Based in northern Michigan on the shoreline of Lake Huron, Randie Thomas is the mother of two teenagers, RJ, 19, and Jayne, 17. Her household also includes Dan, Jayne's 18-year-old boyfriend, two German shepherds, Butch and Bess, and Casper, a cockatoo. Randie was a high school and junior high school science teacher before becoming disabled with reflex sympathetic dystrophy. She spends her time juggling medical appointments and trying to stay healthy.