Lori

About Me

Lori Campbell Baker heads up the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau’s media and community outreach efforts as the Director of Communications. Lori joined the CVB in 2004 after eight years as Director of Political and Community Affairs for International Speedway Corporation. 

Lasting Impressions/ November 10, 2009- OK, OK, I will take the car back!  Against the advice of friends (thanks, Bobbi!) I've decided to be a big girl and return the shiny, new Cadillac SRX today, as scheduled.  No, my children don't agree (See new photo post.  Are those tiny fingernail marks on the paint?  Hey, maybe I will get to keep it!) -- but it's the mature thing to do.  At least that's what I'm told.  Whatever... Sure, I'll miss the huge sun roof, the XM Radio, that back-up-without-looking feature, the pop-up touch screen display, the dual-screen DVD player, the--  Yeah, OK, I'll stop now.  Just know that it was all good.  Anyway, the Cadillac Driving Force promotion has been a blast, and I'm honored to have been a part of it, competing against some highly-motivated and inspiring women.  I'm headed out to a lunchtime Domestica Abuse Council board meeting, and then sloooooowly making my way back to Ritchey Cadillac to pick up my shiny not-as-new Honda Accord, (which I also adore.)  Maybe I'll take a few detours along the way.  I never did get a chance to test the cruise control... Thanks for visiting my blog, and here's my last official pitch (you know, other than "You'll Love the SRX!") : Halifax Habitat for Humanity is doing its annual Bubba's Building Block Party November 21 at Ocean Walk Village.  Co-sponsored by the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (who else, right?) this is a fun event that raises money to build houses for deserving local families.  Any and all donations are appreciated. For more information, or to get involved, please contact HHH's fearless leader, Lori Gillooly, at lori@halifaxhabitat.org.  Thank you! LCBREAD MORE

Coffee Gets Healthy!/ November 09, 2009- The SRX and I hit the Daytona Beach Rotary Club at lunch today, and I got to do the Sunshine Report.  Along with the fact that coffee is finally and suddenly seen as the Health-Hero I've always suspected it was (thank you Harvard University Medical Center!) my report featured the Cadillac Driving Force promotion.  And of course, since fellow blogger Blaine happened to be out of the room, I quickly made the self-serving pitch that everyone should sign onto my blog.  Opportunity grasped! After giving several Rotarians the grand tour in the parking lot -- I know at least one who's interested in buying an SRX -- I headed off to run a quick errand.  Most embarrassing blunder: I was actually outside of the parked car when I realized that I'd left the ignition on!  Without the routine of pulling the key out, I'd just hopped right out -- completely forgot to push the little button.  (I'm guessing some sort of warning/flashing-thing would have happened if I'd stepped too far from the car, but luckily the hum of the engine got my attention first.  Whew!)  I'm not usually so distracted.  Maybe I need more coffee...READ MORE

What a Weekend!/ November 09, 2009- The CRX and I had a fabulous weekend!  (I tried a couple of blog posts over the weekend, but the iPhone was not cooperating.  Operator error, to be sure.  Thus, this ridiculously long blog post...)  OK, so after the SRX and I spent a lovely Friday evening with friends at Becky and Kevin's Vino 100 shop, the girlfriends met at the beach for a Saturday morning of running and surfing.  The running went well; the surfing made me think I need to do a bit more running!  The current was really rough.  And I'm really lazy.  Afterward, I felt a bit guilty about getting the brand-new Cadillac sandy and wet, but you can't really avoid it -- and since Leah from the Driving Force promotion told me to drive it like I would my Honda... well, it definitely got broken in.  From there, Cheryl and I took a leisurely drive to New Smyrna Beach, home of fellow Cadillac Driving Force blogger and great friend, Sarah Gurtis.  (BTW, if you're familiar with the Six Degrees of Separation theory, Sarah is only two degrees away from just about everyone, and on a first-name basis with the rest.  Which SO explains why she's got a million blog hits already -- yikes, talk about competition!)  Anyway, we explored even more great SRX functions along the way, then met up with more friends, and did some quality shopping and dining, New Smyrna style.  Sunday morning, my son got to see the car for the first time.  Talk about excited!  (Cute Boy: "Mom, if you dent the car, but just a little, do you think they'd just let you keep it?  You know, 'cause it'd be damaged.  And who'd want a dented car, right?)  Hmmm.... right.  The kids and I then loaded all of our surfboards onto the (undented) SRX and hit the beach.  It took 20 minutes to get them back out of the car, since they were proudly showing all their beach friends the Back Seat Suite, as it's now called.  My son declared that he'd be quite happy to live in the car, as it has SO many more perks than his bedroom.  Later we took his dad for a ride and the three of them watched a Vin Diesel flick from the Back Seat Suite.  Yep, I think the three of them really would be quite comfy living back there.  All I'd have to do is drive.  And maybe pull through a McDonald's every once in a while.  Not a bad deal, eh?  (BTW, I've had this car since Thursday morning, and I still have more than a half-tank of gas left.  Have no idea what mileage it gets, or how big the tank is, but I was quite surprised!)  Still loving it...READ MORE

Won't Stay Parked!/ November 06, 2009- This car just won't stay parked!  Nick and I took the SRX out to the Oyster Pub this afternoon for some tasty hot wings and salad.  (They really do have some great wings.  Did I mention unlimited peanuts?  Strangely appealing!)  Since Nick is a former stand-up comic, we just had to tune into to the comedy channel en route -- with all the craziness in the world today, a little lunchtime Henny Youngman can really improve your perspective.  For more perspective, my Caddy and I have a packed agenda for the weekend.  Tomorrow, the SRX will be sporting its first set of soft surf-racks, and a big, wide longboard. (The waves are a little yuck -- but who cares?)  My latest surfboard is a real monster, so it should be interesting to see how I maneuver it to the roof -- I might even rinse it afterward, to keep the car shiny and beautiful.  Well, maybe.  After surfing, and perhaps a nap, we'll be hitting the Wine Festival on Flagler Avenue, New Smyrna Beach.  Great excuse to drive -- and of course, to shop.  Then Sunday, the kids and I are headed for one of our favorite annual events, the Halifax Art Festival.  Another great weekend in the Daytona Beach area -- hope you enjoy your weekend, too!READ MORE

Funny Stuff/ November 06, 2009- My daughter finally got to see the SRX this morning.  She was SO excited!  I gave her the grand tour, and she was especially loving the touch screen, GPS, and rear-seat video screens -- oh, and that backing-up-while-looking-forward thing.  She popped the sun roof and did a queen-style parade wave, right from our humble driveway.  On the way to her middle school, she was sure there'd be an absolute mob scene by friends and faculty members watching our arrival in the new car.  (How funny is that!)  I did a WNDB radio call-in interview on my organization's Thanks 2 You Volusia! resident appreciation program as I was leaving the school (hands-free, with my iPhone programmed into the car's Bluetooth!)  With Roland Via, Arthur Byrnes AND Ken Willis, the show turned out to be a laugh-fest in itself.  I kinda felt like I'd crashed a party already in-progress.  Every morning should be so fun, right?  Then I found the Laugh USA channel on XM Radio and listened to classic Mitch Hedberg all the way to work -- giggling like a complete idiot.  Happy Friday to you, too!  READ MORE