from the editor

I could sit here and give you my thoughts on the month of March or any of the great stories in this issue of Bella (there really are some great ones). But to be honest, all I can think about right now is my newly adopted puppy Finn.

I am so in love!

It’s been about 19 years since I’ve had a puppy and I forgot a lot – how often they go to the bathroom, how often they need to eat, how hard they play, how hard they sleep and how they like to chew anything and everything.

But mainly I forgot how much your heart grows. I not only am head over in heels in love with this puppy, I also love everything and everybody around me even more. I’m not sure, however, that my close friends and family are loving the daily barrage of puppy photos.

Back to Bella, though.

How gorgeous is this cover?! I think it is stunning and it is the result of the work of several women – the model Brandi Wallace, fashion stylist Allison McCrory, clothes by Ciao Bella Boutique, photographer Kate Treick, art director Betsy Meyer and artist Cindy Mathis, who created the mural on the outside of Fiore.

Amazing things happen when women come together.

I saw that in action when I attended the Pensacola Chamber’s AlltogetHER women’s conference led by Carol Carlan in the beginning of February. It was an impactful day of women coming together to hear from community leaders while connecting, collaborating and cultivating relationships. I walked away with several helpful ideas –not just for business, but for life. And when I met another woman in publishing, instead of looking at me as a competitor, she hugged me. That’s what it’s all about! We can be competitive and tear each other down, or we can build each other up.

Let’s always choose to build each other up.

— Kelly MacLeod

Bella Staff

PUBLISHER / Kelly MacLeod

EDITOR / Kelly MacLeod

ART DIRECTOR / Elizabeth Meyer

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Liz Biggs, Sloan Stephens Cox, Bradley "Beej" Davis Jr, Kelly MacLeod, Allison McCrory, Leslie Peck, Leah Seacrest, Magi Thomley Williams

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Lakesha Davis, Kate Treick