Newnan-Coweta Magazine, March/April 2010

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MAGAZINE

A Times-Herald Publication

March/April 2010 | $3.95

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March / April 2010

contents 56 22

52

Features

Departments

9 WEDDINGS THAT TAKE THE CAKE 10 CHAPMAN-SMITH WEDDING

30 LOCAL HERITAGE

Alicia Chapman and Benjamin Smith held their beautiful fall wedding in Moreland.

14 BLADES-WALKER WEDDING Heather Blades and Kevin Walker wed in an elegant evening ceremony in Macon last June.

18 BARROW-ELZEMEYER WEDDING Snowflakes fell upon Anne Barrow and Jeff Elzemeyer as they exited the church after their October wedding.

22 DOWDA-KENNEDY WEDDING A historic schoolhouse in Alvaton was the site of the March 2009 wedding of Stefanie Dowda and John Kennedy.

26 TIPS FROM OUR BRIDES Find out what advice our recent Coweta brides have to offer upcoming brides.

38 AIMING FOR THE MAJORS Former East Coweta ballplayer Brett Butts continues his advance with the Braves.

44 FINDING A BETTER WAY Businessman John Barrow helps bring hope to men with addictions and other issues.

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The Atkinson-Bradfield wedding of 1918 was a wedding to remember.

34 FAMILY FUN Fans of Princess Diana will enjoy the new exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center.

48 COWETA COOKS Connie Perkins likes to make everyday meals special.

52 THOUGHTFUL GARDENER Beautiful wisteria can be found in shades of white, pink, lavender and purple.

56 TINA’S TIPS Local hostesses share their ideas for pretty spring luncheons.

60 SADDLE UP Meet Amanda Johnson, who specializes in starting young horses under saddle.

66 I AM COWETA Teen Tori Butcher lives and works at Coweta’s only dairy farm.

In every issue

8 EDITOR’S LETTER 64 THE BOOKSHELF 65 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

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On Our Website

www.newnancowetamagazine.com

Special Features Book giveaways Contests Recipe Box Podcasts Blogs Links of local interest

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Look for the computer icon throughout every issue to lead you to the special content at newnancowetamagazine.com.

On Our Cover

Heather and Kevin Walker on their wedding day last June. – Photo courtesy of Tim Harman Photography

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From the Editor }

Happily Ever After s a former lifestyle editor for our newspaper, I’ve had a lot of years to observe wedding traditions in Coweta County.

Although I can’t remember the names of the brides, a few of the weddings stand out. There was the bride who married in a red wedding gown complete with a red veil. There was the bride who had 17 bridesmaids. (Or was it a groom and 17 groomsmen?) Then there was that first local bride who got married on the beach, a trend that is no longer so unusual.

The first weddings I remember including in our social news section featured ’80s brides with big hair, big sleeves and big parties. These days, you’d be hard pressed to find a bride wearing any sleeves, much less big sleeves, so thoroughly have the fashions changed, but the brides and fashions are more lovely than ever.

Wedding cakes were three-tiered white concoctions that, for the most part, looked alike:

three round layers separated by columns, all with (often stale) vanilla cake and sugary white icing. Not so today! Wedding cakes are beautiful works of art, with lacy icing piped on each layer or creamy smooth fondant tinted and shaped into anything a bride can imagine. And cakes are expected to taste as good as they look.

But the change that pleases me most?

Today’s brides seem much more mature (research tells us that’s because, age-wise, at least, they are) and are much more realistic about wedding and marriage. Read what our recent brides have to say on page 26 and you’ll find excellent advice for anyone in the middle of wedding planning.

Yet as much as I like being realistic about weddings, the dreamer in me couldn’t resist visiting the new Princess Diana exhibit in Atlanta and gazing wistfully at The Dress. You remember the dress, don’t you? Diana’s famous wedding gown with the 25-foot train? From the diamond tiara and sequined veil to those wonderfully puffy sleeves, antique lace and satin slippers, that wedding costume was one for the ages. If you’re interested in seeing the Diana exhibit yourself, don’t miss Leigh Knight’s article on page 34.

To the brides who shared their stories with us in this issue as well as those whose wedding plans lie ahead, here’s a wedding wish fit for a princess that we hope will come true for you: May you live happily ever after!

Fondly,

Angela McRae, Editor angela@newnan.com

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Weddings that take the cake

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Alicia Chapman & Benjamin Smith

By Elizabeth Richardson | Photos courtesy of New Simplicity Photography

or years, Benjamin Smith and Alicia Chapman lived in Newnan, but the two didn’t meet until they were three hours away from home at college.

Ben, 24, is a manager at Sprayberry’s Barbecue. Alicia, 24, is a first grade teacher at Poplar Road Elementary School. The two were married on Nov. 21, 2009 after five years of dating.

Alicia’s family moved to town from the state of Washington her sophomore year at Northgate High School. Ben attended Newnan High. After graduation, they both enrolled at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Ga. In fall 2004, Ben was introduced to Alicia when their roommates began dating.

“We started dating soon after that,” said Alicia.

In late 2008, Ben started thinking about marriage.

“I had been planning to ask around New Year’s, but I bought a ring and it started burning a hole in my pocket,” Ben admits.

He considered asking on Christmas, but his

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friends warned that the move would be too predictable. He made up his mind to ask on Dec. 19, 2008 – his birthday.

“I thought it would be a great present for me, but I wanted her to have a present, too,” he said. And he knew he’d have the element of surprise on his side.

When the day came, Ben took Alicia to see the Christmas lights on Bethlehem Church Road in Moreland. At one of the homes, he stopped the truck and proceeded to get out.

“We’re not supposed to get out,” Alicia protested, summoning the schoolteacher within.

“She was arguing with me the whole time,” said Ben, who feared his plan would be foiled.

She didn’t know that he’d approached the residents prior to their visit.

She finally got out of the truck and he led her to a sign he’d crafted asking her to marry him. Alicia couldn’t contain her emotion as he got down on one knee and officially popped the question. Their friends were waiting at the site and captured their moment in priceless photographs.

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The wedding was held at Moreland United Methodist Church – Ben’s family’s church – on Nov. 21, 2009 at 4 p.m. The reception was at the Old Mill Museum in Moreland.

Ben fondly recalls playing golf with his groomsmen leading up to the ceremony. His friends even invited him to go first, jesting that it would be the last time he’d get the opportunity.

Alicia had both of her dads – her biological dad and her adoptive dad – walk her down the aisle to give her away.

Her favorite memory from the wedding?

At the Chapman-Smith wedding are, from left, Chris Hall, Whitney Bowden, Al Stafford, Alexis Cofer, bride Alicia Smith, groom Ben Smith, Abby Chapman, Eddie Smith, Kevin Smith and Gina Katz.

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“Just seeing [Ben] at the altar and seeing his reaction to seeing me for the first time.�

The pastor later joked that Ben was the most nervous groom he’d encountered. But, nerves didn’t stop the day from being everything they had hoped for.

The reception site was dusted with autumn colors. Ben wore a brown tuxedo. Alicia danced with both of her dads. Their 160-plus guests feasted on catered food from Sprayberry’s.

Alicia said both families were active in the planning and execution of their perfect day. “Everybody had a role,� said Alicia.

Ben’s brother sang Brad Paisley’s “Then� for the couple’s first dance. Ben’s aunt decorated tables with vibrant fall leaves and colorful centerpieces.

They’d worried about what condition the mill would be in because the roof needed replacing, but the

reception exceeded their expectations.

The period leading up to the wedding was admittedly a stressful time for them. The couple made an offer on a house in a short sale. They didn’t find out it was theirs until October. They spent the weeks leading up to the wedding renovating the property. “Up until the wedding day, we worked,� said Alicia. “It was stressful planning a wedding and doing all this. I wanted control and you can’t really have control. There were a few moments where I’d just cry.�

Both Alicia’s sister and sister-in-law were pregnant and due in December.

Her sister-in-law was on bed rest the day of the wedding and couldn’t be in the bridal party. Alicia’s sister had to get a new dress last-minute because her original dress didn’t fit and couldn’t be altered.

Ben’s cousin – a groomsman and first responder – had to leave the

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Despite a few kinks, Ben says, “it was great.�

The couple honeymooned in Nassau at an all-inclusive resort for six days, seven nights.

The newlyweds have since enjoyed relaxing in their new home and spending their first Christmas together as husband and wife.

Ben said he’s learned in a few short months of marriage that you have to make sacrifices. Luckily, Alicia adds, there haven’t been many surprises since they dated for so long.

Now that they’ve pulled off the wedding of their dreams, the two are focusing on building a lifetime of memories together. And, so far, they’ve got a good foundation. “I thought the wedding was perfect,� said Alicia. “I don’t think I would have changed anything.� NCM

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Heather Blades & Kevin Walker

By Megan Almon | Photos courtesy of Tim Harman Photography

“I said, ‘Someone once told me if I learned this song, she’d marry me,’” Kevin recalled with a grin.

He slid a Peachy O on her ring finger.

“Then I said, ‘Remember when we did this way back when?

Well, now I’ve got the real thing,’” he continued, describing how he kneeled and presented her with the (real) engagement ring he’d chosen.

Heather, shell-shocked, responded with a quiet, “Yeah.”

“It was surreal,” she said with a quiet smile. Between the song and the candy she thought Kevin might have been joking, until he pulled out the ring she’s worn proudly ever since.

The Walkers were married in an evening ceremony on June 13, 2009 at the First Evangelical Church of Macon, Ga., Heather’s hometown, and celebrated with family and friends at Macon’s Armory Ballroom.

“I wanted the reception to be when the sun was down,” Heather said. “I always imagined leaving at night.”

The bride chose an elegant strapless corset gown in antique white, with a sequined

You know a wedding is tailormade for a truly unique couple when the engagement involves Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Gummy Peachy O’s.

It all started with a comment Heather Blades made about the song to pals during a college road trip to Louisiana to help with hurricane relief. Somewhere between “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?” and “For meEEEEE” (insert rockin’ guitar solo here), Heather said in passing, “If somebody learned to play this for me, I’d marry them right on the spot.” One of those pals listening was Kevin Walker.

Kevin had spotted Heather across the room at a Baptist Student Union function while both were students at the University of West Georgia. The pair struck up a quick friendship. They began dating after Kevin graduated two years later. Eighteen months and many, many painstaking hours of guitar practice later, Kevin performed the song for Heather in front of family and friends and presented her with a package of ring-shaped Peachy O’s candies – one of Heather’s favorites and the object of an old proposal joke between the pair.

Kevin Walker and Mariano Pacetti

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embellishment along the top that swept to the side at her waist. She enhanced the skirt’s volume by adding a subtle amount of crinoline beneath.

When it came to shoes, comfort was essential. Though Heather really wanted to wear her favorite green Converse sneakers – which would have been

Kevin Walker’s groomsmen included, at back from left, Bubba Laster, Josh West, Charlie Gilbert, Josh Bishop, Philip Green, Brady West and Chris McCarty.

With bride Heather Walker are bridesmaids, front from left, Beth Griffith, Ashley Lipson, Ashley Flournoy and Christa Rowland, and at back, Whitney Walker, Kayla Blades and Jessica Craig.

hidden beneath her gown – she settled for borrowing the ballerina slippers her sister wore at her own wedding.

If she had chosen to wear the sneakers, she claimed – with a sigh – they would have matched the shamrock green dresses worn by her bridesmaids.

To add to the classic feel Heather wanted, the emerald gowns were complemented by the groomsmen’s black-and-white tuxes, complete with bowties. The wedding party totaled 14.

The bride carried white roses and mini-calla lilies, and the bridesmaids’ small yellow sunflower bouquets added a touch of whimsy to the summer affair.

Beneath her bouquet, Heather carried a small, lace-trimmed Bible, yellowed with age, that both her mother and grandmother had carried down the aisle.

But more than the dress and bouquets, the detail that carried the greatest weight for the couple was the music they chose.

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The entire wedding party walked down the aisle to the David Crowder Band’s “Oh The Glory of It All.” Near the end of the song, the music and vocals build to a crescendo. At that transition, the doors opened and Heather entered, a moment that will be forever vivid in Kevin’s memory.

Meaningful music marked every transition in the ceremony. As the couple lit the unity candle, Heather’s brother and cousin performed “When God Made You” by Newsong and Natalie Grant, during which Kevin surprised Heather when he released her hands and picked up a strategically placed microphone to serenade her with the last verse.

Communion was celebrated prior to the kiss (“We wanted that to be our first act as man and wife,” Heather said) to Sara Groves’ “He’s Always Been Faithful.” And the newlyweds exited to Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s island-lullaby

version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

The dim lighting in the Armory Ballroom enhanced the soft beauty of Heather’s gown, and set the perfect mood for dancing the night away.

Guests enjoyed heavy hors d’oeuvres and visited at the round tables placed throughout the ballroom.

Heather’s cake was an elegant round and multi-layered white cake with buttercream frosting in a floral design.

Kevin and Heather saved the top layer – her favored carrot cake – for their first anniversary.

The groom’s strawberry cake was a replica of one of his favorite guitars – a purple Ibanez S370 – complete with purple frosting.

The couple danced their first dance enveloped by the catchy tune and lyrics of Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly,” though a number of Queen’s greatest hits were

played throughout the night.

Kevin Walker is a Spanish teacher at Madras Middle School. Heather Walker is preparing to study for a master’s degree in psychology, and volunteers at a local rape crisis center. The Walkers live in Newnan. NCM

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Anne Barrow & Jeff Elzemeyer

By Meredith Leigh Knight | Photos courtesy of Kristi Odom Photography

lways a bridesmaid and never a bride did not hold true in the case of Anne Barrow Elzemeyer.

“I’ve been in 13 weddings,” said Anne – not that she was worried about settling down.

In fact, when she and her future husband, Jeff, first met through a mutual friend while snow skiing in Colorado in 2003 (Jeff was a student at the University of Denver), Anne said there were “no sparks.”

It wasn’t until Jeff moved to Atlanta three years later for his job and got Anne’s number from a friend that they realized they liked each other. Fittingly enough, the sparks first flew on their first unofficial date to the Stone Mountain laser show.

“We really got along,” said Anne. “We have the same personality type; we’re both laid back. We like to travel, we like music and going to concerts.”

After three years of dating, the couple – both avid scuba divers – soon found themselves taking the plunge.

In February 2009, Anne and Jeff were walking along a golf course looking for balls when Anne saw what she thought was a toy golf ball. She picked it up, looked it over and almost tossed it, when Jeff shouted, “Wait, no!”

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A closer inspection revealed a ring case shaped like a golf ball. And inside? Jeff ’s great-grandmother’s ring.

Fortunately, it was an eagle and not a mulligan for Jeff.

Anne said yes, and their wedding plans were soon underway.

“The best part of planning the wedding was spending time with my mom,” said Anne, including choosing the wedding dress. With six months left until her wedding day, Anne and her mom, Madeline, set about finding the one. Amazingly, after only two shops – albeit with “about 100,000 dresses” – Anne found it, a strapless, silk asymmetrical gown with a sweetheart neckline. It was one of 15 Anne tried on, and she knew it was the one the minute she looked in the mirror.

The bridesmaids’ dresses were from J. Crew, chocolate brown and strapless, chosen in hopes that they could wear them again, said Anne.

Both Jeff and Anne agreed they wanted to keep the wedding ceremony small and simple. Highlands, N.C., near Jeff ’s parents’ mountain cabin and close to where Anne grew up going to camp each summer, made for the perfect locale.

When the couple chose the date, Oct. 17, 2009, Anne envisioned hiking and spending time outdoors

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Anne Barrow Elzemeyer is surrounded by her bridesmaids, including, at front, Robin (Estes) Blake, Laura (Brady) Smith, Elaine De la Houssaye Hardie and Ellen (Threlkeld) Bush; and at back, Melissa (Morgan) Barry, Jill Seawright Barrow, Abigail Hoy Elzemeyer, Lydia Murray Holland, Ali McCracken Stoner, Lindsay Levine Rouse and Elizabeth (McEntire) Williams.

with friends during their wedding weekend. To their surprise and ultimate delight, however, it snowed on their wedding day.

“Snowflakes were coming down as we exited the church,” said Anne. “It was really pretty.”

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The couple chose to be married in the Highlands Presbyterian Church with Lamar Potts presiding over the ceremony.

Potts is a longtime friend of the family and attended seminary with Anne’s dad, Harry Barrow, a minister at the Newnan Presbyterian Church.

“Dad wanted to walk me down the aisle,” explained Anne, when asked if he wanted to perform the ceremony.

The reception was held at The Bascom, a center for visual arts. Anne and Jeff ’s wedding reception was the first for the gallery, located on a six-acre

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architect-designed campus high on a mountain plateau.

“It has an open terrace, stone floor and folk museum. It was exciting being the first wedding reception there,” said Anne.

Anne and Jeff ’s wedding took place at 6:30 p.m. The caterer was Lee Epting from Athens. Anne’s mother had used him for Anne’s older brother Leland’s wedding. The menu included brisket, pork tenderloins and cheese grits. The coconut wedding cake was adorned with hydrangeas, the bride’s favorite flower.

The groom’s cake was a three-layer chocolate adorned with a Saint Louis Cardinals emblem. In addition, the caterer packed the happy couple a to-go picnic basket filled with food and two bottles of wine.

Epting also assembled the family together after the ceremony for a small glass of champagne and small meal, a welcome repose before their fun-filled evening began.

The band Root Doctors from Columbia, S.C. played during the reception. Though Anne had never heard the band, “they were really good,” including the first song requested by the couple, “Naïve Melody” by Talking Heads which, ironically, the band had never played before.

“Leading up to the wedding was really stressful,” said Anne, “but once I said ‘I do’ it was okay, everything was back to normal.”

After the ceremony, the couple enjoyed honeymooning on Virgin Gorda, part of the British Virgin Islands.

While some may like to relax, Anne and Jeff spent their time windsailing, scuba diving, snorkeling and biking – a perfect fit for the active couple.

Today, Anne and Jeff live in Grant Park, an in-between locale for the couple.

She works as an attorney at Hunnicutt and Taylor in Newnan while Jeff works for a moulding and millwork company in Norcross. NCM

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Stefanie Dowda & John Kennedy

By Elizabeth Richardson | Photos courtesy of Deborah Smith Photography hen Stefanie Dowda and John Kennedy first met through happenstance, neither had an inkling that a decade later they would exchange wedding vows.

Stefanie, 29, is a 911 operator, and John, 36, works with the Coweta County Sheriff ’s Office. The two first met in 1998 when Stefanie had a car accident in Sharpsburg and John stopped at the scene to use a pay phone. Stefanie insisted on his immediate assistance with her accident report and playful verbal sparring ensued.

Stefanie told her mother after the encounter, “That is the type of man I want to marry.”

Then, in late 2005, a mutual friend visited John at work and passed along a friendly “hello” from Stefanie.

John responded with his phone number, and the two had their first date on Dec. 17 at Johnny Carino’s.

“We’ve been together ever since,” said Stefanie.

The proposal came in August of 2008. By that time, Stefanie was itching to be Mrs. Kennedy, and she had been dropping not-so-subtle hints. A few weeks prior to the proposal, John had agreed to meet her in Sharpsburg to look at engagement rings.

On his way, John noticed a tractor for sale and struck up a deal. Stefanie was in the middle of showing John the ring she liked when he nonchalantly mentioned his purchase.

“I felt like punching him,” said Stefanie. She promptly dismissed the idea he’d have the money to buy her a ring.

What she didn’t know was that John had already scheduled a meeting with her parents. “I asked for her hand and they approved it,” he said. When he knew he had the green light, he secretly returned to the jewelry store and purchased her ring.

The morning of Aug. 11, 2008, John told Stefanie they were getting up early to eat at Cracker Barrel. He took her to their special place in Newnan – an outdoor garden that will remain their secret spot.

They entered the rose garden hand-in-hand. It was the start of a beautiful late-summer day and blossoming flowers surrounded them. John taunted her a little by casually mentioning that the spot would be a good place for a proposal.

“It went over my head – I was still thinking about the tractor,” said Stefanie.

At the March 14, 2009 Dowda-Kennedy wedding are, from left, Winston Skinner, Alicia Miller, Lindsay Akin, Tiffaney Dowda, Stefanie and John Kennedy, Jesse Kennedy, Stan Roughton, Brent Blankenship and at front, Morgan Surrett and Hunter Surrett.

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John placed a secret phone call to alert their family – hidden out of sight nearby – that the time had come. Both sets of parents, plus Stefanie’s grandparents and twin sister, Tiffaney, “paraded out,� according to John.

Stefanie heard commotion and was stunned to see her family. When she looked back to John for an explanation, he was down on one knee. “I started crying and said ‘It’s about time,’� she said.

After she agreed to marry him, the rest of the family gathered around them to share tears, hugs and photographs.

Then John took them to Cracker Barrel to fulfill his word.

The two wed on March 14, 2009 at the Banquet Hall of Alvaton. The wedding was originally supposed to be

held at the outdoor gazebo on the property, but rain moved the ceremony indoors.

The wedding was uniquely John and Stefanie’s. John walked down the aisle to “Sharp Dressed Man,� and Stefanie came down the aisle to Brett Michaels’ “All I Ever Needed.� The best part of the day – according to Stefanie – was that her father, Robert, and her grandfather, Amos, escorted her down the aisle. “We wanted the sacrament of marriage to be there, and at the same time we wanted people to be very comfortable,� said John. “It was going to be our special day anyway, but if you tailor it to your personalities, nobody could ever mimic it.�

And Stefanie insists that John had just as much input in planning as she did.

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“The wedding that I wanted happened, regardless of the rain and how it looked outside,� she said. “You can’t imagine how it’s going to turn out until it happens, and it was everything I wanted. I had the man I wanted to marry.�

Following the wedding, the two enjoyed a modest, three-day honeymoon at Chateau Elan in Winder, Ga. They enjoyed a wine tasting, breakfast in bed and on-site entertainment.

The two are preparing to celebrate their first wedding anniversary and, as Stefanie reports, “we couldn’t ask for a better marriage.� “The key really is compromise,� said John. “If you expect that it’s 50-50, it’s not, but it all equals out in the end.

What’s great about marriage is you don’t

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have to conquer the world by yourself anymore. If I’m mad about something, she’s mad too. You truly start growing together when you get married.�

“I have a best friend and husband all in one,� said Stefanie. “I never thought that’d happen, but it did.� NCM

At the Dowda-Kennedy wedding are, from left, Tiffaney Dowda, Lindsay Akin, Robert Akin, Stefanie Kennedy, Patti Akin, Virginia Surrett and Amos Surrett.

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Planning for your special day

Let the groom have some input. Don’t stress over details. Don’t forget the waterproof mascara, and remember to breathe!

These are just a few of the wedding planning tips from this year’s featured brides. We asked them to share what they learned while planning a wedding, and here’s what they had to say.

Alicia Smith • It’s never too early to start planning. Get the big things out of the way because there are a lot of little details at the end.

• Be honest when choosing flowers, cake, music and food. It’s your wedding; choose things that mean something special to you and your soon-to-be husband.

• Have someone at the reception site the day of the wedding to organize the arrival of your caterer, flowers, musician, etc. so you can relax and enjoy the day.

• Your wedding will go by so quickly, enjoy every bit of it and breathe.

• Don’t sweat the small things that don’t go as planned. You’re probably the only one that will notice it didn’t happen the way you wanted it to.

Just relax and when the day is over you and your husband will be married and you can laugh about it.

26 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

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Stefanie Kennedy • There is a cost involved with a wedding. Too many people get caught up in wanting to please everyone. Tailor it to your perfect day, but be diplomatic. They will understand. There’s no way you can invite everyone you know. Start with the people closest to you and work your way out.

• Make sure the location you choose to get married at has a “back-up plan” if you’re getting married outside. No one can predict mother nature.

• Don’t stress over planning your wedding.

Have fun with it – you’ll enjoy it more.

• Let your soon-to-be-husband have an input in your day. As funny as it sounds, it will bring you two closer together! (Along with taking some of the stress off you!)

• Enjoy yourself and have fun with it all. Things will not all turn out how you want, but at the end of the day you will still be married and that is all that matters.

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Anne Elzemeyer • Schedule a time during the weekend to get together alone with just bride, groom and both sets of parents so you can celebrate/decompress with your families.

• Bring comfortable shoes to change into at the reception.

• Bring alternative accessories (shoes, jackets, etc.) for different types of weather (hot, cold, rainy) for each event.

• It goes by really quickly, so don’t waste time worrying about details.

• Don’t feel that you have to do everything like it’s been done before. If there is something that you would like to do differently than the usual, do it.

Heather Walker • Make sure to go to the bathroom before you put on your dress, and drink fewer fluids that day. Trust me, it will save you from having all of your bridesmaids hold your dress up for you while you take care of business. Although, it does make for a funny story later!

• Delegate, delegate, delegate. This is huge and will prevent you from having a lot of unnecessary stress on your wedding day. Your bridesmaids are there for you, so don’t forget to let them help you with things.

• You have probably heard this one many times, but waterproof mascara is amazing!

It’s okay to cry. On such a special occasion, you, and many others, may be filled with joyful tears.

• Talk to your dad, or whoever may walk you down the aisle, about practicing your grand entrance. I am not fond of being in the spotlight, so my dad and I walked down the aisle way too fast. We practically sprinted. Walk down slowly. Everyone wants the chance to see you. Also, you and your dad will want the chance to savor this special moment, and your photographer needs the chance to get some good pictures!

• Finally, planning for your wedding is a lot of work, but try not to put so much focus on JUST the wedding day. Look forward to marrying your best friend! The big day is just one day that will be over before you want it to be. Don’t just spend all your time planning this one day, make sure to spend time preparing yourself for marriage. NCM

28 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

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Local Heritage }

A Wedding to Remember Governor’s daughter had red, white and blue wedding in 1918

by W. Winston Skinner

30 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

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obody would have been surprised if Georgia Atkinson’s wedding had some regal touches.

She was as close to a royal bride as Newnan had ever seen.

Daughter of a beloved Georgia governor and born in the Governor’s Mansion, she had secured a place in Georgia’s history at birth. Her widowed mother, Susan, had become a successful businesswoman and Newnan’s postmaster. Susan Atkinson was herself the Susan Atkinson granddaughter of John Milton, a governor of Florida.

America and the men, Georgia Atkinson was set to including the groom, who marry Lt. Loyd Bradfield, who came were then fighting in “the from a prominent LaGrange family, at the stately First Methodist Church, Great War.” The Newnan Herald located a block north of the Coweta proclaimed the pairing “a County Courthouse, on Feb. 28, marriage of much interest 1918. throughout the State.”

The Atkinson-Bradfield nuptials William Yates Atkinson had were marked not by royal flourishes but by a democratic elegance – lots of been a much admired, progressive governor in the red, white and blue in honor of

1890s. He died in 1899, but his legacy continued.

The Methodist church was not the elegant Elizabethan structure that stands today on Greenville Street. The earlier meetinghouse was at the corner of Madison and Jackson Streets. In fact, the back wall of the church was incorporated into the building that followed – today the Lindsey’s real estate firm.

“The church was elaborately decorated in red, white and blue, American flags, white spring flowers and red roses. Cathedral candles were

William Yates Atkinson

Georgia Atkinson Bradfield, who was the center of attention at her patriotic wedding in 1918, took up painting in her late seventies.

placed on tall pedestals, which were draped in the same national colors,” the Herald reported.

The wedding had its nontraditional elements. The groom’s mother sang a solo. Four young ladies, friends of the bride, were ushers, wearing “dresses of white draped in red, white and blue tulle.” There also were six “little misses” – each bearing an American flag.

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– a few days before the nuptials.

“The honoree was presented with a dainty piece of lingerie,” the newspaper noted.

The paper glowingly described the bride as “one of Newnan’s most beautiful and charming young girls.”

Though her adult life would take her away from Newnan, she would retain ties to the City of Homes – and hold onto her beauty and charm – as long as she lived.

Mrs. Bradfield was proud of her parents’ accomplishments. Both were instrumental in founding Georgia State College for Women – now Georgia College and State University – in Milledgeville. When Mrs. Bradfield died in 1997 at 101, it was requested that memorial gifts go to the college.

Loyd Bradfield went off to war soon after their marriage. They lived for many years in LaGrange. When World War II began, Loyd was again called to active duty. Mrs. Bradfield spent much of that time teaching at Gordon College in Barnesville.

After his retirement, the Bradfields moved to Ormond Beach, Fla. When he died in 1971, Georgia Bradfield found herself at loose ends.

Callaway Gardens on some of his Harris County property.

There were many traditional facets to the Atkinson-Bradfield wedding. The bride wore “white tulle and real lace” and had her veil secured “by a wreath of orange blossoms.” Susan Atkinson held “an informal reception” at her Greenville Street home, which the Herald noted was “for the bridal party and out-oftown guests only.”

The Herald also reported Georgia Atkinson had been given “a pretty compliment” – a bridge party 32 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

Senoia sisters Savannah and Kylie Lail admire one of Georgia Bradfield's seascapes with their friend Kurt Holtzclaw.

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She began studying painting and soon was creating watercolors â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly seascapes. There were a number of exhibits of her charming art â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including a show at the University of Georgia in Athens where she sold all but three of her paintings.

The Bradfields never had any children, but Georgia Bradfield was a favorite with nieces and nephews for several successive generations.

She always had toys for them on hand, and visiting â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aunt Georgiaâ&#x20AC;? at the beach was a treat for the large, farflung family.

When Mrs. Bradfieldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyesight began to fail, she turned from painting to making party favors for children â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sending them anywhere she thought they might be enjoyed.

Ellis Arnall, Georgiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second governor from Newnan, was fond of Georgia Bradfield. He made sure photographs were made of Mrs. Bradfield and his daughter, Alice, who was also born while her father was governor.

Lou Anne Connell of Newnan is a great-great-niece of Georgia Bradfield. Other family members live in the counties of Meriwether and Troup. Paintings of seascapes and an occasional winter scene are prized by several Coweta families.

A few years before her death, the late Georgia Phillips wrote about Georgia Bradfield, for whom she was named. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She is indeed a GREAT aunt, and I am proud to be her namesake.â&#x20AC;? She wrote that Mrs. Bradfield was â&#x20AC;&#x153;a shining starâ&#x20AC;? whose chief character traits included â&#x20AC;&#x153;a sense of humor, honesty and compassion for others.â&#x20AC;?

She also was a singularly patriotic bride whose love for her nation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and her husband â&#x20AC;&#x201C; created a wedding to remember. NCM

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A royal treat

Diana: A Celebration

By Meredith Leigh Knight | Photos by Angela McRae and courtesy of “Diana: A Celebration”

believe all girls dream of one day becoming a princess. Even if you grew up playing football with the neighborhood boys, wearing old blue jeans and riding hand-me-down bikes from the boys – perhaps especially so, in those cases.

I think that is the appeal of Diana, Princess of Wales. While I can’t say that she wore old cut-offs growing up, she was, however, just a girl. She danced for hours on the marble floors, she clowned around for her dad’s camera, she liked to swim and dive.

Despite the fact that her family, the Spencers, is one of Britain’s aristocratic dynasties, Diana was one of us. Making her even more real is the fact she grew up in a divorced home, dividing her time between parents and spending long train rides with her 34 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

younger brother, Charles Spencer – who unabashedly adored his big sister, as does the world today.

The Spencer family has created a loving tribute to Diana, the shy princess we witnessed blossom into a loving mother and tireless worker for charity.

“Diana: A Celebration” is at the Atlanta Civic Center through June 13. The final stop in the United States before it departs for England for the summer, the exhibition consists of 150 artifacts chronicling the life of the “glamorous humanitarian,” as her brother called her. It’s a must-see for both die-hard Diana fans and the merely curious.

Guests stop short and gasp as they round the corner into the exhibit. Ahead lies a diamond silver and gold tiara with a black and white portrait of

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Diana wearing it on the wall behind it. The effect is simply breathtaking.

The room is like stumbling into an overturned treasure chest. In addition to the tiara and a coronet likely worn at the coronation of Edward VII, there’s also an array of family jewels, including an emerald and diamond pendant cross, a pink tourmaline and diamond ring, and a bracelet that was presented by the Ladies of Ireland to the 5th Countess Spencer.

The next gallery is a tribute to

Diana as a girl, and I spent the most time in here. It really captivated my imagination to see her childhood playthings, such as her glass and ceramic figurine collection and letters she had written to her dad on cute stationery. I also enjoyed watching the videos of her swimming, dancing and diving.

But when I finally pulled myself away, I was not disappointed.

Enclosed in a glass case in the next room was THE dress – the beautiful wedding dress, reminiscent of the

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Victorian era, complete with its 25foot train. It was the dress that I, along with over one billion people worldwide, watched Diana glide down the aisle in during her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981.

Alongside the dress were one of the tiny silk taffeta bridesmaid’s dresses, the Spencer family gold tiara, a silk and lace parasol (it wasn’t used thanks to pretty weather) and her silk wedding slippers. A video of the royal wedding played in the background, bringing back all the

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Want to go? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Diana: A Celebrationâ&#x20AC;? runs through June 13, and tickets must be purchased in advance for specific days. Ticket prices are $18.50 for adults; $15.50 for seniors, students with ID, and groups of 10 or more; $12 for children 6-12; and free for children 5 and under. For more information, visit atlantaciviccenter.com or call 404-658-7159.

memories of that day Diana called one of the happiest of her life.

The next portion of the exhibit is devoted to Dianaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charitable works, with photos of her and those battling terrible diseases, diseases many considered unfit for a princess to rally behind, such as AIDS and leprosy. In fact, Diana was the first high-profile celebrity to be seen shaking hands with an AIDS patient.

During this high-profile work, she would often make low-key and informal visits to hospitals and

shelters for the homeless. Privately she would donate personal checks to needy individuals and continue to write and telephone them for months, even years after, to offer support. Also in this gallery is a prayer book given to Diana by Mother Theresa, who died days after the princess.

After a sad moment of reflection on her untimely death, guests enter the dress gallery, complete with 28 dresses from the early 1980s to her last public engagement. And though

the dresses are beautiful, the photos of Diana wearing them are even more so. Diana once observed that she wanted to be thought of as a work horse, not a clothes horse, so fittingly, in between the evening and cocktail dresses is a protective vest and visor worn by the princess when she traveled with the Red Cross to Angola and later Bosnia to bring attention to land mines. The look was designed by Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren. After all, she was a princess. NCM

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Brett Butts aiming for the majors

By Alex McRae | Photos by Bob Fraley

38 | NEWNAN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COWETA MAGAZINE

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y the third grade, Brett Butts was so sure of his destiny he wrote a book about it.

The title was “What I Want to be Winn I groe Up.” The first page featured a stick figure holding a bat. And on that page Butts wrote in impeccable schoolboy English: “I like baseball be kos I play all the time.”

Butts still has the book. And he still has the dream.

“I’ve wanted to be a pro baseball player as long as I can remember,” he says. “Now it’s starting to happen.”

By age four Butts was throwing and catching the ball with his dad, Keith, and brother, Bryan. Those

talents blossomed through years of rec league ball in Riverdale. When he wasn’t playing ball, Butts was glued to the TV set, watching his favorite Atlanta Brave, Brett Butler, patrol center field.

“I couldn’t think of anything better,” he says. “I would have given anything to do that.”

The family moved to Coweta when Butts was 12 and a few years later, he was playing at East Coweta High for Coach Franklin DeLoach, starring as a second baseman and part of a pitching staff that led the Indians to back-to-back state championship appearances in 2003 and 2004.

He earned a scholarship to Darton College in Albany, Ga. and

after a dominating freshman season, accepted a scholarship offer from Auburn.

Butts describes his sophomore season at Auburn as “average,” but during his junior year, pro scouts started showing up to drool over Butts’ change-up and clock his fastball at well north of 90 mph.

“Before, I’d only dreamed of the pros,” Butts says. “Then I started to think I had a real chance.”

At the end of his junior year, Butts was eligible for the Major League draft and was told he would probably be selected between the 7th and 12th rounds.

Butts was finally selected by the Braves, but not until the 19th round.

When Braves scouting

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coordinator Al Getz called and said, “We just picked you. Are you ready to be a Brave?” Butts’ mind whirled.

“I was excited about being drafted but knew I’d be starting at the bottom,” he says. “If I went back to Auburn I’d be the number one pitcher. I finally decided to turn pro, but if it hadn’t been the Braves I

As an East Coweta Indian, Brett Butts pitched against Roswell during the playoffs in 2004.

Brett Butts pitches at Auburn, above, and with the Mississippi Braves last year, below.

Brett Butts paid a recent visit to his old high school grounds.

40 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

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would have waited another year.â&#x20AC;?

Two days after signing a pro contract, Butts joined the Bravesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Danville, Va., rookie league team. It took only one road trip for Butts to realize he was a long way from the majors.

When the team bus stopped, Butts gaped in horror at a motel that could have served as the setting for a low-budget horror movie.

Team manager Paul Runge smiled broadly and said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;For all you new guys, welcome to the minor leagues.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I got off the bus I was in a state of shock,â&#x20AC;? Butts says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I looked at that place and said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Holy cow, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to be kidding.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

All aspiring Major Leaguers have heard horror stories about Minor League ball as depicted in movies like Bull Durham. But nothing prepares them for rookie league, a life of endless bus rides to nowhere to change in locker rooms that would be banned in high school, where team-supplied PB&J sandwiches are a major food group and third-rate accommodations are a step up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That first road trip was enough to give me some doubts,â&#x20AC;?

Butts says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just pushed through it. I knew it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t last forever.â&#x20AC;?

When Butts was called up to the Bravesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Class-A team in Rome, his attitude improved along with the surroundings. Before seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end, things got even better when he moved to the Bravesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Class-A Advanced team in Myrtle Beach, S.C. and then joined the Double-A Mississippi Braves for the playoffs, pitching mostly in relief stints lasting from four innings to one pitch.

Butts spent a productive 2008 season at Myrtle Beach and during spring training â&#x20AC;&#x2122;09, finally got to

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Brett Butts pitches for the Mississippi Braves.

42 | NEWNAN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COWETA MAGAZINE

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mingle with the Braves’ Major Leaguers.

“It was like a dream hanging out with my idols like Chipper Jones,” he says. “But when they’re at the ball park, they’re just like kids. We played ball and had fun.”

Before, I’d only dreamed of the pros.

Then I started to think I had a real chance.”

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Butts spent all of the ’09 season with the Double-A Mississippi Braves. The competition got better and so did Butts. “Instead of just throwing the ball, I was learning how to really pitch,” he says. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Butts heads for spring training hoping to spend all or most of 2010 at the Braves Triple-A team in Gwinnett County, the last stop before the Major League.

“It may not happen this year,” he says, “but even if it takes a little longer I’m still playing baseball and getting paid to do it. That’s pretty great.” NCM MARCH/APRIL 2010 | 43

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Just a little over 20 years ago, John Barrow’s life was going nowhere – literally.

Finding

A Better Way

By Sarah Fay Campbell | Photos by Bob Fraley

Seth Harper and John Gibbs work in A Better Way’s body shop.

44 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

He was a habitual violator, serving a sentence for armed robbery.

Then he got busted for selling drugs to other inmates and was sent to solitary confinement.

There, in “the hole,” God changed everything.

Now Barrow is a successful businessman and happy father and husband with a pardon from the Georgia Department of Corrections.

More important, he is the founder of a growing ministry that strives to change the lives of men with addictions and other lifecontrolling issues by centering their lives on Christ.

Barrow founded A Better Way Ministries in 2005, with a small farmhouse and one moving truck.

The men worked on the farm and for A Better Way Moving.

Now there are several moving trucks, along with A Better Way Bread, a thrift store, a sign shop, a

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body shop, and the More Than A Table furniture shop.

The men who come to A Better Way, a 15- to 18-month residential program, work hard.

The focus is on true discipleship.

“We teach men how to provide, to work, to pray, to weep, to rejoice,” Barrow said.

Barrow’s love for the Teen Challenge curriculum, which is used at A Better Way, was formed when he attended the program himself as a teenager.

He’d gone there as a juvenile delinquent. It made a tremendous impact on him, but wasn’t enough to cure him of his wild ways.

“I ran for another 13 years. But what I saw there, I never could get out of my life, out of my heart,” Barrow said.

He knows what the men who come to A Better Way are going through. “They really want to do what is right,” Barrow said.

“It’s just the flesh, the desires and temptations of this world, it’s just pulling them,” he said.

“Our ministry here, my life ministry, is to show men what not to do,” Barrow said.

“A wise man learns from his mistakes. But an even wiser man learns from the mistakes of others.”

A Better Way’s thrift store in Peachtree City

John Barrow and his family enjoy a visit to the chapel on his property. At front are wife Lindsey, Skyler and Brailin, and at back are Selah, John and Noah. Not pictured is daughter Hollie.

— Photo by Sarah Fay Campbell

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Danny Brooks, who is trained as a chef, works with A Better Way Bread.

A Better Wayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sign Shop

In â&#x20AC;&#x153;the hole,â&#x20AC;? the only thing you can have is the Bible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where I kind of turned it over (to God),â&#x20AC;? Barrow said, explaining that he was tired of how heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been living.

And everything changed. The remaining years in prison â&#x20AC;&#x153;were the good years,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were excellent years.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was happier, right there in prison. I loved it. I was getting up early and hitting the weight pile, and laying bricks and talking to God.â&#x20AC;?

Learning the craft of masonry was the other prison

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Ryan Cooper and Taylor Turnedge work in the More Than a Table furniture shop.

experience that changed Barrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life.

After parole, he found work building a Kroger.

But soon, he went into business for himself. Things went well and he branched into commercial construction and sold a few houses. He also met his fourth wife, Lindsey.

Barrow built a gym and several shopping centers in Peachtree City. He also purchased Senoiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hutchinson Hardware. Barrow transformed the beloved building into five shops, and discovered wondrous things beneath the floorboards, including a Spanish coin from 1796.

The income from the businesses helps support A

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Better Way, but it’s not yet selfsustaining. Barrow worries that people “think that it has got an endless source of revenue, and it doesn’t.”

He’s come a long way since prison, but the road hasn’t always been easy. On Feb. 1, A Better Way lost its vice president, Tony Ingram, to a heart attack.

In 2005, as he was starting the program, Barrow experienced the devastating loss of his son, Joshua.

Barrow wasn’t a part of Joshua’s life until he was 10 years old. Joshua had always been rebellious and “different.” Despite Barrow’s best efforts, he couldn’t get through to his son.

After a stint in the YDC, Joshua chafed under his father’s rules, and left to live on his own. Barrow heard from him now and then; things seemed OK. But they weren’t. Joshua was mixed up with drugs, guns and the Russian mafia. One day came a terrible phone call. Joshua had opened fire on the SWAT team that came after him; he was killed by a shot to the head.

Joshua’s ashes are buried near the chapel that Barrow built shortly after buying his Sharpsburg property. His headstone bears Genesis 50:20.

“What the enemy meant for harm, now God means for good, that many people’s lives may be saved,” Barrow said.

“The ministry wasn’t started because of Josh. But he is a good example of ‘Hey, if you can learn from this … let me tell you a story about his choices, or let me point you at this grave so you can look here. This is real. This may happen to you.

“Or you can point them to that chapel and say ‘There is your answer right there, at the cross. God loves you.’” NCM

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Cooks }

For Connie Perkins

Every day is a celebration

By Meredith Leigh Knight | Photos by Jeffrey Leo

48 | NEWNAN â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COWETA MAGAZINE

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tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Tuesday night, and the Perkins family is celebrating. No, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a birthday or a special occasion, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an ordinary day, and for Connie Perkins thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reason enough to celebrate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Life is hard enough with all its pressure,â&#x20AC;? explained Perkins. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe in looking for something to celebrate every single dayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s because one of the kids (Robyn, Will and Bryan) made a good grade on a test, or itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a beautiful day, or just the fact that we are all here together. I look for something every day to celebrate, so life becomes easier and not as hard.â&#x20AC;?

Perkinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; philosophy is reflected in her nightly dinner table as well. Little sayings such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Count your blessings,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The flowers of tomorrow are the seeds of today,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do not believe in miracles, rely on them,â&#x20AC;? adorn each place setting and serve as cheerful reminders that even ordinary meals can be a celebration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like to focus on the presentation,â&#x20AC;? said Perkins. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I try to make it pretty and colorful to affect the mood in the house. I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s job to make meals comforting and to lift the familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spirits. Doing so even makes the food taste better.â&#x20AC;?

Perkins perks up her daily meals by adding little, non-expensive touches to her table, including changing plates, sometimes using colorful paper plates, sometimes using her momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s china and sometimes using seasonal theme plates. To brighten her table, she spray-paints terra cotta â&#x20AC;&#x153;chargersâ&#x20AC;? to match her color scheme for the evening. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, it takes the drudgery out of the task of cooking and makes it fun,â&#x20AC;? said Perkins, who uses simple touches such as bright napkins, balloons, candles, flowers and ribbons on the lemonade pitcher. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like to change my tablecloths often as well as laminated placemats that the kids have made. Sometimes Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll even use a beach towel on the table. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll eat outside; sometimes we eat inside. My family loves it, and it makes them more willing to taste different foods because it looks better.â&#x20AC;?

Ultimately, no matter whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the menu, Perkins believes itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all in the presentation because, after all, as one of the sayings adorning her table says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Family is one of natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s masterpieces.â&#x20AC;?

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BECCA’S RANCH CHICKEN Package of 12 chicken strips 1 cup corn flakes 1 regular-size package dry ranch dressing mix 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 stick melted butter

Mix corn flakes, ranch dressing mix and cheese. Dip chicken in butter. Place in bag with dry ingredients and shake. Place chicken in greased glass pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Bryan Perkins enjoys dessert.

ICE CREAM SANDWICH LAYERED DESSERT 2 boxes small-sized ice cream sandwiches Small container whipped topping 1 package toffee candy bar bits Layer the following ingredients in a 3x5x9 inch loaf pan: ice cream sandwiches, whipped topping, toffee candy bar bits.

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MAQUE CHOUX Note: This Louisiana favorite (pronounced “mock shoe”) is delicious on its own or topped with barbecued pork.

1 medium-size sweet onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 teaspoon chopped garlic 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons canola oil 4 cups fresh corn kernels

50 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

(about 8 ears; Connie buys the bagged kernels) 2 tomatoes, chopped Sauté onion, bell pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in corn, tomatoes and any seasoning, reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Greg Perkins cooks some green beans as part of the family’s meal.

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Thoughtful Gardener }

Story and photos by Katherine McCall

y eyes were squeezed shut, squeezed so tightly that I could see colors dancing around on the inside of my eyelids. I thought that somehow by keeping my eyes closed I could make myself smaller and less noticeable. The warmth of the day sifted through my toes as they wiggled into the sand, but the twilight felt cool as it touched my skin, moved in and among the thick, woody vines surrounding me, and chased the day away.

I could hear the faint, far off calls of the other children as they battled one another to kick my mother’s old, battered Crisco can in our nightly game of Kick the Can. I would wait out the game hidden by the dripping of lavender colored petals. My favorite hiding spot was at the far corner of our yard where our property turned into someone else’s.

We had just moved to Newnan from Atlanta and moved not into a home, but a kindergarten. If you 52 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

happened to walk or drive down LaGrange Street, our home seemed ordinary like all the other homes. But around back a huge room spanned the width of the house, and it was here that Frances Mae Cole Davis Orr, known as Miss Mae, conducted her kindergarten for 31 years from 1947 until 1978.

Whenever I hid in this favored spot I often thought of those other children, Miss Mae’s students. I pictured lots of children running and playing in the sandy yard, stopping to rest and swapping secrets under the canopy of the wisteria that stretched the entire length of the back yard. In my childish imagination their antics, games and secret confidences were encased by the huge wisteria as if it were a living, breathing frame.

Wisteria is the show-off cousin in the pea family producing beautiful pendulous racemes of blooms with colors ranging from white to shades of lavender, purple and pink. After the blooms fade, a velvety, brown pod remains which cannot be eaten. The three most

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Wisteria

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Index Plant

a, wisteri anese a, Jap Glycine or y wisteri Chinese etimes Shrubb name: (som Common wisteria n) an a floribun Americ Kidney Bea Wisteri a nsis , Carolin teria sine e: Wis that al nam escens anic vine g Bot teria frut flowerin b, tree or da, Wis woody, a shru iduous, grown as be tion: Dec Descrip twining. Can and by t ws gro fragran resemble an are vine. blooms Americ des of se and The hanging white to sha : Japane rant. from Blooms is less frag ge in color Chinese m and ran pink. ming. bloo not bloo s a pea r, purple and ion for ommend lavende a reputat tings rec ure teria has Don Has t, only mat t, a Firs tion: Wis the South, plan a ms. tiva in bloo Cul sing a betdening help insure purcha In Gar when plant will give and to ms so steps sun three grafted e bloo in full a along ded or produc , plant , vines grown, bud gs. Second inage and as a treeedra dlin ingd wn see goo cutt be gro by car t than eives ter star soil that rec This plant can determined ly ear t. be in line por will alka ng sup r, and t pruning again, very stro vine which, . Third, roo 2-12) fertilize e the eas or ning (6-1 b incr trai ate shru ning and high phosph r bloom will wing spring. a ful pru afte using shoots emes the follo d ng, spri elongate of rac a can pruning s of a bounty wisteri an anese ned. Americ chance and Jap ntai Chinese properly mai notes: not .

Special invasive if Georgia become is native to a wisteri

WEB EXTRA: The Thoughtful Gardener Plant Index

Go to newnancowetamagazine.com to download your next garden journal page, Wisteria.

54 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

common types of wisteria are Wisteria sinensis (Chinese wisteria), Wisteria floribunda ( Japanese wisteria) and Wisteria frutescens (American wisteria). The plant, originally named Glycinia (from “glykys,” the Greek word for sweet), was renamed in 1818 by the American botanist and zoologist Thomas Nuttall after his friend, anatomy professor and physician Dr. Caspar Wistar. It was mistakenly misspelled with an “e” and so has been commonly spelled wisteria since that time, although the spelling wistaria can sometimes be found.

The type of wisteria along Miss Mae’s fence was most likely Chinese, as I remember its blooming before the leaves came out, which is a hallmark of that vine. Historically, Chinese wisteria has been the most commonly planted here and is often called “the classic wisteria of the South.” It was imported from Canton, China to England in 1816

by John Reeves of the East India Company. Then it made its way into American gardens in 1824.

Purportedly, the first Chinese wisteria grown in the South was by P.J. Berckmans of Fruitland Nurseries in Augusta. This nursery became the Augusta National Golf Club, and the Berckmans vine is still growing there near the clubhouse. Ted Stevens of Nurseries Caroliniana sells vines propagated by this plant bearing the name Augusta’s Pride.

Japanese wisteria, introduced from Japan, has blooms which emerge at the same time as the foliage and are more fragrant. Both of these imports are aggressive and fast growing and can reach heights over 100 feet. Because of this, many consider these vines invasive pests.

Pruning and training are essential to

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keeping these maintained in the garden.

American wisteria, native from Virginia to Florida to Texas, was brought to England in 1724 by Mark Catesby but failed to gain popularity due to poor blooming in that climate. American wisteria is not as aggressive, reaching heights of only around 30 feet. The blooms come later in the spring after the foliage and the racemes are more compact and bushy than those of the Chinese and Japanese. Because it is native and less aggressive in nature, the American vine is sometimes thought to be the better choice for Southern gardens.

Wisteria has a reputation for not blooming. In Gardening in the South, Don Hastings recommends three steps to help insure blooms. First, only mature vines produce blooms so when purchasing wisteria, a cutting-grown, budded or grafted plant will give a better start than a seedling. Second, plant in full sun and alkaline soil that receives good drainage and along a very strong support. This plant can be grown as a tree, shrub or vine which, again, will be determined by careful pruning and training. Third, root pruning in early spring, using a high phosphate (6-12-12) fertilizer, and pruning elongated shoots after bloom will increase the chances of a bounty of racemes the following spring.

It is interesting how life, like the wisteria vine, circles. Many of those children in my imagination have become my friends. So where I had once imagined the lives of Miss Mae’s students, my friends have replaced my made-up stories with real stories of Miss Mae’s kindergarten … but still framed, in my mind, by the dripping purple petals. NCM

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Tina’s Tips } Story and photos by Tina Neely Spring is in the air and Easter is right around the corner! Spring luncheons, bridal showers, graduation parties and teas will soon be on their way. For me, it’s also time to gear up for the annual Ladies’ Spring Luncheon at my church. Whether you need ideas for a wedding reception, bridal luncheon, or just a Sunday afternoon girly gettogether, you should see what these ladies have done!

Indoor Garden Party My twin girls love to see the lovely tables, flowers and themes at our Christmas luncheon, so for the spring luncheon this year my theme was an indoor garden party with a table for the moms and a pint-sized table for little girls. I was inspired by some wonderful new dishes, Green Talavera

by Maxcera. They were intended as our new everyday dishes and for grilled dinners on the patio, but I couldn’t wait to use them at the luncheon. No chargers needed, these plates are fabulous on their own! Colors in the plates were repeated in flowers arranged in glass and wicker candleholders, with glasses and carafes to match. For place cards and take-home gifts for guests, I used mini burlap sacks of flower seeds with flower markers bearing the guests’ names.

For the girls’ table, I used the salad plates of my new dishes, the water glasses, spoons and shrimp forks from my silverware pattern. A scaled-down centerpiece was arranged in a smaller candleholder to match, and instead of candles there were M&M’s in clay pots! Rainbows of paper lanterns from the craft store were hung with fishing line and danced over the tables.

Enjoying their Spring Luncheon are, from left, Courtney Dalton with Caroline and Emerson, Wendy Creel with Kinsey and Braelin, Tina Neely with Hannah and Elizabeth, Melissa Greene with Mallory, and Brooke Harrell with Mallory and Lydia Grace.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream This fun table was inspired by an ice cream sundae set. White china was topped with an ice cream dessert plate, and regular silverware mixed with ice cream spoons and sundae cups with colored straws. The centerpiece was a glass container holding pink gumballs and carnations.

(For “ice cream cones,” take the tip off a sugar cone, sticking the carnation stem through the hole and pushing it up to the top. Use wire to give stability and staying power.) For the “sundaes,” tie together carnations and top with shaving cream and a small tomato. (Shaving cream lasts longer and gives a better presentation, just make sure your guests don’t try a taste test!) White linens topped with hot pink gingham and chocolate burlap imitate the chocolate and strawberry flavors. The place cards are cupcakes baked in the cone, topped with icing and sprinkles with the place card placed on top.

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Gorgeous Graduation This table was inspired by girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; graduation gifts, some Vera Bradley bags in the Yellow Bird pattern. A striped tablecloth was topped with black dishes on silver chargers and a simple flower arrangement Tina Neely, center, celebrates with made by filling a glass vase graduates Sarah Mitchell, Katelyn Carroll, with lemons, limes and Julianne Wyrick and Sarah Conklin. various lengths of sunflowers. The glasses were stickered with their monograms, and placecards were made to match using stationery in the Yellow Bird pattern.

Loving Ladybugs by Angie Sherman Polka-dots galore makes me love it even more! This table featured black and red paper plates, dotted napkins, touches of lady bugs all over, and even hand painted pots filled with impatiens for guest gifts.

Seaside Sensational by Jennifer Lichty My daughters, who think they were born to be Ariel from the Little Mermaid, found this table to be their favorite. Lovely white china, seafoam napkins and a blanket used as a topper were adorned with real shells and accessories. Makes me want to head to the beach to stick my feet in the sand!

Bunny Beautiful by Melissa Greene Using what you have and using what you love is what makes a table fantastic. Melissa used her everyday bunny dishes with a lovely pink and green table topper and favorite bunnies of all shapes and sizes. A great centerpiece option is a fresh ivy plant that can be used later to add greenery to the house.

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Chocolate Lover’s Dream by Karen Couch This table was inspired by some beautiful paper plates – and the love of chocolate. Plates, napkins and placemats are all in chocolate brown, and bowls and bowls of real chocolate fill the table. If you haven’t maxed out yet, there’s a king size Hershey bar to take home!

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Pretty Picnic by Ada Cornwell Inspired by the quilt, Ada set a table ready for a summer afternoon in the shade. Paper plates make for quick clean-up and a great summertime look. Mason jars with raffia wait to be filled with fresh lemonade, and pots of impatiens are set to go home with each guest. A picnic basket of petunias adds more color, and antique looking Coke bottles recall a simpler, slower summertime.

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Walk on the Wild Side by Brooke Harrell

Singing Spring by Mitzi Cordle This table just sings spring to me. Mitzi used her beautiful new dishes, pink placemats, and a silk pink and green tablecloth with handmade napkins to match. There was a gorgeous centerpiece of tulips and spring flowers and my favorite accent: single flower holders at each place setting with a favorite verse printed on a pink card.

This table is sassy and sweet with its pink and black toile centerpiece of carnations and gerbera daisies, zebra print fabric topper and jazzy glasses stickered with hot pink high heels and ribbon.

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{ Saddle Up }

At only 27, Amanda Johnson is already an experienced professional trainer with several national championship wins.

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Developing a Happy Horse

By Martha A. Woodham | Photos by Bob Fraley estern or English? A saddle with a horn or a flat pancake of leather? Versatile riders like Amanda Johnson eventually face the question: Which riding style do I choose? Do I ride English or Western?

“I love the jumpers, but I just have way more fun riding Western and getting out and chasing cows,” she says. At 27, Amanda is already an experienced professional trainer, with a national championship or two under her Western belt buckle.

Johnson started out as a horse-crazy kid, begging her parents for riding lessons. Her parents had horses when they were young and her brothers had once had a pony, but the family was never that involved until Amanda picked up the reins.

Growing up in Texas, she tried many styles of riding – Western pleasure, English pleasure, hunters, jumpers, even sidesaddle – before settling back comfortably into her Western saddle.

She went to Texas A&M so she could major in animal science with a focus on equine business. A member of the Texas A&M Stock Horse Team, Johnson was given a horse to train, which she then had to compete in a show against other college teams at

the end of the year.

“That’s when I got interested in training horses,” she says. “You work every day after class with your horse.”

While Johnson was in college, her family moved to Douglasville, so after graduation she followed them to

Georgia. In May 2007, she was hired as trainer and farm manager at Sweetbay Farm in western Coweta County.

“Working at Sweetbay Farm really gave me a boost as far as training and showing,” Johnson says of working for Pete and Gail Furniss.

She trained and rode one of their top

horses, Starbucks Java, to the 2008 American Ranch Horse Association 2-Year-Old Ranch Riding Championship and to the 2008 Southeastern National Reining Horse Association Affiliate Championship.

Now based at Vessell Farm on Welcome Road, Johnson usually has four or five horses in training as well as some lesson horses.

Clients also trailer in for lessons.

Although Johnson’s methods work with any horse, her first love is the American Quarter Horse, the most popular breed in America and one of the most adaptable.

Originally bred to handle cattle, the quarter horse is wellsuited to the intricate and speedy maneuvers required in reining, cutting, barrel racing, calf roping and other Western riding events. Their compact, muscled bodies are quick and agile. But quarter horses are also ridden as pleasure horses and as hunters. They get their name because they can outdistance other breeds at a quarter of a mile and, while the breed doesn’t compete in the Kentucky Derby, quarter horse racing is a multi-million-dollar industry in the United States.

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Amanda Johnson rides Junior, above, and at left is Gambler.

Not only are quarter horses versatile, says Johnson, but they also have good minds.

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cow, ride in a parade, and they are so calm about it. They do it willingly.”

Johnson specializes in starting young horses under saddle. She teaches them to wear a bridle and saddle and then works on building a strong foundation for the other maneuvers the horse will need to do.

At the end of a 60-day training period, the horse knows his gaits – walk, trot and lope (a slow, relaxed canter) – as well as how to back up, to load in a trailer, to tie and other activities.

Her young horses are exposed to a variety of experiences, so they know what to expect out in the world. She not only works them in the Vessell Farm arena and round pen, but she also takes them on trail rides where they encounter traffic, dogs and all kinds of things that can spook a horse. She even trailers them over to

a friend’s farm to expose them to the creatures that have played such an important part in the development of the quarter horse: cattle.

“I like to mix it up,” she says, adding that it keeps the horse interested in learning and understanding his job.

You can go trail riding, rope a cow, ride in a parade, and they are so calm about it.”

– Amanda Johnson

For many horses, the next step in training is reining, often described as a Western form of dressage because it involves a series of intricate movements. In reining competitions, riders guide their horses through a

precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops performed at the lope and gallop. Reining is known for its splashy sliding stops.

“Not every horse can do it,” Johnson says. “You can’t just take any old clunker out of the pasture and do this. Horses are bred for it just like Thoroughbreds are bred for racing.

Quarter horses are using their natural ability to do all of these maneuvers.”

The best horse-and-rider teams make reining look effortless.

“You do it all on a loose rein so it looks like the rider is barely doing anything at all. It’s really refined.”

Her philosophy of horse training can be summed up as “developing a happy horse.”

“Give the horse a job and keep it interesting every day, and you’ll have an experienced, happier horse when it’s all said and done.” NCM

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Bookshelf }

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

By Beth Hoffman Pamela Dorman Books, $25.95 Reviewed by Holly Jones All 12-year-old Cecelia “CeeCee” Honeycutt ever wanted was a normal life. She wants a mother who doesn’t parade down the street in prom dresses reliving past pageant days. She wants a father who is actually home long enough to care about the situation. And CeeCee wants a friend, someone she could walk to school with while they talk and tell secrets.

At the beginning of Beth Hoffman’s first novel, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, these are CeeCee’s prayers.

She asks God for normalcy. She wants her father to realize her mother is sick and needs help, and she wants her mother to actually get better.

Instead CeeCee’s mother is killed by an ice cream truck, and CeeCee’s father sends her to live with her greataunt Tootie in Savannah because he doesn’t want her.

64 | NEWNAN – COWETA MAGAZINE

These are not exactly the answers CeeCee was looking for in her prayers.

Still, Aunt Tootie is pretty cool. She drives a flashy convertible with an angel for a hood ornament. Her house in Savannah is filled with amazing rooms, gorgeous furniture and a huge library. She has eccentric neighbors who are waging an amusing war involving slugs and bras; and Aunt Tootie’s housekeeper Oletta can out-cook anyone in the South, let alone Savannah.

The problem is, CeeCee doesn’t know where she belongs. Tootie’s passion is saving old houses in Savannah that have been marked for demolition. Oletta thinks CeeCee is lazy, at least at first, and doesn’t always approve of CeeCee’s actions. There isn’t anyone around CeeCee’s age.

The longer CeeCee is around Tootie and Oletta, the more she thinks about her life with her mother. Her childhood might not have been normal – it might never be normal – but CeeCee realizes that she was loved, and with Tootie and Oletta around, she always will be loved.

Hoffman’s novel is, in a way, a reverse coming-of-age story. CeeCee goes from being a child who had to grow up too fast to learning how to be a girl again. She learns what family really means, and that you can create your own family. She learns to laugh and to cry again. But mostly she learns that God does answer prayers. The answers might not be exactly what you expect, but then again they

can be beyond your expectations.

Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter

By Lisa Patton Thomas Dunne Books, $23.99 Reviewed by Holly Jones Leelee Satterfield of Lisa Patton’s Whistling Dixie in a Nor’easter is a Southern peach, born and bred.

Leelee adores her husband Baker, her two daughters, her recently restored house, and her hometown of Memphis, Tenn. She has three best friends she’s known since grade school, and membership at the country club. Although her Daddy has passed away, she knows he’d be proud of her. Her life has turned out exactly as she planned.

So why on earth is her husband so unhappy he wants to quit his secure insurance job, sell their gorgeous home and buy an inn in Vermont? As much as she might hate it, Leelee’s not going

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{ Index to stand in the way of Baker’s dream.

Southern ladies don’t do that. So she packs up everything, and they move to Vermont. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, right?

Not exactly.

First, Helga and Rolf Schloygin, the previous owners of the Vermont Haus Inn Leelee and Baker are buying, refuse to leave. Oh, they’ll let Leelee pay for everything, including the mortgage, heating fuel and all the alcohol. She’s just not allowed to change anything in the place – including the smell. And in Leelee’s words, the inn has an acute case of “houseitosis.” The foyer smells “like a mélange of musty upholstered furniture, garlic, and propane gas, on top of a profusion of BO.” Then there are the things that no one told Leelee about Vermont. She knew there would be snow, but no one told her about the nor’easters – blinding blizzards that even the snowplows can’t get through. No one told her about the ice that slides off the roof when the sun comes out after a heavy snow, sounding like exploding bombs. No one told her about roof rakes or toe warmers, stinging flies, knee-deep mud, or anything else everyone seems to expect her to know the second she sets foot in the inn.

But the worst thing about Vermont is that no one told Leelee her husband would abandon her on their anniversary.

Suddenly, the life Leelee is trying to survive is a nor’easter she can’t see through.

Leelee’s friends and Southern gumption won’t let her run and hide, her first instinct. Her second instinct is a lot more practical – and hilarious.

Leelee proves it’s possible to whistle Dixie in a nor’easter, and that she is one Southern peach who won’t get frostbite. NCM

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I am Coweta }

Tori Butcher

By Nichole Golden | Photo by Bob Fraley

East Coweta sophomore Tori Butcher lives and works on Coweta’s only dairy farm. Last October, Tori enjoyed one of her happiest moments in life thus far. She and her fall heifer calf won the Junior Champion Female prize at Wisconsin’s World Dairy Expo, the “Super Bowl” of cow shows. She won in the Grand International Red and White Junior Show. Tori, 16, also just learned that her heifer was selected Junior All-American, the “best of the best” by the Red & White Dairy Cattle Association. Tori is certain she’ll always be involved in some aspect of dairy farming. “This is my life and I love it,” she said.

What was it like to win at the World Dairy Expo? Honestly, it was like a dream. That is the biggest accomplishment you can get as an exhibitor or breeder. Ever since I was little and first heard about World Dairy Expo it was a dream; what seemed like an unrealistic goal, but I wasn’t going to give up. Most people never get to go at all, and if they do go they have to wait most of their life, and here I was a 15-year-old from Senoia, Georgia. Before the show I would tell my daddy (Kirk Butcher), “I’m just happy to be going. I don’t expect to win.”

What is your winning cow’s name? Beatyview Advent Reyann-Red is her full registered name but I call her Rey (Ray or Rae) and she is a purebred Red and White Holstein. Typical Holsteins are black and white (most people think of them as the Chick-fil-A cows) but Red and Whites are almost becoming their own breed. The red hair color is just a recessive trait like blonde hair or something like that.

How long have you been showing cows? I started out showing commercial dairy heifers in 4-H. Our dairy just had grade animals, so before we got a team I was interested in I was 11. Two years later other 4-H’ers became interested, so we now have the Coweta County Dairy Show Team.

How much prep work goes into these shows? When we first pick out calves to show we tie them up in the show barn and halter break them. After they are used to the halter and they behave alright they have to be trained. They don’t do tricks (ha ha)! The judge will also come up to your heifer or cow and touch her and ask you questions about her so she needs to be worked with so she won’t freak out when the judge touches her. You need to spend plenty of time with the animal so you know your heifer or cow so you can correctly answer questions. Show animals are also washed and clipped for the show. Washing isn’t so bad but clipping is a pain. The show animals are also fed a special ration for health and growth. The whole preparation is about 1-2 hours a day and a few hours extra around show time.

What are your other extracurricular activities? I am on the 4-H show team, dairy judging team and dairy quiz bowl team. I am also a member of the Georgia Holstein Association. I do many things at the farm like feed up to 53 calves a day.

What are your educational and career plans? I am interested in going to college at ABAC (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College) or UGA and studying dairy science. I am also very interested in the genetics of our herd and improving our pedigrees, so dairy genetics is another interesting topic.

What do you like to do in your free time? Hmmm. Free time? I like to hang out with my friends, go see a movie, go bowling, go shopping, travel and go to cattle sales or shows, things like that. Most of my time is in the show ring or at the barn, though.

Are there enough fun things for teens to do in Coweta? When I am out in Newnan, I am pleased with the choices of entertainment. There are plenty of eating places and shopping, we have a bowling alley and two theaters. What more could you ask for? NCM

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