West Cypress Hills - September 2015 by Peel, Inc.

The Homefront

VOLUME 1

WELCOME TO THE WEST CYPRESS HILLS NEWSLETTER

A Newsletter for the West Cypress Hills Community The HomeFront is a monthly newsletter mailed to all West Cypress Hills residents. Each newsletter will be filled with valuable information about the community, local area activities, school information, and more. If you are involved with a school group, play group, scouts, sports team, social group, etc., and would like to submit an article for the newsletter, you can do so online at www.PEELinc.com. Personal news (announcements, accolades/ honors/ celebrations, etc.) are also welcome as long as they are from area residents. GO GREEN! Subscribe via Peelinc.com to have an email sent to you with a link to a PDF of the newsletter, or have an email sent to you instead of having a newsletter mailed to you!

Official Newsletter of the West Cypress Hills HOA

ISSUE 4

WELCOME TO THE WEST CYPRESS HILLS NEWSLETTER A Letter from your Newsletter Committee Chairperson Dear Neighbors, Welcome to the West Cypress Hills Newsletter, ‘The Homefront’. As the new Newsletter Committee Chairperson, my hope is to provide a newsletter that is thought of as fun, informative, resourceful, a recognized tool that strives to foster relationships amongst the neighbors within the community, and as a positive reflection of our neighborhood and the good people in it. I invite your recommendations for content you would like to see in monthly issues, formal announcements you would like to make regarding a special event, recipes you would like to share, and any articles or op-eds you would like to write. In addition, I encourage you to submit photos of your family, pets and the scenery in or around the neighborhood. Each month the newsletter will feature one of the photos submitted on its cover page. My family and I have lived in the neighborhood since 2006 and eight years later one of my favorite parts of my day is still driving into the neighborhood and enjoying the beautiful view of the Texas hill country and West Cypress Hills. It is my pleasure to be a part of the West Cypress Hills family and to play an active role in fostering its Maria-Theresa sense of community. Servillon Sigua Much love, MariaTheresa Servillon Sigua Maria and her family have lived in WCH since 2006. She has four children – AJ, 23; Rodney, 18; Kayla, 14; and Taylor, 14. Maria works for the Texas Charter Schools Association and is a part-time student at St. Mary’s School of Law. A very big thank you to Tricia Ulberg, the second member of our Newsletter Committee. Tricia and her husband, Phillip, have two sons – Ethan, 12, and Samantha, 8. They have lived in WCH for two years. Tricia is a graphic Tricia Ulberg designer for the University of Texas System. The Homefront - September 2015

The Homefront IMPORTANT NUMBERS EMERGENCY NUMBERS EMERGENCY.................................................................... 911 Fire....................................................................................... 911 Ambulance........................................................................... 911 Sheriff – Non-Emergency.....................................512-854-9285 Travis County ESD No.6/Lake Travis Fire Rescue Administration Office.......................................512-266-2533 Travis County Animal Control.............................512-972-6060 SCHOOLS Lake Travis ISD....................................................512-533-6000 Lake Travis High School.......................................512-533-6100 Lake Travis Middle School...................................512-533-6200 Lake Travis Elementary.........................................512-533-6300 Hudson Bend Middle School...............................512-533-6400 Lake Pointe Elementary........................................512-533-6500 Lakeway Elementary............................................512-533-6350 Serene Hills Elementary.......................................512-533-7400 Bee Cave Elementary............................................512-533-6250 West Cypress Elementary.....................................512-533-7500 UTILITIES Pedernales Electric................................................888-554-4732 Propane Cypress Ranch........................................513-272-5503 Cypress Ranch WCID#1......................................512-402-1990 AT&T New Service...................................................1-800-464-7928 Repair............................................................1-800-246-8464 Billing............................................................1-800-858-7928 Time Warner Cable Customer Service..............................................512-485-5555 Repairs.............................................................512-485-5080 Austin/Travis County Hazardous Waste...............512-974-4343 OTHER NUMBERS Postal Office- Spicewood Branch..........................830-693-2377 NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER Peel, Inc...............................................................512-263-9181 Editor........................................................ beecave@peelinc.com Advertising...........................................advertising@peelinc.com

COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION Home Owner's Association managed by:

Southwest Management Services 7 Lakeway Centre Courte, #200 Lakeway, Texas 78734 512-266-6771 Annual Dues: $525 (paid quarterly)

The Homefront - September 2015

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The Homefront

Photo of the Month This month’s photo was submitted by Kristen Riley. Kristen and her two daughters – Mckenzie, 14, and Madison, 12, (not pictured) have lived in WCH since 2011. The Newsletter Committee invites you to submit your photos of family, children, pets or scenery taken in or around the neighborhood. Each month we will select a photo to be featured on the cover of the WCH newsletter. Photos may be submitted to mariatsigua@ gmail.com.

The Homefront - September 2015

The Homefront

Neighbor Spotlight It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon when I come by to visit the Salinas family. Lili, their 3 year old daughter, is napping in her room and Tony and Jennifer are lounging in the living room with their two cats, Samson and Reyna, contentedly purring softly beside them. Jennifer and Tony met through mutual friends while she was still living in Chicago. “The first time I saw her I immediately thought she was gorgeous...and I wanted to make her mine, so I asked her out,” says Tony playfully, bearing an ear to ear grin. “He took me bowling,” Jennifer adds with a smile. And as they say, the rest is history. The two married in 2008 and

eventually settled in Texas. Suffice to say, between Lili and their second child due in December, Jennifer and Tony have much to be thankful for. Jennifer is a graduate of Northwestern University and a former teacher and textbook editor. She currently offers piano and cello lessons and tutoring from their home off Rose Grass Lane. She enjoys reading mystery, science fiction, and historical non-fiction. Tony, who attended University of Texas Pan American, works in technology and has worked for Advanced Micro Devices since 2010. Tony is a gun enthusiast, avid fan of professional sports, enjoys video gaming and playing cards, discovering new movies, and is self-taught in home automation. Prior to moving to West Cypress Hills in 2011, the two lived in Cedar Park for a bit. When asked what they loved most about West Cypress Hills, they answered, “We love the hills and the friends we’ve made out here.” I couldn’t agree with them more. Thanks, Jen and Tony, for being in our Neighbor Spotlight this month.

MAGNOLIA MUSIC PIANO STUDIO Magnolia Music Piano Studio is dedicated to offering piano lessons with a warm and personal approach for students ages 5 and up.

Sandra Tate Owner and Instructor Located in Sola Vista/West Cypress Hills off Hwy. 71 5220 Diamante Drive Spicewood, TX 78669

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The Homefront - September 2015

COOK’S CORNER PORK ADOBO (PHILIPPINES RECIPE)

• 2 pounds lean pork cut into 1 inch cubes • 2 cloves garlic, chopped • 1 cup pork broth (can use chicken broth) • 3 tbsp oyster sauce • 1/2 cup vinegar • 5 pcs bay leaves • 1/8 tsp ground pepper Direction: Mix all ingredients together and boil for 30 minutes or until pork is tender. Serve hot on steam white rice.

This month’s recipe was submitted by Juliana Dahl. Juliana and her family have lived in WCH since 2009. She and her husband, Miles, have two sons – Morgan, 11, and Michael, 18.

The Homefront Please Support Sean Price’s Osteosarcoma Fight

Sean Price is a 20 year old junior at Texas Tech University and his family was one of the first residents in West Cypress Hills on Texas Bluebell. He was born and raised in the Lake Travis area, went to Bee Cave Elementary, Lake Travis Middle School, and graduated from Lake Travis High School. He is an amazing man, who is in the honor society at Tech, has a wide circle of friends, loves to fish, is a World of Warcraft genius, and most importantly, Sean is an awesome son, brother, and friend. He was working this summer to save some money for school, but that was unfortunately cut short when, on June 23rd, he was diagnosed with chondroblastic osteosarcoma of the mandible, which is a rare form of bone cancer. He originally went to the dentist because he noticed a small gap in his bottom front teeth and a small lump behind those same teeth. Dr. Sengbusch sent us to our oral surgeon, Dr. Perkins, who did the biopsy and was able to connect us with MD Anderson. Needless to say after the biopsy results came in, we were devastated, scared, confused and overwhelmed by emotions. The rest of the summer has been spent traveling to and from MD Anderson meeting with doctors and determining a plan of action to take care of this cancer and let Sean get on with his life. The surgery that Sean faces is really like three surgeries in one. The first surgery will be to resect the part of the jaw with the tumor; the second surgery will be to remove his right fibula in order to create a new jaw, the third surgery will be to reconstruct his jaw and put him back together. All of this will take approximately 10 hours to complete. We will be in Houston for 2-3 weeks after the surgery, then back and forth for follow up appointments. We have been blessed with absolutely amazing doctors at MD Anderson, and know that they are doing everything possible to make sure that Sean will have a long life ahead of him. Once the surgery is completed and they have analyzed everything, then the Sarcoma Team will determine what additional treatment, if any, will be needed. Even without chemo or radiation, Sean's recovery will be a long road, but with all of the prayers and support of family and friends, he will get through this, stronger than before, and ready to take on the world. Friends and family have set up this account http://www.gofundme. com/WeLoveSean to help with the medical bills and the travel expenses for the Price family to travel back and forth to Houston. Please share and spread the word and help this incredible family fight! Your support is very appreciated. This article was submitted by Karen Fromel. The Homefront - September 2015

The Homefront

Looking for a Furry Friend? Meet Sonny! He’s a sweet and friendly Labrador looking for his forever home. Sonny is mild mannered, great with children and other dogs. He’s approximately 3 years old, neutered, house trained and his immunizations are current. If you’re interested in finding out more, please contact the Madins Family who are currently fostering Sonny. Their contact number is 425.922.0593. You can also kick start the adoption process by filling out an application at www. luckylabrescue.com.

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The Homefront - September 2015

The Homefront RetiRe BetteR

what the fiduciary! wITh Josh sTIvERs

Q: What is a “Fiduciary”? A: When most people visit with their financial advisor, they assume that he or she is giving advice based on your best interests. After all, this is your life’s savings we are talking about. Shouldn’t you be able to assume in meeting with a financial advisor regarding planning with your money that it is a given that this financial professional has your needs front and center? As it turns out, the unfortunate answer is that the financial services industry is more of a caveat emptor (buyer beware) environment. What’s going on here? In the financial industry there are two general types of advisors – those who are “fiduciaries” and those who are not. It is of the utmost importance for you to understand the difference between the two. By definition, a fiduciary is a person legally appointed and authorized to hold assets in trust for another person, and manage the assets for the benefit of the other person. Put simply, a fiduciary is exactly what you would expect from your financial advisor. A fiduciary is required to always place your needs first and share any conflicts of interest with you. They always place your interests before their own. However, this is the minority of advisors. The majority are not fiduciaries, and for them, hidden conflicts of interests abound. Here’s a good way to compare the two. Let’s imagine that you should have a certain amount of money in a growth mutual fund as part of your portfolio. A fiduciary would do what

you would expect. They would compare all the growth funds out there to find the very best one for your circumstances. But remember, that’s the minority The majority of advisors will put you in a growth fund that is on their company’s “preferred list”. This list is made up of the fund companies that pay extra money to the advisor and the company that advisor works for. Is it the best fund for you? Probably not. But does it pay the most to your advisor and their firm? You bet. Is this arrangement a conflict of interest? Of course it is. The advisor puts their interests in front of yours, it happens every day, and many American don’t realize it. If you apply this small example to your entire portfolio, you can just imagine how many little issues like this can blossom into a number of portfolio inefficiencies. Of course, we at Platinum Wealth Advisory are fiduciaries. We are focused on building a plan with you that is best for your financial futurenot my future and certainly not a plan that is based on a “preferred list”. If you would like to visit with us to review your retirement planning, give us a call at 512-369-3817. If you would like further information on this topic or to receive a copy of our report on retirement income planning, please send your requests to the email below. As always, we are here to answer your pressing questions and concerns regarding retirement investment planning. Send your questions and information requests to retirebetter@ platinumwealthadvisory.com.

512.369.3817

www.platinumwealthadvisory.com 2802 Flintrock Trace, ste. 221 lakeway, TX 78738

JOSH STIVERS

RETIREBETTER@plaTInumwEalThadvIsoRy.com Securities offered through GF Investment Services, LLC. Member FINRA/ SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Global Financial Private Capital, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Adviser.

The Homefront - September 2015

The Homefront NEIGHBORHOOD COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS neighborhood and its residents. Social Committee Updates and Requests See ‘Upcoming Events’ section. Steering Committee Updates and Requests Often times the management company must send time sensitive and/or urgent notices to residents via email. Please be sure to provide Southwest Management, the HOA management company, with your updated email addresses and telephone numbers to receive neighborhood notifications timely. You may contact Southwest Management at Jessica@southwestmanagement.net. Left to right: Ron Den Hoed, Angie Vallejo, Joanne Molinyawe, Maria Sigua Steering Committee Chairperson, Ronald Den Hoed The Steering Committee recommends ideas and potential projects for the community to the Manager and Board of Directors. Social Committee Chairperson, Angie Vallejo - Angie The Social Committee plans and coordinates all community-wide events on behalf of West Cypress Hills. Landscape Committee Chairperson, Joanne Molinyawe The Landscape Committee meets every other month and consists of homeowners who are interested in the upkeep of the community's landscaping. The committee meets with the neighborhood landscaper to discuss issues and potential projects that involve maintenance and upgrades to our community landscape based on the current year’s budget. Newsletter Committee Chairperson, Maria-Theresa Sigua The Newsletter Committee collects content, writes for and edits articles submitted for the monthly newsletter regarding the neighborhood and local community. Landscaping Committee Updates and Requests None for September. Newsletter Committee Updates and Requests If you are involved with a school group, host or are interested in starting a social club (in our out of the neighborhood) or are looking for neighbors to play recreational sports with on a regular basis, please let the newsletter committee know so we might make an announcement in the next coming issue. Similarly, if you would like to suggest content, share recipes or home maintenance tips, submit photos taken in or around the neighborhood, or write an article for the newsletter, we invite you to do so. You may email the newsletter chairperson at mariatsigua@gmail.com. The Newsletter Committee and Southwest Management have only recently begun working with a new newsletter editor, Peel, Inc., and are still working through what types of articles and content we are allowed to include in the newsletter, most specifically with regards to WCH resident businesses and articles regarding businesses in the Lake Travis Community. As such, we appreciate your patience, as we work towards providing West Cypress Hills with a newsletter that best suits the needs of the 8

The Homefront - September 2015

UPCOMING

EVENTS This Upcoming Events section is brought to you by the WCH Social Committee.

Neighborhood Block Party!

Saturday, September 19 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM @ Amenity Center It’s slowly starting to get a little cooler, so let’s get together! Food trucks, kid activities, and lots of new friendships to be made! Residents Eric & Nicole Guerra will be providing their delectable delights.

Community-Wide Garage Sale

Saturday, October 3 8:00 AM – 12:00 Noon The kids are back in school, so it’s time to clean out closets for all the new BTS clothes. Don’t miss our semi-annual event for the opportunity to sell some of those “treasures.” All advertising is completed for you, just put out your goods on the day of the sale. This event is sponsored by resident Kasey Dalby who is providing directional signs throughout the neighborhood to get customers to your sale! RSVP your participation through the resident-run Facebook page (Facebook.com/groups/ WCHResidents) or email the Social Committee Chairperson at amvallejo@austin.rr.com. Those who RSVP will get a dozen of delicious donuts delivered early that morning! (Continued on Page 9) Copyright © 2015 Peel, Inc.

The Homefront West Cypress Hills

Book Club The WCH Book Club meets every second Thursday of the month. The book for September is ‘Outlander’ by Diana Gabaldon. If you’re interested in joining, please contact Shelly Jackson Slane at 281.380.2223.

(Continued from Page 8)

Coming Soon

Annual Fall Fest & Chili Cook-off

Saturday, November 7 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM Amenity Center We had so much fun last year, we’re doing it again! Fun fall activities for the whole family: music, food and of course, the contest for the best chili in Texas! A silent auction will also be held to benefit a local charity. Accepting applications for business owners residing in the neighborhood to be a part of the vendor fair. Promote your business (and sell your goods!) to the community at this event. Guidelines posted through the resident-only Facebook page or you may request an electronic copy by emailing the Social Committee Chairperson at amvallejo@austin.rr.com.

Women of West Cypress Hills

Meet and Greet The Social Committee is encouraging women in WCH to open your home one morning, afternoon or evening for a very simple meet and greet that is open to all the women in the neighborhood. If you interested in hosting or attending one of these events, please email Angie Vallejo at amvallejo@ austin.rr.com.

Really Big Colorful Advertising Ideas

Thank you for making our annual Neighborhood Pool Party such a success!

We want to again acknowledge the event sponsors, resident Whitney Newton, who provided the cold drinks and entertaining pool toys, and resident Cooper Waddill. Another heartfelt thank you to the awesome residents who volunteered! We cannot have successful events without neighbors pitching in to help.

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512.263.9181 peelinc.com The Homefront - September 2015

The Homefront At no time will any source be allowed to use the The Homefront contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from the West Cypress Hills Homeowners Association and Peel Inc. The information in theThe Homefront is exclusively for the private use of West Cypress Hills residents only. DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

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A X E

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Attention Teenagers

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The Homefront - September 2015

The Homefront

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The Homefront - September 2015

The Homefront

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The Homefront - September 2015