280 Living May 2010 by Starnes Media

280 Living

www.280living.com

May Volume 3, | Issue 9

Sprin

g Cl

ce S earan

ale!

Sports | pg 12 • Facebook Fan Giveaway

• Restaurant Review

• Business Spotlight

• Operation Lakeshore

• OLV Thespians

• Irma Palmer

• Hampton Inn

• Greystone Antiques

• Frisbee Dogs

• Rick Watson

• Edd Spencer

• Paul Johnson

• Live Music

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May Features

2010 | 2010 | May

A Mother Shares Her Love Of Great Cooking by Kathryn Acree Serving a delicious meal to family and friends is a simple delight to many great Southern cooks. Shoal Creek’s Patsy Smith set out to pass down her favorite recipes to her daughter and the result has been the publication of two cookbooks, A Cookbook For My Southern Daughter and A Southern Daughter Entertains. Smith, originally from Montgomery, loved to entertain in her home, even as a young bride living with her husband, Bill, in Greenville, Alabama. “We were in a supper club with friends. Cooking and enjoying the company of others became a big part of our lives,” says Smith. Smith’s collection of recipes grew and when her daughter, Margaret Ann, left for college at Auburn in 1996, Smith compiled them into a book as both a gift and a means of passing along all the family favorites to Margaret Ann. Word spread of the delicious “tried-and-true” Southern recipes, many simple enough for the most novice cook to accomplish. Friends begged for copies and Smith had 100 copies of A Cookbook For My Southern Daughter published. The book was a hit and to Smith’s surprise, she was now a cookbook author worthy of being featured in The Best of the Best From

Alabama Cookbook. The cookbook found it’s way into bookstores across Alabama and before long, Smith was receiving requests for a second book. In 2009, A Southern Daughter Entertains was released once again to raves. “The second book contains many Southern favorites, but as eating trends have changed it also includes more seafood and poultry dishes, more salads, more soups, less salt, and generally less fat,” explains Smith. “My message would be to try new things, new recipes and to embrace entertaining in your home. It is a simple pleasure that gets overlooked when we’re so busy,” says Smith. “I was fortunate to come from a home that delighted in cooking and passing this along ﬁrst to my daughter and then on to friends has been a joy.” Smith’s cookbooks can be found

Citizens Speak Out on the Future of Highway 280 Many along the 280 corridor have reviewed construction plans to relieve congestion on the busy roadway. The Hoover City Council recently passed a resolution to approve the ALDOT plan. The fate of the highway will be determined by what the other affected municipalities decide. The Alabama Department of Transportation’s proposal includes a fourlane elevated toll road from I-459 to Eagle Point Parkway. The group Rethink 280 expressed concern about the effects that plan could have on both businesses and the overall standard of living. They presented an alternative plan that proposes groundlevel solutions that utilize a combination of express and local lanes. Since the future of the highway impacts everyone living here, last month we asked to hear from you. On 280living.com we posed the survey question: What would you like to see happen with the Highway 280 expansion? At the time of printing of this article, the ALDOT plan is favored by the voters by a large margin. To see the poll results or cast your vote, go to 280living.com. The staff of 280 Living was interested not only in the results of the poll but

also readers’ feedback. We very much appreciate the many e-mails we received. The range of solutions from our readers underscores the fact that this will not be a simple decision for ofﬁcials.

Patsy Smith with both books

at Baker Lamps and Linens, Chelsea Lane, Simplicity in Mt. Laurel and Smith’s Variety in Mountain Brook. You can also order online through www. southerndaughtercookbooks.com.

See Recipes from Patsy Smith, pg 26

Life, Love and Fly-Fishing By Michael Seale

Go ALDOT! I live on 280 off of hwy 41. I moved here in 2005 and every year traffic seems to be getting worse. I don’t want to have to run to the store and spend 45 minutes in traffic one way just to get to a store. I love the 280 area but hate the traffic. Fridays traffic starts at noon and that day is the worse of them all, in my opinion. I think the elevated bridge is a great idea. I have so many friends and people tell me “ I don’t know how you live on 280 with all that traffic”. I hear people say they either moved away from here or just stop shopping here because it is getting ridiculous. I agree. I saw the Figg Engineering plans for 280 they look amazing. I don’t think it will take anything away from 280 just make it convenient for people to get to where they are going. Would you rather lose over an hour in traffic on your way home or be spend that time with your family at home? Which is more important. I vote for the elevated bridge. E. Hernandez, 280 Resident

I consider myself, relative to most people I know and grew up with, to be somewhat of a city-slicker. I am more comfortable on a sidewalk than I am a nature trail, and my experience with the great outdoors likely pales in comparison to most people in Alabama. I did not grow up camping, hunting, or doing much fishing. And most of my time I have spent outdoors in my life has been on a baseball field or a golf course. That being said, I do enjoy going fishing when I can, being outdoors and enjoying what nature has to offer. But in all of my years on this earth, I had never attempted the art of fly-fishing. I have been dying to learn, as I have watched people doing it on television or in movies and let’s face it, it just looks “cool.” Luckily, I found Dr. David Diaz, one of the best instructors in the country, right here in Birmingham. Rob Rogers, owner and operator of Deep South Outfitters in Altadena Square, has Diaz on staff to provide his customers with one-on-one instruction on what Diaz

See FUTURE 280, PAGE 14

See FLY-FISHING, PAGE 14

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Pet of the Month Meet Festus!!

Editor’s Note

26 Days and Counting… I’m not really keeping up with how many school days are left, but it’s just over 25 and just under 27 (as I write this article – probably around 19 by the time you read this issue.) Yeah summertime! Summer is fast becoming my favorite season. I want off the clock, and summer affords me that opportunity! One great summer idea is to get in to fly-fishing. Michael Seale relates his experience as he learns a new hobby. Check out his article in this issue and in the next one to see if it’s for you. We found a new and interesting frisbee dog show. Read our article on page 20 about that. It’s a great find for those

mothers looking for that special party to keep all the children entertained this summer. Anyone have a new driver getting behind the wheel and entering the roadway this summer? Check out Rick Watson’s humorous account of driving with his cousin. So many articles, so few pages! Enjoy this issue as you sink into your lounge chair. And by the way, Happy Mother’s Day to all my faithful reading mothers. And have a blessed Memorial Day weekend with your family.

Rick Watson book signing 280 Living contributing writer Rick Watson will be available at North Shelby Library on May 4th from 4:00 – 7:30 pm to discuss and sign his recently published book, “Remembering Big.” The subheading of the book is “Ponderings & Reﬂections of a Sloss Holler Scholar.” If you are a regular reader of Rick’s column, you know Rick encapsulates his southern upbringing and life events with much wit and humor. His book promises to keep you chuckling as well.

He was found with his Mother who was starving and trying to feed her puppies. Mother and puppies were rescued and are now ready for their forever home. Festus is very sweet and loving. He will be good with children and will make a great family pet. Please contact Carol at 205-586-7497 for more information.

280 Living Staff & Friends

Contact Information:

Contributing Writers

Facebook Fan Giveaway Congratulations to the winner of the April Facebook fan giveaway:

Steven Silvio $50 to Mt Fuji

Remember only Fans of our Facebook page are eligible for the monthly giveaway. The winner for this month will be chosen May 20th.

This month’s winner will recieve,

$25 to Chuck’s Fish

Thanks for reading and being fans of 280 Living. Bellinis Beyond Wellness Birmingham Bake & Cook Co. Brett/Robinson Realty Birmingham Medical Alliance Brentwood Properties Brian Fleury Chili’s Chiropractic Today Comfort Keepers Danberry at Inverness Déjà Vu Denise Obert Landscape Design Diana’s Salon

Contributing Photographers Theresa Newton, Oak Mountain | Cari Dean, Chelsea Legals:

dan@280living.com P.O. Box 530341 Birmingham, AL 35253

Please Support Our Sponsors Dwellings Fancy Fur Four Corners Gates of Pearl Gi Gi’s Salon Greystone Antique & Marketplace Hoven and Morgan Dentistry Huckabay’s Isis & Sons Johnny Ray’s Jungle Smoothie Landscape cover Solutions

Editor Patti Henderson

280 Living is published monthly. Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content without prior permission is prohibited. 280 Living is designed to inform the communities along Highway 280 of area school, faith, family and community events. Information in 280 Living is gathered from sources considered reliable but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/ photos submitted become the property of 280 Living. We reserve the right to edit articles/ photos as deemed necessary. Inaccuracies or errors should be brought to the attention of the publisher at (205) 370-0732 or by email. Submission instructions:

Please submit all articles, information and photos to:

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TownHouse Tea Shoppe | by staff writer 23 Olmsted Street Mt Laurel, Alabama 35242 (205) 529-0081

Restaurant Showcase

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Looking for a place to take tea… with your man? Welcome to TownHouse Tea Shoppe in Mt Laurel. The creators of one of the 280 corridor’s newest restaurants want you to do just that. Co-owners Darlene Self and Rebekah Mills set out to create “a place where men are comfortable too.” “What about the portions?” he might ask. “We also wanted to create a place where anyone can come and get really great food, with a great presentation, but also with very adequate portions,” adds Darlene. “We eat with our eyes first.” So, don’t be surprised when the meal before you looks as presentable as any five-star dining establishment, but this time, you’ll leave full and satisfied! All is home-made. Everything coming out of the kitchen is made from scratch. There are no uppity chefs preparing your meals – just two women with a passion for food and hospitality, creating mouth-

5291 Valleydale Road (Inverness Village on Valleydale) ½ mile off Hwy 280 on Valleydale Road

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The Town House is now a Tea Shoppe

Tea Shoppe dining area watering meals you won’t soon forget. Each day of the week features a special entrée such as Pot Roast, Cranberry Chicken, Shepherd’s Pie or Salmon Croquetes. In addition, there are daily soups served such as Tomato Provence, and French Onion. Delectable salads and delicious sandwiches are served everyday. I tried Hannah’s Famous Chicken-BaconRanch salad (pictured here) – THE BEST chicken salad I’ve ever tasted. I WISH I could get the recipe! The tea shoppe seats up to 40, but for special events, they will open up the upper room and spill over into the street to accommodate up to 50-60. So definitely take a look at The TownHouse Tea Shoppe for your next bridal shower, luncheon, rehearsal dinner, corporate banquet, etc. The upper room is complete with small kitchen, living room, billiards room, restroom – basically, it’s like renting a small house for the evening. For more details go to www.thetownhouseatmtlaurel.com. Now let’s talk about tea! Perhaps the whole reason Darlene and Rebekah opened this shoppe was to create a place where people “set aside time to have an enjoyable experience.” You’ll find excellent tea selections as well as the ultimate in fair trade and gourmet coffee choices. So come, slow down, and enjoy the soothing benefits of a cup of tea, the tranquil atmosphere and the best in southern hospitality. Darlene and Rebekah would love nothing more than to serve you next!

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Shop Talk

Outdoor Living Areas, inc |

May 2010

by staff writer

Business Spotlight

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www.OutdoorLivingAreas.net A Backyard Business Blooms East of Birmingham When landscaper John Calloway’s visited family in Nashville in summers past, he noticed more and more people there were building outdoor living areas in their backyards. “I saw this was quickly becoming a popular project for homeowners,” Calloway said. “Knowing that Nashville is a little ahead of the curve in home trends versus Birmingham, it would only be a matter of time before that interest would spark in our area.” He researched the options Birmingham homeowners had and found the market was ready. A 20-year-veteran of the landscaping business, he knew he and his partners, Scot Thompson and Johnathan Messner, had the customer base for developing a new business. “We’d always done rock and stone work for people by request,” Calloway said. “We were so tuned into planting shrubs, mowing grass and laying sod that it

never dawned on us to offer clients other options.” The business partners started Outdoor Living Areas Inc. in 2005. Once Calloway began marketing the types of patios, fireplaces, kitchens and more that could be built outside, the work took off. Five years later, the company keeps two crews busy with projects. Now that the trend for building these areas is in full-swing, Thompson cautions homeowners to keep several things in mind when obtaining bids. “Beyond just the design process, some customers are surprised by the licensing and permits involved,” Thompson said. “Surveys, plot plans and footing details

work in progress

New patio and fireplace

Johnathan Messner and Scot Thompson of Outdoor Living Areas, Inc.

may be required by the municipality and their homeowners’ association. We go to great lengths to provide plot plans to scale, photographs and landscape design for the finished space. We want the customer protected and to know their project is being performed by professionals.” When meeting with a potential client, Thompson prefers to show customers actual work being performed in their area. “Although we have an excellent website with photos, I like to take them to a job if we have one going on close by,” he said. Messner said fire pits are his favorite feature of the outdoor designs. “They remind me of camping trips with my family,” Messner said. “There’s something special about a fire that draws people around it. People relax and enjoy each other’s company.” Cheech Ayers, a homeowner on Shades Crest Road whose home overlooks the Ross Bridge area, hired Outdoor Living Areas to build a patio area that allows his family to entertain outside and highlighted their fabulous view. “Johnathan and Scot have produced projects for me both efficiently and professionally,” Ayers said. “Our home is one of the few properties along Shades Crest with sufficient backyard space, and this allows us to make the most of it.” Calloway said he takes pride in and enjoys the unique projects his company has built for customers like Ayers. “Every project we design and build is different in some way than any we’ve ever done,” Calloway said. “That is what makes it so enjoyable for everyone here to come to work each day.” For more information on Outdoor Living Areas services, visit www. outdoorlivingareas.net or call 205-402-2110.

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School House

Inverness Elementary’s Toyota Family Literacy Program wins award Your dress shouldn’t be the only thing that is WHITE on your wedding day. Make your smile sparkle on your big day! Call now to learn about ZOOM! and wedding specials for the bride and the wedding party!

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Childcare Resources has awarded its annual Children’s Advocate Award to two amazing individuals and one outstanding organization showing a commitment to children and our future: Cedric D. Sparks, Birmingham Mayor’s Ofﬁce Division of Youth Services; Susan Swartz, volunteer president of R.U.S.H. Initiative, and Shelby County’s Toyota Family Literacy Program. Cedric, Susan and the Toyota Family Literacy Program were among 21 individuals and organizations nominated for the award, which was presented at the 20th annual Children’s Advocate Award Luncheon held recently at the Sheraton Birmingham Ballroom. The event honors those improving the lives of children in central Alabama and raises funds for Childcare Resources programs. The Toyota Family Literacy Program serves Hispanic and other immigrant families with children in elementary school by providing opportunities to help them build community connections, work with their children and learn practical parenting skills all while learning more English. This national program currently has 75 sites in 25 cities and we are most fortunate to have sites in three Shelby County Schools - Meadow View Elementary, Valley Elementary and Inverness Elementary. The program is successful in part due to collaborations with several area organizations such

as the YMCA, the Literacy Council of Central Alabama, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, United Way of Central Alabama an many more.

Childcare Resources helps families locate child care, trains child care professionals, provides parent education services, and offers child care ﬁnancial assistance to low-income, working families. A nonproﬁt organization and United Way partner agency since 1984, Childcare Resources provides services to help make quality child care available and affordable in Blount, Jefferson, Shelby and Walker counties. For more information, call (205) 252-1991 x306, or visit www.ccr-bhm.org.

Olympic Gold Medalist Jennifer Chandler Visits Oak Mountain Elementary School Olympic Gold Medalist Jennifer Chandler visited Oak Mountain Elementary on March 9 as the keynote speaker for the “Celebration of Champions” assembly. Ms. Chandler, who won the gold medal in three meter spring board diving at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, spoke to the students about what it is like to be a champion, stressing the fact that “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” Ms. Chandler is a native of Alabama and a 1985 inductee to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, where she also works as the Education Outreach Director. Oak Mountain students were celebrating test scores, the conclusion of many philanthropic activities and a variety of other school highlights. Ms. Chandler spoke to the second and third graders during the special assembly. She then walked down the kindergarten and ﬁrst grade hallways to show them her Olympic gold medal.

Give him a break. Give us a chance. SUMMER CAMPS Now enrolling.

Pictured with the award are ESL Program Area Supervisor Leah Dobbs-Black (left) and Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Charlotte Draper.

Ms. Chandler is pictured with former Oak Mountain student, Beth Olive, a decorated Special Olympian.

Oak Mountain DECA Chapter Tours Bryant Denny Stadium

981-7155

5291 Valleydale Rd., Suite 123 Tutoringclub.com

Oak Mountain High School’s DECA chapter recently attended a Sports Marketing ﬁeld trip to Bryant-Denny stadium in Tuscaloosa. Students were allowed to tour the recruiting room, locker

room, sky boxes, and the football ﬁeld. They were exposed to the industry of ticket sales, concessions, event planning, and hospitality. Oak Mountain’s DECA advisor is Sandra Gallups.

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School House

Chelsea Middle School art students have done it again! For the second year in a row, Chelsea Middle School art students have taken first place in the digital media category at the State Superintendents Art Awards. Three of the four art pieces submitted from Chelsea Middle were selected to represent Shelby County in the State competition. Savannah Bayer, an 8th grade artist, won first place for the 7th

Autumn Dream Garden

Lonely Boy by Mathew Gilchrist

and 8th grade digital art category. Matthew Gilchrist, 6th grade, was also recognized for his digital photograph and Noor Jarrar, 8th grade, for her pointalism painting. The photographs were taken in the courtyard and halls of the middle school and slightly rendered using Photoshop. “It is difficult to do digital art lessons during the school day since most of the computers are being used with the Computer Essentials classes,” says art teacher Jill Tolbert. These digital works of art were created during the after school Art Club that Mrs. Tolbert offers to all middle school students. “We are so fortunate to have art in our daily curriculum but some of these kids would stay every afternoon and work until dark if they could.” Mrs. Tolbert plans to incorporate more digital art and photography into the 8th grade curriculum for next year.

The Oak Mountain Concert bands perform at Carnegie Hall

May 2010

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Oak Mountain High School Symphonic Band at Carnegie Hall Music); Frank Battisti (Conductor Emeritus of the New England Conservatory of Music); H. Robert Reynolds (Principal Conductor of the Wind Ensemble at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California and Past Director of University of Michigan Bands for 26 years). Here are some of the comments noted in the evaluations presented to directors Jim Duren and Kevin Ownby regarding both performances: “Terrific in all aspects” “Beautiful and rich, very mature sounds” “Fantastic” ”Very Impressive” “Bravo” “Bravo, terrific music making” Congratulations to the directors and band students of OMHS for this significant achievement! The band, its directors, boosters, parents and friends wish to extend its sincere appreciation to everyone who worked so hard to make this trip possible. A special word of thanks to Paula Maddox, Band Booster VP and Head Chaperone for organizing the trip. Thanks for continuing to support your Oak Mountain High School Band.

Oak Mountain High School, Shelby County, and the State of Alabama were well represented at Carnegie Hall in New York this past Friday by the concert bands of Oak Mountain High School. Oak Mountain represented two of the eighteen bands invited to perform at this year’s National Invitational Band and Orchestra Festival. The Oak Mountain High School Symphonic Band, under the direction of Associate Director of Bands Kevin Ownby, took the stage first with performances of Kirkpatrick Fanfare and Song for Lyndsay, both by Andrew Boysen, and Summer Dances by Brian Bamages. The Oak Mountain High School Wind Ensemble performed next under the leadership of Director of Bands Jim Duren. They performed Rocky Point Holiday by Ron Nelson, Movement for Rosa by Mark Camphouse, and Russian Easter Overture by Nickolai Rimsky-Korsakov (arraingment by Tohru Takahashi). The bands were evaluated by the following nationally recognized adjudicators: Craig Kirchhoff (Professor of Conducting and Director of University Bands at the University of Minnesota); Charles Peltz (Director of Wind Ensembles at the New England Conservatory of

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Operation Lakeshore Local Boy Scouts have hand in groundbreaking ceremony

Operation Lakeshore is an effort by Capstone, their in-house construction company Cottage Builders, and Dungan Nequette Architects to provide cottagestyle housing on the Lakeshore Foundation campus for injured military personnel and their families participating in programs at Lakeshore. Lakeshore Foundation currently provides many short-term programs and weekend sports camps to help servicemen and women from across the country regain active lives. All programs, and even associated travel and lodging expenses, are provided at no costs to participants or their families who often accompany them for support. Testimonials from those who have participated attest to the power of Lakeshore Foundation’s work in helping these men and women and their families regain independence as they participate in recreational and sport activities they had enjoyed prior to injury and even learn how to do new ones. The experience has been transformational for many of them. The Cottages of Lakeshore, as they will

be known, will include two cottages and four duplexes, plus a flag pole, an outdoor arbor with fireplace, a fountain with a seating area and an accessible playground. The cottages will let Lakeshore Foundation expand their programs even further by allowing them to host small groups and families for longer, more intensive and individualized visits. Capstone and its affiliates are reaching out to local companies and individuals as well as our national partners, subcontractors and suppliers to help raise the $2.3 million needed. Sponsorships, along with naming rights, are available at many levels. Capstone, Cottage Builders and Dungan Nequette have taken the first step to get the fundraising started by providing all of our services and fees at no cost. Despite the poor economy and the fact that many businesses are suffering, the response has been very enthusiastic. As Mike Mouron, President of Capstone, says, it is easy to support the brave men and women who have suffered life-altering trauma in foreign lands while protecting our way of life. In preparation for the groundbreaking ceremony, Den 10 of Pack 71 from Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church offered to paint the shovels that were used in the ceremony. Mike Mouron, thanked the Boy Scouts and further added, “It starts from the youngest ones up to do what we can to help our injured military.” Thank you to the Cub Scouts who understand that service to others is the best way to “Do Their Best” (Cub Scout motto).

For more information, please visit www. OperationLakeshore.com where you can (L-R) Nicholas Smith, Raylen Smith, Sloan Wombwell and make a donation through PayPal and buy T-shirts, hats, coffee mugs and car decals Bob Wombwell (Den Leader) are painting the shovels. with the Operation Lakeshore logo.

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The Greystone Tiger Cubs, Pack 119, celebrated the 100 anniversary of Scouting in the month of February with high attendance and a Cookie Cake. Much

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State Representative Paul DeMarco recently presented a Certiﬁed State Flag to Our Lady of the Valley’s Cub Scout Den11/

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OLV Thespians performing at the national Junior Thespian Festival in Gainesville, Florida

by Darrell Cartwright At the national Junior Thespian Festival at Oak Hall School in Gainesville, Florida, Our Lady of the Valley once again distinguished itself as an exemplary school with honors in several categories. OLV students were awarded four superior awards, 14 excellent awards, and two good awards. In the ﬁnal showcase featuring the top individual events two of the nine events selected by judges were performed by OLV students. Percentage-wise, as a group, this was the overall best showing for an OLV troupe in ﬁve years of attendance. The festival began on when OLV students performed a rousing performance of Dear Edwina, Jr. Twenty-four OLV students from Junior Thespian Troupe 88732 made the trip and were in the cast, and this show was one of only four of the Mainstage shows in the country selected to perform at the Festival, and the only school from Alabama to participate. Following the production, OLV students were applauded as they walked to their bus for the return trip to the hotel for the night. Throughout the weekend, school drama directors and attendees praised OLV for their main stage performance. Dr. Will Eyerly, director of host Oak Hall School said, “I continue to be impressed with the talent and preparation of OLV’s Thespians. They are a joy to watch and work with. I just love OLV!” Craig

Branch, director of the Festival added, “It was clear OLV students are focused and committed to what they do. I enjoyed their group and individual competition performances very much!” Students receiving superior awards included: Emily Saab, Rietta Bolus, Kaylie Elward and Christina Moulton. Students receiving superior ratings are automatically invited to be evaluated against high school students at the National Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska in June. Students earning a rating of excellent include: Casey Young, Kate Douglas, Sydney Rice, Marissa Latham, Meghan Sweeney, Lauren Campisi, Bridget Buckley, Steven Martin, Kaylee Gilchrist, Marina Bodie, Leah Lindberg, Blaine Elward, Anna Willis, Andrew Kanatani, Shelby Snelling, Sara Sligh, Kelsi Hobbs, Kyle Chandler. Another two OLV entries earned rating of good: Gina Sherman and Catherine Tudisco. The ﬁnal day of the three-day festival featured a showcase of individual performances selected by the judges as the best individual events. This year, of the nine events selected by judges, two were from OLV: Emily Saab and Kaylie Elward. In addition to performances and individual events, the festival offers a variety of workshops to expand the students’ theatre knowledge and skills. The OLV Thespians are directed by Drama Director Michael Bridges.

Eden Morris wins young writer award Oak Mountain Elementary ﬁrst grader Eden Morris recently was awarded third place in Alabama Public Television’s Young Writers contest. Her work , The Pug Parade, was required to have at least 5 original works of art and 50-200 words. She was presented her award at the Alabama Book Festival where she read her book to the audience. Congratulations Eden! Way to go!

Eden Morris reads her book to the audience

Battle of the Bands hits OMMS Expo

Vertical Flight performs at Battle of the Bands Congratulations to the winners of Second place and winners of a $100 Bailey the Battle of the Bands held at the Oak Brothers gift card, “The Silver Wars.” Third Mountain Middle School Expo on April Place and winners of a $50 Bailey Brothers 10. 1st Place winners of $250 was “Peltra”. gift card, “Vertical Flight.”

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Briarwood Soccer Club Combines Soccer with Ministry

Morgan Reed

Briarwood Christian School Softball Morgan was born in Duluth, Georgia. Her family moved to Alabaster when she was ﬁve years old. It seems Morgan has always been involved in sports. When she was just 5 years old, she started playing soccer in the Alabaster city league. She stuck with soccer until 4th grade. In ﬁrst grade, she added basketball and stayed with it until last year when she played for the Briarwood Jr. High girls’ team just after transferring to the school her 7th grade year. On top of all of that, Morgan began playing softball in third grade, and hasn’t stopped yet! In fact, she hopes by the end of her high school career, she will have earned a softball scholarship to a division one school. “Morgan is a dedicated, hardworking and humble athlete that strives for excellence. You would never know that she is just in the 8th grade. She is a joy to coach,” says

Head Softball Coach, Suzanne Serrano, former softball All-American from the University of Alabama. Morgan is currently the starting pitcher for Briarwood’s Varsity Softball team as an 8th grader! She was recently named MVP for the 2009 5A South Central Regional Tournament and she was also awarded an “All Shelby County Honorable Mention” by the Shelby Co. Reporter in 2009. As a 7th grader, Morgan was the starting centerﬁelder on the Elite Eight Team from Briarwood. Morgan also plays shortstop and pitcher for the 14U Birmingham Vipers travel team. The Vipers have won multiple state and regional tournaments and have attended ASA Nationals for the past 3 years. This team plans to attend ASA Nationals in Moline, Illinois this summer. Not only exceptional on the ball ﬁeld, Morgan also excels as a student. She currently holds a 4.2 grade point average. She is a member of Alabaster First United Methodist Church where she volunteers for Manna Charities and the Salvation Army Angel Tree program. In her spare time, Morgan enjoys listening to music, attending Auburn football games and spending time with her family and friends.

By Kathryn Acree

98 Gold Vulcan Cup Finalist

Briarwood Soccer Club was founded in 1981 to expand the sport of soccer in the rapidly growing Jefferson/Shelby area. As the club expanded, it instituted a summer soccer camp using the spiritual curriculum, “More than Gold”, to share the Gospel. In 2002, the club hired a full time Director of Coaching, Ryan Leib, after 8 seasons of professional soccer with the Charlotte Eagles SC and the Atlanta Silverbacks SC. Briarwood has teams for children ages 5 to 17 with a fall season, spring season, soccer camps and clinics throughout the year, indoor soccer, and international playing opportunities. Briarwood is a member of, and competes in, the Alabama Youth Soccer Association and the MidState Soccer League. There are also U6, U8, and U10 player development leagues that compete within the club. The club’s older teams compete in Birmingham, across Alabama, and the entire southeast region with teams from U11-U17 for boys and

girls. Briarwood will gear up for the Fall 2010 season with tryouts for its’ 20 competitive teams for 10- 18 year olds during the ﬁrst week of June. Registration for all other teams starting at age 5 and up begins July 7. For more information contact the club ofﬁce at 205-776-5114 or email rleib@briarwood.org.

Matthias Leib’s First Soccer Game

CHS

PHOTOS courtesy of Cari Dean

John Calhoun

Tres Gregg

Austin Rikard

Alex Levinson

Josh Harkins

Jake Campbell

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Sports |

And THIS now in… Early Tide/Tiger Predictions The weather is heating up and so is spring football. Many college football fans already have countdowns ticking towards their team’s kickoff in the fall. Alabama & Auburn held their spring practices Saturday, April 17th. Not without fanfare as both games were nationally televised on ESPN and ESPNU respectively. The Tide and the Tigers are expected to be strong when August rolls around. Both schools have great recruiting classes with players who could fill holes left by graduating seniors. Alabama, coming off a National Championship season, will be replacing several key areas on defense. There are about seven spots open that head coach Nick Saban said will need to be filled. “Our competition is wide open on both sides of the ball,” Saban recently said. “We are looking forward to finding out who is going to step up.” Auburn head coach Gene Chizic will be replacing some key positions on offense. One of which will be the all important quarterback position. There has been a buzz among Tiger fans about highly touted junior college QB Cameron Newton who graduated early, and has participated in spring drills. Alabama returns undefeated quarterback Greg McElroy and Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram to highlight what some say could be the best offensive attack in Tide history. That’s big words because there have been many great offenses and offensive players at Alabama. We shall see. Auburn not only will be replacing their starting quarterback, but starting running back as well. Tiger fans have a lot to be excited about because the talent is there. Predictions are really tough this

by Brent Watson early, but hey— it’s fun and it’s football in the Southeastern Conference. So let me put mine out there and see how right or wrong I end up being. Feel free to chime in and give us your opinions. Alabama will have a talented team that will be out to defend its national championship. If defense is the concern of Tide fans, they shouldn’t worry. Saban is known for making decent defenses great, and the talent at ‘Bama is above decent. Having said that, I think the Tide will slip up a game this year and miss out on the back-to-back magic. Auburn’s season last year was a good one - great if you consider early expectations and the uncertainties of Chizic’s coaching ability. I was in the majority and thought Chizic would have a tough year. I was wrong because he had his team ready to play and made vast improvements. The tigers could have an even better year in the upcoming season. They have great talent coming in and have a nice nucleus in place with returning players. I believe it will come down to the fourth quarter for the Tigers. They won some games last year that they weren’t supposed to win, and they put together a nice season. Can this year be better? I think there’ll be some stumbles early, but I predict the Tigers will ﬁght hard on the plains and ﬁnish strong with an eight win season and another New Year’s bowl game appearance. Will one of those wins come in the Iron bowl? Not going there yet, but it should be fun to watch unfold. Besides being an avid sports enthusiast, Brent Watson dedicates much of his time to running his business in Chelsea: Comfort Keepers – a non-medical in-home care company. You can reach him at (205) 981-1800 or email: centralalabama@comfortkeepers.com.

May 2010

Hole-In-One!

In the very ﬁrst Oak Mountain Middle School Golf Team match against Hewitt-Trussville, Zack Holton, 7th grader at Oak Mountain Middle School, scored a Hole-in-One! The match took place in March at Inverness Country Club. Zack made his hole-in-one using his 7 iron on hole #3, a 133 yard par 3. The top three Oak Mountain scores for the day were Cole Anderson, 51; Wriley Herring, 54; and Zack Holton, 54. The match against Hewitt-Trussville ended in a 159/159 tie. Other members of the OMMS Golf Team include Riley Fowler, Mathew Kelley, Daniel Langan, Ryan Olive and Andrew Schaper. The team Coach/ Sponsor is Jay McGaughy.

Zach Holton

Chelsea hosts softball tournament The Shelby County League Softball Tournament recently took place at the Chelsea Youth Recreational Softball Complex on Highway 39. The Lady Panthers from Helena Middle School took ﬁrst place after defeating the Chelsea Hornets 10-5. Most Valuable Player awards were given to outstanding players from each team and included: Taelar Holland 8th grader Courtney Campbell of Chelsea safely (Helena 8th grader, pitcher); stealing 2nd base while short-stop Caitlyn Snapp of Caitlyn Snapp (Helena 8th Helena covers for the tag. grader, short-stop); Hope th th Jones (Chelsea 7 grader, pitcher); (Columbiana 8 grader, second base); Courtney Campbell (Chelsea 8th and Jamie Thompson (Riverchase, grader, short-stop); Kayle Cardwell pitcher).

by Teresa Newton

Oak Mtn athletes making athletic commitments this Spring are (l-r) Matt Cooper, Naval Academy - track, Corey Jones, Troy - track, Jay Hammond, Mississippi College - football, Whit Whitﬁeld, Univ. Central Arkansas - football, and Michael Thrasher, Air Force - soccer.

Oak Mtn senior Daniel Wolfe races up the ﬁeld to gain control of the ball for the Eagles.

Oak Mtn’s David Jackson and Jay Hammond leap high as Jackson heads the ball for a goal against Gardendale.

Alabama baseball signee, Oak Mtn’s Cary Baxter, leaps high to avoid Pelham’s Bishop sliding into third.

Oak Mtn sophomore Leah Reeve drives the ball deep against Pelham in the Eagles 12-1 win.

Oak Mtn’s Preston Touliatos leaps off the court to drill a backhand across the net in a match against Vestavia.

May 2010

280 Living

FLY-FISHING: From Page 1 believes is one of the finest ways to spend your free time. Diaz, who is a certified instructor by the Federation of Fly Fishing, started this hobby when he was 10 years old, and perfected the art while a student at the University of Oregon. “Oregon has some of the best places anywhere to fly fish,” Diaz said. He said he was able to spend a great deal of time perfecting his craft in the streams and lakes in and around Eugene, where the university is located, and was pleased to find that Alabama offers plenty of location as well, if you know where to find them. His love of this pastime – a method of fishing that can be chronicled back to 200 AD – is enhanced by teaching others. Diaz said he gets a tremendous amount of joy seeing younger people take up the hobby. I wondered if Diaz was telling me about this because he was wary of teaching an “old dog new tricks,” so to speak, when I approached him for a lesson. I am easy to coach and eager to learn, but I feel that regardless, Diaz could teach anyone to not only learn his craft, but learn to love it as well. When I met up with Diaz at the store, I had no idea I was about to not only embark on a fly fishing tutorial, but also a lesson in physics, geometry, golf, and even marriage. To Diaz, fly-fishing incorporates so much of what we do in our everyday life, which is why he says, “It is the most exciting way to catch a fish.” So with fly-fishing lessons also come a great deal of soul searching and life lessons as well. We proceeded to his “casting pond” in the Colonnade Office Park (where, incidentally, no fishing is allowed, bit Diaz is allowed to give his casting lessons). I had watched fly fishing several times, so I assumed I could just pick it up and take to it like I would anything else. But there is so

much more to it, which is what made me realize why so many people develop such a passion for it. Dan Starnes and I accompanied Diaz to the pond, where we went through a series of lessons on where to hold the fly rod, how to hold it, how much line is needed, threading the line, etc. We turned away from the water to first learn the perfect cast. Diaz has a wonderful way of patiently allowing his pupils to make mistakes while correcting those mistakes with stories and philosophies that make sense to anyone. He talks often of simple lessons we should all remember from school, that all apply to fly fishing. Angles, force and resistance, speed and accuracy – all tangled up in what appears on the surface to be an easy task until you try to do it. I struggled a little to remember my high school Physics classes and formulas I had once written on my hand so I could remember them for quizzes. I attempted to recall Geometry lessons and angles and vectors. But it all came together once I made the perfect cast. And nothing pleases Diaz more than a perfect cast. “You felt that, didn’t you?” he asked with a smile as I stood on the bank looking goofy with my hat still turned backward. I did feel it. And like a perfect tee shot in golf or that feeling of hitting a baseball right on the sweet spot, it just felt right. Like everything was aligned. He looked at me and said with a stern look, “Remember what you did and how that feels and repeat it.” Unfortunately I did not. I was giving too much slack on my line, which is strangely similar to some of the criticism I give myself in many of the things I do in my life. Doing something right, and then allowing too much leeway when repeating the task. Again, a wonderful way that this activity is so indicative of how we are as people. “It’s about resisting and then giving a little,” Diaz said, and then looked down at my left hand and noticed my wedding ring. “You’re married, so you should know a little about that.” Diaz says there are several correlations between fly fishing

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FUTURE 280 From Page 1

Beware of ALDOT Point #1. Please check out Oakland California’s lower deck road before committing to this proposal. Suggest that any business owner of a firm located on the 280 lower deck level (currently what is now the highway level) be strongly encouraged to glimpse the future image of their business by going to look at lower deck level businesses in Oakland. Can you say “slums”? Point #2. Assuming greater total lapsed time for construction of an elevated highway versus ground level alternatives, any business currently located on or around 280 from #459 to Eagle Point needs to carefully consider their cash flow requirements over the next 5 years and match them against their current projection of revenue generation over the same period ADJUSTED FOR a realistic estimate of additional business interruption losses likely to be encountered over this extended period of time. Researching for this answer will help business owners evaluate their economic ability to survive as a going concern and can prompt them to commence evaluating alternatives should the answer be outside of their comfort zone. Edward J. Coyne, Sr., Ph. D. Inverness

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and marriage, because they are both a “partnership involving cooperation and compromise, with tremendous rewards.” The thought made me smile, and brought me a deeper understanding of why so many people develop a passion for fly-fishing and why it becomes a part of a person’s life. Diaz wouldn’t be an instructor if he did not love what he instructs, but allowing others to share his love for the sport so easily is another one of Diaz’ gifts. While I explained before that I do not get to fish as often as I would like, I also was once an avid golfer – not very good at it, but avid nonetheless – and Diaz was able to put simple fishing terms into golf terminology to help me understand what I was doing wrong and how to do it right. “We all want to hit the long drive and power everything through. Swing hard and muscle it in there, don’t we?” he asked. I agreed. But I knew where he was going with this. Letting the club do the work in golf is one of the first lessons you learn. It is also completely applicable to fly fishing. He explained that accuracy, and letting the rod do the work for me was what would make me a better fisherman. It was about

ReThink 280 May be the Answer I’m very surprised to see so much support in the poll for ALDOT’s plan, as almost all of the people I know in this area are opposed to it, as are most of the involved communities. My major concern is the extremely negative aesthetics of elevated express lanes, as well as ALDOT’s assertion that the enormous cost of construction and perpetual maintenance of the road would be covered by tolls. If ReThink280’s plan has been as well thought out as it appears to be, the cost of their plan is far less than

It’s all ryhthm and grace finesse, and patience and timing. He was right. I was able to perform a flawless cast four times in a row, which is when Diaz announced that the lesson would conclude there. “I think that is a good note to end on,” he said. “Wouldn’t you like to always finish a round of golf on a good shot?” (again with the golf analogy). The intertwining of golf, and relationships and poetry and physics and baseball and everything else that makes my life wonderful was also what made my lesson so enjoyable. And that, I believe, is what makes Diaz such a successful instructor. He is able to apply the techniques and philosophies of his hobby to what your interests are. And he can do it with an intuitive knowledge that makes him one of the more likable guys I have ever met. This article is the first part of a series – watch for the second portion in the June issue. For more information on how to set up a lesson with David Diaz, visit Deep South Outfitters at 4700 Cahaba River Road, or call 205-969-3868.

ALDOT’s, yet preserves express lanes (albeit depressed rather than elevated). If no other funds are available and ALDOT is wedded to tolls, then the lower cost of the ReThink280 means that tolls would be more likely to cover the cost of construction and maintenance. I doubt that would happen under the current plan. Jay Phelan Think outside of the box! One easy step to implement a solution to immediately add relief to the 280 commute is for businesses to implement telecommuting and flex work hours. There are too many workers on 280 during rush hour that are only driving to sit in a cube all day for work they could be doing at home. Flex hours would allow workers to miss rush hour by leaving at or before 6am or after 8:30am. With high speed Internet, voice over IP, and webcam conferencing, I think that a large majority of drivers could be working from home. I have been doing it for eight years and I am more productive and have less stress. Maybe take some of that $800 million and use it to let businesses make a certain percentage of their workforce telecommuters or flex hour workers. If you build it they will come. Adding additional lanes or the elevated toll will cause more rapid growth in Shelby County. If there is additional capacity the developers will only accelerate the building. Shame on the County and City governments along the 280 route for not requiring service roads when the developments were built. Just a bunch of tax greedy politicians with no foresight on the infrastructure that would be required in the future. Steve Crane We thank all of our readers for their thoughtful commentary. Our poll is not to be considered scientific and may not accurately reflect the views of the entire population. Those who have not voted, but wish to do so may still vote at 280living.com. There you can also read other comments from our readers.

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280 Living

May 2010

OMMS student awarded band scholarship

Ryan English from Oak Mountain Middle School Over 200 musicians from middle Guest clinician for the high school honor schools and high schools across Shelby band was Dr. Corey Spurlin, Associate County participated in the 2010 Shelby Director of Bands and Marching Band County Honor Band Festival. Students Director at Auburn University. The guest had only about twelve hours of rehearsal clinician for the middle school group was between Thursday evening and Saturday Mr. Jerell Horton, Director of Bands at morning to prepare for a finale concert held Vestavia Hills High School. Saturday afternoon at Pelham High School. In an effort to encourage students

to pursue their interest in music in high school and at the collegiate level, the Shelby County Band Director’s Association awarded four music scholarships to students who participated in the event. Two $250 scholarships were awarded to eighth grade members of the middle school group who plan to participate in the music program in high school. Two $500 scholarships are awarded to high school seniors who plan to pursue music at the collegiate level. This year the Middle School scholarship winners included Ryan English from Oak Mountain Middle School. The Shelby County Honor Band Festival is one of the longest running Honor Band Festivals in the state of Alabama serving over 200 Shelby County students every year. In addition, Ryan was selected to play tuba in four honor bands this year: 2nd chair in the highest of four middle school bands at UAB, 1st chair in the highest of two middle school bands at Samford, 3rd chair in the district honor band, and 1st chair in the Shelby County Honor Band

Arina Ghosh Wins First Place at the Regional and State Science Fairs Arina Ghosh, a junior at the Alabama School of fine Arts, won first place in the senior division Chemistry category at The Central Alabama Regional Engineering and Science fair (CARESF 2010) recently held at UAB. Students from six central Alabama counties competed to qualify for the 2010 Alabama Science and Engineering Fair held recently in Huntsville on April 1-3. Once again, Arina’s project “The Effect of Heavy Metals On Porphyrin Ring Compounds Part 2: Hg and Pb Uptake at the Base of the Food Chain Near Toxic Waste Disposal Sites” won first place in the senior division, Biochemistry category, at the State Fair. Her project also won special awards from

ﬁrst visit for Haircut or

the American Chemical Society, the Yale Science and Engineering Association for “Most Outstanding Eleventh Grade Exhibit”, and The Boeing Trophy for “Best Scientific Method”. In addition, she has been selected as one of the INTEL finalists from Alabama, to participate in the prestigious Intel 2010 International Science & Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF 2010). She will be competing at the national/global level representing Alabama with an allexpense paid trip to San Jose, California on May 9-14, 2010. ASFA’s AP Chemistry teacher Judy Cantwell, was her mentor. She is the daughter of Deep and Leena Ghosh of North Shelby County.

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Sarah Thorne Davis has joined Somerby at St. Vincent’s One Nineteen as Masterpiece Living coordinator for the active retirement community in Hoover. A registered dietitian, Ms. Davis will implement the individualized Masterpiece Living physical, social, intellectual and spiritual program for each resident. A research-based initiative, Masterpiece Living is designed to create a culture that embraces what research on aging indicates is possible ― older adults can continue to grow throughout their lives. Ms. Davis earned a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in family and consumer sciences and an emphasis in dietetics and nutrition from The University of Mississippi. She completed a dietetic internship in nutrition therapy and food systems management at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She has had more than four years experience in nutrition and wellness programs. In addition to being a registered dietitian, Ms. Davis is a certified personal trainer and a wellness fitness coach. Ms.

Sarah Thorne Davis Davis is a member of American Dietetic Association, National Academy of Sports Medicine and is a licensed dietician in Alabama.

Do You Have Any Problems? by Marlene Buckler, M.D., FACEP

Do you have any problems? Well, doesn’t everyone? A few years ago I figured something out. I realized that if I could awaken in the morning, get to the bathroom under my own power, pee without a catheter, breathe without effort, see, speak and hear, then I didn’t have any problems. That simple understanding changed my life for the better. A little reminder, on those now-rare occasions when I’m feeling sorry for myself, usually does the trick. And if it doesn’t, then I just go to work in the ER and see all the people who are much worse off than I. That’s a humbling and educational experience. Some people are frequent fliers to the ER and, you know what, they are usually the ones who don’t seem to enjoy life. Is it the chicken or the egg? Are

they unhappy because they’re sick, or are they sick because they are unhappy? I’m thinking it might be the latter. So, what is it that you are complaining about that would pale compared to the loss of one of the faculties you now take for granted? It’s a known fact that happy people are healthier people. A positive mental attitude and a state of gratitude, coupled with exercise and good nutrition, will go a long way to keeping you healthy and out of the ER. May I never see you in my line of work! About the author: Marlene Buckler, MD, FACEP is an emergency room doctor, and a Fellow in the American College of Emergency Physicians (ECEP). She has been practicing emergency medicine for fifteen years. www.StayOutofMyER.com. (Reprinted with permission from Steve Van Gilder’s Lifestyles Newsletter. For questions regarding long term care insurance, contact Steve at 205-243-4417.)

Lorie Johnson Foundation Golf Tournament scheduled for May 17 A golf tournament benefiting the Lorie Johnson Foundation is scheduled for May 17 at Highland Golf Course, with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. All proceeds go toward supporting cancer patients and their families, one of the aspects that makes the foundation so unique. Steve Bishop, who attends Double Oak

May 2010 HEARDMONT PARK SENIOR CENTER CALENDAR Come and use our new exercise equipment any time during operating hours! SPECIAL MAY EVENTS:

MAYÊ 3Ê Ð Ê StrawberryÊ PickingÊ &Ê PetalsÊ FromÊ theÊ PastÊ Outing,Ê 9-3 MAYÊ 4Ê Ð Ê GardenÊ Project,Ê 1:00 MAYÊ 11Ê Ê -Ê AdvisoryÊ Council,Ê 1:00 MAYÊ 12Ê Ð Ê ComputerÊ KnowledgeÊ 101,Ê 10:00Ê Ð Ê 11:00 MAYÊ 13Ê Ð Ê SoupÊ CanÊ PerformersÊ fromÊ OaksÊ onÊ Parkwood,Ê 11:00 MAY 13 – Master’s Game Information, 12:30 MayÊ 19Ê -Ê Ê ComputerÊ TroubleÊ Shooting MAYÊ 20Ê Ð Ê ShelbyÊ CountyÊ SeniorÊ Picnic,Ê 9:00Ê Ð Ê 1:00,Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê Ê ShelbyÊ CountyÊ Airport MAYÊ 31Ê Ð Ê CenterÊ Closed NOTE:Ê *ItemsÊ indicateÊ aÊ nominalÊ fee.Ê $2Ê perÊ personÊ suggestedÊ mealÊ donationÊ Ð Ê pleaseÊ reserveÊ mealsÊ inÊ advance.Ê OutingsÊ areÊ limitedÊ toÊ 12Ê people,Ê soÊ signÊ upÊ early.

CenterÊ Manager:Ê TheresaÊ Green Hours:Ê Mon-Fri,Ê 9am-3pm PhoneÊ (205)Ê 991-5742 FaxÊ (205)Ê 991-5657 Email:Ê heardmontpark@hotmail.comÊ

Community church in Mt Laurel, is the chairman of the foundation and said he thinks the tournament, which already has 10 teams signed up already, “should be a good time for everyone.” The tournament will have a maximum

See Tournament, PAGE 17 (every) MONDAY

9:00Ê Ð Ê 12:00Ê Ð Ê MahÊ Jongg 9:30Ê -Ê 10:30Ê Ê TaiÊ Chi 10:30Ê Ð Ê 12:00Ê Ê DominoesÊ 11:30Ê -Ê 3:00Ê Ê Canasta

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10:00Ê -Ê 11:00Ê Ê WorkoutÊ withÊ Donna 11:00Ê -Ê 12:00Ê Ê BibleÊ Study 11:00Ê Wii 12:00Ê Ê LunchÊ (withÊ TomÊ SawyerÊ reading) 12:30Ê Ð Ê 2:00Ê Ð Ê BingoÊ BunchÊ (18th,Ê 25th)

(every) WEDNESDAY

9:00Ê -Ê 12:00Ê Ê BridgeÊ 11:30Ê Ð Ê 3:00Ê Rummikub 12:00Ê Ð Ê Lunch 1:00Ê Ð Ê 2:00Ê Ê *BallroomÊ DancingÊ

(every) THURSDAY

10:00Ê -Ê 11:00Ê Ê ExerciseÊ withÊ DonnaÊ 12:00Ê Ê Ê Lunch 12:30Ê Ð Ê 2:00Ê BingoÊ BunchÊ (6th,Ê 27th) 12:30Ê Ð Ê 3:30Ê Ê *AcrylicÊ ArtÊ ClassÊ (6th,Ê Ê 27th)

(every) FRIDAY

9:00Ê Ð Ê 9:45Ê Ê ZUMBAÊ Gold 10:00Ê -Ê 11:00Ê Ê IntermediateÊ LineÊ Dancing 11:00Ê Ð Ê 12:00Ê Ê BeginningÊ LineÊ Dancing

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420 Inverness Corners Birmingham, AL 35242

May 2010

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Total Natural Health

www.chiropractictoday.com

The Simple Truth Most people go to the doctor because they think they have something they shouldn’t have and want to get rid of. But over the years, we chiropractors have come to understand that the problem when you Dr. Irma Palmer aren’t feeling well is NOT that you have something you shouldn’t have and need to get rid of; the problem is really that you have LOST something you need to be healthy, balanced and whole. You see HEALTH (also called “EASE”) is your natural state! If you are experiencing anything other than ease, it is usually because you have simply LOST something that is necessary for you to maintain ease/health. Understanding this very simple truth will not only help you get the most out of your chiropractic care, it will also help you and your family to keep growing stronger and healthier for the rest of your lives! Let’s begin helping you understand this by looking at how your body really works. There are three things you need to know in order to move consistently toward health, wellness and wholeness. 1) Every day, your body either gets a little stronger or a little weaker. 2) In order to get stronger instead of weaker each day, you must have a clear neurological CONNECTION between your brain and your body. 3) In order to have a clear connection between your brain and your body and keep growing stronger every day, your spine must be properly aligned

and functioning normally (because of the intimate connections between your spine and nerve system).

If you understand these three things, you can also understand that if you lose normal alignment or function in your spine, you will also partially lose the CONNECTION between your brain and your body. This is very important because without proper communication, you lose the ability to purposefully ORGANIZE all of the various parts of your body to work together harmoniously and with EASE. In other words, you get a little weaker rather than stronger each day and you gradually LOSE your natural state of health/ease. Chiropractic has only ONE GOAL, which can be summed up in what we call “The 3 R’s.” Our goal is to;

how we choose to move and the thoughts we think move us in the desired direction of growing stronger as we grow older. Observe the chart below and notice what gradual changes occur as your connection is loss. Many approaches are reaction oriented. Consider being restored from the inside out and be amazed along the way of how your body can heal and restore itself. Unfortunately, many have been lead to believe otherwise. So, as I said before, the problem is NOT that you have something you shouldn’t have and need to get rid of; the problem is that you have LOST something you need to be healthy, balanced and whole. HEALTH is our natural state, and if you are experiencing anything other than health consider looking at it from a different approach. Evaluate your lifestyle choices

and schedule an appointment to see if you have lost your proper connection. A chiropractor’s job is simple, help the person get back to life and keep them living it! It’s as simple as that! Event of the Month: May, we will continue to offer our community, complimentary spinal evaluations on Tuesdays. Contact the ofﬁce and make your appointment. Plan ahead in June and July for our children’s scoliosis screening event, more details will follow. As always, go to our web page calendar to be apart of our community classes held every Tuesday morning from 10:30 am to 11:00 am. Topics are health and wellness oriented and free for the community. Seating is limited so let us know you are coming by email or calling in advance.

4) Help Restore and maintain alignment and function in your spine, in order to… 5) Re-establish and maintain the neurological CONNECTIONS between your brain and your body, so that… 6) You can Resume purposefully ORGANIZING all of the parts of your body to work harmoniously together and consistently grow stronger and healthier every day. And, as you continue growing stronger and healthier every day, you will move consistently from wherever you are right now toward ﬁrst regaining your natural state of health (EASE), and then keep on moving toward wellness and ultimately into what we call wholeness. Healthy lifestyle choices in the areas of what we eat,

Tournament

Partying for Parkinsons Event raises big FUNds!

of 25 teams, and will be played as a fourperson best ball format. Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. In addition to prizes, all participants will have food provided and a gift bag. “We have put together some great goody bags for everyone. And there is a trip to Hawaii for anyone who scores a hole-in-one,” Bishop said. Cost for entering the tournament is $400 per team and sponsorships are also available for anyone wishing to sponsor a hole. The Lorie Johnson Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization that was founded in February 2008 in honor of Lorie Johnson (Please see Lorie’s story). When our friend and namesake, Lorie Johnson, was diagnosed with breast cancer we realized that there is limited ﬁnancial support for women with cancer, The Lorie Johnson Foundation was established. Our purpose is to assist women who have been diagnosed with cancer through education, awareness, active fundraising, and ﬁnancial support for medical bills, living expenses, and travel. For more information, please go to www.loriejohnsonfoundation.org, or email the organization at info@ loriejohnsonfoundation.org.

by Patti Henderson Last year, Leeds residents Sean McDonald and Carolyn Hoffman held a crawﬁsh boil in their backyard to raise funds for the Michael J. Fox Foundation in honor of Sean’s father, James T. McDonald. “We ended up raising money for Parkinsons because of my Dad. He has been living with Parkinsons for over 10 years,” said Sean. Much to Sean’s surprise, his backyard bash raised $1,300.00 on donations alone! With that fundraising success under his belt, he set his sights even higher and moved this year’s event to The Vulcan Event Center. All those attending this year’s event paid $25 for a ticket (or $30 at the door) which included their donation, as well as complimentary Cajun cuisine from Jubilee Joes Restaurant, dessert, beer and wine tickets. “My parents still reside in New Orleans and that is why we used the ‘Laissez Le Bon Temps Roulet’ slogan ~ ‘let the good times roll!’” said Sean. “We wanted to incorporate that festive South Louisiana lifestyle into our event.” Entertainment was provided by Altamont and Livewire – two local bands that frequent a variety of establishments in Birmingham. In addition to ticket sales, a silent auction was held for items such as

Chiropractic Today Total Natural Health

vacation getaways, home furnishings, lawn services, Nascar and Indy Car packages, and a host of other items. “We had a broad range of items at different starting bids so most of our guest could participate, no matter their budget,” said Sean. Platinum sponsors helped by donating at least $500, or supporting the event in some way that equaled a $500 cash Selling tickets for Partying for Parkinsons Event value. Sean said, “This helped us reduce our overhead, and give Parks - Randy Jinks. more back to both of our charities.” Parkinsons affects the lives of 10,000 The following sponsors contributed people living in Alabama and over 5 million to this year’s success: Ameriprise Financial worldwide. All the money raised from the - Carolyn Hoffman, Coors Light - Adam Partying for Parkinsons event including Campbell, Life Care Hospice - Vicki Trull, ticket sales, auction and gift cards totaled Jubilee Joes Restaurant, Hartline Roberts $7800.00. “100% of all money raised goes Financial - Brian Haynes, Hunters Cleaners, to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and The Independent Medical - Chad Trull, The Sign Parkinson Association of Alabama,” says Shop, Storkland Baby & Kids Furniture, Sean. Citadel Radio - JOX 94.5 and News Talk For more information, including WAPI 100.5, Studio Flower, Fox & The sponsorship opportunities for next year, Hound - Hope Spencer, and Alabama State visit www.partyingforparkinsons.org.

420 Inverness Corners Birmingham, AL 35242

(205) 991-3511

www.chiropractictoday.com

May 2010

| 280 Living

Denise ObertLandscape Design

Native Plant Designs Available ❋ Licensed in Alabama Unique Gift Idea for Newlyweds/New Homeowners

(205) 821-7698

DeniseObert52@gmail.com

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Meadowbrook named one of “America’s Best Suburbs”

In a Bloomberg BusinessWeek article dated March 2nd, 2010, our very own Meadowbrook subdivision was named one of America’s Best Affordable Suburbs. The article states that 863 communities were evaluated by the New York based real estate data company Onboard Informatics, and based on parameters such as living expenses, income, crime rate, schools, commute, local economy, racial diversity, and green space, the highest scoring neighborhoods were named – only one for each state. Meadowbrook received the honor for the state of Alabama! Specifically, the report says “Meadowbrook, a neighborhood near Hoover, offers a range of real estate from starter homes to midlevel properties. A large portion of the population, 46%, is

married with children and the average commute is 24 minutes. Also according to the article, Meadowbrook has a population of 6,687, a median family income of $113,049 (based on the U.S. Census Data), a median home price of $213,300 (based on 2009 projections), an unemployment rate of 7.6% (based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from December 2009), and a violent crime index of 10 (a weighted index based on FBI crime statistics; 100 is the national average for violent crime, so 200 would be twice the national average and 50 would be half the national average). So, as you can see, Meadowbrook is simply a lovely place to live! No secret to us though!

Hampton Inn & Suites coming to Lee Branch

And here’s 15% off to help!* *packing & shipping of one package. Good for the month of May 2010 UPS, FedEx, DHL only

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(L-R) Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos; Jordan Hunt (Mr. Hunt’s daughter); Jeff Jerniganm, Pinkerton & Laws – GC; Sam Renta, Alliance Capital Corp.; Martha Jean Shaw, Realty South; Tom Hunt, PHD Hotels; Steve Crabill, Hilton Hotels Corp.; Angie Winter, Alabama Small Business Capital; Chris Chavis, PHD Hotels; Greg Williams, Redstone Federal Credit Union

by Patti Henderson “I remember thinking…one day, that’s going to be a great place to put a hotel.” Those are the words of hotel manager and developer Thomas L. Hunt, Jr. He made that prediction as he passed by The Village at Lee Branch several years ago on one of his many trips between Auburn, where he’s lived since 1990, and Memphis, his hometown. It was 2004 when Lee Branch opened for business. Today it is still anchored by Publix and Academy Sports. But come early 2011, Hampton Inn & Suites will also adorn the property and help draw people to the shopping center. The hotel will sit behind the Rave Motion Picture Movie Theatre and house 106 guest rooms. Access to the hotel will wind through Lee Branch and connect to Eagle Point Drive. Construction of the connecting road is courtesy of AIG Baker, the developer of Lee Branch. Mr. Hunt is no stranger to the hospitality business. In fact, this will be his 13th hotel. The Hampton Inn & Suites in Opelika, owned by Mr. Hunt and managed by Amy Scott, recently earned the Connie Award, placing an impressive 3rd out of 1700 locations worldwide for best in Quality and Service. Perhaps that’s because Mr. Hunt sets the tone with his personal philosophy, based on Romans 12:13: Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. “We care deeply how we treat people at our properties,” says Mr. Hunt. “We feel like we are helping people when they walk through our doors.”

The official Groundbreaking & Blessing Ceremony took place March 23rd. Over 30 people were in attendance including Mr. Hunt’s wife and two children, the Mayor of Hoover Tony Petelos, the Pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church Mark Lacey, several investors, bank and hotel representatives, and Chamber of Commerce staff members from Hoover and Shelby County and media. However, before any breaking of ground took place, Pastor Mark Lacey was asked to lead an invocation to bless the grounds and all who would be involved in the making, managing, financing and visiting of the hotel. “We’re thankful to be in the city of Hoover,” said Mr. Hunt. “We love this area and feel like it is a great place to put a hotel.” To that, Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos responded, “We realize that tourist dollars are very important. We are going to continue to bring more and more special events to the area to help bring in business.” Mr. Steve Crabill, VP Franchise Development with Hilton Hotels spoke briefly. He said, “Tom is one of my favorite franchisees. One of the things I love about him is his Christian philosophy. He believes in taking care of people who are away from home. He lives it.” Mr. Hunt works under the business name PHD Hotels, which stands for Practicing Hospitality Daily. “We know that God has a plan for us with this hotel. We’re going to try to be ‘the good neighbor.’” The 280 Living family and all of Birmingham is lucky to have such a dedicated neighbor moving in. Let’s be sure to make him feel welcome!

www.280living.com

280 Living

May 2010

North Shelby Children’s/Teen Department May Happenings 2010 Summer Reading is almost here! We have all kinds of great programs and activities scheduled for this year’s Summer Reading program, “Make a Splash” at your library. Some of these include: jugglers, cows, magicians, movies, crafts, and more! Summer Reading Early Registration – May 17th – May 23rd – Come by the Children’s Department to pre-register for our Summer Reading Program. Children will receive a special prize for registering during this time. No phone registration, please. Summer Reading Regular Registration – May 24th – July 13th – No phone registration, please.

Special Programming

Toddler Tales Mondays, May 3rd, 10th, and 17th - 10:30 & 11:30 a.m.: Stories, songs, ﬁngerplays and crafts make up a lively 30 minute program designed especially for short attention spans. Registration will begin one week prior to each storytime. Ages 19-36 months. Registration Required. Baby Tales Story Time Tuesdays, May 11th and 25th – 10:30-11:00 a.m. A story time designed especially for babies and their caregivers. Stories and music provide interaction for the babies and time for caregivers to talk and share with each other. No siblings please. Ages: Birth to 18 months. Registration Required. Registration begins two weeks prior to program date.

Mondays, May 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th – 3:15-4:15pm: “Sit, Stay, Read!” A nonproﬁt organization through Hand-in-Paw dedicated to providing volunteer services to children. Sit, Stay, Read! brings children together with specially trained dogs to help them gain more conﬁdence in their reading abilities in an individual setting at the North Shelby library that is supportive, relaxed, and furry!

Mr. Mac (Storyteller Extraordinaire!) Wednesdays, May 5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th at 10:45 a.m. Stories, puppets, and lots of music for every member of the family. All Ages. No Registration Required.

Tuesday, May 4th – 4 p.m.: Craft – #1 Mom Photo Frame - Show Mom how much you love her by making her this very special photo frame. Registration begins April 20th. All Ages. Registration Required.

Call or email the Children’s Department at 4395504 or NorthShelbyYouth@gmail.com for more information.

Wednesday, May 19th at 1:00 p.m.: Homeschool Hangout: End of School Party Join us as we celebrate the end of the school year with games and snacks. Ages 8-12. Registration Required. Saturday, May 22nd: Family Movie Day: 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Astro Boy Join Astro Boy, a young robot with incredible powers, as he embarks on a journey in search of acceptance. All Ages. Snacks served. No Registration Required.

• Closets •Organization Service • Garage •Laundry Room • Pantry •Ofﬁce & More

Story-Time Programming

P. J. Story Time Thursdays, May 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th at 7 p.m. Come in your PJs, have milk and cookies, and hear some wonderful bedtime tales. All Ages. No Registration Required.

Organize Your Life Today! Custom Designs Organization Services Professional Installation

Call Lisa Reich at (205) 612-5581 or dreich4013@charter.net

Summer Items are Here ! $10.00 OFF on Baths for First Time Customers!

Fancy Fur

Teen Scene @ NSL

Teen Book Club - May 15 @11am The Teen Book Club will meet at Booksa-Million at Brook Highland, located off of Hwy. 280, to suggest new books for the collection. Teen Writer’s Club/Teen Advisory Group - May 15 @11am It’s time for our annual trip to Books-aMillion at Brook Highland, located of off Hwy. 280! We want you to suggest new books for the collection.

Greystone Antiques & Marketplace 5475 Highway 280 East Birmingham, AL 35242 (205) 995-4773

Call today for a free in-home consultation!!!

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NOW UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP & MANAGEMENT

“Something Old. Something New.” And lots of stuff in between! Think of it as over 60 mini retailers (with only a few spaces still available) all under one roof! Truly – over 20,000 square feet full of everything from the small collectible to the rare antique await your perusal. Everything from costume jewelry to estate jewels. Second-hand, third-hand, and the really old stuff to the brand spanking new. Hand-crafted items by local artists too! When it comes to home furnishings, home decorating and gift giving, “we are a fullservice station – a one-stop shop,” says manager Chris Collins. And to back this claim, Chris says they offer upholstery service, furniture painting, in-house interior decorator service with a “Decorator for a Day” program, delivery service, moving service, and no-charge layaway. So if you see something you like, but it’s in the wrong color, they can ﬁx that right away and in-house.

County Fair

Have you been looking for the County Fair store? We found it! It’s under the roof of Greystone Antiques & Marketplace! Like before, County Fair offers a unique blend of new gift items, monogramming, personalization, children’s clothing and children’s bedding ~ the same stuff that made it such a popular place to shop before. Only now, owners Wendy Buchanan and Elaine Buchanan have a more open and airy space to stock the shelves. Together, Chris, Wendy and Elaine have put together a really fun and super exciting place to shop for your home, yourself and almost everyone on your gift list!

County Fair Owner, Wendy Buchanan; Greystone Antiques & Marketplace Manager, Chris Collins

Hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10-6 and Sunday 1-5. They are closed on Monday. Stop by often as the store is ever evolving as vendors bring in new items daily. Soon you’ll be able to log on to www. GreystoneAntiquesMarket.com which is under construction, or you can visit www. CountyFairGifts.com which is available now. Keep this in mind: Chris is in negotiations for an in-house coffee shop as well. She would like to offer her customers a place where they can prop their feet up, refuel, and stay a while! One Saturday a month, Greystone Antiques & Marketplace features a Red Balloon Sale. Check out their ad in 280 Living to ﬁnd out each month’s special.

Wide Variety of Furniture, Rugs, Lighting, Art, Accessories, Decor, and More!

Hours: Mon-Sat 10-6, Sun 1-5 0-6, Sun 1-5 5475 Highway 280 East (Across from Jim & Nicks)

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May 2010

| 280 Living

Ever seen a flying K-9?

Balance

Over the head

by Patti Henderson Spectacular is the word that comes to mind to describe the Amazing Flying K-9’s show. You don’t even have to be a dog lover to be entertained and amazed by it! Owner/Trainer David DeMent recently put together a “mini-show” for a handful of spectators at Rathmell Sports Park in Cahaba Heights. First to perform was “Airy Kairy.” She took off like a bullet after one of her pink Frisbees thrown across the field. Airy Kairy is an 8-year-old Australian Blue Heeler, and at times, she can reach heights of 8 feet off the ground! Next we saw the young two-year-old Aussie/Brittany Spaniel named “Lexie” show off her bag of tricks. She was rescued from a shelter. David knew the moment he saw her how eager she was to please. He

knew she’d make the perfect addition to the show. “Grace” is a 6-year-old Blue Heeler (with a smidge of Border Collie in her), half the size of Airy Kairy, but boy could she fly! Then we watched “Phree.” This seven-year-old Australian Shepherd was a crowd pleaser with her grace, agility and special “dance” moves. Since 1999, this one-of-a-kind canine show has been thrilling millions of fans across the nation at pre-collegiate, collegiate and professional levels including ESPN, SEC sporting events, and Animal Planet. The really cool part is now we have access to him (and the dogs)! What used to be reserved for big time arenas is now available to us locally. Perfect for your next

Don’t bother with a fence

birthday party, corporate picnic, school, team or church event, etc. “It’s good, clean fun for the entire family. The parents love the show just as much as the kids,” says David. It’s also safe and informational. The Amazing Flying K-9’s show comes complete with David and his K-9’s, a PA system, music, and choreographed

routines. This 20-30 minute program promises to be a very entertaining and very interactive show. In addition, David will share important dog safety and safe dog handling techniques with his audience. The Amazing Flying K-9’s show is now available for bookings. Visit www. k9air.com for more information.

www.280living.com

280 Living

My South |

by Rick Watson

“Hold on!”

I’d never heard of a driver’s safety course and I probably would have considered it a waste of time when I was younger, until I got an up close and personal demonstration of its merits. My cousin Randall’s family moved off up north when I was very young and they moved back home to Alabama when I was about sixteen. Randall attended junior high school in Indiana and one of the requirements there was driving school. He was an excellent driver. He honored all traffic signs, used his blinkers when making turns and always tested his brakes prior to needing them at stop signs or unexpected animal events (deer darts and dog dares). His cousins tended to have fun at his expense because as all southerners know, speed limits and traffic signs are simply suggestions for the uninitiated. Most of us thought (and apparently still think) that turn signals are optional and used mainly by old geezers with faint hearts. One spring morning as I rode with Randall in his newly purchased (old) Simca, I realized the value of driving school. I should have been leery of the Simca from the start as it was one of those small cars that resembled a roller skate with windshield wipers. Of all places, the contraption was built in France. Randall got a good deal on the Simca and had it serviced by a local mechanic. The mechanic had never seen a Simca before but used this repair job as an excuse to buy a new set of metric wrenches. When we picked the car up, it seemed to be doing fine. For some reason that I don’t recall, we headed through Kershaw Hollow and across Fire Tower Mountain. Now Fire Tower isn’t really a mountain in the sense that most westerners know, but for us hillbillies here in these parts, it’s about as high as it gets. That’s the reason the forestry service built a fire tower up there. When we crested the hill, Randall tested the brakes just as his training had taught him. When he pressed the brake,

it went all the way down. I could hear metal against metal as the pedal banged repeatedly against the floorboard. I’ve driven old cars all my life and I knew that sound because I’d heard it many times before when my jalopies got too low of brake fluid. My cousin never panicked. He simply reached between the seat for the emergency brake which he expertly ripped up to stop the runaway skateboard with doors. Not sure what happened, but not only did the car NOT stop, but it picked up speed. The road seemed to drop off before us like a cliff and Randall, still focused on maintaining control, said “hold on.” Now that’s an instruction he really didn’t have to give. I don’t think he’d ever been down Fire Tower Mountain before, but I had. I knew it was a good mile and a half of steady descent with hairpin turns. With uncanny presence, he whipped the steering wheel this way and that and continued trying to shift down into a lower gear to slow the car down. The ride down that mountain was like a roller-coaster. Before we got to the bottom, I’d said the world’s longest prayer, confessed all my sins, and said goodbye to mama. It’s a miracle that we made it to the bottom without flipping over one of the embankments, being thrown out, smacking our heads against oak trees, and being eaten by wild animals before our family and friends discovered our bones. When I unfolded myself out of the Simca at the bottom, I noticed there were dents in the roof where my hands had pushed to hold on. I’m guessing the seat covers had a hole made by my backside. From that day forward, I never made fun of cousin Randall for having gone to driving school. In fact, I think it saved our lives About the Author: Learn more about Rick Watson and his new book “Remembering Big” by visiting www.homefolkmedia.com.

Cents of Style |

Linda Noel

Appearance Matters! May, May the merry month of May!! It always brings thoughts of flowers, warmer days and Moms!! Now you ask yourself, how do Moms have anything to do with style? Really, you didn’t just ask that!! Moms have everything to do with style. Our Mom’s style sense shapes our own from the first moment they dress us in our onesies, overalls or dresses! Around Mother’s Day we reflect back on the things our mother’s taught us. Always say please and thank you, wash your hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze and don’t wear white shoes until after Easter!! In my mind there is so much when it comes to style that I have garnered from my mother and my grandmothers. Of course over the years some of those lessons have been altered. In recent years, white is acceptable about 365 days a year, depending on how you pull it off; there is no age limit for style, and wearing red does not reflect on your character! As young girls, we learned from watching our mothers get ready for a night out. From picking the right earrings, which shoe looks better, and what color lipstick should they wear? Young boys learned to shave and the mechanics of tying a tie from watching their dads. Sometimes it was a very subtle

message, just seeing how they dressed for different social occasions from a party, to a wedding or a funeral. It was not necessarily taught but absorbed as we watched them in their day to day life. Almost every little girl gets to play in her mother’s or grandmother’s jewelry or in my daughter’s case, dressing up in my wedding veil. How does any young girl learn about makeup? By playing with it as their mother is putting her makeup on. It is not always the verbal message but the hands on one that stays with us. I am not ashamed to admit that I acquired my love of clothes from my mother and grandmother’s and I am proud to say that I have passed this on to my daughter! I hope that we are passing down the right message to our sons and daughters on style and fashion. No, it is not going to stop global warming or the health care crisis, but how you present yourself is important for many aspects of the life that lies before you. Whether it is in the workforce or in a social occasion, I have always felt that appearance does matter. And just like when we were young, our children today may not be listening, but they are absorbing the knowledge and storing it away for the future.

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280 Living

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The Pollen Connection|

Our community is covered with a golden splash. Everywhere we look there is something covered with pollen. Our cars, houses, patio furniture, driveways, and clothes are golden in color. I even have trouble ﬁnding my car in the morning because it looks like a golden bush. There is pollen everywhere! And this reality of the natural world reminds me of a reality in the spiritual world. God has also covered the world with His love. His love is everywhere! Look at the beginning of that wonderful scripture in John 3:16 “for God so loved the world.” The Word of God says that God so loved the world. He does not love just one nation, not just one culture, not just one kind of people. No, He loves the whole world. His love is falling everywhere! Even before the coming of Christ, God’s words were telling people He loved the entire world. That He had no favorites. When He called the Israelites they were slaves. They were nobodies in the world. If God had favorites, He would have chosen the winners, the strong and the successful. He would have chosen the Egyptians. They were strong and powerful. But He chose the slaves of the Egyptians, the Israelites. He loves the whole world. His love falls everywhere. God loves the whole world. He even loves our enemies. This does bother us from time to time. There are people we just do not like. There are people we want to put down and criticize. But we must remember that God is determined. He is determined to love everyone. He is determined to let His love

Edd Spencer

fall on the rich and poor, the weak and strong, the sinner, and even our enemies. One day an angry little boy ran around his village shouting “I hate you! I hate you!” No one knew quite how to respond to him. Eventually the little boy ran to the edge of a steep cliff and shouted into the valley, “I hate you! I hate you!” Back from the valley came an echo “I hate you! I hate you!” Startled at this, the boy ran home with tears in his eyes, he told his mother that there was a new little boy in the valley who shouted at him, “I hate you! I hate you!” His mother took the boy back to the cliff and told him to shout “I love you! I love you!” When he did, back came the reply “I love you! I love you!” From that day on, the little boy was not angry anymore. Maybe if we want to feel better about ourselves and the world in which we live, we need to follow the example of this little boy. Maybe if we want to feel better about ourselves and the world in which we live we must follow the example of God. To hear His words “I love you! I love you!” covering the world and then to share those precious words with others. Next time you see the pollen everywhere also remember that God’s love is everywhere. For God so loved the world. He loves each and every one of us. He loves each of us, and every one of us, and all of us. He even loves you and me. Praise be to God. About the author: You can reach Pastor Edd Spencer at First Christian Church, 4954 Valleydale Road, Birmingham, AL 35242. www.fcc-bhm.org, 205-9915000.

Spring Lawn and Landscape Care by Fred Kapp, Educational Liaison Alabama Green Industry Training Center Spring has arrived and there are lots of activities you can undertake to greatly improve your lawn and landscape this season. Spring flowering plants, those that have just finished blooming should be selectively pruned at this time. These plants include azaleas, Indian hawthorn, loropetalum and many others. Pruning for each plant is a little different, but in no case should it involve shearing with gas or electric clippers. Proper pruning revolves around thinning out long shoots to an interior branch. All of these plants will flower more profusely, and have a more natural look, if their natural shape is accentuated. Pruning is really an art and requires a good deal of knowledge and hard work to do properly. If you decide to tackle that landscape install yourself, please take the time to research and locate plants that adapt well to Alabama with our tight soils, tropical rains and hot weather. At the very least, do thorough soil preparation by tilling the soil to eight inches of depth, adding a few inches of compost and tilling again. Plants installed in well-prepared soil will usually thrive and need less fertilizer and pesticide applications in the future. Common mistakes made by novice gardeners include: • Planting shade loving plants like dogwoods and azaleas in the sun. • Installing plants adapted to the north like white pines, rhododendrons and Canadian hemlock. • Planting sod around the base of trees, causing the tree and turf to fail. • Planting shrubs and trees too deeply. Always make sure the top of the root system is at or above grade. • Planting shrubs too close to each other

or too close to structures. Plants that don’t have enough room become disfigured and never perform up to expectations. • Over-pruning. Shearing your plants into “green meatballs” destroys the natural form and makes the plantings look harsh. Additionally, flowering plants will have poor displays and junipers may fail to regrow. • Not reading the pesticide label. Studies show that homeowners miss the target more often than not and may use three times the label rate under the assumption that more is better. If you have questions, contact the county extension office in your area or e-mail me at fkapp@bellsouth.net. Remember, if you need help from a professional, there are many quality landscape management companies in the area. Members of both the Greater Birmingham Association of Landscape Professionals and the Alabama Nursery and Landscape Association are easy to find in the 280 corridor. Make sure the contractor has adequate liability and workman’s compensation insurance as you don’t want a landscape project turning into a nightmare. All contractors that install plants in Alabama or apply pesticides for a fee are required to have state licenses issued by the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. By law, landscape installation and pesticide application vehicles must have signage indicating the company name. If you wish to find out if a contractor is legal, e-mail the ADAI @ www.agi. alabama.gov. For lots of information about pruning, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System website, www.aces.edu, has lots of publications on the subject. Additionally, if you would like classroom instruction, local Master Gardener classes help homeowners to improve their pruning skills. Contact the Jefferson County Cooperative Extension System at 205-8796964 if you wish to become part of the next class of Master gardeners. If you are a professional member of the Green Industry, classes at the Center are available with both classroom and hands-on activities. To see what is offered at the Training Center, the website, www. agitc.org, lists classes available on a weekly basis at our North Shelby Library site.

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That’s Life|

Him: Why not? Her: Because I’m not in the mood. Him: You’re never in the mood. Her: You’re never not in the mood. I’m tired, and I don’t want to. Him: Fine. Her: Now you’re mad. Him: No I’m not. Her: Yes you are. Him: Well, how long has it been? Her: I don’t know. Him: Three weeks, five days, four hours and thirteen minutes. Her: Good grief! Him: See you don’t even know how long it’s been. What does that say about you? Her: That I’m not preoccupied. Him: Preoccupied? You not even post occupied. You’re so unoccupied it’s not even funny. Her: Well I have a lot to do. Him: Like I don’t? Her: I don’t have time. Him: Once a month? You bathe the dog more than that. Her: Yeah, well I like bathing the dog. Him: Augh! Her: I was making a joke, honey. Him: Yeah, well there’s a little bit of truth in every joke we tell. Her: Even the jokes you tell about my weight? You think I’m fat don’t you? Him: Uh, no, uh, honey, uhm, I’m fat too! Her: Yeah, but it doesn’t seem to bother you any. Now just leave me alone, I’m tired and I said, No!

Sound familiar? Scripts usually develop around issues that are hard to talk about. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that men and women view sex and approach intimacy so differently. Neither often feels safe sharing their feelings about the subject, so they don’t. They only “discuss” it when there is conflict, and their position in the argument usually stays the same, and a script develops. So how can couples learn to tear up their “Sex/Intimacy Script” and move toward a more satisfying and connective sexual relationship, where more than just physical intimacy exists, but also emotional, relational, and even spiritual intimacy? Not just talking, but communicating: Good communication can eliminate much of the conflict surrounding sex. It can break down the barriers of self-protection simply by revealing a true heart of love. Intimacy requires tremendous trust, and without the communication of our motives and desires, misunderstandings can arise. Good communication can correct misperceptions. For example, the husband may have gotten the impression that his wife doesn’t ever want to have sex, but perhaps the truth is, he simply picks the wrong times to approach her. Good communication can draw a couple closer than they ever dreamed with simple, honest confessions like, “I need to be wanted by you,” or “I don’t feel beautiful to myself or to you.” Not just involvement, but intimacy: People are involved in so many activities, from community groups to car pooling to kid’s sports events and office parties, that their lives are stretched very thin. This kind of over-involvement can be the enemy of emotional intimacy. No wonder we form scripts around our most sensitive issues— we rarely take the time to breathe and find the time to discuss anything. Intimacy requires time and cultivation. Authentic intimacy is characterized by the giving of our selves over time. When we carve out an hour or more to spend with our spouse, we are letting them know that they are important to us. Real intimacy also is characterized by vulnerability, the offering and receiving of our inner selves. This is a chosen vulnerability that offers deep connection to another person. Scripts merely make us present with our words, not with our souls. Not a reward, but a gift: A reward is something that you earn for having done something well. While some women may warm up sexually to the fact that their husbands helped them with the housework, neither should ever let sex become a reward for good behavior. Sex is truly a gift we can give to one another (or request of one another), and therefore should not be “bought” with good deeds. Praise and affirmation should be given for good deeds, and out of a strong foundation of acceptance, the gift of sex is magnificent. To effectively get rid of your “sex script,” and move into the deepest levels of relationship, you will need honest communication, real intimacy, and the valuing of sex as a precious gift. Seeing changes in yourself or in your mate will not happen over night—try to remember that the next time you start using your “sex script.” It takes time to develop the kind of atmosphere where you are free to discuss the sexual aspect of your relationship. It also takes energy to give of yourself in a world that takes from you often and without asking. So slow down, and listen to each other. Let your sexual relationship provide a safe place for you and your spouse. And you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see your shredded scripts staring at you from the trashcan. After all, May is also the month for spring-cleaning. To talk further about sexuality, intimacy and connection, please consider Samaritan Counseling Center for your counseling or consultant needs. You may reach us at 205-967-3660, or visit the website at www.samaritancc.org.

May 2010

Out with the old, in with the “almost” new!

Paul Johnson

It’s May, It’s May, La La La La I’m a big fan of King Arthur lore and English and American history. I also like theatrical musicals. In fact, my wife and I subscribe each year to the Birmingham Broadway series. These are scheduled date-nights; four or five nights each year we know we are taking a time out just for the two of us (we’ve paid enough for the tickets, no way we’re skipping out). Well, one of my favorite musicals is Camelot (in my personal top 3, behind Wicked and The Color Purple—great stories on identity— for another discussion), especially about the rise and fall of a dream, and the deeper themes of connection, longing, friendship, and intimacy. It’s funny, but each year at this time, a song comes to my mind from Camelot, “The Lusty Month of May.” I don’t know the song very well, but that doesn’t keep a semblance of the opening lyric from running through my head—“It’s May, It’s May, the lusty month of May, la la la la la la la la la la la la la lahhhh (to those unfamiliar with the tune, that’s just a bunch of “la,” but those who know it, guess what, I just got the tune in your head). May can be quite a lively month: school ends, graduations, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day weekend, start thinking about summer, begin trips to the lake or the pool. It’s a month full of life, that stirs our senses, when we feel sensuous, healthy, whole, hopeful. Oops, did I say sensuous? Well, I did mention in the first paragraph the song about the lusty month of May (Paul, where are you going with this?). Yep, big right turn—let’s talk about sex. Actually, more deeply than that, let’s talk about connection and intimacy. Do you experience with your spouse a bit of discomfort or awkwardness in the dance of intimacy? Do you end up having an argument, one that generally sounds the same each time? Do you find yourselves fighting the same fight when you don’t want to be fighting at all, but would rather be connecting with one another? Maybe your marriage has developed a case of the “Scripts.” Scripts are little plays, little pieces of “dialogue,” that we use when we are arguing with each other, pieces that tend to be a routine defensive set of statements. Truth is, neither person is really listening or paying attention to the other, and the “discussion” dissolves into blame, defensiveness, frustration, and disconnect. Most people can argue their “scripts” in their sleep. And when it comes to physical intimacy, many couples argue their “script” constantly. Perhaps this is familiar:

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Stray artists come together to form gallery of many colors

May Art Melange May 21st • 5PM - 8PM Featuring exciting art from virtually every artistic discipline. This is a not to be missed event - plan to join us. A fun event with plenty of variety to enjoy!

■■✳■■ And whatever you do, don’t miss June 4th — we arefeaturing our very own Arthur Umlauf’s impressive sculptures at the Salon! Meet Arthur and see his fantastic work.

remarkable paintings and sculptures, one-of-a-kind jewelry and ceramics, inventive montage, beautiful photography, tion of gallery partners & guest artists

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The Stray Art Salon Fine Art Gallery in the Village at Lee Branch is a collection of artwork created by a handful of very talented artists. The Stray Artists initially began meeting socially just to eat, drink and “talk art.” But this camaraderie led to a show at The Club, and eventually, opening of the Gallery. The current active owners are Laura Brookhart, Nancy Burleson, Don Estes, Warren Mullins, Beverly Owens, Deb Paradise, John Shadrick, Arthur Umlauf. Laura Brookhart uses the lens of the camera to arrange and compose images. She is drawn to geometrical arrangements, graphic elements and the ever-inviting nuances of nature. Her favorite compositional form is based on a contemporary interpretation of the ancient and spiritual model of the mandala. Nancy Burleson engaged in many metal, and glass classes, but after one week in a metal clay class, she was hooked. “You could shape it in moist form, you could add textures to the metals very easily, and create very organic objects without having a casting studio,” said Nancy. She also works with silver clay and creates stunning pieces of hand made jewelry. Don Estes describes himself as a realist with a great love for impressionism. Don is motivated by a strong desire to capture the likeness of individuals on canvas. While painting portraits is a passion, Don still enjoys painting landscapes and still lifes in his studio at home atop Shades Mountain. Warren Mullins has been working almost exclusively in watercolors capturing unique images of the South: old remote houses, rural farm buildings, lighthouses, ships, boats and the surrounding coastal culture, and historic avenues. Warren’s paintings present the interesting details of southern life and landscape in a way that is unforgettable.

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Beverly Owen has gone from a retail life of fashion illustration and design layout to a very prolific portrait artist, still life and landscape painter using oils as her preferred medium. She hopes her work brings a sense of joy, beauty and calm to those who find much chaos in their life and maintain the hope of better things to come. Deb Paradise works with clay Her work is a collaboration between what she sees and what the clay wants to become. Clay is a natural material and Nature is evident in all of her work. She builds each piece from slabs, coils and chunks of clay in a process known as Hand-Building. John Shadrick paints in acrylics, draws in pen and ink, and graphite, but also concentrates in photography. In the gallery, his drawings of train stations and barns are very popular, but his photography of iconic train tracks with their line and form, dramatic sunrises, covered bridges, and flowers have won praise and sales. Arthur Umlauf’s wonderful sculptures are influenced by his artistic family including his late father, Charles Umlauf, a famous sculptor in his own right. He grew up in a home filled with life-size renditions of religious icons, studies of animals, figure studies and images drawn from Greek mythology. Although art was an integral part of his early life, he is now trying out his ideas in bronze, ceramics, wood and stone (marble, alabaster, honeycomb calcite). The Gallery also invites special guest artists including: Hank Siegel, Toby Klien, Allison Bohofoursh, Tamara Shadinger, Steve Smith, Laura Stacy, Don Stewart, and Robert Taylor. Together these artists add to the diversity of the unique collection found only in the Stray Art Salon Fine Art Gallery. Gallery hours are 11-6 TuesdayThursday, 11-8 Friday, and 11-7 Saturday.

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Music & Arts

May Calendar of Events

5/1- 37th annual Southern Appalachain Dulcimer Festival, Tannehill Ironworks Historic State Park, 477-5711

5/2- 6:00 p.m., Magic City Choral Society presents Homeward Bound, Alys Stephens Center, www.magiccitychoralsociety.org

5/2 - 7:00 p.m., ASO presents Aretha Franklin, BJCC concert hall, 251-7727 5/3 - 8:00 p.m., Van Morrison in concert, BJCC arena, 458-8400 5/7 - 8:00 p.m., Mo’Nique in concert, BJCC arena, 458-8400 5/9 - Norah Jones in concert, Alabama Theatre, ticketmaster- 800-745-3000 5/14 - 7:00 p.m., Tim McGraw Southern Voice Tour, special guests Lady

Antebellum and Love & Theft, Verizon Wireless Music Center, 985-4900

5/15 -8:00 p.m., ASO presents Joshua Bell, Alys Stephens Center, 251-7727

May 2010

Family Fun

5/1- Butterfly Encounter exhibit opens, Birmingham Zoo, www.birminghamzoo.com

5/7-5/9- Springfest at Homestead Hollow, Springville, AL, www.homesteadhollow.com

5/8- Mothers Day Special at the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Calera, AL, 205-668-3435

5/14-5/15- Trussville Dog Daze Festival, family oriented fun featuring music, crafts and food, 655-7535

5/15- 7:00 a.m., Community-wide garage sale, The Town of Mt. Laurel, www.mtlaurel.com

5/15- Doo Dah Day Festival, Caldwell and Rhodes Parks, animal parade begins at 11 a.m., www.doodahday.org

5/15- 5th Annual Birmingham Zoo Run 5K benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, contact Amanda Baker, 989-0098

5/16- 8:00 p.m., Bryan Adams in concert, BJCC theatre, 458-8400

5/22- Migratory Bird Day at the Birmingham Zoo,

5/18-7:30 p.m., ASO Concertmaster and Friends, Brock Recital Hall,

5/22-11:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., Lakewoods Arts and Crafts Show, Lakewoods

Samford University, 229-5126

5/21- 11:00 a.m., ASO Coffee Concerts, Alys Stephens Center, 251-7727 5/21-5/22- 8:00 p.m., ASO presents Region’s Masterworks, Beethoven’s Emporer Concerto, Alys Stephens Center, 251-7727

SPORTS

www.birminghamzoo.com

on Rock Creek, Smith Lake, local artists, food, music contact Frances Mayhall, 529-0513

5/29- Out of School Blast at the Southern Museum of Flight, children’s activities including r/c flying demos, bounce house, face painting, 833-8226

5/29- 1st annual Lucky Ducky Race, Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park, 477-5711

5/12- 5/16 Region’s Charity Golf Classic- Robert Trent Jone’s Golf Trail at Ross Bridge www.regionscharityclassic.com 967-4745

Gardening/Nature

5/21-5/23 8a.m.- 5 p.m. Legends of Motorsports racing- Barber

5/1-10:00 a.m., Reptiles and Amphibians with Emily Cohen, B-side pavilion,

Motorsports Park. www.barbermotorsports.com

5/26- 5/30 SEC Baseball Tournament- Regions Park www.secsports.com/championships/baseball

Oak Mtn State Park, 620-2520

5/7- 5/9- 9:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., Aldridge Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale, 682-8019

5/8- 10:00 a.m., Wonderful Wetlands with Emily Cohen, B-side pavilion, 5/31 7:30 a.m. Sterne Agee LJCC Memorial Day Triathlon and Off-Road

Triathlon, Levite Jewish Community Center, www.team-magic.com

Fundraisers/Benefit Events 5/7- 8:00 a.m., 11 Annual Golf Tournament to support Oak Mountain th

Athletics, Inverness Country Club, 4-person scramble at $125 per player, for information contact Jon Strength, 942-2486 or Jeff Kelley, KFourassociates@bellsouth.net

5/7- 6:00 p.m., Relay for Life, Oak Mountain, Heardmont Park, benefitting the American Cancer Society, www.RelayForLife.org

5/15- 5th Annual Birmingham Zoo Run 5K benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, contact Amanda Baker, 989-0098

5/17 Lorie Johnson Foundation Golf Tournament at Highland Golf Course, 8 a.m.,

Oak Mtn State Park, 620-2520

5/8- 5/9- Glorious Gardens Tour hosted by the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, contact Shelly McCarty, 414-3965

5/15-10:00 a.m., Mammals of Alabama with Emily Cohen, B-side pavilion, Oak Mtn State Park, 620-2520

5/21- 6:00 p.m., Aldridge Botanical Gardens “Hydrangeas Under the Stars” Garden Gala, 682-8019

5/22-10:00 a.m., ABC Hike with Emily Cohen, meet at park office, Oak Mtn State Park, 620-2520

5/23- 1:30 p.m., Alabama Wildlife Center Audubon Teaches Nature Series, Oak Mtn. State Park, 663-7930

5/29-10:00 a.m., Nature Walk with Emily Cohen, Campground Beach, Oak Mtn State Park, 620-2520

Food & Wine

For more information, please go to www.loriejohnsonfoundation.org, or email the organization at info@loriejohnsonfoundation

5/18- 10:30 a.m., “Cupcakes and Coffee” event at Greystone Antiques and

Marketplace, benefitting Hannah Home Shelby County, donated home accessories for sale, cupcakes from Dreamcakes, contact Kelly Orr, 835-0057

Theatre

5/1-2, 5/6 - 5/8 8 p.m. Dead Man’s Cell Phone- Birmingham Festival Theatre www.bftonline.com for tickets

5/1 & 5/2, 5/6- 5/8 7:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. Grey Gardens- Virginia Samford Theatre 205-251-1206. www.virginiasamfordtheatre.org.

5/6-5/8, 5/13- 5/16- Shout! The Mod Musical- Red Mountain Theatre Company- 205-324-2424. www.redmountaintheatre.org

5/7- 5/8- Shakespeare at Sloss- Muse of Fire www.shakespeareatsloss.org 205-324-1911

5/ 13-5/16-, 5/20- 5/22 7:30 p.m. Much Ado About Nothing- Birmingham Park Players- Homewood Central Park 205-590-0155. www.bhamparkplayers.com

5/1 Pepper Place Saturday Market- every Saturday from 7 a.m. until noon. Free Admission

5/16 Temple Beth-El’s Kosher BBQ Contest- kid’s activities, team competition, and BBQ for sale

5/22- 1st Annual Bob Syke’s BBQ and Blues Festival. Tannehill State Parkwww.bobsykes.com for tickets and information

Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce MAY Calendar of Events (for around the 280 Area)

• Tuesday, May 4th – Cuatro de Mayo social media seminars – North Shelby Library – 11am to 2pm (Twitter from 11am to noon; Facebook from 1 to 2pm) – contact heather@shelbychamber.org and lindsay@shelbychamber.org or call 6634542 for information and to register ($20 for individual session; $30 for both). • Tuesday, May 11th – Focus Meeting Chelsea – YMCA Hargis Retreat – 8:30am. • Thursday, May 20th – Gold Star Customer Service Certification – North Shelby Library – 7:30am to noon – presented by John Cotton, BestBiz –

contact jennifer@shelbychamber.org or 663-4542 for information and to register ($147 per employee). • Wednesday, May 26th – Shelby County Legislative Delegation luncheon – 11am to 1pm – Pelham Civic Complex – contact info@shelbychamber.org for information ($17 for Greater Shelby County Chamber members / $20 for non-members). Register online at www.shelbychamber. org or call 663-4542. For information about Greater Shelby County Chamber of Commerce events, go online to www.shelbychamber.org or call 663-4542.

| 280 Living

May 2010

Inaugural Liberty Park Community-Wide Yard Sale a HUGE SUCCESS

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On Saturday, April 10th, the first ever community-wide yard sale took place in Liberty Park. It was a long-awaited event for both sellers and buyers. Prior to the event, a myth was circulating that this neighborhood could not have yard sales… not so! Thanks to all the residents who blazed this new trail and made this event such a success. One participant collected close to $2,000 and donated the entire amount to a friend in need to help pay their bills. Here are a few quotes from participants: “Thank you (LPLInk) for all your hard work going toward a successful community yard sale! We had SO many people. Several times we had mini traffic jams. Anyways, we sold tons of stuff and had very little left! I hope we can plan this again in the fall.” “We had A LOT of traffic and were happy with the results...I definitely felt it was worth it!” “Very successful! I hope LPLink will

cover story | Recipes from Patsy Smith Crab Cakes Inspired by a trip to Jekyll Island Yield: 4 crab cakes Combine: 1 lb. crab meat, inspected for shells 1 egg, slightly beaten 1/4 c. green onion 3 T. ﬁne, dry breadcrumbs 1 t. Old Bay seasoning 1/8 t. pepper 1 T. Dijon mustard 1/4 c. fresh, ﬂat leaf parsley, chopped 1/4 c. diced red bell pepper, optional but good 1/4 c. mayonnaise Mix together with hands. Using ice cream

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consider having another one before too long.” “I had a great turn out. Made a good amount of cash. The Community-Wide Yard Sale made it very convenient for me to sell my stuff by getting my permit and advertising for me. I deﬁnitely would not have had so many people show up had it not been community wide. So thanks (LPLink) for organizing this.” “We had a great turn out and sold just about everything and what didn’t sell, Jessie’s Place came Monday morning to pick it up. I have had several tell me that they would like to participte the next time. Thanks (LPLink) for all y’alls’ hard work.” “We had a great turn out and I sold just about everything I had to sell. I was pleased with the whole event.” “We had a great turn out--it was crazy! Many thanks to the girls (LPLink) that organized the sale. And many of my neighbors are ready to jump on the garage sale wagon next time.”

scoop, measure out @ 2 oz. portions. Flatten slightly and place in hot skillet lightly greased with butter or olive oil. Brown on both sides, and you can ﬁnish cooking in oven if you prefer at 350˚ for about 15 minutes. Serve on a dollop of fresh basil aioli and sprinkle plate with diced red and yellow peppers and chopped parsley. Top with micro greens when available, or serve on a bed of spring mix salad. Mince basil. Stir in garlic and lemon juice. Add to blender or food processor with mayo and process until smooth. (I ﬁnd that placing the ingredients in a 2-cup measuring cup and using my stick blender works great for this.) Refrigerate until ready to use.

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5% es Sal ! Tax

T h e R i t z F l o r i s t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 9 1 - 6 6 8 6 C a h a b a P o d i a t r y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8 0 - 2 0 0 5 Chop Suey Inn.............................(coming soon) D o l l a r A s s o c i a t e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 9 1 - 1 5 2 5 E N T H e a d & N e c k S u r g e r y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 9 1 - 3 1 4 1 E R A O x f o r d R e a l t y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5 9 - 2 0 3 0 F a r m e r ’s I n s u r a n c e G r o u p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8 1 - 1 0 1 0 F o o d S t u d i o B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 6 5 - 3 6 8 2 H o m e t o w n M o r t g a g e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8 0 - 7 2 8 5 N e e d c o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 9 1 - 8 7 9 5 P h i l i p M I t c h e l l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8 0 - 9 0 0 0 Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery P h y s i o t h e r a p y A s s o c i a t e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 0 8 - 0 7 0 0 Pool Builders and Patio...................... 981-2755 Ta x P r e p a r e r s I n c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8 0 - 8 0 7 2 T h e M a i d s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 7 1 - 9 3 3 8 T S S P h o t o g r a p h y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 8 0 - 8 5 0 0

THIS MONTHʼS FEATURED RETAILER:

We offer the convenience of one stop shopping for all your insurance needs and will build relationships with our clients and the community to earn their trust and business.

Suite 217 • (205) 981-1010

5% Sales Tax • Convenient, High Visibility • Best Lease Rates on Hwy 280 • Broker Incentives • 58,700 Cars / Day

Come Join us! Spaces Available. Call Today For Competitive Quotes. Phone: 205.870.4157

www.280living.com

Classifieds & Music Listings

280 Live Music Listings CAFE FIRENZE 110 Inverness Plaza (205) 980-1315

5/1 Saturday-The Ugli Stick 5/2 Sunday-Mourning Woulds 5/4 Tuesday-Paul Acoustic 5/5 Wednesday-Velcro Pygmies 5/6 Thursday-Live Music 5/7 Friday-Centerfold 5/8 Saturday-Trotline 5/9 Sunday-Morning Woulds 5/11 Tuesday-Live acoustic 5/12 Wednesday-Deputy 5 5/13 Thursday-Tc Louie and the Bluez 5/14 Friday-The Buddy Love band 5/15 Saturday-Through the Fall 5/16 Sunday-Mourning Woulds 5/18 Tuesday-Paul Acoustic 5/19 Wednesday-Beer Bands and Bingo 5/20 Thursday-Doug McCormick 5/21 Friday-Deputy 5 5/22 Saturday-Hog Mountain Lug Nuts 5/23 Sunday-Morning Woulds 5/25 Tuesday-Live acoustic 5/26 Wednesday-Deputy 5 5/27 Thursday-Wasted Glory 5/28 Friday-Street Kar 5/29 Saturday-Livestock 5/30 Sunday-Mourning Woulds

280 Living neighborly entertainment

www.greybarbham.com 5/1 5/4 5/5 5/6 5/11 5/12 5/13 5/18 5/19 5/20 5/25 5/26 5/27 6/1 6/2 6/3

Teenage Daddy Trio Live Music with Cordy J-Ko Kevin Harrison and Jace Live Music with Cordy Danny and Randy J-Ko featuring Kolby Mele Kevin Harrison and Jace Live Music with Cordy J-Ko Kevin Harrison and Jace Live Music with Cordy Danny and Randy J-Ko featuring Kolby Mele Kevin Harrison and Jace Live Music with Cordy J-Ko Kevin Harrison and Jace

May 2010

Classifieds Summer Baseball Lessons

HOGANS Irish Pub & Grill 507 Cahaba Park Circle (205) 995-0533

Every Wednesday / Thursday 8pm Live Music by Razz Ma Tazz Every Friday / Saturday 9pm - Until Live Music by Razz Ma Tazz

5426 Highway 280 (205) 874-6361

SUPERIOR GRILL 4701 Highway 280 (205) 991-5112

5/1 Ian Faith 5/5 Live Wire 5/6 Bonus Round 5/7 Meet the Next 5/8 Swag 5/13 Jacksons in LA 5/14 Farm Hand 5/15 Crooked Road 5/20 Crenshaw Park 5/21 The Alley Kings 5/22 South Saturn Delta 5/27 Paybacks 5/28 The Negotiators 5/29 On Live

Taught by Division 1 college player Individual Attention - One-on-One Mental & Physical Preparation, Drills, Tips Ages 6-15 yrs. $30/hour Call : Arthur Strauss

422-0625

Email: alvipe105@hotmail.com

Meadow Brook Baptist Preschool registration

for Babies 6 months of age through 5 year olds contact Lori Holmes at

980-2120 or

Lholmes@meadowbrookbaptist.org.

Comfort Keepers is looking

to hire people who enjoy working with the elderly. Qualifications: HS Diploma, must be bondable.

Call (205) 981-1800. Birmingham Medical Alliance is looking for an experienced DME Customer Service Rep. Must have at least 3 years experience working with all aspects of DME billing/collections for BCBS, Commercial Ins, Medicare & Medicaid. Must be proficient with Online Billing,Word, Excel and QuickBooks. Please submit resume to BMAI@bellsouth.net or mail to 194 Narrows Drive, Suite 2. Birmingham, AL 35242

Her medical training: family medicine. Her specialty: care with compassion, dignity and respect. Katherine “Katie” A. Moore, M.D. Dr. Moore is a family practitioner who believes in preventive medicine, not just treating symptoms. She strives to empower patients to be advocates for their own health. Dr. Moore offers school physicals, employee physicals, athletic physicals, child and adult vaccinations, and treatment for minor emergencies. Call 205-968-5988 today for your appointment. Adults, children and walk-ins welcomed.

Katherine “Katie” A. Moore, M.D. 8000 Liberty Parkway, Suite 120 (Prominence Shops) Vestavia Hills, AL 35242

205-968-5988

Monday – Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Friday 8:00 a.m. – Noon Member of the Medical Staff at Trinity Medical Center

May 2010

280 Living

By nature, our views on retirement living are distinctively different. Cascading waterfalls. English gardens. A saltwater pool. Al fresco dining. Here, nature flows inside and out, inviting you to explore and grow as never before. Well-appointed Independent apartment rental and Cottage ownership available, with exceptional Assisted Living as needs change. Brought to life by Daniel Corporation, Danberry at Inverness offers you a whole new perspective on what a retirement address can be.

Join us for a Seminar...

“Don’t Agonize, Just Get Organized!”

Inspiring. Invigorating. Imagine! Call us at (205) 443-9500 or just drop by. We think you’ll find our views to be quite refreshing.

Independent & Assisted Living Accommodations Now Available! Call today!

May 18, 2010 6:30-8:00 p.m. Danberry at Inverness—Inverness Hall Donna Cates, Senior Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Phillip I. Jauregui, Attorney, Estate and Trust Planning William Keene, Family Service Counselor, Rideout’s Valley Chapel Margie Westenhofer, Personal Document Organizer

RSVP to (205) 443-9500

H O M E S

CORPORATION

www.DanberryAtInverness.com 235 Inverness Center Drive / Hoover, AL 35242