Me & Mine Magazine | Summer 2016 by Me and Mine Magazine

SUM M ER 2 016

A Free Local Publication

Me & Mine Staff SAWYER 2 CAMP OKIZU

SCIENCE IS ALL AROUND US

Jennifer Jaeger Traynham PUBLISHER

Rona Desmond MARKETING & ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE

Fritzie Rhody MARKETING & ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE

COLLEGE APPLICATION TIPS

PROTECTING THE YOUTH IN OUR COMMUNITY

INTRODUCING JACKIE AND JOE

Jessica Jaeger EDITOR

www.meandminemagazine.com FARMER'S MARKET

THE GIFT

WOMEN SUPPORTING WOMEN

WELCOME TO THE COLUSA COUNTY FAIR

on the cover Cover photo by Sara Feiling and Katie Say, Little Green Star Photography

Me and Mine magazine is an LLC and its information, format and designs are protected by copyright laws. Any reproduction of content, photography or arrangement is not permitted unless written permission is granted by the publisher of the magazine. Contributing authors and photographers are responsible for content and accuracy in their submissions and Me and Mine Magazine, its founders or members assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Me and Mine Magazine, LLC, ÂŠ Copyright 2016

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Sawyer

This issue is dedicated to an amazing boy named Sawyer, who touched us with his beautiful spirit and bravery.

By Jennifer Jaeger Traynham

I want to share with you a mother’s note to her nine year old son. Sawyer, sweet Sawyer . . . how we all wish we could take this away for you. It is not right. It is not what we had planned for you and believe me, we had big hopes and dreams for you . . . Cancer wasn't one of them. Neither was leaving this earth at 9. NINE! How is this even possible? There have been times I wanted to scream, shout, and punch something but instead, I've cried (and cried and cried) and decided to spend as much time as possible with you. Soak myself in your presence and exude nothing but love and hope . . . even when we were told how this would likely end months ago, I tried to keep my game face on. So I laughed with you, took thousands of pictures, tons of video, even recorded your sweet voice ... you talking, singing, the sayings we say to each other all the time: Mom: Guess What? Soy: You love me. Mom: Yes I do. A few years ago I lost you 50% of the time. That was hard, but I can't imagine losing you 100% of the time. I tried to pretend it isn't inevitable and it worked (kind of) at times, until the last several weeks. There is no hiding it. You can't walk anymore. You sleep so much. You aren't as chatty. You need an oxygen machine at night and sometimes during the day. This is happening. The cancer and all its myriad side effects have progressed enough to where you can no longer go between both your houses. The last two ER visits and breakthrough medications have shown us that your little body is at its max. So you'll be with Erin and I until you pass, but please know that we will not only continue to take excellent care of you (we've both taken leave so we can be here for you 100% of the time), but we have opened our home for your other family as well. Our house is their house. There are no more "mom's days" or “dad's days" . . . there

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are just Sawyer's days. I don't know how many more there will be, but I vow to make every last one of them count. When it comes to being your mom, I have no regrets and I'm not about to start now. I am going to try to keep exuding love, hope, and comfort for you . . . and will add in peace. I will try my best to keep my fears from stealing away our last moments. Instead of being afraid you won't wake up the next

morning, I'm going to try to focus on making sure, if you don't wake up, that you will have no doubt how enormously you were loved. I will love you forever . . . and then some. Mom P.S. Guess what?

Camp Okizu By Kathryn Sheppard

There’s a special place in Berry Creek that provides an enormous amount of support to families affected by childhood cancer. That place is Camp Okizu. Okizu provides peer support, respite, mentoring, and recreational programs to meet the needs of all family members affected by childhood cancer. It works with the pediatric oncology treatment centers in Northern California to serve all Northern California families. I had many wonderful experiences there, and have a deep love and appreciation for this foundation. I was diagnosed with Leukemia (ALL) at Children's Hospital at Stanford in June of 1983, about a month before my 8th birthday. I was too sick to attend Camp Okizu that summer, however, the next summer I was able to attend camp for the first time at its original facility in Nevada City. One two-week session and I was HOOKED! The adventures began when what seemed like the HUGEST bus on the planet would pick us up in the parking lot at the hospital. We would bring teen magazines and scrapbooks to work on during the drive, eagerly anticipating our next stop at another hospital to pick up more campers. Who would we meet? Who would we reunite with? Of course, I had my

core group of friends from the Bay Area to the Oregon border who I had been pen pals with that I knew would be meeting me in Nevada City. We coordinated our camp dates with great precision, as this was the only opportunity most of us had to be together all year long. Believe me, it was a long year of anticipation. And then we arrived, with all the

camp counselors and staff greeting us with high-fives and hugs, clapping and singing a welcome song as we stepped off the bus. We lugged our bags to our cabins after getting our group assignments (also strategically planned), and then the fastest week of our lives began! Okizu afforded me an opportunity that was unique in that it was the only place I had where I could actually live my life like a normal child, with other kids who looked like me and had experienced exactly the same things I had in cancer treatments. At home, I was very loved; at school, I excelled and had many friends. But at Camp Okizu, I could be bald from chemo and no one stared or asked questions. At Camp Okizu, I could be puffy from prednisone and no one told me I was fat. At Camp Okizu, I could have a crush and he wasn't weirded out because I had cancer. At Camp Okizu, I met dozens of volunteer counselors, doctors, nurses, and the founders, the Bell Family, who were the epitome, in my eyes, of what service to others looked like. I got to play games, do crafts, swim in Lake Vera, kayak, canoe, sing, and dance like a normal kid. Because at Camp Okizu, I was a normal kid...I just happened to have cancer. Okizu is the reason I would never take back my diagnosis, even if I could. I attended camp as a camper until I was 16, when I then became a CIT (Counselor in Training). I was a CIT for two years, then during my college years, came back as a counselor for both Oncology Camp and Family Camp. As I grew my career and my family, I was no longer able to take the extended lengths of time to be a camp counselor, but Okizu continued to be a part of my life, creating my passion for philanthropy. Camp Okizu is now located on a beautiful ranch in Berry Creek, California, just a few miles from my home. I feel so blessed to be

able to share their story in my community and in my business. I love to take friends on tours there so they can see for themselves that this is a truly unique and special place. This isn't a coincidence. I don't believe in coincidences, I believe in fate, and I believe my fate—through all of the ugliness and pain that my family and I endured in a childhood with Leukemia—is to be a lifelong part of what Okizu offers. Camp Okizu is, by far, my most cherished childhood memory. I am grateful for the lifelong friendships I created there. I am grateful I got to acknowledge my disease and honor those who lost their battle with it, because every one of those campers taught me something about living. I am grateful that I continue to have an ongoing relationship with the Bells and Okizu, as they are not just a philanthropy to me, but a family. When I was a teenager, I remember vowing to myself that someday I would raise enough money for Okizu to repay what someone else spent to send me there for 10 years. I am proud to say that I have done that, but now I know that isn't enough. What Okizu offers children and their families touched by cancer is worth so much more than money. They give families of sick children an opportunity to have a bit of normalcy and allow them to find camaraderie with others who are facing similar situations at home. My goal now is to never stop raising funds for Okizu, so that with the generosity of so many others, we can continue to help them serve their purpose: to help a kid with cancer just be a kid. If I ever do stop, it will be because there is no more childhood cancer and no more need for Okizu...and I would be totally ok with that!

For more information about Camp Okizu and the Okizu Foundation, please visit www.okizu.com 4 M E A N D M I NE M AG A Z I N E | S UM M ER 2016

Visit the Sunsweet Growers Outlet

Deliciously snackable dried fruit, gi� packs, confections and more! Monday-Friday 8am to 4pm

901 N Walton Avenue • Yuba City CA 95993

800-447-5218 www.sunsweet.com

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Committed to EXCELLENCE!

IS YOUR CHILD...

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The Ages & Stages Questionnaires® Third Edition (ASQ-3™) is a set of questions about a child’s development.

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sutterkids.org 1531-A BUTTE HOUSE ROAD YUBA CITY, CALIFORNIA 95993

(530) 822-7505 www.sutterkids.org 6 M E AN D M I N E M AG A Z I N E | S UM M ER 2016

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Science is All Around Us At Playzeum Yuba- Sutter, there are many different exhibits that offer children opportunities to explore scientific concepts. Children can apply the steps of the scientific method as they investigate things in their world, such as seeing how far water will squirt from a squeeze bottle, finding out what will happen if a ball is rolled down a ramp, or discovering what's inside a seed pod. Children have a natural sense of wonder that allows them to hypothesize and experiment easily. Invite Inquiry - How do you encourage children's use of the scientific method? It’s simple: view the world as a scientist! Wonder out loud and ask questions that have no right or wrong answer. Focus on comparisons – How are things similar, and why? Through observing and comparing, children use the skills that initiate scientific inquiry and thinking. An easy experiment to promote this thinking is to build a ramp with cardboard, then change things: the height, the angle, the type of object used to

roll down the ramp, the texture on the ramp, etc. The possibilities–-and possibility for comparisons—are endless. Science subjects are endless – Science truly is all around us. You don’t need a science kit, just open your kitchen cabinet or go outside! •H ealth and nutrition – Talk about your dinner plate. How does the food you’re eating make you healthy? Go outside & use your five senses: smell flowers, touch tree bark, look at clouds, and listen to birds. •P lants – Open a seed pod, collect leaves and compare them, plant seeds and observe them growing, help care for a plant. •A nimals - Watch a spider in its web, observe the movements of different animals, build a habitat, or visit the pet store. •W eather – Read a weather report, observe the sky at different times during the day, collect rain in a container, gaze at clouds and rainbows, count the time that

by Staci Howell

takes place after lightning flashes and thunder crashes. •E arth and Space - Dig a hole in your yard or at the beach, go rock-hunting to see how many different ones you can find, watch a sunrise or sunset, notice how the moon changes throughout the month, look at the stars. •E nergy - Play with magnets, see how far different toys will roll, build a ramp or track, try out the domino effort. •C hemical and physical properties Experiment with what will sink or float in water, see how long it takes for an ice cube to melt, mix food coloring into water, drop vinegar in baking soda. Let your child’s curiosity lead you to the area that has the greatest interest. Getting children to be curious about the natural world around them at an early age can lead them to science-related hobbies and jobs as they grow up.

Exploring Colors with Chemical Reactions In this science activity, not only will children get to create a chemical reaction, but they’ll also be able to explore color mixing and create some colorful artwork! Materials •

Tray or shallow baking pan

•

Baking soda

•

White vinegar

•

Containers to hold the colored vinegar (ice cube tray)

•

Pipettes, droppers, or teaspoon

•

Food coloring

Directions 1. Give the child a tray. 2. H ave them measure amount needed to fill the tray with baking soda.

3. F ill each ice cube tray or other container with vinegar. Add food coloring to the vinegar so there are four or five colors to use. 4. Use a pipette, dropper, or teaspoon to place a few drops of the colored vinegar onto the tray of baking soda. Watch what happens! 5. Continue exploring, mixing colors and asking questions. 6. Last, test out other ideas: try water, juice, soda, corn starch, flour. What happens? Why? This activity will be available during the month of June at Playzeum Yuba-Sutter, along with many other science opportunities. Playzeum Yuba-Sutter is open on Saturdays from 11 -5 and during the summer

on Thursdays from 12-4. Want to come play free all year long? Buy a family membership for four people for $75. Sponsors can support our non-profit through donations and funding support. Sponsors will be recognized in the community as making a difference in the quality of children’s lives as well as supporting families and our local community. Contact Staci Howell for more information on volunteering and supporting Playzeum Yuba-Sutter. Staci Howell Co-Executive Dirtector 530-301-0623 info@yubasutterplay.org

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COLLEGE APPLICATION TIPS ollege application season is right around the corner for high school seniors, and that can welcome feelings of excitement, anticipation, and stress. After completing eleven applications last year, I had practically memorized the Common App website and definitely picked up a few useful tips for the application process. I thought I would share these helpful tips with both students and parents, in the hopes that they will make the process easier for everyone!

By Hannah Payne

Proofread Have three people you trust proofread your application. If you have any more review your application, critiques and notes can become a bit overwhelming. Before you submit, proofread one more time by reading every section of your application word-forword out loud and slowly. Trust me: I picked up two mistakes (a

Find Your Passions College applications are about capturing what you, as a student and a person, are all about. In addition to staying focused academically, hone in on a few passions instead of a multitude of interests. It is much more impressive to see that you've taken on leadership roles, spearheaded projects, and essentially made a difference in a couple areas rather than been just slightly involved with many different projects. Don't try to fake it or get involved in a billion extracurriculars just to look good on an application. Do things in both life and school that genuinely interest you, and it will translate well on your college application. Plan Ahead Brainstorm personal statement topics and make time to free write when you feel inspired. Take a tour of many schools and decide where you could actually see yourself going. Ask for recommendation letters from your teachers, bosses, and other mentors months in advance so that your letter is the first they write and isn't generic. Keep your resume updated so that you can easily transfer all of your activities to your application. And lastly, as boring and time consuming as it can be, actually study for standardized testing! I was able to bring my SAT score up by 200 points thanks to those lovely little practice tests! Be Aware of Deadlines On the Common App website, I sorted the schools I was applying to in order of their due dates. That was great for quickly referencing, but I also had a much more detailed list of deadlines physically written out on in my day planner. I highlighted things as I completed them. This system included deadlines for submitting test scores, transcripts, and any additional information a college may have asked for.

digit wrong in my phone number and a word missing in my essay) by doing this. Make it a personal goal to submit your application one week before it's actually due. That way if you forget to do something or make a mistake, you will still have time. Have Faith Â I don't think I'll ever forget when I hit the "submit" button on my first college application! I'm not going to lie, it's stressful to let go of something you've worked so hard on and give up that control. Celebrate your marathon of applications with a cupcake, have faith, and trust in what's meant to be. If you put in the work, you will end up where you're supposed to be! I applied to eleven schools, was accepted to ten, and ended up choosing UCLA. Everyone has a unique experience with college admissions, but for me, each acceptance letter felt like the biggest affirmation that the time, energy, and countless essay drafts had been worth it. To those beginning this crazy, busy, exciting journey, I wish you the best of luck! The college admissions process is like nothing else, and it marks the beginning of an exciting chapter of life.

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Doing Better:

PROTECTING THE YOUTH in our community By Julie Gill Shuffield

t is hard for most of us to imagine that domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, or sex trafficking will impact our lives or the lives of family and friends we love. It is equally as hard to deny that it already does, once you know the statistics. Let’s focus for a minute just on teen dating violence. I didn’t even know that was a thing, but the facts are crushing. One in three adolescents in the United States is a victim of physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner. We all believe we would know if our child was in an abusive relationship while he/she is living in the safe cocoon of our homes, right? In a study, 82% of parents reported feeling confident that they would recognize the signs, yet nearly 60% could not correctly identify all the warning signs. Are you expecting your child to tell you if they are being abused in a dating relationship? Only 1 in 3 actually does. We are rightly outraged when we see viral videos of teen fights, but the odds of that occurring to your child are dwarfed by the odds that your child will be a victim of abuse by their boyfriend or girlfriend. And the scariest part is, we may never know. There isn’t going to be a video of it that goes viral. We spend hours talking to our children about stranger danger and not allowing others to touch our private parts, but we are missing out on the most likely form of abuse they can be subjected to. It’s crushing, isn’t it? The trajectory for these victims and abusers is grim as they grow into adults, and odds are, the severity of the abuse in their adult relationships will be higher when the pattern of abuse is established in adolescence. Not only will it continue in future relationships, but it will escalate.

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So what are parents and members of our community to do? The most important steps you can take are to talk to your children, model healthy behaviors, and learn the signs of abuse. There are many resources and support organizations available to educate young people and provide support, counseling, and housing to people who find themselves in abusive relationships. We are blessed in the Yuba, Sutter, and Colusa Counties and Beale Air Force Base to have had one such organization in our community since 1977: Casa de Esperanza – the House of Hope. It was the second shelter in California and the eleventh in the nation. Our community has a long-standing position of supporting the victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and sex trafficking. Casa has served over 40,000 members of our community over the past four decades. We are fortunate that Casa is already active in our local schools, educating adolescents about dating violence and providing resources. You may have heard about the devastating fire in April that left Casa without a building to work from, counsel victims from, or provide safe housing for the victims in our community. Maybe you didn’t think it affected you. I hope that you feel differently now – when we know better, we do better. Domestic violence is the number one cause of homelessness for women and children, and now a fire has made the most vulnerable in our community homeless. Thanks to our community, we kept everyone safe in the minutes after the fire, in the weeks after the fire, and now as of the beginning of May, in a new temporary location while the future of the building is determined. This was made possible by the generosity of the churches,

service groups, businesses, and people in our community. The statistics on teen dating violence are crushing, but we are stronger when we work together. The next time your adolescent is with two friends, realize that unless we work hard to change the facts, statistically speaking, one of them will be a victim of teen dating violence. We cannot ignore that this hits closer to home - maybe even to our own homes – than we want to realize. Please consider joining with us to help us do better for our most vulnerable community members. To learn more about Casa, view our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook. com/Casa-de-Esperanza-Yuba-City126397237518177/?fref=ts Statistics from: http://www.loveisrespect.org

Julie Gill Shuffield is the Director of Regulatory and Government Affairs for AES US West (a Fortune 200 global company in the electricity industry). She is a graduate of University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 1997 and worked at the Sutter County District Attorney's office from 1993-1998. It was there she started working with Casa de Esperanza, working on domestic violence cases. Julie pledged that she would return to serve on Casa after she made the decision to leave the DA's office. She left the area for around 15 years, but when she returned, she began serving on Casa's board.

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Introducing Jackie and Joe What could be a better way to spend time or money than supporting Yuba-Sutter’s finest local “celebrities” as they dance their hearts out for charity? Dance with Our Stars has become one of the most anticipated weekends of entertainment in our area, and for good reason. It’s a show that will have you up on your feet, moving with the music while cheering for the cast. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to see all of these dancers in action while they raise money for the Rideout Health Foundation on June 17th and 18th. How did you decide to join the cast of Dance with Our Stars? Jackie: After being in the audience for the past five years, I felt the timing was right! My sister is dancing the same night, so it will definitely be a memorable night for our entire family and all of our friends. Joe: My wife and I have been stage managers and I have been one of the hosts for DWOS since it started 5 years ago. This year, the committee decided they wanted me to be a dancer. When I found out they wanted me to dance with Jackie, I jumped at the chance. Tell us about your prior dance experience. Jackie: None, unless you count doing the hokey pokey! I’ve never had any formal training, but it’s been fun to live on the edge and give this a whirl…I mean, a twirl! Joe: I have no formal training in dancing. I am a veteran of the stage and I have been asked to dance in a number of shows, however the dancing was minimal and I was always part of a group. I must say that my strength would probably be comedic dancing – most people start laughing when I start dancing. Describe your dance partner. Jackie: Joe is a dream partner. He is close to my age, loves to meet at 7:30am, and gives me the best pointers in our rehearsals. It’s been fun to color outside the lines of my comfort zone and give dancing a try. Even on the most frustrating steps, Joe helps me find humor and gets me smiling through the “oops” moments. I can’t guarantee a flawless dance, but I can guarantee that we will be having fun. Joe: My partner is a dynamo! She is full of positive energy and wants to be perfect on the first run-through. We are having fun and I feel we are progressing well. We have been working on our own as often as we can and we have created our own language for describing the dance moves and choreography. Our conversations sound a little odd, but it’s working for us! What motivated you to participate in this event? What have you learned most from this experience so far? Jackie: I'm motivated by the fact that 100% of the donations are going towards premature babies. It always feels good to give back, and donating my time to the hospital and well-being of our community is a no-brainer. 12 ME AN D M I NE M AG A Z I N E | S UM M ER 2016

Joe: My motivation is all about putting on a good show. Performing is so much fun, and we're going to bring the house down! I have learned to have a better appreciation for dancers, as there is a lot of hard work that happens before a show! I also have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Jackie. She is one of the busiest people I know, but she is treating this very seriously and is willing to get up early and come out to practice. What are you looking forward to the most about your big performance? Jackie: Staying in sync with my partner, breathing so I don’t faint, and knowing I will be back in the audience watching others next year! Oh…and a nice glass of pinot afterwards! Joe: I am looking forward to seeing Jackie after she nails the performance and the audience shows their appreciation. The adrenaline rush from performing and receiving applause is like nothing else. I am also looking forward to being a part of the performers for the show instead of the crew. All proceeds from this year’s Dancing with Our Stars will benefit the Rideout Regional Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for fragile babies. The Rideout Health Foundation is raising funds to help purchase two state-of-the-art equipment needs: the Resuscitaire and the Isolette. The Resuscitaire is an ideal device to have during labor and delivery procedures. It combines an effective warming therapy platform with the components needed for clinical emergency and resuscitation. The Isolette is an integrated, full-feature incubator solution. Caregivers can select temperature, humidity, and oxygen concentration of the incubator microenvironment while providing continuous data on the temperature of the newborn. Ticket Information Tickets are $35 each and are available at RideoutHealth.org/ giving. Choose "Dance with Our Stars" on the drop down menu, click on the box titled "Other" and type in the word "ticket" and the name of the dancer that you wish to support. Sponsorship information is available by calling 530.751.4070 or emailing fof@frhg.org.

Dance With Our Stars, Friday, June 17 Gary Cena & Sammy Dake

Jennifer Ferrini & Breighton West

Kristen Connor & James Smith

Inder Johnson & Dave Lopez

Not pictured: Michele Blake & Shon Harris

Dance With Our Stars, Saturday, June 18 Jackie Sillman & Joseph Moye

Mary Langsdorf & Kirby Quick

Daniel Chibaya & Meghan De Groodt

Andre Licon & Chey Wilkins

Kim Ruccione & Jacque Dake

Much appreciation to our Dance With Our Stars cast this year for your dedication, hard work and good humor. Thank you for supporting the Sixth Annual Dance With Our Stars event, a spinoff of the hit television show “Dancing With the Stars”. Proceeds from Dance With Our Stars has benefited Rideout Health care programs, new equipment, renovations and scholarships that make an immediate and lasting difference in the quality of health care we deliver to our patients. —

June 17 and 18 Colusa Casino Resort 3770 California 45, Colusa

Doors open at 7pm Show at 8pm —

Come Out And Support Your Favorite Dancer Tickets are available now by calling 530.751.4070 or can be purchased online by visiting RideoutHealth.org/ giving. General seating tickets are available for $35 each. THE

530.751.4070 RideoutHealth.org/giving Facebook.com/FremontRideout ME AN D MIN E MAG AZIN E | S UM M E R

2 01 6

One of our favorite things about summer is the

Farmer’s Market! Check out the Certified Farmer’s Markets in our area, and pick up some fresh, home-grown ingredients for these delicious summer recipes.

Cowboy Jalapeno Poppers Contributed by Julie Bidegain, Cowboy BBQ, local vendor at the Yuba-Sutter Certified Farmer’s Market

Yuba-Sutter Area: Saturdays from 8am – noon at Town Square Park (the fountain), Plumas Street, Yuba City Colusa Area: Thursdays from 4pm-7pm at the 10th St. Memorial Park, Colusa

Ingredients: • Jalapeno Peppers • Cowboy BBQ Sweet and Spicy Jalapeno Relish (drained) • Cream Cheese • Bacon Directions: • Split jalapeno peppers length-wise and clean out seeds. • Mix cream cheese with Cowboy BBQ Sweet and Spicy Jalapeno Relish (drained). • Stuff pepper halves with cream cheese and wrap with half a strip of bacon. • Secure with toothpick. •B ake at 350 degrees on a cookie sheet in the oven or on the barbecue until bacon is cooked.

Jeffrey’s Ranch Caramel Pecan Rolls Contributed by Theresa Bright, Jeffrey’s Ranch Pecans, local vendor at the Colusa Certifed Farmer’s Market

Ingredients: Caramel Sauce ½ cup butter 2 ½ cups brown sugar 1 cup heavy cream Rolls 3 ½ - 4 ½ cups flour 2 packages active dry yeast ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup milk ½ cup water ½ cup (1 cube) butter 2 eggs Optional: 4 tablespoons melted butter Filling ½ pound (2 cups) chopped pecans ½ cup brown sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions: Begin by making the caramel sauce. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar is a paste with the butter, and not very grainy. Pour in the cream and stir until the sauce is uniformly boiling. Pour into two 13” X 9” baking dishes, dividing equally. Next, make the rolls. In a large bowl, mix 1 ½ cup flour, yeast, sugar, & salt. In a sauce pan, heat the water, milk, & butter until very warm. Add to the flour mixture and stir to disperse a bit of the heat. Add the eggs and blend until all the flour is moistened, then beat with an electric hand mixer for 3 minutes. Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead 8 -10 times. On a lightly floured board, roll out to a rectangle about 14” X 16”. For very flakey rolls, brush with melted butter, fold in half, and roll out again. Do this 2-3 times. Mix the filling ingredients together and spread over dough. Beginning on a long

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edge, roll the dough with the filling inside. Slightly moisten the remaining edge and seal to the dough roll. Make individual rolls by slicing off rounds about an inch wide. Carefully place the rounds flat side down in the two 13” X 9” baking dishes on top of caramel sauce. Let the rounds rise for about 45 minutes, or until they are filling the pan completely. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 20 -25 minutes. Turn upside down onto baking sheet with edges and allow to cool enough to serve

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The Gift

By Rona Desmond

t is always the right time to make a positive impact on the life of another. Helping others is a fundamental part of humanity, bonding people together through good deeds and selfless acts. In an interconnected universe that rewards good deeds, Bryan Noll shares his story of extending an act of kindness to a friend, which in turn created a vision for helping many more. Bryan Noll and Connie Brown met through the Feather River Men's Center, a recovery program where members are hired for construction jobs and, in Bryan’s case, painting Connie's house. Bryan graduated from the program last July and has been busy getting on with his new life. Here, he shares with us how great it's been! Almost a year after the Men's Center completed Connie's house, she received a wonderful surprise from Bryan, demonstrating how the human spirit can accomplish whatever it sets out to do. Connie, I'm sure you remember me. I was in the men's center and helped re-do your house. I am reaching out because I have something for you. A gift if you will. I am not sure if you recall, but Feb. 19, 2015 was the exact day when a bowl you held dear to your heart was broken by your cat. Well, you were very upset, threw it in the trash and left for work shortly after. I saw how distraught you were over the bowl and pulled every piece I could from the trash. Eighty-seven pieces in total. Well, I took it all back with me to the center and began working on it every night. Finally, over a year later, it is complete. Watching this bowl come back together little by little, though it does not look brand new, became a personal project that reflected how my own life was shattered and with help, has been pieced back together. With that in mind, your bowl now carries two stories. Please believe that I am the blessed one here to be able to do this for you. I have taken nothing but enjoyment in approaching the day I could return this to you. It has brought me nothing but joy to see the pieces

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come together as the pieces in my life have come together. Although I'm not whole or the man I used to be, I move forward with a stronger character, marked with scars of my past as a living testament to the power of others’ help and encouragement...and in turn, now living as a broken reflection of my future life to come. I am marked by a story that could hopefully change or help another. Many nights when I laid awake putting just one piece back together, I would cry knowing this is one step further to not reliving my past, but building a future with a new purpose, as I could only hope this gift will serve for you. We are all made of stories, and even the shortest of tale holds the power of change, because it shines light into a once lost hope. With that said...Thank you for the unknown, unique, empowering opportunity to in turn give back to you, because whether you realized it or not, you've spoken words into my life that gave me the motivation and determination to set my future on fire and run after it with all I had. In small talk, you spoke of experience and loss, hope, goals, and ambitions. Little may you have known, you helped project my life forward in the greatest of ways, so in the least of ways, I'm so glad this old bowl will be welcomed back into its rightful home....with a new story to tell! Your friend, Bryan "The bowl was a bonus, the true gift was your heart" - C. Brown Feather River Men's Center is a Faith-Based Drug and Alcohol Residential Recovery Program. Their mission is conquering addictions, restoring lives, and reuniting families. Through partnership programs, hiring The Men's Center for any construction jobs or house projects invests into the restoration of these men’s lives.

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Women Supporting Women

Top left to right: Maria Conrique, Dinora Marin, Rebecca Chavez. Bottom left to right: Andrea Torrez, Mandy Baker, Tiffany Frey

We love to hear about women supporting other women! This particular group of fitness-minded women caught our attention, and we love what they’re doing! How, when, and why did you girls meet up?

We’ve all come together for many different reasons. Some of us have known each other 30+ years and some of us met each other through mutual friends over the past year. For the most part, many of us have been working out together for the past few years, and as we continue to mature in age, we seem to have that same drive of wanting to become better versions of ourselves. In the past year, we decided to become even more dedicated. We work out together at the same gyms or meet up at a track or invite each other to open classes. We send out invitations to participate and friendly day-of reminders. When some of the girls train for specific races, we all come out and support and work out with them. Our group size varies depending on our schedules. How do you support one another?

Most of how we support each other is through social media and text messaging. We send each other meal-prepping ideas and encouraging, funny notes to say “We got this,” or “You’re not alone.” We all participate and take turns supporting each other. It’s so amazing to have so many

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people cheering for you and understanding what to say and when to say it to keep you motivated. What inspires you?

I think we are more inspired by each other’s personal successes. Whether it is finishing a 5k race, losing weight, dropping inches, or all of the above, we support each other to be our best. That in itself is so inspiring and gratifying. It has been wonderful to have these amazing, inspiring people around us to help us achieve our goals. We are also a pretty fun group and all of us enjoy each other’s company! How do you keep one another accountable?

Checking on each other to keep the motivation up is important. We each have very busy lives between kids, work, and other responsibilities, so checking in and inviting each other to different activities that we are doing is a big help. When working out in a group, we become more accountable, making sure that we come out regardless of our abilities or where we are in our endurance. There are usually at least two people at the same level who can partner up and help each other out.

What have you learned from one another?

How strong, dedicated, and inspiring each of us are to one another and how infectious our determination is in inspiring others. Each of us work hard and support each other, which not only inspires us, but also other men and women to be a healthier version of themselves. Through each other’s successes, our persistence results in success. What advice do you have for other women?

Continue to stay on your course. When you take care of yourself, you become a happier and healthier person. Surround yourself with positive people who have similar goals, and who motivate and encourage others. Make fitness friends, make goals, work hard, never give up, and you will succeed. What are your goals?

While our goals may be slightly different individually, collectively, we each want to become a healthier version of ourselves. Along the way, we want to continue to support and motivate each other. This is not a competition between friends, but more an encouragement to continue striving to be our best.

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Welcome to the SEVENTY-SEVENTH Annual Colusa County Fair I would like to welcome you to Colusa County and invite you to enjoy every aspect of our Fair.

King of Pop. It’s not a cover band; it’s a production and a tribute to Michael Jackson’s life and his music.

Colusa County is rich in all that makes families strong. The heritage of loving all things homemade, homegrown and relishing our history helped to bring us from the circa 1899 formation of the 44th District Agricultural Association (Colusa County Fair’s host) to present day, continuing to grow Colusa County Fair that is our tradition here.

Our Veterans will be honored with a performance by the USAF Band and free entry day, the Chef’s Challenge is returning with three local chef’s competing and there will be returning and new attractions and entertainment throughout the four day Colusa County Fair June 9-12, 2016. It is with great pride and gratitude to our hundreds of sponsors and volunteers that we welcome you to the 77th annual Colusa County Fair where you will find all things Homemade, Homegrown and rich in History.

This year’s Fair has something for the whole family. Every effort has been made to bring top-notch entertainment, by providing more stages, expansion of our Kid’s World and the addition of more ongoing entertainment there.

Sincerely,

Our Grandstand Stage will for the first time in many years feature a live concert with the Saturday night presentation of “Who’s Bad”, the Ultimate Michael Jackson & Prince Tribute. This is a complete stage review tribute to the

Saturday

LEGENDS N

Jonathan Howard, CEO Colusa County Fair

Keith Bear

Night

EVER DIE!

Splash Do

TICKETS AVA ILABLE AT THE FAIR O FFICE SHOW

BEGINS AT 8PM ON THE AL L NEW GRANDSTA NDS STAGE Who's B ad

Kristen & Doug Clowns Riccardo Alonz o

JUNE 9-12

Madison Hudson

Thursday - 5pm to Midnight Friday - 5pm to Midnight

Saturday - 3pm to Midnight Sunday - 3pm to Midnight

www.colusafairgrounds.com/colusa-county-fair

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AS LONG AS WE LIVE YOU WILL LIVE YOU WILL BE LOVED YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED

Please join us for a Cartwheel-a-Thon on September 25th at Riley's Gymnastics Academy in Yuba City! Help Fight Against Pediatric Cancer! For more information and registration, www.meandminemagazine.com

Unravel is a nonprofit organization working to spread knowledge about the grim realities of pediatric cancer and the devastating impact from the lack of funding. We supply the information, tools and support to individuals and communities that want to help create changeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;because good people want to do good things but sometimes they need help getting started. All monies raised by and for Unravel will go directly to the fight against pediatric cancer. In addition, Unravel partners with other nonprofits to strengthen our efforts. We do all of this with one goal in mind; we will unravel pediatric cancer.

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