November 2023 Inspiration 4 Life Magazine by Inspiration 4 Life

inspiration4life.org

November 2023

Contents 3

JACOB DOMINGUEZ Lobster Fest

SANDRA CERDA Facing The Winds of Challenge

BONITA MARKETING CO. Vintage Market

ANGIE VIVIAN Puro Texas Charm

TRISTAN RAMIRES Heart Chakra Healing

TEXAS RED WOLVES Open Season Game November 4th

ANA BANDA Texas Hill Country

Stay tuned for more great Issues of Inspiration 4 Life Magazine. We will cover more amazing topics such as Ministries, Leadership, Communities, Local Heroes, Fitness, Beauty, Fashion, Sports, Events, Art, Gala's, Markets and so much more! Trademark and Copyright Laws Protect Inspiration 4 Life Magazine. No part of this Magazine may be reproduced without permission. Articles are submitted by Team Writers and images by Advertisers. Inspiration 4 Life Magazine is not responsible for Content submitted. Copyright 2023

Editor's Note CEO/Radio/TV/Web Host & Personality

Hello everyone! I want to thank everyone for being a part of our Journey and our Online Digital Magazine. Our Magazine is simply here to inspire you and help be a Voice for everyone! We love to share your stories with the world. This is another wonderful Platform we have put together for you to enjoy. We are here to help encourage those who love to write but don't know where to start, have hidden talents as writers, editors, photographers, graphic designers and so much more, to be a part of our Magazine. We want to inspire you to embrace new talented writers as some will be sharing their stories for the first time. We also have experienced, amazing writers from around the world. Here at Inspiration 4 Life, we are a judge free zone and love to give others the opportunities to also live their dreams and passions. We have been trying to make this dream come true since 2010 but with so many obstacles that stood in the way, we managed to break barriers and still made our dream come true. We inspire you to never give up on your Dreams! In this Magazine, you will read about some of our amazing Inspiration 4 Life Team, our Members, Partners, Sponsors, Advertisers and more. Inspiration 4 Life has covered the Eastside, Westside, Southside, Northside, surrounding areas and also around the world. There are no boundaries of the location and type of inspiration we will cover in our Magazine. We have covered it all after all these years. We have so many amazing people in our Communities of San Antonio, therefore we will always have stories for you. Inspiration 4 Life will always be thankful for our Local Heroes Segment on KENS 5 Great Day SA, Sunday Morning Show from 2011-2015. If you would like to be a part of our Magazine or have any questions, you can visit www.inspiration4life.org/Contact

Rita Hernandez Editor-in-Chief

Get Inspired! Be Inspired! Stay Inspired!

JACOB DOMINGUEZ

They explained one option would be for me to invest, having 50 traps built and allowing them to manage. I immediately accepted. Luckily, these guys had water and had room for some of my traps. Without telling friends and family (because of the embarrassment I would of felt had I been a victim of a scam to send money and never to see my traps), I wired them money. The Lobster season started in 2021 and I started to see a small monthly return. I was only making 30% of what 50 traps was making because I wasn’t doing anything but finding 50 traps. After a full season and a half with my 50 traps, I decided I wanted to double my presence. I began the process of making 50 more traps when Belize was hit by hurricane Lisa which ripped apart the country. It damaged over 90% of the lobster traps in the entire country. All mine were destroyed. It was time to rebuild. Before I could begin the rebuilding process, I was told (by one of my divers) that there was a gentleman who was the largest producer of lobster in the country of Belize who owned 3 islands in the Caribbean Sea

My name is Jacob Dominguez and I’m born and raised in the west side of San Antonio. A few years ago while on a cruise to Belize, I met some young teenage fishermen who I saw catching shrimp from a distance. I jokingly asked them if I could join them and they gleefully allowed me to catch with them. They came to the water’s edge where I was having drinks with my family and I spent an hour with them. We exchanged social media and I paid them $20 for their time. We remained Facebook acquaintances throughout the years and I would watch their accounts to see how their livelihoods including shrimping, fishing and catching lobsters. This intrigued me. After a few years, I began

3 to ask on how I could get into the lobster business.

who was looking to sell one of his island. His urgency was that he needed cash to rebuild his over 3000 lobster traps, clear the land in both islands and for other structured the hurricane had damaged. We met. We spoke. We negotiated. And I ended up owner of an island. The terms of the deal were that the former owner would leave me with 400 lobster new traps. I immediately added 600+ more. The season started with me and my team of divers selling my lobsters to the local Belizean fisheries but that was short lived. I noticed that I

was just a small part of the lobster industry’s chain of getting lobsters to people’s dinner plates. All in all, there were about 5-6 middlemen involved in getting the lobsters to their final destination. I knew there was an opportunity to eliminate some (even all) of the middlemen. I set off to slowly incorporate steps that middlemen were doing. I started with building a processing plant. From there, I began my own packaging and finally, I started flying in my own lobsters. After eliminating all the middlemen, I had the crazy idea of having Lobster Festivals all over the country. Since there’s no middlemen, I’m able to offer the lobster entrees for less than a turkey leg at other festivals! I’m super excited to say that our first San Antonio Lobster Festival is scheduled for November 26TH at Smoke Downtown! Doors open at 12pm and we go until 10pm. We have an amazing live music lineup and a Dj who will keep the music going the entire duration.

We are expecting a complete sellout of our lobster dishes so plan accordingly and pre-order your dishes to guarantee your lobster entrée. If you’re unable to attend this Lobster Festival, you can enjoy these amazing lobster dishes on December 9th at Backyard on Broadway for LOBSTER DAY. Door open at noon. Party until 12am.

November Awareness American Diabetes Month Bladder Health Month Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Awareness Month Diabetic Eye Disease Month Lung Cancer Awareness Month National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month National Epilepsy Awareness Month National Family Caregivers Month National Healthy Skin Month National Hospice Palliative Care Month National Stomach Cancer Awareness Month Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month Prematurity Awareness Month World Antibiotic Awareness Week (Nov. 11–17) World Prematurity Day (Nov. 17) GERD Awareness Week (Nov. 17–23) Great American Smokeout (Nov. 19) International Survivors of Suicide Day (Nov. 21) 5 National Family Health History Day (Nov. 26)

FACING THE WINDS OF CHALLENGE The God-kind of faith! By Sandra Cerda

Another issue is God’s people still have attachments to their stuff. How often we recklessly come out from under

the

full

covering

God's

blessings

compromise or other subtle ways of slack in our walk with God and with His people? It seems we fail to recognize how crafty the enemy is to disconnect us from each other and the church where we receive spiritual strength. This is a dangerous trick of the devil. Open doors of opportunity for attacks spiritually, physically, even financially or in relationships but for certain in health and peace of mind, can be limited if we shut the door to the "stuff". We can be separated from the stains of worldliness and other "contaminating influences” (II Cor. 6:17) and instead be positioned in life for the blessings of God, daily. That’s a challenge! Decide to live a life consecrated and devoted to godliness to the best of your ability and God will do the rest. Be prepared for challenges. Be prayed up, alert and ready! Be in the right place at the right time when the blessings of God are poured out. I know many today facing major challenges in life. Those things come to us all but preparation and a good, strong prayer covering of people who believe in merciful, miracles and the tangible power of God is available. There are no lone rangers in the family of God. We all need each other. Surround yourself with people who pray and get results. Plug into a strong church that teaches how to get through trying times and will walk with you through them. You should never

So much goes through the spirit, soul, body and mind of a person who receives a negative report. We hope those reports don’t come but sadly the winds of challenge in life and faith, do. One key to a way out is preparation. Are you prepared for the winds of challenge and change?

Rally the troops and gain victory in life to the glory of God. Face challenges with your head held up, you cannot

When the storms of life come will you be ready?

face your giant with your head hanging low. God has

Many are surprised at sudden changes or challenges,

Confront those lies of the devil in the force and

often failing to realize we’ve eased up on our prayer devotions to a more subtle, casual stance. We get off course and begin to busy ourselves with other legitimate demands and soon are confronted with situations that

feel like you must go it alone, although many of us do.

require fervency, yet we have none.

given you victory; the battle is His! We represent Christ! strength of God’s victory and assurance! Confidence rises in you! Suddenly, you remember all those past victories and the times the ‘father of lies’ told you ‘you will never make it through this one’. The devil is not just a liar he is a defeated liar and that never changes!

God is for you not against you. He goes before you, levels mountains

In 1987 after working in acting and modeling, I

and makes the path clear! He makes impossibilities a thing of the past!

found myself very ill with an infection covering

No more settling for ‘no’ when God has already said ‘yes’ in His Word!

nearly 100% of my body, often stuck to sheets and

You will face a situation in your life where you will have to choose

pillowcases. After 30 months and 10 doctors I

whether you’re going to believe and fully trust God and take Him at

ended up at the University of Texas Health

His word against all the odds or not.

Science Center then found myself sitting at the back of a church that believed in miracles! I was a

I’ve learned the importance of preparation in prayer for when the

practicing black-magic witch and suicidal-drug

storms of life hit. I wasn’t always ready for it or always see it coming

addict when God heard my prayer. That church

but learned that the strongest area of my life as a Christian had to be

was Lakewood Church where I learned of the

prayer, my ability to communicate with God. I needed the lines of

healing miracle of Dodie Osteen from metastatic

communication to remain open, always. I quickly learned not to allow

cancer of the liver. I was healed, surviving that

distance in my relationship with God. I had to learn not to stray from

medical death sentence with only months to live,

His covering because the storms of life were just around the bend.

35 years ago! The God-kind of faith lives in me

Now, I fully trust the Lord, rely on Him and know that when ‘facing

and it can in you, also! You can learn more about

the winds of challenge and change’ the victory is mine, in Jesus’ Name!

me and my work online at MaryMagdalene.Film.

We are covered and connected! I’m not willing to be numbered among those who live life in defeat or too afraid to answer the challenge or face it when it comes. My strength is not in myself as it was, but in God’s ability by facing the challenges in life head-on and being well positioned in Christ.

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TEXAS HILL COUNTRY BY ANA BANDA My name is Ana Banda and I am a local Texan. I am a local San Antonio born Texan! I love my Alamo City and I have often ventured out for a day or a weekend adventure that has most definitely lead me to the Texas Hill Country. As a San Antonian, we are quite lucky to have such a convenient access to this great part of Texas. The Texas Hill Country is the geographic region of both central and southern parts of Texas. As a San Antonian, we boast the best possible location to be the center of it all! Just a short drive and within minutes from San Antonio, you can find yourself in the Texas Hill Country. Nearby, San Marcos, Fredericksburg, Kerrville, Helotes, Bandera, Wimberly, Gruene, Canyon Lake, Blanco, Bulverde, Castroville, Mico, Comfort, Texas just to name a few. The Texas Hill Country is a geographic region of Texas that offers richness in culture, that includes German and Spanish influences. Therefore, as you begin to explore the Hill Country, you may find that these towns often have so much in common and yet so distinct in nature. In the past I have found myself just anxious to enjoy the great fall weather. I quickly realized that exploring a new town was as simple as taking off for the day and exploring it on my own or with my grandson, a friend or with family including pets. I would grab myself a coffee to go and start my drive. One particular day on my way to a watering hole in Bandera, Texas, my grandson and I stumbled upon a 14 year old longhorn that was welcoming guests into downtown Bandera. Naturally, I parked and asked to have our picture taken with this lovely Texas Longhorn. We were not expecting to experience this memorable moment, but these are the beautiful and exciting surprises that await you in the Texas Hill Country! It is my experience that dressing up in my cowboy boots and western fashion will allow me to fit right in to any location! Don’t worry! If you don’t own any western gear, you will have many opportunities along the way as you explore any new town. Most all towns offer a boutique or shop that offers their local fashion. How about stopping in one of these small shops while you explore the town. I encourage you to support local and buy that fun new item while you are there. You will often times find unexpected treasures in any of the small towns. If you plan ahead, you may be visiting a town that is hosting live music and their own town festival that

offers their own hometown crafts and fashion.

Taking a day trip is all about playing your favorite tunes in the car as you embark on your day trip. Oh, and stay tuned for the views! The winding roads will surely offer both scenic and rugged views as you travel towards your new destination. I’d like to say “get lost” in the moment and the beauty of what is the Texas Hill Country. Maybe you can lower the windows and enjoy that fresh air while on the Texas roads! Do not be surprised to see the wildlife and beauty of the drive. On a weekend trip to the hill country one year, I was scheduled to take a hot air balloon ride in Bankersmith, Texas. Bankersmith is just a short drive from Fredericksburg, Texas. If you are looking for a dance hall or a ghost tour, Bankersmith, Texas is the place for you. En route to Bankersmith for my hot air balloon ride, I was fascinated to encounter some buffalo, camels and llamas, oh my! I took the opportunity to make a new friend and stopped to say hello to my new camel friend! (see pic) Oh, and we haven’t even talked about food! Every town will offer its own delicacies. The barbecue, deer sausage, pecan pralines, chili, and German foods to name a few.

I have personally enjoyed many barbecue places while exploring the hill

country. One place in particular that is a must try is the world renowned Texas barbecue in a short drive to Driftwood Texas. Pulled pork, turkey, sausage or brisket, Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas offers it all. Driftwood is under two hours from San Antonio, but worth the drive!If you want to experience some barbeque with a shorter drive, try Sisterdale, Texas. I have experienced their award winning coleslaw when I stopped for lunch at Black Board Barbecue one hot Sunday afternoon. Have you tried Parisa? It was in Castroville, Texas that I first tried this delicacy. Parisa is a cured meat mixed with cheese and onions. The Castroville locals make it at home or purchase it from their local grocery store. You can find it at their local meat market now a days. I found that the best way to eat parisa, is on a hot summer afternoon. Take some parisa, scoop it with a saltine cracker and wash it down with a cold beer or beverage. It is definitely an appetizer style dish. As you can see, every town offers its own charm! Looking for some desserts? How about some ice cream at the local shop in Wimberley, Texas or some yummy baked goods in Castroville Alsatian Bakery. Whether you are hoping to see some wildflowers, try some barbecue, go on a nature walk, do some wine tasting or bourbon tasting, stop by for the pig races, do some honkytonk dancing, or book yourself into a bed and breakfast stay, the Hill Country will not disappoint. Ready for a float down the river? Perhaps you want to take the boat out or explore a cave? It is all within reach in the Texas Hill Country. Anytime of the year is a great time to explore the Hill Country. Take a springtime drive to enjoy the fields of Bluebonnets and Sunflowers but make sure to stop and take that irresistible photo! During the fall, take that drive to Lost Maples Park and experience the beauty of fall colors and the changing leaves. Are you chasing sunsets? Some of the most beautiful moments and views can be caught while in the Hill Country. If you haven’t already visited the Oasis on Travis Lake for a sunset view, you are missing out my friend. I can go on and on about our lovely Texas Hill Country. But don’t just take my word for it, go out and explore it for yourself! Please tell me all about it! I would love to hear all about the places that maybe I inspired you to visit but mostly the new ones that I can learn about! Stay tuned for more of my adventures and experiences from my travel journey!Follow me on FB – Ana Banda and on Instagram The Ana Banda