Bell County Living - Winter 2017 by RedFin

WINTER 2018 SUMMER 2017

KNIGHT STRONG for COACH ROB From being diagnosed with an extremely rare form of leukemia and going through 4 rounds of chemo to receiving a stem cell transplant, Kye Robertson has fought hard with an army of supporters.

Hometown Li v ing At Its Best

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B EL L CO U NTY L IVI N G

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H O MET O W N L I VI NG A T ITS B EST

CONTENTS

HOME & GARDEN

ST E A K LE Y 'S C EN T U RY OA KS

LES S ME A N S M O R E

S UN N Y S OUT H T EX AS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; S UCCUL E N T H EAV EN

Nestled in the middle of South Temple, Century Oaks follows the path of a languid creek and stretches across twelve acres.

By cleaning the clutter from our lives, we can then make more room for the most important things in the world, the dream life type things: better health stronger relationships, a life full of passion and deep spirituality.

Winter garden succulents add color worthy of Monet's paint pallet.

SALADO

SA LA D O YOU T H L EA D ER SH I P P R O GRA MS PR OMOT ES CO M M U N I T Y I N VO LV EM EN T

Salado High School students benefit from the Salado Youth Leadership Program, a project founded by Michael Novotny and fellow members of the adult leadership program.

FA I T H A N D C O M M U N I T Y

K N IG H T ST RO N G FO R COAC H R O B

From being diagnosed with an extremely rare form of leukemia and going through 4 rounds of chemo to receiving a stem cell transplant, Kye Robertson has fought hard with an army of supporters.

CIR CLE OF F R I EN D S C R O C H ET GR O U P

Tucked away in a cozy room in Temple each Wednesday are some ladies who really know how to spin a yarn.

R UN YOUR RAC E To nap or to run. That was the question.

HISTORY

COCH RA N , B L A I R & P OT T S I N C ; B R I N GI N G N E W LIFE TO B ELTO N

Very few are lucky enough to come into work each day to see a piece of history revealed before their eyes, but the Potts family has been on that journey for the last year and a half.

E D U C AT I O N

PE R S ON A L EN R I C H M EN T O P P O RT U N I T I ES AT CE N T RA L T EX AS CO L L EGE

Whether you are looking to meet new people, learn a new hobby, develop a skill, get fit or unlock your creativity, CTC has a course for you.

B EL L CO UNTY L IV I N G

ABOUT THE COVER COV ER PHOTO IS OF KYE ROBERTSON AND HIS FAM ILY, JENN IFER, KOLT, AND KYNZLEE. SEE THE FULL STORY OF HIS BATTLE WITH M YELOID SARCOM A ON PAGE 4 2.

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CONTENTS

104

H U M A N I TA R I A N

H U RRICA NE HARVEY HEROES

Lisa Zuniga, an army wife and stay-at-home mom, helped rescue around 17,000 people devastated by Hurricane Harvey.

H E LPING THE HAN DS THAT HEL P

Very few are able to bear witness to the last dish washed in the soup kitchen, the last trash bag hauled to the dumpster at the shelter, or the moment the lights are switched off for the night at the food pantry in the center of town.

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

H E A LTH Y COMFORT FOODS

H A PPY NE W YEAR’S—A GUIDE TO A B E TTE R RESOLUTION

Colder weather can leave you craving some of those “feel good” recipes…the good news is most of these dishes can be made lighter and healthier so they are not only comforting, but good for you, too!

Remember, you’re setting the rules and you’re setting your life.

SE TO N ME DICAL CEN TER HARKER H E IGH TS’ ACTIVE AGAIN TOTAL JOIN T RE PLAC E MEN T PROGRAM

Dr. Lovria specializes in both simple and complex joint replacements and revision joint replacements and is with Wellstone Health Partners in Harker Heights.

WEDDING

104

LOVE TH R OUGH THE AGES: TH E GO LDEN YEARS

It was a blind date. That’s how Sue Dunlap launches into the narrative that is her love story. 65 years later she and Bob are still delighting each other.

T R AV E L A N D O U T D O O R S

112

SE A RC H IN G FOR CACHES

Have you always dreamed of finding a secret passageway? A diary hidden beneath old, creaky wooden floorboards? A treasure map? Then you’re in luck, because geocaching is for the souls that want to be part of a secret.

120

B EST KE PT SECRETS: GRE E N’S SAUSAGE HOUSE

Green’s Sausage House. You have to pay close attention so you don’t pass it because there are no big billboards or flashing neon signs.

B EL L CO U NTY L IV I N G

HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

J u sti n an d Hay l e y Six Kyle an d Hal se y C l a r k Justin.RedFin@gmail.com (817) 301-3828

Kyle.RedFin@gmail.com (817) 304-1044

“Perhaps you were born for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14

BELL COUNTY LIVING MAGAZINE RED FIN PUBLISHING

W W W. B E L LC O U N T Y L I V I N G . C O M 8

Red Fin Publishing Justin & Hayley Six Kyle & Halsey Clark

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Justin Six

CREATIVE | DESIGN

GreenFox Marketing

CONTENT DIRECTOR Hayley Six Hayley.RedFin@gmail.com

appy New Year, Bell County! We have grown to love these moments – brainstorming, creating, and packaging something so special just for you. We can’t express enough how much we love and respect Bell County and the faces that we meet with every issue who truly motivate us to be better and to share their stories with the rest of you. With any new year comes new beginnings and an opportunity to restart, refocus, and redefine who you are. We understand many of you are reaching for that “think piece” that has weight and carries significance. Therefore, we pray that this issue will not only motivate, encourage, and inspire, but that it will truly MOVE you to start 2018 off on the right foot. Maybe you need to read about Theresa Anderson, the woman who stands in the gaps to serve those who serve others. Hosting an annual banquet to honor the ones “behind the scenes”, Anderson teaches us that sometimes just saying thank you can be a blessing in itself. Don’t miss the chance to read about the history of Cochran, Blair & Potts Inc. With one of the largest remodels of its 148 years, the oldest department store in Texas is bringing new life to Belton. Finally, if you have already derailed from your initial New Year’s Resolution, think about a redo, but first read our article on making better resolutions! You’ll thank us later! We want to thank our advertisers for making this publication possible and free to the community. Help us express our gratitude by shopping local and visiting their establishments to pick up your complimentary copy. This publication is about you! Please feel free to email us your events to add to our spring calendar, photos of your events to add to our upcoming section of “Hometown Happenings,” or any stories you would like to read in the next issue. We would love to hear from you! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook for up-to-date events, announcements, and important information about Bell County you don’t want to miss! We give thanks to God for our many blessings and look forward to great year to come! Until the next edition, wishing you many blessings,

PUBLISHER

B EL L CO U NTY L IVI N G

CONTENT COORDINATOR Jennifer Cabbage Jennifer.RedFin@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA CHAIR Halsey Clark

PROOF READER Hayley Six PHOTOGRAPHERS Amy Bickel Photography Becky Stinehour of Candid Images Photography EmilyB Photography

JohnJohn Montelongo

Kay’s Photography & Design Rendez Photography

COVER PHOTO

Photo by Rendez Photography

SALES

Bruce Racioppa Justin Six

Kyle Clark

CONTRIBUTING

Carey Stites

WRITERS Connie Lewis Leonard Erica Willis

Jessa McClure Martha Helton Peggy Purser Freeman Rebecca Parvaresh Sally Grace Holtgrieve Tori Mortensen CONTRIBUTORS Central Texas College Central Texas Christian School Seton Medical Center Harker Heights St. Mary’s Catholic School South Belton Middle School

Bell County Living© is published quarterly by Red Fin Publishing.

WWW.REDFINPUBLISHIN G .COM P.O. Box 1239 | Weatherford, TX 76086 (817) 301-3828 All rights reserved. Copies or reproduction of this publication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without expressed written authorization from the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein. Advertising is subject to omission, errors, and other changes without notice.

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HOME & GARDEN

Steakley's CENTURY

OAKS By Peggy Purser Freeman Photos by Becky Stinehour of Candid Images Photography

BEL L CO U NTY L I V I N G

Nestled in the middle of South Temple, Century Oaks follows the path of a languid creek and stretches across twelve acres.

emories float on the breeze and through the ancient oaks, landing gently on those lucky enough to stroll down memory lane at Sue Steakley's side. Nestled in the middle of South Temple, Century Oaks stretches across twelve acres of trees and gardens then meanders down to a languid creek. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My mother named the home place Century Oaks. Coming from West Texas, she was so appreciative of the trees. In fact, once she had a tree surgeon come to determine their age. One massive oak was thought to be here before Columbus

discovered America. Even though this area was a prairie at one time, some saplings grew. We have had the trees treated several times to prevent disease. They are priceless!â&#x20AC;? In 1867, the Confederate veteran F. L. Wright from Alabama settled in this part of Texas. A cabin was built and a deep water well was added on the grounds. In 1874, seven years before Temple was founded, the F. L. Wright Home was built on an old stagecoach road and remains today on its original Bois d'Arc stumps foundation. The original chimneys and roofline stand firm, a testament to the builder.

H O MET O W N L I VI NG A T ITS B EST

Sue and her family know we don't really own the land, it owns us and allows us to run through its meadows and climb its trees.

B EL L CO UNTY L I V I N G

Five minutes from Scott & White Hospital, with modern hustle and bustle speeding past, the oldest home in Temple remains an icon of a more peaceful time. Before the city of Temple bulldozed the creek bed to put in sewer lines, ruts from the stagecoach wheels could be seen in the creek bed around the property. In 1964, the Wright Home, still in its original location at 2207 Marlandwood Road, received the honor of Texas Historic Landmark. Everyone in Central Texas, and perhaps beyond, knows Sue Steakley. She travels extensively and has photographed wildlife all over the world. However, Century Oaks is the family home. Ask her friend, Donna Gregory, of First Texas Brokerage. “Sue is the most interesting person. She is seventyyears-young and does water skiing, scuba diving and anything she wants to do. She is amazing,” Donna added, “When Sue owned a photography studio in Temple, everybody wanted her to photograph their family.”

Sue continued to share her memories, “Daddy bought the Chevrolet dealership in Temple in 1957. Mother interviewed the lady whose father built the house when she and my father purchased the property. She told mother about living in a little one-room cabin on the creek by the windmill (still on the property) while her father built the house. It became a stop for the stagecoaches heading on down to Salado. There were also stories of a wildcat that would lie in the trees and sometimes jump on the coach as it went on its way.” Built in the style of a “dog trot” with a walk-through in the center, the Wright house at some time received renovations that included the walk-through into the main structure. Additions have been added twice. “In 1989, a fire burned half of the house.” Sue continued, “After the fire, it was very interesting to see how sturdily the home had been built. The living room mantle was

replaced with an old marble one from a bank in Knox City, Texas. Approval was made by the Texas Historical Society for the renovation of the building back to the home for the historical designation. The old barn that was built in 1874 blew down in the winds from the Galveston Hurricane in 1900. It was rebuilt at that time and has been home to many horses since. It has a roof created with red, white and blue metal to form a Texas flag.” In past times, around the location where the oneroom cabin stood, a little pond danced in the sunlight and sparkled in the freezing snow. “Growing up, I ice skated there many times. There's a wonderful waterfall below the pond area when it rains enough. The creek going around the property has many springs and I have never seen it dry. The pond could be dredged out and it would be lovely again.” A special memory for Sue was Century Oaks Day Camp. “This was the name of the camp my best friend and I had for several summers. It was way out in the country, so the kids loved coming out there. We taught swimming, horseback riding, arts and crafts, nature, acrobatics, etc.

H O MET O W N L I V I NG A T ITS B EST

The kids brought their lunches and a quilt and we all sat under the huge old pecan tree in front of the house and ate lunch and took naps. It was so much fun teaching those children. Some of them brought their children in for me to photograph and recalled the fun memories from the camp,” Sue added with a smile. When the Steakleys first moved to Century Oaks in 1959, the Temple city limit was only about to Avenue M. The well serviced the neighborhood back in the 1950s before South Temple had city water. “Everyone in the Meadow Oaks subdivision got their water from us,” Sue said. “Daddy would pump it up and treat it and Mother did the billing. City water was welcomed greatly. We did use the well water to fill our concrete pool. It is the oldest home pool in Temple. The water had a slight sulfur smell and many times contained oil from the pockets in the Trinity Springs underground water system.” One area along the creek offers an excellent place for horses to graze. Sue recalled the freedom of those days. “We used to ride the empty fields that are not empty anymore. This would be Terrace Garden addition and all of Canyon Creek now. Once, my friend and I rode our horses to Travis Junior High, tied them to the bicycle racks, unsaddled them, and went to class. That was so much fun! Couldn't do that now.” Sue told of an old house in the field by Canyon Creek that crawled with “tons of rattlesnakes” around it. “I

B EL L CO U NTY L IV I N G

would ride my horse fast, back to get the hoe so my dad could kill any snake I found. There was an Indian burial ground near there. UT did a lot of work there.” For 35 years, Sue owned and operated a photographic studio at Century Oaks. “I had a beautiful field of bluebonnets each year and a long list of families and children and brides to photograph in them. Many families climbed up on the barn roof to do a family photo on that painted Texas flag--even taking dogs up there.” Sue laughed. “I actually snapped a few brides' pictures on that roof. It was fun getting those brides in their dresses up on the roof without damage, but we did it.” Sue raised her two children at Century Oaks. Over the years their memories and her grandchildren's memories echo mine of building forts in the trees, riding horses, and swimming. “When my father passed away, and then my mom a few years later, I moved to my lake house,” Sue explained. “When I visited Century Oaks, I could still see my father sitting on his wooden bench under a big tree. I missed them more each day and every time I came my heart hurt. Then I walk through the oaks, down to the stream. Memories flood over me and I'm a girl again, riding my horse across Century Oaks.” Sue and her family know we don't really own the land, it owns us and allows us to run through its meadows and climb its trees.

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B EL L CO UNTY L I V I N G

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HOME & GARDEN

Less Means More BY TO R I M O R T E N S E N

n a crisp, cold day back in early January we moms stared into the lights of our still standing Christmas trees, bathing in the remnants of fleeting Christmas joy. We proclaimed that 2018 is going to be our year. The year we get it together. We were going to lose 10 pounds and put the laundry away, read the word of God more and Facebook less, build up our savings accounts, find the meaning of life and unpack our suitcases on the day we get back from a trip... in this new year we would finally get our lives and our homes in order. This year we would finally… be happy.

B EL L CO UNTY L I V I N G

Yet here we sit post spring break, the weather has warmed, days have lengthened and what do we have to show for those big, bold resolutions? Probably less than a lot, maybe even not a thing. So what if we are right on track to accomplish exactly zero of the truly life changing things for which we set out? What if we feel like we let ourselves down again? Our lives are not more orderly, more meaningful or more purposeful, than they were in 2017. What if, in fact, the literal and mental clutter is ever present? Experts Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, known as “The Minimalists,” say the place in which to

By cleaning the clutter from our lives, we can then make more room for the most important things in the world, the dream life type things: better health, stronger relationships, a life full of passion and deep spirituality. Will all the stuff we’ve bought actually rob us of our happiness? begin to chip away those big elusive #happylife items… is first, by simply tackling our clutter. Millburn and Nicodemus have become wildly popular after their documentary, Minimalism, was released on Netflix in January 2018. The pair encourages us (and their 4 million other followers) to ask how we might live more meaningful lives with less and invite us to surround ourselves only with things of value. By cleaning the clutter from our environments, we can then make room for the most important things in life: better health, stronger relationships, a life full of passion and deep spirituality. If we are putting off the chore of cleaning up, cleaning out and putting things in a meaningful order, in turn, leaving our daily environment cluttered, disorganized, filled with things that lack importance, it could be keeping us mentally and spiritually disorderly too. Is it possible that our mess is actually keeping us from happiness, from a blessing, or even keeping us from being a blessing to others? What would we do with our time if we didn't have to spend all of it cleaning stuff up? How

would it feel to sit and study God's word or to make dinner in an orderly home, filled only with things that we care deeply about? Our lives are full, really full - we have careers and home-based businesses, entire SUVs crammed with children who play sports and have what seems like constant school projects and we have spouses with half a dozen hobbies of their own. How could we possibly minimize anything at all? We need so much stuff just to get through a regular day-in-thelife. The Minimalists agree that this lifestyle of doing more with less, looks different on each and every person, but the path leads to the same place: a life with more time, more money, and more freedom to live a more meaningful life. This sounds much like that dream life we had planned for 2017, am I right? So without sending the children off to boarding school or the husbands back to their moms’ houses, what are a few ultra basic things families can do to start thinking like minimalists… in say… a month or less. Because while we do have a lot of extra stuff, what we don't have, is a lot of extra time.

H O MET O W N L I V I NG A T ITS B EST

DAY 3

31 Days of Thinking Like a Minimalist via www.theminimalists.com/month/

DAY 1: If your destination is happiness, consumerism is

not a through street. Purchase things you love and need and nothing more.

DAY 2: Every possession should serve a purpose or bring joy to your life.

DAY 3: Experience a calmer kitchen by stowing inactive appliances in cabinets and drawers. DAY 4: Start your day with one small victory: make

your bed.

DAY 4 DAY 9: Slow the heck down. There is a vast difference

DAY 5: Establish a simple morning ritual. A pattern of

between being busy and being focused.

DAY 6: Enjoy your clothes more by paring down your

DAY 10: Reuse, recycle, relocate: instead of trashing your unused clothes, furniture, and household items, find them a new home â&#x20AC;&#x201C; donate your excess stuff!

success that leads to a more productive day overall.

wardrobe. Get rid of the clothes you hate. A minimalist wears clothes she loves.

DAY 7: Get that darn TV out of your bedroom! DAY 8: Make letting go easy for your entire household â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

place a donation box in a closet or garage.

BEL L CO UNTY L I V I N G

DAY 11: Eliminate paper clutter and organize old photos by throwing a scanning party.

DAY 12: Make decluttering more fun and endurable with

an accountability partner.

DAY 13: The easiest way to organize your stuff is to get rid

of most of it.

DAY 14: The price of our material possessions extends well beyond the price tag. They also require your time and attention.

DAY 15: Let go of just-in-case items with the 20/20 rule.

You can obtain almost anything you need for less than $20, in less than 20 minutes from your current location.

DAY 16: Let go of sentimental items that no longer bring

you joy.

DAY 17: A clutter-free vehicle helps us focus on the

road ahead.

DAY 21

DAY 18: Let’s use our technology more intentionally – as

tools rather than pacifiers.

DAY 19: Digital clutter is different from physical clutter. DAY 20: We don’t need to own a thing to enjoy it. DAY 21: A clean desk is the foundation of a calm workspace.

DAY 22: Avoid sale price (fool’s price). If you don't want it

badly enough to pay full price, do you really want it that badly?

DAY 23: Gift experiences, not stuff. DAY 24: Embrace the junk drawer. But clean it out every

90 days.

DAY 8

DAY 25: Simplicity is for (almost) anyone. Anyone with an open mind, that is.

DAY 26: A life with less is an inherently tidy life. DAY 27: A simple life is a healthier life. DAY 28: Unfilled space is fulfilling. DAY 29: More is less: the more stuff we have, the less we have. Less time and less money.

DAY 30: Declutter your social media feeds. DAY 31: Once you’ve simplified, keep simplifying. 1 Corinthians 14:40 “Let all things be done properly and in an orderly way…”

H O MET O W N L I VI NG A T ITS B EST

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HOME & GARDEN

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SUNNY SOUTH TEXAS

Succulent Heaven By Peggy Purser Freeman

Photos provided by Peggy Purser Freeman

Winter garden succulents add color worthy of Monet's paint pallet.

he warm climate of South Texas provides almost endless choices for winter gardens. Succulents add colorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;blues, pinks, lavenders, yellows, reds, and greens, in various shades that blend together in a paint pallet worthy of Monet. The number one reason to grow succulents is they require little maintenance. You can plant them, pot them or hang them. Lay them in intricate patterns in big beds or scatter

them in small areas. The succulent can be tucked in a teacup or packed into a basket. Planting possibilities are as endless as the varieties. The Killeen Municipal Court Gardens, provided by the Municipal Court Judge, the Teen Court, and the Bell County Master Gardener Association, offers a demonstration garden. Seven raised beds feature herbs, flowering plants, and a desert garden planted with cacti, succulents, native

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and other low water, low maintenance plants. Trellised in square-foot beds, these showcase various gardening techniques and landscaping possibilities. Succulent plants love bright light, heat, and drought. That is the definition of South Texas weather. Many hardy varieties grow in heavy freeze zones, sometimes under snow in the winter, and other varieties love summer-high temperatures on mountaintops. Keep your location in mind when choosing varieties for your succulent garden. Well-drained, sandy soil is a must. Purchase cactus soil or incorporate sand, gravel, charcoal or volcanic rock for better drainage. Succulents don't like to have wet roots. Growing outdoor succulents in Texas can be tricky. Bell County is in plant hardiness growing zone 8 (10째-20째F extreme minimum temperature). However, this is Texas, so think zone 7 (0째-10째F). Sedum,

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Because they need very little room to grow, succulents can grow anywhere you hang your hat--or in your hat.

Sempervivum, Crassula, Echeveria, and Jovibarba, plus many more—all versatile and beautiful types—belong to the same family, Crassulaceae. Hens and chicks, Jovibarba and other plants in these categories come in gorgeous colors, shapes, and sizes. Low-growing Sedum tends to serve as groundcover in places because it spreads to fill the space without being invasive. Select tall varieties to add a focal point. Sedum telephium’s 'Autumn Joy' and 'Purple Emperor' might work where you need a taller plant. Similar to broccoli, it blooms in the late summer and early fall and can last long in South Texas winter gardens. Study the differences between tender and hardy succulents. Tender ones aren't hardy enough to survive a South Texas winter. Tender succulents must be taken in for the winter months or covered at the time of heavy frost. Hardy succulents require a cold dormant period. Don't forget to water them if the winter gets too dry. You can bring tender plants inside to enjoy all winter. Let your imagination go by using anything from old rusty toys to a basket as a container. The container should have drainage holes or crushed rock on the bottom. The possibilities are endless. Outside gardens grow on the side of houses, in birdcages, vintage lunch boxes, coffee pots, and coffee cups. Wireframes covered in sphagnum in various shapes is a popular trend to create holiday wreaths, party favors or bridal bouquets. Because they need a little area to grow, succulents can grow anywhere you hang your hat--or in your hat. The toxicity of succulents is fairly safe. However, if you have dogs or cats, or any other animal near your succulents, it's good to look up the type of succulents to see if there's a threat to your animals. Succulents are your no-problem plants. Just spritz your plants with water every week or so. Turn that rocky, sandy side of your garden into a beautiful succulent garden.

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SALADO

Salado Youth

Leadership

Programs Promotes Community Involvement By Jessa McClure Photos by JohnJohn Montelongo

group of excited students crowd into a school bus as the sun sets over their small town. Their bus driver greets them all by name not only because he’s driven them to their activities time and again, but because he is also Salado ISD’s superintendent, Mr. Michael Novotny. The students, who range from high school freshmen to seniors, are on their way to listen to a presentation at Baylor Scott & White Memorial Hospital as part of a unique youth leadership program that Novotny himself helped to start more than six years ago. It began as a community service project inside of an adult leadership program called Leadership Salado. “These one-year programs are for adults from a variety of backgrounds and professions,” Novotny said. “We get together every month and learn about topics including healthcare, business and economic development, criminal justice, state government and education.”

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During one of the Leadership Salado meetings the members were divided into groups and tasked with creating a community service project that would benefit the city of Salado and its citizens. “Some of the other groups did things like a 5K run to act as a fundraiser and one group put together a list of community resources where residents looking for a clothes closet, a food pantry, or healthcare could find what they needed,” the superintendent said. “My group decided to develop a program for high school kids that mirrored Leadership Salado.” So, in 2012, Novotny and his group began planning and creating the Salado Youth Leadership Program, and by the next year, they already had more than a dozen students signed up to learn more about being leaders in their community. “It’s a similar format to the adult version, where we have monthly sessions,” he said. “We try to limit the number of days the kids are out of

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school, so every other month it’s a fullday session and the other months we do an evening session.” The topics of conversation range from state and local government to community service to a night at the hospital learning the dangers of texting or drinking and driving. The last session of the school year even includes a trip to Fort Hood where students get a chance to meet soldiers, shoot guns (with blanks), and see demonstrations by the cavalry or the K9 unit. “That’s usually the favorite session, so we save that for the end,” Novotny said. But even though each outing and session is meant to engage the students, it is also meant to show them leadership in a more tangible way. Salado parent, and one of the founders of the program, Wendy Mays, said she thinks the program provides students with a safe place to ask questions and learn from people who have “walked the walk.”

These sessions allow us to have real conversations about leadership. We can teach them that sometimes it’s not about clamoring to make your voice heard, but learning to follow well and learning how to let others speak when it’s their turn. –Wendy Mays, Parent

“Sometimes what we tell children about leadership falls on deaf ears,” Mays said. “These sessions allow us to have real conversations about leadership. We can teach them that sometimes it’s not about clamoring to make your voice heard, but learning to follow well and learning how to let others speak when it’s their turn.” One of the sessions includes a college night where students hear from real college and university admissions counselors. “A lot of times when [students] go to those things it’s a huge group and they’re extremely intimidated. They’re not going to dare ask a real question and have all eyes on them,” Mays said. “Having the admissions counselors in one of our sessions allows for a more relaxed, informal environment where they can really ask questions.” Mays, whose own daughter is a part of the program this year, said she’s seen students realize that they don’t have to have all of the answers when they graduate from high school. “Even those of us who have established careers are still exploring in our lives,” she said. “We want them to know that it’s okay to be constantly learning. You don’t just arrive one day nailing life. We’re constantly growing and evolving.” The Salado High mom helps to organize each

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“It’s a great opportunity to learn how to get more involved in the community – how to lead and how to serve.” –Michael Novotny, Salado ISD Superintendent

monthly session, and she hopes that students will continue using the skills they learn even after the year-long program is complete. Mays’ daughter, Morgan, said she learned a lot about how to relate to other people and be a leader not only in her school, but in her community. “I would definitely recommend this [program] to friends and anyone I could,” she said. “It is an awesome experience and is a different way of learning. I never knew you could learn so much in a day, or gain a relationship so fast.” Novotny said the program has grown a little each year, but he wants to keep the group to about 30 participants to maintain the small environment that the students have thrived in. Right now, the students apply for a spot in the program with an application and some teacher recommendations.

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“We don’t really have any specific requirements for participants,” Novotny said. “Fortunately, in a district our size we know the kids pretty well.” The fact that the superintendent knows the students well enough to choose them for the program, and takes turns with Assistant Superintendent Burt Smith driving the students to their monthly sessions, makes the program that much more effective. It is what makes Novotny’s community service project not just a one-time event, but a lasting legacy for all those who participate. “I benefited greatly in participating in the adult leadership programs, and it would have been great to go through that at an earlier age and be able to apply that knowledge throughout college and earlier in my career,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to learn how to get more involved in the community – how to lead and how to serve.”

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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

SAL ADO CHRISTMAS PA R A D E

Salado Village celebrated the season with their annual Christmas Parade on November 30, which commenced the Christmas Stroll. Thank you to everyone who participated and attended this first-ever after dark event. Photos by EmilyB Photography

Bishop

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FA I T H & C O M M U N I T Y

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KNIGHT STRONG for COACH ROB By Connie Lewis Leonard Photos by Rendez Photography and provided by the Robertson family

ye Robertson graduated from Harker Heights High School in 2005, going on to play catcher and pitcher for Tarleton State University. He began dating Maci in 2006, and they married in 2010. After serving an internship at Granbury High School, Kye returned to his alma mater, HHHS, to serve as assistant football and baseball coach. With a five-year-old son, Kolt, who loves to be on the Knightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; football or baseball field with his dad, and a three-year-old princess named Kynzlee, Kye was on a winning streak.

Then a crack appeared in the armor of the young Knight. Kye experienced leg and back pain on Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day 2016. The ER diagnosed him with sciatica and prescribed anti-inflammatory meds. When the pain increased, Kye went to a pain doctor. Even with stronger meds and injections, the pain worsened. A neurologist detected a herniated disc, and in July 2016, Kye underwent surgery. Instead of immediate relief, the pain intensified. An MRI revealed a mass, believed to be fluid buildup. In September, the mass was removed and sent for testing.

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Within days, Kye received the dreaded call: myeloid sarcoma, cancer. His armor cracked again. Kye’s mother-in-law diligently worked to get him into MD Anderson. Kye met with the director of the sarcoma unit at MDA. A series of tests determined the cause of the sarcoma, Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). This common type of acute leukemia occurs when the bone marrow begins to make blasts, immature cells that do not develop into white blood cells. In AML, the bone marrow may also make abnormal red blood cells and platelets, which increase rapidly, crowding out the normal cells and platelets the body needs. Kye’s case is extremely rare because further tests showed he also had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), which can happen at any age, but occurs most frequently in people under 15 or over 45. Most diagnoses of ALL leukemia occur in children and it is rare for adults to develop this disease. It was discovered Kye has a mutation that has caused him to share the two different types of aggressive leukemia. A major crack in his armor. Kye said, “My actual diagnosis is called Biphenotypic Acute Leukemia or (BAL). I had 8p11 syndrome. There are only 50 reported cases of BAL in the world. I was put on six different chemo

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drugs and was considered a research patient. After the first round of chemo, I was in remission! The tumors remained but were shrinking in size. I went on to have four rounds of chemo. “Late January I had a CT scan. My doctor read the scan the next day and said my lungs were healthy enough for my stem cell transplant, but my tumors were still there. My doctor decided to do an MRI the next day to look at the tumors in depth. The following day, my doctor had great news. He told me that all my tumors were resolved! This was a miracle—how did my tumors resolve in four days without any treatment? I am still in remission and my tumors are 100% gone. “Once in remission I was ready for a stem cell transplant, which is the only chance for long-term remission. My brother and sister were only 50% matches, so they went into the blood bank to find an unrelated donor, and they found matches.” Kye’s armor may have cracked, but the breastplate that protects his heart and spirit is still intact. He is a fighter who hasn’t lost hope: “This journey has been extremely devastating. I went from living a very active normal life to leaving behind everything and beginning daily doctor appointments. But I realize how lucky I really am.

There are only 50 reported cases of BAL in the world.

I have emotional, financial and spiritual support among my family, friends and community.” In the battle of his life, Kye has had an army of supporters. Killeen ISD worked to cover the basics, such as FMLA and insurance coverage. They allowed teachers to create a sick pool to donate their unused sick days to his account. He said, “They are continuing to pray for me and work with me to get me back to my position at HHHS.” The faculty and staff of HHHS love Kye. Some of his baseball players have stepped up to mow his yard and pull weeds while he is in Houston. Other students had a benefit walk on a cold Saturday in support of Kye and the awareness of leukemia. The most difficult part of his battle is being away from his family, but they are also his greatest motivation to keep fighting. His wife Maci has served as his personal nurse and billing consultant since they started this journey last September. Kye said, “One of my coaching colleagues and best friend, Randy Culp, with the help of Administration and football coaches, sold yellow shirts with ‘Knight Strong For Coach Rob’ on the back. Coach Randy Culp also started a You Caring website that told my story so people could donate

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to help us through this difficult time.” With the help of Jimmy and Caroline Parker and Kristi Atchison, Kye’s family held a benefit BBQ dinner with a silent auction of items donated by local businesses and wonderful individuals in the community. Cookie Addiction donated a share of their profits on a Saturday, which was a huge success. Kye said, “I have received donations and support from local high schools that really touched my heart. Killeen and Ellison High School football and baseball coaches wore shirts and made signs that showed their support in my cancer journey. This is what sportsmanship and great men of character means in the world of sports. I am truly touched. Copperas Cove High School had signs in support of my battle with leukemia, also. There

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are so many people that have made donations. Unfortunately I am unable to thank everyone personally, but I want everyone to know it has impacted my life and makes me fight harder. “On June 15th, 110 days after my stem cell transplant, I was free to go home and be with my family. I still had to drive to Houston once a week for checkups. On August 4th, due to the tumors on my left hip, I had a total hip reconstruction. I was determined to get back to work. I started on the first day of school but was confined to a wheel chair. Slowly, through PT and exercise, I am walking without any support. I have only missed work on days I am in Houston. “On November 3rd, I traveled with my best friend from college to his hometown in Iowa. The next day we went to the Iowa vs Ohio State

I would like to say thank you again from the bottom of my heart to everyone that has helped me financially and emotionally. This has been the most difficult time I’ve ever had to face.

My family and Mother in Law, Nancy Hennigan

Harker Heights babseball team with my son, Kolt

My father and I on Thanksgiving 2016

football game and saw the greatest upset in Iowa Hawkeye history! Before the game, I visited the Children’s Cancer Hospital that overlooks the Kinnick Stadium. My mother made pamphlets of my story, and I passed them out to the children with leukemia. I wanted them to know that there is hope! This made me feel good inside, like I was giving back. This trip was a milestone in my recovery and made me realize that I am nothing short of a miracle. I am currently going to MDA once every two weeks to get blood work and see all of my doctors. In a year from now I will try to reach out to my donor and let him know I am interested in meeting him. That will be a day to remember!” In closing, Kye said, “I would like to say thank you again from the bottom of my heart to everyone that has helped me financially and emotionally. This has been the most difficult time I’ve ever had to face. My family has stepped up in so many ways. My wife Maci has been amazing in my healing process. My parents Jason and Susan Robertson have been there when I needed them the most. My wife and my parents switched off weeks in Houston allowing my kids time with their mother and a sense of stability at home. My father-in-law, Gary Atkinson, allowed us to stay at his house in Spring, TX, during the majority of our outpatient treatment. My mother-in-law, Nancy Hennigan, helped out tremendously with the care of our kids. Having both sets of family members in the same town has been a very easy transition for our children.” To follow Kye’s story, go to his Facebook page, Team Kye. If you would like to help this brave young Knight in his battle, go to: https://www. youcaring.com/kye-robertson-658048

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FA I T H & C O M M U N I T Y

Circle of Friends

CROCHET GROUP By Martha Helton | Photos by Rendez Photography

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ucked away in a cozy room each Wednesday from 1:00 to about 4:00 p.m. in Sammons Community Center in Temple are some ladies who really know how to spin a yarn. Not only can they tell fanciful tales, weaving their lives in and out and between friends, they can also literally spin and hook and loop yarn together, creating beautiful, colorful and useful items to gift to those in need. There’s the main heartbeat of this group--something store-bought hats and scarves just can’t replicate. There’s just something genuine and comforting about receiving a cheerful, warm, handmade item created by the devoted, loving hands of friends. The Circle of Friends Crochet Group was formed in 2000 when the current Sammons Community Center became known as Senior Fellowship Center. Some ladies from that time envisioned having a crochet group to make and give items to different needy groups in the community; the center was supportive and onboard with their vision. Before going forward--for those not in the know- the word “crochet” comes from the French word,

“croche,” meaning “hook.” Crochet is needlework using a needle that has a small hook at one end for drawing the thread or yarn through intertwined loops. The bigger the crochet hook, the larger the loops that are formed. The thicker the yarn, the larger the hook size you’ll need to use (and the larger the finished product will be as well). A brief mini-history with some fun facts about crocheting…in 2014, crocheting was ranked at number three in Google’s most popular how-to search. Apparently, the first evidence of crochet in history was in early nineteenth century Europe, where it was referred to as “shepherd’s knitting.” It was invented as a cheap substitute for traditional lace, thus was thought of as an inferior craft. However, Queen Victoria changed that opinion when she gave her endorsement by buying crocheted lace made by Irish women who were struggling to make a living after the potato famine. The Queen herself even learned to crochet, making eight crocheted scarves for veterans of the South African War. By the end of her reign, much of England was “hooked” on the craft.

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These crafty ladies make blankets, hats, scarves, walker bags, shawls and other projects to donate to area groups. One of the community groups they donate to is Baylor Scott and White cancer patients. They make blankets for patients to comfortingly wrap around themselves as they tend to get cold while receiving treatments. Or, they make hats to stylishly conceal their hair loss. The group also makes items for kids at Ronald McDonald House. They also take requests from groups in the area to make items to donate to the Veteran’s Association, Fort Hood, places where disasters have occurred and, mostly, local nursing homes, making sure everyone has something warm and handmade to warm not only their bodies, but their souls. Recently, the ladies have been making hats to donate to CTLC (Churches Touching Lives for Christ is an ecumenical organization of over 30 local churches working with the support of area business and social service groups to meet the basic human needs on a temporary and/or emergency basis). The group gets donations of yarn from individuals and area groups; the center contributes to the yarn supply also, as do the crochet group members themselves. The center always welcomes more donations. Over the years, crochet classes have been offered a couple of times. The group has also hosted an occasional intergenerational “Adopt-a-Grandparent” program, where seniors teach crochet skills to children. Member Pat Contrucci moved to Temple a little over 10 years ago and her brother-in-law encouraged her and her

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husband to check out the Sammons Community Center to meet people and get involved. The day she visited happened to be the day they were crocheting and, because she likes to crochet, she happily joined them. She has been going faithfully now for 10 years. Pat’s aunt taught her to crochet when she was a child. “I have always liked to work with my hands,” explains Pat. “When I’m sitting I’m always crocheting and my husband says ‘When are you going to rest?’ And I say, “I am!” She chuckles. Some ladies come to the group with no crochet skills but a willingness to learn. Charlotte Ram, a faithful member for about five or six years, is a seasoned seamstress, so she at least could read a pattern as she picked up crocheting skills from other ladies in the group. Some ladies don’t need a pattern, says Charlotte. “Becca (Bash) has crocheted since she was a little girl and she can just look at the picture (of the item) and just know how to do it. I need a pattern,” explained Charlotte, shaking her head. A favorite project of late for Pat involved each lady making a 12-inch crocheted square. Then, Pat would hook them together to make a blanket. “So, we used up a bunch of small balls of yarn and, for some reason, I got great pleasure out of doing that!” Pat laughs. Evidently, she doesn’t like to waste anything. The group is made up of approximately 25 ladies, ranging in age from 50-80 years old. Some of the original members have either passed on or gone to nursing homes. New faces have joined. The oldest member just turned 101 but her health has prevented her from coming lately. But the group is not just about brightly-colored yarn and needlework. There is a reason it’s called, “Circle of Friends Crochet Group.” “We all get along really well and we’re all good friends now,” Charlotte shares. “We just have a lot of fun—we laugh and talk and teach each other.” Apparently, a couple of jokers in the group keep them all giggling like schoolgirls. Not only do they laugh together, they truly share life together. “We enjoy listening to others as they talk about their families,” says Pat. When family struggles crop up, they have each other to lean on. “We all confide in each other when there are family troubles,” says Charlotte, “and it helps to talk to each other and get opinions from each other and know you’re not alone.” For Becca Bash, being a devoted member of the Circle of Friends Crochet group since 2006 eventually worked into a part-time receptionist job at the center. But being a part of this sisterhood of friends is still her greatest joy. The wonderful fruit of their labor blossoms when a couple of the ladies deliver their handmade goodies to their delighted recipients. “Oh!” Charlotte gushes. “It makes us feel good to know we’re helping somebody-- and making them feel good, too.” For more information, contact Lisa Taylor at ltaylor@ templetx.gov or 254-298-5403.

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Believe Boldly

RUN YOUR RACE By Erica Willis | Believeboldly.com

TO NAP, OR TO RUN. THAT WAS THE QUESTION. My well-worn Asics, kicked-off after a long run the morning before, sat cradled in the shadows of my entryway. Strewn about my cozy, darkened room were the shapes of athletic clothes, faintly reminding me of the five miles still to run. Directly in front of me was my bed. Oh, that glorious collection of feathery cotton coverings and cool, crisp pillowcases! I may have heard it whisper my name from just feet away. I could choose to

be disciplined and follow my running plan, or I could do a swan dive into those delicious sheets. I decided to weight my optionsI could run. I am racing in a halfmarathon this New Year's. That’s a full-fledged 13.1 miles, uphill and down, in the winter air of Kansas City. All my training prior will improve my race time and obliterate a few extra pounds. A noble task in thought, but much harder in execution. I was beginning to question whether it was worth the work! OrI could nap. I am a champion naptaker. I can sleep sitting up, in bright light, even in public. I count it pure bliss to “rest my eyes” for a quick sec. A

girl can let loose occasionally and indulge in some shuteye, right? A nap sounded much more fun than sweating for the next hour. I am sure you can relate. I couldn’t help but notice the lesson God was teaching me. He wanted me to run, even though I wanted to quit. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” – Hebrew 12:1-2 I didn’t want to fill those running shoes that day, but I knew I should. Just like running, my relationship

with God requires discipline. That means consistency, focus, and intentional time spent training, even when I don’t “feel” like it. I don’t give up. I push through to the end, no matter what temptation comes my way. That day I resisted the urge to sleep and I laced up my shoes to pound the pavement with a renewed sense of purpose. I know there will be days filled with fluffy comforters, rain hitting the roof, and cool breezes blowing across my faith. But until then? I will run the race before me with perseverance, convinced that the prize at the end will be well worth it. See you at the finish line.

- Erica

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PARK RIDGE Bringing South Temple to its full potential

Arnold Builders will be celebrating its 25th year in the building industry with its newest community; Park Ridge. Nestled in the hills and trees of South Temple, Park Ridge is city living with a twist. Residents can enjoy easy access to booming 31st Street, Scott & White Hospital and IH 35. This custom home community features 12 wooded lots, an HOA and is zoned for Belton Schools. Hazelwood and Bluestone floorplans set the tone for this community with hearty and chic interior/exterior selections that will last a lifetime. Call for more information and for your next home adventure.

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HISTORY

Cochran BLAIR & POTTS INC;

Bringing New Life to Belton By Rebecca Parvaresh Photos by EmilyB Photography

ery few are lucky enough to come into work each day to see a piece of history revealed before their eyes, but the Potts family has been on that journey for the last year and a half. Day in and day out since starting their project of love in May 2016, they have watched as a transformation has taken place in the building their family has operated for 7 generations. “It’s a little surreal to be a part of something that has been here this long,” Robert Potts, co-owner of Cochran, Blair & Potts Inc, said. “We really haven’t heard of anything inside Texas or outside of Texas that has heritage and legacy like our

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store. That means such a great deal to me and my family. We haven’t had this intense of a remodel since 1929, but our goal from the very beginning was to do something that will last another 100 years. We intended to do something that will show respect for the building but also show off the bones of this historical place.” Founded in 1869 by Colonel H.M. Cook, Cochran, Blair & Potts Department Store was originally called Cook Mercantile Company. Through the years it carried a wide variety of items, from being the mercantile that supplied fresh meat, dry goods, and even caskets to a store specializing in

H O MET O W N L I V I NG A T I TS B EST

women’s specialty gowns. The original store moved two times to finally settle in the building located at 221 East Central Avenue in Belton, Texas. From 1869 to 1917, the store changed names as it was handed from one generation to the next. Though the items on the shelves may have also changed their looks from owner to owner, the store does hold the title of “Oldest Department Store in Texas.” For 148 consistent years, the store has offered up the community of Belton a place to commune for their first day of school outfits, their work boots for their new job, or the wedding shower gift for thousands of couples over the years. “Our customers are extremely excited to go through the store as sections have been completed,” Ashley Potts, co-owner and wife of Robert Potts, said. “They come in with their stories of being younger and shopping there as kids with their parents. It’s been wonderful for them to be a part

of this work. Our contractor, Jeff Ling of Peerless Enterprises, has been like a kid in a candy store with his joy that he takes in the historical restoration. He’ll be up late working on something and then be here again early with more ideas of how to recreate something. We’ve appreciated his enthusiasm and attention to detail. We researched contractors that had knowledge and experience in historical buildings. Ling was instrumental in our interior restoration. Their attention to historical accuracy was top notch and it has been a great thing. We are really fortunate to have a great building with great bones. It has been fun uncovering walls and beautiful woodwork found. Just wonderful little surprises each day when they uncover something new.” The Potts family of Robert and Ashley Potts, Robert’s father Rob, and Robert’s brother Michael, currently make up the 6th and 7th generation of their family to own and operate

the department store. The store was last remodeled in 1929 after a fire took place in the building. From that remodel, many spaces went untouched through the years, but the Potts family was always planning to bring the building back to its former glory. According to Ashley, Robert has held a passion for the possibility of renovating the building for years. When the City of Belton offered a grant to assist with the rejuvenation of the exterior faĂ§ade of the building, that spark turned into the full renovation of the exterior and interior of the building. Now the Potts family could restore the building inside and out to more than its former glory. They chose to put in the commitment and time to bring the building to a state that would last another 148 years. The family hired a contractor with experience in historical restorations and began the process of unearthing walls, beams, woodwork, and more from different areas of the building. Before the first swing of a hammer, the family had to present their plans to a historical board for approval and any recommendations they could make to make sure the process met all the necessary guidelines in place for historical buildings. As Robert said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;For several years weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been planning this and when the City of Belton offered

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“It’s a little surreal to be a part of something that has been here this long.” – ROBERT POTTS

the grant for the exterior, it really got the ball rolling. When doing the outside we decided to carry over to the inside and it really comes down to us just investing back into the building but in turn, investing back into the community. The exterior façade improvement will hopefully inspire others to invest into the downtown of Belton. There are a lot of beautiful buildings in downtown Belton and through the last couple of years we’ve seen improvements done by others investing back into their buildings. Coming in each day is definitely like being kids on Christmas morning when you come in and see a section finished. It means so much to know how well the construction has been done in preserving the building and how long it will continue to last for future generations.” Taking pride in the building their family has owned for so many years, the Potts have seen a large transformation take place that they hope will impact

the community as a whole. As each section of the building was completed, the dust and mess of the day to day was not always convenient. The end result, however, has been worth the struggles and the wait. Just as Robert had hoped, the community has met the construction with excitement and anticipation. They debuted the updates to the community during a ‘Sip and Stroll’ event on December 21st, 2017 where customers and friends could take time to view all the amazing changes that took place over the last year and a half. In many ways, each customer seemed to know the remodel was for them and for the further beautification of Belton. Touching the unearthed walls and stepping on the repaired floors took each visitor right into the history of their hometown. Together, the 6th and 7th generation of the Potts family have realized a dream of their own and added to the dreams the building has inspired over the last 148 years.

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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

S T. M A R Y ’ S C AT HOL IC SCHOOL St. Mary’s Catholic School continues to provide excellence in education through creative learning, hands on experience, and dedicated and hard-working staff. Here are some of the wonderful things that we have recently experienced. Jr. High students Kate, Savannah, and Veronica in Arch the Angel.

Photos provided by St. Mary’s Catholic School

Falcon TV Anchors, Kathleen and Gavin

8th grade Tech Crew: Jacob, and Harrison

Trent, Andrew, and Bryce show off their robots that they built. Bishop

5th grade angels: Julius, Victoria, Barrett, Kalli Arch the Angel played by Savannah Shadburn and Tech Crew Mikaela Andrews

6th grader, Folakemi Fregene, watches the eclipse of 2017

2nd grade angels: Addison, Jackson, and Sophia

Elementary students, Breelyn and Abby, and Pre-K student, Kayleigh, enjoy ice-cream at the PTC’s Annual Ice-cream Social

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E D U C AT I O N

Personal Enrichment Opportunities at Central Texas College Contributed by Teresa Chavez, Director – CTC Continuing Education

he Central Texas College (CTC) Continuing Education department offers a wide variety of non-credit personal enrichment courses. These courses are for anyone looking to enhance their knowledge and abilities and improve their quality of life. Whether you are looking to meet new people, learn a new hobby, develop a skill, get fit or unlock your creativity, CTC has a course for you. The CTC Continuing Education personal enrichment classes range from exercise and fitness to financial and budget planning, foreign languages, music lessons, cooking, arts and crafts, photography to hobbies such as stamping and knitting. The evergrowing assortment of courses is developed in response to individual requests and trends in community interests. Instructors come from all walks of life, bringing rich and varied experiences to the classroom. Some of the fitness classes will be demonstrated during the department’s “Just for the Health of It” Wellness Fair on Saturday, January 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Continuing Education building, (Bldg. 136), located on the corner of Central Texas College Dr. and Clear Creek Road. Instructors will give demonstrations in yoga, nutrition, massage, reiki and

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more. The public is also invited to get blood pressure and vital statistics readings, chair massages as well as register for any classes. The CTC Continuing Education department also offers a College for Kids program, a summer enrichment program packed with hands-on experiences. Summer 2018 promises to be full of fun and exciting learning experiences offering both new courses and old favorites alike. Kids will have the opportunity to try new things, explore and discover talents they never knew they had by using a hands-on learning approach. Courses in engineering, cooking, arts and crafts, computers, gaming, robotics, foreign language and more will be offered. CTC will host a summer preview of its College for Kids program on Saturday, April 28 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Bldg. 136. Parents and children are welcome to participate in the hands-on demonstrations throughout the entire event. The event is free and open to the public. To view the complete course schedule, visit www. ctcd.edu/ce. For more information about personal enrichment courses or College for Kids, call 254-5261690 or email continue.education@ctcd.edu.

Course schedule COMPLIMENTARY HEALTHCARE TRAINING HEALING POWERS OF REFLEXOLOGY NEW! Mar 9, Apr 20 Cost: $25

FIRST AID & SAFETY CITIZEN’S CPR (HANDS ONLY) NEW! Feb 8 Cost: $25 DOG AND CAT FIRST AID May 1 Cost: $49 FINANCIAL WELLBEING DIGITAL CURRENCY TRADING NEW! Feb 9-10, Apr 13-14 Cost: $49 CREDIT REPORTING: THE MISSING LINK TO RISING SCORES Webinar! Feb 20 Cost: $15 E-TRADING MADE EASY Feb 23-24, May 18-19 Cost: $29 BUILDING YOUR FINANCIAL PORTFOLIO ON $25 A MONTH NEW! Mar 9 Cost: $35 HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT ON A BUDGET NEW! Apr 4-May 9 Cost: $39 HOW TO NEGOTIATE MY REAL ESTATE LOAN OPTIONS Webinar! Apr 18 Cost: $15

TUTORING & TEST PREP GERMAN COLLEGE LEVEL EXAMINATION PROGRAM (CLEP) PREPARATION May 12 Cost: $35

LANGUAGE LATIN: AN UNDEAD LANGUAGE Feb 7-21, Apr 11-25 Cost: $35

BASIC SPANISH WATER FITNESS NEW! WATER BOOTCAMP Mar 21-Apr 4, May Feb 5-Mar 5*, 9-23 Mar 19-Apr 18*, Cost: $35 Apr 25-May 21 Cost: $35 INTRODUCTION TO *No class Feb 19, Apr 11, 16 GERMAN Apr 7-28 WATER SPIN Cost: $65 Feb 9-Mar 2, Mar 23-Apr 20*, May 4-25 FOCUS ON YOU Cost: $25 DESIGN AN EPIC VISION *No class Apr 13 BOARD NEW! Feb 3 WATER FITNESS Cost: $39 TRAINING Feb 10-Mar 3, TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR Mar 24-Apr 21*, LIFE NEW! May 5-Jun 2* Feb 3, Mar 9, May 4 Cost: $25 Cost: $55 *No class Apr 14, May 26

TEXAS LICENSE TO CARRY NEW! Feb 3, Mar 24, May 5 Cost: $55

OUTDOOR RECREATION BACKPACKING FOR BEGINNERS Mar 8 Cost: $25 GEOCACHING May 5 Cost: $29

GET PHYSICAL CHI FIT Feb 5-26*, Mar 5-28* Apr 4-23 , Apr 30-May 16, May 23-Jun 13 Cost: $35 *No class Jan 15, Feb 19, Mar 12, 14, May 28

CORE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING Apr 13-May 4 Cost: $25 ADULT SELF DEFENSE NEW! Feb 16-Mar 9, Apr 27-May 18 Cost: $25 BARRE NEW! Feb 7-28, Mar 21-Apr 11, May 2-23 Cost: $25

WATER AEROBICS (AGE 50+) Feb 27-Apr 12*, Apr 19-May 29 Cost: $39 Jan 12-Feb 16, Mar 2-Apr 13*, Apr 27-Jun 1 Cost: $29 *No class Mar 13, 15, 16

DANCE BELLY/ORIENTAL DANCE Feb 7-Mar 7*, Mar 19-Apr 11, Apr 16-May 9, May 14-Jun 11* Cost: $39 *No class on Feb 19, May 28

TRIBAL BELLY DANCE Feb 7-Mar 7*, Mar 19-Apr 11, Apr 16-May 9, May 14-Jun 11* Cost: $39 *No class on Jan 15, Feb 19, May 28

ZUMBA Feb 8-Mar 6, Mar 20-Apr 12, Apr 19-May 15 Cost: $39

MUSIC PRIVATE LESSONS: INSTRUMENTS AND VOICE Cost: $155 (30-minute lesson) Cost: $229 (45-minute lesson)

SEMI-PRIVATE LESSONS: INSTRUMENTS AND VOICE Cost: $89 (30-minute lesson) Cost: $135 (45-minute lesson) GROUP PIANO AGE 5-12 Mar 18-Apr 22, May 6-Jun 17*, Age 13+ Mar 18-Apr 22, May 6-Jun 17* Cost: $89 *No class May 27

GROUP BEGINNING GUITAR NEW! Feb 1-Mar 8, Apr 5-May 10 Cost/$89

SCRAPBOOKING STAMPIN’ & SCRAPPIN’ WITH LAURA Feb 13-Mar 6, Mar 20-Apr 10, Apr 24-May 15 Cost: $19

KNIT & STITCH KNITTING AND CROCHETING Feb 6-22, Apr 3-19 Cost: $49

CREATIVE CUISINE SATISFY THE SOUL Feb 17 Cost: $55 DATE NIGHT: STEAK Mar 24 Cost: $55 UN RENDEZ-VOUS ROMANTIQUE Apr 21 Cost: $55 SUMMER KEBAB BASH NEW! May 12 Cost: $55

COLLEGE FOR KIDS BABYSITTER TRAINING (AGE 10+) Mar 3 Cost: $75 ZUMBA KIDS (AGE 4+) Apr 14 Cost: $19 BASIC FOOD PREPARATION (AGE 8+) May 19 Cost: $55 DOG AND CAT FIRST AID (AGE 9-16) May 19 Cost: $59

FROM FLUFF TO STUFF NEW! Mar 20-29, May 1-10 Cost: $39

ARTS & CRAFTS LIFE DRAWING Feb 28, Mar 28, Apr 25 Cost: $29 THE ZENTANGLE® METHOD NEW! Feb 20, Mar 20, Apr 17, May 22 Cost: $39 EVERYDAY CARDS Mar 30 Cost: $19 AIRBRUSHING BASICS Apr 10-19 Cost: $49

THESE COURSES ARE FOR ANYONE LOOKING TO ENHANCE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES AND IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE.

TO VIEW THE COMPLETE COURSE

PHOTOGRAPHY

SCHEDULE, VISIT

BASIC DSLR PHOTOGRAPHY Feb 26, Mar 5, 10, 19, 24, 26 Apr 16, 23, 28, 30, May 5, 7 Cost: $55

WWW.CTCD.EDU/CE.

H O MET O W N L I VI NG A T I TS B EST

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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

SOU T H BELTON MIDDLE SCHOOL V E T E R A N S D AY PROGR A M South Belton Middle School honored local veteran's by presenting CTE flags during the month of November. We are proud of all the veteran's in our area and would like to thank each and every one for their service. Photos Provided by Belton ISD

Bishop

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H U M A N I TA R I A N

HURRICANE HARVEY

Heroes Lisa Zuniga, an army wife and stay-at-home mom, helped rescue around 17,000 people devastated by Hurricane Harvey.

By Peggy Purser Freeman Photos by EmilyB Photography and provided by Lisa Zuniga and Erin Rivard

isa and Kevin Zuniga live in Harker Heights. Lisa is your average army wife and stay-at-home mom, homeschooling their three kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an average momnext-door who, with a team of other average people, became a hero, helping approximately 17,000 people devastated by Hurricane Harvey. This is her account.

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AUGUST 27, 2017, SUNDAY A.M.

The news shows Harvey hitting land, causing problems in Houston. At church, we hear the call to help, but I don't know how. I want to go to Houston to physically do something, but it's still storming. My husband advises against it. Instead, we restock our family's 72-hour emergency kits.

SUNDAY 7 P.M.

I log in on Facebook and see a group called "Hurricane Harvey, Together We Will Rebuild." One of the posts caught my attention: A nurse collecting a listâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;people begging for help for themselves or their loved ones. Copying them from the comments, I tell her I'll put them on a map.

SUNDAY 9 P.M.

Flooding in Houston is reaching historic levels. I finish inputting the first wave of names into the Google map. Feeling a swell of accomplishment, I revisit the list and see there are hundreds more. My husband, Kevin, put the kids to bed, and I kept going. Entering about 85 names on the map, I post on my Facebook about what I'm doing. A quick refresh of the original post, and now there are 200 additional addresses. Later, I'm staring at 600 addresses. I had to organize the pleas for help and hope someone on the ground would see it. I create the form which links to the spreadsheet and proceed to distribute those links on Facebook. The addresses are entered into the form by the

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people themselves and then link directly to the spreadsheet as I enter them into the map.

SUNDAY 10 P.M.

Storme, affiliated with the Cajun Navy, asks if she can share my map with those on the ground. I answer, "YES, PLEASE!" She introduces me to the Zello radio app and sets us up on their dispatch walkie-talkie channels. Through these channels, I hear the extent of the devastation on the ground.

MONDAY AROUND 3 A.M.

I tell myself I'm going to bed, but there are many, many pleas: quadriplegics unable to escape, paralyzed elderly in rising waters, seizing women without medicine, infants without formula or milk, a bedridden man in rising water, infants not breathing, women giving birth or miscarrying on rooftops, a child on a respirator with the generator actively failing, looters with guns, dialysis patients without medication, countless diabetics without insulin, and every type of cancer patient. Over 3,136 addresses needing rescue within the first 24 hours. I enter addresses, dispatch to boaters, and monitor the channels to find intel on boat launches, gas stations that are still open, and boat rally points where boaters can meet together.

MONDAY 8 A.M.

My friend Erin Rivard sees my post and comes over. I teach her my protocol, and she calls for more help. Eight women show up at my house with their laptops.

MONDAY 2 P.M.

The army of moms leave to pick up their kids from school but keep working from home. Erin creates a tutorial video showing what we're doing and how to do it. She shares it and instantly gets a hundred volunteers. My sister, Yvonne Perez, saw her post and immediately offers to create the Facebook group, "Hurricane Harvey Rescue Dispatchers." She and Erin work together to disseminate information I'm giving them to the volunteers in the group. My eyes blur and the needs of my own family claw at my heart. Friends take turns picking up my kids for outings so I can focus on the rescue mission. One friend brings dinner, another walks my dogs. Exhausted, I rejoice when I hear that my dad is driving six hours to help with the children. My husband's friend from Colorado is flying in to help tend to the house.

MONDAY 6:30 P.M.

My husband calls. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finally on his way home.

TUESDAY 2 A.M.

I finish a 31-hour shift and finally sleep...for four hours.

TUESDAY 6 A.M.

I wake up and get back to posting. The children wake up shortly thereafter. We monitor radio channels for intel and call people whose addresses are listed but had not been marked as rescued. Coordinating with Yvonne and Erin to disseminate info to volunteers, we continue for four days straight.

WEDNESDAY

I recruit small groups to do jobs like calling hospitals, plotting shelters on the map, and finding open gas stations. Jasmine, a strong, courageous woman with the most grit and the biggest heart, steps in to take over dispatch. Nichole, gifted in public relations, is taking charge of contacting people like governor's offices, senators, Department of Homeland Security, and local law enforcement. Somehow, they check in with me with their status updates.

THURSDAY

Our map starts to get buggy, but Rainie and her I.T. firm out of Seattle are actively fixing it. Three webmasters come on board to help us better spread information to boaters. Dams break and nuclear power plants are evacuated for fear of explosionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;chaos in Texas.

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B EL L CO UNTY L I V I N G

THURSDAY 3 A.M.

At the insistence of everyone, I sleep for 90 minutes. I wake abruptly with a prompting, check Louisiana. Checking, I find an address posted there in the wrong zip code and state. I fix the problem and remind everyone to be more careful: each marker represents an entire family.

FRIDAY

Port Arthur is devastated. The death toll is rising. We work around the clock, trying to get people to take shifts so we can continue with gathering data, calling residences for status updates, dispatching to boaters, etc. My husband and his buddy leave for Houston that night, towing our boat.

SATURDAY, NOON

We get word that civilian rescuers are being asked to cease indefinitely. It’s nearly a week after Harvey hit, and law enforcement is finally able to handle the load. Rescuers are overcome with emotions. A team and I continue contacting shelters to find out their needs.

SEPTEMBER 3, SUNDAY 9 A.M.

I leave the house for the first time in a week— back to church. It's weird being away from my

computer, being in a building full of people. Many have no idea what has transpired this week. Who knew that being familiar with spreadsheets and maps could lead to saving lives?

MONDAY 2 A.M.

The authorities announced earlier they’d be recruiting boaters on the ground to begin "retrieval" of bodies from Port Arthur's devastating storm. We organize the data there and find that nine out of ten of those needing help had, in fact, been rescued. Our rescue work is finally done. We continue working on shelters. Ready to return to our regular lives and our families, we go out on the boat that evening to finally relax. I don't think I truly understood the magnitude of this experience—over six hundred volunteers from all over the world, each working on the map. I've learned that there are many genuinely kind people in the world who want to be a force for good. Our simple deeds, when combined together, created a “pouch” filled with small “golden flecks” of service for our fellowmen. Lisa and Kevin Zuniga, Yvonne Perez, Erin Rivard, Storme, Nichole, and the rest of the “Hurricane Harvey, Together We Will Rebuild" are all heroes—a living model of how to help in the midst of disaster.

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PLANT YOURSELF INTO A NEW HOME THIS SPRING ! When you’ve found the ideal home, it just makes sense to select the ideal lender as well.

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H U M A N I TA R I A N

B EL L CO U NTY L I V I N G

Helping the Hands THAT HELP By Rebecca Parvaresh Photos by EmilyB Photography Event photos provided by Danny Thomp

ery few are able to bear witness to the last dish washed in the soup kitchen, the last trash bag hauled to the dumpster at the shelter, or the moment the lights are switched off for the night at the food pantry in the center of town. The few that do live out those moments in and around Killeen, Texas are the very crowd Killeen local, Theresa Anderson, wants to honor. At least, that is how the dream began. “Sometimes we forget people behind the scenes,” Anderson said. “There’s always the few people who do a lot of that hard work and we forget to say thank you to that small percentage. That’s the design of this event each year, to say thank you to those who wash the dishes and take out the trash. This was a dream that God gave me. Wherever I go I try to find something different that no one else is doing in the community that needs to be done. I ask God to show me the need.”

H O MET O W N L I VI NG A T I TS B EST

I ’m just trying to do what is right. If we don’t stand up to help each other, who will fill the need ? – Theresa Anderson

BEL L CO UNTY L I V I N G

Anderson is a local business owner twice over, but her work running a daycare limits her volunteer opportunities within the community she loves. “Some people aren’t able to be on the line serving food but this is a way to stand with those who do,” she said. The need God revealed to her was the need to honor and thank those who are giving of their time and energy to others in the community. A night of food, fellowship, and fun at a semiformal event she has been personally funding since 2011. From the outcry of her heart, came the dream for her organization called “Helping the Hands that Feed the Homeless.” “The first time I hosted a dinner in my home and it was much larger than I anticipated. We honored volunteers from four different organizations the first year and at the last banquet for 2017 we honored 125 people from over 14 organizations in the community.”

Anderson explained that individuals in the community are personally invited to a semi-formal banquet, which is completely free to them. During the banquet, there are vendors present that are hand picked by the organization to possibly be beneficial to the volunteers in attendance. The group plays games and each volunteer is given a gift. It is truly a night set aside to say thank you to those who often give of themselves without a thought to what they may receive in turn. “It was very touching the first year.” Anderson described the part of the event where volunteers and vendors alike are able to step up to the microphone and share their “why” for working with their organizations. “One lady poured her heart out and we all started crying because she said no one had ever really said thank you to them. It had meant so much that someone thought of them. There is so much cruelty, corruption,

and hatred around us that we just don’t exercise love as much as we should. This is just something I have always asked for, I ask God to create me opportunities for love.” Anderson operated, funded, coordinated, and presented the event for four years privately without recognition. As the event reached more volunteers, she wanted to involve more people to help her create the event so that it reached the most people possible. She referenced the passage in the Bible, Mark chapter 6 verse 7, in influencing her decision to put together a board to assist her in this mission. Just as Jesus sent out His disciples in pairs, she also created a board that has two people over each area to make sure the event always comes together. “It began to be hard, because there was such a small group of us,” Anderson said. “ I asked God to show me what He wanted me to do, and he reminded me of how Jesus sent them out two by two. After that I re-grouped and I asked two people in each area to come on to a board and they each specialize in those areas. When working on it, the two people together on each project make sure to make things happen. We do accept donations, but I fund probably 85% of the event, and at times I have to pay people to specialize in certain parts of the event. I definitely sacrifice for it but I am always the one saying lets do more!” Over the years, the board has grown, and there is a

H O MET O W N L I V I NG A T ITS B EST

mighty group that comes together with Anderson each year to make the dream a reality. The board consists of: Vice President, Jacqueline Davis; Secretary, Nicole Redmond; IT Support, Courtney Hicks; Finance Assistance, Tamasha Richardson; Treasurer, Kekentia Grant; Outreach Director, Donna Ramirez; Board Member, Carolyn Smith; Board Member, Vickie Norris; Chaplin, Kay Thomas; Scholarship Coordinator, Jacquelyn Darby-Dabney; Non Profit Consultant, Bea Baylor; Executive Secretary, Dwyann Macklin; Fundraising Coordinator, Daniel and Georgina Reo. Together with Anderson, the board members help create and execute the event of love each year. The banquet for 2017 was held on November 4th and among the honorees was Early Jenkins, a 13-year Meals on Wheels delivery driver. She has been attending the event for the last 7 years and looks forward to it each year. “I was originally invited by a friend, a lady who volunteers at Meals on Wheels with me. I really think it is great that someone took the opportunity and time to thank me for my job helping others out there. Time

BEL L CO U NTY L IV I N G

doesn’t mean anything if you aren’t using it the right way. So it makes you feel really good that someone took that time for you.” Though each honoree is personally invited by a member of the board that has built relationships with the various organizations in the community, many honorees hear from their friends about the event far before they attend themselves. Jenkins is the reason fellow delivery driver, Beverly Suite, has been attending the last 3 years. “I think it’s a good opportunity to be with all the other volunteers in the community. I enjoy myself immensely,” Suite said. “We exchange numbers with others saying, ‘If I can help you great, or if you can help me and my group then great.’ It’s wonderful that they appreciate what we do. I’m proud to have gone to the banquet and it helps people to be proud of what they are doing. It inspires one to keep going and keep helping others.” The connections volunteers make with others in different organizations are an added bonus to the event. “It isn’t about just helping a person,” Anderson said. “It’s about helping the organization. We continue to work

with all the organizations throughout the year through fundraisers for the food pantry. We stay connected and know if anyone needs something. My heart is to help someone else. I’ve been known to take things from my own home, whether it be money or items. If someone has a need, I will find a way to help. We can’t take care of the whole world but we can do more day to day to make it a little better.” Continuing to work with organizations in the community and meet new needs is what Anderson and the board of Helping the Hands that Feed the Homeless hope to do. They dream an additional dream that addresses the homeless and impoverished school child demographic of the communities they serve. Anderson has heard of so many stories of teachers reaching into their own pockets to purchase supplies or a pair of shoes for a student that stems from having a relationship with the child. She hopes their organization will begin a scholarship program soon that supports building those relationships and following a child for an entire school year to meet their needs as they arise. “We want to work with the school system to help identify children and families in need. What we would do is then shadow the child all year – we would set a budget and take care of their needs that come up. Lunches, dinners, supplies, clothes, because you don’t hear from October through May of what kids need throughout the year. I heard of a child at a local school who wore out their shoes and then didn’t want

to participate in activities. The teachers all pitched in and bought him some new shoes. They had built a relationship to be able to meet that need. Imagine if we had that in place already where the children had someone to go to when they have a need come up and they knew they could receive assistance.” The scholarship program and the annual banquet to honor local volunteers are open to donations from the public. Each year, there is a silent auction at the banquet event to help offset the costs Anderson and her board face. They also offer tickets to the public to come to the banquet event. Tickets can be purchased through their website, helpingthehandsthatfeedthehomeless.com, and one ticket funds your meal plus the meal of an honoree. Though this is the 6th year they have held the event, it is still relatively unknown but growing. Anderson’s heart’s desire is that it continues to grow and bear fruit like the scholarship program for homeless children or continued fundraising for the organizations they work with each year. “It is very hard and right now we could use the help to keep things going each year. But I’m just trying to do what is right. If we don’t stand up to help each other, who will fill the need?” “Part of my ‘why’ for reaching out and giving to the homeless population is because my oldest son, Charles Anderson, Jr. is homeless. So I try to give and do as much as I can for the homeless in hopes that someone out there helps my son if he has a need.”

H O MET O W N L I VI NG A T I TS B EST

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H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

In the Kitchen with

Dietitian Carey Stites About Carey Stites MS, RD, LD, CPT

Photos by Jenny Lloyd Photography

Carey Stites is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian working for Wellstone Health Partners in Harker Heights. Carey has been a practicing Dietitian since 2001 with experience in both outpatient and inpatient medical nutrition therapy and sports nutrition. She is also an AFAA certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer. She has promoted health and wellness through presentations, classes and cooking demonstrations all over Texas.

Healthy Comfort Foods

s the weather becomes chillier this season you may be tempted to warm up with your beloved classic comfort food. Comfort food can be a delicious way to endure the winter cold and reflect on memories of favorite childhood dishes. These â&#x20AC;&#x153;feel goodâ&#x20AC;? recipes, however, can be loaded

with excess calories, sugar, sodium and fat, which may result in regret and not contentment. The good news is most of these dishes can be made lighter and healthier so they are not only comforting, but good for you, too! Here are two recipes to try this winter:

Chicken Tortilla Soup Ingredients:

• 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil • 2 tablespoons ground cumin • 3 tablespoons chili powder • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • 1 cup chopped white onion • 1 teaspoon minced garlic • 1 ½ cups chopped green peppers • ½ cup corn • 2 cups chopped tomatoes • ¼ cup chopped cilantro • 1 ½ cups cooked chicken breast slices • 1 cup shredded low-fat Monterey jack cheese • Lime • Sweet potato chips • Chopped serrano pepper, optional • Salt, optional

Directions:

1. Heat a soup pot over medium heat for 2 minutes, add the olive oil, onion, garlic, peppers and corn. “Stir fry” until the onions become tender, about 5 minutes. 2. Add the chicken and chopped tomatoes to this mixture, heat an additional 5 minutes. 3. Add all the spices and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. 4. Reduce to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes. 5. Squeeze lime juice into soup and add cilantro. 6. Garnish each bowl with shredded cheese, a few sweet potato chips and cilantro.

Nutrition Information: Servings: 6* Calories: 150, Total Fat: 6 grams, Sodium: 400 mg, Total Carbohydrate: 13 grams, Protein: 10 grams *varies, based on ingredients used

Spinach Quiche Ingredients:

• Cooking spray • 1 yellow onion, chopped • 1 (10 ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained • 5 eggs or 10 egg whites, beaten • 3 cups shredded low-fat Muenster cheese • Small loaf pan • Option: Packaged turkey bacon, turkey sausage links or turkey breakfast sausage

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease pan. 2. Heat spray in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated. 3. In a large bowl, combine eggs and cheese. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend, then add meat if using in recipe. Scoop into prepared pan. 4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information: Serving Size: 1/6th loaf* Calories: 230, Total Fat: 10 grams, Total Carbohydrates: 5 grams, Sodium: 223 milligrams, Protein: 20 grams *varies, based on ingredients used

H O MET O W N L I V I NG A T I TS B EST

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H O MET O W N L I V I NG A T I TS B EST

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

Happy New Year

A GUIDE TO A BETTER RESOLUTION By Sally Grace Holtgrieve

BEL L CO UNTY L I V I N G

n preparing to write this article, I wrote a song called “Resolution,” sung to The Beatles’ “Revolution.” I’ll spare you. Happy New Year. I also researched the origins of New Year’s resolutions with the intention of finding some ancient inspiration. Basically, the Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each new year that involved returning borrowed objects and paying off debts. I’m sure they also vowed to consume less carbs and social media. My guess is the Babylonians stuck to their resolutions 4,000 years ago as well as I stuck to mine last year. I don’t remember if I even had any resolutions last year. I probably said I was going to eat more gummy worms, pretend to go on a run more often, and finish Infinite Jest before wandering off to engage in the next holiday-partyhot-topic. But then my 2017 derailed when I was diagnosed with cancer that had possibly already metastasized. Multiple surgeries and months later, I’m still here, cancer free,

albeit lacking a few lymph nodes. I was feeling confident about getting back to my work until I was assigned a “fun article on New Year’s resolutions.” I thought, I’m lost in a reexamination of existence at the moment. I have no idea how I’m going to encourage people to stick to their resolutions when I can’t begin to think up my own. But as I sought advice on the topic from friends, family, and one unassuming cashier at H-E-B, tips and ideas began to formulate despite myself. I am pleased with the wisdom I have compiled on maintaining resolutions. Why should you listen to me, an average Beltonian? For exactly that reason. I’m not a self-help expert or a psychologist, and I have definitely never been asked to run the advice column at any of my newspapers. I am garden-variety. I hate construction on I-35 and I utilize the disproportionate number of donut shops in town. It’s a pigeon ... It’s a poorly constructed model airplane ... It’s Ordinary Girl! And she’s here to save your year.

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MAKE YOUR RESOLUTION SUPER-SPECIFIC

If you vow to “eat better” or “be happier” you probably won’t. Instead, turn in the direction of those ideals with concrete, simple plans. Originally my resolution was to socialize more, but that’s too broad. How can I achieve positive growth through a statement that is vague and easily distorted for my convenience? I changed it to “host a get-together once a month.” Whether it’s a game night or bonfire, seeing something through twelve times is more realistic.

MAKE YOUR RESOLUTION ACHIEVABLE

I’m not saying you should sell yourself short, but dreams only work if you do, so don’t set a goal that is steps beyond where you are genuinely able to start. Don’t make your goal “sing on TV” if you’ve never performed for anyone. Try instead, “Post three Youtube videos and sing at one live event.” Whether Karaoke at your best friend’s birthday party counts or not is up to you. I realized my resolution needed to be revised again. I don’t need to host a social gathering every month. I already know that I’m moving to a new place of residence in May and might not be ready for visitors by June, so my resolution can be “organize a get-together once a month.” Inviting everyone to play cards at the brewery or check out a new restaurant will still achieve my loftiest ambition, to socialize more.

CARE A LITTLE LESS

Yeah, you read that right. If you mess up in August, don’t consider yourself such a failure that you’re not worthy of continuing on with your goal for the rest of the year. I used to suffer from quite an “all or nothing” attitude. But lately, I don’t feel the need to put so much weight on the big picture, I’m just happy to have a big picture. If I stumble in August, I’m humbled to get a September, so I’ll try again. I can organize two get-togethers in a month to make up for a missed one, for example. Remember, you’re setting the rules and you’re setting your life. Besides, “mid-October-resolution” has a nice ring to it, too. If you’re still here, it’s not too late. There’s one part of “Resolution” I kept exactly as is in “Revolution:” Don’t you know it’s going to be alright Alright, alright

HAVE PEOPLE TO KEEP YOU ACCOUNTABLE

Nobody wants to be a liar liar New Year’s pants already on fire. Sharing news - good or bad - with someone you love often makes it more real to you. Make a pact with a friend to keep each other accountable. If your friend is going to call you at the end of the week or month, you don’t want to let them down by admitting you’ve slacked off. You could also make a friendly bet - whoever quits their resolution first has to buy the other dinner. If you want a large supportive network, there are a lot of mobile apps available for exactly such a purpose. Regarding my resolution, well, I’ve already told all of you that I’ll be sticking with it, but I guess I could also inform the dog.

BEL L CO UNTY L I V I N G

SHARING NEWS - GOOD OR BAD - WITH SOMEONE YOU LOVE OFTEN MAKES IT MORE REAL TO YOU. MAKE A PACT WITH A FRIEND TO KEEP EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE.

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H O MET O W N L I V I NG A T I TS B EST

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

Seton Medical Center Harker Heightsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

ACTIVE AGAIN TOTAL JOINT REPLACEMENT PROGRAM Q & A on Hip and Knee Replacements By Martha Helton Photos by Kay Taylor Photography

ach year, more than 700,000 people make the decision to undergo joint replacement surgery. Locally, the Active Again Total Joint Replacement Program at Seton Medical Center Harker Heights is a program created in 2016 to meet the needs of those needing joint replacements. The medical director of the program, Dr. Erik Lovria, brings his expertise to SMCHH. He is a board certified orthopedic surgeon and fellowship trained in joint replacements. He completed medical school at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and a residency in Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Massachusetts. Dr. Lovria then completed a fellowship in Adult Reconstruction at the Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Lovria specializes in both simple and complex joint replacements and revision joint replacements and is with Wellstone Health Partners in Harker Heights. Wellstone Health Partners is a multispecialty group affiliated with SMCHH with locations in Killeen, Harker Heights and Belton.

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The following are some questions and answers with Dr. Lovria about his most commonly done elective procedures--hip and knee replacements.

When should a person see the doctor?

What is involved with hip and knee replacement?

If a patient is having chronic pain in their hips or knees and it is causing them to have difficulty on a regular basis, I am happy to see them in my office. There are several treatment options to try prior to surgery and I only proceed with surgery when the patient is ready for it. When a patient comes to the office we discuss treatment options and if surgery is a good option.

A hip and knee replacement surgery involves removing the worn out joint surface and replacing it with an artificial joint surface. For hip replacements, the ball and socket portion are replaced with a new ball and socket, and for knees, the end of the thighbone and the top of the shinbone are replaced. The patient typically stays in the hospital for one to two days after surgery before being discharged home.

What determines who is a good candidate for surgery?

What happens post-surgery?

Patients must be healthy enough for surgery, but there is not a specific age cut off. Patients typically have chronic pain and stiffness in their hips or knees and often have limited motion in their joints. Patients with pain that limits their daily activity and causes enough difficulty with normal day-to-day life are good candidates, but ultimately the decision to have the surgery is up to the

patient based on their symptoms.

BEL L CO U NTY L I V I N G

After surgery patients are treated with 24 hours of antibiotics and are evaluated by physical therapy. They are able to walk and put full pressure on their joint right after surgery and usually are up and walking the day of surgery. Once the patient is discharged from the hospital they have physical therapy, either at home or as an outpatient. Knee replacement patients have to focus on their range of motion to prevent stiffness and loss of

motion. Pain and function improve over time, with most patients returning to fairly normal activity levels after six to eight weeks, although this partially depends on the patient and their condition prior to surgery. Patients are also kept on medication to prevent blood clots for about a month after surgery. I see my patients in the office two weeks after surgery and remove their dressing and check their progress. During surgery I place all of the stitches under the skin so there are no sutures or staples to remove. I see the patient again six weeks after surgery and if they are doing well they return for follow-up in a year.

What are the risks involved?

The major risks of joint replacements are infection in the joint, blood clots, and implants can potentially loosen over time. Hip replacements have a risk of instability and dislocation, but this is very uncommon. Hip replacement patients can have differences in their leg length after surgery, although some patients experience shortening of their leg prior to surgery and this can be improved with the hip replacement surgery. Knee replacement patients have a risk of residual swelling and stiffness or loss of motion after surgery, but this risk is significantly lowered with good physical therapy after

H O MET O W N L I V I NG A T I TS B EST

Elaine Turley, 78, double hip and knee replacement recipient: “A lot of senior citizens fall and break a hip and I didn’t want to go that route. I was kind of miserable and it hurt to sit and walk. They did an MRI and it indicated that the joints in both hip sockets were gone and my knee was bad too. I didn’t have any real hesitation (about the surgery) after Dr. Lovria showed me the results. I went to Joint Camp and I thought it was very good. I got to meet informally the anesthesiologist, the physical therapists, the OR nurse and others beforehand and they had handouts that explained everything. I went into it more knowledgeable had I not gone. I learned about exercises to get me better faster. Everybody should go (to Joint Camp) if they’re going to have surgery. I’ve been able to do more because of the exercises. I have more stamina. I had home health come and if I had any problems going through the exercises, they went over them with me.” She added: “Dr. Lovia is very, very good in my opinion. He’s kind and has a terrific bedside manner.”

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surgery. The patient may not have their pain completely resolved after surgery, but the pain should be significantly improved. How long do the joint replacements last? Modern joint replacement implants will typically last 20 years or more, as long as they are not experiencing other complications. After 20 years, about 80-85% of patients will still be doing well. If the patient experiences problems, second replacements, called revision joint replacements, can be done. Revision joint replacements are more complex and are typically done by surgeons that specialize in joint replacements. I evaluate patients that are having problems with their joint replacement and determine if a revision surgery is necessary. The number of revision joint replacements a patient can have is not a specific number, but is determined by the patient’s anatomy. I have performed revision surgery on patients that have had two or three prior joint

replacement surgeries and they have done well after their surgery.

What are some good resources for more information?

Additional information about hip and knee replacements can be found online at: aahks.org and orthoinfo.org. Also available at SMCHH is Joint Camp, which is facilitated twice monthly. The patients who attend have reported that recovery is easier post-surgically because of the education they received on what to expect and what exercises to be working on prior to surgery. For more information, contact the Active Again Total Joint Replacement Coordinator at SMCHH, Stacy Sepeda, MSN, RN, WCC, at 254-618-4359 or Stacy.Sepeda@smchh.org. To contact Dr. Lovria, log onto harkerheights.wellstonepartners. org/orthopedic or call 254-6181095.

HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

CTCS H A PPENINGS Halfway through the school year and Central Texas Christian School Lions are seeing grat things happen daily. We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to see what 2018 brings us and the things we can accomplish. Go Lions! Jadon Ramsey showcases his musical talents in the Band Christmas Concert

Lauren Carlson in unison sings with the High School Choir at the Christmas Concert

Photos Courtesy of CTCS

Reagan Ragsdale performs in the school_s fall theater production, A Christmas Carol, as young Scrooge

Abby Chiles, Saylor Wooden, Taylor Humphrey, and Miriam Dosa glorify the Lord in praise and worship

Caleb Marshall performs with his classmates in the Pre-School Performace of Grandparents Day

Bishop

CTCS Athletes gather together on the Football Field to sing in worship after school at Field of Faith

Elizabeth Wood, Eighth Grader, pauses wth her grandparents to capture the memories of Grandparents Day

Temperance Rodriguez hysterically laughs before school

Miriam Dosa laughs alongside friends at the CTCS Fields of Faith

Senior, Abby Chiles quickly tips the volleyball back over the net to score again Granger

Isabelle Emmons gleams with cheer on the sidelines of the Varsity Lion Football Team

Varsity Football Players take a moment to pray with Athletic Director and Head Football Coach, Jeremy Calahan

H O MET O W N L I VI NG A T I TS B EST

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Helping Hands that Feed the Homeless hosts an event each year to recognize the people behind the scenes that volunteer their time to help those in need.

SAVE THE DATE: 8th annual celebration November 3, 2018 | 5pm - 7pm Location TBD

Thank you to all our sponsors JCPenny; Zeta Phi Beta; Cathedral of Deliverance and Praise, Pastor Bishop LaDell Thomas, Jr. If you’d like to get involved or make a donation, visit www.helpingthehandsthatfeedthehomeless.com

For more information call 360-481-9206 or Chairperson, Mrs. Ramirez 254-289-4065

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WEDDING

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Love Through the Ages:

The Golden Years By Sally Grace Holtgrieve Photos by EmilyB Photography

t was a blind date. That’s how Sue Dunlap launches into the narrative that is her love story. Sue, born and raised in Waco, was 20. She had a close friend who worked with a local church, which sometimes hosted Friday night dances for the young soldiers stationed at Fort Hood. The soldiers were required to have escorts, a job that fell upon two lieutenants. After meeting the chaperones, Sue’s friend called her. “‘I met the most wonderful young man for you, you’re going to love him,’” Sue remembered her friend saying in reference to one of the lieutenants, 21 year old Bob Dunlap. “You know I don’t go out with soldiers from Fort Hood,” was Sue’s reply. Her friend, undeterred, said the man would be coming over that evening specifically to meet her.

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“I don’t know exactly what makes it work. All I know is I get real excited when I hear his car coming home. It’s still new - not sixty-five years old. It’s still new and exciting and I just love that guy.” -Sue Dunlap

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“Well, he came over,” Sue said, “and I took one look through the screen door and I fell in love.” 65 years later she and Bob are still delighting each other. The couple met on February 8 and married on June 8, 1952. “There was a reason,” Bob said of the haste. “I was being sent to Germany.” He left three days after the wedding. Sue continued working as a nurse’s aid at Hillcrest Hospital for six months before taking a ship overseas and joining her husband abroad. Over the course of Bob’s 26 year-long military career, the couple would spend more than a decade outside of the United States - be it Germany, Vietnam or the Philippines. Couples sometimes feel pressured to establish their lifestyle in a particular way or find they have more obligations outside of the household when parents are nearby, Bob mused. “They get a lot of supervision from their parents after they get married, when

they’re supposed to be out on their own,” he said. “I think our marriage was better because we went to Europe and nobody was telling our family what to do.” Although they treasured every moment with family when they were stateside, that time away allowed them to build their own relationship and strength as a new family, he said. Baby Jean was born in 1955, Julie in 1961 and Bill in 1966. On Bob’s second tour of Vietnam, he was given an assignment that permitted his family to come with him. “We lived on the base in the Philippines,” Sue said, “right outside a volcano. It was wonderful.” Bob became good friends with his Vietnamese counterpart - a general and when Sue visited the country, she met the man’s wise. The two families became friends, gathering for dinner and going on trips together often. When the Dunlaps moved back to the United States at the beginning of the 1970s, they kept

up with their friends. “When Vietnam fell to the communists we lost track of them,” Sue said. “Then one day we got a phone call from them. They asked if we would sponsor them in the United States. What an opportunity.” Bob picked the family - mom, dad and four sons - up from the Dallas airport and moved them into the house in Harker Heights. “So here we were, twelve for dinner every night,” Sue said with a laugh. “They stayed with us for three months before the Catholic church downtown helped them rent a house nearby … and so here was this gentleman, a former Vietnamese commander, who started driving a milk truck in Harker Heights.” The family eventually moved to a Vietnamese community in California. The Dunlaps are still in frequent communication with them and proud of everything their friends have accomplished. “All the boys are wonderfully employed - lawyers and doctors,” Sue said. “That experience is one of the wonderful things that has happened in our lives - that’s not something that comes around often.” When Bob retired from the military, after nearly three decades of moving, the Dunlaps decided to stay in Harker Heights. All three children graduated from

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Killeen High School. Bob got a job at Central Texas College, where he worked for about 17 years. He’s also been volunteering at the Metroplex Hospital gift shop alongside Sue for 22 years. “When I retired, I went to work for her,” he said, smiling and pointing at his wife. The couple prefers to stay busy, particularly by being involved in the community. Certificates, awards and proclamations covering the walls of their home exemplify this fact. “After retiring from the Army, I decided I was going to join a church in the community I live in and join a service club in the community I live in,” Bob said. “I’ve been with the Kiwanis club forty years.” As president of the club, Bob established an Easter sunrise service. Many churches in Harker Heights participate in what has become an annual community event. Several local pastors decided they wanted to do a collaborative Thanksgiving service, as well, so Bob coordinates that now, too. After the sunrise service, the Dunlap’s church hosts breakfast. Sue, of course, coordinates that. This will be her thirty-sixth year doing so. What’s the secret behind this powerhouse of a team, going strong since 1952? “I don’t know exactly what makes it work,” Sue said. “All I know is I get real excited when I hear his car coming home. It’s still new - not sixty-five years old. It’s still new and exciting and I just love that guy.” Regarding advice and lessons learned, Sue said she believes it’s important to listen closely and make judgements about both what does and doesn’t need to be said. “You have to remember to admire your mate,” she continued. “Compliment them, enjoy their conversations -- and you do need to have conversations.” Sue described her husband as the perfect southern gentleman. She said his kind manner shows all the time and she couldn’t be any prouder of being married to him. “I know God planned all of this for Bob and I,” she said. “I hope all the people who read this will look at their mate and realize how wonderful they are.” Bob added that it takes two people to make a marriage. He said that Sue is an understanding person, and he tries to be one, as well. “If you can learn to stay calm you won’t have problems,’ he said. “Usually getting upset and saying things gets you further away, as opposed to getting you closer together. There are not many things that are worth getting upset about if you stop and look at it all in retrospect.”

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T R AV E L & O U T D O O R

SEARCHING FOR

CACHES By Sally Grace Holtgrieve Photos provided by Maureen Bryson and family

ave you always dreamed of finding a secret passageway? A diary hidden beneath old, creaky wooden floorboards? A treasure map? Then you’re in luck, because geocaching is for the souls that want to be part of a secret. There are 397 hidden geocaches within a 10 mile radius of Belton, 311 for Temple, 233 for Harker Heights and 190 for Killeen. Download the geocaching mobile app, pack a lunch, pick a cache and prepare to get addicted. You can use a smartphone or traditional GPS device to follow coordinates to the location of the cache. Once in the general area, it’s time to take a closer, more creative look at your surroundings. Caches can be found in a square foot box hidden amidst tree roots or in a film canister tucked behind a payphone in the middle of the city. You never know what you’re going to find, or where, and that’s part of the draw. Maureen and Layne Bryson, from Temple, said they enjoy the fact geocaching takes them down new and offbeat roads. “We love learning about historical and geological sites because someone put a cache there,” Maureen Bryson said. “We’ve been to so many interesting places we wouldn’t have found otherwise.”

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When you open the cache, you’ll sign the log with your official, chosen geocaching name - the more creative it is, the better. You’ll log the cache as found in your app, or wait until you get home and do so online. Many caches have small trinkets inside. If you want to take one, you must leave something in return. “When we cache with our grandchildren I usually get them three little things from the dollar store,” Maureen Bryson said. “I tell them they can keep the things, or, as we find caches, they can choose to trade them.” Some caches don’t contain items - just a paper log. The Brysons said they often recognize other geocachers’ names, and that it’s always fun to be caching out of state and come across a familiar name from back home. The components to the active pastime stretch far beyond trading items and

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signing logbooks, though. Esther Lopez, who has been geocaching for more than 11 years, said she has stuck with it so long because of the many elements. “If it was only mysteries (a series of clues to find that lead to the cache) or puzzles (a cache that is a rigged puzzle that must be solved to open) then I wouldn’t still be doing it,” Lopez said. “But every time you get to the cache site, you never know what you’re going to find.” Maureen Bryson agreed that everyone has their own way of playing. “A lot of people like power trails, where there is a box every tenth of a mile and they see how fast they can get them,” she said. “Some people want to get a cache in every state, while others don’t care about where they get them, they just want to get a big number.”

We love learning about historical and geological sites because someone put a cache there. - Maureen Bryson

Lopez, who is married to a muggle (a non-geocaching individual) loves hiding caches as much as she loves finding them. She has planted more than 1,200 and enjoys making them unique. The Brysons have hidden about 150. Harry Eyre has hidden 13, one of which is on his door step (and is a particularly good cache, according to Lopez). Eyre and his wife, from Waco, have been geocaching for ten years. Eyre was the eleventh person to complete the Texas Counties Challenge and his wife was number 22 - meaning they found at least one cache in all 254 counties in the state. The Brysons also completed the challenge. “When we moved here a year and a half ago we had sixty counties from previous trips to Texas,” Maureen Bryson said. “We had 194 left and had recently

retired. We got a bee in our bonnet about getting it done, so we did it, though it took us quite a few trips.” Sometimes the Brysons would find five or six caches in a day and sometimes they would find thirty to forty. The Brysons, Eyres and Lopez have all found 100 caches in one day before. “Sometimes people do relay-like races,” Eyre said. “They have crews in vans jumping out and finding them sometimes logging 1,000 in a day.” Sometimes caches stump even the experts. Lopez said she once visited a cache at least ten times before she finally figured it out. “We’ve had several that we’ve gone back several times to look for,” Maureen Bryson agreed, “or we’ve begged somebody for a hint because we knew they’d already found it.” Geocachers can check the difficulty of

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a cache online or on the app. They can see what the terrain is like and if people have favorited that particular cache. Eyre and the Brysons have tags on the back of their cars. If another geocacher sees their unique number, they can log where they spotted it. If you want to send a tag somewhere you can’t reach yourself, fear not, there’s an angle for that, too. A travel bug, or travel coin, is a small object with a unique tag for logging. Geocachers will state where their bug wants to go, and others will move it from cache to cache. Lopez had a Japanese Hello Kitty toy that wanted to get to Japan - she’s been there twice now. People often take pictures of the bug along the way so the owner can follow its travels. The Brysons had a bug that began in Utah and was listed as wanting to get to Denmark. It made it. “We had one that wanted to go to Hawaii, but it got lost somewhere in Taiwan,” Eyre recalled with a laugh. The bugs and coins often get lost, though sometimes turn up again years later. It’s all part of furthering the forage into the unknown. If you’re overwhelmed but interested, consider taking Janice Veteran’s

geocaching class at Killeen’s Central Texas College. The one-time, four hour class is designed to introduce people into the world of geocaching through kinesthetic learning and answer any questions. Veteran takes participants out to find the caches hidden around the campus. “What’s really great is that now you can geocache on your phone,” she said of why more people continue to get involved. “Anytime you have some free minutes, you can just go find one, you have the equipment with you.” Veteran said it’s not so much the stuff in the box that appeals to her, but the box itself. Her favorite caches found include a mailbox container that was hanging in a tree and had to be let down via rope and what looked like a giant wooden mousetrap. She finds interesting, quirky caches wherever she travels. But back to homebase. Caches are enchanting because they’re all around us. We’re all familiar with the Bell County Courthouse - but what about the cache hidden on its grounds? So many people pass it daily, while a select few have peered a little closer in the name of discovery. You’d better start looking.

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BEST KEPT SECRETS:

GREEN’S SAUSAGE HOUSE By Connie Lewis Leonard Photos by Rendez Photography

ake a leisurely drive back in the sixties, back when gasoline cost less than thirty cents a gallon, back when a Sunday drive through the countryside provided a relaxing pastime for families. Driving through the farming country along Texas State Highway 53, about 11 miles from Temple, you might just find yourself at Green’s Sausage House in Zabcikville. You have to pay close attention so you don’t pass it because there are no big billboards or flashing neon signs. A single sign atop a metal pole displays the name “GREEN’S” above a pig with “SAUSAGE HOUSE” branded on its body. The simple frame building trimmed in green houses the café on the left and the country store on the right. The café décor transports diners back to the simpler, relaxing time. The wood floor predates the 60’s era, maybe all the way back to the 40’s when Della and Jerome Green first bought the original mercantile store across the street. Working long and hard to develop a successful business, the Green family, including two sons and four daughters, outgrew the original building and moved to the present location.

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The café, open Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 6:30 pm and Saturday from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm, boasts a full range of menu items. Green’s is home to the original sausageburger, a large sausage patty with pickle, mustard and onion. My husband chose the chicken fried steak. He said it was the best he’s ever eaten, including restaurants listed in the top ten places to get chicken fried steak in Texas. Being an Indiana native, I tried the fried pork tenderloin. It was delicious—crispy fired on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, not at all greasy. The homemade potatoes were nice and thick, and the salad was crisp and fresh. We had a courteous, conscientious waitress, and the cooked-to-order food arrived much sooner than we anticipated. Strolling through the market, I felt like a kid in a candy store. Jars and jars of jellies, jams, honey, sauces, jalapenos, salsas, relishes, pickles and queso lined the shelves. And candy—peanut brittle, cashew brittle, pecan brittle. Fresh homemade breads, squeezably soft. I bought a loaf of jalapeno bread that made the best grilled cheese, with pepper jack cheese, I’ve eaten. The meat case displayed the 21 different varieties of Green’s sausage, other cuts of meat and cheeses. The freezer held fresh, hand cut and wrapped meats. Tray upon tray of kolaches, cookies, and turnovers filled the pastry case. We bought cottage cheese, cream cheese, strawberry, and peaches and cream kolaches—all of them melt in your mouth, delicious and flakey. While standing at the meat counter, I talked with a young state patrolman. He said he and his fellow troopers

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stop by Green’s every chance they can—breakfast, lunch, or dinner, depending on their shift. Many other regulars know exactly what they want, and they know the employees by name. We arrived around 11:30, and both sides of the business stayed busy past 1:00 when we left. Green’s keeps about 18 full-time and four parttime employees working year round. The bakers come in around 4:00 in the morning, and other shifts rotate throughout the day. Some of their employees have worked in the business for over twenty years, a testament to the kindness, commitment and integrity of the owners. Jerome Green passed away in 1984, and today his sons Marvin and Charles run the family business along with their wives. Marvin primarily manages the café and market. Charles oversees the meat processing. Marvin’s son Chad also helps manage the business. Marvin gave me a tour of the bakery and kitchen, both well organized and clean. The bakery began in 1963 with one baker, but demand dictated an increase in staff. Pastries, cinnamon rolls, breads, cookies, cakes, turnovers and 19 varieties of kolaches are baked from scratch daily and sell out quickly. Marvin proudly showed me the framed articles and pictures that line the north wall of the store, along with a portrait of Jerome and Della Green. Behind the meat counter, a shelf holds bottles of Coca Cola ranging in size from six ounces to144 ounces. Marvin doesn’t know how old the bottles are, but he remembers them being in the original store. Another shelf holds a collection of pigs of various sizes in assorted poses, most given to the Greens

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over the years by faithful customers. The back bone of the business, the smoke houses and meat processing units, stretch out behind the café and store. In addition to processing 100,000 pounds of sausage per year, hams, turkeys, and bacon are also smoked. Turkey breasts are available year round, but whole smoked turkeys are only available during the holiday season in November and December. The Greens don’t advertise their business. They don’t need to because word of mouth is the best form of advertisement, and their faithful customers spread the word. They still do things the old fashioned way. Quality trumps quantity, and they don’t cut corners. Many of their recipes have been handed down for generations. The new recipes have been tried, tested and perfected. We went across the street to look at

the adobe-style building that housed the original Zabcikville General Store. The Greens still own the building that is now used by the East Bell water Supply. The Texas Historical Commission marker in front of the building states that “Jan Zabcik Sr (1810-1881), his wife Anna Hruska (1825-1900), and daughters Johhanna and Katerina traveled from Moravia in 1856…” A direct descendant, Calvin Zabcik, said, “Czechs love good food, good company, and a good time.” The Greens are of Czech descent. They know the value of good food, good company, and a good time, and provide them to their patrons. As we drove away, we experienced a sense of nostalgia, leaving the comfort of yesteryear, headed back to the fast-paced pressures of the present. We didn’t hear anyone say, “Ya’all come back again, ya hear?” But we felt it. And we will go back.

Strolling through the market, I felt like a kid in a candy store. Jars and jars of jellies, jams, honey, sauces, jalapenos, salsas, relishes, pickles and queso lined the shelves.

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS Alton D. Thiele, P.C................................................................ 111

Kay’s Photography & Design........................................... 54

Ameristor Self Storage...................................................... 23

Kustom K9 Elite Training................................................... 64

Amos Electric........................................................................ 85

Land Exchange Abstract & Title....................................126

Amy Bickel Photography...................................................77

Larry Weiss Insurance Agency.......................................126

Arnold Builders...............................................................56-57

Linnemann Realty................................................................ 29

Automax.................................................................................. 76

Lonestar eBikes.................................................................... 32

Aztec Pet Hospital...............................................................119 Bell County Living................................................................118

Metroplex Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine..........................................................9

Bell County Museum........................................................... 49

Metroplex Health System.................................................. 23

Belton Feed & Supply.........................................................110

Premier ER.............................................................................. 88

Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area....................... .22

Rendez Photography.......................................................... 94

BJ’s Flower Shop.................................................................. 23 Bobby Whitson for Bell Co. Commissioner................ 30

Rodney Dunn Real Estate/Brook Fowler............................ Inside Back Cover

Bo’s Barn and Dancehall................................................... 49

Senior Care Western Hills................................................. 68

Budget Blinds.......................................................................128

Sente Mortgage.................................................................... 95

Candid Images Photography........................................... 48

Seton Medical Center Harker Heights........ Back Cover

Central Texas Christian School...........................................3

Shiloh Inn................................................................................102

Cloud Real Estate....................................................................2

Small Cakes............................................................................ 23

Cochran Blair & Potts......................................................... 29

Smile Doctors........................................................................... 7

Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home.................................... 95

Soujourn Real Estate........................................................... 17

Deane Electric & Air Conditioning.................................. 16

St. Mary’s Catholic School...............................................126

Edward Jones.......................................................................103

Sudden Changes Salon.....................................................128

Elite Therapy Center........................................................... 89

Summers Mill Retreat & Conference Center.............128

EmilyB Photography........................................................... 28

Surface Source Design Center......................................... 17

First Community Title Co.................................................. 22

Surfing Cow Ice Cream Parlor..........................................77

First Texas Brokerage........................................................ .119

Susan Marie’s......................................................................... 32

Geico........................................................................................103

SWBC Mortgage................................................................... 76

Gold Financial Services...................................................... 64

Target Restoration............................................................... 84

Grand Avenue Theaters..................................................... 54

Texas Farm Bureau Insurance..........................................119

Greater Central Texas Federal Credit Union........................... Inside Front Cover

The Dog Spot........................................................................ 33

Heart of Texas Feed and Supply.................................... 32

The Shade Shop................................................................... 33

Heights Home Health......................................................... 33

The Shoppes on Main in Salado..................................... 32

Helping the Hands that Feed the Homeless.............103

United Way of Central Texas............................................119

Hewett-Arney Funeral Home............................................77

Visiting Angels...................................................................... 84

Hidden Falls Nursery & Garden Center........................ 64

Vista Real Estate—Blake Lufburrow.............................. 68

Hoffpauir Auto..........................................................................1

Webers Guns........................................................................... 111

Hope Pregnancy Centers, Inc.......................................... 85

Wild Angels Boutique........................................................ 33

J. Philip Davis Jr. DDS..........................................................77

Wild Games............................................................................ 30

The Salon and Spa at Greenbriar......................................5

JohnJohn Montelongo....................................................... 89

Please thank these advertisers for making this publication possible! H O MET O W N L I VI NG A T I TS B EST

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