since leaving full-time work in 2000 due to medical complications, I was finally able to do some fun stuff, even though I've been unable to work more than a few days. So although I haven't been able to get a "real job," I have been doing some acting in movies (the last of which were Iron-Jawed Angels and Line of Fire), commercials, plus doing some modeling. While working in movies I became friends with Martin Sheen & Blair Brown, & spent some time with Hilary Swank, Angelica Huston, Frances O'Conner, Patrick Dempsey (yes, he's just as cute in person!), Julia Ormond, oh, a bunch more, but let's leave the movie people. I've also had the opportunity to meet Sissy Spacek (at a concert to which she took her daughter), Reba McEntire, Winona Judd (see picture), Faith Hill, Jack Lemmon, um, there are more, but I'm too tired to remember the names (especially since I'm lousy at remembering names anyway!). So even though I've been limited by my disabilities in some ways, they also allowed me to meet people I'd never have met otherwise, & do things I'd never have had time to do. Then, since Alan also "retired" young, we were able to do something we'd planned on doing after retirement: Camp Hosting. We spent all of November 2008 at Bear Creek Lake State Park as the youngest Hosts in Virginia's history. The Hosts do really tough things like greeting campers, answering questions about the area, bidding people safe travel, and being on hand during the night for emergencies after the Park Rangers left. You are expected to "work" about 30 hours a week, 6 a day. We made a lot of friends from all over the country, were invited to dinner with some hunters, & S'mores with others. And in return for all the arduous work we did, we earned a week of camping at any VA state park. My kids are grown (scary!!) at 19 (Katrina), 21 (Jason-stepson), & 21 (Erik) & all are in college, currently at various campuses of J. Sargeant Reynolds. Katrina could have graduated at 15, but wanted to graduate H.S. with her friends (2008). Instead, she's been taking college courses for the last 4 years, so she "started" college with about 2 years' of college courses left to take. But with her field, she'll need to take a lot more than regular classes: she wants to be a museum curator, specializing in Egyptian artifacts, which she decided when she was just 14. Talk about setting goals and sticking to them! She received the "Compass" award at graduation because her H.S. classes were "aimed" at her choice of professions. Fall 2008 Update -- Katrina blew all our minds when she switched her major to Culinary Arts!!! Well, she's always been a great cook, even making up her own recipes. Jason has always been a computer wiz & we always thought that would be his profession. Instead he's training to be a master mechanic. Guess you just never know! My husband, Alan, is a photographer & computer guru. He had been working for Best Buy as a Supervisor of their Geek Squad Double Agents (they come up with these funky names for them -- I don't know why!). He's one of the guys that drives around in a "Geek Mobile" (known to the rest of us as a Volkswagen Beetle), working on computers at client locations. Then on 1/28/08 he had surgery to slow/stop the progression of his failing eyesight (due to diabetic retinopathy). He was left blind in both eyes. Now he's trying to learn how to function without sight. It's been interesting, watching him go from afraid to step away from me to being able to walk a little bit on his own. He attended rehab at the Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired. He did so well that he graduated October 31, 2008. He's still working on his Orientation & Mobility (O&M). Once he is comfortable using his cane, he can apply for a Guide Dog. So within a year or so we will have a Standard Poodle (about 45 lbs) & a yellow Labrador Retriever (about 90 lbs) plus the Poodle's cat, Clare, running around our small home. Just got the kids out of the house & now we fill it with large dogs! And I'm a "cat person." I have been doing a lot of volunteer work (primarily fund raising and product acquisition) for The Jasmine Charitable Trust, a non-profit organization that raises and trains Standard Poodles to work as Service Dogs. I use a Service Dog myself now, & it's been wonderful to get some of my life back. I'd been unable to do any movie work since 2002 due to medical issues & Michelle (my Service Dog) has allowed me to go back to what I love. I also spent some time driving for Meals on Wheels, ...Expand for more