O’ Christmas Tree Kids’ Edition It’s that time of year where all the crafting supplies come out so our littles can help add a little magic to our Christmas trees. These ornament tutorials are simple, cute, and a wonderful way to enjoy some stress-free holiday fun.
Shirts of Good Cheer ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and a lot of that Christmas cheer in Weatherford is spread through Sherry O. Watters’ annual Christmas shirt and sweatshirt designs.
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T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 1
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2 PAR KER COUNTY LIFE S TYLE
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O’ CHRISTMAS TREE KIDS’ EDITION It’s that time of year where all the crafting supplies come out so our littles can help add a little magic to our Christmas trees. These ornament tutorials are simple, cute, and a wonderful way to enjoy some stress-free holiday fun.
EX PERIENCES VS. X BOXES: A BUYER’S GUIDE TO A HAPPY HOLIDAY Do us a favor and walk in your kid’s room right now. Look in the closet, under the bed and on the shelf. If you find TONS of additional space for bigger toys, extra gear, new electronics or that 2017 edition of Under Armour Swacket, well then feel free to skip this article and move on to the page where we dish on Christmas ornaments.
SHIRTS OF GOOD CHEER ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and a lot of that Christmas cheer in Weatherford is spread through Sherry O. Watters’ annual Christmas shirt and sweatshirt designs.
HOLIDAY RECIPES Here at Parker County LifeStyle, we love family and traditions, and of course, good food! Here are some of your holiday favorites.
HOLIDAY HOMEWORK Remember that old childhood assignment we would get every year come December... “What do the holidays mean to YOU?” Four Parker County moms take on a familiar assignment.
FAITH, FAMILY, AND FOOTBALL Faith, family, and football : what Texas’s Holy Trinity and favorite cliché can actually teach us about marriage and more.
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RAISING ARROWS TOGETHER Ashley Aaron and a large team of volunteers address the needs of expectant and new moms by being mentors, prayer warriors and being available to guide them through God’s Word.
BEST INTEREST AT HEART As the community grows, the needs grow and change also. Natalie Parish focuses on broadening the scope of services beyond women to include all demographics in Parker County.
LETTING THE GRANDSTANDS GO Even in its scrapped ruins, the Trinity Meadows Racetrack still has an impact on many in Parker County.
COACHING FOR CHRIST Billy Mathis discovered his love of coaching while working for his mentor, Coach Tim Buchanan, as an Aledo coach. Now, a journey of growth and faith has prepared him to take the next step as the Weatherford Roos’ head coach.
BEST KEPT SECRETS: BELL GEMS If we told you that somewhere in Parker County in a small, dark room sits a medium sized safe full of millions of dollars of very, very large 100 year old jewels, would you believe it? That’s why we say Bell Gems is one of Parker County’s Best Kept Secrets.
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THE LIST: 6 holiday traditions you won’t want to skip.
HOMETOWN GRADUATES Please join us in congratulating Parker County’s 2017 and 2018
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future endeavors.
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BELIEVE BOLDLY Run Your Race with Erica Willis
Wishing much love and happiness to Parker County’s newlyweds.
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graduates with prayers and well wishes for their
HOMETOWN HAPPINESS
HOMETOWN BUNDLES OF JOY Welcoming Parker County’s newest residents.
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KEEPING IT REAL Keeping it Real with Ashley Aaron
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T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 7
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! PUBLISHER
Red Fin Publishing Justin & Hayley Six Kyle & Halsey Clark
T
he holidays are finally here and we feel the love! We are definitely excited to celebrate the holidays in Parker County with our family and church family, friends and community. More importantly we are happy to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ and to love on one another. Love comes from God. We encourage you friends to love those who need it this season and every season after. This world, our community, our families, could all use a little extra dose of love right now. Fortunately for us, we get to meet and share the stories of individuals who are actively loving people where they are. Parker County is a little merrier and a little brighter because of them. One such person who is shaping the future generation of Parker County is Weatherford’s Head Football Coach, Billy Mathis. His ability to get the most from his players is due to the fact that he loves them. His players aren’t just learning the game of football, they are learning the game of life. Ashley Aaron is another such person who is loving people where she’s at. A member of Willow Park Baptist Church, Ashley saw a need to love and support mothers in the church and offer God’s word as a guide to motherhood. She formed the ministry, Raising Arrows, arrows being children, and continues to love those around her through the ministry. If you don’t know her already, you will want to read about Sherry Watters, a legend in Parker County. Sherry O’ has painted the annual Christmas on the Square sweatshirt design every year for the past twenty-nine years. She has been using her God-given talents and creativity to spread love and cheer for generations in Weatherford! We want to thank our advertisers for making this publication possible and free to the community! Help us express our gratitude this holiday season 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 winter calendar, photos of your events to add to our 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 and Instagram for up-to-date events, announcements, and important information about Parker County, you don’t want to miss! We give thanks to God for our many blessings and look forward to a great year to come! Until the next edition, wishing you many blessings and happy holidays-
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Justin Six
CREATIVE | DESIGN
GreenFox Marketing & Design
CONTENT DIRECTOR
Hayley Six Hayley.RedFin@gmail.com
CONTENT COORDINATOR Jennifer Cabbage Jennifer.RedFin@gmail.com SOCIAL MEDIA CHAIR PROOF READER PHOTOGRAPHERS
Garilea Thrash Hayley Six Lindsey Sullivan Photography Whitney Chilton Photography Jaimie Hill Photography Sweet Southern Peaches Photography Cross B Photography
COVER PHOTO SALES
Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography Kyle Clark Bruce Racioppa Garilea Thrash Stacie Wallis
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Lindsay Allen Halsey Clark
Ja]_?M %M3 ù%nI5n ě?l
ĀnI5 %M3 ù%I]5n îI%[G
Sarah Gooding
Hayley.RedFin@gmail.com (817) 320-6360
Halsey.RedFin@gmail.com (817) 565-0439
Tori Mortensen
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8
Parker County LifeStyle Magazine
Erin E. McEndree Erica Willis
Parker County LifeStyle© is published quarterly by Red Fin Publishing.
www.redfinpublishing.com P.O. Box 1239 | Weatherford, TX 76086
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(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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holiday
Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, How lovely are thy branches… It’s that time of year where all the crafting supplies come out so our littles can help add a little magic to our Christmas trees. Whether it be a classroom craft, mommy & me event, church gathering, or you’re just looking to have a little fun without the huge mess, Parker County LifeStyle has you covered. These ornament tutorials are simple, cute and a wonderful way to enjoy some stress-free holiday fun.
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T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WOMEN 17
holiday
E XPERIENCES VS . XBOXES:
A buyer’s guide to a Happy Holiday
By Tori Mortensen
O
nce upon a time, a 16-year-old girl was offered a choice... get a car or take a two-week trip to Rome. And, you best believe that I drove the wheels off that 1995 silver Ford Probe. A young person will almost always choose the material over the truly momentous. I mean you can't tell a 16-year-old girl anything really, can you?
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But should it keep us parents from trying? Studies show, it's never been more expensive to be a kid. In the United States, families will fork over an average of $233,610 to raise a child from birth through age 17 —about $13,000 a year — according to newest figures from the government. And at no time in the year, is this lavish truth more apparent than during the holidays (Source: Facebook feed just before midnight on Christmas Eve). Last year, The National Retail Federation forecasted 2016 holiday spending would be $655.8 billion dollars. But don't worry they forecasted wrong. In 2016, we actually spent over $2 billion MORE than the organization’s estimate… for a whopping total of $658.3 billion, with a B. Another survey, the Rubicon Project’s Holiday Consumer Pulse, determined that last holiday season parents planned to spend an average of more than $1,700 on purchases. Not only is this about $300 more than they spent in 2015, but it’s also substantially more than the $903 NON-PARENTS plan to spend. Parents are doing it big.
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Do us a favor and walk in your kid’s room right now. Look in the closet, under the bed and on the shelf. If there is TONS of additional space for bigger toys, extra gear, new electronics or that 2017 edition of Under Armour Swacket, well then stop reading this right now and move on to the page where we dish on holiday recipes. But it’s more likely that, like most, you are going to need to get rid of some broken stuff that at one time sat atop of your kids’ Amazon wish list… just to have room for more stuff from a newly penned list. You are in good company. Only 3% of the world’s children live in the US, yet they own 40+% of the world’s toys. Our grandparents had an average of nine outfits, including dress clothes and work clothes. Now, we have an average of 30. After all, why not? American families in 2017 probably have access to more discretionary funds than all past generations combined. So, if we CAN grant our children’s WISHES by simply adding the wish to the cart, why wouldn't we? Right? No, because we are not their genies. We are their parents.
We are not their present providers; we are their pathfinders. And, because in granting them the Christmas of their dreams, we are teaching them that their WISHES, should spent on a bunch of THINGS. That their HAPPINESS is truly wrapped up in acquiring a different game system or a pillow covered with poo emojis. It’s not that we truly want to spoil our children. In many cases we aren’t even suffering from a case of keeping up with the Joneses. It’s just that it simply feels so darn good to see them… HAPPY. But what if we used this 2017 holiday season as an opportunity to actually teach them HOW to be happy… instead of just having their happiness delivered to the doorstep via two-day shipping. This Christmas let’s consider this, in a 20-year study conducted by Dr. Thomas Gilovich; the psychology professor at Cornell University actually researched the science behind happiness. In his findings, Gilovich explained: "One of the enemies of happiness is adaptation. We buy things to make us happy,
and we succeed. But only for a while. New things are exciting to us at first, but then we ADAPT to them….” This explains the famous lines “oh Mom, I forgot I even had this” and the “there’s nothing to play with, I’m bored.” You are not bored son, you ADAPTED. Gilovich went on to say, “You can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but nonetheless they remain separate from you. We are not our possessions…” This Christmas will be my first holiday season spent with a middle schooler, a time in which kids are beginning to search for the first signs of their own identity and some even notoriously become “less happy” than they may have been as sweet elementary attenders. So, if material possessions won’t help us get connected to who God created us to be AND they also won’t influence our true happiness… well then what now? Boycott the gift-giving season? Stop buying Christmas for our kids? On the contrary, the good doctor instead (and I’m paraphrasing here, LOL) points out that money CAN actually buy happiness.
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We just have to buy (and gift) the right kind of stuff. In Dr. Gilovich’s four studies on the subject he came to the conclusion that happiness is derived from experiences, not things. “We are the accumulation of everything we’ve seen, the things we’ve done, and the places we’ve been. Our experiences are a bigger part of ourselves than our material goods,” said Gilovich. “…Your experiences really are part of you. We ARE the sum total of our experiences.” Meaning, our kid’s new XBOX ultimately won’t change who he is, affect his entire life, but taking him to see a great concert, to visit a national landmark or even to a cool public park or to play laser tag as a family certainly might. What exactly makes gifting your child an experience so much more valuable than purchasing that thing he won’t quit asking for?
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Experiences aren’t usually compared. Experiences help define your purpose and passions. Experiences are unforgettable, happy memories. Experiences are challenging. Experiences are meaningful for you or you wouldn’t be spending money on them. Experiences create relationships. Experiences are different every time. Experiences that go bad still make for a good story. Experiences stay with your children forever! The same can never be said for all these THINGS with which we surround ourselves.
It’s ok, maybe we can’t help but be genies this year… just moms and dads AND Christmas gift giving genies. But what if this season we took the small step of asking grandparents and extended family if perhaps they’d like to be in charge of giving our kids a cool opportunity to learn (instead of another American Girl dress set)? What about gifting some guitar lessons or theater tickets or a “game day” package? A cooking class, a pottery making experience? Daughter who loves jewelry? Rather than buying her ONE more Kendra Scott, what about finding a local artisan and setting up a jewelry making apprenticeship? Stadium tours, How-ToClasses at a local hardware store. Call a local veterinarian and see if your animal lover can volunteer to be a “vet-for-a-day.” Christmas genies can still be wish granters. But shouldn't we also be teaching our children HOW to wish? Wish in a way that has them wanting to turn off Madden ’18 and tune in to the real live world around them. Especially now that we have scientific proof that we’ve been doing it all wrong. A better way to “come bearing gifts” that WILL, in fact, grant true happiness to a generation searching so desperately for just that. Kinda gives a new meaning to HAPPY holidays, doesn't it? PCLS T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 2 3
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SHIRTS OF
Good Cheer By Lindsay L. Allen Photos by Whitney Chilton Photography
‘T is the season to be jolly, and a lot of that Christmas cheer in Weatherford is spread through Sherry O. Wat ters’ annual Christmas shirt and sweatshirt designs.
F
or the last 29 years, Sherry, who goes by Sherry O’ when working on a sketch, has drawn and watercolored a Christmas design that always incorporates the Weatherford courthouse and Santa. The design is then printed on long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts and sold to numerous people in the town.
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“It all started in 1987 when my friends planned and executed the first ever Christmas on the Square in the town. This was an opportunity for businesses to stay open late and a way to say ‘thank you’ to those in the community,” Sherry remembered, “I had only had my shop, Something Special, open for five months at the time, but I was so proud to participate.” The following year, 1988, Sherry was asked to design a Christmas scene representing Weatherford that could be put on shirts and sold. She recalls ordering around 50-75 shirts that year. “We sold out that year and we literally sold the one my then 12-year-old son was wearing at the time right off his back!” she laughed. While the last 29 years’ worth of designs have included the courthouse and Santa, same font and logo, the themes of the design change from year to year, along with the shirt color. This year’s focus is Santa and his toys on a navy shirt. “God has always provided me the creativity and the ideas for each year’s design,” she said. “Some days I wake up and have an idea and can be at the printer five days later getting the shirts made.” Last year, when Sherry broke her hip, she didn’t slow down as she continued two weeks later to be at her shop and paint the numerous requests that come in from her clients, Christmas shirts included. The 2016 Christmas on the Square shirt was designed in Weatherford Rehab where she spent eight days to learning how to manage her broken hip. 28 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
“God has always provided me the creativity and the ideas for each year’s design.”
Some clients prefer to have their shirts “blinged out,” with requests for crystals to be added to the shirt and many others come back year after year for not only their Weatherford Christmas on the Square shirt, but one for the whole family. “I have a set list of about 55 people that place orders for their Christmas shirt every year and I have loved getting to know all of these individuals!” Sherry said. While it’s hard for Sherry to pick a favorite design, all of which are hanging around the walls of her shop, she does have one that touches her heart the most. It was 2001 and just a few weeks after the Twin Towers were hit and Sherry was to accompany her husband to San Diego for his business trip. While she was scared to fly, she went with him and packed her shirts and paints and spent time in the hotel room fulfilling client orders. “On the way back home, I asked the stewardess for a paper plate and used that to start sketching on the plane with my pencil,” Sherry remembered. What resulted was Santa Claus riding a horse, while holding an American flag with stars all around him. That year all 600 shirts sold out, yet again.
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Sherry’s talent can be seen all over; in fact she has received calls from friends and customers saying they saw her shirts in New York or St. Louis. When asked where she learned to paint and draw she replied, “God Given 101.” Sherry remembers telling her mom when she was a teenager that she wanted to do something special with her hands, but she didn’t know what it was exactly. “It took me a while to figure it out, but in my previous job I thought to myself, ‘maybe I can draw in the future’ and I was lucky enough to be hired on as an illustrator and artist for Tandy American Handicrafts Corporations and later a craft designer, and for the last 30 years I have been on my own painting in Weatherford from my first location on Palo Pinto to my current York Avenue location,” she said. It’s not just shirt designs that Sherry has mastered over the years, but painting wine glasses, adding crystals to any items including cowboy boots, painting hats, canvases and much more. In fact, she added 8,000 crystals to a pair of 30 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
boots once for Miss Rodeo Texas! What she loves most is the opportunity to bring joy to those who receive her work, be it a custom made canvas drawing to represent someone’s life long hobby or painting a hat for someone who has lost their hair from chemotherapy. She designs boots with crystals for the Parker County Aggie Moms who sell Aggie boots as part of their fundraiser, and many others come in to have their personal boots blinged out as well. “I love my ‘be backers’ as I call them, my faithful customers,” Sherry said, “I have a lady in San Antonio who is always calling in orders and a lady from Virginia who visits me each time she is in town and many others who over the last 30 years the shop has been open have been frequent visitors and I just love it!” Next year will mark the thirtieth year of designing Weatherford Christmas on the Square shirts and after that, Sherry plans to retire the shirts. “It’s been a wonderful experience designing the shirts, but after 30 years, I’m ready
Next year will mark the thirtieth year of designing Weatherford Christmas on the Square shirts and after that, Sherry plans to retire the shirts.
to retire from the responsibility of this project,” she said. “I have a strong imagination and could keep going, but I think 30 is a good number to stop at. I have been so appreciative of the town and their excitement for not just the items in my store, but this shirt that I annually designed and sold.” While she may be creating free space on her calendar by retiring from the Christmas shirts, she has no plans to close her shop or to stop her heavy involvement with the Chamber of Commerce, the city of Weatherford and many other civic groups. Because her shirts have been a limited edition each year, the city of Weatherford ought to place their order now for her thirtieth shirt in 2018 as Sherry has never placed a reorder, even when shirts sold out quickly. With lots of holiday cheer spreading around Parker County, a big handful of it can be attributed to the fun Sherry helps plan through Christmas on the Square and of course, her well known Christmas shirts and sweatshirts that combine the pride of Weatherford with the sentiment of Christmas. PCLS
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The List
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D
Holiday Traditions You Won’t Want to Skip
uring the holidays, every family participates in one or two time-old traditions that few look forward to, but most truly hate. “I love cleaning pine needles off
of every surface in my home”...said no one ever. How many times can you sit around and sing ‘Frosty the Snowman’full of Christmas cheer? I don’t even like Gingerbread. Thankfully, we have created a holiday events list to add to your family traditions or to help you make new ones. You don’t have to clean up after them, they do all the work, and the whole family will find something they enjoy. Check out these six local events that will brighten up your winter and prove to be a holiday tradition you won’t want to skip.
1
Holiday Open House
The Junktion, Weatherford December 2, 2017 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Don’t miss the opportunity to secure yourself something good for Christmas! Bring the kids to The Junktion’s annual kids’ shopping event. The store will be sectioned off with goodies for the kids to buy for that special someone this holiday season. Enjoy cookies, cocoa, and pictures with Santa after a tiring day shopping for that perfect gift.
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2
Christmas Tyme in Aledo
3
Christmas at the Castle
The Crossing December 2, 2017 5:00 - 9:00 pm Cost: FREE Enjoy Aledo’s annual Christmas Tyme in Aledo festival as they kick off the holiday season with food trucks, snow hills, train rides, carriage rides, and pictures with “The Big Guy.” Vendors will be set up for your holiday shopping needs and the Arts n Crafts Fair will be taking place in the Community Center next door between 10:00 am - 8:00 pm. You won’t want to miss this fun event!
Texas Pythian Home, Weatherford December 2, 2017 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Cost: FREE Join the friendly people at the Texas Pythian Home this year as they open the castle up for some Christmas cheer. Bring the kids and your camera to tour the castle during its most lovely time of year.
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Christmas on the Square
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Holiday in the Park
Historic Downtown Weatherford December 2, 2017 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Cost: FREE Join us in Historic Downtown Weatherford for a fun day filled with Christmas Cheer! The Annual Christmas Parade will kick off at 10:00 AM at the 9th Grade Center, travel north on South Main, around the Courthouse and up Palo Pinto Street. Christmas on the Square will start at 11:00 AM in Downtown Weatherford following the parade. Christmas on the Square will have vendors, shopping, strolling characters and of course Santa will be making a visit!
Heritage Park, Weatherford December 8, 2017 6:00 pm - 10:00pm Cost: FREE Bring the whole family to Heritage Park on December 8th to experience Holiday in the Park. Food vendors will be on location serving hot meals and cocoa. The kids can enjoy face painting, pony rides, a petting zoo, bounce houses, the Everest slide, and snow hills. Even the adults can have some fun on the ice skating rink and carriage rides. Make sure you are on your best behavior, we hear Santa will be present!
6
T he Star of Bethlehem Experience
Capernaum First Century Village, Poolville December 15-16, 2017 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Cost: Adults $20 Seniors/Children $15 Travel back in time to experience the story of Christmas. Watch as the words of the Bible come to life before your eyes. Witness the miracle of the birth of Jesus and the narrative of Mary and Joseph on that fateful night. This will be an event you will want to encounter with the whole family. Food vendors and a marketplace will be on sight the nights of the shows. Celebrate the true meaning of Christmas at Capernaum First Century Village.
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Hometown
Photos courtesy of Lindsey Sullivan Photography, Whitney Chilton Photography, and Sweet Southern Peaches Photography
Ashlie Mize Victory Baptist Academy Class of ’18 Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Kennedy McCullough Brock High School Class of ’18 Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
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Trace Jerrett Brock High School Class of ’17 Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Brianna Lueke Weatherford High School Class of ’18 Photo by Sweet Southern Peaches Photography
Shelby Kennedy Weatherford High School Class of '18 Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Anarenee Beyer Brock High School Class of ’18 Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Chala Marie Melton Trinity Christian Academy Class of ’18 Photo by Whitney Chilton Photography
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holiday
Holiday Recipes
Here at Park er Count y LifeSt yle, we love family and tr aditions , and o f course, g o od fo o d! Here are so me o f your holiday favo rites – thank you fo r sharin g them with us!
4 0 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
Apple Pie A pple Pie s u b m i t t e d b y Ja n ay P e n d l e y
Ingredients:
Directions:
• 5-6 Apples (mixed variety)
• Peel and slice apples
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• Place in uncooked pie shell.
• Cinnamon Ingredients:
• Uncooked pie shell • Flour 2 Tbs and ¾ cup • ½ cup whipping cream
• Sprinkle 2 Tbs flour on top and pour ¼ cup whipping Direction
s: cream over apple mixture.
• Dutch Topping: Mix ½ cup sugar, ¾ cup flour together and then cut in the soft butter.
• ½ cup sugar
• Bake 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
• ¾ cup soft butter
• Turn down to 350 degrees and bake for another 40 to 45 minutes until slightly brown on top.
“I mean. Do you really need a description? It’s apple. It’s pie. It’s an American staple. This recipe is especially delicious with the use of a variety of apples. It’s a legal requirement to have this dish at least once between Thanksgiving and C hristmas or else you get sent to Guantanamo Bay.” - M I C H A E L N I X O N
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WOMEN 41
Grandmother’s Banana Bread
Apple Pie submit ted by Mic ale a Nixon
Ingredients:
• ½ c butter • 1 ½ cup sugar • 2 smashed bananas Ingredients:
• 2 eggs (1 at a time)
Directions:
• Cream Sugar and softened butter
• Add remaining ingredients together. • Mix well and add chopped pecans. Dir e c350 t i o for n s :40 minutes. • Bake on
• 4 tbsp buttermilk • 1 ½ cup flour • 1 tsp baking soda • 1 cup chopped pecans • 1 tsp vanilla
“My grandmother’s banana bread is a favorite because it brings back memories of being at her house. It continues to be a favorite to share with family and friends!” -MICALE A NIXON
Sweet Potato Souffle submit ted by Beck y Creel
Ingredients: • 3 cans sweet potatoes (1 lb) drained and mashed • ½ c. sugar • ½ c. butter softened
Topping: • 1/3 c. melted butter • 1 c. light brown sugar • ½ c. flour • 1 c. chopped pecans
• 2 eggs, beaten • 1/8 tsp. ginger • ½ tsp. cinnamon • 1 tsp. vanilla • 1/3 c. milk
Direc tions: • Mix sweet potatoes with a mixer. • Add other ingredients and mix. • Spread in a greased 9x13 pan. • Mix topping evenly spread over potatoes. • Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until hot
4 2 PAR KER COUNTY LIFE S TYLE
Nutella Crescents s u b m i t t e d b y H e i d i R ya n
Ingredients:
only there so our kids and significant others can watch us squirm while trying to open the tube)
• Crescent Roll Dough • Nutella • Powdered Sugar (optional)
• Place 1 TBS Nutella in each triangle
• Additional stuffing options: banana, marshmallows, peanut butter, raspberries.
• Add any additional toppings • Roll up into a crescent shape.
Direc tions: • Open crescent roll tube by banging it on the edge of the counter (let’s be honest, those pull tabs never work, and are
• Cook according to directions on package • Sprinkle with powdered sugar. • Enjoy!
Martha Washington Candy
Apple Pie submit ted by Cherie Six
Ingredients:
Directions:
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• Place finely chopped pecans in large bowl.
• 1 stick butter or margarine
• Melt butter, pour over pecans and mix well.
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Add vanilla, angel flake coconut, and eagle brand.
Ingredients: • 1 can angel flake coconut
ire c t i o n s : well. • MixDall ingredients
• 1 can Eagle Brand
• Add powdered sugar and mix well.
• 2 boxes powdered sugar
• Form above mixture into small balls with a toothpick
• Toothpicks
in each, and place in the freezer to chill on wax paper
• 2 german sweet chocolate
for about an hour and a half.
• ¼ lb paraffin
• Melt german sweet chocolate and paraffin together. Dip chilled balls in chocolate mixture and set on wax paper.
“One bite of these, and I am instantly transported back to Christmas at my Nana and Gran’s as a little girl!” - H AY L E Y S I X
Green Bean Ap pleBundles Pie submit ted by Brit tny Sanche z
Ingredients:
Directions:
Ing e d i eof nt s: • 16 ozr can whole
D i r e cand t i o divide ns: • Drain green beans into bundles of
4-5 beans.
green beans • 1 lb thin sliced bacon
• Cut in half and partially fry bacon.
• ¼ c melted butter
• Wrap each bundle of beans with ½ strip of bacon. Place bundles in baking dish.
• 1 clove of garlic, pressed • 1/3 c firmly packed
• Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil: butter, garlic, and brown sugar. Pour over bundles.
brown sugar
• Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.
4 4 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
Chocolate Chip Cake submit ted by Leslie Johnson
Ingredients: • 1 box yellow cake mix • 1 box instant chocolate pudding • ¾ c water • 3 eggs • ¾ c oil
Direc tions: • In large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding, water, and oil. • Beat 2 minutes on medium speed.
• 8 oz sour cream
• Add eggs one at at time.
• 6 oz milk chocolate chips
• Add sour cream and blend well.
• 1 c. chopped pecans
• Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. • Grease and flour bundt pan • Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees
“My grandmother and I would have Mamaw days. I would go to her house and she would teach me things, like how to quilt and cook. This was one of my favorite recipes of hers.” - LESLIE JOHNSON
Sparkling Holiday Cocktail adap t ed fro m a recipe fro m D el Fris co’ s
Ingredients: • 3 to 5 mint leaves • 2 oz. St. Germain Liqueur • 4 oz. champagne or prosecco
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 45
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T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WOMEN 47
holiday
Holiday Homework By Tori Mortensen
Re me m ber that o ld child hood assig n ment w e wo u ld get every y e ar co me Dece m ber ...
“What do the holidays mean to you?” Remember how special it felt, once completed, to see your finished paper with that colored pencil sketch of a manger scene or a stick drawing of your grandma’s house stapled to the teacher’s bulletin board with the gold, scalloped trim? And how cool it was to see your friends’ and classmates’ papers up there too? What we were too young to realize is that, in those assignments, teachers were helping us students to learn how to write the story of our lives. These assignments were showing us that even though we all have different answers to the question, they were all valuable and all going on the board for parents to see at the class party. At which time we would proudly point and say to our parents, “Did you see what Holly put? Her family has eight whole days of presents!” When was the last time you asked someone who seemed different from you what matters to her? How long has it been since you were asked what is important to you? We handed out the assignment to four Parker County women, each with what could be perceived as very different beliefs. We posed the question, “What do the holidays mean to you?” T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WOMEN 49
Sarah Wilhite Wife to Daniel. SAHM to Coy (7) and Cassidy (3). Her children are her joy and her husband keeps her laughing. Attends Holy Redeemer Catholic Parish in Aledo. Of course the holidays mean family.... is there any other answer to that?! Maybe add love, gratefulness, and Jesus to that list. We celebrate the birth or Jesus and the role Saint Nicholas plays in that part. He is the patron saint of children, and it is said that the help and gifts he gave to the needy is what started his career as Santa Claus. From both Jesus and Saint Nicolas we try to teach our kids the holiday means love and giving to others. My favorite memorable tradition would be going to midnight mass with my mama and daddy. I thought it was pretty cool I got to stay up so late, even if it was just for mass. I do remember worrying I would walk in on Santa putting my gifts under the tree as we would be getting home. My parents always reassured me he wouldn't come until I was asleep. My favorite tradition I have now with my family and kids would have to be the spaghetti dinner we have every Christmas. I grew up with a strong Italian background, and so somewhere along the way my daddy started to make the family spaghetti recipe every year. We all look forward to his spaghetti!
50 PARKER COUNTY LIFE STYLE
33, Wife to Blake and SAHM to Valor (2) with one on the way. Loves buying and refinishing old furniture and decorating. Attends The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Weatherford. Holidays are a big part of our family traditions. Christmas has always meant the most to me and our family, as it is a time for us to spend together reflecting on wonderful memories and making new ones. My entire family, including all of my extended family, spends all of Christmas Eve together and part of Christmas day. The most important part, and meaning, of Christmas to us, is the gift and atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Spending those two days with my whole family has been the biggest, most meaningful, tradition that our family has carried. Each little family will wear matching pajamas and play games. There are around 40 family members total, all enjoying time together and celebrating the birth of our Savior. The addition of our son, and another one on the way, has added a huge measure of joy and excitement to this time of year for me and for my husband. We have always found ways to serve others by doing something for them. Most recently we gathered a truck load of gifts, wrapped them, and then “ding-dong-ditched” a struggling family by leaving all the gifts on the front doorstep, ringing the door bell and running before they could see who did it. I feel that service is a big part of what our church believes in.
Photo by Studio 26 Photography
Karli Chambers T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 5 1
Laurie Jones
Photo by Megan Hamilton
Wife to Walter, mother to Jessica Legg (35) and Jaclyn Justice (31) and husband Brad. Grandmother to Mallory Legg, age 6. Retired educator, having taught 33 years and president of the Board of Directors at Theatre Off Square. Attended Beth-El Congregation in Fort Worth. I am of the Jewish faith as are our daughters and granddaughter. My husband and sons-in-law are not Jewish, but my husband and I chose to raise our children Jewish. Having mixed faiths in our family, we celebrate Hanukkah as well as Christmas, also decorating for both, which is sometimes challenging, since Hanukkah does not come on the same day in November or December each year. We celebrate these special holidays with both sides of the family as well as extended family. The holiday season
52 PAR KER COUNTY LIFE S TYLE
is all about being with family and celebrating our deep thoughts and feelings about our respective religions. The traditions of being with family, lighting the menorah for eight days, opening one gift each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, and eating special foods are what I remember most when I was young. These very things are what I strove to provide for my girls as they were growing up and what I continue today. Yummy Hanukkah recipes are foods such as Potato Latkes (potato pancakes), Noodle Kugel (a cinnamon noodle casserole), brisket with sweet fruits, Challah bread (braided egg bread), decorated Hanukkah sugar cookies, and Sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts). Also, for the Dreidel Game using a spinning top (dreidel), we use Gelt, which are chocolate candy coins.
Wife to Jonathan. Mom to Wyatt, 7; Charlotte, 5; and Baby E, 1. Homeschooler/foster momma/house flipper (this year so far). Church: Stonewater. I was brought up a Southern Baptist which means you are either Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday attendee or a CEO: Christmas, Easter, and Other. Growing up, I fit somewhere between a Holy Roller and needing a revival at times. Fortunately, I found the love of my life at the age of fourteen and him and Jesus kept me on the right path and still do! My faith in Christ led me to adopt our children, and
my mission is to advocate for orphans and be a voice for the helpless. I strongly believe it is the Church’s responsibility to provide resources to help orphans, adoptive families, and the foster system. To me, Christmas has always been about peace, love and joy and how they connect a family. We adopted our daughter from China and got to spend two weeks exploring and learning about another culture during the holidays. On Christmas day, we visited Charlotte’s orphanage and passed out candy to the workers and kids. It was such a sad and emotional experience, yet in those children’s eyes and smiles, I understood Christ’s love. My favorite tradition growing up was attending a huge party the weekend before Christmas. My mother’s entire family came together and went caroling. We also had all the yummiest food like gumbo, etouffee, duck wraps, and venison sausage. To end the evening, we would play Cajun Christmas and steal each other’s gifts. My Louisiana family is loud crazy and full of love and I am very proud to know and be part of their lives and traditions. Since moving to Texas in 2008, we go to downtown Fort Worth to visit Santa and have a nice dinner. Also, it is a treat to see ICE at the Gaylord. One Christmas, we all took a cruise and celebrated at the beach. Destination Christmas is a tradition we are trying to develop and hopefully this year, a snow trip. PCLS
Jessica Sisk T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WOMEN 5 3
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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 Thanksgiving. That’s a full-fledged 13.1 miles, uphill and down, in the autumn 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 nap-taker. 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
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 5 5
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Brian and Tori West Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography Photo by Whitney Chilton Photography
Zachary and Sarah Hertter Est. September 2, 2017
58 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
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Drew and Shauna Casey Est. June 23, 2017 Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
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faith
6 2 PAR KER COUNTY LIFE S TYLE
FAITH, Family, &
FOOTBALL By: Tori Mortensen
S
omewhere between Friday Night Lights, College Game Day and Monday Night Football, sits the Lord’s Day, the Sabbath day. A day where Christians everywhere have been commanded to worship, study the Word of the Savior, perfect our relationship with our Heavenly Father and to REST (and maybe sneak in a roast and a rivalry game). But is it possible that alongside our observance of the Sabbath, there is also something to be gained spiritually in the observing and conversing over America’s most popular sport…the one for which we dedicate Friday - Monday, and let’s be real even the occasional Thursday?
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WOMEN 6 3
Look, confession. I’m still watching NFL Football, I don’t know how not to. I’m not a native born Texan. I was raised in the Deep South, as a Louisianan. But my hometown was a lot like so many I’ve come to know here, a hotbed for producing Division I and professional athletes. A place where people don't ask IF you are going to the game, they ask WHICH game you are going to. A place where having a football state championship ring is viewed as the #lifegoals equivalent of a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Tulane and on any given Sunday my little area code has a minimum of a half dozen people playing on TV. Coming in a close #lifegoals “second” in my town, would be watching while an offspring delivers the invocation at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes annual church service. See, the only seat a Louisiana resident values more than his season tickets is his reserved spot in the first pew. I know you are picking this up, because perhaps the thing Texans share most with us…your neighbors to the east, is that indisputable credo: Faith, Family, Football. And I, for one, think we diehard fans are on to something much bigger than just watching our big screens and sitting in our big stadiums. What if we feel such a passionate pull to the gridiron because, there on the field, we see a representation of so many of our cherished values played out in a series of downs. 6 4 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
This idea of taking a deeper look into the Faith, Family, Football connection came during a discussion with my own sons. Any boy parent will understand, coming up with a sports reference in order to stress a non sports related point to your son can be clutch in getting him to understand where you are coming from. By the grace of God and SportsCenter, before I left high school I had honed the art of quickly transforming a lesson from science to the sidelines, from English to the end zones... the biblical to the bleachers. A truly invaluable skill. Take one of the most difficult concepts that exists in modern Christian families, the roles of wives and husbands found in Colossians 3:18-19: “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” That conversation went a little something like this… “At the end of the day, even if we disagree, Dad is the boss...” “But, why?” “Well... families are sort of… set up like… well… football teams.” “Moms are like a family’s quarterback and dads are like the head coach. We can’t both be making different calls at the same time. Somebody has to just decide what to run or the team would be in chaos! Communicate and then defer to the head coach to decide. Otherwise we’d never get anywhere.
And if we are all on the same page we win! The coach isn’t BETTER than the quarterback. They just play different roles with the team. That’s all.” As I began to draw more and more comparisons between a simple game and a tricky concept, an even clearer picture of the expression of Christian values began to unfold. As Christian wives and mothers and good quarterbacks, we are to defer to our husbands, our coaches, as the play callers. However in a strong family or team, a quarterback always has the freedom to and is even expected to call an audible at ANY time. To alter the call in an instant if something is not working or if something changes on the field. The most impactful women I know are constantly reading the defense and reporting back to the sidelines and or calling a timeout. The game is hectic and loud though, so in those tiny pockets of time we get with the coach, which are never often enough and sometimes occur only at the brink of complete mayhem, we’ve got to be level-headed enough to communicate what we feel and see. To resist the urge to blame the score on anyone and instead come with a clear, calm idea about what adjustments need to be made. And it’s in these moments, maybe, where GOOD dads, fathers and coaches have an opportunity to become truly exceptional. When a coach listens to his team, values the player over the play, his team over himself, he’s won. Hall of fame status coaching and “dad-ing” happens when player development is paramount! GOOD coaches make good calls, but GREAT coaches make good players. And in paralleling Faith, Family, and Football the hits just kept on coming.
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 6 5
1) In families and in football there is
that Team thing.
The very first instruction ever given to Adam for his moral responsibility was regarding family. Genesis 1:28 says, “God blessed them and said to them, ‘be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” God's plan for creation was for men and women to marry and have children. Genesis 2:24 goes on to say, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” God’s instruction to Adam here is the framework of the family. He didn't design us to do life alone. But rather as individuals working as one, God designed us to play in teams! Teams of families.
2) In families and in football there is
an Owner.
“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” Psalm 24:1-2. We have a Heavenly Father, our Creator, our Owner and He desires to enable our teams TO WIN. We are told in Deuteronomy 20:4, “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Yes, He goes with us, but He won’t do it FOR us. He gave us agency. He’s busy up in the suite CREATING and doing owner things and looking down at His line up (players He knows by name, y’all). It’s His Son who was sent to take the field with us.
3) In families and in football there is
a General Manager.
Countless novels and essays have been published regarding the LIFE-GIVING management style of Jesus Christ, the originator of the phrase servant leadership. Never motivated by His personal desire for power or status, recognition or attention, but rather to serve. 4) In families and in football there is an Opponent. Our teams have an opponent and we don’t just battle him one night a week during the season. It is an ongoing rivalry, day in and day out, with what sometimes feels like a neverending running clock. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10.
5) In families and in football there is
a Playbook.
It is all right there spelled out in the scriptures, the Word of God is our game plan. We are instructed how we are to set up our families, the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team. How we treat our spouses. How we are to educate and discipline our children. The relationships we are to have with our own parents. How we are to spend money. How we are to prioritize. How we are to treat our bodies. The attitude we are to show to our neighbors. On our bedside tables, we have the ultimate step-by-step guide to a winning season for our team. PCLS
Can WE fol low the pl aybook? Follow His commandments? Play all four quarters? Keep our covenants… in order to “win” according to his design. Can we be the players God designed us to be? Families are essential to our faith. Our team, our family, is an echo of a pattern. It is an EMULATION of God’s unconditional love for us, the Savior’s sacrifice for us. Your family… your team…your lineup was specifically orchestrated by God … and gives expression to His game plan. We express His plan in the way we raise our families… and in the way we live our own lives and the way we play “the game.” Hey listen. Hear the good news. As in football, the exciting part of all this is we don't need to be undefeated in order to win the championship! For the times we just don't execute the play the way it was designed and the inevitable losses, we have the gift of the atonement! In football terms, “there’s always next week” and “we’ll get ’em next time.” The price is paid. Our owner sent his Son, the great general manager to take the burden of our losses all those many seasons ago.
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 6 7
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faith
70 PAR KER COUNTY LIFE S TYLE
By Erin E. McEndree Photos by Whitney Chilton Photography and provided by Ashley Aaron
he happy news of a growing family followed by gifts galore. Cute, cuddly, chubby cheeks and coos. First steps, first words and first day of school. Birthday parties, trips to the zoo and the excitement of Christmas morning. Raising children has so many memorable moments that are blessings to the proud parents. However, this is not reality one hundred percent of the time. Accompanying these wonderful moments is anxiety for the + or -, morning sickness, sleep deprivation, colic, possible postpartum depression, overwhelmed schedules and, yes, loneliness. Sometimes moms even wonder if they are even making a difference at all when there are piles of laundry and dirty dishes from three days ago. Sometimes taking a shower is a challenge.
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WOMEN 71
In 2012, several women at Willow Park Baptist Church recognized the trying times and struggles of mothers in their congregation and decided to create a ministry to bolster women in the season of motherhood. Ashley Aaron, who has four children herself, is the ministry director for Raising Arrows based on Psalm 127:3-5, “[Children], like arrows in the hand of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.” They help women trying to conceive, expectant women, adopting moms, moms with multiple children and women dealing with miscarriages. The team celebrates, comforts and supports women in the first exciting and difficult year of their baby’s life. “Our goal is to guide moms through the Word of God and give them tools to shape their arrow,” Ashley explained. “We equip each woman with resources, Christian values and Godly examples.” A New Mom Basket filled with essentials is given to the expectant mom. It is filled with many handmade items by women in the congregation such as blankets, booties 72 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
and burp cloths. “So many talented women are among us,” Ashley said. “We love to use the talents of others to add to our mom baskets.” Every month an event is planned for moms to have time away with other moms or a kid-friendly activity to participate in together. “In November, we host a Mommy and Me cookie decorating party and in December we will be hosting a coffee for all the moms,” Ashley said. “We want moms to interact with fellow Christians and be encouraged.” Every July, Raising Arrows hosts a Meet and Greet for all the new moms who have been added that year. “One of our goals is to host this event bi-annually because of our growing numbers.” Raising Arrows has served over 40 moms and the number is growing as the congregation and community grows. These activities take time and planning. Seven team members along with dozens of volunteers help with different aspects of Raising Arrows. “Every volunteer is such a blessing and they help more than they know,” Ashley said. With a large congregation, advertising and correspondence are
to mold our kids and see who they are in Christ.” Raising Arrows also ministers to women who have had miscarriages. “These are our Angel Babies. We provide a memory box with an embroidered blanket and additional resources for emotional needs for moms during this trying time,” Ashley said. Another layer to the ministry is the Raising Arrows Facebook page. “Women in the group can request immediate needs and prayers,” Ashley said. “We share posts about parenting and relevant devotionals to encourage and support the women.” “In the future we want to expand to include the dads. We keep our eye out for any single dads who need help or advice,” Ashley said. “We have a dad on the meals team who is an excellent cook.” When there is a need, there is always someone there who is willing to step up to meet the need. Ashley explained the deeper meaning of Raising Arrows name. “The shaft of an arrow is smooth so it can fly straight, and that happens with discipline and love. The fetching on the arrow helps with stability like our relationship with God. The arrow’s head is hard and sharp to penetrate its target,” Ashley explained. “We want to provide tools for moms to shape their children to fly straight. We know it is hard, but we can do it with encouragement.” Hitting the target is important. Ashley and the team at WPBC are dedicated to making the path to the target smoother for moms when motherhood is difficult. PCLS important. Monthly events have to be coordinated and meals for new moms have to be planned. Outreach is also a goal inside and outside the congregation. The Raising Arrows ministry has plans to reach out to moms who foster children within the community. “One of the moms on our team is a foster mom. She expressed needs in this community that foster moms displayed and we will be working towards including them,” Ashley said. “We will invite them and their children to join us on future mommy and me dates, such as the zoo in March.” An important aspect of the ministry is mentoring. “We provide moms with at least three other women in similar circumstances who can provide support,” Ashley said. Women are matched up with similar moms with similar experiences. The goal is to choose women who can relate with one another for encouragement, prayers and develop relationships so they know they are not alone. “We recognize that each mom and child are so different with different needs,” Ashley said. “We encourage each other to allow God T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WOMEN 73
DR. GOODWIN’S PASSION GOES
“Beyond Smiles” His care and concern for his patients as well as his community comes from the Word of God and Matthew 5:16. Dr. Goodwin counts it a privilege to recognize others who are also shining their light in Parker County.
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andy and Bill have huge hearts and love serving the Aledo community. They and their two therapy dogs, Lucy and Schroeder, can be seen around town bringing smiles and puppy love to local nursing homes, schools, libraries and more. Sandy is also an accomplished artist and loves to paint scenes and animals that reflect western culture. You can find one of her masterpieces hanging at the Goodwin Dental office.
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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
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A
spook-free, family trick-or-treat experience for all ages, Goblins in the Gardens has quickly become one of their most popular annual events. Costumed characters were throughout the gardens handing out treats to all! Photos provided by City of Weatherford
76 PAR KER COUNTY LIFE S TYLE
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health & wellness
8 0 PAR KER COUNTY LIFE S TYLE
BEST INTEREST AT
As the community grows, the needs grow and change also. Natalie Parish focuses on broadening the scope of services beyond women to include all demographics in Parker County.
By: Erin E. McEndree Photos by Jaimie Hill Photography
C
urrent information is the key when making decisions about health related issues. The medical field is changing all the time towards new and better procedures, medications and preventative measures. With a growing community such as Weatherford comes new and different concerns that need to be addressed from a medical perspective. There are many different ways to gather knowledge. For reliable information, what better place to attain details about health and wellness than from the specialist at the local hospital?
Natalie Parish, Director of Public and Community Relations for Medical City Weatherford, formerly known as Weatherford Regional Medical Center, understands that women’s issues are very important. “Women make a lot of the decisions for the whole family. We want to give them the tools to make good decisions,” Natalie said. “We empower them with a whole range of topics.” Having good mentors and examples to follow is important and once a year, an inspirational, strong woman is invited so speak.
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 81
The Healthy Women Event and Health Fair each September is aimed towards celebrating the over two thousand members who benefit from recent programs. The Healthy Woman Event had its 10th, and final, anniversary celebration at The Springs in Weatherford with keynote speaker Taya Kyle, widow of U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. Her message to withstand struggles and persevere through trials strengthened faith for the over 370 women in attendance. “Taya was so down to earth and real,” Natalie said. “Her message to assess life and see God’s hand in every circumstance was so powerful.” The Healthy Women’s Expo focused on giving hope to women by providing information about relevant events, educational resources and upcoming programs that give women confidence about their healthcare needs and the needs of others they are responsible for. Other impactful speakers to attend have included Elizabeth Smart who was abducted for nine months and forced to marry her captor; Rebekah Gregory who was wounded while a spectator at the
8 2 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
Boston Marathon; and Suzie Humphreys who uses humor for the painful side of life. “Everyone needs that encouraging word of healing and hope,” Natalie said. Natalie also coordinated events throughout the year that provided up-to-date information on the issues women need help solving. Topics women found important include stress management strategies and meditation techniques taught by a local yoga instructor; heart health risk factors and changes to support better living; and thyroid health presented by an endocrinologist, to name a few. Physician led workshops on a wide array of topics are scheduled during the year and a newsletter is available from the website. More than healthy women have become the focus under the new healthcare system. Medical City Healthcare System casts a broader net to include all demographics - not only women, but also men, seniors and pediatrics. “We want to broaden the scope and become more beneficial to the entire community,” Natalie said. The community will see more events and activities geared towards issues that arise
The medical staff in Weatherford has the patients’ best interest at heart and many come from a long distance. To help meet growing needs and expanding service area, several new resources are being implemented. Ask A Nurse is a 24/7 hotline where nurses answer questions on specific topics and can refer to physicians if needed. Plans are also being discussed to provide 24/7 cardiac care at the hospital. “We have to grow with the community to be able to meet the needs of the community,” Natalie said. “More primary care doctors and specialty physicians are becoming available.” PCLS
“I used to work in Fort Worth. I love being in the community I work in and able to serve on local boards and organizations. I love that feeling that everyone has your best interest at heart."
For more information about the services provided and upcoming events, visit www.medicalcityweatherford.com.
- Natalie Parish for a larger group of people. “I plan to do a survey with the community and find out what topics they are interested in so I can plan scheduled events for the year to come,” Natalie said. Going forward with Medical City Weatherford, many plans are being made in place of the Healthy Woman event. “The name may be gone, but now more than ever, we are reaching out to the community and making more resources available.” The community of Weatherford is growing rapidly, but Natalie loves telling people, especially the interns she oversees from Utah, California or Las Vegas, that there is still a small town feel to Weatherford and Parker County. “I love this community and so many great things are happening,” Natalie said. “I used to work in Fort Worth. I love being in the community I work in and able to serve on local boards and organizations.” Natalie is a busy wife and mom in Brock. Her husband, Nick, is an electrician. Their two children, 14 and 8, are involved in rodeo, fishing, volleyball and basketball. “I love that feeling that everyone has your best interest at heart,” Natalie said. T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 83
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Charley Elise Parents: Colton and Caitlyn Bennet Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Harper Tuggle Parents: Brandyn and Ashley Tuggle Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Finn Wimberley Parents: Will and Karissa Wimberley Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
H O M ETOWN
Harper Horner Parents: Bob and Laura Horner Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
W e lco m i ng Par ke r Co u nty ’ s
NEWEST RESIDENTS Photos courtesy of Lindsey Sullivan Photography, Whitney Chilton Photography, and Sweet Southern Peaches Photography
Oliver Casey Parents: Aaron and Katie Casey Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Remi Hull Parents: Nick and Autumn Hull Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Blake Hall Parents: Taylor and Robert Hall Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Levi Thomas Parents: Walter and Jessica Thomas Photo by Whitney Chilton Photography
Falyn Dutton Parents: Sean and Meagan Dutton Photo by Whitney Chilton Photography
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Skylar Adair Parents: Clayton and Baylee Adair Photo by Jaimie Hill Photography
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Grayson Rickner Parents: Bo and Jenny Rickner Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Stockton Hall Parents: Tyler and Kelly Hall Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
Bryan Rojas Parents: Yajaira Olvera and Jose Rojas Photo by Sweet Southern Peaches Photography
Pearce Rogers Parents: Kyle and Courtney Rogers Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography
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LETTING THE GR ANDSTANDS GO By Eric Wesley Photos by Natasha Hopper
Even in its scrapped ruins, the Trinity Meadows Racetrack still has an impact on many in Parker County.
9 0 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
E
ven in its scrapped ruins, the Trinity Meadows Racetrack still has an impact on many in Parker County … Whether that impact be little or great… Whether it is fond affinity or outright detestation.
Back in our summer edition of PCLS, we had a writing contest and asked you to submit an article pertaining to something historical in Parker County. Thank you for all of your submissions - we loved all of them! Here is the winning submission, written by Eric Wesley. Thanks Eric!
Driving westbound to Weatherford on Interstate 20, I never hesitated to look north as I passed Ranch House Road. Seeing the imposing green and white grandstands of the racetrack was visual proof that my transition from a city to a community was complete. Relationships run deep In Parker County. Culture is preserved. Change is careful and calculated. This is why I was so drawn to the history of the Trinity Meadows Racetrack. The decision to allow pari-mutuel betting (where bettors bet against each other) in Parker County was such a departure from the way that things were done prior. When I first heard that the Trinity Meadows grandstands were being torn down, I was determined to talk to somebody who was immersed into the Trinity Meadows experience firsthand. He has lived and worked in Parker County his whole lifea “man’s man” complete with horses and a mud-splattered truck. His name is Robert “Rob” Towles, Owner of T Fab LLC (www.tfabllc.com). (Me): “So Rob… What was it like to work for the Trinity Meadows Race Track back in the day?” (Robert): “It was a fun job! I made a lot of money!”
9 2 PAR KER COUNTY LIFE S TYLE
Rob went on to talk about how he started doing menial jobs at the track and went on to earn multiple promotions there, each with increased importance to the track’s success. I watched as his warm reflection suggested that the track is just as positively entrenched into his memory as the visual of the grandstands are in mine. It was a Friday evening just before sunset. I drove up to the entrance gate of the Trinity Meadows property. Before I drove in, I noticed that deer were abundant in the infield of the old track, where horses once proliferated gambling dreams. The deer were a sign that even nature played its part in reclaiming the life of Parker County before the track existed. The gate was wide open, almost to suggest that Parker County has nothing to hide when it comes to the racetrack being a part of its storied history. In that moment, the larger-than-life grandstands were no longer just a distance landmark to me. They were now just a few feet away. I could physically experience them. I drove deliberately as I got even closer to the grandstands. I felt like I was about to be united with an old high school crush as I approached. I touched the
railing to alert my physical senses that the grandstands were not just a metaphor. It was eerily quiet, although the steel of the structure screamed at me. In the midst of seeing busted glass and oxidized wood, the abundance of the grandstands’ steel suggests that they were built to last forever. The visual strength of the grandstands alone seems to intimate that Parker County was “all-in” when horse racing was initially brought to the county. Drawn to see more, I walked a few more steps to one of the old outside bar areas. There, I saw two old Dallas Morning News vending machines. The absence of Parker County or Tarrant County newspaper vending machines immediately struck me. Those oxidized vending machines sent a still-living message from the track’s deceased past“Dallas, we are not intimidated by you or the amenities of your city!” A courageous move… Finally, I drove past bulldozers and mangled scrap as I visited the old horse stalls. Using my vivid imagination, I could almost hear the neighbors from decades earlier complain about the traffic and noise. Concurrently, I could T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WOMEN 9 3
also see Robert and all of his fellow employees in those stalls gleam with laughter knowing that such a bold departure from the Parker County way changed their lives with unprecedented opportunity. The real struggle with the tearing down of the grandstands has less to do with pari-mutuel betting. It has more to do with losing a visual reminder that the racetrack was a bold move for the county – an admirable risk taken to let the entire world know that Parker County was not afraid to be the first at something major in Texas. A county that did have more to offer commuters than a gas station in route to Abilene. Parker County has long been regarded as the Cutting Horse Capital of the World. As is the case with a racehorse, one admires cutting horses for their athleticism. Cutting horses invite you to be connected to the horses themselves with no emotional or financial risk. Racehorses require you to be disconnected in order to counteract the effects of loyalty against financial loss.
9 4 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
That’s simply not the Parker County way. There is a reason why the cutting horse industry has thrived in Parker County for decades. There is also a reason why pari-mutuel horse betting only lasted 5 years. As I drive away from the property, I noticed two final things that command my attention. First, I noticed that the back of the grandstands have a bright mural painted on them that reads “Squaw Creek Downs.” It is a sobering reminder that the fondest days of the track took place before the horses raced for betting purposes. In fact, I saw no signage at all that read, “Trinity Meadows.” Secondly, I noticed a faded red fire extinguisher in the middle of dilapidated horse stalls. Instantly, it suggested to me that the proverbial fire for parimutuel horse racing – the inferno of desire to be relevant in such a drastic departure from the norm was officially extinguished from our sight when crushing bulldozers reduced the grandstands to piles of scrap. Time to muster up the boldness to let those iconic grandstands go as a source of sentimental assurance. Time to shift my hope to the real estate development that will replace any semblance of that old track. A courageous move. PCLS T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 9 5
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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS
TOTAL HOMETOWN ECLIPSE HAPPENING
O
n August 21st, 2017 we all headed outside to witness a fleeting yet aweinspiring natural wonder. The solar eclipse is the first of its kind in 99 years and a once in a lifetime event for many. Photos by Cross B Photography
9 8 PARKER COUNT Y LIFE S TYLE
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From the flowers to the dress and every detail in between--a first look into the special day for two Parker County couples who recently said, “I do.”
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A quick (local) response to the catch phrase of the summer, “Mom, we’re sooooooo bored.”
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shley Aaron has been married for 13 years to her husband, Ben. Together they have four kids: Emma, 10; Audrey, 8; Roland, 6; and Eli, 2. She is a stay-at-home mom as well as the Raising Arrows Ministry Director at Willow Park Baptist Church, a ministry that cares for the moms of their church. Her goal in life is to do God’s will – but not to get lost in the doing or lose why or who she’s doing it for. She says her life is “crazy beautiful.”
A
WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU DO BEFORE YOU GO TO BED? I turn on Pandora and listen to music. Right
dreaded alarm? I thank God for a fresh new day. It’s another chance for me to live for Him.
now the station I’m hooked on is “We are Messengers.” Last night one of the last songs I heard was ‘Set a Fire’ By Jesus Culture. “I want more of you God…” WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP? Well…On a good day (if you call early mornings good) I wake up between 6:00am and 6:30am, but lately it’s closer to 6:45am. Mornings are hard for me. I like to sleep until 8:00am or 9:00am. WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU DO IN THE MORNING? After I hit the
100 PAR KER COUN TY LIFE S TYLE
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? I am reading a couple, but one of them is Glory Revealed by David Nasser. WHAT IS ONE PLACE YOU WANT TO TRAVEL TO? Hawaii. My husband was in the military and that was one of their frequent stops when they flew. So he has to go at least one more time and with me. TELL US FIVE THINGS THAT ARE ON YOUR “BUCKET LIST”. Honestly, I don’t have a bucket list. I just live one day at a time! WHAT ARE 3 WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOU? Passionate, thoughtful, creative
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE/ GO TO ARTICLE OF CLOTHING OR ACCESSORY? A ball cap; my hair has this wavy, frizzy thing going on most of the time. So if I can throw a hat on, I’m good to go. Pretty sure I have more hats than my husband. LOL HEELS OR FLATS? Flats…Heels were cool when I didn’t have four crazy, beautiful kids running at my feet. WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING A MOM? Watching my kids grow into their own little personalities. Kids are so smart and little sponges soaking everything up. My heart is overflowing when it comes to them. HARDEST PART ABOUT BEING A MOM? The hardest part is letting them be their own person.
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PLACES IN PARKER COUNTY? I love Hope Boutique which is conveniently right across the street from Yesterday’s and that would be my other favorite place. WHAT IS YOUR STARBUCKS DRINK ORDER? A tall caramel macchiato with extra caramel. HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN BALANCE? I really try to prioritize my days organization and timeliness are huge for me. WHAT ARE YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND HOW ARE YOU USING THEM? I guess they would be planning, organizing and hosting. My husband and I are the college leaders in our church and we truly enjoy getting to lead our students. Whether we have people over to the house or plan other outings, we just want a place where others feel welcome and can have good fun. This is anyone, college students, family, other moms… WHAT TALENT DO YOU WISH YOU HAD THAT HAS ELUDED YOU? I seriously wish I could sing!! I love music. WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST JOY? Watching others thrive in life. I love seeing people make it and succeed in Christ.
WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU ENJOY IN YOUR FREE TIME? I love hanging with friends, but I also enjoy chill time, whether that is lying around watching movies or reading. When the weather is nice you will find me in one of our hammocks. WHAT IS THE FUNNIEST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU RECENTLY? My husband and I locked ourselves out of the house and had to break in, that same day we had almost lost our car keys on the running trail and we ended up at the ER because of a small home remodel accident. We literally just laughed at it all. WHAT DO YOU NOT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT? My phone! I do everything on it and it has become a problem. When I am with Ben sometimes I will purposely not bring it. Maybe if cell phones were as big as when they first came out it wouldn’t be an issue. LOL! WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT? I would say being a mom. Girls grow up dreaming of being a mom and planning their weddings to the ‘T’. I thought about it, but that life wasn’t what I saw in my future. God definitely had better plans and gave me such an AMAZING family. Our children are our mission field and I hadn’t realized how important
that opportunity was until shortly before our second child arrived. It actually scared me to think that God was placing such precious cargo in my/our care. I pray that I continue to follow God in all that our family does. I am far from a perfect mom, and I couldn’t and don’t want to imagine a life any different. WHO'S HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON YOU? My mom (Diana Patterson), I love our relationship and I will be real with you, I get a bit jealous when I have to share her with others (at the same time though, I guess I can share). She hugs like no one has ever hugged and loves so deep. My mom has been a spiritual mentor to many other ladies and I love watching their relationships grow deeper into what God has for them. She is my person.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FORM OF EXERCISE? Running - I like to run outside. Treadmills are hard for me because it’s too easy to stop early… “Ok, I’m done!” With outdoor running, if you run out two miles you have to come back two miles. You can’t just jump of the trail like the treadmill - I mean you could but that would be weird. Do you just lay there until someone picks you up?! WHAT IS SOME ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE OTHER MOMS IF YOU COULD? Mom life (or life in general) is not easy. This world can be a cruel place. Seek after God daily and be an encouragement to others, especially fellow moms, because you can relate in some way. If you think a mom has it all together, she might in some ways, but so do you. Learn from each other and see what works for your family.
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community
Coaching 104 PARKER COUN TY LIFE S TYLE
for
Christ
By Sarah Gooding Photos provided by the Mathis Family, Larry Torbett, and Tommy Hays Photography
T
he persistent investments of Coach Tim Buchanan, both on and off the field, helped set Billy Mathis on his path of influencing other young athletes — first in his hometown of Aledo under the direction of his coach and mentor, and now as the head football coach and assistant athletics director for the Weatherford Kangaroos.
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO M EN 105
“I know this was God’s plan and where I’m supposed to be.”
same for me and it’s the same for my coaches.” Mathis said he has known that coaching was his calling since first beginning in that role, but it took leaving the role and journeying through the oil fields for him to fully settle into the career that he credits as God’s plan for his life.
Early influences
It’s an exciting move for Mathis, who not only enjoys teaching players the game, but also helping draw out the best in each person and preparing them for life off the field. “When you have that relationship with them and that bond with the players, when you’re there for the absolute best, those kids will do anything for you,” Mathis said. “It was the
106 PARKER COUN TY LIFE S TYLE
Mathis first called Parker County home when he moved to Aledo in the fourth grade. While he had a good life with a good family, his parents’ divorce meant Mathis’ dad wasn’t around a lot during his high school years. When Buchanan arrived as Aledo’s new head coach at the end of Mathis’ freshman year, he began stopping in to check up on Mathis. “He was always there for me,” Mathis said. “If I was doing stuff I shouldn’t be doing and he heard about it, he’d ask me about it. Not only as a coach, but as a mentor and father figure.” Looking back, Mathis said he has become more and more aware of how much Buchanan invested in his players. “You don’t realize it when you’re a kid, but he spent a lot of time, not only with me, but also with all of us. He built a relationship with us and we played hard for him,” Mathis said. “Me and my buddies still talk about him today. He had a big impact on me and on my friends and the town of Aledo.” God also placed a couple of very special women in Mathis’ life who continued building on the foundation Coach Buchanan started. Sharon Pate, his girlfriend’s mother, pushed him to pursue college, and following college Mathis and Ashley Pate were married. “I was very lucky to find my wife at a young age and have such a great family,” Mathis said. “Both her parents were huge in my life. They were great examples to me of being successful.” The couple, who have made family a top priority in their lives, moved back to Aledo, where Mathis got a job coaching seventh grade football at Aledo Middle School. “If I wasn’t coaching my team, I was up there all the time,” Mathis said. “Ashley would be up there with me — we’d be running the clock. Everything I did was around my coaching. “The next couple years I moved up to coaching varsity, and those seventh graders ended up moving up. I was lucky enough to have that class and coach them.”
Family & formative years It was a fun life, but when the first of the couple’s three children was born in 2007, Mathis began having second thoughts. “I thought it’d be good to get another job so Ashley could stay home,” he said. “I told my coaching buddies I was going to be a land man in the oil and gas field. I told them I was leaving and not coming back. “I knew in my heart it was the wrong decision, but the lure of money was really the reason I left.” With his heart set on supporting his family with a higher income, Mathis left coaching, his colleagues/best friends and a group of boys who he had invested in from their seventh grade year to their junior year. “I’d spent four years with them. They were like my kids,” he said. But at that point, oil was a booming business and a desire to provide for his family at a higher level prompted Mathis to work for 7777 for two years — until the price of gas plummeted in 2009. “I went into work one day and they said, ‘Hey, listen. If you want to work, you’re going to have to go to Pennsylvania or North Dakota,’” Mathis said. “I went home that night and told Ashley, ‘this is what happened. I’ve got to find another job and I’ve got to go back to coaching.’” T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 107
Pursuit of a calling A friend from Aledo heard Mathis was looking and directed him toward an offensive coordinator position at Godley, where he worked from 2009-2012. “We were very successful and went to the playoffs every year I was there,” Mathis said. “I got a chance to cut my teeth as the offensive coordinator and I got back into what God put me on earth to do, which was to teach and coach.” He then had a chance to go back to Aledo as the codefensive coordinator, and helped take his team to three state championship wins, in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and back to the semi-finals in 2016. The retirement of Coach Weldon Nelms, who had led the Kangaroos for the past five seasons, opened an opportunity Mathis said he had been preparing for his entire life. “It was an emotional decision,” he said. “When I took the Weatherford job, the best part about it was when I went into the interview, there was a big group in there. They started asking questions and talking, and it was like we were longlost friends. This was the stuff I’d been preparing for my whole coaching life. I’d gone through these interviews in my head a thousand times.” Also impressive to Mathis was the way he was encouraged to talk with his wife and pray about the job when the offer was extended that evening. He did, asking his wife and three children, “What would you think about being Kangaroos?” “They were so excited and happy,” he said. “I know this was God’s plan and where I’m supposed to be.” Mathis said his journey away from coaching was a lesson in free will, but he is excited to be back in God’s plan. “It’s believing that His time is right and His way is right, and no matter if I can see it right now or not, it’s having that faith no matter what happens,” Mathis said, adding, “Matthew 6:33 is my favorite verse – ‘seek first the kingdom.’ My big deal is not to do things on my own.”
“Our goal is to go out and outwork everyone in the state of Texas.” 108 PAR KER COUN TY LIFE S TYLE
High expectations Mathis’ faith also very much influences his coaching style. “I’m not going out and telling kids you’ve got to believe in Jesus, but what they do see are my actions,” he said. “They see what I’m all about and they see that I love them. That’s what I want to do. I want to be a great example for these kids every single day and to be the best Christian example I can be.” “Winning football games is just the icing on the top,” he added. And he does expect to win. “A thing I heard a while back is, ‘Demand greatness, without being demeaning,’” Mathis said, and this will play heavily into his coaching style as he works to take the Roos, who went 2-8 last year, to the top of the highly competitive District 6. “We’re going to have a great season,” Mathis said. “The kids are working extremely hard, and as long as we stay healthy we’ll go out and win a lot of games. You’ve got to have that good mixture of fun and payoff and discipline.” “My outlook is very positive,” Mathis said. “We’ll go into every game with the goal of being undefeated and being district champions. Our goal is to go out and outwork everyone in the state of Texas.” PCLS
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 109
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T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN 111
community
PA RKER COU N T Y ' S BEST K EP T SECRETS:
Bell Gems By Tori Mortensen Photos by Whitney Chilton Photography
H
er eyes darted up and to the right. Her bright smile turned to more of a slight grin and she paused, almost as if she were recalling an old love lost rather than the first piece of estate jewelry she ever sold. Then she looked down and lightly stroked the cool glass of the counter with the tips of her meticulously manicured, classic red polished fingers. “It really was a fabulous bracelet.” She seemed maybe even a bit nostalgic as she continued to share.
112 PAR KER COUN TY LIFE S TYLE
T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO M EN 113
Jenny Bell, owner of Bell Gems and a timeless blond, has a sparkle and energy about her as beautiful and mysterious as the antique and estate pieces she offers in her downtown Weatherford jewelry store. “When we moved here from California I wasn't even sure I was going to do this. You know I told my husband that maybe I would go back to just being a mom.” But then the call came from Steve, “Jenny, I found a building in Weatherford. We need this and you need to put a shop in it.” The couple shared a Facetime tour of the building and Jenny saw her husband’s vision. She and Steve purchased the historic Franco-Texan Land Company Building roughly a year and a half ago, and today you will find it a place fitting for its eclectic new residents. The iconic building which once was home to the first bank west of Dallas, now it again plays host to things of tremendous value. This time it’s jewels! The foundation of Bell Gems is antique and estate jewelry, rare and collectible jewelry and fine Swiss watches. Jenny’s affection for the business originated as a young woman working in her treasured godmother, Tilly’s California jewelry store.
114 PAR KER COUN TY LIFE S TYLE
When Bell speaks of Tilly, she softens even further, “At the shop we would have champagne everyday. She was a queen. She was just so lovely. She made everyone want to dote over her. Tilly made you want to be around her. Every client that came in became family. It was fabulously fun. An experience. The atmosphere was just so lovely. She taught me everything I know.” She reaches in the safe and eagerly hands over an Art Deco cushion cut canary diamond ring. She continues, “It’s just all so dreamy. We just don't make jewelry this way anymore. Each piece was an individual work of art. There was no…I have 25,000 of these.” “For me to be able to label something antique, the entire piece must be at least 100 years old. The entire piece, diamond included. You know, I can’t tell you how many stories I have of clients, friends, who have dreams about the story of their rings. Or who feel like the ring spoke to them about its history. Who owned it? When did they get it? It’s magical, really.” The story of Jenny’s own wedding ring certainly lends itself to that fairytale theme as well, When she and Steve got engaged they paid a visit to her Godmother’s shop where
Steve spotted an estate piece that had just come in and had yet to even be cleaned. “What’s that, Tilly?” he asked, picking out the enormous six-karat art deco stunner that would come to permanently reside on Jenny’s left hand. “I want them to know from across the room that she’s taken.” Tilly simply responded, “Well, I believe that will do it.” But don’t let the words antique and estate intimidate you. While Jenny certainly has very distinguishing tastes, she knows not all women are in the market for her personal preference of estate pieces. Pieces like 1920s French duet pins. Or her beautiful collection of jade, a stone originally used for medicinal purposes which literally absorbs your body chemistry and natural energy and gives you back the energy of the stone. Nor will every woman be inspired by the very eclectic selection of ivory and pearls or raw cut emeralds, rubies in the rough or exquisite coral. Jenny is mindful that some of the pieces she is so very passionate about are not exactly your average jewelry. T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO M EN 115
116 PAR KER COUN TY LIFE S TYLE
The shop owner grins not all women “love or budget for old things” and that's why she is sure to fill her beautiful store with exceptional new fine jewelry and even handbags and children’s pieces as well. She turns gracefully to an area of fashion pieces, pointing out bangles and other items, which are perfect for gifting. With price points as low as $15-20 everyone can walk out of Bell Gems with a piece that speaks to them and maybe even one causes them to dream a bit too. But one thing is for sure, friends of Bell Gems, whether they be leaving with a $50,000 untreated raw sapphire or a $15 sterling stackable, will also leave have been touched by bit of Jenny Bell’s own inimitable sparkle. Texas now has its very own “Tilly.” And Jenny wants you to experience the distinctive, undeniable energy of each piece in her store as well. Stroking a beautiful set of ruby beads, “Get it out. Try it on. Even if you aren’t taking it home, it wants to be appreciated. It wants to be admired and loved. It hasn't been around all these years to be left behind the glass…” PCLS T HE S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO M EN 117
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úM35l O7 &3h5[_?]5[] Addington & Associates ..............................................................84
Lindsey Sullivan Photography ...................................................46
Advanced Total Kar Kare ........................................................... 110
Lone Star Guns Gallery ................................................................ 97
AirMedCare Network ................................................................... 110
Medical City.........................................................................................5
All About Kids ............................................................................... 102
Mike’s Westside Rental ................................................................ 78
Backwoods Taxidermy ............................................................... .110
North Texas Electric ...................................................................... 77
Beary Boo Boutique.......................................................................111
Olive Jane Photography ....................................................... 68-69
Bell’s Natural Stone .......................................................................89
Optimum Healthcare .................................................................... 56
Bella’s Pet Grooming and Boarding ...................................... 103
Painting with a Twist..................................................................... 97
Brooke Ladouceur – Worthington Realty ....................................................................... 85
Parker County LifeStyle ...............................................................99
Camp Gladiator ............................................................................... 97
RedFin Pools ....................................................................................54
Carly Klassen, DDS ........................................................................ 75
Resurge Clinic ................................................................................. .88
Clark Gardens .................................................................................. 39
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Clark Real Estate Group .................................................................7
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Clear Fork Assisted Living ........................................................ 120
Still Waters Retreat Center.........................................................118
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Don Bell Properties ....................................................................... 47
Texas Cash and Pawn… .................................................................111
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Texas Health Hospital Willow Park ......................................... .33
Ernie’s Tire & Automotive ............................Inside Back Cover
The Chiropractic Place ..................................................................111
Facial Cosmetic and Surgical Center ................................16, 61
The Design Center/Western Heritage .................................... 57
Farm Bureau..................................................................................... 97
The Junktion ....................................................................................118
First National Bank ...................................................... Back Cover
The Popcorn Corner.................................................................... 103
Fort Worth Billiards ...................................................................... .75
Trinity Bible Church .......................................................................60
Galbreaith Pickard Funeral Home ............................................ 77
Trinity Christian Academy ..........................................................84
Gilbert Pecan Company..................................................................2
Vintage Grill Car Museum & Event Center............................ 79
Goodwin Dental .............................................................................. 74
Weatherford Christian School ................................................... 38
Hair On theSquare ..........................................................................111
Weatherford Cosmetic and Family Dentistry… ................... 88
Hilltop Park Rehabilitation and Care Center........................ 56
Weatherford OB/Gyn ...................................................................96
Home Zone Furniture .................................................................... .9
White’s Funeral Home .................................................................. 79
Hudson Chiropractic Wellness Center ................................. 102
Whitney Chilton Photography ................................................. .24
Jaimie Hill Photography ..............................................................99
Williams Trew......................................................................................3
Jerry’s Chevrolet ................................................................................1
Willow Park Baptist Church ....................................................... 32
Knight Propane ...............................................................................118
Willow Park Rehabilitation and Care Center ...................... .56
Lamb’s Print Shop........................................................................ 103
Wolfpack Services… ......................................................................96
PlainsCapital Bank… ...................................................................... 78
Teel’s Custom Meats.................................................................... 102
Linda’s Jewelry.............................................................................. 102
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