Minute Magazine july aug 2013

JULY / AUGUST 2013 Volume 8, Issue 15

FREE

Whether a Vacation or a Staycation , it’s

Time to Get Away

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TFG 1587 HomerH_FULL Page

12/9/09

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DiscoverNature.

W E B S T E R PA R I S H

our good

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s a PROFESSIONAL FISHING GUIDE, I love the beautiful bayous, lakes and other natural wonders of my hometown. I’m also proud of the good natured folks you’ll find when you come to visit our unique museums, art displays, festivals, musical events and other attractions in my hometown of Webster Parish Louisiana.

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If you’re looking for a congenial getaway with lots to see and do, come visit us in Webster Parish, Louisiana — where even the fish are friendly.

Homer Humphreys WEBSTER PARISH MINDEN, LOUISIANA

www.visitwebster.com www.visitwebster.net

Choices.

With Ruston Medical Group, finding the right doctor for you and your family has never been easier. Affiliated with Northern Louisiana Medical Center, these physicians have offices conveniently located throughout the area and offer services ranging from family care and general surgery to orthopaedics, pediatrics and more. To make an appointment, call 318-254-2624.

Stacy Conville, M.D. Family Medicine

Janice Ford, M.D.

Arifa Nishat, M.D.

Daniel Thompson, M.D.

Nwosu Ngofa, M.D.

Anas Kayal, M.D.

Joseph Rutz, Jr., M.D.

Landon Smith, M.D.

Family Medicine

Internal Medicine • Pediatrics

Interventional Nephrology

Major E. Blair, M.D. Orthopaedics

General Surgery

Family Medicine

OB/GYN

Dayanny Langiulli, D.O. Pediatrics

OB/GYN

Edward Rutland, M.D. Urology

Visit NorthernLouisianaMedicalCenter.com/Physicians to learn more about our physicians.

Members of the Medical Staff at Northern Louisiana Medical Center.

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editor from the

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You’ve known her for so long. Now, suddenly, something has changed.

If you or a loved one is experiencing changes in the ability to cope with daily living, Senior Care at Minden Medical Center is here to help.

For Quality

Senior Care is available to persons age 55 and over with to caring for your health. Make it a smart one, a mental or cognitive decline that hinders daily life, who was named one of the nation’s top performers has become a threat to self or others, or is limited in selfmeasures two years in a row. care ability. Our mental health professionals are available

through our 24 hour referral line to discuss treatment The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor needs and are devoted to helping patients get back to e nation, for our achievements in quality… but their optimal level of functioning. e chosen by you. Minden Medical Center st to patients and their families – safe and Our services include: to providing the highest quality care possible, • Free initial consultation Management of secondary ing edge technology that you expect at • larger • Thorough assessment

medical needs onveniently close to home.

• Customized treatment • Continued care planning plans and referral assistance • choose Group, individual, and need, Minden Medical Center. family counseling denmedicalcenter.com

For more information or to schedule a free, confidential assessment, call us at 318-371-5646.

inding time for yourself these days is almost as hard as finding a needle in a haystack.

In such a fast paced world it is so easy to get caught up in the day to day, get it done mentality. This issue of The Minute Magazine focuses on finding time to "Get Away". Sure, we'd all like to take a luxury vacation to Hawaii like they did in last season's Duck Dynasty, but sometimes that just isn't an option. Sometimes it is just as important to find your own "get away" right here and right now. That might mean going to the library and checking out a new book (and forcing yourself to make time to read it) or planning a spa day (at a real spa or just locking yourself in the bathroom for a long relaxing bubble bath).

Perhaps a well deserved girl's night on the town is in order?

Whatever your "get away" is, it's up to you to see it through. We all have the best of intentions.

"Just let me finish this one little thing," or "I'll be there in a minute." Flash forward a few years and your kids are grown, your friends have new friends and you still don't have time to spare. It is so important to be a part of now. We all need to be present every day and not let time slip through our hands. Maybe I'm just preaching to myself on this... or maybe not. Somehow I get the feeling that it's human nature to get stuck in the rut of daily life.

Summer is fleeting. It is flying quickly away.

Whether we make it to another country, another state, another city, or just to our backyard, let's get away. It's time to go out and make some memories.

Tiffany Byram

Hope is only a phone call away.

www.MindenMedicalCenter.com #1 Medical Plaza | Minden, LA

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inside this

issue FIND US ONLINE!

For a list of locations near you, or to catch up on past issues, visit www.theminutemag.com or like us on Facebook!

TIFFANY BYRAM Owner/Publisher/Editor Graphics/Layout

VICKI CASKEY

For article suggestions and queries email Tiffany Byram at theminutemagazine@gmail.com

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CHALAINE SCOTT Feature Story Writer

The Minute Magazine is distributed throughout Caddo, Bossier, Claiborne, SPRING MEDIA Bienville, Ouachita, Webster, & Sarah Jeffords/Ryan Lord Lincoln Parishes in Louisiana.

Feature Story & Cover Photography They are FREE for you to enjoy.

Take a few to your friends, relatives or anyone else that you HEATHER GANTT think might need a refreshing, LAURA HORTON enlightening “minute.”

KADEE MALONE

Feature Story & Cover Models

THE FASHION OF RUSTON Kelly Hogan/Abbey Bamburg Feature Story & Cover Stylists

JENNY REYNOLDS

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Life Lessons from Gardening by Wesley Harris

Seasoned Moments by Barbara Ellis Durbin A Season of Becoming by Shelley Duran Healthy Woman by Jessica Haynes The Journey by Jason McReynolds Time to Get Away by Chalaine Scott Simply Cooking by Melissa Teoulet Living Life to the Fullest by Jonathon Murphy On the Spectrum by Lela Robichaux Louisiana Girl Revelations by April Timmons Antique Junkie by Donna Arender Never Waste a Minute by Ashley Nygaard From Simplicity to Stilettos by Chalaine Scott Copyright 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be copied or reproduced without permission. The Minute Magazine cannot be responsible for unsolicited materials. The editorial content of The Minute is prepared in accordance with the highest standards of journalistic accuracy. Readers are cautioned, however, not to use any information from the magazine as a substitute for expert opinion, technical information or advice. The Minute cannot be responsible for negligent acts, errors and omissions. The opinions expressed in The Minute are those of our writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher has the right to accept or reject any advertising and / or editorial submitted.

Founder

CONTACT INFORMATION: Office Phone: 504.390.2585 Ad Sales: 318.548.2693 P.O. Box 961, Belle Chasse, LA 70037

JULY / AUGUST 2013 Volume 8, Issue 15

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contributors Donna Arender Tiffany Byram Shelley Duran Barbara Ellis Durbin Wesley Harris

Jessica Haynes Jason McReynolds Jonathon Murphy Ashley M. Nygaard Lela Robichaux

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Chalaine Scott Melissa Teoulet April Warford Timmons

Summer is a great time to grab your friends and take a good old fashioned road trip.

Our beautiful cover models Heather Gantt, Laura Horton, and Kadee Malone are all packed and ready to go!

Whether a Vacation or a Staycation , it’s

Time to Get Away

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Life Lessons From Gardening G

randdaddy and Grandma lived in what I thought was a magical place. The lack of running water, indoor plumbing, and electricity did not faze me at all. The magic started on the front porch where my grandparents spent most of their time. You could sit on the porch and observe the flurry of activity in the yard. Bees and wasps and dragonflies and all sorts of insects I could not name buzzed and hummed around the huge assortment of flowers planted every which way. Red chickens and white chickens and yellow chickens and speckled chickens ran loose. At my age, the yard was a little scary because it was so strange and different. Tall flowers and shrubs and flitting bugs,

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Written by Wesley Harris birds, and chickens produced a confusion of color and movement. Although leaving the porch to explore was the real adventure, I did so tentatively, a little afraid an insect would sting me amidst the wild jungle of buzzing bugs and other strange noisemakers.

My preferred exploit was through the pasture and over a hill to the garden with my dad. "Wanna go bust a melon?" Dad would say and off to the garden we would go. It was just over a hill from the house, through a little cow pasture. Once you topped the hill, the garden went down to the trees that hid the creek.

The garden was absolutely essential to my grandparents. It provided feed for the animals.

Grandma filled rows of closet shelves with canned beans, cucumbers, peppers, and corn. There was no store to run to for food and no money had there been a store.

Granddaddy’s garden was fun. It was almost too big to call a garden. Rows of corn stretched tall toward the sky. Daddy said some of it was sweet corn for eating and some was called field corn. The field corn was for Nell the horse and the cows and the chickens.

The watermelons covered much of the garden because of their long trailing vines. Dad and I tried growing watermelons in a little garden at home but they never turned out as good as Granddaddy’s.

Dad said the soil was different and our garden was too shady. Eating a watermelon was easy but messy at Granddaddy's. You ate it in the garden!

Dad would thump melon after melon with his finger until he found the right one. He could tell by the sound of the thump which one would be best.

I thumped them too but I could not tell one from another. Sometimes I would find jagged holes in the watermelons, right down to the middle, with red juice oozing out. Dad said crows had been eating them. After Dad had found the best watermelon, he snapped it off the vine, lifted it off the ground, and dropped it to break it open. No knives or spoons, just use your hands to scoop out the juicy red stuff.

The part right in the middle called the heart was the best. If we ate all the middle part and wanted some more, we broke open another one because there were enough watermelons and the heart is the best. When we finished, we left the remainder on the ground, hoping the lazy crows would eat the leftovers and not ruin another one.

Nell was Granddaddy’s the old plow horse. At least she looked old to me. For years I thought her name was Nail. What a strange name for a horse, I thought, having never known anyone named Nell.

Dad plowed sometimes while I watched. It looked like hard work. For Dad, I mean. Nell seemed completely disinterested but she knew exactly when to turn and start down the next row. Dad sometimes bent over and picked up a rock, looked at it a moment, and tossed it out of the garden. He said he found many arrowheads in the field as he plowed as a boy. Sometimes I would follow behind him, futilely searching for arrowheads in the freshly turned earth.

When we moved out in the country ourselves, we started our own garden. It was mostly Dad’s project. He labored hard in an outdoor job most of his working days but he found rest in the garden.

As I got older, I was drawn to the garden, planting my own preferences in vegetables. In between

bouts of city living, I have kept my own garden. The experiences in the gardens of my granddaddy and father as well as my own have taught me some life lessons: Life is fragile. A couple of scorching Louisiana summer days will wilt the heartiest of plants. When the coolness of the night brings a little moisture to recharge the plant’s circulatory system, it can recover, at least temporarily. We must all recharge our batteries, whether spiritually, emotionally, or physically. If we do not, our wilted spirits, emotions, and physical abilities will eventually be overcome.

New situations are hard but survivable.

Transplanting is extremely stressful to plants. But with timely nourishment and water and protection from the elements, plants can recover and establish themselves in the new environment.

Some want something for nothing. Insects, weeds, raccoons, and other pests love to take advantage of our hard work in the garden. The Chinese call 2013 the Year of the Snake. I call it the Year of the Bug although the title fits 2012 just as well. Two consecutive mild winters have boosted the insect population. While I don’t have anything against bugs as a general rule, I despise their attempts to sneak into my house after devouring my garden.

Raccoons are even worse for their sheer gluttony.

Last year I planted over 100 feet of sweet corn only to salvage six ears from a contingent of greedy raccoons. This year I plowed up a patch of garden and because of delays due to work commitments and the weather, I was not able to get seeds into the ground immediately. The weeds seemed to sprout up overnight in the freshly turned soil almost as if I had planted and fertilized them. In life, people will take advantage of us. We must decide how we will handle those situations.

Giving has its rewards. To harvest life sustaining food with our own hands is satisfying but providing it to others brings a greater compensation for our heartfelt labors.

Even failure has its rewards. It is not always about the end product but the journey. Even the most fruitless garden affords a place of solitude, time for meditation, and steady exercise. Digging in the dirt is enough. ________________________________________ Wesley Harris is a native of Ruston. Among his books are GREETINGS FROM RUSTON: A Post Card History of Ruston, Louisiana and Neither Fear Nor Favor: Deputy United States Marshal John Tom Sisemore, available from amazon.com. He can be contacted at campruston@gmail.com. Check out his Louisiana history blog at http://diggingthepast. blogspot.com.

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½ t. salt 1 t. baking powder ½ t. paprika ½ t. dry mustard 1/8 t. cayenne pepper 1 egg, beaten ½ c. milk 1 pkg. wieners Vegetable oil for frying 8-10 popsicle sticks

----------------------------Caribbean Corndogs -----------------------------

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hildren munching on corndogs, fresh from the deep fryer, dart through a back door. Once outside they relish a few extended moments of freedom.

Under the cool of white oaks a hammock beckons, and homework assignments are briefly forgotten in the compelling sway and creak of knotted ropes.

Seething temperatures and hot sultry winds thrust past the dog days of summer; and give motion to faces in the clouds.

Those cumulus billows offer a heavenly umbrella for children swinging in the late afternoon sun.

A game of charades quickly causes those batter covered frankfurters to convert to the swords of fighting Caribbean pirates.

The hammock becomes the entwined rigging of a sixteenth century galleon; and it sets the stage for an infamous battle taking place among the ropes and sails of vivid imaginations.

The gentle coo of a hidden mourning dove and the faint hum of diesel engines on distant highways, supply background music for this epic adventure. Overripe vegetables peek from

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within gardens grown into shambled disarray. They, other than guardian angels; are the only audience to so magnificent an encounter.

Much too soon nature’s timing, its sounds and facets; provide a glorious backdrop to this scene and the nostalgic passage of a season. It is called summer’s end; the name itself provides the symbolic closure to a nonchalant carefree existence.

The Caretaker of the Seasons will soon eradicate this time frame. With a mighty move of His hand, the autumn equinox will force breezy cool winds and curled brown leaves to burst upon the scene. Summer will be thrown into long ago closets; and only the gentle sway of a hammock with its cradle of fallen leaves, will serve to remind us of its reality.

we want it or not, eternity has been placed in our hearts by God; and willing or not, our choices propel us toward our unending destiny.

-----------------------------------Caribbean Corn Dogs ¾ c. all purpose flour 1/3 c. corn meal

Oh! How the stream of time drives us forward. Whether

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Owners: Paula McCann Amanda Banks

Faint memories tug tenderly at the weathered ropes of time; as they gently uncover buried recollections from its sands. By gone eras raise their heads momentarily in coffered minds; and are quickly swept away by the winds of change.

Today is here and the new season’s panoramic view places yesterday into apparent oblivion.

In a medium bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Stir in egg and milk to form batter. In a large deep pot, pour oil to a depth 2 inches. Wipe wieners dry with paper towels and slide wieners onto the popsicle sticks.

Leave enough of the stick showing to be used as a handle. Dip wieners, one at a time, into batter. Place in hot oil and allow to brown on all sides, turning when necessary. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel.

Pageant & Cocktail Dresses Prom & Homecoming Dresses Mardi Gras Ball Gowns Debutante Ball Gowns 706 Main Street Minden, LA 318-299-3838 Miss Minden 2013 Elizabeth Wise

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a season of

becoming in new orleans

written by Shelley Duran

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The Single Life -----------------------------------

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have some serious and not so serious thoughts on what it’s like to be single in a city like New Orleans, and I’d like to share them with you. Let me first say, my thoughts may not match the majority of this city. In fact, I can almost guarantee this.

Don’t say you were never warned.

I quite like the life I’ve developed for myself.

I feel like stating that is important in a topic like this. Let’s be clear, this is not a ‘woa is me’ kind of thing. It’s more or less my collection of thoughts on a topic, thoughts that I’ve been convinced to broadcast to a bunch of strangers. Yes, we will

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all be friends after this, War Z too late at night). don’t you worry.

I’ve been blessed to I’ve been in the city watch several friends for almost three years enter into new seasons now, and I’ve managed of life: becoming wives, to carve out a niche then mothers, starting and and settle in. If asked relationships, whether I am currently dropping potentials that happy in my life, the don’t meet the mark. The answer is a resounding handful of us that seem ‘Yes’. There comes a to exist in an endless time in everyone’s life, cycle of the latter now when bigger questions cling together and have start to arise, and it’s become a unit. We virgin territory to think make sure we’re holding of answering these each other accountable while teaching each questions on my own. other about power and outdoor I’ve never been the girl tools who daydreamed about grilling techniques. The her wedding or picked out concept of discussing possible white baby names. When my our single roommate told me picket fences are out she knew the exact date the window, and we find ourselves on which she wanted to now research tie the knot, I looked at exchanging her as if she had three on retirement funds, heads. It took my friend solo house buying, having two kids for me and anecdotal remarks to contemplate what I’d about when we’d fill out name an offspring if the those adoption papers. stork even dropped one This is my current world, off for me. I always cut to people. the chase in my dreams and put a man by my New Orleans is an side and a baby on my amazing city. It’s the hip. Since my hip is only one I’ve lived in currently baby free and where I am friends with my side void of a man, people triple my age my dreams have since and a decade younger become zombie related than me all at once.

(I blame reading World Everyone tells you hello.

My landlord brews beer for me as long as I supply her with empty bottles. You meet your neighbors and they buy your dog treats. Life is good here. New Orleans is also a city where you may in fact go on several dates with a grown man in jorts (jean shorts), get used for your expense account, and be suckered into letting out the dog of a man you don’t even LIKE (never mind how you got the key).

I’m excited to let you in on what it’s like to fend for yourself in a city like this. From the necessary evil of blind dates to killing swarms of termites on your own, this column is about growing into your own.

This is a column about a season of becoming in New Orleans.

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Shelley is a twenty something gal making moves in New Orleans, Louisiana.

When she's not working as a Project Manager at HERO|farm ad agency, she can often be found running through her neighborhood park in order to enjoy New Orleans' cuisine on a regular basis.

Her beloved dog, Olive, can often be found by her side.

Follow her rants and quips on Twitter @ shellbellduran.

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Riding out a heat wave Disrespecting the powerful summer sun could get dangerously hot. However, with the right safeguards, you can keep heat-related problems from ruining your summer fun.

Sweating it

Hot weather brings trouble when your body can no longer cool itself with perspiration. Usually, the culprit is simply not knowing when to quit an activity. Overexertion drains the body of fluids and electrolytes—minerals that help keep our cells working properly. The result can be: • Heat cramps in the abdomen, back or legs that disappear after cooling down. To prevent, drink plenty of fluids.

• Heat exhaustion, a condition marked by rapid heartbeat; faintness; nausea; and clammy, ashen skin. To treat, get to a shady or air-conditioned place, lie down, elevate feet, loosen clothing and sip cold water or juice.

• Heat stroke, a medical emergency. Symptoms include soaring body temperature; hot, red skin; shallow breathing; delirium; and fainting. Certain medicines, some tranquilizers and conditions like obesity or poor circulation can make you overheat more easily. Ask your doctor for special heat-safety advice.

To keep cool, take these safety measures: • Know your weather forecast if you have outdoor plans.

• Drink plenty of water, sports drinks or fruit juices –two to four cups an hour. Avoid caffeine and alcohol, which rid the body of fluids.

• Stay in an air-conditioned place, and don’t cook, do laundry or take hot baths or showers. Dress in light, loose clothes and avoid heavy, spicy meals.

If you see signs of heat stroke … Call 911 and get the person into an air-conditioned room and a cool tub or shower, or cover him or her with water-soaked towels.

Are you a Healthy Woman?

If you’re like most women, incredible demands are placed on you every day. With all of your obligations, you might have forgotten someone special: YOU! The Healthy Woman program is a series of health education events designed to help you maintain a healthy mind, body and spirit. The program empowers you with the knowledge and confidence to make informed health care decisions for you and your family.

Membership is free, and the benefits last a lifetime: • Invitations to upcoming events and classes • Information about health, relationships and life issues • A subscription to our monthly e-newsletter

Life can be balanced, healthy and fun!

Join the Healthy Woman program today by visiting NorthernLouisianaMedicalCenter.com/HealthyWoman or call 318-254-2492.

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Corkie Saved My Life -----------------------------------

W

hen I was 5 my family and I lived in a log cabin in the country outside of a small town in Georgia.

Let me give you the details so you don’t look at me as a member of the Beverly Hillbillies (although the Duck Dynasty family is definitely in fashion right now!). My father liked to work with his hands so he thought it would be cool to build his own 2,000 sq ft log cabin. After two years of construction (by himself mainly), I’m not sure how cool it really was but it was a fun house! We lived just outside of LaGrange, GA, which is pretty much a suburb of Atlanta today. I lived next to a pasture and on the edge of the woods with a great creek running through it that my friends and I loved to explore.

This was when people were purer, common sense was, well, common, and society didn’t accept bad behavior. I know I sound

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old but it was only 30 years ago. Because of this, at the age of 5 my mother would let me go outside by myself. I always stayed in our 2 acre yard and she’d check on me every once in a while. I also had an innate sense of when lunch and dinner were, which was when I was required to come inside. This is all after school or during the summer of course.

Do you remember the show Lassie? No? Well, it was an old black and white show about a boy and his border collie named Lassie. In every episode the boy would inevitably get himself or find someone in trouble and the hinge point would be on whether Lassie could go get help in time. I had my own Lassie named Corkie. He was a Corgi mutt. I’m not sure what was in that dog but he was the smartest dog I’ve ever known and I’ve been around dogs all my life.

One day I was outside playing with Corkie.

It was chilly that day and I wasn’t wearing anything but a thin long sleeve shirt.

My mother was washing dishes and watching me through the window over

our sink when all of a sudden I wasn’t there.

That wasn’t any big deal simply because our yard was so big but she went out to check on me anyway. I wasn’t there. Neither was Corkie. Now, to be honest with you I don’t remember anything I’ve just told you.

It has all been recited back to me by my parents. What I do remember is finding the coolest vine to swing on over the creek about a mile away from the house.

How I got there I haven’t the foggiest idea. Maybe I was following Corkie but somehow I think he was following me. Watching out for me. Apparently an hour had gone by and I had managed to put my mother into full-fledged hyperventilation mode.

Not sure why. All I was doing was swinging over a semi-deep 50 degree pool of water on a rickety old vine in the middle of the woods. Anyway, she called my dad. My dad called the police. No one could find me... and it was starting to get dark. Apparently my incredible sense of knowing when dinner was served succumbed to the amazing fun I was having as the vine slowly threaded thinner.

Then my father noticed Corkie wasn’t around.

So he started calling out to him. Then dad heard him bark.

I remember Corkie leaving and then coming back, leaving and coming back. Dad would call him and Corkie would run halfway between my father and I, bark and then run back. Corkie would’ve kicked Lassie’s tail in the 911 department. Anyway, by the time my father found me the vine was about to snap. He rounded Corkie and I up and met my mother and the policeman back in the driveway. The policeman gave me not one but two sticks of gum.

I remember that being awesome! I didn’t get in trouble, my parents just told me to tell them when I was going somewhere (with the understanding that they could always say no).

It’s too bad that you can’t do this anymore. Explore or be safely unattended, I mean. Maybe it’s just because I live in the city now but there are too many bad things in the world to allow your children to be alone now. But one thing has not changed.

God is still watching over us. Even if He uses the smartest animal that ever lived to save me from one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done.

Jason McReynolds is the pastor of New Orleans Community Church. He and his wife, Liev, have three children. To learn more about him, or NOCC, visit: www.neworleans community church.com

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probably don’t want to turn on your oven. Yea well… you can kiss that ----------------------------------- idea goodbye. I hold in my hands the best chocolate Chocolate Chip chip cookie recipe you will ever find. Think of your Cookies current favorite. Are you ----------------------------------- thinking of it? Ok good.

Now imagine if that cookie could be a bazillion times better. Chewier, crispier, more melt in your mouth chocolatey goodness. You ts summer and you get the idea? know what that means don’t you? While up I’ve decided to pass north, summer might be along this sacred and pleasant and an enjoyable secret recipe shared season; here in the south down from generations of and especially Louisiana, grandmothers in my family. summer is a cruel joke This cookie goes all the indeed. If it wasn’t for that way back to before the marvelous invention of air- Middle Ages, to a merciless conditioning, we’d have all and horrible time in human melted a long long time history when there was ago. And to top it off, it no air-conditioning. Kings seems to me that it might and Queens have dined even be getting hotter on this cookie. Wars were than when I was little. fought for the recipe.

So anyway… summer… Whole countries were the season where you G I B S L A N D B A N K & T R U S T

I

conquered just for a single crumb. Well maybe not, but it’s still a damn good chocolate chip cookie. And since I’ve disclosed that bit of information, I might as well tell it all. It isn’t a family recipe either. I found this recipe online several years ago and tweaked it.

But enough talking about it, it’s time to actually make it. You’ll want to break out the big daddy stand mixer for these because cookie dough can get a little thick but

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• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour • 1/2 tsp. baking soda • 1/2 tsp. salt • 1 stick butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch squares • 3/4 c. tightly packed light brown sugar (Does anyone loosely pack brown sugar?)

BT

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All annual Percentage Yields (APY) are accurate as of 1/2/13. Minimum to open a GBT Hometown Rewards Checking account is $100. GBT Hometown Rewards Checking rate tiers are as follows: 4.11% applies to balances of $.01 to $15,000 and 0.51% applies to the portion of balances over $15,000 as long as qualifications are met each qualification cycle. 0.15% applies to all checking balances if qualifications are not met. All checking balances will earn 4.11% APY to 0.51% APY as long as qualifications are met. The advertised GBT Hometown Rewards Checking APY is based on compounding interest. If the interest earned is automatically transferred to a GBT Hometown REALSaver account each statement cycle it does not compound. The actual interest amount paid may be less than the advertised APY. Minimum to open a GBT Hometown REALSavers account is $1.00. GBT Hometown REALSavers rate tiers are as follows: 1.51% APY applies to balances of $.01 to $25,000 and 0.51% APY applies to portion of balances over $25,000 as long as qualifications are met each qualification cycle on GBT Hometown Rewards Checking Account. 0.15% APY applies to all savings balances if qualifications are not met on GBT Hometown Rewards Checking. All savings balances will earn 1.51% APY to 0.51% APY as long as qualifications are met.

Qualifying transactions must post and clear GBT Hometown Reward Checking during monthly qualification cycle. Intra-bank transfers do not count as qualifying transactions. Rates may change after accounts are opened. Fees may reduce earnings. No minimum balance required. No monthly service fee. Patent Pending BancVue.

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SPECIAL THANKS TO: SPRING MEDIA Sarah Jeffords/Ryan Lord

Feature Story & Cover Photography

HEATHER GANTT , LAURA HO RTON & KADEE MALONE Feature Story & Cover Models

THE FASHION OF RUSTON Kelly Hogan/Abbey Bamburg Feature Story & Cover Stylists

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Written by Chalaine Scott

and Capture Happiness.

A

rm and arm, girls with suntan lines on skin, flipflops on feet, big smiles on faces, and wind blowing through hair pose for a photo. Waves crash below along the rocks they stand on, and behind, a beautiful white lighthouse sits atop a hill surrounded by baby blue skies and fluffed white clouds, a beautiful backdrop for their captured moment.

getting sunburnt and capturing happiness, not just in the lens of a camera, but in our hearts.

Happiness comes in many forms; vacation is a whole lot of it wrapped up in one big box. Its like a gift-wrapped package just waiting to be opened; with suspense you count down the days until it may be, wondering exactly what you will encounter when you get inside, with excitement you untie its ribbons, unwrap its paper, and gratefully relish in the satisfying contents of all its offerings. Offerings just waiting to be shared and drank and swam and eaten and played with--offerings of happiness.

A picture frame sits on my dresser, this photo on display inside of it. A reminder of a reunion with some great girlfriends lounged in patio furniture on a deck, a blanket of stars gazing down on us, the smell of the ocean a cool Maine breeze carries with it, a glass of wine in hand, conversations had wild with laughter In my life, some of my happiest moments are the times and interrupted with pictures.

I’ve been on vacation. Roasting marshmallows around This picture brings it all back to me, but it didn’t matter a campfire with my best friends, riding horseback in the vast ocean surrounding us, the pretty light house the Great Smoky mountains, crowding in a pitched behind us, the sun beaming above us, the breeze tent with my cousins to camp, dangling feet over a cooling our skin--sure all of these things played into dock, shampooing hair in a lake, watching the sunset the makings of a great moment, but what mattered over the Gulf of Mexico from the front porch deck of most were the great friends that made up that moment, a condo, waking up to the smell of bacon cooking the great company beside me, wrapped in arms, hips from the kitchen of a cabin packed with aunts, uncles and cousins, climbing rocks with my dog upstream, side by side, a perfectly captured moment together. or dancing down the Las Vegas strip with my cousin.

Captured happiness.

Not all of my happy moments have been intertwined Happiness that trip was a few cameras full of pictures, with extravagant vacations though, some of my one overplayed CD, an open sunroof, a tank of gas, most happy moments have also been in my simplest a tube of aloe Vera, a pack of cards, a bottle of wine, moments; my dog snoring as he sleeps at my feet after and 5 reunited girls spending a weekend together a long day of swimming in the ocean, the perfectly

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placed table settings laid out by my Nana as my PopPop prepares his famous spaghetti sauce, laying in the bed of a pickup underneath the stars at a drivein movie in the countryside, swinging in a hammock on the porch with a girlfriend, blaring oldies with my parents on a road trip, floating on a raft in the pool, or sharing pancakes at a local diner with my Pep. Obviously in our lives, the best memories are the times we’ve been most happy, but I think sometimes we miss the happiest ones trying to plan them rather than live them.

Not everyone can afford luxurious vacations that deplete our bank accounts and drain our savings, but luxuries don’t always have to come from 500 thread count sheets in a sky rise hotel, they don’t have to come from expensive flights booked to tropical islands or extravagant vacation homes on white sand beaches.

Getaways and vacations don’t always have to come by leaving your house.

Sometimes it's just plopping down in the recliner and reading that book that’s been collecting dust on the shelf, or the corner table at Starbucks as you catch up over coffee with an old friend, or your radio blasting as you sing along to your favorite song, or laying in the grass with your dog listening to the birds chirp, or sitting on the back porch in a quiet night and watching as the fireflies dance in the darkness. Sometimes, luxuries are 3 of your best friends wrapped arm and arm standing on a rock in Maine. Sometimes it’s a pair of dirty socks plopped up on your coffee table attached to the legs of your little brother whose visiting you for the week, your mom tearing up as she says grace in gratitude of her family all together for a meal, or just sleeping past 9AM on a weekend.

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Luxuries are sometimes the things we take for granted and don’t realize we love until they’re gone.

They don’t always require boarding planes or booking hotel rooms. They don’t always require opening up your wallet, they just require opening up your heart.

We all need to break away from the bills and the projects and the pile of laundry, breakaway from the jeans that don’t fit, the desk full of paperwork, and the dusty furniture that needs polishing.

We need to break away from all the things that beg for our attention and consume our life, but mostly we need to break away and capture happiness.

So, if you can, book a flight. Plan an expensive meal and fine dining, plan a getaway you’ve always dreamed of and filled up that jug of coins for.

And if you can’t, book a dirt road.

Fill up your tank, roll the windows down, turn up the music, and take a drive. Admire what’s free, admire a bird, admire a flower, admire the way sunlight sways across flowing fields, admire the clouds passing by, admire the sights and the smells and the way a breeze feels against your face. Admire your life.

And capture it, capture it all--from the vast skies to the rolling hills to the open highway to the passenger beside you to the sun above you to the way your speakers boom when the bass goes high.

Book it, and capture happiness. __________________________________________

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Refrigerate overnight.

the

dough

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. I prefer a cookie scoop but you can always use a large spoon to transfer the dough onto the baking sheets. Keep the cookies well away from each other. They will spread quite a bit.

-----------------------------------

Chocolate Chip Cookies -----------------------------------

I

ts summer and you know what that means, don’t you? While up north, summer might be pleasant and an enjoyable season; here in the south and especially Louisiana, summer is a cruel joke indeed. If it wasn’t for that marvelous invention of airconditioning, we’d have all melted a long, long time ago. And to top it off, it seems to me that it might even be getting hotter than when I was little.

So anyway… summer… the season where you probably don’t want to turn on your oven. Yea well… you can kiss that idea goodbye. I hold in my hands the best chocolate chip cookie recipe you will ever find. Think of your current favorite. Are you thinking of it? Ok good.

Now imagine if that cookie could be a bazillion times better. Chewier, crispier,

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more melt in your mouth into 1/2-inch squares chocolatey goodness. You • 3/4 c. tightly packed get the idea? light brown sugar (Does anyone loosely pack I’ve decided to pass brown sugar?) along this sacred and • 1/2 c. sugar secret recipe shared • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract down from generations of (Don’t skimp. Do yourself grandmothers in my family. a favor and use the good This cookie goes all the stuff.) way back to before the • 1 large egg, at room Middle Ages, to a merciless temperature, lightly beaten and horrible time in human • 1 c. or half a 12-oz bag history when there was semisweet chocolate chips no air-conditioning. Kings and Queens have dined Sift together the flour, on this cookie. Wars were baking soda, and salt into fought for the recipe. a medium bowl and set Whole countries were aside. conquered just for a single crumb. Well maybe not, Use a mixer with the but it’s still a dang good paddle attachment (if you chocolate chip cookie. And have one) to cream the since I’ve disclosed that butter and sugars on low bit of information, I might speed until the batter is as well tell it all. It isn’t a smooth and lump free. family recipe either. I found this recipe online several After scraping the sides of years ago and tweaked it. the bowl, add the vanilla But enough talking about and egg. Beat on low it, it’s time to actually make speed until everything is it. You’ll want to break out fully incorporated. Scrape the big daddy stand mixer the sides of the bowl again for these because cookie and on low speed, add the dough can get a little thick. flour mixture. Beat until everything has just come ----------------------------------- together. It is important to not overbeat in any of Chocolate Chip Cookies these steps.

(The Nirvana Edition) Scrape down the sides • 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour again and mix in the • 1/2 tsp. baking soda chocolate chips.

• 1/2 tsp. salt • 1 stick butter, cold and cut

Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown around the edges but still soft, almost underdone-looking, in the center. Rotate the baking sheets and switch racks about halfway through so the cookies bake evenly. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment or silicone mats directly onto a work surface. When cookies are just set, transfer them to a cooling rack to finish cooling down.

Whatever you do, don’t eat them straight out of the oven unless you want to suffer burns to the mouth.

Wait a couple minutes before enjoying. They may or may not last a few days at room temperature, but I wouldn’t really know. We always eat the entire batch that same day.

-----------------------------------

Melissa is a thirtysomething living in Baton Rouge, LA. She studied culinary arts at the Chef John Folse Culinary School at Nicholls State University. We love this petite fireball for her sassy and spunky spirit.

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Closed August 19 - 23 and 26 - 30.

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never thought that I would be the victim of an incurable disease.

My name is Jonathon Murphy and I have Type 1 Diabetes. This disease is also commonly known as juvenile diabetes. Children that are diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes are usually between the ages of 1 and 13. Type 1 Diabetes is normally discovered in a person after an infection of some kind causes the body’s own immune system to attack the pancreas, which produces your body’s insulin supply, and destroys its own insulin producing Beta cells inside the pancreas. Before my diagnosis I had no known family history of diabetes and I definitely had no understanding of Type 1 Diabetes.

the time, I also remember having to go to the bathroom a lot more, every three hours or so. I quickly dismissed this to my increased intake of liquid. The strange thing was that even though I was lifting weights almost daily, I was eating a lot of food, I slowly began to lose body weight.

W Jo rit na ten th b on y M ur

I

ph

Living Life to the Fullest

y

One man's journey through overcoming the obstacles of Type 1 Diabetes.

Over the next four months I began to suffer through constant thirst, increased appetite while consistently losing about 4-5lbs each month, and more frequent bathroom visits. I also noticed that I had very little energy or stamina, my vision seemed to be getting worse, and I had terrible leg cramps every night. My girlfriend and In January of 2006, I was a third year student at Louisiana other close friends and family began to ask if I was feeling Tech University. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do ok… and this made me upset… I knew something was with my life, so I was taking a karate class elective to wrong with my body but I didn’t want to know what it was. help keep my GPA within an acceptable range. My goal was to become more physically fit and learn martial arts May of 2006 was a very exciting month. School was to be compatible with my current major, Kinesiology and almost out, and I decided to propose to Keri, my girlfriend Health. I came down with a sinus type infection at the end of three years. She had been very concerned about me of January that took me about three weeks to recover over the last several months. One night I was at her from. However, I kept working out, studying and being apartment and she got on the laptop to pull up WebMD. very involved with student life as usual. By the end of She entered my symptoms into the website and for the February I began to notice that my mouth was dry a lot, first time I realized that I could possibly be suffering from so I carried a water bottle that I constantly drank from. At diabetes. I was scared and did not research anymore,

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but I assumed that I could go to the doctor that summer and get over whatever diabetes was. I had made plans to work at a summer camp in Texas, starting in July. I decided to go to the doctor while I was at my parent’s house in June for my birthday on the 20th.

I remember June 22, 2006 like it was yesterday. My dad took me to see his doctor and we were about to solve all of my problems. I gave a urine sample and some blood to the nurse, met with the doctor, and went home to await the results. I was expecting the doctor to call and prescribe me an antibiotic, but when he called my dad answered the phone and almost began to cry as he listened. He hung up the phone and told me that we had to leave right then, 4:00 in the afternoon, and go to the ER. At this time, my mind was swirling, I was in the middle of my pre-supper snack, but my father told me that the doctor was concerned about me going into a diabetic coma. I spent the next 2 days in the ICU on an insulin IV to bring my blood sugar (glucose) levels down from 915.

The standard, non-diabetic, blood glucose level ranges from 80-120 before and after meals. The remaining 4 days that I was in the hospital, I was educated about my diet, insulin dosing and treatment (shots), hypo and hyperglycemia, and I was even seeing a special doctor (an endocrinologist). Reality hit me‌ my life would never be the same.

know my body. Diabetes is not an easy thing to manage.

In April 2013 I decided to trade in my insulin shots for insulin pump therapy. The pump allows me to give myself the doses that I need without the inconvenience of pulling out a blood glucose meter, syringes or insulin pens, and vials of insulin. In the last three years I have had some serious problems with too low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) that have led me to have seizures.

The insulin pump is programmed for my body so that the lows are very rare and my blood glucose testing is much easier. The insulin pump fits right into my lifestyle and it gives me and my wife peace of mind. I would highly recommend an insulin pump to anyone who is insulin dependent.

I would not be the person that I am today without: my relationship with Jesus, my wife and my family, my doctor (Dr. William Sanders), my good friend Ashlea Hill (CDE, LPN) and her office (Diabetes Care Center in Ruston), and Type 1 Diabetes. All aspects of life work together to create the whole person. I keep looking forward because the cure for Type 1 Diabetes is out there and it could be a lot closer than I think.

Needless to say, I did not work at the camp in Texas that summer, but I gained weight back, my wife and I began to plan our wedding, and I was ready to finish my last year of college. I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do for a career, so I changed my major to Speech Communication. My wife Keri and I were married on October 6, 2007 and we will celebrate 6 amazing years this October! I graduated from Louisiana Tech University in March 2008 and began working in sales. Today, I work as the coordinator of the Fatherhood Program for Life Choices of North Central Louisiana. I am also studying through my Masters degree from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, because I desire to preach and be a church pastor in the future. Somehow I keep a very busy life, but I love every moment. I understand that God knew what I was supposed to do in the future, and I feel that I am a stronger person since I can manage my diabetes properly. This would be very difficult to do without my family. My wife has been with me every step of the journey; I have a daughter named Molly Belle and a son named Fletcher that are an amazing support system too. Both kids are under 4 and I am always chasing them, which helps me stay fit. I am still very athletic and triathlons are one of my favorite hobbies.

Running comes naturally to me, so when I completed my first sprint triathlon in 2007 I became hooked on swim, bike, and run races. I completed a 70.3 mile Half-Ironman race in New Orleans in 2009 and I am planning to do a full distance, 140.6 mile Ironman in 2014 to raise money for a local Type 1 Diabetes organization call Type 1 Krew (T1K). Diabetes has not slowed me down; conversely, I am a much stronger, healthier person because of Type 1 Diabetes.

As I look back over the last 7 years of life with Type 1 Diabetes I am truly amazed at how well I have come to

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let others talk. I love knowing that there are people out there who really care – there are far too many who don’t and my child is already at a disadvantage in this life having been born with autism, he sure could use a few understanding souls who are willing to go to bat for him and help him be understood and accepted.

to have that awesome experience to go out and adventure with others their age, in the -------------------------------- woods, creating crafts, participating in water sports and learning new Camp Rainman things that would never -------------------------------- have been put into their worlds otherwise.

A

h, summer.

That time when most all parents look forward to sending their kids away to summer camps and spending great quality time with their spouses.

Or if they’re single, so they can spend more time with friends or complete those long put-off home projects.

My kid goes to summer camp…but I go with him. Every year for the last seven years, my son has attended a local summer camp for people with autism.

The camp is called Camp Rainman, and was established over twenty years ago for people with autism in Northwest Louisiana

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Seven years ago when I first heard of this camp and my son wanted to go, I was so uncomfortable with letting him go off overnight without me, that I volunteered to come with him and help out in whatever way they needed me. My son had not ever been away from us overnight (and he still hasn’t to this day-that’s a story for another time), I was terrified to send him off with people I didn’t know to deal with his meltdowns and “autistic behaviors.” I have always had an overwhelming guilt in letting someone else take responsibility for my child. After all, it isn’t anyone else’s place to deal with these things and it’s unfair of me to expect them to. It’s something I personally have to get over and I work on it every day.

So, I pack up my bug repellant, travel toothpaste, and sunscreen and off we go. That year changed my life. You couldn’t pay me to stay away from Camp Rainman now. I love the campers and I love working with our young people who act as counselors.

Each camper is paired with a counselor; it is a one to one ratio, so every camper has their own counselor.

I love watching the younger generation experience something so life-changing. Our world is sadly lacking in compassion for other people and these kids leave camp with a new view on people with disabilities and a fierce determination to change the world and we definitely could use more of that out there.

There are counselors who come back year after year and tell us stories of how they stood up for the kid who has no friends because he’s socially awkward or the kid who gets picked on because he talks too much and doesn’t

I love seeing the faces of the campers when they get to go to the movie theatre and watch a movie with friends, or swim every day with his counselor, or have a dance party and get up and participate in a line dance without fear of ridicule because he doesn’t really know the steps. These kids have a smile plastered on their faces from day one.

One of the most exciting parts of camp is the theme. We have campers who start asking when they get there what our theme for the next year will be. Every year, we have a theme for camp such as Mardi Gras, Spacecamp, NASCAR, Wild West and this year, STARS. We are planning to have acting, dance and voice coaches to come and teach our campers about the performing arts. Something most all of them will never be exposed to in their lifetimes.

We are planning a Variety Show with dinner with jugglers, magicians, clowns, hola-hoopers and a DJ to wrap it all up. We have campers

who have never uttered a word in their lives and are now in their 30s and campers who are verbal to the point that they annoy people around them. We love each and every one of them and we aim to tailor each one of their experiences to them individually so they can have the best time they possibly can.

org/chapter581.

A huge thank you to Yoga Jai for being a big donation partner to help make Camp Rainman possible this year! Yoga Jai sponsors tons of local charities each month with donations from their "yoga in the park" events. You can find more on their website: http:// www.yoga-jai.com/

*NOTE: Camp Rainman is always in need of volunteers in every aspect. From counselors, to cabin parents, to kitchen helpers and more. This ------------------------year’s camp is full but if you have any interest in having the experience of a lifetime, you can be added to our email list by signing up through the Chapter’s website at www.autism-society.

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C

an you believe it's summer time again? Almost everyone I know enjoys the summer some way or another (some a little more than they should - if you know what I mean). To celebrate the beginning of the summer I've decided to let y'all in on some of my favorite things about summer. So here's what made the Top Eight: (Why eight, you ask: because seven was too short and I am only allowed 750 wordshence eight.)

1. Grocery store feet. You know what grocery store feet are, right? Normally, you don’t see or seem to notice the dirtiness of the bottom of a child’s foot until you see them in the grocery store.

The barefooted children of the summer don’t care! They live free- grocery stores and all!

2. Crickets and cicada's singing at night. It's one of the most beautiful sounds at night. It is the theme song of the summer. And the hotter it gets the louder those little creatures sing. I love them, unless one of them lands on me and I will go all ninja on it and deliver a death so swift and powerful that all the other crawly buggy insects will think twice before they come near me again. I won't think twice about squashing their tiny little bug guts all over my patio or trying to cause them to become deaf by unleashing a bloodcurdling

26

scream. Other than that I love to hear their sweet song of the South.

3. Water. I love, love the water.

Any form of it. Pools, lakes, oceans, rivers, sprinklers. (But not water theme parks: That is not water. That is chlorine with a little water mixed in but it's mostly bodily fluids I need not think of). You need to get out there and splash. I can guarantee if you find a cool swimming hole, your day will get much better.

4. Long days. The mornings start earlier and the evenings end later. The day is stretched out into infinity it seems. The sun lingers. These are the times that we can get so much accomplished. You could exercise, work out in the yard more, and clean more. Or in my case it gives me extra time to sit on my porch to list all those things I could be doing.

While drinking a cup of coffee.

So there.

5. Summer Veggies. Now if you live anywhere within the sound of my keyboard, then you either grow a garden or know someone who grows a garden. The "haves" are almost always eager to share with the "have nots” -unless they caught your cat "fertilizing" their garden. The law states they don't have to share with you then. There are oodles of farmers markets, roadside stands or just plain ole friendly neighbors where you can pick up some of these limited time only vegetables.

Cursed are those that buy tomatoes from the grocery store in the summer time!

Shame on you!!! May your socks fall down into your shoes forever!

6. Porch Swings. Don't try to analyze why a porch swing is so good, just sit down and revel in its greatness.

7. Home town ball parks. Oh my. The memories I have from the ball park are endless.

The neatly lined fields, the wafting smell of nachos and hot dogs, and the cheers when someone becomes a

legend in their parents' eyes are just some of the things that come to mind when I think of my own ball park.

Ball parks are where we learn the basics and fundamentals as children and as adults we learn what the game is really all about.

8. Lemonade Stands. If you have never stopped by an old fashioned lemonade stand and gotten a small cup of Heaven, you have not lived my friend!! You are not only contributing to the success of a future entrepreneur, but also warming your own heart.

There's no other place in the world that you will drink a hot, sour and often times dirty glass of lemonade and ask for a second cup. If you're lucky the dirt will only be on the outside of glass. Well, I guess a little dirt never hurt anyone.

We only have a few weeks of summer we can soak up.

Find some water or a porch swing or even just a tiny little girl with a lemonade stand and enjoy it while it lasts. You can thank me later.

Vacations are not about getting away - but about getting in touch.

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gas, I began to pray. I knew the Lord had put it on my heart to give these people some money, but I didn't have any. So now what? I could just ignore the “nudge” from the Holy Spirit; after all, God KNEW I didn’t have any cash with me.

Right? Or I could choose to be obedient and go get some money to give them. There wasn’t any doubt… I had to be obedient.

-------------------------------- heart wouldn't go away.

I wrestled with what all I "NEEDED" to get Tugs at My Heart done but I kept hearing a small voice speak -------------------------------- gently, "They're only little once... treasure every moment." I knew what I had to do! Even though I desperately he day started needed a day to get as usual... a cup of coffee caught up around the with my hubby before house, I decided to go he leaves for work, my get the boys. I wanted to quiet time alone with the surprise them and take Lord, then get ready to them to a big park in go pick up my 4 yr. old Shreveport they’d never grandson and take him been to before. to preschool. When I went to get Remington, Just as we were leaving, Levi begged to go with I got a call from a friend. me. "Not today," I told We've both been going him. I had a ton of stuff through a lot and we I needed to get done, shared our troubles, then not to mention that I she prayed before we was behind on laundry, hung up. With the phone housework, and all call, and the boys being the "ordinary" things in noisy in the backseat, I my daily routine. I was didn't hear the "warning already feeling bad for signal" when my low fuel telling Levi he couldn't light came on. I had just come with me; then as I passed the closest gas dropped off Remington, station when I looked he asked me to pick him down and saw the low up early from school. fuel light; the next exit I didn't want to make off the interstate was 5 a promise I wouldn't miles away. I never get keep, so I told him that off at this exit to get gas, I would "think about it." but today I didn't have a I returned home and got choice. As I got near to busy doing paperwork, the end of the exit ramp, but I couldn't get them I noticed two people with off my mind. bicycles. When I got closer, I saw they each These "tugs" at my had trailers behind their

T

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bikes. The lady had a dog on a leash and was giving it some water as they were resting. As I turned to go toward the gas station, I saw a cardboard sign on the back of the man's trailer that read: "Traveling on Prayers and Random Acts of Kindness."

I had already felt another "tug" at my heart before I even read the sign. As soon as I pulled up at the pump, I dug in my purse to get some money but I didn't have any cash.

While I was pumping the

As soon as I left the station, I went to “track down” the bicycling travelers. They had already made it a few miles from where I had last seen them. I pulled up beside them, rolled down my window and ask them where they were headed. I explained that I wanted to help them out a little but I needed to make a quick trip to get some cash. They told me which route they were taking so I could meet back up with them. It was about 10 miles back to my house and the boys were upset that I

was “going the wrong way.” I explained “why” I had to turn around and assured them that we were still going to the park.

continued their journey home. I don’t believe in coincidences and there was no doubt in my mind that God had orchestrated everything that day. What had By the time I met back started out as an up with the bicyclers ordinary morning, ended they had made it up with God using me about half way to their next “stopping point.”

I chatted with them for a few minutes on the side of the road and they introduced themselves; Ben, Julie and their dog named “Baby.” I found out that they had left Oklahoma just days before the horrible tornadoes hit on May 20th. They were in between jobs, had gotten really homesick, and decided to move back to Gulfport, Mississippi.

Ben explained that they had only enough money for bus fare, but that they weren’t allowed to bring their dog on the bus with them. So, their only option was to travel by bike and bring their “Baby” with them. (She rode in one of the trailers) Ben also told me that he was a Christian but he had never fully trusted God to provide ALL their needs. They soon found out, God would take care of them- totally out of the kindness of strangers. This trip had been a huge faith builder and gave them a whole new relationship with the Lord.

as a vessel to help others. The boys had an awesome time at the park, even though we were an hour late getting there. Ben & Julie were grateful for my “random act of kindness.” For me? I had the privilege of spending quality time

with 2 precious little boys (who are growing up way too fast), and I was humbled that God chose me for His “special mission” that day. It’s true that one is more BLESSED to give than to receive.

--------------------------------

By the time I left my “new friends” along the side of the road, it had been almost an hour since I had exited off the interstate to get gas. I had 2 little boys waiting patiently for me to take them to the park. So, I said farewell to Ben, Julie, and Baby and I promised to pray for safe traveling as they

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Vacations often go fast!

Enjoy every minute!

- Catherine Pulsifer

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can recognize that the present is so called a present because it is a gift! A daily gift in which we are expected to fulfill our full potential through adequate use of our tools positively correlating with a growing understanding of our individuality.

Life is beautiful and time is ticking... take advantage of each and every moment!

------------------------------------------

--------------------------------

The Present is a Gift --------------------------------

I

t is with each and every passing day that we are given a new opportunity to improve ourselves. Is there room to improve? Always. It is our role in this life to fulfill the being known as ourselves through various means of triumph, achievement, and overall growth from experiences.

Each morning, as a new day dawns, we are given the gift of time and furthermore offered a new opportunity to enhance ourselves through our actions and thoughts.

An opportunity as this offers understanding of self, prophecy of goals as well as dreams, and also the profound time to appreciate. The gift of time offers various gifts

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of opportunity through means of conscious growth and personal understanding.

Each and every one of us awaken to a different reality. It is not our reality that defines what we do with our lives; but instead it is what we choose to do with the gifts and tools presented before us. As such, we are all presented with different means of exploiting such tools; however, it is only our ambition and drive that separates from those advantaged. It is only with the conscious awareness of who we are, what we represent, and what we aspire to become that we will fully achieve the milestone of happiness and flourishing curiosity of this life.

As each day passes and we are presented with the hustle and bustle of daily errands and commute, we are also presented with the ability to make decisions of all sorts. Of course, such a presentation of sorts can cause confusion. At this point it is imperative to our conscious and our overall health that

we create realistic, achievable, and also self-fulfilling goals for ourselves to ensure a proactive and also self aware lifestyle. Goals that are attainable, yet somewhat frightening, are the perfect sorts of goals for a healthy lifestyle. We must seek accomplishments that somewhat scare us as these goals are the goals that help us grow as we triumph. This precedent allows us to move forward to the next goal with the most confident mind set.

The gift of time is not a gift to be taken for granted. As we all know, time is our most valuable resource! It is the only resource gone within seconds and the one you’ll never get back. It is our sole responsibility to make the most of this life as it is undeniably the gift of a lifetime that we receive as we awake each and every morning. It is the most precious gift imaginable and yet the most precious resource taken for granted. So what can we do to take full advantage of this beautiful present? We

Ashley Marie Nygaard is a 22 year old student, writer, life enthusiast, and also an aspiring modelactress.

Residing in Shreveport, Louisiana for nearly the past decade Ashley loves taking on new challenges and especially experiencing new things. She withholds a passion for all things artistic, is very enthusiastic about life, and considers all things possible.

Through high ambitions and a positive attitude she believes that the one true change she can make in the world begins within, and so for you it does too.

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Home Decor, Arts & Crafts, & Much More!

The Depot

Downtown Arcadia

Christmas in July

$1.00 admission

All proceeds go to Relay for Life For more information contact: April Picou 318.548.1151or Melinda Kidd 318.263.8408

July 26-27 9am-3pm

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exploration turned immobile by result of fooling about in careless living, tied down by entertaining irrelevant activity and anchored down by things that don’t matter.

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Sails of Luck --------------------------------

A

ll winter long, ships lay vacant along seaports, tied to docks with rope and anchored into sea depths. All winter long, ships lay still, immobile and useless to what they’re created for.

Anchors hold them back from their potential, trapping them in small areas inhibiting them from travel or exploration, tying them down to the same places and surroundings they cannot escape. I too, have an anchor, or if I’m honest, several, and I wonder at which point they became heavy enough to weigh me down.

The cafeteria smelled of French fries and burnt pizza, the walls hung the artwork of the kindergartener’s fingerpaint projects. I gulfed down my .25-cent carton of milk and PB&J sandwich to run out the door for recess. The playground of my elementary school was the place to be. The slide was silver, the swings blue,

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the jungle-gym red, and the water fountain flowing.

There are vivid images I remember of this time, the rest of the blanks I fill in with the scribbled handwriting in a Minnie Mouse diary I keep tucked away in a box beneath my bed. The images are hard to hold on to, but the feelings I still remember pretty easily.

Mostly, what I remember is the desire for the attention of a blonde-haired, blueeyed heartthrob named Ryan.

And who knew all these years later, my heart would still be longing for this same affection. The hair shades have changed, the eye colors altered, the personalities varied; but still, I reluctantly hold on to the seemingly impossible quest to be lucky in love.

And this is just one of the many quests of luckiness I find myself on—to be lucky in love, in wealth, in a career, to be lucky in living. We all do.

We pick up pennies, we wish on shooting stars, we admire rainbows, pluck 4-leaf clovers, cut out horoscopes and dangle charms from our wrists.

We search for ways to find luck while letting anchors hold us back from really finding it.

Take away the pennies and the stars, the charms and the horoscopes, take

Maybe one day I’ll have my own assistant. Maybe I'll have a kid, or a few kids.

Maybe I’ll fall in love and be married, own a house on a lake with some land and a couple dogs. Maybe I’ll like coffee, publish my book, maybe I’ll be rich. Maybe my life will be all that I’ve envisioned. Or maybe none of that will happen. But the one thing I will always have is luck, luck that keeps me living and attempting to make my maybes become my realities. Luck that keeps me chasing dreams and reminds me how to cut off ropes that tie me back, luck that helps me to navigate my sails and release anchors that drag me down. And each time I release another--I get one step closer. And one step closer is far better than one step behind.

away the 4-leaf clovers and the rainbows; I am lucky stripped to nothing.

Because while I may be unlucky in love, I am lucky. For though I am but a struggling vessel roaming the world through obstacles and change and bogged down by anchors, I am a living breathing soul adapting to it all. And I am lucky. To live in the United States, to wake each day, to share an office with successes, to share a city full of stories, a family full ----------------------------------of love, a faith full of mercy.

I am a simple girl rooted I don't need a horoscope, in family, friends, the charm, or dream catcher Bible, and my mama’s hanging over my bed, for chicken casserole. At each sleep I take upon my my best, I’m loved and pillow I rest in luck, and respected; at my worst, each day I wake I open I am saved by grace. my eyes to luckiness. I am a girl removed And when the world tells from the country life of me I must search for and belt buckles and boots seek it, I breathe, and am placed to blend in with reminded that I already the city life of stilettos have it. and suits. From the quiet back roads of Louisiana, All winter long, ships lay to the busy avenues of vacant, anchored down New York City, I am still just waiting for the luck of just a girl in love with the the sun; held back awaiting simplicities: cuddles with a day of calm waters and my labrador retriever, clear skies, but smooth game night with my seas never made a smooth family, laughs with my sailor. Luck was never best friends, and a new found shining with the pair of stilettos adorning moon or scattered in the my closet. I may be off grass, luck is created when chasing my big dreams masts are hoisted and in the big city, but my anchors are removed--luck heart is always home. is discovered when we live. Follow me @Chaleezy We are mobile creatures ----------------------------------meant for limitless

What are you doing this weekend?

Treasure Seeking Gho Hunting

River Running Just Relaxing The Bed & Breakfast Capital of Texas

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You have a choice when it comes to caring for your health. Make it a smart one, and choose the area hospital that was named one of the nation’s top performers on key quality measures two years in a row.

We’re proud to be recognized by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in the nation, for our achievements in quality… but we’re even more proud to be chosen by you. Minden Medical Center understands what matters most to patients and their families – safe and effective care. We are committed to providing the highest quality care possible, along with the expertise and leading edge technology that you expect at larger hospitals, all conveniently close to home.

Whatever your healthcare need, choose Minden Medical Center. www.mindenmedicalcenter.com

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