Me & Mine Magazine Fall 2015

FALL 2 015

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Me & Mine Staff Jennifer Jaeger Traynham PUBLISHER

Rona Desmond

MEET GWEN SMITH 2

MARKETING & ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE

MANAGING YOUR DIGITAL LEGACY 4

MARKETING & ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE

Fritzie Rhody Jessica Jaeger EDITOR

MOMMY SCHOOL 7 ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT 9 GIRLS' NIGHT OUT 1 1 ME & MINE WEDDINGS 1 4 MEETING BABY 22

www.meandminemagazine.com

on the cover Katelyn & Mark Cover Photo by Green Vintage Photography

Me and Mine magazine is an LLC and its information, format and designs are protected by copyright laws. Any reproduction of content, photography or arrangement is not permitted unless written permission is granted by the publisher of the magazine.

Contributing authors and photographers are responsible for content and accuracy in their submissions and Me and Mine Magazine, its founders or members assume no responsibility for errors or omissions.

Me and Mine Magazine, LLC, Š Copyright 2015

ME AND MINE MAGAZINE | FALL 2015

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Meet

Gwen Smith Photography by Brandi Schwartz Design and Photography

implyFit360 is an inspirational Facebook page and wellness coaching business that has been built on my personal journey of weight loss and finding my best version of me. It is built to motivate, heal, and inspire from a place of understanding.

I would love to say I began my journey for some profound purpose but in all honesty, I started my transition at age 28 and completely out of vanity. I was trying to get the body I’d be happy to look at in the mirror, but what I found in the mirror during my journey was so much more valuable.

It was the reflection of a strong, confident woman whom I could be proud of.

I remember having a wedding to attend and standing in a dressing room attempting to squeeze into dresses. With each failed attempt, I wished that the beautiful aqua satin dress came in my size. I thought to myself, if I could just get down to a size 14, I’d be able to feel that dress frame my body perfectly. After trying on the entire rack of plus-size dresses, I decided to just buy a nice pair of shoes (shoes always fit) and wear my go-to black dress that was hanging in my closet at home. I wanted that aqua number so bad, but at 244 pounds, it seemed impossible.

I began to mull over every weight loss program I had semi-successfully attempted in the past and sought advice from friends.

While at a BBQ, my friends, their spouses, and myself all decided to jump on the Biggest Loser bandwagon. We started our own game, and decided the winners would get a free trip, paid for by the other 2

M E AND MINE MAGAZINE | FALL 2015

participants. Though the game never really got off the ground, it gave me my start. I had something which I had not had in the past: support. I was surrounded by friends who were in the same boat, and who gave me the motivation to stay on track. I dropped 10 pounds in 3 weeks by watching my intake and cutting bread, and I was celebrating from the inside out. I felt a little more alive and accomplished, and my spirit

was beginning to glow a little brighter. My purpose was changing. I was now working toward my best version of me, not just my best body. There was so much pride in knowing I was in control of my next move. I was making smart decisions and presenting a better me, not just to the mirror but to my kids, my friends, and my family. The next 10 pounds were celebrated with more comfort in movement. I could take my kids to the park and enjoy a little play time with them instead of just yelling from the park bench.

The process wasn’t easy, so I broke it down into simpler 10 pound milestones.

With each milestone, I celebrated and saw something new in myself. Not just physically, but in the smile I wore, the

positive thoughts I had for the future, the confidence I had as I walked in a room, and the true happiness I felt for others. I had discovered that there was more to my journey than just the fit body I dreamed of. The best version of me was made up of a balance between body, mind, finances, and relationships. My weight was so out of balance it was affecting the other elements of my life. Healthy relationships gave me support and confidence in all I attempted and made me feel worthy of the work ahead. A healthy financial plan and going back to school balanced my stress levels and mental state, leaving me the space in my life for good health and happiness. When my mind was present and healthy, my diet and physical activity were dialed in, and vice versa. What had started as a “get thin” plan had turned into a “get fit” lifestyle.

I am not the size 14 that I had once hoped to be, but I am 100 pounds lighter than I was the day I envisioned that goal. I bought a very similar aqua dress recently in a size 4. I am not a lifelong fitness and nutrition guru, I was never a gymnast with a crazy workout schedule, and I’m not trying to tell you the perfect magical plan to drop weight.

What I am is a woman who left a dressing room wanting to look in the mirror and say “Heck yeah!” and I do just that every day, but not because of my dress size. My “Heck yeah!” is because I know the woman in the mirror is better than she was yesterday and worthy of the work to be even better tomorrow. I walked the walk and now, through my experience, I’m helping others do the same.

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F O L LOW E R S , F R I E N D S , A N D FAVO R I T E S :

Managing Your Digital Legacy When we think about the legacy we want to leave for our heirs, most of us think about assets like money, family heirlooms, and real property. But there is another important asset that often gets overlooked: digital assets. Digital assets are increasingly important parts of our lives, and come in a surprising number of forms. How many of the following digital assets do you own?

• Personal: Photos, videos, e-mails, contact lists, music, medical records, e-books, gaming assets, home security systems, loyalty programs.

• Social: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, blogs.

• Financial: Bank and credit card accounts, tax documents, PayPal, Apple Pay, Bitcoin.

• Business: Customer and vendor information, contact lists, intellectual property, password-protected files, domain names, business-oriented social media.

Without proper planning, all of these assets are effectively lost at death.

How can your family continue operating—or even wind up—your business if they are locked out of all of your digital files? How will your heirs manage your Facebook or other social media accounts without your logins? Worse still, how can you pass all of your digitized family photos and videos on to the next generation?

There are a few things you can do to preserve your digital legacy. First, and most importantly, keep an updated digital inventory on file with a close friend or relative. The inventory should list the physical location of your computer, laptop, iPad, flash drives, external hard drive, etc.

It should also include a list of all social, personal, and financial online accounts, usernames and passwords—even accounts you don’t think of as “assets.” This is particularly important if you manage most or all of your finances online because it gives your heirs a place to start gathering assets after you’ve passed.

Next, make a list of your answers to security questions typically used to retrieve usernames and passwords. That way, if any of your passwords have changed since you last updated your digital inventory, your heir will have a chance at logging in anyway.

Lastly, some of your online accounts will allow you to select a digital heir. For example, Facebook currently offers this capability in the form of a Legacy Contact. While this option doesn’t give your agent the same authority you would have over your own account, it does provide that person with some level of control over your digital afterlife.

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As you might expect, there is still a lot of uncertainty about how companies should deal with a person’s digital assets after death.

The general consensus is that only the account owner has full access to the account, even if that person is deceased. That means that you can only do so much on your own.

The good news is, there is one more step you can take to manage your digital legacy: contact your estate planning attorney! Most companies allow an Executor or Trustee full access to manage your digital assets after you’re gone—if you have specifically provided for that ability in your will or trust. This is a new trend in estate planning, but any estate planning attorney can include such a provision if you request it, and many will anyway.

Digital assets have become such a part of our daily lives that we hardly notice them. With just a little planning, we can seamlessly integrate them into our legacies as well!

Jackie Dailey is an Associate with the Law Office of Paulla HyattMcIntire. Her practice is focused on providing quality legal counsel for all levels of complexity in estate planning, trust administration, probate, business succession planning, and tax planning. Prior to joining Paulla’s practice, Jackie worked at Andersen Tax, a wealth and tax planning firm in San Francisco. In addition to Jackie’s experience in law, she enjoys taking weekend trips, going to Giants games, and coaching Moot Court for UC Hastings.

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ME AND MINE MAGAZINE | FALL 2015

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Mommy School

by Melinda Staples Photography by Brandi Schwarz Design & Photography

Mommy School When we moved to California, there were no preschools near our foothill home. My husband suggested that I teach our children.

I was terrified, yet intrigued, with the idea! Could I adequately teach them all they needed to know?

This story began when our oldest son was about 1 1/2 years old.

As a stay-at-home mom who had recently graduated from college with an elementary education degree and an early childhood endorsement, I decided to start teaching my son about basic shapes. Beginning with a flannel board and colorful felt circles, squares, triangles and rectangles, our hands-on learning approach commenced. It was so much fun that soon it included reading, easy science projects, art, cooking, and field trips.

During those early years, we spent a few hours a week doing fun activities together. However, teaching children is a huge undertaking, and since I did not feel capable or qualified enough to prepare our son for kindergarten, I enrolled him in an excellent neighborhood preschool the year before he was to enter public school so he would be educationally prepared.

Gaining Confidence I learned many fun ideas from the neighborhood preschool teacher, which I adapted and incorporated into the early teaching I was doing with my younger children at home.

This gave me more confidence in how to teach concepts and the reason they are taught. As our children progressed to kindergarten, I worked in their classrooms and learned what kindergarten students need to know before beginning school to make their first educational experience more enjoyable.

Working with local kindergarten teachers to learn the entrance standards and first quarter goals, I gradually developed a program which drew on creative teaching ideas from previous preschool and kindergarten teachers and prepared our children to enjoy and excel in their first year in school.

A Wonderful Journey for You and Your Young Child

As I began the writing process and shared my ideas with family and friends, I realized that understanding why a concept is taught and how to include educational concepts into a fun activity was often confusing for parents. Learning how to utilize teaching moments takes practice.

taught, match baby and mother animals. If a different child is interested in cars, match different types of cars or trucks.

Using the same teaching concept, incorporate the child’s interest (and the parent’s) into the teaching strategy.

For example, making a peanut butter sandwich with a child is a fun activity. However, if a parent and child add eyes, a nose, and a smiley

You CAN Teach

face with banana slices, strawberry, and chocolate chips to the openfaced sandwich as they compare their faces with the sandwich face, they’ve just taught the educational concept of facial components in a fun way.

thought, I’ve included an idea to get parents and children started on the incredible journey they can take as they become involved in their child’s early education.

I hope parents will realize they can teach their children and have fun doing it. To help with this

We called it “Mommy School.”

And so began an incredible adventure, which continued with the rest of our seven children. The experiences we’ve shared in our Mommy School have truly been magical for each child and myself as we explored the world around us.

Strengthening Parent-Child Relationships Amazing as the educational component was, however, I discovered that Mommy School also strengthened our parent-child relationship. We learned and laughed together because we were engaged in projects together. I found out their interests and how they effectively learned. And becoming involved with their education at an early age help me foster their love for learning throughout their school years.

Learning Can (and Ought) To Be Fun My older children began asking me to write a book with the ideas we’d used through the years for them to use when they had their own families.

Happy teaching!

Your Talents and Your Child’s Interests There are many ways to teach educational concepts. The teaching ideas in the book help the reader understand how to teach a concept and then encourage them to creatively expand the activity using their own expertise to add variety.

Of course, children are all different.

So an activity may be fun for one child’s interest, but that same activity may need to be changed to fit another child. For example: one child may really be into animals. So if the matching concept is being

Melinda Staples is the mother of seven amazing children and is their biggest cheerleader. She is a Yuba First Five Commissioner, coached her daughter’s Yuba-Sutter recreation soccer team, and was a recipient of the National PTA Lifetime Achievement Award. She loves the color pink, playing the piano, and scrapbooking. She has recently written a book entitled Mommy School: The Preschool Years.

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Weather Chart Materials: Paper plate, brass fastener, weather pictures, cardboard arrows, glue stick.

Introduce: • Draw or print pictures to represent rain, sun, wind, clouds, and thunderstorms.

• Draw five circles on the plate for the pictures to fit into.

• Make the weather chart by letting your child determine which pictures go where and then help them glue the pictures on the plate.

• Make two arrows from cardboard. Attach in the center of the plate with the brass fastener. We found that often there were two types of weather going on at the same time or the weather changed halfway through the day, so two arrows were helpful.

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Activity: • Talk about the weather every day. Explain the word “weather.”

• Possible questions to ask: 1. What is happening outside?

2. Is it cold or hot?

3. What happens when specific weather happens (windy-blows, rainy-wet, sunny-warm, etc.)?

4. What was it like yesterday? How does that compare with today?

5. What kind of clothes do we wear in this kind of weather?

• Move the arrows on the chart to indicate what the weather is today.

Follow-up: Find books about weather from the library.

You can focus on one weather type or weather in general.

Orthodontic Treatment

by Adam Hoybjerg, D.D.S., M.S.

The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) recommends that all children have a check-up with an orthodontic specialist no later than age 7.

• Correct harmful oral habits

Orthodontists can detect subtle problems with jaw growth and emerging teeth while some baby teeth are still present. While your child’s teeth may appear to be straight, there could be a problem that only an orthodontist can detect.

• Create a more pleasing arrangement of teeth, lips, and face.

A check-up may reveal that your child’s bite is fine; however, it may also determine that early treatment is needed to prevent or intercept more serious problems from developing.

Also, we may identify a developing problem to watch for but recommend monitoring the child’s growth and development and begin treatment at an older age.

• Improve appearance • Guide permanent teeth into a more favorable position

Through an early orthodontic evaluation, you will be giving your child the best opportunity for a beautiful, healthy smile. If your child is older than 7, it’s certainly not too late for a check-up. All patients differ in both physiological development and treatment needs; the goal is always to provide each patient with the most appropriate treatment at the most appropriate time.

Problems I watch for in growing children: • Early or late loss of baby teeth

Early treatment may prevent or intercept more serious problems from developing and may make treatment at a later age shorter and less complicated. In some cases, early treatment will allow achievement of results that may not be possible once the face and jaws finish growing.

• Difficulty in chewing or biting

Early orthodontic treatment will give me the opportunity to:

• Facial imbalance

• Guide jaw growth

Malocclusions (“bad bites”) like those listed usually benefit from early diagnosis.

• Lower the risk of trauma to protruded front teeth

• Mouth breathing • Jaws that shift or make sounds • Speech difficulties • Biting the cheek or the roof of the mouth

• Grinding or clenching of the teeth

Dr. Adam Hoybjerg is Yuba-Sutter’s favorite Orthodontist, practicing in Yuba City, Gridley, Oroville and Lincoln. At Hoybjerg Orthodontics our philosophy is simple: we provide extremely high-quality orthodontic treatment in a patient centered atmosphere, while creating an unforgettable experience for each patient. Dr. Hoybjerg has a Bachelor of Science, neuroscience, Brigham Young University, a Doctorate of Dental Surgery, University of Oklahoma, and completed his Orthodontic residency at the University of Oklahoma.

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Dinner Club Photography by

Melissa Laney

Tell us about your dinner club.

Our club consists of ten mommies who enjoy each other’s time, LOVE to cook (and of course to eat) and happen to have a creative streak. While we are a dinner club, we lovingly call ourselves something different all of the time: dinner club, dinner group, book club, or Desperate Housewives of Sutter County (that’s my fave). We all love our families but also value the bonds and friendships we have with each other. Just like you have date night with your husband or significant other, you need to do the same to maintain relationships with your girlfriends.

How did it start, when do you get together, and how does it work?

Several years ago I was trying to think of a way to bring some different social groups of women together. First, I made a list of friends who I shared common interests with and created this dinner club so we could have a fun and creative way to get to know one another better. Next, I determined how each meeting would be structured: dinner and drinks first, and then a craft after dinner. The women who were invited to join this group all had to love cooking and crafting. After assembling the group, we decided to meet once a month. We chose a different country as our theme and rotated being the hostess.

Now that we have been meeting for about four years now we have loosened our guidelines. Now the hostess has the option to plan the evening at her own home or plan an activity elsewhere. The sky is the limit: restaurants, spas, wineries, or shopping.

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How do you decide who hosts?

Once a year we each sign up for the month we want to host. That month becomes the hostess’s responsibility to set the date, send out invitations (which can be emails, Evites, Facebook messages or even group texts) and decide what our group activity is. Initially we started with six members, but have grown to ten over the recent years. We now have enough members so that everyone gets to host one month per year. The remaining two months we do something special together.

This year we spent one of our free months at an all-day spa in Roseville and every December we organize a special holiday evening out with dinner and a gift exchange.

Who chooses the theme?

The hostess is responsible for choosing a country to use as the theme of our evening’s culinary adventure. The hostess then communicates how many appetizers, sides, entrees, desserts and beverages she needs for her dinner. Seeing that everyone loves to cook, we all really gets into this. We have a fantastic meal every time. In

addition, each member has the option to post their recipe on our group Pinterest board so we can refer to our favorite recipes and try them out at home. This works out perfectly – we use Pinterest A LOT!

Pinterest. For our crafts or activity we’ve done fun things like created spell books, decorated Halloween cupcakes, and dabbled with the Ouija board! I’m pretty sure some of my guests left early that night!

What types of themes have you had throughout the years?

What are some of your favorite decor ideas?

We’ve traveled to a lot of countries (in our own dining rooms) such as Italy, Japan, India, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, and China, to name a few. Other themes besides countries that we’ve “visited” were themes such as Napa Valley and the Fabulous 50’s (yes, we had to wear bee-hive hairdos to the party!).

Tell us about your annual Halloween dinner.

October was always an exception to our “world travel” themes. A long time ago, before I moved to this area, I was known for my Halloween bashes. Since I have tons of décor I take on October with our dinner group every year.

Instead of cuisine from a particular country, we serve the spookiest food we can find on

For my Halloween parties I’ve amassed enough décor to have each room in the house have its own theme. I have a spider room, a skeleton room, a wicca room, a vampire room, and many more. I think in decorating, you get much more of an impact when you group like things together.

Would you share a favorite recipe with us?

There have been so many really good recipes at our dinner club. This appetizer was made by Marla Papageorge for one of the shindigs she hosted at her house:

What is your favorite part of your get-togethers?

Some advice for others who would like to start their own dinner clubs?

I think I can speak for everyone in the group on this one. We initially made our get-togethers about the food. Now it’s more about getting to know each other better, being supportive of one another, and building great friendships. I idolize each and every member and highly value the friendships we’ve built. These ladies, who are each unique and different in their own way, will be friends of mine for life. Great food and drinks are just an added bonus.

My advice is to go for it and create your own group! Choose ladies who you have common interests with and who you’d like to get to know better. If dinner and crafting is not your thing, then maybe consider a new mother’s group, a book club, or a morning tea & coffee group. Have fun with the themes and be creative. We are all super busy in our lives but you have to make time for the important things, and these meetings really take friendships to a new level.

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ME & MINE WEDDINGS

Katelyn & Mark

Tell us your love story.

Mark and I met in high school through FBLA conferences. In college, we occasionally crossed paths when he would come home to visit, because his best friend was dating my best friend. Mark moved back to Maxwell in 2012 to join his family in their farming operation. I reached out to Mark a few months after he moved back to grab a drink and catch up. We were inseparable from then on and shared our first kiss to cheer him up after the 49ers lost the Super Bowl.

Mark’s proposal was a complete surprise. He proposed at the Heritage House in Albion, Ca just south of Fort Bragg. We had gone Abalone diving earlier that morning, and he had pointed to the gazebo on the cliff and said, “Hey, let’s have a cocktail up there before dinner.” The coast for us is usually a very relaxed type of trip, so I should have known something was up when he questioned my attire of a turtleneck and converse for a cocktail.

We walked across the street to the Heritage House where he had a bottle of champagne in the gazebo. All the signs that I so obviously missed flooded my mind as he got down on one knee. The coast and the Heritage House is very special to our family, since we are the fourth couple in the Sutton family to have gotten engaged there.

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Photography by Green Vintage Photography

Things we love to do together are going Abalone diving and golfing, which are two things Mark has taught me to do. Mark has a joy of flying, so we enjoy weekend adventures to new destinations. Spending time with family and friends is also one of our favorite activities! We are both foodies, so we won’t pass up trying a new restaurant or recipe. Lastly, we love the outdoors, especially fishing, hunting, and water sports.

How did you decide where to get married?

Right away, we knew we wanted to have an outdoor wedding where the ceremony and reception were fairly close to one another.

It was also very important to us to have it in our hometown, close to our families. Unfortunately, that didn’t leave many options.

I grew up seeing The Brick House at Davis Ranches, and always dreamed of living there. It was my Cinderella castle. To be quite honest though, I took Mark there three days after we got engaged and said, “This is where I want to get married.” They had just begun the landscape renovations, so it left a lot to the imagination, but the house spoke for itself. And like the good fiancé he was, he kindly agreed! It was a unique new venue that no one we knew had used yet, and the date of our wedding coincided with when the venue would be ready.

Tell us about your venue.

The Brick House at Davis Ranches is located 8 miles south of Colusa, near Sycamore Slough.

It was built buy Howell and Sebia Davis in 1894, and was occupied by family members up until the 1960’s. The Sycamore Family Trust continues to farm on the property and use the home when they come home to conduct Ranch business.

How did you select your vendors?

We found it very difficult browsing the internet to find vendors. Therefore, we mainly went off of referrals from previous brides or people we had already worked with. Catering was the only vendor that differed. Given the fact that we were getting married in the county we both grew up in, we wanted to choose a local restaurant.

Our vendors were: Hair and Make-up: Happily Beautiful Makeup Artistry and Sandra Hernandez Photography: Leslie Callan – Green Vintage Photography Catering: Rocco’s

Rentals: Classic Rentals Floral/Wedding Coordinator: Philip Rice DJ: TSPJ DJ

What details did you focus on the most throughout the planning process?

We mostly focused on the details that kept it personal. We used Mark’s great-grandfather’s orange boxes for display shelving and bar backs, old family marriage photos, and made the farm tables, runners, and guest book quilt, just to name a few. Our parents were a huge help with all the larger details so that we could focus on the more personal details.

What were some of your favorite things about your special day?

Some of our favorite things were that everyone was dancing and having a good time until the very end. We didn’t know what the ceremony was going to look like except the seating arrangement, so seeing the ceremony decor for the first time was also very special.

Having all of our closest family and friends with us from coast to coast meant so much

to us. But above all, our favorite thing about our special day was that everything surpassed our expectations. We wouldn’t change a thing about it.

What is the moment you’ll always remember?

Mark: Being all choked up in front of 220 people as Katelyn got out of the car at the ceremony.

Katelyn: When my dad gave me away to Mark, and wanting to give him a kiss right then and there but knowing I had to wait until the end.

Any advice for local brides?

Keep it “you!” There are thousands of ideas and opinions when it comes to weddings, so it is easy to lose your personality along the way.

Take a step back and make sure you are happy with every decision, and that it truly reflects who the two of you are. But most importantly, at the end of the day, all that matters is that the two of you were happy with the outcome!

Oh, and if you are doing DIY projects, Mark suggests you start early!

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ME & MINE WEDDINGS

Harp & Jash

Photography by Jesse Johal

Tell us your love story.

How did you decide where to get married?

Jash and I were introduced through a mutual friend. Although we initially were just friends that would bump into each other at events, it soon became clear that we had a lot in common. We soon realized that our connection was something very special and our friendship blossomed into love. We still say that we are best friends above all!

Deciding the location to get married was easy; we are both locals, born and raised in Yuba City, and we wanted all of our friends and family to share this special day with us.

When Jash and I are together, we love to cook. It’s fun to see what new recipes we can create. We also love to be surrounded by our huge group of family and friends.

Being that we both come from such large and loving families, we are constantly on the go and we would have it no other way! We had a very traditional engagement where we asked for both of our families’ blessings. We got married shortly after getting engaged.

What details did you focus on the most throughout the planning process?

The Sikh wedding process is full of many colorful traditions. Our wedding festivities began a week in advance and included a henna ceremony, where my hands and feet were adorned with traditional henna art.

We also had nightly singing and dancing that included folk songs being sung by close female relatives. This created a very festive and fun atmosphere! The week led up to an evening where my maternal uncles gave me beautiful and intricate bangles to be worn for 40 days after the wedding. For our wedding, it was important for us to blend

the best of Sikh wedding traditions with elements of traditional American weddings.

Bridesmaids, groomsmen, a flower bouquet, a bridal shower, and a ring exchange were incorporated into our traditional Sikh wedding celebration to create a beautifully blended wedding that Jash and I will always be able to look back on as a perfect representation of our dream wedding!

What were some of your favorite things about your special day?

Some of our favorite details and moments of the wedding were getting ready for our big day. Seeing all the beautiful and vibrant colors come to life was incredible. The happiness of our families and friends as they came to celebrate our wedding was the best!

Punjabi weddings are full of celebration, color, and a lot of love. We were blessed in abundance with all of these!

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What is the moment you’ll always remember?

Harp: My favorite moment of the day was when we took our laavan. This is where both of us traveled the path together as One. The Laavan hymn has 4 verses, which explain the four steps in the development of a life of Love. These are Awe, Love, Restraint, and Harmony. We circled the Guru Granth Sahib, our holy book, 4 times. Each time serves as a vow. When the religious ceremony was completed, everyone threw flower petals at us to show their happiness for the unity of our two souls. It signified our marriage and symbolized two families coming together as one.

Jash: My favorite moment of the day was the reception because it concluded the wedding rituals and festivities and was a celebration filled with music, food, and most importantly our family & friends, who were there to celebrate our love and commitment to each other.

Any advice for local brides?

My advice would be to start early, be vocal, and assemble the best team to assist you for your big day! Find vendors who share your vision and can help make your dream a reality.

We are lucky to have so much local talent that, when put together, can transform an event into something truly special.

I also would advise brides to let all the early planning do its job and to relax and enjoy the moment. As hard as that is to do, you want to be able to look back on your big day and remember it for the milestone that it was. It’s so important to reflect on the memories from your wedding day and smile knowing it was the beginning of a wonderful life together!

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Two year associate degrees, certificates, transfer degrees - only $46 per unit.

Erika Linch, a Sutter High School graduate, attended and graduated from Yuba College with a Kinesiology degree in May 2015. During her sophomore year Erika played soccer for the Yuba College Women’s Soccer Team. While Erika initially pursued the sport only for fun, her coach Rene Villegas developed her skills and enhanced her athletic ability. Erika was so successful on the field; she earned several titles, including All Conference, All State and second in the State of California for goals scored. Erika was recruited and currently attends Newberry College in South Carolina where she plans to graduate with a bachelor degree in Kinesiology.

TWO YUBA COLLEGE CAMPUS LOCATIONS:

2088 North Beale Road, Marysville | 3301 E. Onstott Road, Yuba City

Day Classes Evening Classes

yc.yccd.edu

ITV Courses Online Courses

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THE BILTEK any years ago, I had the pleasure of working at a law firm in downtown Sacramento. The firm was my first “real” job, and my first introduction to the wide world of health care coverage. I had always had health insurance under the comforting wing of my parents, but now was being thrust into an abyss of co-pays, deductibles, and premiums.

I can remember sitting in the conference room at our office with the Human Resource representative.

I stared at large wall of legal books as she began to explain what my health benefits were under the firm’s policy. Although I did my best to focus in on what she was saying, every word she spoke sounded like the famous teacher from the old Charlie Brown cartoon: “Wah wah wah wah wah.”

Unbeknownst to me at the time, the coverage I received from that job was absolutely incredible. After having our first child, our total bills racked up to be a whopping $250.00. Three years later, I became pregnant with baby number two. By that time I was a stay-at-home mom, and had insurance coverage through my husband’s company. Once our second child was born, it became very apparent to me what a blessing my coverage through the firm had been. Let me put it this way: we did not “own” our second son free and clear until he was approximately two years old.

BENEFIT

by Tierni Martins, President of BILTEK, INC. Medical Billing & Coding Company, servicing Providers across California

(Doctors/Physician Assistants/Nurse Practitioners).

Unfortunately, providers often take the brunt of the patient frustration.

Many moons ago when I would visit our family physician, he would chat with me and address my ailments, hand me a sucker at the end of the visit, and I’d be on my way to Mervyn’s for a major shopping spree with my mom (shopping trips usually followed doctor visits in our family). However, nowadays providers are required to report more in-depth notes of visits with their patients, which may require them to document during the actual patient visit. Regulations also require them to fully report “all” services they provide. Back when the TV shows like Dallas, Solid Gold, and Doogie Howser, MD were popular, if a provider wanted to waive the fees to his neighbor for the removal of a skin lesion in his/her office, he simply did so. That would be considered fraud now, and therefore, providers “must” report and charge every service provided to their patients. Times have most definitely changed.

Fast forward to the present. I now am in the medical billing and coding industry, and have the pleasure of working with patients and providers alike. We collectively trudge through the sea of insurance plans, PPO’s, HMO’s, and all of the guidelines surrounding those bewildering topics. What I often find is that patients are unclear about what their health coverage actually “covers.”

We receive phone calls on a regular basis from frustrated patients wanting to know why they received a bill from our office when they have insurance (or even dual insurance for that matter). More often than not, by the end of the call, it becomes clear the patient’s understanding of their coverage is uncertain. For example, many Medicare patients do not realize they have a yearly deductible. Or they believe Medicare will pay for all of the services they need or want, regardless of what the service is. This, unfortunately, is just not true.

It’s extremely unfortunate that insurance companies make their plans too complicated for their customers to understand. This not only causes their own customers issues, but also creates problems for the providers

If you have Medicare and want a better understanding as to what your coverage is, I recommend requesting a “Medicare & You” booklet. It’s produced yearly and breaks down in laymen’s terms what they cover and what they do not.

1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227) or www.medicare.gov

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Having said all of that, in an effort to assist people with having a better understanding as to what all of the health care coverage lingo means, I’d like to dissect the terminology we often hear thrown around so casually. This is merely a baby step towards the much larger comprehension we all need regarding our own coverage…but it is at least a start.

PREMIUM – This is the amount you pay to the insurance plan to “buy” your insurance. If your employer provides you with health coverage, your premium is probably deducted from each paycheck as pre-tax dollars. If you purchase your own health insurance plan, you would pay your premium either annually, quarterly, or monthly.

DEDUCTIBLE - The amount you will have to pay annually for your healthcare “before” your insurance will cover/pay anything on a service you receive.

Insurance carriers will usually apply a deductible to surgical procedures, blood tests, or hospitalizations, but not typically routine office visits.

For example, if you have a $2,500 deductible and undergo three $1,000 procedures in a year, you will pay the entire bill for the first two procedures ($2,000.00) and only $500 of the third, because your insurance will cover the remaining $500 of the third procedure.

Increasing your deductible is the easiest way to lower your premiums. And, if you are in good health, it might be a good idea to do so. However, please understand, if you have a $10,000 deductible and get sick, you could end up with $10,000 of medical bills in a year.

CO-PAY – This is the fixed amount you pay for using routine services like visiting your primary care physician, going to an emergency room, or purchasing prescription drugs. Your plan may require you to pay a different amount for different types of visits.

For example, your plan may require you to pay a copay of $20 for an office visits, $100 for an emergency room visits, and $15 for generic prescriptions or $30 for name-brand drugs.

CO-INSURANCE – Co-insurance is “in addition” to your deductible. It generally applies to less routine expenses, and is typically a percentage of a required payment, rather than a fixed dollar amount.

For example, say your plan has a $100 deductible and a 30% co-insurance. You visit your provider and have several different procedures done that rack up a $1,000 bill. You will pay $100 (your deductible) plus 30% ($270.00) of the remaining $900 (up to your out-ofpocket maximum; see below for what an out-of-pocket expense is). There are some plans with no co-insurance requirements, some with 20/80 or 50/50 coinsurance, or other combinations.

OUT-OF POCKET MAXIMUM – This will limit the total amount you pay each calendar year for healthcare, including co-pays, deductibles, and coinsurance combined. If your policy carries a $5,000 out-of-pocket maximum and you get sick and require an extensive amount of healthcare services, the most you will pay in a year is $5,000. After that, your insurance picks up the rest of the tab.

It’s important you understand the difference between your deductible and an out-of-pocket maximum.

Although subtle, there is a difference.

Out-of-pocket maximum is typically higher than your deductible to account for things like co-pays and coinsurance.

For example, if you hit your deductible of $1,500 and continue to go see your doctor for office visits, you’ll still have to pay your co-pay until you’ve spent your out-of-pocket maximum. Once your maximum for the year has been met, your insurance will then step in and cover everything.

Please know that every health insurance plan is different, and I strongly recommend you educate yourself on your plan in order to gain clear insight as to what your coverage actually is. If you ever need clarity with discerning what something within your policy means, take the time to contact your insurance carrier. You are their client, and it is their responsibility to help you gain more insight concerning your medical coverage.

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Meeting Baby

by Jennifer Lee

We teamed up with Inner Reflections to find out a little more about the services they offer, and to see just how awesome it is to meet your little one in the womb.

The inspiration to open a 3D/4D facility came from having had my own 3D/4D ultrasound for the very first time with my 4th child. It was such a moving and emotional experience that it inspired me to bring that same excitement to expecting mothers and their families in our local area.

From the moment your family walks through our doors, you will be made to feel at ease by our welcoming staff. Soft music will be playing and everyone will be offered refreshments.

While waiting for your session to begin, you will be able to enjoy watching a sample 3D/4D video set to lullaby music. The soothing, spa-like atmosphere was our intention from the start; we wanted to offer a very peaceful setting for both mom and family. Once everyone is taken into the ultrasound room, they will be greeted by our ultrasound technician and made to feel at ease. Mom will be laid on an orthopedic bed with Egyptian Cotton sheets, while family members will sit on a comfortable leather sofa facing our 65” LED screen. This way, all family members get to experience the first meeting of the newest addition.

All our packages include 2D, 3D, & 4D ultrasounds. We also have heartbeat animals available for purchase, where our technicians

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can record the baby’s heartbeat and put it inside an animal of their choice. Depending on their package choice, we do offer extra package add-ons such as edited prints, collage prints, key chains, and the possibility of a Gender Reveal photo session after the scan.

We have props for announcing whether your new addition is a boy or a girl, which are fun keepsakes to take home and always remember how excited you were the first time you saw your precious little one.

Many moms will book two sessions: one between 16 - 20 weeks for a gender reveal, which is done mostly in 2D with a sneak peak of 3D/4D, and one between 28 - 31 weeks for a 3D/4D. This second session will be the photos that can show detailed facial features of your baby, as well as letting you watch them open and close their eyes, yawn, and much more.

It’s important to book two weeks prior to the time you plan to visit so that you will have plenty of time to hydrate, as 3D/4D Ultrasounds are very dependent on fluid level and clarity. We

recommend drinking approximately 64 oz. of water each day prior to your appointment, which is also the recommended standard human consumption. This is about 4 small 16oz. water bottles a day. Of course, we are not a medical facility, so you should consult your doctor about water consumption.

However, proper hydration is the best way to ensure clear photos.

3D/4D Ultrasound is a unique experience for parents and families who want to see a 3D image of baby. It can be a moving experience that really brings your pregnancy to life. You can see your baby moving their arms and legs, turning, opening and closing their eyes, and being their own little person before they are even born. The experience is a bonding session for mom, dad, and family.

It is very personal and emotional and we treat it as such.

Sometimes images of baby can be difficult to obtain due to factors such as but not limited to placenta location; babies putting their arms, hands, or feet in front of their face; or low and/or cloudy fluid. These factors can make it harder to obtain clear 3D/4D images, but our techs are trained sonographers who will go the extra mile to try and overcome any difficulty in obtaining images.

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Cakes by Request

of Marysville will help you bring your family together for the fun of a gender reveal party. As you slice your cake, the blue or pink filling will reveal if you’re having a boy or girl.

This sweet new trend is adorable!

Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice...

A baby girl can never have enough bows! Jacklyn Johnson of Trew Luv has a fun DIY activity that’s sure to be a hit at any shower or celebration for baby. Bow & headband stations are a fun addition to a baby shower or gender reveal party and create great party favors to give to the momto-be and her future princess! Trew Luv will bring everything needed to let each guest use their creativity to make the fashionista-to-be a HUGE assortment of amazing baby headbands.

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