Tales of a Transplanted Fashionista

Leigh Keller is a high school guidance counselor at Batesville High School and the director of the BHS Glass Slipper Project. She lives in Batesville with her son, Cole, and a pack of dogs.

Something about the first hint of spring makes me want to jump into my car and go on a road trip, really any road trip. In my Pinterest-ing (not a word), I had discovered an elephant sanctuary in Texas, and booked both of us a ticket. We began counting down the days until spring break, planning our snacks, and the other things we wanted to do on our getaway.

I had planned this short trip literally around our trip to the elephant sanctuary, and it’s difficult to compare anything to that experience after you get to hug an elephant. I had decided that we would go a little south to San Antonio, since I hadn’t been there myself since I was a little kid. We did the typical trip to the Alamo. Cole was not impressed, but we were able to rent scooters and explore the city a little bit, hitting some touristy spots, like the River Walk, and making a special trip to the wonderful San Antonio zoo.

Food is always one of my favorite parts of vacation, but never Cole’s. Let’s not forget our beach vacay of 2020 when he discovered that cheeseburgers were his new favorite thing, and ate one at every seafood restaurant. He kind of did the same thing on this trip, eating chicken tenders at one place, a plain chicken taco at another (much to the horror of our waiter) a cheeseburger at the Zoo, and then a Whataburger on the way home (old habits die hard).

Many of the local places I couldn’t wait to try were closed for different reasons (mostly Covid related closures), or were crazy booked.

Two of my favorites were @mitierracafesa , mainly for the ambience!! I had my street corn in a cup while we waited to be seated, and the market atmosphere outside on a Sunday felt so much like Mexico. They had food stands and vendors, and I tried to talk Cole into buying a luchador mask. He sadly declined. I had the Enchiladas Verdes, and their salsa was divine. By the time we left we were too stuffed to have a look at their bakery items. But those are a must see if you love sweets.

Our last evening we rode our scooters to eat by the water at @casariosa , the first restaurant to build on the river walk. It does so much for my soul to eat next to the water, even though the water was green, and the ducks were waiting patiently for our chips. I had the shrimp tacos, and we had the most amazing sopapillas for dessert! There is a roaming mariachi band who will serenade you (for a small fee). We got there really early, around 5:30, and only waited ten minutes for a water side table.

I’m making my list for a trip back, so you all tell me your favorites! We ran out of time to try everything, but it was just so much fun, from start to finish.

Hear me out, single mamas of littles. You may think you can’t navigate traveling on your own with your babies, but Cole has been my #1 travel buddy since I prayed him into existence. My own parents loved to load up and take a road trip, and so I think they programmed me to feel the same way. There’s such freedom that comes from driving with the windows down, singing at the top of your lungs, stopping for fun snacks, and exploring a new spot together. Eat the food, rent the scooters, hug the elephants, because your child gets one sweet childhood with you, don’t waste it N

ASUN Registered Nursing Students Selected for St. Bernards Sponsorship

Mallory Jordan,

Arkansas State University-Newport and St. Bernards Healthcare announce the ASUN Traditional RN Student Sponsorship recipients.

Those recipients are Abby Barnett, of Marked Tree; Payton Jones, of Jonesboro; Allie Prince, of Jonesboro; Kierra Rose, of Jonesboro; Aaliyah Ross, of Jonesboro.

St. Bernards Healthcare is partnering with ASU-Newport to provide a pathway for Registered Nursing students to transition from student to professional. By committing their skills to St. Bernards, these students will have dedicated clinical space at the hospital, receive automatic employment upon graduation and a monthly stipend. The sponsorship also includes a variety of bonus opportunities.

This type of partnership helps ASUN students learn directly from future employers and industry leaders. Dr. Typhanie Myers, Dean for Nursing and Health Professions, said this partnership is not only great for students but the hospital as well.

“I am thrilled about the pathway created for our Traditional Registered Nursing students with St. Bernard’s Healthcare,” Dr. Myers said. “Students are not only gaining the knowledge and skills needed to become excellent nurses, but they also learn the proper processes and procedures to become outstanding employees at St. Bernard’s. The pathway secures our students’ clinic spots, helps to alleviate their financial burden of gaining a higher education, and guarantees them employment after successfully becoming a licensed registered nurse. In return, St. Bernard’s gains wellqualified employees who are already acclimated to their facilities and processes. It is a win-win!” N

Pictured from left to right: Kierra Rose, Abby Barnett, Payton Jones, Aaliyah Ross, and Allie Prince

Inspired by a cocktail, the Negroni.

The deep red color is in harmony with the beautiful gradation on the dial.

SRPE41

Thompson ’ s JewelryServing you since 1924

870-793-7136 255 E. Main Street - Historic Downtown - Batesville Where your hometown jeweler should be www.thompsonjewelry.com

Caroline Beauchamp is a local insurance agent for M & P Insurance & Investment Services. She offers personalized life and health insurance solutions and is known for her widelypublished informational column, ‘Caroline, Can We Talk?’.

Last month David, Betty’s single, charming cousin, and I talked about his retiring in June. Since he has been on his employer’s group plan, he had to enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B. He recently told me that he is officially on Medicare – he has a red, white, and blue Medicare card showing his ID number and that it is effective June 1. He also received a letter informing him of the cost of Part B.

David said he wanted a plan that was easy to use and he would not have to check all the time to see if a provider/doctor was in or out of the network. And he did not want copays. He is describing a Medicare Supplement plan. We talked about several plans and the premiums in his county. David decided to enroll in Plan G. If he goes to a provider who accepts Medicare and has a Medicare approved procedure (no plastic surgery!), Plan G will provide 100% hospital coverage and picks up what his Medicare Part A does not pay. Whether he goes to the doctor or has doctor charges in the hospital, he will be responsible for the Part B deductible of $203 (a deductible is one time a calendar year). This Part B deductible is subject to change every January 1. (I have seen it go up, stay the same and go down.)

What about his prescriptions? Neither Medicare nor his Medicare Supplement cover outpatient prescriptions. David gave me a list of his prescriptions, the dosage, how often he takes each of them, how often he gets them refilled and the pharmacy he uses. After reviewing the 29 prescription plans available based on his prescriptions, David enrolled in a prescription plan.

I thought David was fixed up until he told me about his recent dental appointment. During his nice routine checkup, the dentist suddenly informed him that he had a tooth that was going to need attention. He could get a root canal and crown to “rescue” that tooth and save a lot of money by avoiding a dental implant. That procedure would cost him about $2500. For most of us, that’s a lot of money to come up with on short notice!

Of course, David wanted to know if Medicare or his Medicare Supplement would help him with those dental bills. Unfortunately, no (Medicare or a Medicare Supplement plan will only cover dental procedures if they are health related.) We talked about dental insurance and what it will and will not cover. Even though he will have to wait six (6) months to have the root canal and crown covered, he enrolled in a dental plan. Thank goodness his dentist saw that tooth issue early, so he has time to enroll in a dental plan and wait 6 months to have the work done.

Then David asked if I could help a friend moving from California. Yes, just call 501-868-6650 and say “Caroline, can we talk?” N