I’m one of those friends who discovered Cynthia and her blog via the Vertebrats connection. I have to say that she is one of the most insightful, sensitive, and truthful writers I’ve ever read.
Now we are friends and occasionally enjoy a glass of wine in her backyard, trade seeds and plants and cherish some really good music. You see, we’re both Record Service former employees, from different decades of working there!

Finding Cynthia’s blog was a gift. There are tons of folks like me who left C-U long ago, but still hold it dear to our hearts. By giving us a daily glimpse into her family’s life, Cynthia allows us to connect not only to her family, but to the community as well. It’s been a privilege to be allowed to share her life.

She takes incredible flower photos, too, by the way.

Don Gerard clued me in to Cynthia’s blog a couple years back and I check it almost daily. She writes about what many of us deal with on a daily basis and she doesn’t shy away from discussing the challenges of life. You have to applaud someone so willing to give her all and pull back the curtain on issues that many would consider to be profoundly private. Plus, she and Ernie collectively have probably the best taste in music of anyone I know.

I am from Calgary, AB, Canada and found Cynthia’s blog through another message board (Kevin Welch).  I read it all from beginning to end and related to so many of her stories and situations. I continue to read and enjoy daily. I just connected with her even though I have never met her. I would like to some day!
Keep writing please!

I’m a loyal Sandwich Life blog-reader (can we coin the term “SandwichHeads?“ , or is that a little too LaBamba-ish…?) , and I enjoyed reading this “behind the scenes” piece.
Excellent.  A+! Thank you!
 
-Tim Borbely

I really enjoy reading about Cynthia’s sandwich life.  I also have two young sons (ages 3 and 8) and parents with health problems. Plus - my boys LOVE the lego pictures.

We have known Cynthia since she was a child. She and her parents attended antique shows and were avid collectors.(So are we!) We have followed her “career” as a student, an employee, a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother.  She has even mentioned us in her blog and posted pictures!  It has been a great way for us to keep in touch, espcially now that we live in California. We read her blog almost every day and look forward to learning what she and the family have been doing.

If I have no time to read blogs on any given day, I still find time to check in on Cynthia’s. Although I don’t have small children in my life, we have a lot of other similar circumstances going on in our lives, and Cynthia’s writing really does make me feel less alone in dealing with my own. While she hashes out life’s sucky circumstances, she also acknowledges those things in life that are beautiful, and she always leaves me smiling. And hopeful.

Thanks for highlighting Cynthia’s blog. Don’t forget Ernie’s estimable photo contributions, along with Cynthia’s amazing, artistic photos!
She’s incredibly cool—forthright in her honest accounts of her life and simply lovely to everyone, including old friends like me who drifted for awhile and came back.  You nailed it when you spoke of a meeting place for people in C-U and beyond.  If I were to quibble, I’d say that the therapy aspects are overstated, it never feels overly earnest or psycho-anythingish.  Her blog’s a riot, and genuinely touching, too.  I hope lots of people will check it out.

I was a colleague of her sister, Judi. Although I did not know Judi really well like some in the profession did, i respect her wqork and contributions to the field.
I’m not quite sure how I became aware of Cynthia’s blog, but I have it bookmarked and check on her every day.  I feel like I know her much better than I knew Judi! 
I don’t share her love for the same music, although some (why oh why) make me laugh. I do love her photographs, her insight, her humanity, her struggles, her boys, and of course Ernie.
I think she reminds us all of the impact we can and do have on each other’s lives. We are all connected.  For some reason, I want to send her lots of beautiful flowers and heritage seeds, and a big ol’ hug. She is an amazing, gifted woman and I’m glad she shares her life with all of us.

i (and i suspect others) are drawn to the sandwich life because of cynthia’s sheer honesty.  it takes a lot of courage to expose oneself everyday to the peering eyes of friends and strangers. in a culture where many people seem to be worrying about their image, it is so refreshing to see cynthia dealing with her often challenging experiences with such honesty and candor….and almost always, with a great sense of humor, too

I met Cynthia and her family while teaching her sons at a local parent cooperative preschool.  I felt an instant connection with her family and grew to love her boys. My mother also suffers from Alzheimers and no one completely understands what a child of a parent with alzheimers goes through until you live it. Cynthia’s thoughts and insights about her father have helped me to deal better with my emotions about my mother.  I have thoroughly loved Cynthia’s honesty throughout her many blogs and I hope she continues!

Wow.
Wow.
See what I mean about the kindess and support? 
Thanks Joel and everybody else!  You guys all made my day….

So honest and funny. I find great comfort in her writing. When things have gone horribly wrong, as they sometimes do, I can always go to her blog and know I am not alone. (And she is just as nice in person!)

Cynthia’s blog is a beautiful work of art…yes, I menat to say art.  I can not figure out what is more powerful, her lovely photographs or her touching words.  It is a can’t miss.

Cynthia and I are in similar situations, and her blog is an almost-daily inspiration for me.  Plus, her photography is breathtaking.

I think what really captivates people, besides those of us who know and love Cynthia and Ernie, is her sincerity and honesty. It is a true breath of fresh air, and she is giving voice to many of the feelings many of us from the CU music community and our generation are experiencing.

I’ve been reading Cynthia since before I moved to Urbana, and she has been unfailingl kind to me. Not to mention incredibly brave and honest. I read hundreds of blog posts every week, and The Sandwich Life is always one of my first clicks.

One of the great things about your blog is that no matter how demanding the situations you encounter, we (your readers) know that you will make it through with grace and humor.  You always come out the other side with your humanity intact.  Who can resist the thoughts and musings of such a steadfast soul? 
 
And, by the way, your photos are indeed wonderful.