FASHION: Time for spring and all it brings | Spring gardening: blue moon gardens Medical Guide
March/April 2013 | Complimentary Copy
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Stunning
entertainment rooms
JB & the moonshine band
Follow Your
Fitness sense The best places to golf In east texas
Traditional
Meets Modern
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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The best
heart care
more
[
is than a place. It’s world-class research that leads the region in saving lives. “ETMC has always been on the forefront of healthcare innovations for the people of East Texas, and we want to be part of that leadership, so it’s a natural marriage of the two. We’re adding years to peoples’ lives, and we’re going to continue to go forward with these new techniques to bring cutting-edge therapies to our patients, always.” — Gregory A. Murphy, RPh, CCRC Director of clinical research at Tyler CVC and the ETMC Cardiovascular Institute
]
Cardiovascular technology is alive and well in East Texas due to Tyler Cardiovascular Consultants (CVC). Now through a partnership with ETMC, its efforts will go even further toward keeping the region’s heart patients alive and well. ETMC is proud to join with Tyler CVC to improve heart health in East Texas and beyond. With an impressive list of accomplishments over the decades, Tyler CVC is a proven leader in research and clinical trials that advance cardiovascular care nationwide. 1980s = pioneered clot-busting drugs 1990s = led the world in platelet technology that brought new drugs to East Texas years before the rest of the nation 2000s = advanced the use of cardiac stents and continues to improve the technology 2010s = implemented the use of AngelMed, a heart monitoring device that warns patients of potential coronary artery blockages To learn more about what the best heart care means and why it matters, please visit www.etmc.org.
One with East Texas.
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A not-for-profit organization committed to improving the quality of life in East Texas communities. www.etmc.org
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6 From the Editor
arts & technology
dwell
12 14 19 20 24
64 Showcase Home: Casually Elegant Featured on the cover 78 Remodel: Traditional Meets Modern 86 Spring Gardening: Blue Moon Gardens, Thirty Years Strong 90 Do it Yourself: Magic Bag of Tricks
120 The Best Places to Golf in East Texas 124 Hunting School: The Art of Gun Dog Training 127 March Madness
features
live healthy
128 Special Section: Medical Guide
28 6 Stunning Entertainment Rooms 38 The Fix Shop: Out with the new, in with the old 42 Grown up Tree House
94 Staying on Track to Meet Your Fitness Goals 96 Follow Your Fitness Sense 98 Trailing Through Tyler
154 Spirituality: Remember Your First Love
Tech: The Perfect Travel Companion Artist Feature: Erin Ethridge Music: Caroline Cobb Music: JB & The Moonshine Band Spring reading & Summer movies
style 50 Spring Fashion: Time for Spring & all it brings 58 Go-to-Girl: Naturalize your Look 60 Spring Jewelry: Bring in the Color
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outdoors
food & culture 104 108 110 114 116
Recipe Ideas: Seafood Feast The Dining Guide Four Texas Spring Getaways Bouncing off the Walls Calendar of Events
On the Cover: Erick & Sonia Platten's Home Photo by: CJ White Design by: Patrick Lissner & Lea Rittenhouse
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March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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From the Editor
Your Voice
O
ver the course of my life I’ve lived in several different houses and two different states. I’ve done a fair share of traveling, although I hope to do more, and have seen some beautiful geographical locations. But I’ve never been able to define “home” as a specific location or building—it’s more of a frame of mind. It’s a place I feel most myself. When I’m at “home” I feel safe, vulnerable and transparent in the healthiest of ways. “Home” helps me process, regroup my perspective and inspires me. Sometimes, though, a location can feel like home in the same way. In this issue of IN Magazine, we’ve gathered together some beautiful homes and the stories that make up the character found within the walls. On pg.28 you’ll find a collection of beautiful rooms tailored for entertaining, and on pg.78 you’ll meet Sonia and Erick Platten, the remodel homeowners featured on the cover. Sonia combines her love for local art, modern style and her own design instincts to breathe life into a downtown Tyler home. One of my favorite features is the story about Mark and Laura Mroz, owners of the Fix Shop. Their business model is based on the concept of fixing items that break rather than throwing them away—to see the value in the investment rather than joining in with the throwaway society. Let’s not forget that spring is here and nothing says spring like fashion, seafood and golf — at least to me anyway. So don’t miss the fashion spread and collection of spring jewelry in the Style section, the seafood and drink recipes in the Food & Culture section and the golf feature in the Outdoor section. What is “home” to me? Well, I feel most at home with family, when I am with people, while doing creative things and when I’m on outdoor adventures. I feel most at home when I am a part of something larger than myself, like my faith. Some days a big cup of coffee and a good book on a rainy day feels like home. No matter what it is, “home” reminds me who I am and helps me
My daughter, Bethany, shared her IN magazine with me, and I was hooked. I love everything about it: the amazing aesthetics, the culturally relevant articles, the focus on local talent and artistry, the fashion tips and even the practicalities of eating and living more healthy. Also, being a pastor’s wife, I can appreciate the heart of the magazine that boils down to ministry. It is a permanent fixture in our home, making it to the top of the coffee table! Thanks for letting us “in” on this awesome “IN” magazine. Noreen Fauss, pastor's wife Tyler Vineyard church
Lea Rittenhouse, editor of IN Magazine. function smoothly. I encourage you to identify what or where home is to you and always turn to it. This is a great introduction into some big news. Although I have loved everything about working at IN Magazine, it’s time for me to transition into another opportunity that feels just a little bit more like “home” to me. I’ll miss collaborating on the creative direction and finding unique stories, but what I’ll miss most is the amazing people I was blessed to work with, and the people I was able to meet. Don’t worry, the staff at IN will continue to deliver quality content that captures the region’s flavor, led by the wonderful Danny Mogle, former managing editor of the Tyler Morning Telegraph. And who knows, you might find a story or two of mine pop up in the pages of IN from time-to-time. Thank you, readers, for all your support and positive feedback over my time here. I will never forget this experience. I hope you enjoy this issue.
Lea Rittenhouse Editor
I love walking into a local business and seeing a new issue of IN Magazine! I’ve always been a big proponent of keeping things local and IN does a great job of focusing on local people and businesses. What impresses me most about IN is when clients contact us and ask specifically how they can advertise in the IN Magazine. I am excited to work with IN magazine on future business endeavors for our clients at Business Direct Marketing. Heather Blaylock, Business Direct Marketing
Enjoy reading IN? Tell us about it. We hope you enjoy reading this issue of IN Magazine. Please let us know what you think about our bi-monthly publication by sending your comments to, lea@inmagtexas.com.
Find us on Facebook or send us a tweet. www.INmagTexas.com
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March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
FIRST. The RegIon’S FIRST and only 3d mammogRam
IS comIng To longvIew RegIonal. Longview Regional Medical Center, in collaboration with Diagnostic Clinic of Longview, will soon offer an astounding new weapon in the fight against breast cancer. Our new 3D mammography will allow physicians to examine breast tissue in greater detail – resulting in improved accuracy and a better chance at early detection. To learn more about this incredible technology and our commitment to your health, visit LongviewRegional.com/mammo.
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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INmagTexas.com January/February 2013
Publications Manager | Shannon Dorsey 903.596.6369 • sdorsey@inmagtexas.com
64
Editor | Lea Rittenhouse 903.596.6278 • lea@inmagtexas.com Sales Executive | Renee Luker 903.596.6259 • rluker@inmagtexas.com
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Sales Executive | Dawn Rhodes 903.596.6354 • drhodes@inmagtexas.com Regional Sales Executive | Stacey Marino 903.918.9080 • stacey@inmagtexas.com Creative Director & Graphic Designer | Patrick Lissner 903.596.6347 • patrick@inmagtexas.com
Creative Team Patrick Lissner, Lea Rittenhouse Contributing Writers: Crystal Breaux, Nick Buske, Andy Taylor, Jo Lee Ferguson, Victor Texcucano, Joseph Canal, Jennifer Babisak Cathy Primer Krafve, Brandon Hafner, Morgan Jones, Lisa Brown, Joshua Works Brittany McCaughan, David Wallace, Jordan Roquemore, Leslie Harrison, Jake Waddingham, Tina Bausinger Photographers: Chris Pound, Sarah A. Miller, Herb Nygren Jr., Shannon Wilson, Matthew Hogan Photography, Brandi Burkett, Victor Texcucano, David White, CJ White, Jake Waddingham Fashion Coordinator & Stylist | Alex Becnel Models: Ashton Morris, Joel Zandstra © TBB Printing, Inc., 2013
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March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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arts & technology
Technology
> The Perfect Travel Companion, 12
Art
> Artist Feature: Erin Ethridge, 14
Music
Local artist Erin Ethridge. Photo by Andrea Caldwell.
> Caroline Cobb, 19 > JB & The Moonshine Band, 20 > Spring reading & Summer Movies, 24
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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The perfect travel companion Tripit.com provides everything you need to explore the world.
"Once all of your travel is completely represented in your Tripit account, sit back and marvel at the organizational Eden created in just a few minutes." By NICK BUSKE
S
ome people attempt to stay young forever with expensive face creams and hair tonics. Not me. Technology is my Rogaine. I figure if I can stay atop the latest tech advances, I'll always be young at heart and mind and forever remain 29— the age my wife and I claim on our Christmas cards year after year. I'm all about the touch screen and even own a pair of compatible gloves. I issue voice commands to my phone, which is particularly handy when my children are making music requests on the way to school, and I wear a wristwatch that displays my incoming calls and text messages on an e-paper display. No doubt, I'll one day grumpily reminisce that my iPhone 5 was far superior to the iPhone 23 with its fancy neural interface and built-in wound cauterization, but until that day, I'll openly embrace any tech leap that makes life better and easier. One such advance is Tripit. If I could bear-hug only one free web service, it would be Tripit.com. Not Google Docs, not Dropbox and not Skype! All of these services have doppelgängers. Tripit is a truly unique service that makes the hectic part of travel fun. It intelligently creates a digital travel itinerary from all of your travel confirmations. That's not to say you can't possess the time-honored file folder, containing 10 different printouts with 13 separate confirmation numbers. It's just that if you use Tripit properly, you can literally bury that folder in your checked baggage and consider it backup in much the same way 12
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
Mobile flight alerts In your mobile device's app store, look for FlightTrack Pro ($5 for Android, $10 for iOS) or visit www. mobiata.com, which has a mobile-optimized size that links to the app for you. Download the app and perform the quick login "handshake" between FlightTrack Pro and your Tripit account. The two now share flight data seamlessly, and FlightTrack Pro will send you flight alerts and notifications automatically.
that modern seafarers casually look to the stars for navigation. Equipped with Tripit, modern travelers need only their smartphones, tablets or laptops to navigate through the twists and turns of their trips. What makes Tripit so special? Why all of the digital doting? Well, Tripit is very useful in what it does, but the true amazement is in the how. Once you've used your e-mail address to sign up for a free Tripit account, forward all of your travel confirmations (from that same registration email address) to plans@tripit. com. Then watch in awe as every pertinent detail of those e-mails propagates to your Tripit account in full chronological glory. It doesn't matter if you send the flight details last and the hotel and dinner confirmations first. Tripit parses each e-mail for dates, times, locations and reservation numbers and then presents them in an accurate timeline. All of this magic presupposes that your confirmation emails are in a standard format that Tripit can understand. For sure, Tripit can get confused with something like a casual confirmation from that B&B in the Poconos. No worries. For these few exceptions, you can always go manual and add a custom entry to your online itinerary. Once all of your travel is completely represented in your Tripit account, sit back and marvel at the organizational Eden created in just a few minutes. At the very least, you can print out this itinerary and consider it the Cliff's Notes to your vacation. Through apps on smartphones and tablets, however, Tripit becomes much more than just a travel summary. Once your mobile device is synced with your Tripit account, you'll have instant access to every trip detail. Need to doublecheck your flight departure time? Open the app and glean that detail along with everything else, such as confirmation numbers, seat assignment, flight duration, etc. Need driving directions to the hotel from the airport? Tap on the "directions from airport" chronological entry. Tripit will display your route's start and finish points and then seamlessly pass the guidance request on to your device's native mapping-navigation app. Now, if all of your travels thus far have primed you for a lunchtime nap before you begin your proper vacation, tap on the hotel's entry in Tripit where you'll see all of the information pertinent to your reservation, including their stated check-in time. With Tripit on your phone, the hotel's number is at the tip of your finger, and you'll soon know if your room is ready early or if you need to start looking for
the nearest Starbucks. How and why is this powerful service free? The answer is that Tripit engages in what is often referred to as a "freemium" business model. They have a free plan for casual users, a $49/year pro plan for powertravelers and a $29/month business plan for businesses. The free plan gives you 90 percent of Tripit's full potential, so it's a natural winner. Paying $49 per year for the pro plan gives you some additional knowledge-at-a-glance, like refund tracking and, in the case of a missed or canceled flight, options for alternate flights as well as their seat availability. Tripit Pro also enables flight status monitoring and automatic notifications of flight changes. Why look at an airport's 15 giant monitors with every possible flight arrival/departure/gate combination when Tripit can push just your flight connection information to your phone? Save yourself the neck ache. If leisure travel is your passion or corporate travel is your reality, the pro plan is a sensible upgrade. For those of us whose travel schedules do not justify the $49 per year pro plan, there is a sneaky way to get at least one of its coolest features—flight notifications—for a single payment of $5 or $10. The trick is an app that syncs with your Tripit account and provides flight tracking and monitoring on top. In your mobile device's app store, look for FlightTrack Pro ($5 for Android, $10 for iOS) or visit www.mobiata.com, which has a mobile-optimized size that links to the app for you. Download the app and perform the quick login "handshake" between FlightTrack Pro and your Tripit account. The two now share flight data seamlessly, and FlightTrack Pro will send you flight alerts and notifications automatically. There will always be a place in life for manilla folders. Increasingly so, however, that place is cuboid, metallic and dark. Whereas travel used to be the folder's big shot at natural sunlight, Tripit and the savvy traveler squash those aspirations. But, please don't bemoan the fate of the venerated manilla folder. Stress causes premature aging. For more technology reviews www.hightechdownlow.com or follow Nick on Twitter @hightechdownlow.
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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By Lea Rittenhouse | Courtesy Photos and Photos by Andrea Caldwell
people enjoy art as a hobby in their free time, but 20-year-old artist and Lindale native Erin Ethridge couldn’t separate herself from her art if she tried. “It’s just what I do. It’s what comes out of me. If I can’t get into the studio when it’s locked or something, I feel like I’m going to go insane,” Erin says. “I
guess it’s just who I am.” But this wasn’t always Erin’s mindset. Although the joyful, free-spirited art studio major has dabbled in art for what she says seems like forever, it wasn’t until after she returned from studying at a theology and art school in Sydney, Australia, that she began to consider it an irreplaceable part of herself. “While I was
studying there I showed up at class and I did my work for class, but it wasn’t like if I went on break I would have kept working in the studio,” she says. “I think it’s totally been my mental processes that have changed.” Between the perspective she gained while spending the year abroad and several encouraging conversations with The University of Texas at Tyler professors, Erin now considers art an integral part of how she functions. “If I call myself an artist I want to be an artist my whole life and I don’t want to run out of things when the semester ends,” she says. “I’m constantly thinking about it and writing all the time about it. It’s not just a switch I can turn off anymore.” Erin says most of her art is about how to reconcile being an individual in the world — in a world of individuals. “No one has really been that categorical definition of a person. That’s no one’s life story. But yet we talk about it because we have to have some sort of simplifying formula to be able to talk about people because there’s so many,” she says enthusiastically. “There’s no way to fill in that information with words, and so then I think art comes in.” She began with portraiture but eventually removed the figure and focused more on abstract gestural lines and energy transfer in her drawings. “They kind of turned into chronological, categorizations on my mind of development of emotions and time; like how things grow and they sort of shrink,” she says. “When something feels like a really huge deal in your life it sort of explodes, but like a year later you look back and it wasn’t so big.” Some of her art was recently featured in Julian’s restaurant in Tyler. Her most recent artistic endeavor is the integration of photography and film into her work with the intention of providing the average art consumer access to the inspiration behind abstract art. She says she places the photography next to the art, symbolizing two interpretations of the same thing. “People sort of look at abstract and they're like ‘oh cool’ but | Cont. On page 16
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“It’s just what I do. It’s what comes out of me. If I can’t get into the studio when it’s locked or something, I feel like I’m going to go insane,” Erin says. “I guess it’s just who I am.” Cont. From page 15 | the average person has a hard time really digging deep and finding out what that means,” she says. “The photography, for me, is a way to give somebody access to that, because everybody can look at a photo and realize what’s happening.” The photos she uses are actual pictures of friends at some point in her life. “That’s been sort of therapeutic … I’ve been really studying myself in that,” she says. Erin also expresses her creativity through sculpting, her most recent project representing the irony of individualism. The sculptures were made using wood abstract forms fashioned from laminating shapes of plywood together and grinding them into modified shapes, exposing the stratification of the wood. “(They) are about the terrain of life and how my existence is so much different than yours and how I can never fully know how you see the world and how you process, but at the same time, we’re all unique,” she says. “The irony kind of cancels it all out. Everything is so rare that really nothing is rare.” Aside from having her art displayed at Julian’s, Erin is just getting started with sharing her art with the community through local art shows and various social websites. She graduates in December and plans to attend graduate school in hopes to teach art at the university level, although she isn’t sure where—another whimsical part of her personality. “I’m just excited of having a lifetime of doing the next thing,” she says. “Since my art has become such a personal investigation of myself and everything around me — I know that I’m never going to run out of things to do.” Top: Erin Ethridge original art titled, This applies to your finances too. Bottom left: Another view, further examination. Bottom middle: Dissident self writing in big letters on the wall. Bottom right: Surveillance Irony. 16
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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BLOOD & BREATH TO BE RELEASED JUNE 2013 >> LOCAL ARTIST
CAROLINE COBB E
By Lea Rittenhouse | Photos Courtesy of Heaton Photography ast Texas Christian singer, songwriter Caroline Cobb wants music to be a part of the rhythm of her life — her life of being a wife, mother of two, participating in ministry and playing music. “I want to be a mom, that’s my first priority, and I also want to make room to be a good steward of what God’s given me, but without the pressure of trying to be something I’m really not,” she says. Caroline began playing guitar in high school when her mom taught her a few chords. She says her songs weren’t musically elite when she first started writing, because she didn’t know much about guitar and hadn’t had formal lessons. She did it for fun — for her enjoyment and for small audiences. “I just wrote, wrote, wrote and that’s it,” she says. The benefit of her raw approach and genuine passion for music showed when she started playing for larger groups, since she was able to fine-tune her craft and decrease her critical eye. Even in college, though, she would only play her songs for her parents and close friends, until her best friend pushed her to share her talent. “My best friend in college, for my birthday, signed me up to play a concert
at a coffee shop,” she says. “It was such a good gift because she knew me so well — she knew I would never do it by myself and she knew I was scared out of my mind to do it.” The show was a catalyst and turning point for her to share her music with others. The first CD she recorded was a project for her thesis at The University of Texas at Austin. She continued with music as a serious hobby, playing shows and recording her official freshman release in 2005, "Far Beyond Me", composed of her favorite songs since high school, and a second album in 2009. She says she went back and forth with what role music was supposed to play in her life. “I didn’t feel like I wanted to tour the U.S. or try and be a rock star — that just wasn’t me,” Caroline says. “Now, I’m just trying to write for that joy of it.” Now with 10 years of experience, Caroline’s inspirational Christian music largely reflects her journey with her faith and the scriptures. Her most recent project, "The Blood and the Breath", will be released this June. The idea for this album began with a challenge she gave herself at the end of 2010. “I have a friend that had given herself a really big goal in a year, to write like 100 songs,” she says. “I decided to give myself
a similar goal and I decided to write a song for every book of the Bible. That was just a fun goal, I wasn’t thinking about making an album or anything, so I just spent that year writing.” Every week she wrote two to three songs based on a book or passage in the Bible. She says by the end of the venture she had a set list she really liked. “It was good for me as a songwriter, I figured out how to write a song fast, but it was really cool for me as a Christian too, because I was spending so much time in so many different places of the Bible, but they were all kind of telling the same story,” Caroline says. “They were telling the story of redemption, and Jesus is sort of the climax and the point of the story.” At the end of the year, she decided to tell the story of scripture through music. After she would play, she realized how beneficial it would be to record the songs. “Afterwards, people would always be like ‘I really want to dig deeper in the Bible, I really like that,’” she says. “I always wished that I had an album so that they could take that story home with them.” Once She decided to record the songs, Caroline began looking for financial help that would allow her to do the project with excellence. She turned to Kickstarter, a fundraising website for creative people, and started a campaign. “When people back your project, they’re kind of buying into the vision of it, they’re not just buying a CD, but they’re kind of co-owning it with you,” she says. Caroline met her goal within five days, and the final amount raised for the project, about $12,000, exceeded her goal by about 150 percent. She says there is a lot of healthy accountability that comes from doing a Kickstarter campaign and having people invest in the project. “Of course I want the album to be really good, but now I want the album to be really, really good,” Caroline says. She is in the process of recording the LP at Wellhouse Studios in Dallas, and working with producer Josh Moore, a former member of the Christian band Caedmon’s Call, to achieve the sound she is desires for the full-length album. She says she hopes the album serves people. “That’s really kind of how I view my life is to serve people, so sometimes that means changing a diaper and sometimes that means feeding my family dinner, and sometimes that means giving a song to someone,” She says with a smile, “I’m praying the songs will take people deeper into scripture that they’ll want to go back to their bibles.” To learn more about Caroline’s new project, visit www.carolinecobb.com.
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JB
moonshine
Band
and the
Three years ago, JB and the Moonshine Band didn’t have hundreds of fans singing along at their shows or a label.
T
he stage is drenched in harsh, bright lights, making silhouettes of the fans pushed up to the edge of the platform. Ears continue to ring from an enthusiastic introduction to the East Texas State Fair by "Radio Texas Live" host Buddy Logan. Cheers and hollers then ensued. Lead guitarist Hayden McMullen is the first to take the stage. His fingers instantly go to work, fixing the
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March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
By Jake Waddingham | Photo by Matthew Hogan
guitar strap, adjusting the tuners on the headstock and striking a couple of chords. Chris “Flo” Flores follows with his bass guitar and the newest member of the band, Scott “Skittles” Johnson is on the fiddle. Gabe Guevara slips in, almost unnoticed, behind the glass cage that surrounds the drum set. Then, in a measured stride for speed, James “JB” Patterson appears from behind the stage and takes his spot behind the center microphone.
“This is not our hobby anymore,” Patterson says. “It is how me and my entire band make our living.” Like an experienced quarterback behind center, Patterson gives a quick nod to his right, adjusts his acoustic guitar and the band begins their set for hundreds of fans, friends and family. Three short years ago, JB and the Moonshine Band didn’t have hundreds of fans singing along at their shows. There were no singles climbing into the Top 10 on the charts.
They didn’t have a label. They weren’t even a band. After spending several years working at Rosewood Studios in Tyler, Patterson was frustrated recording other musicians’ work for an average income. He was so immersed in music all day at the studio, just listening to any melody was a chore. He decided to go back to school and study public relations at The University of Texas at Tyler. On the side, Patterson started an advertising agency and soon had several clients around Tyler. The ad agency was picking up, and he was only 12 hours away from graduating with a bachelor’s degree, but in his heart of hearts, Patterson says he always wanted to be a songwriter. “You always hear people say you need to fuse what you love to do with some kind of a money-making aspect,” Patterson says. “I want to go for broke. I want to get rich.” For years, he had sent away his lyrics to have other artists record them, but Patterson’s demos found their way to the bottom of a trashcan more often than the inside of a recording studio. Frustrated that no one was paying attention, Patterson decided the best way to get his music out was to sing the songs himself. Soon he took to the task of convincing his wife, Regina, who was seven months pregnant, that he wanted to dissolve his advertising agency, drop out of college and start a band. “She asked me if I was crazy, which was kind of a legitimate question,” Patterson says. It took some persuading, but financially they were secure with Regina’s job in pharmaceutical sales. She gave him one year to succeed or get the urge out of his system. “It was just something that I always wanted to pursue and if this was the only way then I needed to do it,” Patterson says. “One day I am going to have to look our son, who is now three, in the eye and say, ‘One day you can be whatever you want to be as long as you apply yourself and try.’” Patterson says he did not like the prospect of hypocrisy if he did not set an example for his son, Parker, and go after his own dreams.
Starting the band
Armed with his self-written songs, Patterson sent out an email blast on MySpace looking for musicians to audition for his new band. The turnout was slim; only three guys showed up to play. The quartet spent the afternoon playing a couple of songs, and hanging out. By the end of the audition, Patterson had his band.“Everyone who has a band wants to be on the radio,” "Radio
“It was just something that I always wanted to pursue and if this was the only way then I needed to do it.”
Texas Live" host Buddy Logan says. “You want to take the next step, but it doesn’t mean just because you play a bar every other week that you should be on the radio.” The first gig Logan saw JB and the Moonshine Band play was at the Down Under Pub & Grub in Tyler in 2009. Logan was just starting his radio show and through the suggestion of a friend of a friend, decided to check out the show. Although the crowd barely pushed into double digits, Logan was drawn in to the lyrics and presentation of the group. “There is a separation of stuff that will appeal to friends and stuff that will appeal to everybody,” Logan says. “For me, when I heard JB, that’s what I thought of right away. It is not going to be just his mom and cousins that think he is awesome.” Guevara describes the relationship of the band members like being brothers. “There are a lot of bands out there where everybody is just a hired gun and at the end of the day nobody is really friends,” Guevara says. “That’s not the case with us. We still go do stuff together.” Flores adds that it takes a quick wit to handle the friendly banter on road trips. Whenever someone would smart off, it is part of the game to give a quick retaliation. Flores says the hardest part is trying to stop laughing long enough to respond or keep up. Guevara says the first time he met Patterson at the audition, he could tell he was driven. “That is what attracted me to this whole thing; the drive, the ambition and the goals that are being set.” While assembling the band was easy, the legwork of promoting songs, arranging shows and adjusting to travel schedules was a struggle. Patterson was also in constant contact with song promoters, trying to secure some time on the radio waves. For one promoter, Patterson called and said he had been trying to navigate their website, but found multiple flaws. He offered to redesign the site in exchange for a song promotion. The promoter wouldn’t budge, saying she only worked for money. “He eventually had to pay,” Logan says. “I think a lot of people might want to do something like that, but they won’t even ask. He is the type of person that is not afraid to ask to get what he needs.” Logan was the first person to
play JB and the Moonshine Band on the radio during his show. During his second-ever interview on air with Logan, Patterson disliked the quality of an acoustic version of their song from the studio. Patterson went to work tearing apart the soundboard at the station, mixing around wires and plugs so the band could play while wired in. That drive for perfection along with a new single describing the perfect girl helped JB and the Moonshine Band find their way onto the Texas country music charts. The debut of “Perfect Girl” stalled at No. 20, but according to Logan, the ripple effect of making the chart sparked a large following. Fans of the song were calling the radio station on Wednesday to request the song on Logan’s Saturday night show. Even people who didn’t know the title of the song called in asking about the catchy lyrics. Their big break came after opening for Colt Ford in March 2010. Ford’s label, Average Joes Entertainment, liked the country sound and signed the band to a record deal. By September, JB and the Moonshine Band dropped their first album, “Ain’t Goin’ Back to Jail.” “It’s a hard, hard life, especially at first,” Patterson says. “I can promise you this, I have been in every convenience store in Texas at least once or twice.”
Mixing business and pleasure
Longtime friend and a contributor to the production of the first CD, Donny Dennis, traveled with the band when they first started touring. He thought the process was taking a road trip, playing a show and then hanging out and having fun. Dennis says everyone thinks the band lifestyle is so glamorous with women and drinking, but he was amazed at the work that went in to loading, unloading, stage preparation and performing. Patterson already had some experience on the road with | Cont. on page 22
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Cont. from page 21 | other bands, so he was able to plan how to efficiently schedule all the details it takes to put on a performance. “What he has the ability to do was learn from everybody else’s mistakes,” Dennis says. “He just went about everything in a total business manner.” As the band’s popularity continues to grow, Patterson has been able to maintain that business-first attitude. When it came time to design the album cover and update the headshots, Patterson wanted to use a photographer from the Tyler area. Matt Hogan and Daniel Poe fit the ticket perfectly. Poe had classes with Patterson at UT Tyler and Hogan had played in several local bands. The partnership grew from the first photo session to Hogan and Poe’s first major video production, the “Whiskey Days” music video. The photography duo spent 16-hour days with Patterson and the band, brainstorming and shooting the video. Hogan and Poe agree their favorite day of shooting with Patterson was driving the Jeep and smashing the whiskey bottles. Poe spent the majority of the day strapped to the outside of the Jeep recording while Patterson drove down country roads singing to a CD. During the whiskey-drinking shots, Patterson would chug sweet tea out of bottles that Guevara had stored in an old shed. Poe said Patterson hated the taste of sweet tea even more by the end of the video. In another scene, Patterson speeds away on a gravel road. Hogan said they had to do the shot about 30 times. By the end, Guevara’s driveway was left with deep ruts and one of his flower pots was broken, but they got the shot. He knows when it is time to be business JB and when it is time to be friend JB,” Poe says. “We appreciate that because being more artistically inclined ourselves, we can get on one tangent and distracted.” Whenever deadlines approach, Patterson checks in to make sure everyone is staying on task. Hogan says even when Patterson seems stressed, he is able to shift gears and still be personable. Poe says the best part about working with Patterson is his ability to delegate tasks. Patterson expects each person to get his task done without someone constantly babysitting them. “He has high expectations, but not unrealistic,” Poe says.
Family time
In both videos, Patterson was able to have his wife and friends be part of the experience. Logan is one of the main characters in the “I’m Down” video. Because of having to spend so much
"Beer for Breakfast." released 2012. jb & the moonshine band time on the road, getting to shoot music videos or play shows in Tyler is a rare, but cherished opportunity to spend time with friends and family. When Patterson can spend time at home with his family, they enjoy being outside at parks or spending time near the water. Patterson is a fan of fishing and boating and hopes to purchase a lake house soon to spend more time with the family on the shoreline. Today, the band is actively touring to promote the release of their sophomore album, “Beer for Breakfast.” The first single off the album, “Beer for Breakfast,” quickly rose to No. 1 on the Texas Country Music charts. Their next release, “No Better Than This,” is climbing. The band also set a record for the largest audience on the side stage at Billy Bob’s Texas in Dallas. Over 1,700 fans came out to support Patterson and the crew at one of Texas country music’s largest stages. Logan’s radio show has also grown to three states and 12 radio stations. He gives some of that success to JB and the Moonshine Band. He has always used Patterson as a mentor to bounce ideas off of or determine the value of what he is working on. “He is one of the smartest people I know,” Logan says. “He writes great music; he is very meticulous. I have always felt like an honorary member of the band.” Patterson is no longer under the shadow of a content lifestyle. While the future of JB and the Moonshine Band is still unwritten, the go-for-broke mentality of their lead singer can only be described by the lyrics he wrote and continues to perform across the country. “You could say I’ve always been a dreamer/And that’s how I’ll always be no matter if it’s right or wrong/chasin’ rainbows that I can’t seem to catch ahold of/living life like was just another song.”
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Spring reading & Summer movies
Book Review By Tina Bausinger
What Wildness is This: Women Write About the Southwest // Edited
Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers // Anne Lamott
"What Wildness is This: Women Write About the Southwest" is a collection of short stories and poetry celebrating the beauty of living in our part of the country. The editors of this anthology decided the time had come to put together a book written entirely by women who, whether intentionally or unintentionally, found themselves left out of the “membership in the nature-writing club” that has traditionally been ruled by male writers (think Thoreau, Whitman and Byron). Divided into eight sections — “A Land Full of Stories,” “Geographies: Journey Notes,” “Home Address: The Nature of Urban Life,” “Earth is an Island: Nature at Risk,” “The Sustaining Land,” “The Key is in Remembering: Growing Up on the Land,” “The Eagle Inside Us,” and “What We Leave Behind” — this anthology is a breathtaking collection of truthful writing that remains beautiful until the last page. The book keeps its promise that it makes in the forward: “Our freedom is to tell the truth about all our relations, and to think ourselves no less persons for all that we are connected by longing and regret to men, to children, to grandmothers, to desert rain and flesh and seeds, to old stories and cunning words, the past and the future, what Rachel Carson called “the stream of living things.” If you have been feeling guilty about not reading a book of substance, I recommend "What Wildness is This" for filling that void. It’s deep without reaching too far or trying too hard.
This is not your mother’s prayer book. I’d been meaning to read it for a while, because I’ve been a fan of Anne Lamott’s ever since I read her iconic book on writing, "Bird by Bird". I was reminded of this book shortly after the Sandy Hook tragedy when it was mentioned on “Good Morning America” as a place to start the healing. Lamott’s writing style is a perfect combination of poignant and funny, and I found myself with tears in my eyes at the most unexpected places. I’m accustomed to reading evangelical books about prayer, daily devotions and that sort of thing, but I think that Lamott’s book is every bit as deserving and perhaps more accessible to someone who is just at the beginning stage of exploring prayer and its meaning. In Lamott’s quirky yet poetic point of view, she gives reallife-advice to the reader in her folksy, modern-day-hippie voice. Short enough to finish in one rainy afternoon, I found this book profound, touching and, yes, funny. Lamott begins by defining prayer: “Prayer means that, in some unique way, we believe we’re invited into a relationship with someone who hears us when we speak in silence.” She then divides prayer into three essential categories: help prayers, thanks prayers and wow prayers. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who is searching for meaning in our crazy world.
by Susan Wittig Albert, Susan Hanson, Jan Epton Seale, and Paula Stallings Yost.
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Summer Movie Releases By Jordan Roquemore
In the ever-changing world of film, this summer stands out as a season heavy with sci-fi and superhero thrillers. Here are some stand-out features coming to theaters. THE GREAT GATSBY // May 10 Although F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous book has been turned into a film four times before, there are several reasons why audiences are intrigued by the newest take on the classic. With a director like Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge") and musical producer Jay-Z involved, audiences can expect an interesting array of sights and sounds. Leonardo DiCaprio will be playing the mysterious and debonair Gatsby while Oscar-nominee Carey Mulligan will take on the charming and fragile character of Daisy Buchannan. To top it all off, this adaptation of the lavish and tragic story stands out as the first to be shown in 3D.
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS // May 17 Our same Enterprise crew returns home to Earth, only to find Starfleet and everything it stands for in ruins. The fleet has been decimated by a one-man army, putting Earth into a state of crisis and leaving Captain Kirk with a score to settle. He chooses to lead his crew to a war-zone world in order to capture the criminal. The story promises to be a life-or-death chess game of challenges and sacrifices for our bold heroes. J.J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot of the original Star Trek series seemed to please both “Trekkies” and average movie-goers alike. With the same cast being joined by “Sherlock” star Benedict Cumberbatch as the sinister villain, this film is stacked in the acting department. An intense and ominous trailer tops this movie off as one of the most anticipated of the summer.
After earth // June 7
Will and Jaden Smith star in a film where humanity has abandoned Earth and now lives on a planet called Nova Prime. General Cypher Raige returns to his family after a long tour
of duty, hoping to finally be a father to his estranged son, Kitai. When their ship is damaged by an asteroid, Cypher and Kitai crash-land on the hostile wilderness that Earth has become. Kitai’s desire to be a soldier like his father is tested as he treks across the dangerous planet to retrieve their rescue beacon. Although the trailer for "After Earth" is intriguing, writer/director M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense", "Signs") has much to make up for. His last film, ("The Last Airbender") brought in a profit, but was widely regarded as a disaster by audiences and critics.
Man of steel // june 14 Clark Kent/Kal-El feels isolated, caught between his life as a journalist and his incredible abilities. As a child, he was transported to Earth from a highly-advanced civilization on the planet Krypton. Clark’s struggle with his destiny comes to a boiling point when the cast-off Kryptonian, General Zod, comes with the goal of destroying Superman and his family both here on Earth and on Krypton. Christopher Nolan, the man behind the newest Batman series, has been key in bringing the most iconic of DC Comic’s heroes back to the screen. Nolan produced and co-wrote this modern take on Superman while the film was directed by Zack Snyder ("300", "Watchmen"). Although the 2006 "Superman Returns" was underwhelming, this clean-slate rendition comes with a stylish look, a serious tone and an intriguing cast: Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Kevin Costner as Jonathon Kent and Russell Crowe as Jor-El.
Monsters university // june 21 The creators at Pixar are trying something new by putting out their first prequel, set 10 years before "Monsters Inc." Each of the "Toy Story" sequels were considered by many to each be better than the last, however "Cars 2" became the first significant failure of the animation company. Most animation fans don’t seem bothered by the slip up, singing the praises of the "Monsters University" trailers and looking forward to its release. Both John Goodman and Billy Crystal will be reprising their roles as Sully and Mike in the story of how they first met in college. Al-
though the two start off as rivals, they eventually become an inseparable pair through their crazy experiences in higher education.
The wolverine // July 26 After his surprising show of singing ability in "Les Miserables", Hugh Jackman will be returning to the screen in his fifth go-round as Marvel’s favorite muscled mutant. The story finds its roots in one of the classic runs of comic-book series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. This miniseries from the 1980s bases itself around Wolverine’s adventures in Japan after he travels there with a Samurai warrior. It appears that our hero will be fighting ninjas in the ceremonial robes of the Samurai. Another intriguing element surrounding the film is director James Mangold. Known for "3:10 to Yuma" and "Walk the Line", Mangold brings a history of telling great on-screen stories.
elysium // august 9 In 2009, director Neill Blomkamp debuted his feature "District 9". It had no recognizable stars, a low budget, and took place in his native South Africa. The dark and innovative film was adored by critics and sci-fi fans, hauling in $115.5 million. He’s back with his second feature film, boasting a bigger budget and some impressive star-power with Matt Damon. In the year 2159, the rich and powerful live above the Earth on a high-tech space station called Elysium. Battling a strict anti-immigration policy to Elysium, the rest of humanity is forced to live on the ruins of Earth’s overpopulated surface. When an average Earth-dweller accepts a lifeor-death mission to board Elysium, he takes on more than he bargained for. The success of his daunting mission would not only save his life, but perhaps bring equality to the divided race of mankind.
Depending on your interests, some other notable summer film releases include: "World War Z" (Brad Pitt fighting zombies), "Pacific Rim" (Giant robots fighting giant monsters), "Fast 6" (Me fighting the urge to scream, “Enough!”), "The Hangover Part III" (Same crew, new misadventures), "Now You See Me" (Think magician bank-robbers) , "The Lone Ranger" (Johnny Depp is Tonto) , "Despicable Me 2" (Steve Carell duels Al Pacino) , "Iron Man III" (Downey Jr. faces a new nemesis), and "Robocop" (New rendition of a cop turned cyborg). March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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features
Features
Huntsville tree house built by Dan Phillips. Couresy photo.
> 6 Stunning Entertainment Rooms, 28 > The Fix Shop: Out with the new, in with the old, 38 > Grown up Tree House, 42
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6EntertaiStunninmentng
Rooms 28
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By Lea Rittenhouse
Movie Theater
Homeowners: Kari and Cliff Powell Builder: Campbell Custom Homes City: Jacksonville Room highlights: The movie theatre room has a lit staircase, seven leather motorized recliner chairs, a 120-inch screen and a projector for optimum sports and movie watching. Homeowners' favorite element of the room: The surround sound. Cont. on page 31 Photo by David White March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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SOUTHSIDEBANK
LIFE presents
A COSMIC STORY
How did life on Earth begin?
This tantalizing question forms the basis of Life: A Cosmic Story. Take a journey through time and witness key events that set the stage for life. Narrated by Academy Award-winner Jodie Foster
In the domed theatre at
Advance Tickets Online at www.tjc.edu/cesse 30
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Lakeside View Homeowners: Rick and Rhonda Sage Builder: Brad Strickland City: Tyler Room highlights: The rustic, cozy living room provides a great space for guests with a beautiful lakeside view. Homeowners' favorite elements of the room: The wood accents and the view. Cont. on page 32 Photo by David White March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com 31
Modern Glamour
Homeowners: Dr. Trung and Kristen Nguyen Builder: Trent Williams City: Tyler Room highlights: The modern entertaining room includes a theatre room and a mini kitchen so guests can still watch the movie while eating their snacks. The refrigerator and cooking space make it so viewnever have atto the pause theWalk movie. Topersleft: Sydney Heart in October. Middle: Sydney after her first openheart surgery at favorite five days elements old. Bottom left:room: Sydney Homeowners' of the Theafter her third open-heart surgery in purple 2011. and Top right: with her Beads of Courage. Bottom right: Sydney, grey, black Sydney color scheme. 5, on her Make-A- Wish trip to Disney World last year.
Photo by Shannon Wilson 32
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
Man Cave
Homeowners: Joe and Cari Cooley Builder: Joe Carlyle City: Tyler Room highlights: THe man cave accomadtes for family movie nights, shuffle ball games, pool and food and drinks. Homeowners' favorite element of the room: The shuffle ball table. Photo by David White
"Cheers" Bar
Homeowners: Eddy and Melissa Dow Builder: Jason Balser City: Tyler Room highlights: The "Cheers"-style bar clearly steals the focal point of the room, but the three Ipad controlled screens come in at a close second. Homeowners' favorite element S of the room: The design and format of the room. Cont. on 34 Photo by Shannon Wilson
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Loft Style
Homeowners: Donna and Don Freeman Builder: Joe Carlyle City: Whitehouse Room highlights: The loft-style room accommodates extra guests with a Murphy bed and provides an extra room for entertaining, Complete with a pool table. Homeowners' favorite elements of the room: The timber frame and the windows. Photo by David White
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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It’s Monday morning, you are greeted with an indoor swimming pool in your laundry room. Your broken washing machine is having its revenge. Don’t play guessing games with the phone book ads.
Call us! We are Andrew and Sarah Green, local owners of Mr. Appliance®. We have lived in Tyler for over 30 years. We service washers, dryers, kitchen appliances, and offer dryer vent cleaning and new appliance installation all over the East Texas region. We understand the challenges of running a household smoothly and efficiently. Mr. Appliance is a combination of several long standing businesses in the appliance service industry like Best Appliance, ABCO, and Mintex, all put together and branded under the name Mr. Appliance. We are a part of The Dwyer Group® located in Waco, Texas, which specializes in the service industry. Prior to owning the business Andrew Green worked in banking and accounting and earned a degree in finance from UT Tyler. Purchasing the business was a huge step of faith for us. Not only were we entering the world of small business ownership in an uncertain economy but we would be learning a whole new industry. We are very blessed by the generosity of the people who helped get us started including employees and family members who helped us move our location to
Fifth Street soon after we began our journey. Our franchise’s CEO came down to help us with our first inventory and getting the opening of our business navigated. No one is afraid to work hard for the benefit of our customers. Andrew has spent the last two years learning the appliance repair industry from experienced technicians and building relationships with manufactures. His desire is to be able to understand every aspect of the business. He strives to understand the daily challenges of being an appliance technician and listens to the needs of each customer to resolve issues quickly and fairly. Customers benefit from making appointments online and having their receipts emailed. Advantage Plan® members receive a 15% discount off repairs and priority scheduling. We look forward to the future of our business and strive each day to have better customer service. We want our customers to know that we take our business personally. We have so much to be thankful for and we want to pass that along to everyone we serve.
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OUT WITH THE NEW
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In WITH THE old
New East texas business owners encourage fixing broken items in the midst of a throwaway-society. By Andy Taylor | Photos by Chris Pound
M
ark and Laura Mroz aren’t pack rats, but they’re not fond of throwing things away — at least not anything that can be fixed. A quick look at their home reveals they’re not an ordinary couple. Their belongings occupy an enormous single room in the back of a former car dealership. In what looks like a space that once held shelves of car parts is a clawfoot bathtub that’s sectioned off with a curtain in a corner opposite of a modest living space. The kitchen frames a wall lined with large windows that bathe the room in natural light. But what makes the Mroz family different is not so much the studio apartmentlike space in which they live — it’s the creature comforts inside. Nearly every piece of furniture and each kitchen appliance give the impression of another era. Mark says the pieces were built when craftsmen took pride in their work and didn’t plan for the fruits of their labor to break down after a few years. It’s a mindset he admires and an ideal upon which his business was designed. Mark, 35, is the owner of The Fix Shop, a budding business on West Erwin Street in Tyler. The company’s headquarters, where Mark spends his days bringing new life to everything from synthesizers to washing machines, is also his home — a more than 5,000-sqaure-foot building that he says captivated him from the moment he saw it. “I came down Erwin and I saw this building and I just parked,” he says. “I just stared at it for like half an hour, like ‘I love that building.’” The facility is divided into three sections. The first and perhaps most striking is the storefront, befitting of a 1950s car dealership but equally charming as
a sparsely decorated relic of Tyler’s historic past. Behind the showroom is Mark’s workspace, which is filled with various projects. A temporary wall separates the couple’s home, a 2,000-square-foot room filled with few items that appear to have been built in the 21st century. When Mark and his wife, Laura, 26, moved to the building in May 2012, they weren’t sure what they would do with it. They considered turning it into a coffee shop or a music venue but settled on using a skill set Mark says God blessed him with at an early age. He can fix just about anything that’s broken.
HANDS ON
It started at Mark’s childhood home in New Britain, Conn., when he was 4 years old. He says he wanted to know how his parents’ TV could project images onto the screen. “So I took it apart and I broke it. And my parents were mad,” Mark says. He says he redeemed himself about four years later when he made his first repair at age 8 — it was a broken telephone his dad gave him to play with. “After that, I think I’ve just always been really good at troubleshooting, diagnosing and fixing things,” he says. At The Fix Shop, Mark puts these skills to work. His specialties are musical instruments, Apple devices and electronic equipment, but he’ll take a look at just about anything. He grins at the mention of design schematics, which he says makes his job a lot easier. Mark purchased almost all of his tools secondhand — he says, “most older tools are the ones that are | Cont. on page 40 Local business owners Mark and Laura Mroz in front of The Fix Shop on West Erwin Street downtown.
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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Cont. from page 39 | quality” — and he enjoys reviving vintage items that were meant to be repaired, rather than replaced. “We live in kind of a throw-awaysociety where everything is disposable and made cheaply,” Laura says. “Our whole goal for this was that, ‘Hey, most things can be repaired. You don’t have to throw them away.’ “We feel like Mark has a gift for being able to diagnose problems.”
PATIENCE
Mark and Laura describe themselves as old souls, and it’s not difficult to see why. Their propensity for preservation of a simpler time extends throughout their lives. Before they moved into The Fix Shop, they lived in an older house in the Azalea District. Their new home doesn’t have a TV, but it does have a vintage radio player and a stove that was built in the ’50s. Laura, a Lindale High School graduate, worked in obstetrics for years after attending Riverside School of Health Careers, but eventually wanted to try something different. She recently
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finished an apprenticeship to become a midwife, which she says allows her to spend more time helping Mark at The Fix Shop. Laura’s career is a testament to the couple’s lifestyle. She says she was bothered by physicians who scheduled births to fit into their schedules and she prefers to let things happen naturally. It’s no coincidence the couple didn’t take out loans that would have allowed them to finish renovations to their business right away. Mark says good things take time and effort. He purposefully makes French press coffee in the morning because it takes longer than a machine and cannot be programmed to work on a timer. His business is an extension of that mentality. “The whole business is against the whole (idea of) instant gratification,” he says. “We didn’t start this business with the instant gratification and we don’t expect you to do that with the items that you repair. We don’t want you to just go replace them. “… At one point you paid money for this item. You had a concern about it.
“We live in kind of a throwaway-society where everything is disposable and made cheaply,” Laura says. “Our whole goal for this was that, ‘Hey, most things can be repaired. You don’t have to throw them away.'" You worked a paycheck, you saved up, you bought this camera or this stereo equipment, whatever it was. Time has passed, and now it’s not working, so it’s easy to separate yourself from that original concept.” At The Fix Shop, Mark and Laura work to bring these items back to their former glory. One keyboard, vacuum or exercise bike at a time. Above: Mark Mroz . Bottom left: The couple's living room filled with furniture from the past. Bottom right: Mark and Laura standing in the front lobby of their business.
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TREE HOUSE HOUSE By Lea Rittenhouse | Courtesy photos and by Vanessa Curry
GROWN UP TREE Huntsville builder Dan Phillips fuses ingenuity & recycled products to create a masterpiece.
By Jordan Roquemore | Courtesy Photos
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HOUSE
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I
magine a walkway with tree-limb rails leading up to a small, odd house. The ground retreats, and tree tops come into view. Standing before a unique, hand-built door with a small creek running 35 feet below, the world of ground-dwellers seems far away. Up here, imagination trumps normalcy. Dan Phillips, the founder of Phoenix Commotion building initiative in Huntsville, designs and builds unconventional houses with materials that most would consider garbage. One of his more daring projects includes a house built in a Bois d’arc tree. “You’d be surprised how many people want to live in a tree,” Phillips says. “Whoever doesn’t like a tree house — any tree house — most certainly had a bleak childhood.” His Huntsville tree house features discarded picture frame samples covering the ceiling, an abundance of scrap wood, recycled glass, broken mirrors and natural tree limbs. “The balcony overlooks a marvelous ravine in the over-story,” Phillips says. “I love the height — 35 feet above Town Creek, and I love the skylight in the floor. It’s wonderful.” The natural tree limbs used in the house are found in small, separate projects, but many of them also connect directly to the tree itself. Large limbs come up through the floor at various points, a feature that Phillips worked into the structure of the house. “The tree actually dictates the design,” Phillips says. “While it is conventional construction, the angles are whatever the tree dictates. The tree must support the house, and so I had to add supports from the ground to support three corners of the house.” Another unorthodox aspect of the house concerns its inhabitants. Just below the house lies a multipurpose art studio that Phillips built to benefit artists in their work. The entire property includes plenty of power for sculptors, large mirrors for dancers, an abundance of natural light for painters and a specialized sink with a trap for potters. One of the strict qualifying guidelines for renting the property is a legitimate
art portfolio. According to Phillips, this ideal plays into one of the core values of what his building initiative stands for. A portion of the PC mission reads: “We target single parents, artists and families with low incomes. We require the homeowner to be involved with the planning and construction of his or her own home. The result is a person who is empowered, not only by the useful knowledge of building skills, but by the opportunity to become part of a community as a vested participant.” PC builds all of its properties to become affordable housing units. Their policy is that homeowners have more self-esteem and familial well-being, which leads to positive social results. Since low-income families usually have more barriers to buying a house, PC seeks them out as candidates for a build. The company also helps create these “vested participants” through using apprentice labor as the majority of its workforce. Although workers are paid minimum wage, the building initiative requires no previous construction experience. PC teaches the necessary skills on site and later encourages workers to apply for higher-paying jobs with their newfound abilities and experience. Another goal of PC is to reduce landfill. The company estimates that 10 percent of average landfill waste is made up of usable building materials. Although legal ramifications keep PC from reclaiming materials once they’ve arrived at a dump site, they employ strategies for securing the materials before they reach that point. Some materials PC reclaims and builds into their properties include: license plates and road signs for roofing material, beer labels and sheet music for papiermâché floors, CDs and broken glass for wall and ceiling decorations, mismatched bricks for walls and even animal bones to make outdoor furniture. PC holds a monthly tour of the homes it has built in Huntsville. Each unique home boasts it’s own specific title including: Bone House, Storybook House, License Plate House, Ranch House, Victorian House and the infamous Budweiser House. Each house has a different style and one-of-a-kind features. Phillips keeps a blog on the company website, occasionally posting his thoughts and philosophies on building, waste, renewal and other topics. He posted an entry concerning Bois d’arc trees during the construction of the tree house. “And yet it (Bois d’arc wood) is routinely ‘gotten rid of’ and perceived as a nuisance,” Phillips writes. “The irony is that its credentials exceed most native trees and its wood outperforms any wood available at the lumberyard in all areas. In these days when diminishing wood
supplies are giving everyone the blues, simply cutting down this magnificent tree — dead or alive — and burning it rather than making use of it is one of the more shameful things we do.” Despite its unconventional use of materials, PC abides strictly by the law when it comes to making sure its builds are up to code. “Codes are the result of massive research, debate, input and planning,” Phillips writes. “They represent the minimum for a safe quality of life in America. Occasionally an inspector will make a mistake, and when confronted with written evidence of the code as published, usually will happily change a decision.” PC attempts to gain the support of inspectors before every build they attempt. “With after-market construction, it is simply smart to enlist the support of the inspector,” Phillips writes. “It is in everyone’s best interest to ensure predictably safe construction. Building with salvage and alternative materials puts you on the fringe of standard strategy, and one cannot expect an inspector, or a city engineer, to immediately process everything you have thought out well in advance.” Since Phillips didn’t know exactly what to expect on the tree house project, his design was not accepted at first. Phillips says he made a deal with the inspector to redraw his plans with more detail once the platform of the tree house had been built. “I would be interested in building something like this again in the future if the right tree and location presented itself,” Phillips says. “All the planets must line up — right tree, right location, sympathetic infrastructure and the wherewithal to do it. In fact, I would build a tree house anywhere in the world if the right tree presented itself.” For more information about Dan Phillips and his buildings, visit www.phoenixcommotion.com.
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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LINDALE RODEO ARENA FM 16 WEST, LINDALE TEXAS
26th annual
lindale championship rodeo opens at 6:00pm, live entertainment each night 7:30 p.m. - rodeo begins Adult Ticket Advance: $6 • Gate: $8 Child Ticket Advance: FREE • Gate: $5 Ages 6-12 26th Annual Lindale Championship Rodeo -
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MAY 16-MAY 18, 2013
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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The Shops at Old Bullard
5825 Old Bullard Rd. Ste. 600 Tyler
903.504.5924
highcottonclothing.com
facebook.com/highcottonclothing
Tell the world your story
Sterling silver charms from $25
Experience at...
3320 Troup Hwy. #300 Tyler, TX 75701 903.592.4171
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March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
1725-C Troup Hwy Tyler, TX 75701 903.592.7730
style
FASHION
> SPRING FASHION: Time for Spring & all it brings, 50 > Spring Jewelry: Bring in the Color, 60
beauty
Styling by Alex Becnel. Photo by Brandi Burkett.
> Beauty Tips: Go-to-Girl, 58
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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Time for
spring and all it brings
Her clothes provided by: 20 Two 10. Her jewelry provided by: Moss. His clothes and accessories provided by: High Cotton.
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Photographs by Brandi Burkett Fashion Stylist Alex Becnel March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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Her clothes provided by: 20 Two 10. Her jewelry provided by: Moss. His clothes and accessories provided by: High Cotton. 52
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
Her clothes provided by: 20 Two 10. Her jewelry provided by: Moss. His clothes and accessories provided by: High Cotton.
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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Her clothes and bag provided by: 20 Two 10. Her jewelry provided by: Moss. His clothes and accessories provided by: High Cotton.
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March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
Her clothes and bag provided by: 20 Two 10. Her jewelry provided by: Moss. His clothes and accessories provided by: High Cotton. March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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CRIMINAL DEFENSE
&
FAMILY LAW
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ELLIS
Law Firm Attorneys Scott R. Ellis • Nathan Thauwald 419 W. Houston St. • 2 Blocks West of Broadway • mkmoreland@suddenlinkmail.com
903-596-7600
Texas Gulf Coast Starts on Galveston Island Spring is in the air, nature tours are enjoyed by all. Choose a two-night weekend in April. Stay at The Victorian in a spacious and comfortable condo suite. One bedroom condo, with bunk beds, sleeps 4 adults and 2 children, minimum two-night stay.
Weekend Rates from $255.99* inclusive (room rate, fees and tax) Add More Nights - Rate from $129*/night inclusive (room rate, fees and tax) * Special packages must book by April 8, 2013
6300 Seawall • Galveston • TX • 877.220.2519 www.facebook.com/galvestonvictorian • victoriancondo.com • promo code NT13
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Modern Nails & Spa 1816 ESE Loop 323 • Tyler, TX
8TH STREET BOUTIQUE
903.526.7005
• Manicure • Acrylic Set • Pedicure • Solar Nail • Shellac • Gel Nail • Waxing • Color Solar • Body Waxing • Massage Therapist Mon.-Sat. 9:00am-7:30pm Walk-ins welcome (across from Hobby Lobby).
www.modernailsspatyler.com
Beverages Available
www.welcometotyler.net Welcoming Newcomers to Tyler for over thirty years
101 East 8th Street • Tyler, TX
Regina Roosth • 903-245-4360 • Regina@welcometotyler.net
a Boy and His Dog
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4548 S. Broadway • French Quarter Shopping Center • 903-787-8176
Mention this ad & receive a free gift with purchase, Hurry! Offer is limited to the first 25 customers.
Original Jewelry Available online & at Stepsister in Tyler, TX Follow us
903•312•8228 vickirowedesigns@aol.com
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March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
G ME
616 W 903.5 F
57
naturalize your look
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Brittany McCaughan, go-to-girl
Spring is here and all it evokes! When I hear the word spring, I tend to think of words like fresh. new. crisp and clean. Buzz words like spring cleaning and downscaling also come to mind, but let's not forget about taking that springcleaning approach to those makeup bags as well.
y
Yes, even those hidden drawers in the vanity cabinet — full of all those makeup items you promise yourself you’ll use one day. Here’s a new twist on a makeup update: NATURALIZE your makeup — in more ways than one! Opt for lighter application technique to let your natural beauty and assets shine through while enhancing what makes you unique, without covering up your skin with harsh, unsafe chemicals. With so many unhealthy additives in many of our foods and skincare products, our bodies are already overwhelmed with toxins, many of which can be found in what we are applying on our faces on a daily basis: our makeup. Also remember, not all mineral makeup is created equal. A good rule of thumb is to check the ingredient list. If you see the minerals all the way
toward the bottom: run away! This is NOT a Go-for-it. Stick with brands that boast no fillers, such as Jane Iredale. Let’s not confuse a natural makeup look with "Au naturel." Having a natural look to your makeup simply means less is more. Aim for a softer look. Using a high shine lip gloss, such as Sephora ultra-shine lip gloss in the color PINK KISS paired with rose cheek as opposed to darker tones will help you achieve this look perfectly. Complete this look by lining your upper lashes only with a dark brown liner, versus a black liner which can appear harsher. A good rule of thumb when wanting to keep your eye makeup look sublte, is to smudge across where you lined your eyes using a smudge brush or a Q-Tip for a perfect "Barely there" effect. A few great mineral makeup brands that I love are Jane Iredale and Bare Minerals. Both leave your skin glowing and flawless and keep your skin healthy as well. My top Go-FOR-ITs when rockin' mineral makeup are Pure Pressed base by Jane Iredale, with sunbeam all over face color, also by Jane Iredale, and some bare minerals eye shadow. I love Top Shelf eye shadow duo for a nude look with a subtle eye enhancing shine. Top it all off with a mineral makeup setting spray and a pretty peach lip-gloss, like apricot Fizz by Jane as well, and your mineral look is complete. For those who tried mineral makeup before and it didn’t work, you may have just tried the wrong one! Most spas or skincare locations that sell mineral makeup often include a free application with purchase. This one-on-one time with a mineral makeup expert is imperative to help you find the perfect mineral makeup that not only looks seamless and flawless on, but one you can feel good about as well, knowing that it is nourishing your skin from the inside out. Definitely a GO-FOR-IT! – The Go-ToGirl.
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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bring in the color
> Gold necklace and earring set and tooth necklace from 8th Street Boutique.
> Cuff bracelet, earrings and ring from 8th Street Boutique.
> Teal necklace and spring colored bracelet from Come Together Trading.
> Ornate circle earrings from Come Together Trading and bangle set from 8th Street Boutique.
> Black and silver necklace, earrings and bracelets from Karen Horton.
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> Beaded bracelets. Long gold necklace and bicycle earrings from Come Together Trading.
DOGGY DERBY DAY
Stackable ArmCandy For Every Personality & Style
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Saturday May 4th Benefiting: Brighton • Seasonal Whispers & More Karen Horton & Relax Spa Hour
5613 S. Donnybrook • 903.561.4472
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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All new
FRESH look For
Spring
Old Bullard Rd. & Rice Rd. • Tyler, TX 903.593.4161 www.southsidefurnitureonline.com 62
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
dwell
Showcase home
> Casually Elegant, 64
Remodel Featured on cover
> Traditional Meets Modern 78
Design
Photo by CJ White.
> Spring Gardening: Blue Moon Gardens, 86 > Do -it-Yourself: Magic Bag of Tricks, 90
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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casually elegant By Jo Lee Ferguson | Photos by CJ White Architectural Detailing & Interior Design by Harry J. Crouse
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The main living area is furnished with custom furniture. The remote controlled tapestry on the fireplace hides the television. 66
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R
Hand scraped floors and 12" thick walls are used throughout most of the home. Redonna and Fred Irwin didn’t have a lot of requirements when they hired Harry J. Crouse Design to plan their new home in the Water’s Edge gated community just north of Longview. Redonna gave Crouse about an inchthick file about her dream kitchen, and they stipulated they wanted their new house to be comfortable, less formal, more relaxed and nothing grand, Redon-
na recalls. Now, the three of them agree, Crouse met their wishes when he designed the home’s architecture and interior. “I think it’s very casually elegant,” says Crouse. Much of the furniture in the house came from his store Two 0 Five in Kilgore. “I think it did turn out real comfortable. When I walk in, I want to sit down. ... I think it is very comfortable.” The Irwins also wanted their French country-style home — which Crouse says also is known as French Provence style — to be practical. “I told him I want every inch of this house to be something we can use,” Redonna says, sitting at a small table at one edge of their large living room that’s open to the kitchen and breakfast dining area. That table is just one of those details — a place to put together jigsaw puzzles or maybe enjoy a casual meal. The Irwins have been married for 34 years. They moved to their new home from the Spring Hill area, from a neighborhood they loved so much that when they outgrew one house there, they built a new house directly across the street.
The neighborhood had changed some, though, and Redonna was longing to move to “the country.” She recalls telling her husband that. “He thought I was kidding,” she says. Fred, an adviser with Wells Fargo, smiles as he says he was at a meeting in St. Louis when he received a text message from his wife with a picture attached. Her message said, “I found a lot.” “I said, ‘I didn’t know we were looking,’” he says. Redonna had gone to look at the Water’s Edge subdivision. There was a house there at the time she visited, she says, but that’s not what she fell in love with. “It was the views,” she says, and those views factored heavily into their home’s design. “The one thing about our houses is I don’t like fat, deep houses that are dark on the inside,” Crouse says. “Almost every room in the house, is one room deep, with at least one window on two sides of almost every room of the house. That capitalizes on the views. It keeps the house light and airy and not dark like a cave. That’s what we do with all of our houses.” Construction started on their home in November 2010 and was finished in time for the November 2012 East Texas Builders Association Parade of Homes. With Crouse’s help, and Scott Hamilton Custom Builder, they constructed their 5,200-square-foot, three-bedroom home on five acres in Water’s Edge. Four full bathrooms, two half-bathrooms, a four-car garage and pool complete the package. A host of other details were designed to make the space comfortable and inviting for their family, including their adult sons who visit, Keelan and Nathan, and Nathan’s family, wife Dana and children Madelyn, 7, Savannah, 5, and Ryder, about 5 months. | Cont. on page 70 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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Bank on Your Time. Bank on Your Terms. Bank on Demand.
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March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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The green and white Toile fabric was the key to the color scheme of the master.
Cont. from page 67 | The Irwins praise the design elements Crouse worked into their home, starting with the hand-scraped wood floors that tie together all of the public rooms on the ground floor. “I told him my grandkids might be riding (their scooters),” through the house, Redonna says, after motioning to a collection of children’s toys and baby gear tucked away behind one couch. Crouse says the floor is “very user friendly.” They chuckle as they demonstrate how a tapestry on one wall can be raised and lowered to hide or reveal the large television in the living room. “Harry didn’t want a TV in this room, so we compromised,” Fred says. “He said, ‘Let’s cover it up with a tapestry,’” Redonna says, pointing out the wooden header at the top of the tapestry. The colors in the tapestry, gold, burgundy and blue, complement the curtains fram-
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ing a wall of doors that opens onto a patio and pool area. Nothing separates the living room from the kitchen area, which, in addition to the large breakfast table, features two other seating areas at a bar and an island. “I wanted an open house where we had plenty of room in our kitchen,” Redonna says, explaining that their home is usually host to about 30 people for holiday functions. The Irwins spent their first night in the house the night before Thanksgiving, and then got a “crash course” in how to use everything in the kitchen when they hosted Thanksgiving for their families. The gas kitchen features four ovens, some which can be used as convection ovens, as well as a stove with six burners and a griddle. “I really enjoy it,” Redonna says. The stainless steel sink is one of the details that stands out in the kitchen — the
sink bowl includes individual stainless steel mosaic tiles. Lattice door handles on the cabinets and crema marfil marble for the countertops combine for a casual elegance. The kitchen opens to a screened-in porch with a fireplace on one wall and a large television on another wall. That porch also has access to a nearby half-bath — Redonna calls it the “pool bath” because it’s the one she envisions people using when they’re taking a break from the saltwater pool. The bathroom includes a striking almost flat sink made from a solid piece of recycled glass. The butler’s pantry is just across the hall from the kitchen and half-bath. Again, Redonna envisions that being convenient for people when they are swimming — they can easily get a beverage out of the small refrigerator. The large formal dining room next door features the same 20-foot- vaulted ceilings as the | Cont. on page 72
Top left: Open view of the door used as an entertaining element in the kitchen. Below left: Exterior view of the kitchen window. Right: The unique master bathroom featuring a large, round cedar bathtub from Seattle-based Snorkel Hot Tubs and used an old hand pump to make her water fixture. Custom cabinets deigned by Crouse with Creama Farfil marble counters.
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Cont. from page 70 | living room, accented by beams that were salvaged out of an old barn. Redonna leads a tour of the house into the laundry room next. Brushed granite countertops and a sink sit below a large window that shows off the view of the lake behind their house. “I put a towel down right here and I iron,” Redonna says, looking out on their backyard view. Fred urges her to demonstrate the doggie door hidden inside a cabinet. The couple has four dogs, a Westie, a Bichon and two Labradoodles. The doggie doors are designed to open automatically when triggered by a sensor on the dogs’ collars. Then, the couple walks up a nearby set of stairs to the media room above the garage.“It’s just the most comfortable thing,” Redonna says, as she motions to the six recliner-style chairs that sit in front of a 120-inch screen for a projector TV. The recliners, Redonna says, lay all the way back to provide a good view of a “star field” on the ceiling. “I said I wanted to be able to see the stars,” she says A counter with a sink, small refrigerator and microwave sit on one wall. The microwave was a necessity for their granddaughters, Redonna says.“They have to have their popcorn,” Redonna says, and she also has a Sonic-style ice maker. Crouse found perfect lighting accents for the room — what look like old-style movie reels with bulbs attached. That nod to the old combines with high-tech features added by Sound Logic Integrations in Longview — the Irwins can control everything in the media room from their iphones. Several other touches in the house were a nod to the three smallest people in the Irwins’ lives — their grandchildren. On the opposite end of the house from the media room, the Irwins have created a small playroom for the grandchildren under the stairs leading up to the second-story bedrooms. The two upstairs bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, exist because one of their granddaughters said she wanted to go upstairs to sleep when she visits, Redonna says. The circular staircase is accented by a custom iron banister, and a custom handmade iron chandelier hangs from the ceiling through the center of the staircase. The fixture was made by drilling holes into actual wax candle bases to hold sleeves for electric lights. “A lot of the light fixtures were made specifically for that house. You can’t order them from a catalog...,” Crouse says. “To me, it’s the jewelry of the house. You can’t go to lighting stores and a do a house and do it right in my thinking. It’s not nice enough.” Back downstairs, there’s another half-bath and Fred’s study. The home incorporates some furniture pieces the Irwins already owned, including a more than 500 year-old desk they inherited. The colors in the desk — a bright green accent, for instance — are incorporated into the rest of the rooms. In the next room, the Irwins’ master bedroom provides a retreat for both of them. “I said I wanted my own bathroom,” Redonna says, standing at the door to her bathroom that includes an air bubble tub and separate shower with a bench seat inside. Redonna’s master closet has a small refrigerator in it and a jewelry safe. “It turned out very sophisticated in its simplicity,” Crouse says, The Irwins also have a screened-in porch off their bedroom. Large windows showcase the view of the lake behind their house. As they finish the tour of their home, Fred motions to a bank of trees in the home’s expansive front yard. His father was a forester who helped him select which trees to keep on the lot. He died before the house was finished, and Redonna says it’s special to them now to know that he’d help plan their home. “I love it,” Fred says of the house. “It’s just comfortable.”
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Detail of hand carved sofa arm looking toward the stair tower Her master bath has marble inlaid floors and custom polished nickel sconces with Creama Marfil marble tub and counter tops.
Antique beams and an iron and crystal chandelier hover over a 10' dining table with chairs upholsted in four different fabrics.
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The swimming pool is old news...Something else has taken the place of America’s true pastime! And it’s taking over by storm, no more chlorine, salt, or any other harsh chemicals are needed. See for yourself what Natural Swim Ponds can do f o r y o u r f a m i l y. 1 0 1 1 7 U S H w y 6 9 N . | Ty l e r, T X | 9 0 3 . 5 9 2 . 9 3 0 0
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| FNCPONDS.COM
DOWNTOWN KILGORE UPSCALE, SOPHISTICATED SHOPPING
by Sam Vercher Passionate for Historical Renovations! Extensive experience from his historical hometown in Natchitoches, LA.
808 CR 3816, Bullard, TX 75757 Office 903-894-7856 Cell 903-574-1474
Building only the finest homes for over 29 years..... and we remodel as well!!
Builder of this home showcased “IN” 2012. March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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2/2/2 & 3/2/2 Condominium Homes • Serene living, next door to Faulkner Park. • Lock and leave lifestyle, in a friendly, gated homeowners neighborhood. • We meet national accessibility standards.
903-561-6000
THE BRADFORD 2 bedroom 2 bath 1564 sq. ft. living area
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421 West Cumberland Road
www.hamilton-commons.com
BEFORE
Lighting & Hardware
Professional Organizing can take you from Ordinary to
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www.fixturethistyler.com March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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Traditionalmeets Modern By Cathy Primer Krafve | Photos by CJ White
Modern
Tyler resident Sonia Platten combines traditional flavor, modern elements and local, original art in her sleek living space. Cont. on page 80
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s
Step past the manicured traditional exterior into the sleek, inviting interior of Sonia and Erick Platten’s home and feel the workday’s stress and clutter fall away. A bright nosegay of flowers sits on a mid-century style floating cabinet that Sonia had custom built and hung by her carpenter, beneath a blank wall recently vacated by one of Sonia’s large original Plexiglas art pieces. The Plexiglas painting — an example of a technique that requires intensive concentration and skill — is on its way to a live auction at a gallery in Dallas. Sonia is trusting that it will raise a substantial donation for a favorite charity. The day after she packed off the painting, Erick showed up with a vibrantly colored bouquet in hand because he knew his wife would be missing the room’s focal piece. “To me the house is a palette. I work the house the same way I would work a painting,” she says. Beyond the front door, giving strategic thought to create an open concept by merging small rooms, Sonia has designed a unified living and dining room space, perfect for welcoming friends and fam-
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“Just like people want to support the local economy, they should support local artists.” ily to relax. One of Sonia’s paintings — vibrant and large-scale with a nonrepresentational flair, lovingly hung on carefully chosen geometric wallpaper — creates a focal point on a far wall that draws guests into the heart of the warm and relaxed household. Using neutral colors, especially subtle tones of white and gray, she places colorful art throughout the house, like whimsical jolts of interesting, personal attractions. The couple is as intentional about comfortable hospitality as Sonia is about design. Sonia and Erick, who have been married 14 years, share a passion for collecting original art. Having local artists and collecting work from their travels, “that’s the thing that makes your house ‘your house,’” Sonia says. The couple emphasizes that original art work is within reach of any budget. “Just like people want to support the
local economy, they should support local artists,” she says, adding that local artists are often highly motivated to sell their work at reasonable prices simply because they want someone else to enjoy it. When they moved into the home in the Azalea District, the couple already had an impressive collection of original artwork. Two of Erick’s favorite paintings are still the large, contemporary paintings Sonia did as a student, titled simply “Red” and “Blue.” While Erick didn’t | Cont. On page 83
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Sonia's Decorating Tips:
• First, find and support favorite local artists. • Mix and match textures; woods, metals, glass. • Shop flea markets and thrift stores for unique pieces. • Shop library sales and watch for inexpensive books. • Don’t be afraid to paint furniture you find. • Use rugs to pop out colors. • Pay attention to light fixtures; they are room jewelry.Window treatments make a room. • Bring back small pieces from your travels. • Frame cool photographs you’ve taken. • Finally, always measure your space. If you are unsure, cut the shape out of butcher paper or cardboard and try it in the room for size.
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“It just feels good to come home, like coming home to a vacation every day,” laughs Erick, “I am never bored.” Cont. from page 80 | marry her strictly for her art, it hasn’t hurt his feelings a bit that Sonia has such an eye for making their home a welcoming artistic retreat. “You know I am not the artist,” Erick laughs, “Coming home is just really comfortable.” One of their favorite spots at home is the newly redecorated bathroom, which received an overhaul and now boasts marble vanities, a marble tile floor and a crystal chandelier among other luxurious amenities. Sonia insists that such niceties are not the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but instead with careful shopping can be within reach of any budget — conscious homeowner. “She scours the universe,” laughs her husband. For Erick, an attorney who practices law in “an old-fashioned general practice kind of way,” coming home to such a soothing, creative atmosphere after a hard day at the office is a relief. His days can be intense, a point that is appreciated by his wife. “You gotta problem, people come to Erick. Like a family doctor, he’s a family lawyer,” she says with a smile. “It just feels good to come home, like coming home to a vacation every day,” laughs Erick, “I am never bored.” Rejuvenating together is one of the best resulting benefits of her natural inclination to bring art principles to bear on their home. It's something like coming home to a masterpiece. Left page top left: Sleek lines and modern furniture fill the living room. Left page top right: The open floor plan provides an easy transition from the living into the formal dining room. Left page right middle: The Platten's remodeled bathroom offers a mordern feel while still capturing traditional flavor. Left page right bottom: The open, walk-in closet space overlooks the master bedroom suite. Right page top: The formal dining room. Right page bottom: The living room.
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Experience Tyler’s State of the Art Furniture & Design Studio, Offering Complimentary Design Consultations
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Thirty Years Strong By Morgan Jones | Courtesy Photos
long with their business, Sharon Lee Smith and Mary Wilhite’s professional partnership has grown to be a lasting strong union to withstand years of work. “It’s pretty amazing that we get along so well since we have been partners for 30 years,” Wilhite says. “People say most partnerships don’t last that long. It’s kind of like a marriage. You have to work things out. Sometimes you don’t get along, but you are still getting through it.” For the last 30 years, they have been operating Blue Moon Gardens, which provides a diverse quantity of quality grown plants. “Sharon and I started complaining about our bosses,” Wilhite says. “We did a lot of, ‘If it were my business, I would do this and that.’ So my husband, James, said, ‘If you really think that you can do a better job, then why don’t you start
A
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Blue Moon Gardens in Chandler offers quality grown plants and a rich history.
your own business?’” Their greenhousenursery is on six acres nestled on an old farm-to-market road deep in the rolling hills of East Texas, near Chandler. It has grown well past the backyard start-up greenhouse operation run in their free time between being wives, mothers and full-time business women it once was. “Sharon said, ‘Oh we can start a little greenhouse business for not too much money,’” Wilhite says. “We would come home from both our jobs and work in the greenhouse. And then pretty soon we filled up my back yard, and we put greenhouses in Sharon’s backyard and filled that up and started selling plants around the state.” The gardening duo started their business growing herbs wholesale to local plant nurseries and eventually started selling across the state from a small truck. After Wilhite’s employer sold the company, she made Blue Moon Gardens her full-time job, Smith decided to do the same. They were able to solidify their long-term plans when land adjacent to
their established greenhouses became available. They purchased the property and expanded their business. “We were determined, and we worked hard, so nothing could stop us,” Smith says. “Anyone who knows me knows how insane I still am over growing plants, knows that I am doing my passion—lots of gardens and containers of plants everywhere. It’s kind of insane.” Since spring 1992, they quit selling wholesale and went just retail. Wilhite says, “All of our families would come in here and go, ‘What are you doing?’You are out in the middle of nowhere putting in a retail business. You know it’s all about location, location, location with retail. You’re crazy. It’s never going to work.’” They moved their office space from an 8- by 10-foot playhouse to a permanent building on the property. They also transformed a 1932 farmhouse on the land into a gift and home décor shop. Blue Moon Gardens sells herbs, perennials and shrubs.
Gardening Q&A: How do you keep up with the trends in the plant world? What are the trends this year? Wilhite: We read a lot of trade journals and gardening magazines and books. We go to plant trials and conventions to keep up.
Along with each purchase, a customer is able to consult the garden staff for practical advice for the best gardening results. The eight Blue Moon employees, seven women and one man, have 155 years of combined gardening experience to offer customers. As many experienced gardeners know, there are many trends and tricks to the plant world, and both Smith and Wilhite strive to stay up on the current news and facts. Along with their years of experience, they devote a large amount of time of researching gardening trends and techniques through specialty magazines, trade journals, conventions and plant trials. “We are passionate about food and we are passionate about gardening. It is important to have your hands in the earth,” Wilhite says. “It is the earth from which we all begin and end. It is the earth that provides us with all that sustains us.”
Smith: Succulents have been big because of their drought tolerance in Texas for sure. They are easy plants to deal with. Veggies are still hot. Everybody wants to grow their own garden. Fruits and vegetables have really been big. Wilhite: We are also seeing a lot more variation in shrubs. Like more than one color in the leaves or colorful leaves. The trending color palettes also change. When we first got into business, it was all pink purple and blue, and now it’s more yellow and orange. The colors trends have become brighter throughout the years. What general gardening advice would you offer? Wilhite: You have to put the right plant in the right place. That’s a big thing. And have good soil. Smith: Don’t read the plant labels. They really are not trustworthy. They are really for the whole country and so they don’t really apply to our region very well. So they are kind of giving you misinformation I think. What does Blue Moon offer customers?
Wilhite: Our specialty is herbs because that’s how we started our business. We still grow all the herbs we sell here. We know a lot about them and we like them. We also grow a lot of perennials and now we do a lot more natives. We also grow a lot of old-fashioned heirlooms plants and flowers. They are things that have been around a long time. Smith: And a lot of time they are things that aren’t pretty in a pot because they are tall and loose growing. A lot of growers like to grow things that are blooms tightly and compact so a lot of those things get left out because they are not attractive or are hard to ship. Since we grow for ourselves, we have the opportunity to do that. What’s the secret to successfully growing plants? Smith: I think people are not consistent enough in looking at them. When you grow plants you have to pay attention to them all the time. Kind of like having a child where you can’t skip a day. You have to at least be aware of them. Now they may not need something every day but you at least have to be looking so you know when that moment is when you know what they need. So I think people tend to be busy and not pay attention to their plants enough. Wilhite: And the longer you do it the better you are. I mean we have plants that die. You just can’t take it personal for one thing. If that happens you just have to understand they're perishable. As you kill plants you learn. You figure out what you do wrong and do better with the next.
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Magic bag of design tricks W By David Wallace | Photos by Sarah A. Miller
hen I was a little boy in the 1960s, my favorite cartoon was Felix the Cat — the wonderful, wonderful cat. Felix was a curious, mischievous and inventive little character first made famous during the 1920s. He was the world’s first cartoon superstar. Felix was crafted after Charlie Chaplin’s "The Little Tramp” and became more popular than any of the living silent movie stars or world leaders of the same era. At his conception, he was a very "cubist" looking, black-and-white cartoon. He eventually transitioned to the cuter, more round and lovable character that he is known as today. You could fill a large book with all the information and the trivia that concerns Felix the Cat. Felix flew with Lindbergh. Felix was the very first image transmitted over television air waves. Felix was the first cartoon character to fly in Ma-
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cy's parade as a balloon. It just goes on and on, but my favorite memory of Felix is his "Magic Bag of Tricks." Felix was the ultimate repurpose artist, because he could take that little bag and make it become anything he wanted or needed. He also had the power to remove his tail and use it as a multitude of tools. In this issue, I'm going to explain a couple of tricks that I use to create an eclectic look of my own. I will also show you a quick, easy and inventive way to repurpose old luggage that you may actually already have packed away somewhere. If you have ever owned any Samsonite luggage, it probably is still as good as the day you acquired it. That stuff is virtually indestructible. Samsonite luggage is about a decade older than Felix, created in 1910. Jesse Shwayder, of The Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company, named his line of suitcases after the Biblical strongman, Samson. If you don't own any Samsonite luggage, it's not difficult to find them in
many resale outlets, such as Goodwill or Salvation Army stores. It lasts forever, so it's seldom thrown away. You can usually purchase old pieces for just a few dollars — it’s really a bargain. My wife, Ann Nell, constantly urges me to stop using the word "trash" when describing what I have used to make my latest creation. She always suggests the term "found objects," as more suitable. To me, it seems like a greater accomplishment to turn trash into treasure. I started to truly believe that we had become a throw-away society, but maybe not so much now. It is becoming more apparent to me that a lot of folks are not only enjoying the idea of recycling and repurposing, but many are actually doing it. People often tell me I have a gift for
seeing the potential in my found objects. They tell me that their mind just doesn't work that way. Truth is, once you start creating things and the more you do it, the more ideas will come. Living with your art is a constant stimulus. I have claimed in the past that industrial design is my favorite style, but I think a better description of my personal space is: eclecticism. An eclectic space mixes colors and textures. Eclectic style is a mix of personal treasures, found objects and favorite things from a multitude of sources. It is a unique and very personal style and it truly reflects the personality of the individual. Just like people, no two looks are exactly the same. Let’s get to my tricks. The first trick is about color and the power of the color black. I always use at least a touch of black in every room design. Maybe it's simply a piece of furniture or some architectural element, like some trim or molding. I might paint a pole black or I might paint one wall black. The important thing is that there is always the presence of some black. The human eye is always moving around, constantly seeking input. Eventually it likes to find a place to pause and rest, but just for a moment. Then it moves on — seeking another place to pause. Some patterns of movement feel more pleasing than others, and artists often describe this process as the movement or flow in a piece. When the eye pauses on something black, the lens opens wide, due to the decrease of light. Then when it moves on to a colorful resting point, the color will literally pop. Black makes color pop. Try it. Use it in your own space. The photos will show you some of the ways I have used the color black. Some were boldly used as wall color. Others were more subtly used as a piece of furniture or molding. The second trick has to do with math. Nothing too complicated. On average, people are about six feet tall, most are just under, and some are a little over. Because of this height, everything in our world is designed in proportion to that measurement. The one tool that can best serve you in understanding how to repurpose an object is the tape measure. I try to carry a tape measure with me everywhere I go. I am constantly measuring the heights of chair seats, tables, end tables and counter tops. Each has an average height. Knowing these measurements helps me determine how to use a found object. Knowing the dimensions of the objects I find is important, too. So carry a tape measure with you. It will help to inspire you. Please notice the picture that features a comfy chair with a side table made from some luggage. When I measured the two suitcases, the combined height was about 15 inches. Since the average height of a
chairs seat is about 15-16 inches and a side table is just a little taller at about 20 inches, the two suitcases combined 15inch total is not quite sufficient. I could have used a third piece of luggage, but that would be slightly too tall. Instead, I found a mover’s dolly that measured about 5 inches tall. It also reflects my personal love of industrial design. The mover’s dolly cost me about five dollars at the thrift store. The look is consistent with the eclectic feel of my space. These suitcases serve this new purpose well. They were cheap and I could have painted them another color, which I may do someday in the future. They have a hard surface, so using a lamp or something else is no issue. Best of all, they provide additional storage space. Access is easy and convenient. Hey, think about it. You could store all your issues of IN Magazine inside of these bags. With all your favorite stories, recipes and design tips, you could have your very own Magic Bag of Tricks!
To view previous "from trash to treasure" stories by David Wallace, visit www.inmagtexas.com.
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live healthy
Fitness > Staying on Track to Meet Your Fitness Goals, 94 > Follow Your Fitness Sense, 96 > Trailing Through Tyler, 98
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Staying on track to Meet your fitness goals By Joshua Works | Courtesy Photo
T
he holiday season, complete with friends, family and plenty of excessive holiday food and drink, has come and gone. From Thanksgiving through New Year’s, we, as predictable Americans, most often gorge ourselves — a very predictable, detrimental pattern. Once January comes, we try to lose the weight we gained during the holiday season by changing our eating habits and working out to whip into shape. Unfortunately, most people fall back to those same bad habits a few months, or sadly, even weeks later. The low success rate of these New Year's diet resolutions
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is discouraging, but isn't very surprising. Eighty percent of all dieters fail to lose weight, and over a quarter of those same dieters gain additional weight. The most likely reason for these statistics is the variety of conflicting information we're given. We are surrounded by social media that promotes fad diets and gives uneducated advice that makes losing weight “quick and simple,” which tempts us to take the easy way out. Companies tell us their product or program is the key to success. Let me be the first one to tell you no one holds that magical key but you. Here are a few tips to keep you motivated and on track to make this year's reso-
lution a permanent part of your healthy lifestyle.
PROPER NUTRITION
Proper nutrition is key to any health goal. A balanced diet is crucial for any fat loss or muscle gain. A healthier diet will increase your energy level, delay the negative effects of aging and can lower your risk for many serious medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and strokes. An example of a well balanced diet is: whole foods such as vegetables, lean protein, and small portions of whole-grain carbohydrates. This will keep you full, fit and feeling great. Ditch the sugar — it does nothing but add to fat gain.
HIRE A PERSONAL TRAINER
If your budget allows, whether you are new to working out or an experienced athlete, you could benefit from a personal trainer. A trainer can help you set realistic goals. It is their job to make a client-specific plan to reach each individual. If you don't know where to start, or have become
bored with your routine and need someone to push and challenge you, a trainer can help. Many trainers are specially certified to train seasoned athletes, seniors, those with fresh injuries and those with longterm illnesses, such as arthritis, diabetes, or orthopedic problems. They can work with your doctor to help you recovery from injury or control chronic health problems.
GET A WORKOUT PARTNER
Workout partners are a great support system and provide accountability. Just make sure they are as willing and committed as you are. You want someone who has similar goals. Workout partners can help motivate, spot and provide camaraderie, and they make it less intimidating to join a fitness club or gym. What I like to call a “Partner in Pain” has helped many New Year’s resolutions become permanent resolutions.
DO RESISTANCE TRAINING
Most weight- loss plans emphasize lowcalorie diets and cardiovascular exercise on ellipticals, treadmills and stationary bikes. A Penn State University experiment found adding resistance training to the mix boosted fat loss by 35 percent, or an additional five pounds of weight loss after just 12 weeks. The battle for weight loss is won through proper nutrition, cardiovascular exercise, and yes, resistance training. Resistance training will help you reach your goals and stay on track with your resolutions.
STOCK UP
I don’t know about you, but if I have chips in my pantry, I'll eat the whole bag. The only solution for me is to refrain from buying them. Having healthy snacks and easy-to-make healthy foods on hand keeps me from hitting the nearest fast-food joint when I have a hunger craving. Here are some key ingredients to have on hand: fresh or frozen vegetables, wholegrain pastas, reduced-fat cheese, canned tomatoes, canned beans, pre-cooked grilled chicken breast, tuna, turkey meat and whole grain bread or tortillas. There are plenty of helpful resources for great ideas. (FoodNetwork.com has a list of great healthy recipes.) Remember, it's always moderation that’s important with any food, but having these things on hand will definitely help keep you on track when hunger strikes or emergency cravings arise. These are just a few tips that can help you keep your resolutions alive. Remember to be realistic with your goals. A goal of losing 20 pounds in a week is setting yourself up for disappointment, but 1-2 pounds per week is reasonable and realistic. Don't let the battle of the bulge get you down. Think of how great you will feel, how much energy you can have and the lifelasting results you receive when your goals are reached. Health resolutions can fail, but health revolutions can change your world.
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a really strong swimmer, actually just a swimmer, not necessarily strong. This year, I will turn 41 and it has yet to happen. Spending the time I would need to be a strong swimmer does not make sense for me at this time in my life. I know I would see amazing benefits, but I just don’t have the time or desire to make it work right now. Instead, to be consistent with my exercise, I had to sit down and evaluate the time I did have and develop a plan to make that time count to achieve my desired results. I see many women struggling to follow the latest fitness trends or do what someone else is doing to look a certain way, but wonder why they are not motivated and have no discipline to stick with it. It may be that the trend simply does not make sense for their lifestyle. If you find that you are getting stuck, see if this helps:
Workout tips: Choose Something That You Like to Do. Who cares if your girlfriends are
getting up at 5 each morning to run three miles? If you are a night person and hate running, you may see results for a short time, but eventually quit because it does not make sense for you. Find at least two activities that you enjoy and modify the intensity and duration when you need a change.
Develop a program according to your goals and daily schedule. Before chil-
dren, I worked out an hour and a half six days a week. If I thought I had to follow that same schedule now, exercise would never happen and I would feel like a failure. I’m thankful when I get four days a week and have learned to get the results I want in 30-45 minutes. I had to accept that what worked at that particular time in my life does not make sense right now.
Follow your fitness sense Don't try to follow the latest trends, work out in a way that makes sense for your body and lifestyle.
H
By Crystal Breaux | Courtesy Photo
ave you ever wondered why you can lose your motivation or have trouble consistently exercising? I see many women get excited when they begin a new program, yet quickly give up when it becomes a struggle to make it work with everything else in their life. If that has happened to you, it could be that you are not following your own fitness sense. Does this sound odd? Think of it this way. Like decorating your home or dressing in the latest styles, you may look to see what is hot and trendy, but no mat-
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ter the trend, you want to be comfortable in your own home. You have a personal decorating sense. Interior designers will give you the guidelines to follow and share the latest styles and trends, but you want to be comfortable in your home and discover what works for you. To stay consistent and get the results you want in your body and fitness, there are certain “guidelines” to follow just as in interior design, but ultimately, you have to find what works for you. Right after I turned 30, I decided I was going to become
Over time, our home needs updates and something new and fresh. When decorating or updating your home, you probably look through magazines to get the latest styles and trends for ideas or refer to others for their opinion. But at the end of the day, the “latest thing” has to fit with who you are, feel comfortable and reflect your personal style. It is a part of who you are and where you spend most of your time. The same ideas and concepts for designing your home are the same when designing your exercise plan. Updating your current exercise program or and trying something new is a good thing. It is a way to get over a plateau or renew your motivation, but in order to be consistent, find what works for you and fits into your lifestyle. When it does, exercise will just become a part of who you are, just like your home. Throw out what may work for someone else and follow your own fitness sense.
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Bruce Mark navigates a turn on the trails at Faulkner Park during a fourhour endurance race put on by the Tyler Bicycle Club on Jan. 26, 2012. 98
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trailing
through tyler
By Leslie Harrison | Photos by Jake Waddingham
W
ith the shift in temperature comes a shift in our exercise and fitness routine. Whether a recreational rider or a competitive cyclist, spring signals that it's time to get back to hitting the bike trails around Tyler. We are fortunate to have many places in town to cycle, from paved surfaces for those seeking a smooth ride to branch dodging, root and rock hopping for the adrenaline junky. Tyler Simpson, owner of Simpson's Fitness and Adventure Sports, provides the low down on the mountain bike trails around Tyler. His business has been an East Texas fixture for cycling enthusiasts for 31 years and Simpson has been instrumental in developing of several trails in Tyler, as well as organizing numerous events for the mountain biking community. CONTINUED ON PAGE 100
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Cont. from page 99 | Faulkner Park Mountain Bike Trail, located on South Broadway
at Cumberland Road inside Faulkner Park and Sports Complex, opened to the public about three years ago and was the first trail in a Tyler city park. It has 6.5 miles of trail that Simpson describes as popular with a wide range of riders from those who are just starting out to riders who ride at an intermediate skill level. Emphasizing the group effort involved in the Faulkner Park trail project, Simpson says 4,000 volunteer hours were spent cutting the trail, which took nearly a year to complete. Because there was a limited amount of acreage available when it was being developed, the three trail loops are tight and there is minimal climbing. Simpson says that plans to extend the trail in the future, and possibly include a kids’ section, have been discussed.
Lindsey Park Trail, which formally opened
in January, provides a beautiful forest setting along more than 10 miles of trail winding through the 130 acres of Lindsey Park on Spur 346, west of town. It is categorized as a moderate trail for beginner to expert riders and was designed to be a venue for state-level mountain bike races. Simpson says Lindsey Park trail is an open-flow trail that is rider friendly from a technical point of view, but also quite fast. He says it is more physically difficult than the Faulkner Park trail with lots of slow climbing, quick descents, and rolling hills.
Tyler State Park, off Highway 14, is home to one of the top mountain biking areas in Texas, Simpson says, and host to state level races. Simpson says the 10 miles of trail were developed and built by the Ty100 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
ler Bicycle Club around 1989 after James Ramsaur negotiated the trail with the state. Simpson called the trail one of the most physically and technically challenging trails in Texas with steep down hills and no shortage of rough, rocky, root laden terrain. The forest provides a good deal of shade while riders navigate wooden bridges over gullies and ravines.
The University of Texas at Tyler mountain bike trail, found on the southwest corner of the campus off University Boulevard, offers 3.5 miles of trail which Simpson enthusiastically described as “incredibly fun loops that twist in and out of creek beds and ditches.” Simpson explained that jumps, launches, bridges and pump sections promise an entertaining ride and make this trail popular with area riders. For cyclists wanting a more leisurely experience, Rose Rudman Trail, which is located near the center of town, has 2.4 miles of paved surface. Popular with runners, walkers and dog enthusiasts, there's still room to enjoy an easy ride through the canopy of trees. Rose Rudman Trail joins up with another wide, paved, and less traveled path that runs parallel to the Grande Avenue extension. The Tyler Bicycle Club, which has been around in one form or another since the 1970s, is a great resource for all things bicycle. The organization has a Trails and Paths Committee that comes up with concepts for trails, and then works to implement the new ideas and maintain the trails. Check out www.tylerbicycleclubb. com for additional information about trail riding as well as upcoming events, such as the Four Pedals of the Rose Mountain Bike Time Trial Series.
Fresh race team In the fall of 2011, David Starrett, who had been involved in the Tyler Bicycle Club for years, spearheaded the organization of the FRESH Race Team. FRESH's commitment to environmental responsibility, as well as its focus on fresh and healthy options, made it the logical choice for a title sponsor. Under Starrett’s leadership as race manager, the team began racing in January of 2012. Starrett and five team captains organize the race team and coordinate events for the approximately 60-member group. This year the team is divided into a race team and a tour team. The tour team is open to any Tyler Bicycle Club member while race team members must fulfill some requirements including volunteer hours and participation in cycling races during the year. The first weekend in April of this year, the FRESH Race team will hold the Cyber Knife of Texas Race centered in Whitehouse. The race is a twoday stage race comprised of three different style races: road, time trial, and criterion or “crit.” The crit will allow spectators to watch the cyclists as they race, and will feature lots of family activities.
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food & culture
Food
> RECIPES: Seafood Feast, 104 >Dining Guide, 108
Events
> Bouncing off the Walls, 114 > Calendar of Events, 116
Travel
Scallops. Photo by Sarah A. Miller.
> Four Texas Spring Getaways, 110
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103
seafood feast
Recipes by Brandon Hafner of Breakers Seafood | Photos by Sarah A. Miller
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PiĂąa Colada Prep time: about 10 minutes Ingredients
1 Pineapple 2 Tbsp. of Coco Lopez 1.5 oz of Bacardi rum 1.5 oz of Malibu rum 1 Scoop of ice
Directions
> Using a pineapple corer, remove the fruit from the center of the pineapple. > Place half of the pineapple fruit in the blender with the rums, Coco Lopez and ice. > Blend to desired consistency and pour mixture into the carved out shell. > Garnish with remainder of pineapple and drink umbrella.
Strawberry Banana Smoothie Prep time: about 5 minutes Ingredients
2 handfuls of strawberries 1 banana 3 oz. of pineapple juice 5 oz. ice
Directions
> Mix in a blender. Add sugar water to taste. > Garnish with a strawberry.
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Ceviche Prep time: about 8 hours Ingredients
10 fillets of tilapia 1 bunch of cilantro 1 red onion sliced 8 roma tomatoes diced 7 lemons, juiced 7 limes, juiced 1.5 tbsp. of kosher salt 1.5 tablespoons of granulated garlic 6 jalapeño peppers, diced
Directions
> Toss all ingredients
together and let sit for a minimum of eight hours. > The citric acid from the lemons and limes will cure the fish. > Serve with fresh avocado and tortilla chips.
Hummus Prep time: about 15 minutes Ingredients
4 garlic cloves 1 tsp. salt 1 pound of chick peas drained and rinsed 2/3 cup of Tahini paste 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup of olive oil 2 tbsp. of pine nuts, toasted slightly
Directions
> On a cutting board, mince and mash the garlic to a paste with the salt. > In a food processor puree the chick peas with the garlic paste, the Tahini paste, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the oil and 1/2 cup of water, scraping down the sides until the hummus is smooth. > Add salt to taste. Add water, if necessary, to thin the hummus to the desired consistency and transfer the hummus to a bowl.
106 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
Mediterranean Style Basa Prep time: about 1 hour Basa Ingredients
1 basa fillet 1 tbsp. garlic 2 tbsp. of basil 4 black olives 1 tsp. of green onions 1 oz. red bell pepper 2 mushrooms 1 banana leaf 2 oz. of marinara sauce
Marinara Sauce Ingredients
20 roma tomatoes 1 cup shallots 2 oz. garlic, minced 1 cup yellow onion, diced 1/2 cup red onion, diced 1/4 cup of basil 1/4 cup of thyme 1 oz. of honey 1 cup cabernet wine
Directions: Basa
> Wrap the basa fillet
in one banana leaf and bake on high temperature for eight to 10 minutes or until done. > Sauté garlic, basil, olives, diced red onions, diced bell peppers and sliced mushrooms for three minutes in a sauté pan. > Add marinara and continue to sauté for two more minutes. > Remove banana leaf and fillet from oven and cover in sauce.
Directions: Marinara
> Half-cut and roast tomatoes
at 350F in oven for 20 minutes.
> In a sauce pan, sauté yellow onions and
shallots until caramelized.
> Deglaze with wine and reduce by half.
> Remove skins from tomatoes and add to a
sauce pan.
> Add red onion and garlic. Simmer for 20 minutes. > Add honey, basil and thyme. Salt to taste.
> Place everything into a food processor and blend well.
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
107
The Dining Guide Cheng's Cheng's China Bistro has hired Mr. Jack Zheng, the executive chef of the famous Dragon Resturant in Chinatown, to be our head chef. He was also previously the head chef of the top Mei Hua Resturant in Hong Kong, and his culinary approaches and dishes have the rich traditions as well as his unique understanding of Chinese food that delight the senses.
3300 Troup Highway • Tyler, TX • 903-617-6896
chengschinabistro.com
Villa Montez Villa Montez is a unique casual family dining restaurant that offers the best of the “Cocina Latina” (Latin Kitchen). Our festive and friendly environment is the perfect place for lunch or gathering for a delicious meal with friends and family. Book your holiday parties-Private rooms available • Catering Dining indoors • Beautiful patio seating • New Tapas Menu in the bar Extensive Wine Selection • Lunch & Dinner-Closed on Sundays
3324 Old Henderson Highway • Tyler, TX • 903-592-9696
villamontez.com
Cork -Food & Drink-
Enjoy modern Euro-Asian cuisine. From our famous Shrimp Mezcal and Lamb Chops to the market fresh Sushi and Seafood. A unique casual dining restaurant with an extensive wine list, live music, hand crafted cocktails and fabulous dining. Brunch on Saturday & Sunday • We Cater!
5201 S. Broadway Avenue • Tyler, TX • 903- 363-9197
corktyler.com
Rick’s
Savor prime steaks, market-fresh seafood, house-made desserts and vintage wine. Enjoy premium cigars while watching the game on one of three 46-inch flat-screen TVs on our open-air patio. Our full menu is offered until closing and boasts over 40 items under $20. You’ll love our fresh halibut, mahi-mahi, sea bass, lump crab, oysters and calamari. Look to Rick’s for catering and over 20,000 sq. ft. of private meeting rooms for up to 200 guests. LCD projectors with screens, and free,
104 W. Erwin • Tyler, TX • 903-531-2415 108 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
rix.com
Sadler's
Since 1943, when Monk and Elizabeth Sadler purchased a drive-in restaurant in downtown Jacksonville, the Sadler name has been synonymous with great food and the finest burgers, steaks, seafood, pasta and homemade pies. Our full bar has your favorite wine, domestic and imported beers and premium liquors. We cater weddings, office luncheons, cocktail parties and special events. We have 2 banquet rooms for your private parties. Tues.-Fri. 11am-8pm • Sat. 5pm-Close
101 S. Bonner • Jacksonville, TX • 903-589-0866
sadlerscatering.com
Bernard’s Bernard’s was invisioned as a getaway, where all East Texans could escape to and experience the great tastes of the Mediterannean. With that in mind we have paid special attention to the relaxing atmoshpere and the extraordinary tastes you will experience at Bernard’s. Lunch 11am-2pm Tues.-Fri. • Dinner 5:30pm-10pm Mon.-Sat. Reservations are recommended.
212 Grande Blvd • Tyler, TX • 903-534-0265
bernardsintyler.com
Breakers Breakers is now serving dinner until midnight. Thursday through Saturday from 9 to midnight come pick a live lobster from the tank for only $14.95; or grab some buffalo wings, boiled shrimp, burgers and more. Mon-Wed 11 a.m.-10p.m. | Thurs-Sat 11 a.m.-12 a.m. | Sun 11 a.m.-9p.m.
5016 Old Bullard Rd • Tyler, TX • 903- 534-0161
breakerstyler.com
Corner Bakery Cafe Discover why it's OK2CRAVE at Corner Bakery Cafe by visiting www.100UNDER600.com to create your new favorite combo under 600 calories. Enjoy our Chicken Pesto Sandwich with Roasted Tomato Basil Soup or create your own tasty combination of signature sandwiches, toasty panini, hand-tossed salads or homemade soups using the 100 Under 600 Calorie Counter. With over 100 combos under 600 calories, it is OK2CRAVE at Corner Bakery Cafe.
Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Catering 3306 Troup Hwy • Tyler, TX • 903-592-0000 Opening Spring 2013 in Longview
cornerbakerycafe.com
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
109
spring 4getaways
a
By Jennifer Babisak | Courtesy Photos When the last sparkles of winter’s frost fade into the budding warmth of spring, a renewed yearning for the open road begins to pull at me. Texas road trips are glorious during any season, but particularly in early spring when wildflowers begin to wash the roadsides with color. And the destinations that those roads lead to — well, they’re as varied as the state is wide. From historic to modern and quirky to pastoral, there’s a Texas weekend getaway that suits almost every personality. So the next time you feel the urge to take a break from your daily routine, why not check out one (or all) of these unique Texas getaways.
d
FAMILY FUN IN DAINGERFIELD For a chance to step away from the hustle of daily life and reconnect as a family, make the drive to The Greer Farm, located just outside of Daingerfield. Here retired oil executive Sid Greer and his wife Eva a chef established a farm/ranch full of Maine-Anjou grass-fed cattle, pigs, chickens and acres of blueberries. The farm has four cabins complete with kitchenettes and WiFi access (we don’t have to totally remove ourselves from civilization). Cozy porches with rocking chairs overlook lawns outfitted with picnic tables and grills, all inviting old-fashioned relaxation. For those craving more action, head to 11-acre Gos Lake to fish or navigate the waters by canoe, kayak, or paddleboard. Hike through the farm’s lush landscape, taking in the beauty of the assorted animals and plants. Bring binoculars to bird watch by day and a telescope to stargaze by night. Or strike up a game of Bocce (an Italian lawn game) on the court behind the cabins. Culinary adventure abounds here as well. Pick your way through the acres of blueberries and blackberries while the children ride in wagons. Or join Chef Eva for a cooking class in the main house. Her international experience flavors her classes — she covers everything from homemade pasta to West African peanut stew.
d
b
HISTORIC NACOGDOCHES Head to the oldest town in Texas to explore our state’s storied history while rekindling your romantic spark. For a posh base from which to explore Nacogdoches’ fascinating historical sites, check into Hotel Fredonia. The historic boutique hotel offers luxurious touches like a saltwater pool, an upscale restaurant and live music on the tree-lined patio every weekend. The downtown area offers historical attractions galore such
110 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
c A. Beaver’s in Houston. B. Hotel Fredonia in Nacogdoches. C. Saint Arnold's in Houston. D. Eno's Pizza in Dallas. E. Greer Farm in Daingerfield.
as Oak Grove Cemetary — the final resting place of four signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence including Texas’ Secretary of War, Thomas J. Rusk. At the eastern end of the historic district, The Sterne-Hoya House Museum and Library tells the story of prominent Texas Revolution financier Adolphus Sterne and his frequent houseguest, Sam Houston. On the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University, visit The Stone Fort Museum, which honors the stone building which was built in 1779 and served as the first mercantile in Nacogdoches. The building hosted many Texas Revolutionaries and served as headquarters for the Fredonian Rebellion. Stay true to the historical theme when dining out by venturing to Auntie Pasta’s, an Italian restaurant located in a building that once housed the first refrigerated warehouse west of the Mississippi. Today, the restaurant serves swoon worthy savories like massive slabs of lasagna and balsamic glazed chicken lombardi. Save room for a creamy tiramisu as a sweet finish to your meal.
DALLAS' BISHOP ARTS DISTRICT When girls just want to have fun, they head to Dallas, where the Bishop Arts District promises a weekend of unique shopping and dining experiences. The North Oak Cliff neighborhood features dozens of specialty shops such as Zola’s Everyday Vintage, vintage clothing and accessories, Shambhala, handmade bath products and candles, and Fete-ish, funky art and accessories. After your retail therapy, stop for a bite to eat at Eno’s Pizza Tavern where sophisticated salads, like the Harvest Pear with arugula and pancetta, prove as tempting as the Local Pie — a delectable pizza made with locally influenced, seasonal ingredients. Crash in style at The Belmont Hotel, a historic boutique hotel dating to the 1940s. Rooms sporting modern minimalist decor are tucked into a hillside filled with native plants. The glamorous outdoor pool offers a breathtaking view of the Dallas skyline, and a complimentary shuttle whisks you to and from destinations within a three-mile radius. For more pampering and relaxation, head to YaYa Foot Spa for a reflexology session. After relaxing in a cozy chair, complete with pillow and blanket, and soaking your feet in a warm herbal tea mixture, reflexologists massage your feet using an ancient Chinese technique that is said to restore balance and energy to the entire body.
e
RETREAT IN THE HEART OF HOUSTON
db
For a perfectly manly getaway with a dose of urban flair, gather your guy pals and head to Houston — home of an eclectic assortment of masculine attractions. Establish a convenient base for your manly pursuits by checking in to the Inn at the Ballpark. Located right next to Minute Maid Park in downtown Houston, the Inn caters to guys by offering plush leather armchairs, flat-screen televisions and an on-site steakhouse serving award-winning prime beef. Stroll across the street to Minute Maid Park to take in a Houston Astros game. For behind-the-scenes action, take a Ballpark Tour, offered twice daily. The tour takes you through sites such as the dugouts, press boxes and luxury suites. If you crave something better than ballpark food, head to Beaver’s, a Texas icehouse located on Houston’s hip Washington corridor. With a locally sourced and innovative menu, Beaver’s takes comfort food to a new level. Start with fried pickles before diving into a main course of a slow smoked beef shoulder. Tempt your sweet tooth with a gourmet float — locally made Trentino buttermilk gelato topped with St. Arnold’s root beer. Speaking of Saint Arnold Brewing Company, no Houston trip is complete without a visit to Texas’ oldest craft brewery, which offers tours six days a week. In addition to an insider peek at the brewing process, the tour includes a sampling of Saint Arnold’s current brews as well as a souvenir glass. March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
111
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112 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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113
Bouncing off The walls Need a Friday night family activity? Check out the trampoline park in Longview. By Lisa Brown | Courtesy Photos
114 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
I
In life some people jump for joy, jump to conclusions and even jump on a bandwagon. Some people even come across so enthusiastic they can be described as “bouncing off the walls.� At Air U, they encourage it. Air U opened in Longview on June 1, 2011 and is quickly becoming the place to go for birthday parties, aerobics (air-obics to be exact) and overall tumbling fun. Upon entering the first thing
a visitor might see is happy children bouncing about and then disappearing into an eight-foot deep pit filled with 33,000 foam cubes. Thats just one of the unique play features Air U offers. “We wanted a place that was safe, friendly and especially family-oriented,” co-owner Robert Murphy says. The 20,000-square -foot facility, the first of its kind in Northeast Texas, has approximately 10,000 feet of trampoline surface and two, eight-foot deep foam pits for children, teens, and, yes, even adults. “Its exercise that you don’t have to struggle with, because all you really know is that you’re having fun,” Robert says. Air U is owned by three couples who make their home in the
Longview area. Lance and Elizabeth Hutcheson have lived in Longview since 2001. Lance is a software engineer and Elizabeth is a practicing physician at both Longview hospitals. Both Lance and Elizabeth are passionate about fitness, and even though opening this type of business is uncharted territory, they feel up to the challenge. Robert Murphy and his wife Connie serve as the office manager and operations manager. Prior to opening Air U, they served as youth missionaries and had recently returned from the Philippines where Robert served as a pastor and group leader. Chris and Christy McNabb bring more than 20 years of tumbling, trampoline and cheerleading experience to the business. Christy has served as a Superior Head Judge at USA National trampoline and tumbling championships and Chris has coached and been an athlete for Team USA. Safety concerns are the foremost priority when opening a business that’s full of trampolines, and at Air U several precautions are taken to make sure everyone has the safest visit possible. “We start off from the position that there is inherent danger in any physical activity and we’ve built our business from that point on. We have no uneven levels on
any jumping surface, there is a 120 jumper capacity strictly enforced at all times for the entire building,” Robert says. No more than two people are allowed to jump at a time in one area, and trained employees in bright orange vests on the floor watch at all times. “These are our flight attendants,” Robert says. “They have whistles just like you might see at a swimming pool and they’re there to make sure no one gets too boisterous and to assist anyone that needs help.” Before anyone can even step out on the main floor with the trampolines they must sign a waiver, and more importantly understand, with the help of the employees who sign in guests, all of the rules and regulations that Air U strongly enforces. “If you know the rules going in, everyone has a great time,” Robert says. Speaking of great times, it’s not unusual to have up to 36 birthday celebrations at Air U on any given weekend. “It’s perfect for large gatherings and something different than going for a pizza or bowling,” Robert says. “We have party flight attendants to help set up their own party terminal, which can accommodate up to 24 guests. You can bring in your own cake, food, drinks, we help you set up and then we take care of everything when you’re ready to leave. All our guests have to do is have fun.”
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
115
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Tyler Canton Canton Trade Days
Fabruary 28- March 3 Downtown Canton
www.cantontradedays.com Texas Wild Bunch Art Show March 16, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Canton Marketplace www.visitcantontx.com
Canton Trade Days March 28-31 Downtown Canton
www.cantontradedays.com Black & White Gala March 21, 6 p.m. Canton Civic Center www.visitcantontx.com
Jacksonville High Lifter Mud Nationals
March 20-24 Mud Creek Off Road Park www.mudcreekoffroadpark.com Cherokee County Junior Livestock Show March 21-23 Cherokee County Expo Center www.cherokeecountyexpo.org
Relay for Life of Cherokee County April 26, 7 p.m. Jacksonville High School
www.relayforlife.org/cherokeecotx 116 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
Longview Model Train Show
“Taste of Tyler” Puttin on the Ritz March 5, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Harvey Convention Center 903-565-0052
Bob Schneider in Concert
"Airplane"
Apache Belle Spring Show, “Country Roads”
Zonta Antique and Art Show
Live Music at Lago del Pino
“Fiddler on the Roof”
March 7, 7 p.m. Liberty Theatre
www.libertytyler.com ETSO Concert: "The French Connection" March 9, 7:30 p.m. Cowan Center www.ETSO.org
Wings of Freedom Tour March 15-18
Historic Aviation Memorial Museum
www.collingsfoundation.org
Historic Tyler Candlelight Party
March 28, 8 p.m. Liberty Hall www.libertytyler.com
April 4-6 TJC, Wise Auditorium www.apachebelles.com
Every Friday & Saturday Night lagodelpino.com
MASTERS OF ILLUSION, LIVE
March 2-3 The Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Complex www.maudecobb.longviewtexas.gov
March 1-3 The Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Complex (903)720-1398 March 5, 7 p.m. The Belcher Center
www.belchercenter.com 2013 East Texas Oilfield Expo
April 11, 7:30p.m. Cowan Center www.cowancenter.org
March 6-7 The Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Complex www.easttexasoilfieldexpo.com
Live Music at Rick’s
"HONK, Jr."
March 15, 7-11 p.m. 2100 Robertson Avenue www.collingsfoundation.org
Every Friday and Saturday night Rick’s on the Square
The Tyler Azalea 10K March 23, 8 a.m. Bergfeld Park www.tylerazalea10k.com
Fun Run for Adults and Kids April 13, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Rose Rudman Pavilion 903-581-1553
Downtown Longview Art Walk
Azalea Trail Junior Golf Classic
Art in the Park at the GoodmanLeGrand April 13, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Goodman-LeGrand Museum
“Of Mice And Men”
March 23-24 Hollytree Country Club www.ntpga.com
"Dreamgirls"
March 26, 7:30 p.m. Cowan Center www.cowancenter.org
rix.com
www.goodmanmuseum.com 2nd Annual No Hungry Children Benefit Festival May 18, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Bergfeld Park www.nhctyler.org
March 7-9 ArtsView Children’s Theatre www.artsviewchildrenstheatre.com
April 4, 5-8p.m. Downtown Longview www.artwalklongview.com April 6, 7:30p.m. The Belcher Center
www.belchercenter.com Dalton Days & Wild West Show Aril 13, 11-5 p.m. Gregg County Historical Museum www.gregghistorical.org
Austin Palestine The 1836 Chuck Wagon Race March 1-3 Diamond B Ranch 1836chuckwagonrace.com
Spring Bling Dinner and Dance March 2, 7p.m. Ben E. Keith Community Room 903-391-1002
"Ghosts: the Musical"
March 22-24, 29-30 & April 5-6 Texas Theatre www.visitpalestine.com
Dogwood Trails Festival
March 15-17, 22-24, 29-31 9-4 p.m. Jefferson Tourism & Visitor Center www.palestinehchamber.org
Edom 8th Annual Texas Heritage Songwriters’ Association Live Awards Show March 3, 8 p.m. ACL Live www.acl-live.com
St. Patrick’s Day Fest Austin March 17, Noon-9 p.m. Shoal Crossing Event Center www.stpatricksdayaustin.com
Bon Jovi
April 10, 7:30 p.m. Frank Erwin Center www.austinconcerts.org
Austin Chef Showdown
EDOM VFD GARAGE SALE
Austin City-Wide Garage Sale
Edom Rod Cruise Night
March 16-17 Palmer Event Center www.festivalnet.com
March 23 Downtown Edom www.edomtexas.com
Zac Brown Band
April in Edom – An old fashioned street fair
April 6 Palmer Event Center www.austin360.com
April 18, 7 p.m. Tower Amphitheater Austin
C!RCA
April 27, 8 p.m. Bass Concert Hall
March 15-16 Station www.edomtexas.com
April 20-21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Edom, Texas
Shreveport "One Night of Queen"
March 16, 8 p.m. Strand Theater www.thestrandtheatre.com
"Eleanor, Her Secret Journey" March 22, 8 p.m. Strand Theater
www.thestrandtheatre.com "Dreamgirls"
March 28, 8 p.m. Strand Theater www.thestrandtheatre.com Junior League of ShreveportBossier Shopping for a Cause Market March 7-9 Shreveport Convention Center
Battle Of The Gumbo Gladiators March 9 Festival Plaza www.shreveportbossierfunguide. com
Dallas Muse
March 13, 7 p.m. American Airlines Center www.muse.mu
Eric Clapton
March 19, 7:30 p.m. American Airlines Center
www.ericclapton.com
Earth Day Dallas 2013
April 20-21, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fair Park www.earthdaydallas.org
Texas Pinball Festival March 15-17 Hilton Anatole Hotel
www.texaspinball.com Deep Ellum Arts Festival
April 5-7, 5-11 p.m. Deep Ellum Arts Festival www.deepellumartsfestival.com
Real. Texas. Festival
April 26-27 1818 Rodeo Drive, Mesquite www.festivalnet.com
Want your event on our calendar? email the details to lea@inmagtexas.com
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
117
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outdoors
HUNTING
> Hunting School, The Art of Gun Dog Training, 124
sports
> The Best Places to Golf in East Texas, 120 > March Madness, 127
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
119
The Best Places to Golf in East Texas By Victor Texcucano | Courtesy Photos
120 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
Grab your clubs and indulge in the golf course that best suits your level. By Victor Texcucano | Courtesy photos the stresses of springtime in East Texas: the rolling hills, the endless curtains of green, the plethora of wild life, the jaw-dropping sunsets. Good weather, for once. Sometimes, a nice relaxing day is just necessary. East Texas is not only, lush with vegetation, but also with great golf courses. From Eagle’s Bluff just outside of Tyler, to The Challenge at the Woods in Jacksonville, East Texas boasts courses that cater to the diehard golfer, as well as the every-once-in-a-while type of golfer. You don’t need to have the latest expensive set of clubs, a starter set under $200 will do. All you need is the right attitude, a nice day and one of the many golf courses in our area. The next step is deciding the right golf course for you. It is important to assess one’s golfing skills. Be honest. You’re only going to ruin your day if you choose an expert course and you aren’t very good. Darla Blackmon, senior vice president of the Challenge Golf Group and general manager of Eagle’s Bluff, says the number of water hazards, sand traps and the speed of the greens determine the difficulty of a course. A steep fairway will lead to balls being easily lost in the rough. Sand traps and water hazards, of course, are the biggest challenge to golfers of all skill levels. Jim Traina, director of golf at Eagle’s Bluff, says that the length and width of the fairways can also affect the difficulty of holes. A short and wide fairway would certainly make for an easier hole than one with a long and narrow one. Also, a fairway lined with trees might make for a tricky hole, especially one that curves.| Cont.ON page 122
Oh,
Eagle's Bluff is one of East Texas' more challenging courses and features many water hazards.
March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
121
Cont. FROM page 121 | Jim also believes the amount of money you are willing to spend will determine the quality of the course you will be able to play on.“I would think that everyone would want to go play the best manicured, most scenic, prettiest golf course they could afford to go play,” he says. Golf courses that are more expensive, he says, tend to be better taken care of. Darla says that when looking for a golf course it is important to ask yourself what you want from your day. If you want an easy and fun day, it might be good to find a course suited for beginners. The Challenge at Cypress Hills, located in Waskom, just minutes from the Louisiana state line, is an excellent course for beginners. TexasOutside.com reviewed the course in 2011 and rated it as one of the best public courses in East Texas, calling it a “must play.” The Challenge at the Woods is also a great course for casual players. Located in Jacksonville, 25 minutes south of Tyler, this semi-private course offers holes that are challenging, but aren’t impossible. If you are looking for a challenge, however, it might be more fun for you to choose a course with more difficult holes, such as Eagle’s Bluff in Bullard. Eagle’s Bluff was named three times among GolfWeek's "Courses of Distinction," and The Dallas Morning News has rated the course as the sixth-most difficult in Texas. Another course that might interest seasoned golfers is The Pinnacle Golf Club. Located on Cedar Creek Lake, only 70 minutes south east of Dallas, the semiprivate golf course is open to the public. The Pinnacle Golf Club is a beautiful and challenging test of skill that features 10 water hazards. The tree-lined fairways and waterways place a premium on accuracy. Golf is a great game. It is played outside in beautiful courses and offers challenges many sports don’t. It requires extreme mental focus and discipline, as well as great muscle memory. It is a learning process, as Jim says. It can frustrate you like no other sport, while at the same time can fulfill you like no other. The feeling when you drive a ball straight for the first time is something that is hard to describe. The same can be said about sinking in a 20-foot putt, or chipping in the ball from a sand bunker. It is a sport that can be shared by young and old, men and women, or experts and novices. Lucky for us, East Texas offers great courses for players of all skill levels. Top & Bottom: Eagle's Bluff golf course.
122 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
CANTON’S WORLD FAMOUS FIRST MONDAY IS SHOPPING ADVENTURE AS BIG AS TEXAS! Home Decor, Art & Antiques, Collectables, & Specialty Items
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March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
123
F
Hunting School
The art of gun dog training By Jo Lee Ferguson | Photos by CJ White
124 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
or Shawn Watson, a dog isn’t just a useful tool when he’s hunting. He enjoys watching a dog work, seeing it respond to his hand signals and putting its training into
action. “It’s early in the morning, there’s a nice chill in the air and you’re sitting there,” Watson says. “You’re watching your dog watching the ducks come in. Watching him or her be that alert — there’s meaning to that. That’s really kind of neat for me.” Watson owns Coldwater Creek Retrievers in Hallsville, a business he started in 1998, a few years after he got his first hunting dog. He loves being outdoors and hunts as much as he can, he says — ducks, geese and turkeys, for instance. “I had a friend that got me into duck hunting many years ago. He had a dog,” recalls Watson, who also works at Eastman Texas Operations. "He loved watching that dog and how obedient it was. He liked watching it grow up." “Its progression out there, from puppy to fully trained retriever, was something that was really appealing to me,” Watson says. His first dog, though, was not a successful retriever. He says he didn’t know how to purchase a dog, so he bought one from “a guy” who had bred two labradors. His dog wasn’t the smartest. “Like all dogs, there’s always some that don’t turn out the way you like them to. My first one was a flop,” he says. “I was a little bit discouraged.” With his next dog, he paid someone to train the dog with him. “I wanted to learn more about it,” Watson says, and he wanted to start training dogs himself. It’s also a family tradition — his grandfather and great-uncle also trained hunting dogs. “I’m probably like a lot of guys you’ll talk to,” he says. “I started off training dogs to duck hunt with.” His perception of what a “nice dog” is changed. He wanted a little better, and a little better dog each time.
“I decided I wanted to start doing it for myself. It didn’t look like it was hard,” Watson says. He started training dogs for some friends, and his business grew from there. He’s typically training five or six dogs for clients, while working with his own dogs. “It quickly progresses from a hobby to a business,” he says. His wife, Melissa, and children, 11-year-old Zoe and 10-year-old Levi, also help. There’s no formal process or official certification program for people who want to learn to train hunting dogs, or gun dogs. It’s a “long progress,” he says. He’s read books, watched videos and talked to other trainers. “You try to be like a sponge, learn as much as you can,” Watson says. A dog provides more than companionship on a hunting trip. “The dog — they retrieve birds more quickly,” he says, but there’s also a strong safety element to it. “Some of the guys I hunt with are quite a bit older. You don’t want a guy with a bad knee or back wading around in a slew. He could potentially hurt himself. If you have a dog, it can go straight out, pick the duck right up and come right back.” A dog also ensures a clean kill. “You don’t want a wounded bird to get away,” Watson says. The dog retrieves the bird quickly and returns it to the hunter, so he (or she) can end the bird’s suffering. Watson primarily trains retrievers — labradors are his favorite, which in Texas are used primary to help hunt ducks, geese and doves. Coldwater Creek Retrievers, in addition to training other people’s dogs, also sells puppies. Watson says he usually has two or three litters a year. He tries to match the traits between the mom and dad to “produce something that betters the breed.” “It’s always amazing to me to watch a litter of puppies. That’s really what I enjoy doing is raising puppies,” Watson says. As young as seven weeks old, puppies will chase duck wings and chase and retrieve dummies. “You see a puppy that young that has a natural instinct — that’s what you breed for. You have to breed for a dog that naturally likes to retrieve,” Watson says. He loves watching a dog grow and mature, and loves seeing a dog that enjoys retrieving. “It’s kind of like a kid learning his ABCs, learning to read, learning to write — it’s really neat to watch,” Watson says. “There’s something that’s really appealing to watch.” The road to owning a hunting dog can take a few different paths, starting with a puppy. “It comes down to almost a personal
preference,” Watson says, as to whether a person wants to start with a puppy, a dog with training and hunting experience or a finished dog that has been hunting for four or five years. A puppy for hunting, Watson says, typically will cost between $500 and $800, but a person can expect to spend about $2,500 total including the cost of purchasing and training the puppy. The price, the for purchasing a trained dog is typically much higher — “the sky’s the limit,” Watson says. People should do research before purchasing a dog. What kind do they want? What color? Male or female? (There are physical disadvantages to a male or female. Watson says male dogs tend to be more stubborn and rugged, while females tend to be easier to train.) It will take about a year before a puppy is ready for hunting, and the training begins when the puppy goes home with its family at about seven weeks of age. “You’re going to socialize that puppy as much as you can,” Watson Says. He suggests taking the puppy “as many different places as you can.” The dog can be taught basic obedience and it can learn to fetch dummies. Watson cautions, though, that “less is more.” Puppies are like children — they get worn out. “You want it to experience as much as it can until it’s about six months old. Then, you start formal training,” Watson says. That begins with about a month of higher-level obedience, he says, and then another month and a half to condition a dog to retrieve. That includes teaching the dog to retrieve on command — not just when the dog feels like it, and to hold a dummy in its mouth and deliver it to the hunter’s hand. Then, the process of “steadying” the dog starts — training it so that when the hunter shoots, the dog doesn’t leave its owner’s side until it receives the order that releases it. The command is usually the dog’s name or the word “back,” Watson says. Dogs also can be taught to respond to a whistle, which signals the dog to look at its owner and follow hand signals to guide the dog to where the duck fell. Sometimes the hunter or the dog do not see where the bird falls and hand signals can be useful to help the dog look for the duck. “What you’re trying to do is get the dog out there where they can use their instincts, their nose or eyes to see the birds, most of the time their nose,” Watson says. “This is the importance of why you’ve got to find a dog that’s bred to do what it’s supposed to do. If you get dogs that don’t like to retrieve, you’re having to push them to do everything. That’s not
what you’re looking for. You’re wanting a dog that really likes to do this stuff.” He’s had talks with people who brought him dogs that, either right away or a month or so into training, he can tell probably aren’t going to work out as a hunting partner. “People bring me a dog because they don’t have the time or the knowledge or both, and that’s what I do,” Watson says. He encourages dog owners to visit every couple of weeks, although it’s not as critical in the early stages. “In the early stages, there’s not a lot of difference you see in the dog,” because it’s learning more obedience and being conditioned to retrieve and hold a dummy in its mouth until it’s told to release. “Really, it’s more for the dog,” Watson says. “You don’t want them to feel like they’ve been dropped off with people they don’t know. ... You want the dog to remember (it's owner), to feel comfortable.” Later, Watson likes for the owner to train with him. At the end of the training period, he’ll send the owner home with drills to help keep the dog sharp. Dogs need to drill for 10 or 15 minutes, three or four times a week. Dogs typically start hunting around one or two years old so they get some experience. Watson cautions, though, that they’ll do terribly at first. “You don’t know what to expect. They don’t know what to expect,” he says, so a person’s expectations should be tempered. It’s the same thing with an older dog. Labs sometimes live to be 14 years old, but their lifespan typically is eight or nine years. “When they get to the end, 11 or 12, you have to temper your expectations,” he says. The dog might lope or walk instead of running to retrieve. “They may live to do it, but maybe their bodies won’t let them,” Watson says. “Unfortunately, they always go sooner than you want them to.”
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By Victor Texcucano | Courtesy Photo here are days that instill joy in the hearts of many. But our attention spans are so short. Christmas Day? Presents, family, the smell of cinnamon and warm fuzzy hugs. Awesome, but that already passed. Next. New Year’s Eve? Champagne, kisses at midnight and going to sleep late. Great! But that’s long gone too. Super Bowl Sunday? Junk food, funny commercials, football and pretending not to be sad that your team isn’t in the game. Like every year, it was awesome, but that’s in the past, too. So what’s next? Springtime? Summer? Baseball? Wait. I almost forgot. One of the most hallowed month long traditions in America. March Madness. Soon the month long national collegiate basketball tournament, known affectionately as “The Big Dance,” and officially as the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, will commence, signaling the beginning of one of the biggest annual sporting events in the US. Sixtyeight teams from all across the land will compete in the single-elimination tournament to determine the best collegiate basketball team in the nation. March Madness, as the tournament is known, will unleash — well, madness. There will be students who follow their school’s team across the nation, making one wonder how said students are doing academically. There will be face-painting, screaming, jumping and general Chaos. The awful sound of the Baha Men’s “Who Let the Dogs Out?” will most certainly fill basketball arenas, along with other annoying cliché sports anthems. Worker productivity will decrease by
"The memories of excitement created by this tournament live long in the hearts of fans." day, while beer consumption will rise in the evening. Seriously, worker production will go down. According to a report from employment consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the month long tournament will suck 90 minutes out of each workday for 2.5 million workers. Some estimates, such as one from a 2012 Los Angeles Times article, say that more than $1 billion were paid to distracted workers that year. Who knew sporting events could be so detrimental to the economy? Workers will slow their colleagues’ Internet speeds by streaming live games during work hours, and many will put off work tasks to run and organize the immensely popular office pools, where people will fill out tournament brackets and try and predict the outcome of the competitions, all for their colleagues’ hard earned money. These office bracket pools always bring out the so-called “Bracketologists” on the sports channels. These guys will tell you how you should fill out your bracket. They’re experts, don’t you know? The truth is you should ignore them. Go with your gut. Guess. After all, the tournament is unpredictable. This is why the most exciting thing to me about the tournament is trying to guess which team will play the role of David among the many Goliaths in attendance at the Big Dance. It happens every year. A low-seeded team comes in with no shot at a title. It gains fans as it beats more talented teams. These teams are affectionally known as the “Cinderellas” of the tournament. It happens every year, and while
there is no equation or parameters for who qualifies as a “Cinderella,” the excitement is welcomed by college basketball fans everywhere. Part of the excitement will be not knowing when midnight will strike on these teams. Who could forget 2011’s Virginia Commonwealth University? VCU was an eleventh-seeded team who beat teams such as third-seeded Purdue and first-seeded Kansas to reach the Final Four before being eliminated. What about 2010’s Butler University? The Bulldogs were a fifth-seeded team who took care of the first- and secondseeded teams (Syracuse and Kansas State, respectively) in back-to-back games to reach the Final Four. They then proceeded to beat Michigan State to reach the finals, and lost by three points to the Duke Blue Devils. Heartbreak, indeed. Who doesn’t love an underdog? While these “Cinderellas” always screw up the bracket you filled out, so what? Everyone else’s is ruined too. Might as well root for the lovable losers and hope they can pull off the unthinkable. The memories of excitement created by this tournament live long in the hearts of fans. It doesn’t matter if your favorite team was knocked out, there’s always a charming underdog who just won’t quit, which makes this one of the most electrifying times of the year. So put off your work tasks, fill out your bracket, maybe paint your face, and prepare yourself for madness once again.
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Special Section: Medical Guide
Caring For Your
Health From hospitals to home health agencies and private practices to academia, health care is an intrinsic part of the socio-economic climate of the area. People come from all over the state – and beyond – to avail themselves of the very best medical opportunities available here in East Texas.
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In a traditional bypass procedure, the surgeon must completely stop the heart in order to repair it. But at Longview Regional’s Heart and Vascular Institute, we are utilizing a revolutionary technique known as beating-heart surgery. With this procedure, our skilled team is able to perform complex heart repairs without having to stop the heart – which can result in a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery. In fact, almost all of our bypass surgeries are performed on a beating heart. And we think that’s pretty amazing.
To learn more, visit LongviewRegional.com/heart.
CARDIAC CARE THAT’S SIMPLY AMAZING. March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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Your Destination of Hope Advanced cancer care is now much closer to home. Facing a diagnosis of cancer is one of life’s most difficult challenges. The stress of traveling to and from Dallas or Houston for advanced care and treatment only makes it more difficult. Now you have a choice closer to home – the new Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. As part of the world-renowned University of Texas System and the only university medical center in Northeast Texas, UT Health Science Center has treated patients with cancer for over three decades. Last fall, UTHSCT opened its new Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center – a facility designed with the most important person at the forefront of every decision made – the patient. From the serenity of the surroundings to the comfort of the chemotherapy chairs and the convenience of valet parking – all were designed with the patient in mind.
Ultramodern Technology The new Varian TrueBeam™ linear accelerator at UTHSCT represents the next generation of radiation therapy. It’s not only faster, but more powerful, precise, and accurate – targeting the cancer and minimizing exposure to healthy tissue.
Even more important, an outstanding cancer care team and advanced technology rivaling that of national cancer centers has been combined with the convenience of having physicians’ offices, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and lab and X-ray facilities under one roof – all within steps of the front entrance of the cancer center. For more information on the new UTHSCT Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center or to schedule an appointment, call (903)-877-7831 or toll-free 1-(855)-506-HOPE.
Cancer Treatment and Prevention Center
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Special Section: Medical Guide
Sharlet Slough, D.O. Primary Care, Family and Internal Medicine Dr. Sharlet Slough has been providing care to East Texans since 2006. She grew up in Gruver, a small town in the Texas Panhandle. After graduating from Texas A&M University, Dr. Slough received her medical degree from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. After completing training at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth and at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, Dr. Slough maintains dual board certifications in both Family and Internal Medicine. She is well-equipped to care for patients of all ages from newborns to geriatrics including adults in skilled nursing facilities. Because of her rural background, Dr. Slough dreamed of being a physician that practiced old-fashioned medicine. Hence, she sought out a community where she could take care of families both in and out of the hospital and relocated to East Texas. Dr. Slough originally began her practice in Jacksonville then recently opened a new retainer practice here in Tyler focused on providing old-fashioned, personalized care. Although her practice is the first of its kind in Tyler, many of these retainer practices are emerging across the country. Dr. Slough is committed to treating each patient as a whole individual and believes that optimal health can be attained through the proper balance of exercise, nutrition, and education, as well as the utilization of updated, evidence-based preventative and restorative care. Dr. Sharlet Slough invites East Texans to schedule a free consultation to discover how her clinic can provide the highest level of quality care, value, and convenience to each patient. Slough Medical Clinic 3302 Old Jacksonville Hwy, Suite B Tyler, Texas 75701 903.617.6239 www.SloughMedicalClinic.com
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Special Section: Medical Guide Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine Dr. David Fletcher, an anti-aging expert in Tyler; former president of Smith County Medical Society, and former chief of staff at East Texas Medical Center Hospital is the founder and current medical director of East Texas Institute for Executive Health. He has been designated as an anti-aging specialist by the American Academy of Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine. He is always on the cutting edge of medical progress.
Dr. Fletcher’s innovative stem cell therapy aids joint damage and arthritis in hips, knees, and shoulders.
Stem cells have come a very long way in the few years that they have been used in the medical field. Now stem-like cells can be derived from your own fat cells or “stromal cells”. They can offer relief from arthritic joint pain by aiding and rebuilding the cartilage and these stem-like cells can reproduce bone, cartilage, tendon, & muscle. The fat cells are removed from the abdominal area as a liposuction procedure under local anesthesia. These fat cells are then processed and then activated by a fraction of the patient’s blood. These activated stem cells are then injected into the patients damaged joint. The procedure is done in one day as an outpatient. The stem cells usually adhere to the damaged bone and cartilage in a matter of hours and over a period of months the cartilage and bone may be regenerated and pain reduced. This is an investigational procedure. It is not covered by insurance and not everyone is a candidate, but we have many patients who are improving. Call 903.592.2999 to discuss this new innovative treatment for your joints. East Texas Institute of Executive Health 816 S. Fleishel Ave. • Tyler, Texas 75701 903.592.2999 • LIVINGYOUNGER.ORG
David Fletcher, M.D., ABAARM
Painful joints don’t have to keep you from life.... State-of-the-art Procedure that repairs:
• Knees • Hips • Shoulders • Cartilage • Ligaments
EAST TEXAS INSTITUTE FOR
EXECUTIVE HEALTH ANTI-AGING & REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
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“Like getting an oil change in your car but just in your joints, so you can get back to racing.” -John Cobb, Cobb Cycling
WWW.LIVINGYOUNGER. ORG David K. Fletcher, MD, ABAA R M, Cenegenics Certified . 816 S. Fleishel Ave. • Tyler • 903 592.2999
Raghvendra V. Ghuge, M.B.,B.S., M.D., D,ABSM, FAASM Sleep Specialist The Sleep institute of Texas is set to open in April in Tyler as a comprehensive sleep disorder center. Sleep is essential to our well being and those who have problems sleeping, staying asleep or sleeping too much need the attention of a specially trained health professional who can diagnose the problem and find the solution. Dr.Ghuge, is trained in adult and pediatric sleep disorders and treats a variety of disorders that cause snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue. He pledges that the Sleep Institute of Texas’ professionals will use modern technology to unravel the mystery of what is keeping you from sound sleep. Many suffer from sleep apnea, a condition associated with more serious conditions such as heart diseases coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, cardiac rhythm problems, stroke and dementia. Dr.Ghuge is board certified. His specialty training includes sleep-related cardiac disorders. Dr.Ghuge uses the most innovative options available when testing for treating patients with problems such as sleep apnea, insomnia, Restless Leg Syndrome, periodic limb movements and even sleepwalking. Many methods of testing can be done in the comfort of one’s home, where anxiety and apprehension are reduced. Look for the opening of the Sleep Medicine Institute of Texas.
Sleep Medicine Institute 115 W. 5th St. Tyler, Texas 75701 903.787.7533 • sleeptyler.com
Coming to Tyler, April 2013
Sleep Apnea • ADD/ADHD • Insomnia • Restless Leg Syndrome Periodic Limb Movement • REM Sleep Behavior • Sleep Walking 115 West Fifth Street • Tyler • 903.787.7533 • sleeptyler.com March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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Orthopedic Rehab Post Stroke Skilled Nursing Cardiac Rehabilitation IV Therapy Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Speech Therapy Oncology Rehab Wound Care Management Pain Management Post Surgery Care Pulmonary Rehabilitation
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Newly awarded VA accreditation Now accepting US Military Veterans with up to 100% Benefits
Special Section: Medical Guide
William Brelsford,M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.R. Internist, Rheumatologist Dr. William G. Brelsford was raised in Tyler in a medical family. His father was a surgeon here for many years, moving here after World War II. His mother grew up in Longview. Dr. Brelsford is an honor graduate of both Robert E. Lee High school and Southern Methodist University. After completing medical school in Galveston at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Dr. Brelsford completed his residency and fellowship training in Dallas and Shreveport. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and board certified in Rheumatology. Dr. Brelsford has authored and co-authored several publications in respected journals in Rheumatology. He has practiced rheumatology in East Texas for over 28 years. Dr. Brelsford is a member of the American Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, Smith County Medical Society, and is a fellow in the American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis & Osteoporosis Clinic of East Texas, P.A. 1212 Clinic Drive Tyler, Texas 75701 903.596.8858 www.DrBrelsford.com
William G. Brelsford, MD, FACR
903-596-8858 1212 Clinic Dr. Tyler, Texas 75703 www.drbrelsford.com
American College of Physicians. Dr. Brelsford owns the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Clinic of East Texas in Tyler. Dr. Brelsford is married to Peggy and they raised two kids, Kate and George. He enjoys hunting and golf and being with his family.
We provide diagnosis & treatment of: • Hand & Feet Joint injections • Bone Density Testing • IV Infusions to Arrest Arthritis & Osteoporosis We utiliize the latest treatments & technologies: • Rheumatoid Arthritis • Lupus • General Arthritis of Joints & Back • Osteoporosis • Other Auto-immune Disorders
We have a convenient on-site laboratory. Contact us today & arrange an appointment.
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EXPERIENCE CARE.
Virginia B. Beall, MD, FACS Thomas W. Bochow, MD, MPH Gregory D. Kiblinger, MD Leo W. Mack, Jr., MD, FACS C. Jeffrey Pennell, MD, FACS Jon T. Schreiber, MD, FACS Jeffrey P. Wick, MD, MS
Troy B. Cooper, OD Bryan E. Frazier, OD, FAAO Valerie Mace, OD Carol T. McCuistion, OD Carey G. Prater, OD, FAAO Garold L. Timmons, OD John S. Whorff, OD, PhD
Teamwork…
14 EyeCare Professionals…6 Locations…6 Optical Shops and east Texas’ first free-standing outpatient ambulatory surgery center dedicated exclusively to eye surgery, combine to make EYECARE ASSOCIATES the largest most recognized provider of eye services in East Texas. Whether it is simply a routine exam for contact lenses or reading glasses or involves complex cataract, glaucoma, LASIK, cornea, or retina services, we are ready to serve you. We have the best EyeCare team and state-of-the-art technology to provide you, our patient, with the best EyeCare in Texas!
Your vision has always been our vision!
EyeCare Assoicates of East Texas 2440 East Fifth Street Tyler, TX 75701 903.595.0500 eyecaretyler.com 138 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
Special Section: Medical Guide
Joey Coker Owner of Home-Aid Caregivers, Ltd.
Cynthia Luman, Left, and Peggy Cruson, Right, with owner Joey Coker, Center.
Education:
B.S. in Public Administration (Harding University) M.S. in Long-Term Care Administration (Gerontology/MBA) Licensed Nursing Facility Administrator (LNFA)
Home- Aid Caregivers, Ltd., is a natural progression for owner Joey Coker. He grew up in a small East Texas community surrounded by many family members and friends from the Depression and World War II eras who served as positive role models. His exposure to them continues to shape his character and provide spiritual, personal and professional guidance. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in public administration, Joey began took a job in a skilled nursing facility and earned his master’s degree in long-term care administration from The University of North Texas. “The program was a very good jumpstart to my career because of the breadth of information related to business and gerontology,” says Joey. After earning his master’s degree, Joey began a career as Licensed Nursing Facilitator Administrator. “Skilled nursing facilities present unique challenges to say the least,” says Joey. “The regulatory oversight, corporate culture and staffturnover issues in that industry gave me the confidence that if I could succeed in that job, I could do anything.” Joey then served as director of skilled care services at a large home health agency that served 44 counties. “This experience exposed me to home health and added another dimension to my eldercare experience,” says Joey. “After seeing how much happier the clients/patients were in their own homes and how the employees seemed to enjoy their jobs more, I decided home care was the place for me.” In 2002, he moved to Tyler and started Home-Aid Caregivers, Ltd. Joey says it has been a wonderful adventure and that he has performed many roles within the company to make it a success. “Obviously it was difficult, but it was even more rewarding.”
903-533-1300
www.homeaidcaregivers.com
Since 2002
Helping People stay home & stay happy. In-home care that you can trust!
√ √ √
Licensed By DADs Bonded/Insured Criminal Background Checks
√ Trained/Supervised √ Customer Service √ Scheduling/Payroll Covered
Joey Coker • Owner/Administrator M.S. Gerontology • Licensed Nursing Facility Adminstrator
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AtHomeHealth.org
You can live independently at home. Whether you are recovering from an injury, illness or simply in need of extra help at home, you want to choose home care that will provide the level of care to meet your specific needs.
care allows for Home continued medical
treatment in a comfortable and familiar environment; in the home. Home care keeps families together by helping them adjust to a new lifestyle, while maintaining a sense of dignity for the individual. Starting with a commitment to excellence in patient care over 25 years ago, At Home Healthcare has been serving East Texans since 1986. At Home Healthcare is the trusted choice in home care for all ages. Qualified professionals are dedicated to meeting your nursing or rehabilitation needs.
The pediatric home care program is led by nurses dedicated to caring for chronically ill children and their families. Care is tailored for each child using a team of professionals who have chosen pediatrics as their specialty. Specialized programs utilize state-of-the-art technology to ensure the highest quality of care and improve the health and well-being of our clients. The team uses standardized education booklets to promote and improve patient understanding of disease management. At Home Healthcare’s service area extends into 64 Texas counties in East,
Make Us Your Choice. Call 903-592-8001(1-877 MY NURSE)
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North and Central Texas, providing care for all ages. On call 24/7, we’re here when you need us. For more on how At Home Healthcare can help you or your family, call 877 MY NURSE to speak to a caring professional about your specific need.
419 S Beckham Ave 423 S Beckham Ave 9846 Hwy 31 East Tyler, Texas www.athomehealth.org info@athomehealth.org
Coming Soon to Tyler!
Carlos Guerrero, Ph.D., Rebecca Chilvers, MD, Jerald S. Goldstein, MD, & Dorette Noorhasan, MD
Where the Waiting Ends and Families Begin...
FRISCO
• Pregnancy Rates Above National Average
• Male and Female Infertility Treatments
• State-of-the-Art IVF On-Site Lab
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DALLAS 214.750.5500
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FertilityTexas.com
EAST TEXAS’
VISION CARE SPECIALISTS SPECIALIZING IN: • • • •
All-Laser LASIK Advanced Cataract Surgery Lifestyle Lenses Glaucoma
• Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty) • Botox® Cosmetic • Pediatric Specialist
If your vision is keeping you from enjoying life; it’s time to call Heaton Eye Associates. The doctors at Heaton Eye Associates can care for all of your family’s vision needs. From routine vision care to All-Laser LASIK and no-shot/no-stitch/no-patch cataract surgery with the most advanced Lifestyle Lens Implants available, there is no reason to travel anywhere else! We also have a fullservice optical shop in Longview and Henderson with the latest fashions in eye wear. Call us today to schedule an appointment!
1-800-762-5787
HEATONEYE.COM
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SERVING EAST TEXAS FOR 30 YEARS
5 Years in a Row (2009-2013)
Top 5% in Nation
We Strive to be Distinguished And We Achieve It. Healthcare providers strive to offer superior medical care to those they serve. But, you should only entrust your care to those recognized for achieving it. Use Healthgrades速 to research hospital performance and talk to your physician about the highly-skilled experts and state-of-the-art facility of Mother Frances Hospital - Tyler. Learn more at healthgrades.com
12-3875
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Special Section: Medical Guide Dr. Charles Rhodus and Dr. Matthew Kindle of Foot Specialists of Tyler have dedicated their lives to helping people maintain healthy feet through medical and surgical treatments. Foot pain is not normal and should be taken seriously. It can be caused by many issues.
Foot Specialist
Charles D. Rhodus, DPM
Dr. Rhodus has practiced podiatric medical care in East Texas since 1997. He graduated in 1995 from Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago and went to Palo Alto, Calif., to complete his residency at Stanford University Medical Center and Veterans Administration in Palo Alto. In 2007, he started Foot Specialists of Tyler and in June of last year opened his new facility at 5826 New Copeland Road, just north of Grande Avenue.
Matthew Kindle, DPM
Dr. Matthew Kindle is a native East Texan and joined Dr. Rhodus this past July after completing study at Rosalind Franklin University’s School of Podiatric Medicine in Chicago. He also served a three-year residency at The University of Texas Health Center in San Antonio. Dr. Kindle speaks Spanish and is eager to treat those who prefer to communicate in Spanish. Foot Specialists of Tyler is housed in a state-of-the-art facility designed for the optimum comfort, convenience and education of their patients. Their goal is for their patients to experience the most advanced foot care possible in a comfortable and soothing environment provided by a caring and experienced staff. Drs. Rhodus and Kindle are accepting new patients and most insurance providers. Those who are experiencing any type of pain or discomfort in the foot or ankle are encouraged to give them a call right away.
Foot Specialist of Tyler 5826 New Copeland Road, Tyler, Texas 903.592.7200 footspecialistoftyler.com
Our goal is to help you maintain healthy feet through medical and surgical treatment. • • • • • • • • •
Diabetic foot care Orthotics Sprains • Fractures Crush injuries Ankle instability Burning feet Warts • Toenail fungus Corns • Calluses Flat feet
• • • • • • • •
Since 2007, Foot Specialists of Tyler has been working with patients to provide the best podiatric and most comprehensive foot and ankle care in the Tyler area.
Geriatric foot care Achilles tendon injuries Athlete’s foot Arthritis of the foot Bunions Planter fasciitis Hammertoes Ingrown toenails
Charles D. Rhodus D.P.M. and Matthew Kindle D.P.M. strive to provide foot care and education with genuine concern for their patients. All of the staff is dedicated to your comfort and prompt attention.
www.FootSpecialistsOf Tyler.com 5826 New Copeland Rd. • Tyler • 903.592.7200 Monday-Thursday 8:00-5:00 • Friday 8:00-3:00
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Fred Kersh D.O., P.A. Occupational Medicine / Family Practice Dr. Fredrick W. Kersh has deep ties to East Texas community, having resided in Tyler his entire life. He understands the needs of East Texas employers and values their importance. After graduating from The University of Texas at Tyler, Dr. Kersh received his medical degree from Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed residencies in both family practice and occupational medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. Board certified in occupational medicine, Dr. Kersh has been treating injured workers and serving employers in their pre-employment, work environment and post-accident needs for over 20 years. He also is a preeminent physician and holds a board certification in family practice further demonstrating commitment to quality care. Dr. Kersh serves as an emergency medicine physician for ETMC’s emergency clinics in South Tyler, Jacksonville and Athens and as a staff physician for the Smith County Jail. Dr. Kersh owns Direct RehabMed’s Business Health and Occupational Medicine Division and is the medical director for Direct RehabMed’s Work Hardening and Work Conditioning outpatient therapy programs. Focused on providing personalized service and healthcare, Dr. Kersh is dedicated to helping employers prevent injuries and helping injured workers through the process of getting back to work. Fred Kersh D.O., P.A. Direct RehabMed Business Health 3110 Park Center Drive Tyler, TX 75701 903-593-9999 ph www.directrehabmed.com
Injured on the Job? Need to get back to Work?
Better Care For Better Living www.directrehabmed.com (903) 593-9999
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Special Section: Medical Guide
Ritesh R. Prasad, M.D. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Dr. Ritesh R. Prasad is a specialist in the field of Pain Management and the non-surgical diagnosis and management of musculoskeletal conditions. After graduating from The University of Houston, Dr. Prasad received his Doctorate of Medicine from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston where he also completed an internship in Internal Medicine. He then completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Prasad is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and serves as Medical Director of our Outpatient Medical Rehabilitation program, our Post Acute Brain Injury program as well as our Interdisciplinary Chronic Pain Management program. He is a member of International Spinal Injection Society, a Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Physiatric Association of Spine, Sports, and Occupational Rehabilitation, Texas Medical Association, and the Smith County Medical Society. As an avid car and racing enthusiast, Dr. Prasad understands the importance of being able to enjoy life and to live it to the fullest. He understands that when you are pain, it affects every aspect of your life. Dr. Prasad and his team of experts are committed to providing the best care possible to help you heal and restore all aspects of your life and allow you to enjoy life again. East Texas Spine Institute, P.A. Direct RehabMed 3110 Park Center Drive Tyler, TX 75701 903-593-9999 ph www.directrehabmed.com
Is Pain Stopping You From Living Life?
Better Care For Better Living www.directrehabmed.com (903) 593-9999
146 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
STEPS TO CREATING HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES Making healthy changes in your life is easier if you don’t have to do it alone. Here are some things you can do to help make both you and your community healthier day by day: Eating fruits and vegetables is one way to reduce your risk for chronic disease. Long Live Texans is a public awareness campaign to help prevent chronic disease and promote healthier communities through the Transforming Texas and Coordinated Chronic Disease initiatives. Eating well, being physically active and avoiding tobacco in all its forms can help reduce your risk for chronic disease. There are simple steps that individuals and communities can take to live longer, healthier, and better. To learn how you and your community can join this important movement, visit www.LongLiveTexans.com.
• Support a bike trail in your community. • Ask that fresh fruits and vegetables be available in your workplace. • Start a community garden in your neighborhood. • Ask your local restaurants to share nutritional information and promote healthy menu items. • Ask your local farmers market or grocery store to offer healthy cooking classes. • Start a walking group with your friends or coworkers. • Tell everyone you know that eating well and being active will make you feel good and reduce your risk for chronic disease. • Cook healthy food for friends and family. • Promote tobacco-free living in your community and workplace. • Create a fitness challenge with friends to see how many pounds you can lose together.
To learn more, visit www.LongLiveTexans.com www.healthyeasttx.org Smith County 903-535-0020 Van Zandt County 903-567-2673 Wood County 903-763-4141
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Special Section: Medical Guide
The Waterton at Shiloh Senior Care Center The warmth and sophisticated charm of The Waterton is evident as soon as you walk through the doors. Built in 2009, it was designed for people who need compassionate rehabilitative care in a comfortable and elegant environment. The skilled nursing facility administers physical, occupational and speech therapy services to ensure patients recover to their fullest ability. The therapy is supervised by a physician and provided by licensed nurses. The many rehabilitative services include post-surgical orthopedic (knee replacements, hip replacements, back surgeries, etc.), poststroke CVA, cardiac rehabilitation, negative pressure wound therapy, wound care management, pain management, post surgery care, IV therapy and gastrostomy/peg tube therapy . Patients can receive short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, hospice care and respite care. The Renal Ventures Dialysis Company is on site to provide dialysis for residents and outpatients. To make sure patients heal in as safe and comfortable environment as possible, The Waterton provides a 24-hour nursing staff and monitored surveillance; wireless Internet with onsite computers; transportation and grooming services; recreational, social and planned activities; dining services; and a library and reading room. Each patient room has a television, refrigerator and ceiling fan. Rooms in the Rehab Express, the short-term recovery unit, open to a spacious common area that features 23-foot ceilings, plenty of natural light and sitting areas to together with friends and family. The home-transition services help patients as they leave and return home. Call The Waterton at 903-561-1300. It accepts Private Pay and some private insurance as well as Medicare and Medicaid.
The Waterton at Shiloh 2875 Shiloh Road, Tyler, Texas 903.561.1300 watertontyler.com
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Tyler Open MRI is an affiliate of Touchstone Medical Imaging, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging services in the United States. Headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee, Touchstone owns and operates diagnostic imaging facilities nationwide.
Most Insurance Accepted • Competitive Cash Pay Prices For more information about Touchstone Medical Imaging, please visit www.touchstoneimaging.com. We Strive to exceed expectations and perform our services with honesty and integrity.
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(903)526-6736 1904 E Southeast Loop 323 • Tyler, TX 75701 (Enter off Paluxy)
“Like” Us on Facebook
ENT Associates of East Texas Our goal is to offer our patients the highest quality hearing care at an affordable price. We customize solutions for each individual to best satisfy his or her hearing needs, lifestyle and budget. • Doctorate and Master’s Level Audiologists • Board Certified Otolaryngologists on site • Largest selection of hearing device manufacturers including Oticon, Phonak, ReSound and Starkey • FREE in-office listening demonstration • FREE batteries for the life of the hearing devices • 60-day satisfaction period with 100% refund of purchase price • 0% financing available (with available credit)
Michael Lewis, M.D., Troy Callender, M.D., Steuart Heaton, M.D., Angela Buttram, BSN, FNP-C., Howard Garb, M.D.
Experience the Ultimate: The ALL NEW Alta hearing device.
Call us today! 903.253.9600
Lesley Lee, Au.D., Teri Brooks, M.A., Laurie Hicks, M.S., Mary K. Roberts, M.A., Beth Dorsey, Au.D., Janice Richbourg, Au.D.
3413 Golden Road, Tyler, Texas 75701 • 903.253.9600 • www.enttyler.com
Est. 1983
903.253.9600 Steuart L. Heaton, M.D. Troy A. Callender, M.D. Howard S. Garb, M.D. Michael R. Lewis, M.D. Angela Buttram, RN, BSN, FNP-C
3413 Golden Rd. ~ Tyler, Texas 75701
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Clean Rooms. Great Service. Fair Prices.
Hospitality House Home Away From Home
Furnished efficiency, 1 & 2 Bedroom Suites • Starting at $35 plus tax per night Fully Furnished Kitchens • Laundry Facility on site • Free Parking Affordable accommodations when you need them most. In times of bereavement & serious illness. Also available for medical personnel, traveling nurses, corporate or extended stay, or someone that is relocating for employment.
528 S. Saunders, Tyler, TX • 903-592-7813 • www.hospitalityhousetylertx.com Daily and Monthly Rates • VISA, MasterCard, Discover & AMEX 150 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
Location
Hospitality House is located across the street from Trinity Mother Frances Hospital and 1-1/2 blocks from East Texas Medical Center. A convenience store, banks and restaurants are within easy walking distance. We are also conveniently located close to the downtown area.
Parking
Convenient parking is available in our private, well-lighted parking facility.
Furnishings and Laundry
All of our suites are fully furnished, including all cookware, bed linens, and bath towels. Color expanded cable television is provided in each suite. Coin operated washers and dryers are centrally located for the convenience of our guests.
Internet Service
High-Speed Internet Access is available for a fee. There are hourly, daily, weekly and monthly rates with 24/7 technical assistance.
Activities
A swimming pool is available for guests and family members.
Rates
Affordable accommodations
When you need them most. In time of serious illness and bereavement, the Hospitality House offers the convenience and comfort you need. Our facility is also available for medical personnel, traveling nurses, corporate or extended stay, or someone that is relocating for employment.
The rate for Hospitality House per suite starts at $35.00 + tax per night. Inquire about discount for stay of 30 days or more. Occupancy is limited to three (3) guests (including children) per suite.
Reservations
For reservations call (903)592-7813 Monday through Saturday 8:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m. and on Sunday 1:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Clean Rooms. Great Service. Fair Prices.
Hospitality House Home Away From Home
528 S. Saunders, Tyler, TX • 903-592-7813 • www.hospitalityhousetylertx.com
There is no doubt that the Waterton is a special place. It’s the warmth in its people, the lavish surroundings and the care that we take in your recovery. From short-term care in our Rehab Express unit to those who need just a little longer stay, we are with you along the way to wellness.
2875 Shiloh Road, Tyler • (903) 561-1300 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
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NEW LOCATION. SAME GREAT CARE. Kim A. Foreman, M.D. NOW LOCATED AT 8101 SOUTH BROADWAY
To better serve our patients, Azalea Orthopedics is opening a second Tyler location in the growing South Tyler area. Our South Tyler clinic will mean more convenience and a level of orthopedic care that the people of East Texas have come to expect. Look for the opening of our new clinic in February at 8101 South Broadway. Now more than ever, you have choices when it comes to orthopedic care. Choose wisely.
Accepting most insurance including BlueCross and BlueShield
8101 South Broadway 152 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
AzaleaOrtho.com
903.939.7501
“Azalea, please.” Exercise Your Right to Choose Getting the highest quality orthopedic care should be easy. It is, but only if you ask for it. At Azalea Orthopedics, we want you to have the care you deserve. That’s the reason we want to make sure you ask for Azalea Orthopedics by name when visiting your family physician or any area emergency room. No one can make that choice for you nor take it away from you. It’s up to you.
Does the Hospital or ER Decide? No. Intentionally or otherwise, patients of some providers are confused by statements such as “Not in our network” or “Your doctor is not available”. Azalea physicians are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When you go to the doctor, the emergency room or any other medical facility, it’s your choice who treats you. But, in order to get the quality care you deserve, you must ask for it by name.
Azalea Orthopedics
Does the Insurance Company Decide? No. Azalea Orthopedics ACCEPTS and is IN NETWORK for almost all insurance carriers INCLUDING BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD. In addition, emergency room visits are covered by all insurance carriers, regardless of the provider. You are free to choose, but to get the quality care you deserve, you must ask for it by name.
Azalea Orthopedics
Does the Government Decide? No. Recent new health care legislation may lead many to assume that they do not have a say in where they are treated. That is not the case. You are free to choose, but in order to get the quality care you deserve, you must ask for it by name.
Azalea Orthopedics
It’s Your Choice 903.939.7500
Azaleaortho.com
On call 24 hours a day.
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spirituality
Remember your
First love By Joseph Canal | Courtesy Photo
"F
irst we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.” 1 John 4:19 (TMSG) Do you remember your first kiss? I’m talking about that awkward attempt at romance you might have had with your first boyfriend or girlfriend. I know, when we think of our first kiss we are usually thinking of an experiment by two beginners who don't even know where to put their noses or how to soften their lips. Eyes shut tight — too embarrassed to look. But your actual first kiss probably came much earlier, before you could possibly remember. It most likely came from your mother and it meant so much more than any third rate adolescent field test. Your first kiss should have come from someone with your best interest at heart. It should have been a sign of genuine affection that was pure, protecting and comforting, that you didn't have to earn, that came before you could do anything but cry and make a complete nuisance of yourself. Do you remember your first love? Probably not, because your first love came even before your mom or dad held you close, before you drew your first breath. And it was a pure love, a perfect love, a selfless love. It was like the love of parents if the parents were perfect, and it came, not from the ones who gave birth to you, but from the one who gave life to you. It's unfortunate that the word 'love' can mean so many things to so many people. A lover uses the same word to describe his devotion to his beloved as a mother does to her child as a sister does to her brother as God does to men and women. And the same word is used to describe our feelings about the weather and about a pair of shoes and about our favorite flavor of ice cream. It is almost impossible to know whether 'I love you,' is a confession of feelings and intentions of the highest order, (like God's unconditional, unwavering, unselfish, sacrificial love for mankind), or of the lowest, (a person's love for cake). None of these forms of love is wrong in themselves. What is wrong (and maybe what is wrong with the world as we 154 March/April 2013 | INMagTexas.com
Joseph Canal is pastor of Tyler Christian Fellowship in Tyler, Texas. He and his wife, Becky have been married for 34 years and have five sons and three grandchildren.
know it), is that too often we love people the way we love things. Heaven help the ice cream when the loving is over! The sad fact is that we are, all of us, amateurs when it comes to love. Clumsy, awkward, fumbling. We don't know how to give or receive it. We love passionately for long enough to awaken love in another and then lose interest to leave them smoldering alone. Or, on the other hand, we take the love others give us for granted, as if we deserved it. When we were children, we talked like children and we walked like children. But we got better at these things as we learned to talk and walk from others who knew how. And that brings me back to thinking about our first love, because if we are going to learn to love, we have to learn from the one who loved us first.
God's teaches us how to truly love in three important ways: His love is forever. Lovers like to use this term, forever. But
we don't know what forever is, we don't really know what "as long as we both shall live" is. He loved before there was time and will love when time is no more.
His love is unconditional. What you must earn, you may lose. But your heavenly father isn't waiting for you to deserve his love. He’s like the grandpa who goes to see his granddaughter’s ballet performance. He loves her before she ever steps on the stage. If she does well, he’ll cheer loudly, if she fails, he’ll hug her tightly, but his love doesn't begin when she does well and it doesn't fade if she falls. His love is sacrificial. The evidence of true love isn't a warm embrace or even a heartfelt kiss; it is the sacrifice of the thing most precious to the lover. It’s a love that is proven to be truly valuable, not just because of how much it pays the one who loves, but also because of how much it costs him. The good news is that if your first attempts at love have ended disappointingly, you can learn to love better if you learn from the one who loved you first, God.
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