2014 January Lake Highlands

RETROSPECT

A collection of compelling photographs and the stories behind them

CAREER ADVICE

How to behave in an interview, from a guy who’s been doing them for 23 years

My son is looking for a job now; he’s a college senior hoping to snag something before he graduates in May.

There are a lot of people he could talk with to figure out what employers look for in new hires.

One of them isn’t going to be me.

I understand. I’m his father. How much can I really know?

Let’s not forget I’ve held this job for nearly 23 years, which these days seems like a real career buzz-kill. How much can I really know about finding employment when my entire career encompasses three jobs?

So he’s not asking for my advice. But as a parent, that’s not going to keep me from doling it out.

For example, I recently suggested it’s a good idea to leave for interviews at least 15 minutes, maybe even 30 minutes, earlier than you expect it will take to get there, just in case traffic is bad or something unexpected slows you down.

“Why do I need to leave that early?” he asked, speaking as someone who thrives (and always delivers) on lastminute heroics.

“Because no employer likes to be kept waiting by someone who wants a job,” I told him, speaking from experience.

Over the years, it seems as if half of the people who showed up for interviews here were late and, making matters worse, many were unapologetic. Presumably, they’re working somewhere else now.

And then there are the gum-chewers

who smack away while talking about themselves during the interview. Hey, why not pull out a bag of potato chips and a couple of beers to share while talking about your education and experience?

Be prepared for each interview, I’ve told my son. Research the person and the company before you show up. Have some intelligent questions to ask. Know something about the business.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened an interview with this initial statement “What questions do you have for me?” — and been greeted with a blank look and absolutely no response. None.

Sometimes, I’ve responded the same way — silence, just waiting to see what would happen — and the result has been more than a few five-minute interviews.

Don’t forget to ask about money, I’ve suggested to my son.

“Isn’t that kind of pushy?” he said.

“Don’t you want to know how much you might be paid?” I told him. “And don’t you want to make sure you don’t get excited about an opportunity you can’t afford to accept?”

“Yes, Dad,” he says, clearly indicating he’ll do no such thing.

And then there’s the most important element of a job interview, the one thing every potential employee needs to do, and yet most don’t: You have to ask for the job if you want it.

Employers want to hire people who are enthusiastic about working with them. It’s that plain and simple, or so I’ve told my son.

“Yes, Dad. I know all of this,” he told me while informing me he had just sewn up the internship he has been trying to line up.

“I know. I know.”

DISTRIBUTION PH/214.560.4203

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publisher: CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

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senior editor: EMILY TOMAN

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editors:

RACHEL STONE

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BRITTANY NUNN

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designer: KATHRYN ROCHA

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designers: LARRY OLIVER, LISA DUDLEY

contributing editors: KERI MITCHELL, SALLY WAMRE

contributors: GAYLA BROOKS, SEAN CHAFFIN, GEORGE MASON, BLAIR MONIE, ELLEN RAFF, PAM HARRIS, WHITNEY THOMPSON

photo editor: DANNY FULGENCIO

214.635.2121 / danny@advocatemag.com

photographers: MARK DAVIS, ELLIOTT MUÑOZ, KIM LEESON, DAVID LEESON

copy editor: LARRA KEEL

interns: PERI BOWDEN, BRANDY BARHAM, JAMES COREAS, JUN MA, JENNIFER SHERTZER

More than 200,000 people read Advocate publications each month. Advertising rates and guidelines are available upon request. Advocate publications are available free of charge throughout our neighborhoods, one copy per reader.

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A healthier community

wellness partners

Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake is excited to be the official wellness partner of YMCA at White Rock and offer a series of nutrition classes to the east Dallas area. Together, we are committed to helping people live longer, healthier lives by providing programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. We are proud to collaborate with such a strong organization that shares our passion for health, wellness and strengthening of our community.

To learn more about the real basics of better health that include eating healthy, exercising regularly, and following healthful lifestyle habits, visit DoctorsHospitalDallas.com/WellnessMadeEasy.

Remodeling and New Construction Talk...

What to Expect as Remodeling or Construction Begins

Last month, we talked about “What to Expect as We Complete the Final Design”. This month, we’re ready to begin the remodeling or new construction of your home. We’re out of the design center and on site. To review, when we completed the final design, we prepared all documents for construction and permits, and signed the construction contract. Our collective vision is ready to take shape.

On-site construction kickoff meeting

The day begins with a kickoff meeting in the home or on site. We review all the plans with you, the project management group, and the construction team, then walk through the home or lot to go over every detail of the space. The plans have been handed off prior to today, but this is the first time you will meet the construction team. There’s a certain excitement as you witness the trades – each with unique skills and responsibilities – review the plans as they set to begin.

Setting expectations for satisfying your needs

If you’ve been reading our column for a while, you know two of our recurring themes are open communication and no assumptions. Every client is different and has different needs and expectations for how we will work together, how we will communicate, and how we will handle the details of working on your property.

You may want us to update you at the end of every day, or maybe three times a week if you’re busy. You may prefer a call, an email, or even a text message. We believe you deserve to choose how and when we communicate, so that you can enjoy the process as much as the finished result.

We try to anticipate your needs and take all requests into careful consideration, to ensure a smooth process. Would you like our construction team to enter through the garage, side door, or front door? Where would you like us to park our vehicles? Would you like us to store tools and materials in a certain room of the home? If there are alarms in the house, should they be disabled? Would you like a plywood path for access to the home? Are there any plants that can’t be touched or furniture that can’t be moved? Less experienced builders tend to lack foresight, and problems frequently arise as a result. At Bella Vista Company, we do our best to anticipate issues and ensure your satisfaction, every step of the way.

For more information on Remodeling or Custom Homes, read our blogs at www.bellavistacompany.com.

TOP 5 MOST-READ STORIES

Miss Rita, beloved ‘Voice of Lake Highlands,’ dies at 93 Richardson High responds to Lookadoo controversy

Runners, race directors, volunteers react to canceled Dallas marathon Dallas Turkey Trot winner is a Lake Highlands coach

Crime: Daytime home burglary, fleeing gangsters, smashed glass

READER COMMENTS

“Rita would be so proud of this lovely story about her life and the heartfelt influence she had upon her Lake Highlands Family. Carol you helped us all relive the ‘Miss Rita’ we all enjoyed knowing. Miss Rita never grew up; yes, she was our very own LH Peter Pan.” — Jill Gunnels on Miss Rita, beloved ‘Voice of Lake Highlands’, dies at 93

“Those ribs are unbelievable. And I usually don’t care for ribs. However, if only they could clone some of Mike Anderson’s ‘sides’. OK, well, looks like I’ll have to make a ‘site inspection’ to find out if the sides have improved since the earlier days on Greenville Avenue …” — Mike Y. on Baker’s Ribs on Northwest Highway is open

“She is an amazing role model for the kids and she invested in each child as if they were her own. She has blessed our family is so many ways, it’s indescribable. If every teacher was like Dawn, the world would be a much, much better place. Way to go, Dawn!! You ROCK!!!!” — Kim West on Dallas Turkey Trot winner is a Lake Highlands coach

Correction: An image accompanying the Día de los Muertos announcement in the November 2013 East Dallas Advocate calendar was not credited to the artist, Melissa Hayes.

Memory Care at White Rock Lake

Q&A: Teresa Cocke

When you take a yoga class at the neighborhood gym, the practice typically is no more spiritual than running or weightlifting. Yoga is a series of exercises that, for some, is used to strengthen not just the body, but also the spirit. Those who practice Holy Yoga say they invite Christ into their workouts. A little research into Christianity-based yoga reveals that the exercise is controversial. The traditional yogis don’t seem offended; religions that tend to utilize yoga have been relatively quiet on the topic. Some Christians, on the other hand, are scandalized, calling yoga “pagan” and warning that yoga — even that interwoven with biblical readings — will lead participants into an unChristian “Hindu” or “New Age” lifestyle. Neighborhood resident Teresa Cocke teaches a Holy Yoga class at North Highlands Bible Church. The course has become so popular that the Dallas Ballet Center in Lake Highlands now offers her classes. Here Teresa responds to some of our questions about yoga and its Christian counterpart.

Teresa Cocke: Kim Leeson

I’ve read a lot of criticism from Christian evangelists who say yoga is inherently Hindu and that Christians should not practice it. What do you think when you hear that?

Personally, I haven’t dealt with much criticism. When there is criticism, I think primarily it comes from a misunderstanding. No one knows exactly when yoga began but it predates written history. Hinduism incorporated some of the physical practices of yoga — so have other religions throughout the world. We are not trying to incorporate the practice into religion. We use the time in yoga class to meditate on biblical scripture and invite God into the practice. As with any exercise, activity or situation, inviting God’s presence allows the experience to be richer and more beneficial. I do not blame anyone for being skeptical. I totally respect the views of other people. As Christians we absolutely need to ask questions and hesitate if we are unsure about something. We must go through our lives utilizing discernment and seeking the Lord’s will, so asking questions and seeking assurance that we are on the right path is good.That’s why I, myself, asked a ton of questions and spent the better part of a year researching this before I became involved. I came to the conclusion that the ministry was a wonderful way to incorporate more of Christ in all parts of my life, heart, soul, mind and strength.

What were your

main questions?

I wanted to understand the technicalities. What would the training involve, would it be accredited if I wanted to teach in another yoga studio, for example? I of course wanted to make sure the physical training and practice was equivalent in quality to traditional yoga, which it is. The instructor training is first-class. Then I needed to pray, to seek guidance, both from prayer and by consulting leaders of our church, North Highlands Bible Church. I spoke with the founder of Holy Yoga Foundation, Brooke Boon, who confirmed her love of the Lord and the intention of the Holy Yoga practice — to grow deeper, love, nurture, worship, surrender, heal and grow in God’s word and spirit.

How, originally, were you drawn to yoga?

I’ve been interested in dance and aerobics and was a certified aerobics teacher. After dealing with some disc problems with my back, I turned to yoga. After practicing consistently for several months, I saw improvement in my back, flexibility and overall health.

And your religion?

My husband, Jim, and I are Christians and belong to North Highlands Bible Church, which is non-denominational and focused on The Bible’s teaching. We’ve been there since ’94, and he has been the worship leader since ‘96.

And how did the two finally merge for you?

The merging of yoga and religion happened through my instructor training. The Holy Yoga ministry is great yoga and 100 percent about Jesus. I entered into Holy Yoga to have another avenue to share God’s love with people and the Lord has allowed just that.

Physically, there are many types of yoga, so what type is Holy Yoga, and what is your class like?

It is a Hatha/Vinyasa style, which focuses on physical stretching postures and linking the breath to the movement. So we read a scripture before class — today’s was about thankfulness, for example — and then weave the word of God into the poses. A class usually has 10 or 12 people and sometimes as many as 20. Anyone is welcome, and being Christian is not a requirement. I think having a healthy body and healthy mind, which yoga promotes, goes with having a healthy spirit. That is only enhanced by the fellowship and friendships fostered in the class and by just having a space to gather and center your mind for 75 minutes. We like to say we practice on our mats what we wish to practice in the world.

—Christina Hughes Babb

Culture shift

How art is changing the way a neighborhood sees itself

A familiar conversation has changed: the one about Vickery Meadows, the immigrant-heavy stretch bordering East Dallas, the one that starts with cultural diversity, with a rapid segue into crime and poverty. But what if something else were part of the dialogue, part of the neighborhood’s fabric something like art?

“We’ve made our mark there,” says Houston artist Rick Lowe. Lowe is one of 10 artists commissioned by the Nasher Sculpture Center to install public art throughout the city for Nasher Xchange, a celebration of the center’s 10th anniversary. Lowe’s project, Trans.lation, takes place in Vickery Meadow, where a large portion of

the population is made up of refugees from Burma, Bhutan and Iraq.

Since February, Lowe has teamed with volunteer artists, educators and Vickery Meadow residents to offer free art workshops, bringing together people of different cultural backgrounds and ages to learn from each other. Word of mouth from the workshops has increased participation there, and also at the monthly pop-up markets along Ridgecrest Road that are another key element of Trans.lation. The Oct. 19 market, held in conjunction with the official opening of Nasher Xchange, featured about 30 vendors, most of them local residents who had taken part in the workshops. The November market

was hampered by wet, frigid weather, but still had a strong turnout to what was recast as an Open Studio afternoon, with people opening their homes and sharing hot tea and Iraqi dishes.

All the activities, large and small, involve “finding a place for people to gather and make new friendships and learn from each other, learn about different cultures,” Lowe says, describing how Trans.lation has helped ease the barriers of “self-segregation” commonly found.

“I love sitting around in workshop and hearing people trade language,” says Cynthia Saathoff, an MFA student at University of Texas at Dallas who coordinates multiple workshops each

Residents of Vickery Meadow gather for a Trans.lation event: Scott Lumley

week. Hindi speakers learn greetings in Arabic. Two women share their different approaches to crafting paper flowers, one from Mexico and one from Iraq. Spanish speakers take painting lessons from Iraqi artist Abdul Ameer Alwan, well-known in his native land, who gets his points across despite limited English.

In addition to having great respect for the artistry and craftsmanship she’s seen demonstrated by Trans.lation participants, Saathoff also has developed friendships with many. There have been home visits, shared meals of goat meat, and one trip to the hospital with Um Qutaibah, whose daughter was going into labor.

“I drove them, and when we go to Parkland, I thought how I would not leave my mother in a foreign country in a waiting room,” she says. “I just stayed, and we got to know each other really fast.”

An additional facet of Trans.lation launched at the December market. Three white cube galleries have been built and will serve both as an entrance to the markets and also as freestanding exhibit space. Lowe explains that “we wanted to provide a space and opportunity to show the work in a way that honors the work,” similar to display in a museum or gallery space. Thus, the simple 12-by-12-foot cubes, which put the focus on the art.

Upcoming market dates are Jan. 18 and Feb. 22. The Nasher XChange concludes in February, but this shouldn’t mean the end of Trans.lation. The challenge, Lowe says, is in leveraging the involvement of the arts and cultural community in this neighborhood without relying exclusively upon the Nasher. There is a strong presence of traditional social services and church groups, and artists should have a similar presence.

We are pleased to announce that Realtor, Cindy Rudeloff has joined our team!

—Pam Harris

“We are retooling our efforts as a community effort,” he says. “There is a great team here. The community itself, the project has been about them, about people connecting.”

VISIT THE VICKERY MEADOW TRANS.LATION

PAGE ON FACEBOOK for more details and photos and attend the Jan. 18 or Feb. 22 market from 1-4 p.m. in the 5900 to 6900 blocks of Ridgecrest, near Northwest Highway and Central.

Our team of real estate professionals is focused on providing ethical, professional and results-driven services to every property owner and each prospective real estate buyer that we meet. From negotiating to closing, our singular goal is to provide white-glove service and deliver complete client satisfaction. If you are considering a move, call on the professionals at Elle Realty.

Claudia Crow Debbie Kelly

Kim Lohrengel

Jo Sutton

Rachel Story

Kathy Lacy

Stephanie Jehle

1921 Landa

FOR SALE

8840 Sweetwater

FOR LEASE

8325 Stony Creek

SOLD

8049 Eagle Trail

SOLD

9731 Fieldcrest

SOLD

2506 Quail Ridge

SALE PENDING

Stephanie Jehele Cindy Rudeloff

.”

Out & About

January 2014

Jan. 20

Wrangler dance clinic

Youngsters are invited to join the Lake Highlands High School Wranglers for a fun afternoon learning country and western dances Monday from 1-3:30 p.m. The honorary Wranglers will show off their skills at half time of the LHHS basketball game on Jan. 24. Participants will receive T-shirts to wear to the performance and will be admitted to the game at no cost (parents must purchase tickets to attend). Open to students from kindergarten through 6th grade.

LHHS Cafeteria, 9449 Church Road, 214.912.3278, lhhswranglers.org, $25-$30

JAN. 10

Ellis Paul show

American songwriter Ellis Paul performs his folk-pop music, which critics say has helped bridge the gap between modern folk and the traditional Woody Guthrie-style sound. The Stay Birds will open the show.

Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse, 9555 N Central, 214-363-0044, unclecalvins.org, $18-$22

JAN. 11

Family concert

The Fine Arts Chamber Players present a free Bancroft Family Concert featuring musicians and dancers of Avant Chamber Ballet in the Horchow Auditorium at the Dallas Museum of Art Saturday at 3 p.m. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood, 214.520.2219 fineartschamberplayers.org, free

THROUGH JAN. 25

Wild art

View the exhibit “Forest, Feathers, and Fur,” which features acrylic paintings by Roxanne Mather, which beautifully portray animals, birds, and other creatures that live and thrive around White Rock Lake.

154 Glass St. Suite 10, 214.521.6622, facebook.com/fashioncited, $20 donation is requested at the door

JAN. 30

Lights on Lake Highlands

Prospective students and families enjoy a night of music and more as they learn about the programs, people and traditions of Lake Highlands Junior High School during this open house from 6-8:30 p.m. at the school.

Lake Highlands Junior High, 10301 Walnut Hill, 469.593.1600

Jan. 23-25

‘Grease’

Leave behind chilly winter days for those summer days (and nights) during the Lake Highlands High School theater department production of “Grease” at 7 p.m. LHHS Auditorium, 9449 Church Road, $13

JAN. 24 – FEB. 23

‘Go, Dog. Go!’

Dogs sing, dance and drive cars in this Dallas Children’s Theater musical for ages 4 and up. A DCT Party and Play Event on Jan. 25 features themed activities before and after the performance.

Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman, dct.org, 214.740.0051, $12-$40

T.HEE GREETINGS

Lake Highlands store now offers boutique wines and craft beers! Both stores carry a great supply of bar and wine gifts. T. Hee Greetings locations, Lakewood and Lake Highlands. 214.747.5800 t-heegifts.com

GECKO HARDWARE

Wild birds appreciate a boost during winter - like this recycled suet feeder. Mention ad for 15% off all wild bird products at Gecko Hardware. We make green living fun! 10233 E. NW Hwy @ Ferndale (near Albertsons) 214.343.1971 GeckoHardware.com

JAN. 25

Donut Dash

Eat your fill of donuts and run off the calories at the Donut Dash 5K presented by Hypnotic Donuts at Fair Park. The timed run will start and finish inside the heated Centennial Building, and there will be three donut-hole stations along the course. After the run, enjoy a party with a Chubby Bunny contest (people stuffing their faces with donut holes), a DJ, live music, and free food and beer. Race fees are between $28 and $40 depending on when you register, or pay $15 to join the party without breaking a sweat. The event is accepting cash and other donations in support of the Birthday Party Project, a Dallas nonprofit that gives homeless children a party to celebrate their special day.

Fair Park Centennial Hall, 1001 Washington, 817.706.0368, hddash.com, $15-$45

ARTISTIK EDGE

Buy any 2 Redken styling products get the 3rd free! Thru January 8420 Abrams #208 @ Royal 214.349.3888 artistikedge.com

CAKE CAROUSEL

Cake, Candy and Cookie supplies! Take a class to learn how to decorate cakes, cookies, push pops, cake pops, candy and more. Register now for spring classes. Call today. 1002 N. Central Expwy. Ste. 501 @ Arapaho 972.690.4628 cakecarousel.com

THE STORE IN LAKE HIGHLANDS

Candles, Candles, Candles! So many to choose from! Great for gifts to give or keep! Featured: Tyler, Aspen Bay and Circle E Candles. 10233 E NW Hwy @ Ferndale (near Albertsons) 214.553.8850 Mon-Sat 9:30-5:30 TheStoreinLH.com

PAINTING WITH A TWIST

Express your inner artist! Instructors lead attendees in creating paintings with a featured piece of art. Bring your imagination and beverage. Perfect for private parties and complimentary valet parking. 5202 W. Lovers Lane214.350.9911 paintingwithatwist.com/dallas

Delicious greens

SNAPPY SALADS

5941 Greenville

214.361.7627 (SNAP)

snappysalads.com

AMBIANCE: CASUAL

PRICE RANGE: $3.70-$14.55

HOURS:

MON-SAT: 11 A.M.-9P.M.

SUN: 11A.M.-3P.M.

Chris Dahlander, the founder and owner of Dallas-based Snappy Salads, worked for Brinker International as the marketing director for Romano’s Macaroni Grill for eight years. After a while, all the discounted food with Brinker started taking a toll on his waistline. “I was getting heavier and heavier, and I looked at myself in the mirror one day and thought, ‘Oh my God, I don’t want to be that way,’” Dalander explains. So he started eating salads, but most places made it difficult, if not impossible, for customers to customize their salad orders. “That really irritated me,” he says. Other places felt too “girly” or too aged, he says. Nothing seemed to fit his needs. Finally, while stuck on a flight, both hungry and frustrated, he began to brainstorm, jotting down things he wanted in a salad joint — create-your-own, high quality, fast. After plenty of research and more brainstorming, he finally took the plunge. In 2006, he opened his first location at Preston and Forest, followed by several others, including his latest location at Greenville and Southwestern. The stores are focused on being ecofriendly, from recycled tables and countertops, to hanging lights that use less than 350 watts of electricity in the entire dining area. The location on Greenville is cozy and comfortable, yet masculine enough to lull the salad-skittish male population. That, of course, shouldn’t be surprising, given the restaurant’s tagline: “So good, even guys like our salads.” The beauty of the create-your-own salad is that each one is whatever guests want it to be — heavy, light, generous, sparing, healthy, nutritious, flavorful. But one thing is standard: The salads are always fresh. Lettuce and other produce is cut daily. “Anything that looks like it’s been chopped, we chopped it,” Dahlander says. Each location also has a culinary manager who cooks fresh batches of soups every day. Perfect for cold, wintery days. —Brittany Nunn

Gaucho salad: Mark Davis

1 Seasons 52

This NorthPark Center eatery has separate garlic-free, lactose-free and vegan menus for all sorts of diets. The lemongrass salmon salad, with mango, jicama and toasted sesame dressing, dispels the myth that salad is simply “rabbit food.”

8687 N. Central, Ste B307 214.361.5252 seasons52.com

2 Cedars Mediterranean Mezza and Grill

Don’t miss the salad bar, which is packed with hot and cold salads alike. The roasted cauliflower and the couscous salad are standouts.

8141 Walnut Hill, Ste 1200 214.373.8141 cedarsmezza.com

3 Enchilada’s

Tex-Mex doesn’t have to mean refried beans and greasy tortillas. Salad doesn’t have to mean tasteless greens. The fajita salad at Enchilada’s offers the perfect blend of fresh roughage, melty cheese and sizzling, spicy, hot-off-the-grill protein, all inside a crispy shell.

7050 Greenville 214.363.8969 enchiladasrestaurants.com

Grub Burger Bar

opened in November on the ground floor of Energy Square on Greenville at University to long lines of meat eaters. Grub originated in College Station and also has a Houston location. They serve upscale burgers ground daily from brisket and Angus chuck on buns baked hourly in-house. Homemade toppings and sauces include peanut butter Thai, tequila lime aioli and ghost chili pepper. The setting is casual chic with rusted-wire light fixtures, repurposed black subway tiles and raw wood two-by-fours. The joint’s best features are its epicenter square bar and its giant glass windows overlooking Greenville Avenue. The Front Porch, Grub’s standard house burger, runs $6. Variations include the Guacapotle burger, topped with chipotle aioli, guacamole ($7.50) and the Lockhart Legend with Applewood smoked bacon, Dr. Pepper barbecue sauce and Shiner Bock battered onion rings ($7.75). There also is the Burger of the Sea option, Ahi tuna with sprouts, arugula, pickled ginger and wasabi-teriyaki dressing, ($11). Top it off with a salted-caramel milkshake. The bar features Texas beer and wines, signature cocktails and spiked milkshakes. Unlike most Greenville Avenue retailers and restaurants, Grub has plenty of painfree parking in the Energy Square lot.

—Carol Toler

BonChon restaurant and bar

opened in December on Upper Greenville in Old Town Shopping Center. General manager Stewart Murray says the staff worked relentlessly to open doors before the winter holidays. Though BonChon has restaurants all over the world, there never has been one in Texas — or in the entire south central region, for that matter, Murray notes. BonChon’s chicken-centric Korean fusion fare is a worldwide hit. The chain, whose chicken wings Food & Wine magazine called the best in the U.S., also intends to gain the favor of craft beer connoisseurs, Murray says. “We have 18 draft beers. Two are regular domestics; the rest are craft beers.” The eatery serves not only an innovative style of fried chicken, but also Asian-inspired salads, potstickers and pancakes, to name a few. BonChon originated in Korea and has grown to include 30 U.S. stores and 70 scattered about Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand.

—Christina Hughes Babb

5500 Greenville 214.346.WING (9464) bonchon.com

The three people he’d have dinner with are Jesus, Pope Francis and Rudy Ruettiger. Would rather be sleeping.

Thinks Jerry Jones the owner should fire Jerry Jones the general manager.

Ran the Boston Marathon.

Can’t find his girlfriend, who is the only reason he subjects himself to this running stuff.

NOTES ON A PHOTO

BY CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

More about the people, locations and situations in our pictures

Every year, Advocate photographers capture thousands of neighborhoodrelated scenarios. We publish the images in this magazine or on our website, advocatemag.com, and most inevitably land on the cutting-room floor. This month, we dug through piles of pics, mining them for interest-piquing peripheral details about the subjects, places and events depicted.

2013 Dallas Turkey Trot: Danny Fulgencio

Dreams of fronting a Dave Matthews cover band. Got a late start on the ‘Movember’ thing.

April 2013 Hoops in the Highlands

By Rachel Carter

‘Geek’ Gusto

This photo came to us buried in a batch Advocate intern Rachel Carter brought back from the spring 2013 Hoops in the Highlands.

Seriously. A photo that so effectively depicts the spirit of competition and wit deserves to see the light of day.

Hoops in the Highlands is an annual fundraising event benefiting neighborhood schools.

William Haskins is the player on the right. We recently tracked down his mom, Heather, who supplied the following facts: Go For It Sports Grill in Lake Highlands last year sponsored the team, which has played in the event together — give or take a member — since they were in first grade.

Now William, 13, is a student

at Forest Meadow Junior High. He attends Watermark Community Church, where he belongs to a boys’ Bible study group that meets Wednesdays. He loves being outside, no matter how extreme the heat or chill, and he hopes to be in the sports-medicine field when he grows up. His opponent, a member of the Geek Squad, is Lucas Herman; the boys are friends and play on the same select baseball team, Heather says. Who won this one? Team Go For It — which also included Moss Haven and Lake Highlands Elementary students Pierce Walling, Nick Valdez and Brendan Bouldin — won first place in the sixth-grade-males division. They have two more years of Hoops in the Highlands eligibility.

April 2013

Police breakfast

By Danny Fulgencio

‘That just happened’

Several officers from the Northeast Division of the Dallas Police Department, Police Chief David Brown and civilian crime-watch leaders enjoyed breakfast at Chubby’s Restaurant in Lake Highlands in April 2013.

The gathering was a gesture of appreciation for a job well done, Bill Vandivort II, the host, said at the time. Everyone at the table was cutting up, laughing and eating when a burly, white-haired man lumbered to the table and halted, hovering over Chief Brown. He reached into his pocket, produced two hundred-dollar bills and placed them alongside a short stack of pancakes.

The table — the whole dining room, in fact — fell silent; every eye was on the man.

“You captured my son’s killer, and I want to buy your breakfast,” he said. Without pause, Chief Brown rose and hugged him. Then, one by one, every officer at the table did the same.

We learned later that the man’s name is Paul Chapman, a longtime neighborhood resident. He says that several years ago his son was murdered.

As Chapman returned to his table, a few contemplative seconds followed, then a voice that seemed to convey the collective sentiment said, “Wow. That just happened.”

FOSSIL

August 2013

The Hottest Half Marathon

By James Coreas

Holy, half-marathon, Batman!

It took a little work, but Advocate sleuths discovered the true identity of this Batman (hint: looked up that number on his chest in the official race results).

The Hottest Half Marathon and 10k launched from Norbuck Park and went around White Rock Lake one late-August morning. Because of searing temperatures, participants generally don as little clothing as the law allows.

Hence, Michael Edelstein dressed as Batman and carrying a substantial American flag and accompanied by his girlfriend Merissa, the partially obscured Wonder Woman — turned heads and elicited spectator cheer.

A week after the Boston bombings, Edelstein tells us, he carried the flag in the Oklahoma City Half Marathon.

“I was already registered to run Oklahoma City when Boston happened. I wanted to run with Old Glory to show strength and motivate others. I have run with it in every race since.”

Also around the time of the Boston bombings, Edelstein —who is an injured military veteran — joined Team Red White and Blue, a running group that supports American military transitioning to civilian life, he says.

“I run despite physical pain and push myself because I’m not a quitter. My friends weren’t killed so I could be lazy on a couch and whine about my problems.”

It’s not all so somber. Take the costumes, for instance. That idea, he says, came from a trip to Six Flags, where the superhero getups were on sale at the gift shop.

“Merissa said it’d be funny to run a race in those. Usually I run in my Team RWB T-shirts, but I figured, ‘Why not?’ ”

Like manna from heaven

On an overcast Saturday morning before Easter, some 10,000 sugar-infused plastic eggs rained down on Lake Highlands North Park.

Thousands of neighborhood children had gathered — looking like small, well-dressed ruffians ready to rumble, if necessary — to collect.

Even more surreal than the colorful plunging ovoids was the sight of the vehicle from which they fell — a helicopter co-piloted by the Easter Bunny.

Prestonwood Baptist Church, whose pastor Chris Kouba is a Lake Highlands resident, instituted the helicopter egg drop, which was free for all children ages 2 to third grade.

Kouba called on Brian Dunaway and his Fort Worth-based

company Epic Helicopter. Dunaway was happy to help. He, EB and pilot Jason Miles offered services pro bono. Prestonwood provided the eggs and candy.

After several drops, one executed for each age group, the helicopter landed across the street from Lake Highlands High School and EB posed for at least 100 photos with attending families.

Over the years Dunaway has donated helicopter rides to young natural-disaster survivors and children living with incurable illness, to name a couple of charitable examples.

For profit, he has been known to provide traffic-free trips from Meacham Airport to Texas Motor Speedway for NASCAR fans who can afford the $350 fare.

No easy solutions

Poverty and dense population plague parts of our neighborhood. Can anything turn the tide?

“Apartment people” and “apartment kids” — you hear these terms regularly, and often derisively, when neighbors discuss Lake Highlands’ socioeconomic differences.

Complaints about the proliferation of low-income families are common on our advocatemag.com website, too.

“I have no patience for people who have kids they cannot afford. It’s those families — mostly Hispanic, black, refugee — who are ruining our neighborhoods, filling them with kids they can’t afford,” notes “Morgan” in reaction to a story about neighborhood elementary schools.

“Apartment kids have higher rates of poor academic performance and discipline problems. My kids’ education suffers because teachers have to devote more time to these kids,” wrote a com-

menter under the screen name “Bad For My Kids.”

City Councilman Jerry Allen, whose district includes Lake Highlands, says that there’s “no place for that kind of talk” in Lake Highlands and that it’s counterproductive to building a stronger neighborhood.

The first order of business when it comes to strengthening our community, Allen says, is changing some of the things we say about one another. Allen says he prefers the term “multifamily communities” instead of “apartments” and “experiencing asset poverty” instead of “poor” or “indigent”.

“Once people start seeing we are all in this together, we can get on our way to living in a safe, clean, more enriching neighborhood, which is what every family wants,” he says.

Examples of those “getting on with it” can be found in every nook of our neighborhood.

Take, for instance, Kids-U, a Lake Highlands apartment-based program focused on providing basic after-school care and tutoring for some of our area’s most vulnerable children and adolescents.

“I’ve had my bike stolen twice,” says 8-year-old Jacob, a student at Northlake Elementary and a resident at Alista, an apartment community on Royal Lane near Abrams.

“One time, while I was riding it, and the other time off my porch,” he says, working out a math problem as he briskly answers questions.

People in subdivisions with nice houses often have their things stolen, too, Jacob’s tutor says both to Jacob and the rest of us within earshot.

Kids-U: Brandy Barham

Jacob doesn’t dwell on the loss. He smiles politely, but he doesn’t want to chat anymore, because he needs to read.

“Twenty minutes,” he says. “Can you time me?”

Founded in 2002, the nonprofit was formed in an effort “to combat one of the most profound problems in Dallas: children not completing their education,” spokesman Brandon Baker says. He points to a study (“Today’s Children, Tomorrow’s Communities”, 2006) that shows that more than 100,000 students ages 5-13 in Dallas County are unsupervised during after-school hours.

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“We believe these are the most critical hours for the student,” Baker says.

Kids-U tries to ensure Jacob and students like him have a snack, do homework and play each weekday afternoon. With supervision, they avoid risks such as substance abuse and criminal or sexual behaviors, Baker says.

A few miles away, a church called The New Room welcomes kids from apartments in the Whitehurst-Skillman area after school. The New Room opened in a run-down shopping center near Skillman and Whitehurst in 2007. A satellite branch of the Lake Highlands United Methodist Church, it’s a place that welcomes everyone, says director of community ministries Jill Goad.

Many people living in that area — one of Dallas’ most densely populated lowincome regions — who want to be part of a church community find it difficult to attend services because of transportation and childcare issues or even because they feel they don’t have the right clothes, Goad says. The New Room offers a “lively, praise-filled, come-as-youare” service, she says.

In addition to providing worship services and tutoring, The New Room partners with Network of Community Ministries — a nonprofit that offers emergency services, medical care and food to Richardson ISD families in need — to systematically deliver food to residents of the Whitehurst-Skillman area. This is just one exampleof the efforts many neighborhood churches are making to focus externally, says Dabney Dwyer, who leads outside ministries at

nearby Church of the Ascension.

Her church — which has collaborated on community events with LHUMC, Network and a slew of other churches, nonprofits and government programs also has a partnership with a nearby elementary school, Stults Road Elementary, where church members mentor students, host read-a-thons and have helped with facility improvements.

The collaboration of our many service-oriented organizations is key to maximum impact, Allen says, and we are doing a better job working together than ever before.

Clearly, there are people (both renters and homeowners) caught in negative behavior cycles who will not benefit from any amount of help. But we can find and focus on those who will, experts say.

“There are different needs, priorities and desires within every economic level,” says Monica Bein, a sociology specialist who led a recent poverty workshop at Ascension church.

“You cannot even take for granted that all people in poverty want to move to middle class. You have to start with the basics and offer services to those who want them.”

The solution is simple, if not easy, Allen says.

“The lazy way is to blame all of our problems on one group of people,” he says. “But success depends on effort and willingness.”

It’s not about religion, though many faith-based groups are leading the charge. There is, however, a biblical tenet driving the effort, Allen says.

“Love your neighbor as yourself. It’s that simple,” he says. “When I arrive at the Pearly Gates, I don’t think God’s going to say, ‘Who did you vote for?’ No, He is going to ask, ‘What did you do for that guy who came to you for help?’ ”

—Christina Hughes Babb

THE SOLUTIONS SERIES

Monthly in 2014, the Advocate will share a story about people in our neighborhood struggling with poverty, unemployment or other disadvantages, and we will examine efforts made to improve those difficult situations. We also will write about individuals and groups dedicated to making a difference. If you have a story to share, email chughes@advocatemag. com and write “solutions” in the subject line.

OPTOMETRIST

DR. CLINT MEYER www.dallaseyeworks.com

New Year, New Look!

Make sure you and your family’s eyes are healthy and your vision is the best. Then enjoy looking your best! Dallas Eyeworks is now offering frames from Lafont and Tom Ford along with our other great styles. Come in today and try them on.

Convenient Saturday hours are available. Happy Holidays and safe travels from Dr. Meyer and your friends at Dallas Eyeworks.

Dallas Eyeworks 9225 Garland Rd., Ste. 2120, Dallas, TX 75218 214.660.9830

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to livelocal@advocatemag.com

Big plans get iced

Icy weather in December caused the cancellation of several fundraising events including the Lake Highlands Women’s League Holiday in the Highlands Home Tour, which raises funds for college scholarships for Lake Highlands High schoolers; the Children’s Medical Center Holiday Parade and the Dallas Marathon benefitting the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. The LHWL, despite the weather, hosted more than 300 diners at its tour-day luncheon, which went on as planned Dec. 6. The group rescheduled its tour of four neighborhood homes the following week and reportedly did not suffer significant earnings loss. Both the parade and marathon faced the first cancellation in their respective histories. Neither was rescheduled.

Redemption run

The White Rock Running Co-op and Dallas Running Club together hosted an impromptu fundraising run for the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. The reason for the event, says Lake Highlands resident and WRRC founder Chris Stratton, was, primarily, that he could not stand the would-be marathoners’ despondency over the Dallas Marathon’s cancellation. “Because doing something productive for others is better than complaining on the internet.” He asked each participant to bring a donation for Scottish Rite patients from the hospital’s needs list.

Clean dogs

Vhea’s Laundromutt, the do-it-yourself dogwashing spot in Old Lake Highlands on Buckner at Peavy closed a few months ago, but a new location reopened in December on Garland Road, next door to the Army surplus store. For about $11 Vhea’s Laundromutt customers can use the facilities, which include elevated doggie showers, grooming tools, shampoo and other necessities. Staffers will clip doggie toenails by request and, best of all, they clean up the grimy tubs and clogged drains.

—Christina Hughes Babb

every week on

LAKEHIGHLANDS.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/BIZ

More business bits

1 Dallas Bike Works, which has a store at White Rock Lake, plans to open a second store this March in Oak Cliff. 2 The last Blockbuster, at Greenville and Lovers, closed shop in December. 3 White Rock-area residents Brian Teague and Daniel Wagstaff created RedFlag, a new digital communication system that was used to distribute information to subscribers among the 45,000 participants in the November Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot. 4 The Capital One Bank at Northwest and Retail (next to the Walmart-Sam’s Club combo) opened in mid-October and hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month. The branch is led by manager Terry Booher.

Runners run despite the Dallas Marathon cancellation: Danny Fulgencio

THE KESSLER SCHOOL

Pre K – 6th Grade / 1215 Turner Ave, Dallas TX 75208 / 214-942-2220 / www. thekesserschool.com The Kessler School offers an innovative academic environment that gives students a solid foundation, confidence, and a love of learning. Located just minutes from downtown Dallas; The Kessler School’s mission is to “educate the whole child,” and provides an individualized approach to teaching – meeting the student where their needs are. Students are educated socially through community time, physically through daily PE, academically through a well-rounded curriculum, and spiritually through a fostering of awareness and individual growth.

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep.org

Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

SPANISH HOUSE

5740 Prospect Ave. & 4411 Skillman / 214-826-4410 / DallasSpanishHouse.com

Spanish House is a Spanish immersion school with two Lakewood locations for children ages 3 months - Kindergarten. We offer half-day and full-day programs, with extended care available from 7:30am - 6:00pm. We also offer after-school and Saturday classes for PK and elementary-aged students, both on- and off-site. Additionally, we have an adult Spanish program for beginning, intermediate and advanced students.

ST. BERNARD’S

1420 Old Gate Ln. Dallas / 214.321.2897 / stbernardccs.org St. Bernard of Clairvaux School has educated children in Forest Hills, Casa Linda and White Rock neighborhoods since 1948. We encourage each student to develop an inquisitive mind, strong moral character and a love of learning that lasts a lifetime. The experienced teaching staff is dedicated to academic excellence with a challenging curriculum and individual attention. We offer affordable tuition, PK through 8th grade, wireless slate technology, extracurricular activities, and after-school care. Please call to schedule a tour.

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S MONTESSORI SCHOOL

7900 Lovers Ln. / 214.363.9391 stchristophersmontessori.com St. Christopher’s Montessori School has been serving families in the DFW area for over a quarter of a century. We are affiliated with the American Montessori Society and our teachers are certified Montessori instructors. Additionally our staff has obtained other complimentary educational degrees and certifications, including having a registered nurse on staff. Our bright and attractive environment, and highly qualified staff, ensures your child will grow and develop in an educationally sound, AMS certified loving program. Now Enrolling.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service.St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.

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WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410

/ WhiteRockNorthSchool.com

6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-of-the-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus.

ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630 / ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government. Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman.

WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL

100 S. Glasgow Dallas 75214 / 972-502-4400 / woodrowwildcats.org A proven college preparation program and a true high school experience. Woodrow graduates attend, year after year, our state’s and country’s finest colleges including Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU, Tech, West Point, Georgetown, Duke, North Carolina, Princeton and Yale, often with meaningful scholarships. With academic programs equaling the best private and magnet schools, Woodrow’s diverse student body also enjoys a traditional high school offering arts, music, dance, theater, math and science clubs, debate and writing competitions and a broad, inclusive and successful sports program, with cheerleaders and drill team. “It’s all at Woodrow and it works”.

of our 200,000+ readers with average income of $146,750 want more info about private schools.

BENDING OAKS HIGH SCHOOL

11884 Greenville Avenue, Suite 120 / 972.669.0000 / bohs.com Bending Oaks is a limited-enrollment private high school located in Dallas, Texas. For over 29 years Bending Oaks High School has provided a supportive learning environment that can rebuild a student’s confidence in their abilities, get them on track to graduate from high school, and off to college. Visit bohs.com to learn more, late enrollment is available.

CLAIRE’S CHRISTIAN DAY SCHOOL

8202 Boedeker Dr., / (214) 368-4047 / clairesdayschool.com At CCDS, we encourage a child’s sense of exploration and discovery in a loving, nurturing, and safe environment. We offer a parent’s day out program with a play-based curriculum fostering socialization, motor skill development, and an introduction to academics for children aged 4mo – 3yrs. Our preschool for children aged 3-5 further develops these skills, along with a more focused approach to pre-math and pre-reading. At CCDS, we have developed our own science, math, and reading enrichment classes to ensure kindergarten preparedness for every child. We make learning fun!

GOOD SHEPHERD EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

11110 Midway Rd, Dallas TX 75229 gsesdallas.org / 214.357.1610 Located on the corner of Midway and Northaven, GSES provides each student the kind of dynamic, vigorous school experience parents should expect in Dallas. GSES is the preeminent Prek-8th grade Dallas school where 98% of our graduates get into their top two high school choices! Inquire and imagine the infinite possibilities!

HIGHLANDER SCHOOL

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com Founded in 1966, Highlander School offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. Small class sizes help teachers understand the individual learning styles of each student. Give us a call for more information.

MORE THAN A MAGAZINE

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For more than a decade Military Moms, an organization of parents with sons and daughters serving in the military, has sent Christmastime care packages from Lake Highlands to the neighborhood’s active soldiers. In 2012 only three or so Lake Highlands residents were serving overseas during the holidays so they called off the shipment, Military Moms founder Rhonda Russell says. Everyone was grateful that the neighborhood’s men and women were, for the most part, not at war, but the community missed the assembly and shipping of those care-packages, a collective effort known as Salute the Troops, which had become a feel-good holiday ritual. This past holiday season, though there are ten or fewer Lake Highlands soldiers serving, Salute the Troops resumed. The team sent packages not only to the Lake Highlands soldiers but also to those serving alongside them, about 100 troops altogether, Russell says. “These are the guys that support and serve with our guys and we want to recognize that,” says Russell, who started Military Moms when her own son was at war in the Middle East.

People

Annie Clark, a 2001 Lake Highlands High School grad who now performs under the moniker St. Vincent, officially has arrived. She’s appeared on Letterman, written music for the Twilight saga, been nominated for various independent music awards and received glowing reviews of her albums from the likes of SPIN (appeared on their cover, even) and Entertainment Weekly magazines. Her first album Actor hit number nine on Billboard’s Independent Albums Chart. Strange Mercy, her second, was wildly popular. Now St. Vincent and, in the words of SPIN editors, “groove-warped” Birth in Reverse is getting excellent buzz. What does Clark have to say about her latest? ”I wanted to make a party record you could play at a funeral.”

HAVE AN ITEM TO BE FEATURED?

Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag.com. Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.

LIFE-IMITATES-ART PROJECT

Does the life of someone you know imitate a TV show, movie or popular book? We are looking for real-life Don Drapers and Magnum PIs. No Walter Whites — profession should be legal. Email a few descriptive lines to editor@advocatemag. com under the subject line “real-life job.” Please include your zip code.

WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL

A proven college preparation program and a true high school experience.

972-502-4400 l woodrowwildcats.org

ANGLICAN

ALL SAINTS DALLAS / 2733 Oak Lawn / 972.755.3505

Radical Inclusivity, Profound Transformation. Come and See!

9:00 & 11:00 am Sunday Services. www.allsaintschurchdallas.org

BAPTIST

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Worship — 8:30 am Classic & 11:00 am Contemporary

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

All services & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45. Trad. & Blended (Sanctuary),

Contemporary (Great Hall), Amigos de Dios (Gym) / 214.860.1500

PRESTONWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH / “A Church to Call Home”

Sundays: Bible Fellowship (all ages) 9:15 am /Service Time 11:00 am

12123 Hillcrest Road / 972.820.5000 / prestonwood.org

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

BIBLE CHURCHES

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / www.nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.

Sunday: LifeQuest (all ages) 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am

Student Ministry: Wednesday & Sunday 7:00 pm / 214.348.9697

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship Gathering 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan / www.edcc.org

HIGHLANDS CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Lake Highlands) 9949 McCree Rd. 214-348-2805 / www.highlandschristianchurch.com

Sundays: School 9:45 am / Worship 11:00 am / Rev. Paul Carpenter

LUTHERAN

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

METHODIST

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 10:50 am Traditional / 10:50 am Contemporary

WHITE ROCK UNITED METHODIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. George Fisk

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

LAKE HIGHLANDS CHURCH / 9919 McCree / 214.348.0460

Sundays: Classes 9:30, Coffee 10:25, Assembly 10:45

Home groups meet on weeknights. / lakehighlandschurch.org

PRESBYTERIAN

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133 8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

UNITY

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path For Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972.233.7106 / UnityDallas.org

Sunday services: 9:00 am & 11:00 am

LET IT BE

How faith can guide our New Year’s resolutions

The new year brings New Year’s resolutions to do better and to be better this year than last. These resolutions normally have undergirding assumptions that become familiar clichés (a moment of silence for the clever motivational speaker from Dallas, the late Zig Ziglar, along with his prudent ilk):

•If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.

•A goal properly set is halfway reached.

•Your attitude, more than your aptitude, will determine your altitude.

•Do it. Do it right. Do it right now.

There’s nothing wrong with resolutions. In fact, if you make them, I recommend keeping them modest and achievable, and enlisting support from others to reinforce you beyond Jan. 1.

But we have just come off the Christmas season in the Christian faith, in which Mary plays a prominent part. Her role begins with wonder at the way things happen to you more than the things you make happen. Can you imagine her sitting down on that New Year’s Day before the angel Gabriel arrived and saying “I resolve to become a mother this year by a divine act of love alone”? Like so many things in life we could never anticipate, the course is not what we chart but how we navigate.

Mary’s life was altered for good and for good the day the angel brought her the good news. She could never have conceived it on her own. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor human mind conceived what God has planned for those who love him,” St. Paul said in paraphrasing the prophet Isaiah. What she could do was consent. She could agree. She could cooperate with God in welcoming the Christ and bearing God’s love into the world.

“Let it be unto me, according your word,” Mary said. Let it be. What a lovely way of

seeing our way forward. Instead of striving to do something for God, we allow God to strive within us to do something through us. Faith is first a letting-be. It’s letting God have God’s way with us.

The prayer journal of the wonderful Southern short-story writer Flannery O’Connor was published this year. In her early 20s, she wrote: “I do not know You

God because I am in the way. Please help me to push myself aside.” How very Mary of her!

One of the hazards of resolutions is the temptation to preoccupation with oneself. The more you think of yourself, the harder it is to think of anything or anyone else. Which is why the French mystic Simone Weil would say: “It’s not my business to think of myself. It’s my business to think of God. It’s [God’s] business to think of me.” And God is good at God’s business.

So the first thing to do this year might be to leave your heart open to the unexpected divine appointment that you don’t get to schedule for yourself. The next is to let it be, to allow God to work in you so that God can work through you.

But Mary’s initial “let it be unto me” had to be followed by acts of obedience to that call that would call forth her best efforts, too. So be it resolved that first faith leads to lasting faithfulness this year.

One of the hazards of resolutions is the temptation to preoccupation with oneself. The more you think of yourself, the harder it is to think of anything or anyone else.

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is a regular feature underwritten by Advocate Publishing and by the neighborhood business people and churches listed on these pages. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

Ice ice, baby

Despite the cancellation of the 2013 Dallas Marathon in December, some 25 runners gathered Dec. 8 outside the 7-11 on Elm Street and proceeded to pound 26.2 miles of icy pavement. The Icepocolypse run was organized within hours of the official marathon’s cancellation via social media by local runners Jonathan Eisenzopf and Sarah Johnson.

Local Resources

TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

CLASSES/TUTORING/ LESSONS

ALL AGES: LEARN PIANO WITH WADE COTTINGHAM LakewoodPianoLab.com Since 1998. 214-564-6456

ART: Draw or Paint. All Levels. Lake Highlands N. Rec. Ctr. Jane Cross, 214-534-6829. Linda, 214-808-4919.

ARTISTIC GATHERINGS

Casa Linda Plaza. Art Classes & Drop In Pottery Painting For All Ages. 214-821-8383. Tues-Sat 10am-6pm

DRUM & PIANO LESSONS Your location. UNT Grad. BucherMusicSchool.com or call 214-484-5360, 469-831-7012

GUITAR OR PIANO Fun/Easy. Your Home. 11 Yrs Exp. Reasonable rates. UNT Grad. Larry 469-358-8784

WRITING. ENGLISH. GRAMMAR. Grade School through University and Beyond. 20+ yrs. exp. 469-263-7004

CHILDCARE

LOVING, CHRIST-CENTERED CARE SINCE 1982 Lake Highlands Christian Child Enrichment Center Ages 2 mo.-12 yrs. 9919 McCree. 214-348-1123.

EMPLOYMENT

Crazy cold

Local BULLETIN BOARD

AIRLINE CAREERS begin here. Get FAA approved maintenance training. housing & financial aid for qualified students. Job placement assistance. Aviation institute Of Maintenance Houston 877-846-4155 or Dallas 888-896-8006

PET SITTERS, DOG WALKERS Email Recruiting@pcpsi.com

SERVICES FOR YOU

AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills. Services include Digital Photo Help. Sharon 214-679-9688

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let A Seasoned Pro Be The Interface Between You & That Pesky Computer. Hardware & Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $50/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 214-660-3733 or stykidan@sbcglobal.net

GRAPHIC DESIGN BY SOZA DESIGN Logos, Brochures, Posters & More. wsoza@yahoo.com 214-287-6499

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA FROM HOME 6-8 Wks. Accredited. Free brochure. No computer needed. 1-800-264-8330 Benjamin Franklin High School www.diplomafromhome.com

VAPOR MART ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES 214-321-1944. Across from Highland Park Cafeteria. 9533 Losa Drive #2

FEBRUARY

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

A WILL? THERE IS A WAY Estate/Probate Matters-Free Consultation. 214-802-6768 MaryGlennAttorney.com

ACCOUNTING, TAXES Small Businesses & Individuals. Chris King, CPA 214-824-5313 www.chriskingcpa.com

BOOKKEEPING NEEDS? Need Help Organizing Finances? No Job Too Small or Big. Call C.A.S. Bookkeeping Services. Cindy 214-821-6903

HOLLOWAY BENEFIT CONCEPTS Benefit strategy for area businesses. www.hollowaybenefitconcepts.com 214-329-0097

REED & RIORDAN PLLC Dallas Family Law Attorneys 10000 N Central Expy Dallas, Tx 214-570-9555 reedriordan.com

TRAVEL

CRUISEONE DALLAS Doug Thompson bigDcruises.com

Plan your cruise vacation today! 214-254-4980

Kristin Colaneri Campbell manned an impromptu water station at the substitute Dallas Marathon, Icepocolypse 2013.

Seniors who serve

A new service organization at Lake Highlands High School, Men’s Service League — including Darian Stokes (president), Mitchell Kagel , Evan Williamson and Sansing Kaping launched its altruistic efforts with Treats for the Troops in November, for which members collected goods and shipped care packages to military men and women serving overseas. The young men’s mission, they note, is to be “a driving force for positivity and beneficial changes within the Lake Highlands area.” SUBMIT

BUY/SELL/TRADE

TEXAS RANGERS AND DALLAS STARS

front row seats. Share prime, front-row Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars tickets (available in sets of 10 games). Prices start at $105 per ticket (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available) Seats are behind the plate and next to the dugouts for the Rangers: seats are on the glass and on the Platinum Level for the Stars. Other great seats available starting at $60 per ticket. Entire season available except for opening game; participants randomly draw numbers prior to the season to determine a draft order fair for everyone. Call 214-560-4212 or rwamre@advocatemag.com

TOP CASH FOR CARS Any Car, Truck. Running or Not. Call for Instant Offer. 1-800-454-6951

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

CLUTTERBLASTERS.COM-ESTATE SALES

Moving/DownSizing Sales, Storage Units.

Organize/De-Clutter Donna 972-679-3100

ESTATE SALES & LIQUIDATION SERVICES

Moving, Retirement, Downsizing. One Piece or a Houseful. David Turner. 214-908-7688. dave2estates@aol.com

APPLIANCE

APPLIANCE REPAIR SPECIALIST Low Rates, Excellent Service, Senior Discount. MC-Visa. 214-321-4228

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

AROTX

972-523-3996

WWW.AROTX.COM

We at AROTX repair all major appliances

Visit our website or call us WE DO SAME DAY SERVICE

Serving your Neighborhood Since 1993 Repairing: Refrigerators •Washer/Dryers • Ice Makers •Stoves • Cooktops • Ovens 214✯823✯2629

CABINETRY & FURNITURE

THE CABINET CONCIERGE

The Art of Storage. Call 214-821-5900

Email jin@thecabinetconcierge.com

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

ATLANTIS DESIGN-BUILD, LLC

Complete Remodeling. 40 Yrs Exp.

Additions. 1 & 2 Story. Kitchens, Baths. Small Jobs To Entire House. Renovation & Design. Full Time Supervision. Licensed/Insured. Free Estimates. 281-761-4648

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

Complete Remodeling, Kitchens, Baths, Additions. Hardie Siding & Replacement Windows. Radiant Barrier, Insulation. Bonded & Insured. www.blake-construction.com 214-563-5035

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

D SQUARED Design, Build, Remodel, Additions 214-213-2716

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” To Do’s Done Right! www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

RENOVATE DALLAS renovatedallas.net 214-403-7247

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Built-ins, Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Jim. 214-324-7398 www.squarenailwoodworking.com

BRIAN GREAM RENOVATIONS LLC

• 1 & 2 Story Additions

• Complete Renovations

• Kitchens/Baths

• Licensed/Insured

PayPal ®

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

CLEANING SERVICES

New Construction • Renovations Roofing • Additions

David Hughes • 214-202-2333

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL

RENOVATION & REPAIR

214.341.1448

WWW.OBRIENGROUPINC COM

• Bathrooms

• Kitchens

• Renovations

redoguys.com 214 / 803. 4774

TK Remodeling

Your neighborhood remodeler

•Repair •Remodeling •Restoration

•Complete full service

Name it— We do it

http://dallas.tkremodelingcontractors.com

Tommy 972-533-2872 INSURED

Unique Home Construction

- Design, Build, Remodel

- Kitchens & Baths

- New Construction or Additions

Many references available

- Licensed, Insured, Member of BBB www.uniquehomebuild.com 214.533.0716

CLEANING SERVICES

AMAZON CLEANING

Top To Bottom Clean. Fabiana.469-951-2948

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

MAID 4 YOU Bonded/Insured. Park Cities/M Streets Refs. Call Us First. Joyce.214-232-9629

MAID PRISTINE House Cleaning For Perfectionists. Reliable. Leticia. maidpristine.com 972-971-1571

MESS MASTERS Earth friendly housecleaning. 469-235-7272. www.messmasters.com Since ‘91

THE MAIDS Angie’s List Award! Eco-Friendly Products. www.maids.com 972-278-6000

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN

20 yrs. exp., Reliable, Great Prices, Excellent Refs., Free Estimates. No Crews. Sunny 214-724-2555

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR

Virus Removal, Data Recovery. Home /Biz. Network Install. All Upgrades & Repairs. PC Instruction, No Trip Fee. 214-348-2566

COMPUTER PROBLEMS SOLVED Great Rates! Keith 214-295-6367

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

BRICK & STONE REPAIR

Don 214-704-1722

BRICK, BLOCK, Stone, Concrete, Stucco. Gonzalez Masonry. 214-395-1319

BRICK, STONEWORK, FLAGSTONE PATIOS Mortar Repair. Call George 214-498-2128

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable. Chris 214-770-5001

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001

972-216-1961

214.542.6214

WWW.BGRONTHEWEB.COM

BRIANGREAM@YAHOO.COM

YOU HAVE IT MAID SERVICES 972-859-0287 bonded/insured. Youhaveitmaidservices.com

Swimming Pool Remodels • Patios Stone work • Stamp Concrete 972-727-2727 Deckoart.com

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

4 U ELECTRICAL SERVICE, LLC We will be there 4 U. 972-877-4183

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com Family Owned/Operated. Insd. 214-328-1333

EXPERIENCED LICENSED ELECTRICIAN Insd. Steve. TECL#27297 214-718-9648

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

MORIN ELECTRIC New/Remodel.Com/Res. Panel Changes/Full Services. All Phases. All Service Work. 469-230-7438. TECL2293

TEXAS ELECTRICAL • 214-289-0639

Honest, Quality. TECL 24668 CCs accepted. TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658

WHITE ROCK ELECTRIC All Electrical Services. Lic/Insd. E795. 214-850-4891

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

FLOORING & CARPETING

HANDYMAN

SERVICES

HOUSE PAINTING

LIC#17141

PC ELECTRIC 214.533.5949 call.text.email

thepcelectric.com

EXTERIOR CLEANING

BLOUNTS HAULING/TRASH SERVICE

blountsjunkremovaldfw.com 214-275-5727

FENCING & DECKS

#1 COWBOY FENCE & IRON CO. Est. ‘91. 214-692-1991 www.cowboyfenceandiron.com

4 QUALITY FENCING Call Mike 214-507-9322

Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

A FATHER, SON & GRANDSON TEAM

Fences, Gates, Decks. Haven 214-327-0560

AMBASSADOR FENCE INC.

Automatic Gates, Iron & Cedar Fencing, Decks. Since 1996. MC/V 214-621-3217

KIRKWOOD FENCE & DECK

New & Repair. Free Estimates.

Nathan Kirkwood. 214-341-0699

LONESTARDECKS.COM 214-357-3975

Trex Decking & Fencing, trex.com

All Wood Decks, Arbors & Patio Covers

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

FIREPLACE SERVICES

CHIMNEY SWEEP Dampers/Brick & Stone

Repair. DFW Metro. Don 214-704-1722

FLOORING & CARPETING

ALL WALKS OF FLOORS 214-616-7641

Carpet, Wood, Tile Sales/Service Free Estimates

BEAR FOOT HARDWOODS 214-734-8851

Complete Hardwood Flooring Services

DALLAS CARPET OUTLET Carpet/Wood/Tile. dallascarpetoutlet.com 214-342-1100

DALLAS HARDWOODS 214-724-0936

Installation, Repair, Refinish, Wax, Hand Scrape. Residential, Commercial. Sports Floors. 25 Yrs.

HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE New/ Remodel. Stain/Wax Int/Ext. Nick. 214-341-5993. www.hastingsfloors.com

N-HANCE WOOD RENEWAL. No Dust. No Mess. No Odor. nhance.com. 214-321-3012.

WILLEFORD HARDWOOD FLOORS

214-824-1166 • WillefordHardwoodFloors.com

Restoration Flooring

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall

25+ Years Experience

469.774.3147

Hardwood Installation · Hand Scraping Sand & Finish · Dustless restorationflooring.net

FOUNDATION REPAIR

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage

• Free Estimates

• Over 20 Years Exp. 972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

GARAGE DOORS

ROCKET GARAGE DOOR SERVICE -24/7. Repairs/Installs. 214-533-8670. Coupon On Web. www.RocketDoorService.com

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned.214-826-8096

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

A FATHER, SON & GRANDSON TEAM Expert Window Cleaning. Haven 214-327-0560

CLEARWINDOWSANDDOORS.COM

Replacement Windows & Doors Free Estimate 214-274-5864

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR

custom mirrors • shower enclosures store fronts • casements 214-349-8160

ROCK GLASS CO Replace, repair: windows, mirrors, showers, screens. 214-837-7829

HANDYMAN SERVICES

#1 AT BIG JOBS. NO JOB TOO SMALL. 40+ years exp. Ron Payne 214-755-9147

A R&G HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, Fencing, Roofing, Light Hauling. Ron or Gary 214-861-7569, 469-878-8044

ALL STAR HOME CARE Carpentry, Glass, Tile, Paint, Doors, Sheetrock Repair, and more. 25 yrs. exp. References. Derry 214-505-4830

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” To Do’s Done Right. www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/ Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606

HONEST, SKILLED SERVICE With a Smile. General Repairs/ Maintenance. 214-215-2582

WANTED: ODD JOBS & TO DO LISTS

Allen’s Handyman & Home Repair 214-288-4232

Safety

HOME INSPECTION

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

BATHTUB, COUNTERTOP & TILE Resurfacing: Walls, Tub Surrounds, Showers. Glaze or Faux Stone finishes. Affordable Alternative to Replacement! 972-323-8375. PermaGlazeNorthDallas.com

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com Back Splash Specials! 214-343-4645

HOUSE PAINTING

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSE PAINTING and Home Repair. Quality work. Inside and Out. Free Ests. Local Refs. Ron 972-816-5634 or 972-475-3928

#1 GET MORE PAY LES

Painting. 85% Referrals. Free Est. 214-348-5070

A+ INT/EXT PAINT & DRYWALL

Since 1977. Kirk Evans. 972-672-4681

A1 TOP COAT Professional. Reliable. References. TopCoatOfTexas.com 214-770-2863

ABRAHAM PAINT SERVICE A Women Owned

Business 25 Yrs. Int/Ext. Wall Reprs. Discounts On Whole Interiors and Exteriors 214-682-1541

ALL TYPES Painting & Repairs. A+ BBB rating. Any size jobs welcome. Call Kenny 214-321-7000

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality

Work At Reasonable Prices. 214-725-6768

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

Complete Painting Interior/Exterior, Stain Etc. Custom Finishes, Custom Texture, Custom Trim www.blake-construction.com

Fully Bonded & Insured. 214-563-5035

MANNY’S HOME PAINTING & REPAIR Int./Ext. Sheetrock. Manny 214-334-2160

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

ROMEO’S PAINTING INT/EXT. Drywall, Damage Repair. Prep House To Sell. 214-789-0803

TONY’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality Work Since 1984. INT/EXT 214-755-2700

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 469-774-7111

WHITE ROCK PAINTING References. Mark Reindel 214-321-5280

BRIAN GREAM

PAINTING & RENOVATIONS LLC

• Interior/Exterior • Drywall

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” Remodels Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

MELROSE TILE James Estrello Sr., Installer 40 Yrs. Exp. MelroseTile.com 214-384-6746

TOM HOLT TILE 30 Yrs Experience In Tile, Backsplashes & Floors. Refs. Avail. 214-770-3444

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

WE REFINISH! www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

25% OFF TREE WORK Trim. Roberts Tree Svc. Insd. 10 yrs exp. 214-808-8925

A BETTER TREE COMPANY • JUST TREES Complete tree services. Tree & Landscape Lighting! Mark 214-332-3444

A&B LANDSCAPING Full Landscape & Lawn Care Services. Degreed Horticulturist. 214-534-3816

AYALA’S LANDSCAPING Firewood for Sale! Call the Land Expert Today! Insured. 214-773-4781

BLOUNTS TREE SERVICE Winter Special 20% Off Tree Work. 45 yrs exp. Insured. 214-275-5727

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

Trim, Remove, Stump Grind. Free Est. Insured. 214-823-6463

COLE’S LAWN CARE • 214-327-3923 Quality Service with a Personal Touch.

COVINGTON’S NURSERY & LANDSCAPE CO. 5518 Pres. George Bush Hwy. Rowlett 972-475-5888 covingtonnursery.com

TO ADVERTISE 214.560.4203

LAWNS, GARDENS & TREES

DALLAS K.D.R.SERVICES • 214-349-0914

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

FOREVERLAWNTEXAS.COM George Berre. Quality Synthetic Grass, Free Est. 214-263-0828

GREENSKEEPER Winter Clean Up & Color. Sodding, Fertilization. Lawn Maintenance & Landscape. Res/Com. 214-546-8846

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061

PLAN AHEAD FOR SPRING Get your designs completed. Beds prepped. Trees planted. Walton’s Garden Center 8652 Garland Rd. 214-321-2387

RONS LAWN Organic Solutions. Not Environmental Pollution. Landscape & Maintenance 972-222-LAWN (5296)

SERIOUSLY METICULOUS Verdant Grounds. 214-763-0492

TAYLOR MADE IRRIGATION Repairs, service, drains. 30+ years exp. Ll 6295 M-469-853-2326. John

THE POND MAN Water Gardens Designed & Installed. Drained & Cleaned. Weekly Service. Jim Tillman 214-769-0324

TRACY’S LAWN CARE • 972-329-4190

Lawn Mowing & Leaf Cleaning

WHITE ROCK TREE WIZARDS Professionals, Experts, Artists. Trim, Rmv, Cable Repair, CavityFill Stump Grind. Emergency Hazards. Insd. Free Est. 972-803-6313

PEST CONTROL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL

Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495

McDANIEL PEST CONTROL

Prices Start at $85 +Tax for General Treatment

Average Home, Interior, Exterior & Attached Garage

Quotes for Other Services

214-328-2847

Lakewood Resident

PLUMBING

A2Z PLUMBING 214-727-4040

All Plumbing Repairs. Slab Leak Specialists. Licensed & Insured. ML# M36843.

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521

# M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. plumberiffic69@gmail.com

Sewers • Drains • Bonded 24 Hours/7 Days *Joe Faz 214-794-7566 - Se Habla Español*

ARRIAGA PLUMBING:

Faucet, Sewer, Sink Repairs. Water Leaks. Water Heaters, Gas Testing. Remodels, Shower Pans, Stoppages. Insured. Lic 20754. Since the 80’s 214-321-0589, 214-738-7116,CC’s Accptd

HAYES PLUMBING INC. Repairs. Insured, 214-343-1427 License M13238

JUSTIN’S PLUMBING SERVICE

For All Your Plumbing Needs. ml#M24406 972-523-1336. www.justinsplumbing.com

M&S PLUMBING Quality Work & Prompt Service. Jerry. 214-235-2172. lic.#M-11523

REPAIRS, Fixtures, General Plumbing, Senior Discounts. Campbell Plumbing. 214-321-5943

SPECK PLUMBING

Over 30 Yrs Exp. Licensed/Insured. 214-732-4769, 214-562-2360

POOLS

ADAIR POOL & SPA SERVICE

1 month free service for new customers. Call for details. 469-358-0665.

DFWPOOLCHEMICAL.COM Never Pay Retail Again. Chemicals, Parts, Motors, Etc.

LEAFCHASERS POOLS

Parts and Service. Chemicals and Repairs. Jonathan. 214-729-3311

LOCK’S POOL SERVICE - 469-235-2072 40 years experience. Pool Electrical TICL #550

MICHAEL’S POOL SERVICE Maintenance & Repair 214-727-7650

ROOFING

A&B GUTTER 972-530-5699 Clean Out, Repair/Replace. Leaf Guard. Free Estimates. Lifetime Warranty

NATIONWIDE ROOFING Fencing, Gutters BBB member. 214-882-8719

ADVOCATE PUBLISHING does not pre-screen, recommend or investigate the advertisements and/or Advertisers published in our magazines. As a result, Advocate Publishing is not responsible for your dealings with any Advertiser. Please ask each Advertiser that you contact to show you the necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work you are requesting. Advocate Publishing takes comments and/or complaints about Advertisers seriously, and we do not publish advertisements that we know are inaccurate, misleading and/or do not live up to the standards set by our publications. If you have a legitimate complaint or positive comment about an Advertiser, please contact us at 214560-4203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

SOMEONE SWIPED THE CHEVY.

The 2003 Chevrolet Silverado pickup had been in Ross Trull’s family for a while. He and his wife acquired it from her parents, who had used it to haul a travel trailer to northern Arkansas to camp and visit with family. Trull and his wife have taken the same trip with the truck. The truck had relatively low miles as it had primarily been used for those trips.

The Victim: Ross Trull

The Crime: Car theft

Date: Monday, Nov. 4

Time: Between 10:30 p.m. and 7:20 a.m.

Location: 10600 block of Lorwood

Unfortunately, the truck is now gone. Someone stole the truck right out of the driveway of the Trulls’ L Streets home. And this is not the first crime at their home. A year ago, the same truck was broken into, and some tools and baby items were stolen.

The theft was quite a shock and a pain to deal with, Trull says. It was an expensive loss, and when we spoke to him, he was still dealing with his insurance company regarding the crime.

Sr. Corporal Monica Almeida of the Northeast Patrol Division says it is not uncommon for vehicles to be stolen from driveways.

“The best thing to do, if possible, is to park your vehicles in your garage. If that is not a possibility and you must park in your driveway, then make sure you have good lighting,” she says. “Motion sensors are a good way to alert you when someone approaches your home, and having a car alarm is also a good deterrent.”

Sean

License plate number of the driver of an orange Ford Taurus who fled from an officer who had pulled him over at Royal and Skillman; the police, who had the suspect’s license and insurance card in hand, did not pursue

$1550

Worth of Michelin tires stolen after someone shattered the glass and burglarized National Tire Battery at Forest and Central

60

Number of narcotic painkillers prescribed to a customer at the neighborhood Walgreens; the doctor, however, told the pharmacist he did not write the prescription, so police arrested the customer, who also was in possession of credit cards that did not belong to her, for prescription fraud

SOURCE: Dallas Police Department

Chaffin is a freelance writer and author of “Raising the Stakes”, obtainable at raisingthestakesbook.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.

BEMUSED AT THE BOTANICAL GARDEN

COMMENT. Visit lakehighlands.advocatemag.com and search “Rory Meyers” to tell us what you think.

I am seriously conflicted about the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. I want to love it. Why can’t I?

It’s not as though I haven’t said over and over – for at least fifteen years –that the Dallas Arboretum really needs more features for kids. Over those years I have admired installations such as mazes constructed from hay bales, where kids could walk, jump or climb. And of course the frog fountain, where the little ones always get their clothes wet, is a perennial favorite. (But no climbing on the frogs, kiddos.)

So I was excited about taking our 4-year-old grandchild, Aidan, for his

gateway inspired awe, akin to entering a themed “land” at Disney World. But after a few steps inside the gate, my son-in-law (Aidan’s dad) looked around and said, “Whoever designed this has no idea what kids like.”

Blasphemy! Such hasty judgment!

Of course the designers of the Children’s Garden had researched and studied hundreds of examples of what kids like, and those state-of-the-art exhibits cost $62 million to build. I knew the garden was huge (eight acres) and I knew there must be something a 4-year-old boy would enjoy.

soundtrack of bird songs really that boring?

Who is Rory Meyers, anyway? Even Perot is satisfied to use only his last name.

Ahem. Meyers has been a tireless volunteer at the Arboretum, and she served on the board for 13 years. Due to her life-long promotion of education, her husband became the primary donor of the Children’s Garden as a gift to her. OK, that is not only generous but downright touching.

first visit. Anticipation built as we walked past the usual fall displays of pumpkins and storybook houses. When Aidan discovered a large slide near the crape myrtle garden, he was so excited that we had a hard time convincing him the real fun was still ahead in the new children’s garden.

Our first glimpse of the arched

Turns out there are plenty of fantastic diversions for all ages. More than you can experience in one day. It is a cross between a science museum (interactive and educational), Disney (fantasy perpetuated by cartoonish fake plants), the Jetsons (skywalks and video screens) and a Grimm fairy tale (magical lures that lead to life lessons.) There are two levels of outdoor exhibits with dazzling models of planets, a giant sundial, a big concrete tree with a rope play-web in the “branches,” and a giant kaleidoscope.

By definition, nature is truth, and the natural world is full of surprises. But conventional wisdom says 21st century youngsters prefer electronics to the ancient technology of nature.

After a while I began to understand what some of the Arboretum’s children’s garden detractors mean when they complain about fake flowers and a feeling of contrivance. Reality and fantasy are blurred. And about those jabbering robo-monitors is the noise pollution worth it? Is the view of White Rock Lake and the organic

What about all those dedicated benches? Can’t we even sit down without thinking about how much it cost?

But some of those benches are dedicated to beloved family members who have passed away, and so the dedication of a bench is not necessarily vanity. I get that, too.

The fact that many employees of the Arboretum also donated varying amounts, large and small, from their earnings might even lead me to conclude that the project truly is a labor of love and teamwork, if I didn’t also know the first operations manager, Melissa Wright, quit before her two month anniversary due to irreconcilable differences with her bosses.

Once it finds its true identity, I hope and expect the Children’s Garden will become a wonderful destination in Dallas. Even so, now that I’ve seen it, I learned what I had really wanted at the Arboretum all along. A simple playground would have worked for me.

What about four-year-old Aidan?

Climbing, building, and shooting giant water guns were his favorite exhibits. But he liked the old-technology slide near the crape myrtles just as much.

Once we decide what it is, we could fall in love with the Dallas Arboretum’s multimillion-dollar kiddie land

“I began to understand what some of the Arboretum’s children’s garden detractors mean when they complain about fake flowers and a feeling of contrivance.”

Ellen Raff, a neighborhood resident, writes a monthly opinion column about neighborhood issues. Her opinions are not necessarily those of the Advocate or its management. Send comments and ideas to her at 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; FAX to 214.823.8866; or email editor@advocatemag.com.