Coulee Region Women Magazine

Angela Bartow

Refresh Your Home with Savvy Home Consignments

Makeover Managing a Career Makeover

New Life with Coulee Council on Addictions Indian Meals Made Easy Spontaneity in Sedona Makeovers & More!

YOU TOOK THE MORE TIME CHALLENGE WITH BABY FROM THE BEGINNING OF YOUR LIFE AND PUT IT IN THE BEST HANDS

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CONTENTS | December/January 2018

11 PROFILE

MAKEOVER MADE EASY Angela Bartow’s Savvy Home Consignments is all about repurposing, recycling and refreshing your home.

Makeover 33 HOW-TO

CREATIVE CABINET SOLUTIONS Tight on space? Try these fun features for your kitchen cabinets.

37 FOOD

15 CAREERS

A NEW TWIST ON A HOME-COOKED MEAL Indian Meal Kit expands your palate, easily and healthfully.

LIFE IS WAITING FOR YOU Midlife career changes bring unexpected rewards.

41 NONPROFIT

19 DESIGNING WOMEN

CAN’T STOP SEWING Anna Graham channels her creativity into a blog and a business.

21 FAMILY

A FAMILY MADE NEW A search for birth parents opens a new chapter for Sheryl Rupprecht.

25 HEALTHY LIVING

EASING THE TRANSITION Local physicians explain how the lead-up to menopause can be smoother.

29 HOME

4 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

47 MAKEOVER

UPDATE YOUR WARDROBE BASICS Time to freshen up your staples? Help is just around the corner!

50 RETAIL THERAPY

MARVELOUS MAKEOVERS Ring in the New Year with a fresh hair and makeup look.

55 TRAVEL

SPONTANEITY IN SEDONA Is there a more beautiful destination to create your own adventure?

NEW HOME, NEIGHBORHOOD FEEL Amy and Jamie Stoeckly designed their home around family.

In every issue: From the Editor 6 | In the Know 8

REBUILDING LIVES Coulee Council on Addictions helps people start anew.

Pictured on cover and above: Angela Bartow, owner of Savvy Home Consignments. Photos by Jen Towner Photography.

| Accomplishments

45

| Advertiser Index 58 | Community Calendar 58

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| FROM THE EDITOR |

It’s natural, I suppose, to feel a little

low this time of year. As I write this letter, a chill November wind is scuttling fallen leaves down the street and a wan winter sun is mustering strength behind a curtain of gray. In an ideal world, I would curl up with coffee and a book and alternately read and nap. Or I would pack up a journal and sit in a warm, bright coffee shop for a few hours, musing. Or I might face the elements on a brisk walk, paying particular attention to the swirling leaves and the nip in the air, living truly in the moment.

But there are deadlines and appointments, kids to shepherd to school and a house to pick up after them. There are books to balance, meals to prepare and the general swirl of activity that comes with having a family, a home, a job and more. The book, the walk, the musing—in essence, everything that fills my well—is scuttled away with the leaves. This is a time of year, on the brink of the holidays,

when there’s so much potential for happiness and joy. Yet the dim days and the daily demands often leave me feeling worn down, anxious and exhausted. Maybe you do, too.

Finding myself in this state recently, while working on this issue of Coulee Region Women, I was grateful to have the theme of “Makeover” constantly before me. First, there was a joyful cover shoot at the colorful Savvy Home Consignments with Angela Bartow, whose enthusiasm for being included in this issue was absolutely infectious. Then, there were actual style makeovers, which always leave me feeling inspired and optimistic.

Finally, there was story after story of women reinventing themselves—on newfound career paths, in new homes, at turning points in their lives and on missions to improve the lives of others—and their stories made me look at my life in a less wan light. The opportunity for a “makeover” is always right before you.

What I needed, I realized, was a mental makeover. I began by slowing down—way down—and trying to truly live in the moment with those around me. A child’s hug, a warm hand in mine, a good meal prepared and shared, a good laugh with coworkers—all presented themselves in a chain of moments to savor and be refreshed by. I tried to truly let go of regret over past mistakes and anticipation of future stresses, and focus just on the task at hand or the human before me.

“What do I need to do in this moment?” I’d wonder. “What does this person need right now?” And would you know, it worked. I found myself responding to situations with more clarity and to others—and myself— with more kindness.

It’s not easy to train yourself to refocus your attention in this way. It’s really hard to slow down that much, be so mindful and remember always to breathe, to stay calm. But neither is it easy to orchestrate any makeover. The path to “re-making” a home or a career or a life—or simply striving for more peace and balance day-to-day— is strung with a chain of moments, and in each one, we can choose calm and kindness, awareness of others and ourselves. It is what brings us light—even happiness and joy—in this time of year, and always.

ISSUE 95, VOLUME 16, NUMBER 5 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 PUBLISHER Diane Raaum EDITOR Betty Christiansen DESIGNERS Lisa Houghton Design Jaclyn Berg MARKETING ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES Carol Schank, Director Sandy Clark Claire Ristow-Seib PROOFREADERS Sandy Clark Laura Rowlett WEB MASTER Mader Web Design LLC PHOTOGRAPHY Jen Towner Photography Jordana Snyder Photography DISTRIBUTION Citywide Marketing Services, L.L.C. Jennie Kolek Joanne Mihm Coulee Region Women is published six times per year by Coulee Region Communications, L.L.C. 816 2nd Avenue S., Suite 300, Onalaska, WI 54650.

Subscriptions available for $24.95 per year (six issues).

Send check to the address above.

All unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Coulee Region Women assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials. ©2018 Coulee Region Communications, L.L.C. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Coulee Region Women magazine does not necessarily endorse the claims or contents of advertising or editorial materials.

Printed at Crescent Printing Company, Onalaska, WI. Printed in the U.S.A.

For advertising information call 608-783-5395 www.crwmagazine.com info@crwmagazine.com WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Send comments, suggestions, ideas or original recipes to:

Coulee Region Women Editor, 816 2nd Ave. S., Suite 300, Onalaska, WI 54650.

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6 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

Dr. Julie Moseng

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accuses each of murder and then one drops dead— poisoned. One down and nine to go! The excitement | never | IN THElets KNOW up. Based on Agatha Christie’s superlative mystery novel, this show will keep you guessing who the killer is, and who will be the next to fall.

KEEP SPIRITS BRIGHT WITH LOCAL THEATER Amid the hustle and bustle of holiday

preparations, take time out for a hearty laugh with live local theater. Here are two seasonal sensations you won’t want to miss.

If the movie is already part of your family holiday tradition, what could be better than a live performance of A Christmas Story, complete with Ralph Parker’s quest for a Red Ryder rifle and all the antics that come with it?

Pack up the whole family and head to the Weber Center for the Performing Arts for La Crosse Community Theatre’s own production. The play runs December 7-17, with performances on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.

For a snarkier night of more mature humor, leave the kids at home and head back to the Weber Center for David Sedaris’s Santaland Diaries, performed spot-on by La Crosse’s own Michael Scott. Whether you’re already a Sedaris or a Scott fan, and whether you’re already feeling the bah-humbug funk that can come with the race to the holidays, you’ll enjoy a good laugh at the trials of a disillusioned department store elf. Santaland Diaries plays December 9, 15-16 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and December 15-16 at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets for both shows can be obtained by calling La Crosse Community Theatre’s box office at 608-784-9292 or at www.lacrossecommunitytheatre.org.

THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES The pre-Christmas entertainment

just doesn’t stop as the Muse Theatre rings in the season with the Winter Wonderettes, a cheeky quartet of swinging singers celebrating the holiday music of the 50s and 60s with their unique blend of humor, sass and charm. All your favorites are here, from “Jingle Bell Rock” to “Suzy Snowflake” to “Santa Baby,” performed in a swirl of color, harmony and choreography. This holiday revue runs December 1-2, 7-9, 1415 and 21-23, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and a final matinee December 23 at 2 p.m. For tickets, call or text the Muse Theatre (1353 Avon Street, La Crosse) at 608-397-3752 or email museonavon@gmail.com.

608-784-9292 | www.lacrosseco

WOMEN AND WARMTH Keep your spirits high after the holidays with two lovely annual women’s traditions

hosted by the Franciscan Spirituality Center in La Crosse. Begin with Women’s Christmas: An Epiphany Celebration for Wise Women, held 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, January 4. On the Feast of Epiphany, Irish women left the care of their households to the men for a few hours so they could enjoy each other’s company away from their domestic responsibilities, especially after the busyness of Christmas preparations. Irish or not, you are invited to leave behind your responsibilities for a few hours to enjoy the companionship of other women.

Beginning with a simple meal, and led by presenter Deb Hansen, guests will reflect on and receive the gifts of three female Irish saints. The cost is $30.

You’re invited back Saturday, January 27, 2-4 p.m., for Tea & Hospitality: A Fundraiser for FSC Scholarships. For thousands of years, in cultures around the world, tea has played a central role in hospitality.

To serve someone tea is to show kindness, generosity, concern for another’s comfort and nourishment. This event celebrates tea from India and China with special guest presenters Puja Mehta of Indian Meal Kit and Kelly Deng of Dim Sum Tea Shop. The cost is $45, and proceeds benefit FSC’s scholarship funds, ensuring that all who want to attend its programs and retreats can do so.

Register for these events at www.fscenter.org or 608-791-5295.

8 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

UP, UP AND AWAY! Watch daredevils from all over the

nation—and the world—soar to new heights at the 95th annual Snowflake Ski Jumping Tournament in Westby, held February 2-3, beginning on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 12 p.m.

From a secure spot on the ground, cheer on participants as they hurtle down a 118-meter hill at speeds up to 50 mph and launch themselves into the air for distances exceeding 200 feet. Competing for distance, style and technique, jumpers include thrill-seekers from local participants to Olympic contenders. Dress warmly, for if the jumpers don’t leave you breathless, the cold just might. The event includes cold drinks, great food and live music. A Junior Jumping Competition for aspiring jumpers is also held on Saturday, January 6. For more information, see www.snowflakeskiclub.com or find Snowflake Ski Club on Facebook.

10 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

| PROFILE |

Makeover MADE Easy Angela Bartow’s Savvy Home Consignments is all about repurposing, recycling and refreshing your home.

BY HEIDI GRIMINGER BLANKE Photos by Jen Towner Photography

With a degree in interior design,

a real estate license and a strong dose of faith, Angela Bartow is the dynamo entrepreneur behind Savvy Home Consignments. Her Onalaska store features a treasure trove of repurposed items, from ornament-size decorations to major pieces of furniture.

When Bartow and her husband relocated to the Coulee Region six years ago, she happened upon a similar but smaller store in Janesville. “That kind of sparked my interest, and I realized that might be a niche to be filled around this area. I was completely inspired and remembered past dreams of opening a décor boutique.” After a year of researching and planning, she opened her doors in February 2013.

Repurposing isn’t new to Bartow. “My dad was always bringing items back to life by fixing them,” she says. Now she shares that passion with her many customers, courtesy of 5,000 local consignors.

What’s in store?

Savvy Home Consignments is filled with household items, art and accessories in every style, from classic to boho to modern, all organized and arranged with a decorator’s eye. Walk into the shop, and you’re met with a rainbow of items.

“About a year ago, we went to a color-coded system and theme rooms,” Bartow explains. “If a customer has a certain color in mind, we can point them in that direction. Or, if you’re into a shabby-chic romantic style, we have a room for that. If you’re into more country-primitive, we have a room for that. www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 11

Motives for makeovers

Many people reduce their carbon footprint by repurposing, but others, says Bartow, simply “like the thrill of the hunt and the find of the treasure. People also come in for the quality of some of the older types of furniture.

“A lot of people, when they’re selling their homes, come in here to find a whole room they can use to update their house to get it ready for sale,” she adds. “We had a team of interior designers who found a brass headboard and had it sandblasted and painted, and it turned out amazing.”

Regardless of the item, Bartow encourages shoppers to compare prices of new and repurposed, knowing she can offer a comparable item for significantly less. “We’ve become trusted over time, that we’re only accepting the best. It’s not thrift-store prices, but it’s a fair price so the consigner can get a good price for their product and the customer still gets a great deal.”

While repurposing is common, not everyone is aware of its vast and unusual possibilities. “We work with local artists who repurpose and refurbish pieces, bringing new life to quality-built, timeless pieces of furniture,” Bartow says.

At your service

Organized by color and theme, the repurposed goods found in Savvy Home Consignments are new to the next customer who discovers them.

“We often have people come up with everything for a complete room makeover,” she adds. “We also have stagers come in and buy here; then they recycle their old inventory that they’ve used in makeovers or staging.”

Bring it in

The consignment system is a snap, says Bartow. Consignors box up their best home goods, “from lamps to wall art to kitchen items that have never been used,” drop them off, “and are usually on their way within 10 minutes.” Large items are photographed and emailed to the store for consideration. Staff then sort and inventory the items, returning or donating those that aren’t accepted for sale. Consignors receive cash when the item is sold.

“Something might be perfectly OK and have much life left in it,” she says. “Then, to someone else, it’ll be brand new.”

The home consignment business is cyclical. While the store is inundated with new items in summer and fall, making the staff more discerning in what goes onto the packed shelves, winter and spring months are leaner, so consigned items have a better chance of being selected. “We always tell people it’s great to bring things in the winter,” Bartow says.

No matter what the weather, the assortment is constantly changing.

Bartow’s more memorable items include Italian gold-inlayed tables, vintage signs from old La Crosse businesses, antique glass butter churns and mint-condition midcentury club chairs.

12 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

Bartow credits her staff with making Savvy Home Consignments a success. “I’ve been blessed with amazing people here. They go above and beyond, and everyone is proactive.”

This team of “really strong women” is the backbone of the business, and employees are hired for their customer service skills. However, all are up-to-date on all the items coming in. “When someone brings a Pinterest idea in on their phone, we can point them in the right direction,” Bartow says.

Bartow’s son, now 6, has been by her side in the store since before he could crawl. Bartow used to sit him up on a blanket during closed hours; now, he is paid small amounts for store chores. Her husband is “a kind of backbone,” she says. “Sometimes there are really stressful days, and it’s nice to be able to come home and talk to him about it.”

Now and forever

Bartow’s own home features repurposed items like salvaged Craftsman cabinetry and a train luggage cart converted to a coffee table. “People will ask me how I don’t just buy everything (in the store), but I tell them it’s because we’re too busy. It’s coming in and going out, so before I can even think about wanting it, it’s just sold.”

Bartow emphasizes that repurposing is a great way to change things up and that “it’s totally OK to be sick of something.” Not only can you bring in your old items for consignment, but you can also walk away with something new.

This year, Bartow opened Savvy Wedding and Event Rental.

“We have about 100 choice large pieces of furniture, old windows, old doors, galvanized washtubs. We have an 8-foot wine-barrel bar,” letting couples add a personal touch to their weddings.

Keeping track of hundreds of new items every week is no easy task, but Bartow is more than up to it. “It’s hard, but it’s fun. I used to have an office, but there’s no time to sit.” While sorting and selling is a joy, Bartow sees her store as more than that. “At times it’s like a social gathering in here; a lot of the customers have become our friends.”

That’s an approach we all can benefit from over and over again. crw Heidi Griminger Blanke, Ph.D., is a widely published local author.

She is a lifelong repurposing fan, from furniture to fabric, and enjoys the thrill of the hunt.

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| CAREERS |

LIFE IS WAITING FOR YOU Midlife career changes bring unexpected rewards.

BY KIMBERLY K. SEIDEL Contributed photos

It’s never too late. A midlife career

change can happen by choice or necessity, but whatever the reason, new jobs often prove rewarding in unexpected ways.

If someone told Carla Stanton, 40, that she would switch careers to work as a real estate agent, she would never have believed it. Yet today—even more amazing to her— she works as a real estate agent and a spiritual director. Her two careers complement one another and offer her the opportunity, using her skills and gifts, to best serve her clients.

During a 20-year period of her life, Darcy Lenz transitioned from hydro-geologist to stay-at-home mom to elementary school teacher. She made it appear seamless, but it required effort and support.

So many options are available for women today. There are no rules for creating a life that works with you and for you, whether your children are at home or you’re an empty-nester. You may be single, widowed or divorced, but life is waiting for you to make things happen.

Follow your own path

In her first career of 15 years, Stanton, a mother of three, worked as a speech and www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 15

Carla Stanton, spiritual director and real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lovejoy Realty in Onalaska

language pathologist in hospital and nursing home settings. Originally from the Bahamas, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree and then earned a master’s.

After moving here in 2003 with her husband, she continued her work with rehabilitation teams and in dementia care.

Stanton loved the work but began to think about switching gears when fighting with insurance companies began overtaking what she most enjoyed about her job: caring for her clients.

On friends’ advice, she enrolled in the threeyear Spiritual Direction Preparation Program at the Franciscan Spirituality Center in 2014. She didn’t feel totally comfortable with it, but she moved forward despite her unsettled feelings. Part of her discomfort was walking into many unknown factors, such as how she would use her spiritual direction training.

“I thought even if it made me a better wife and mother, it would be worth it,” says Stanton, who has two daughters, 13 and 7, and a son, 10. She and her spouse reworked their family’s budget to accommodate the change in careers. Some sacrifices were required.

Another important step she took to follow her heart was telling only her husband and a few close friends of her potential plans. She didn’t want any outside influences to impact her decisions. “It took me a long time, and a lot of work, to learn to let go of what other people may think about what I’m doing or not doing,” she says.

Surround yourself with support

Darcy Lenz, fourth-grade teacher at Northside Elementary in La Crosse

After working as a hydro-geologist for seven years, a career she earned through a college degree and hard work, Lenz decided to stay home to spend more time with her three young boys. Volunteering at their schools began to pique her interest in teaching.

Lenz’s newfound gifts and strengths, working with children, were reinforced in her diverse neighborhood. “Our family isn’t perfect, but our kids have stability,” she says. “I began to see the disparity between the kids who had consistent care and those who didn’t and how their ability to learn was affected. Teaching began to feel like a calling to me.”

Lenz shared her dream with her husband, who was both supportive and realistic. He suggested they use the money they were saving to buy him a muchneeded truck toward her education instead; his old truck made it through another winter while Lenz started her teaching degree at Viterbo University. A few questioned her goals, but the majority of people were supportive.

Find a new balance

The first year of returning to school, Lenz attempted to be both full-time mom and student, 16 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

until her life became completely unmanageable.

She learned to delegate jobs to her family, including creating a detailed chore chart for her sons.

This prepared her family when she landed a teaching job after graduating. “The first year was especially demanding, but my boys were cheerful throughout all of it,” says Lenz, who teaches fourth grade at Northside Elementary in the La Crosse School District. “They were plenty ready to take on more responsibilities.”

The smooth transition is reflected in her family’s weekends. When Lenz stayed at home, she had the vehicle prepared for a camping trip or other adventure by the time her kids came home from school on Friday. Today, when she arrives home from school, the boys—15, 12 and 10—have the car ready to go for her.

Keep an “openness”

During her first year of spiritual direction studies, Stanton says, “I kept an ‘openness,’ and I loved the positive environment. It was a lot more work than I expected, but I loved it.”

In her second year, a friend unexpectedly asked her if she would join her real estate team. “My world was health care,” Stanton says. “I had never even thought about that line of work.”

Yet she agreed to discuss it over lunch. “Every reason I gave her for not doing it, she gave me a good reason for doing it,” Stanton says. Eventually, Stanton agreed to obtain her real estate license, and now she is a partner with Michele Burton of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Lovejoy Realty in Onalaska. “It still surprises me how much I love working in real estate. It’s most likely because I’m serving and helping people.” A home for most comes tied with many emotions—whether moving in or out—and she listens to her clients and affirms their feelings about this transitional time.

Be kind to yourself

Stanton graduated from the spiritual direction program this past summer. “It was a very big accomplishment for me,” she says. She describes the work of a spiritual director as a “personal trainer for your soul.” Certainly, what she has learned on her career path can help others searching for a new direction, too.

“Be kind and patient with yourself,” Stanton says when asked what advice she would give women starting new careers. “If it feels uncertain and scary, you’re probably doing it right. It’s OK to take it one day at a time. Stay open to the unexpected.” crw Kimberly K. Seidel, a professional writer and editor and mother of two daughters, 19 and 15, recently started a new part-time job. For the first time in 20 years, she’s working outside of her home.

She’s grateful for the insight and inspiration offered

by Carla and Darcy, as well as the love and support she’s received from family and friends.

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| DESIGNING WOMEN |

Anna Graham (above) has built a business creating patterns for garments, bags and home décor. Here, she models a tunic from her book, Handmade Style.

CAN’T STOP SEWING Anna Graham channels her creativity into a blog and a business.

BY TALLITHA REESE Contributed photos

Anna Graham has built a successful blog and business on the craft of sewing through her website, www.noodle-head.com, but she admits that as a child she actually hated to sew.

“When my mom and I would sew, I was more on the sidelines helping. I loved looking through pattern books, picking out fabrics and dreaming about how it would look in the end,” says Graham.

“But the sewing part was frustrating to me.”

Although Graham’s relationship with sewing had a rocky start, it eventually picked back up shortly before her first daughter was born, when her mother-in-law gifted her a sewing machine. That reintroduction was just the beginning.

Making the leap

Creative roots

Graham runs her business completely out of her home in West Salem, and she has successfully blended her work with family life.

Noodlehead, the name of her business, was inspired by her oldest daughter’s childhood nickname.

“My girls love it when they get to make something or if I make something for them,” says Graham. “It’s also fun to pass down what I’ve learned.”

Graham enjoys sewing just about anything, but says she gravitates toward bags, accessories and home décor items.

“Most of the time, I create a pattern to fit a specific need in my life,” she explains. “I love items that are useful.”

Graham has just wrapped up plans for a new pattern and another fun project, both of which will be available next spring. The rest of this year is open to fill with whatever she comes up with, and Graham says she’s always working on something new—she just can’t stop. crw

Graham always enjoyed being creative, which was why she pursued a degree in art at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

“I focused on graphic design because it was the only way I thought I could make a living doing something creative,” says Graham. After graduating in 2002, Graham did marketing work for several years, married and prepared to start a family.

“When I was pregnant with my oldest, I began getting back to creative projects, and the desire to get back to sewing was huge for me,” explains Graham. “When I had to sit down and figure out my own machine as an adult—that’s when it all started clicking into place.”

It wasn’t long before Graham discovered the online sewing world, and she began her own blog in 2009. She began spending all her free time sewing, blogging or taking photos and found that her professional experience translated well to the hobby that would become her business. By 2010, Graham was selling her own sewing patterns on her website.

Eventually, Graham found that continuing her outside job while also maintaining her business was just too much.

“I had to let opportunities pass because I didn’t have the time. It finally got to a point where I just couldn’t do both,” she says.

At the end of 2013, Graham began working for herself full time.

Since then, she has written a book called Handmade Style, designed a fabric collection for Cloud9 Fabrics and contributed to several other publications, all while continuing to create patterns and tutorials for her audience.

Tying the threads together

Tallitha Reese is a freelance writer and content manager based in Cashton. She owns Words By Reese, and you can find her at www. wordsbyreese.com. www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 19

OUR COMMUNITY. YOUR STATION.

NEWS 20 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

AT

SIX & TEN

| FAMILY |

A Family Made New A search for birth parents opens a new chapter for Sheryl Rupprecht.

BY SUSAN HESSEL Contributed photos

Above: Sheryl Rupprecht (second from right) connects with her German siblings. Her biological mother, Inge, is seated in front. Top right: Rupprecht visits her biological father, Robert Henry, at his home in New Brunswick, Canada. Bottom right: In 1957, the year of Rupprecht's birth, her parents gathered with friends in this photo. Her mother, Inge, is second from right; her father is seated beside her.

For Sheryl Rupprecht of rural Holmen, family is not a simple matter of parents, siblings and grandparents. In fact, it’s taken much of her adult life to find out whom she came from— and then literally find them. “It’s complicated, but I’m blessed,” Rupprecht says of her successful search for her birth family.

Wondering and finding

Rupprecht was raised in rural Minnesota by her adoptive parents, Victor and Elaine Mausling, who had two children of their own after they adopted her, and who were very open about her origins.

“From when I was very little, they told me I was adopted from Germany,” Rupprecht says. “They are my mom and dad, but there was this curiosity about my birth mother. Growing up knowing you are adopted, you feel this void. You don’t look like anyone or have their characteristics.”

Despite the love as she felt from and for her adoptive parents, Rupprecht says she always felt a bit different. For example, Elaine

Mausling would introduce Rupprecht to others as “my German daughter.”

A mother’s story

Rupprecht’s story actually begins in Karlsruhe, Germany, in 1957—during the dark years after World War II. She was born to a young woman named Inge, who lived with her mother and siblings.

“They were desperately poor and worn out from just trying to survive,” Rupprecht says. Food and fuel were in short supply, and much infrastructure still needed repair after the war.

Many young women in Germany sought to marry American soldiers as a way out, which happened to Inge’s sister, Jutta. Inge dated one such soldier, but then he was ordered back to the United States.

Soon, she learned she was pregnant.

After giving birth, Inge dropped her baby off at an American orphanage, thinking she was only leaving her for child care while she worked. Inge came daily for six weeks to nurse her beloved daughter.

www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 21

What Inge did not realize was that the documents she signed at the orphanage made her daughter available for adoption. The Mauslings, a western Minnesota couple stationed in Karlsruhe, adopted Rupprecht and later brought her to the United States.

The search begins

Twenty-seven years after her birth, in 1983, Rupprecht, who by then was married with four children and living in Winona County, slipped on the ice and required surgery for a ruptured disk. A chaplain noticed her birth records, which traced her to Germany, and mentioned that he frequently escorted patients from Germany to Mayo Clinic. Within days, he had obtained her birth mother’s married name and address.

Nervously, Rupprecht wrote and sent a letter to Inge, now married to Otto Zumsteg. Inge carried it in her pocket for three days before she worked up the courage to read it. Once she did, she began a connection with Rupprecht that led to more letters, then a visit to Germany in 1989 and now a large, extended, complicated but very happy family.

“I look like my birth mother and my siblings,” Rupprecht marvels, adding that it felt “like home” when she hugged her birth mother for the first time.

Finding a father

This August, life threw Rupprecht and her family one more twist.

Unbeknownst to Rupprecht, her son, Kyle, had spent the last three years searching for a man named “Henry”—the only name associated

22 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

with Rupprecht’s birth father—on Ancestry.com, using DNA testing.

He’d found a relative in Missouri whose DNA confirmed he was a first cousin. It took months, and many worries about family reactions, but the cousin’s sister finally helped them track down a man in Canada named Robert Louis Henry—Rupprecht’s birth father. When contacted, Henry immediately replied, “Yes, I have a daughter. Yes, she was born in Germany in 1957.”

A few weeks later, Rupprecht, her husband and three of their children met him over Labor Day weekend. “I knew you existed,” Henry told her, “but I didn’t know how to find you.”

Henry had almost connected with Rupprecht as an infant. Back in Karlsruhe, as an Army mechanic, Henry tried to find Inge but was not successful. A colleague once pointed to a baby in a carriage being pushed by another woman and told him, “That’s your daughter.” But when Henry went up to the woman, Elaine Mausling, she refused to talk to him and hurried away—and ever after, says Rupprecht, she feared that her adopted daughter would be taken away.

At their meeting, Rupprecht showed Henry a photo of Inge with a group of friends, taken in Karlsruhe in 1957. To Rupprecht’s shock, Henry pointed to the young man sitting next to Inge and said, “That’s me!” It was a very powerful moment for Rupprecht.

Complicated as it is, Rupprecht loves and is grateful for her extended family, both birth and adopted. “Next to God, family is what is most important in our lives,” she says. crw Personal historian Susan Hessel was recently awarded the YWCA Outstanding Woman award as a “Trailblazer” in the community.

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| HEALTHY LIVING |

EASING THE TRANSITION

Local physicians explain how the lead-up to menopause can be smoother.

BY JUDITH MUNSON Contributed photos

Sarah Nevsimal, physician assistant in OB-GYN with Gundersen Health System, La Crosse

Ah, menopause. Good times. Or, possibly, wretched, miserable, sleep-deprived times, depending on the individual.

Many women practically sail through this time of life with minimal symptoms, while others contend with hot flashes and mood swings so severe, it’s downright debilitating. What troubles the health care community—including local women’s health specialists—is that many women have been needlessly frightened away from a therapy that could help them.

Prior to 2002, most women were placed on hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) to offset the symptoms of perimenopause, the period when a woman’s body starts producing less estrogen. In addition to helping alleviate hot flashes, mood swings and other premenopausal symptoms, HRT was thought to decrease women’s chances of heart disease.

Then, a famous Women’s Health Initiative study published in 2002 found HRT is not a suitable deterrent to heart disease and may increase a woman’s chance of breast cancer. The gates flew open, and women fled HRT in droves, despite the fact that later reports stated the findings of the original study were vastly misunderstood.

“Suddenly, many providers stopped recommending and prescribing HRT, and many women with significant menopause symptoms have unnecessarily suffered,” says Sarah Nevsimal, a physician assistant in OB-GYN for Gundersen Health System in La Crosse.

A new look at a famous study

During perimenopause, a woman’s ovaries produce less estrogen until her periods stop completely, commencing menopause. For most women, this transition begins in their 40s or 50s or, in rarer cases, when they’re younger. It most typically lasts four to eight years.

By infusing estrogen and progesterone back into a woman’s body, HRT decreases the likelihood of hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and other symptoms, such as vaginal dryness, that are caused by the lower levels of estrogen.

www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 25

Follow-up findings to the 2002 study stated that although HRT may not be a wise choice for those who have a high breast cancer risk, it is still an excellent therapy for women who suffer from the more severe premenopausal symptoms.

However, as Margaret Grenisen, M.D., of Mayo Clinic Health System’s Women’s Health Center in La Crosse, puts it: “Once you start talking about cancer-related Margaret Grenisen, M.D., of Mayo Clinic Health System’s Women’s risk, it stays on people’s radar.”

Health Center, La Crosse So women have stayed away from HRT for 15 years, but Grenisen agrees with Nevsimal’s assessment that the therapy is underutilized for those who are “really suffering.”

Other options

Some women may benefit from another hormone-related therapy that is less intense. “Birth control pills also help with hot flashes, night sweats and regularity of periods,” says Grenisen. For symptoms that are not hormone related, such as dryness and migraines, there are other treatments available, and Grenisen advises women to consult with their doctors.

Nevsimal clarifies that treating perimenopause requires taking

26 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

several factors into account. “When prescribing HRT, it is not just cancer risks that I am considering,” she says. “Timing and age in correlation with the onset of menopause are also important, as are cardiovascular risks.”

For women struggling with hot flashes, low doses of certain antidepressants are proven to serve as an effective, non-hormonal treatment. “This can be a particularly nice option for women who are also encountering mood swings during perimenopause,” says Nevsimal.

For women seeking a non-hormonal treatment, Gabapentin is often prescribed for hot flashes. “Also avoid triggers such as warm rooms, alcohol, spicy foods,” says Nevsimal. “Smokers and those who are overweight are also more susceptible to hot flashes.”

If someone is experiencing milder symptoms, some natural remedies may help. “I’ve had some patients have a good experience with vitamin E,” says Nevsimal.

Grenisen agrees: “Vitamin E and black cohosh can be effective for hot flashes, as well as compounded estrogen,” a bioidentical hormone made from soy or yam plants. “There is some controversy about the compounded estrogen, because the same risk factors apply. It’s still estrogen. There is a compounding pharmacist in La Crosse I have referred patients to.”

However, if a woman is experiencing serious, debilitating effects of perimenopause, Grenisen advises her to consider HRT, depending on her cancer risk. “Since that study came out, premenopausal women are much more fearful than they need to be, especially if they’re just miserable,” she says. “There is nothing more effective than HRT.” crw Judith Munson is a freelance journalist and memoir writer living in western Wisconsin.

www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 27

28 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

| HOME |

NEW HOME, NEIGHBORHOOD FEEL

Amy and Jamie Stoeckly designed their home around family.

BY JESSIE FOSS Contributed photos

Lots of rustic details contribute to a family home with a comfortable farmhouse appeal. For example, a salvaged barn beam adorns the fireplace as a mantel (left), and a barn-style door hides the laundry room (below).

Nestled just off U.S. Highway 53 near Holmen sits a community of its own: bustling streets filled with moms pushing strollers, neighbors waving to one another and kids playing outside.

It is in this neighborhood of the August Prairie subdivision where the Stoeckly family decided to build their new home.

“What drew us to the neighborhood was being close to schools and freeway access,” Amy Stoeckly says. “It’s a neighborhood with families who enjoy being outside and getting to know each other.”

The 2,300-square-foot ranch-style house is home to Amy and Jamie Stoeckly, their daughter, Kate, and son, Drew. The heart of the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home is its open living space. The kitchen is open to the dining and living areas and features white cabinets, quartz countertops and a walk-in pantry. The living room is anchored by a large fireplace with a mantel made from an old barn beam.

Designed around a family

Tucked just off the entryway behind a barn-style door is Amy’s favorite part of the house: an area containing a mud room, half bath and laundry room.

Amy and Jamie built their first home 10 years ago, and this area was something Amy knew she was going to do differently than in their first house.

“All the clutter when you come into your house is contained in one spot,” Amy says.

Amy’s favorite room of the house is the laundry room. She has put energy into making the room organized and ready to take on the task of laundry for a family of four, also adding personal touches that makes the room welcoming.

“I hate doing laundry,” Amy says. “But I love my laundry room. I thought if I made a great room, it would make doing laundry easier.”

The home’s three bedrooms were strategically placed back behind www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 29

Other details emphasize fun and family in the Stoeckly home: repurposed lockers in a child’s room (left), a mirror belonging to Amy’s grandmother (center) and clever use of paint on repurposed furniture.

the living space in a move that Amy says was designed to help hide some of the messiness that can come with two middle-school-age kids. All three bedrooms have large walk-in closets.

Another carefully thought-out detail of the home is the kids’ Jackand-Jill bathroom, in which the showering area and vanity counter are separated for privacy.

Modern, warm and welcoming

While the layout and design of the house was important, it has been the details involved in making the house a home that Amy has put much of her attention and energy into.

She says she relied on Pinterest and HGTV’s Fixer Upper couple Chip and Joanna Gaines for inspiration.

“I knew I wanted the house to have a bit of a farmhouse feel but also modern and warm and welcoming,” Amy says. “Sort of a mix between a farmhouse and a hotel.”

Saving money and reusing while decorating the home was also important to Amy. She says it wouldn’t have been realistic or affordable to build a new home and then buy new furnishings for it as well.

Refinishing furniture was one of Amy’s biggest money savers. She used chalk paint to revamp and refresh the couple’s bedroom furniture as well as the family’s dining table and end tables in the living room.

Jamie also built the tables that sit in the home’s hallways.

Used Anew in Sparta became one of Amy’s go-to places. The business demolishes buildings and then sells the unwanted materials so they can be repurposed, offering an alternative to complete demolition and landfilling of unwanted buildings.

For her home, Amy grabbed up wood from a La Crosse house’s porch.

The narrow wood with its chipped and peeling paint made for a perfect feature wall in the Stoeckly’s laundry room and half bathroom. Amy says she gently cleaned the wood and then sealed it with polyurethane.

A trick she learned was to paint the wall the wood is going on black.

That way a bright white won’t stick out through the wood’s gaps.

30 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

The fireplace mantel was also salvaged as a beam from a barn in Mindoro.

Seeking inspiration

One repurposed piece that holds more sentimental value to Amy is a dresser and mirror combination that belonged to her grandmother, who recently passed away at the age of 104. The dresser now sits in Kate’s bedroom, and Amy and her mother refinished the mirror, which now hangs in the entryway.

When Amy was struggling to find curtains to fit her large, sevenpiece window feature, she customized the look by adding a solid color block to fairly inexpensive panels. She is happy with how the nowlonger curtains frame her large windows.

Other repurposed items in the home include a set of lockers in Drew’s room that he stores his sports equipment in, a pocket door into the laundry room and books used for decorations on the built-ins around the fireplace.

To those who are just beginning the building process or those just looking to refresh their current homes, Amy offers this advice: “Visit things like the Parade of Homes to see what you like or don’t like,” she says. “Pinterest! Set a board up for each room.” She also suggests visiting building supply showrooms.

While the Stoecklys love living in their new home, they aren’t the only ones who love it. The home was a part of the 2017 La Crosse Area Builders Association Parade of Homes. It was chosen as the Best in Class in mid-range homes and placed second in the people’s choice voting. crw Jessie Foss is a freelance writer living in La Crosse. She loves do-it-yourself home and decorating projects. She is grateful to the Stoeckly family for letting her visit their home and share it with others through words.

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32 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

| HOW-TO |

CREATIVE CABINET SOLUTIONS Tight on space? Try these fun features for your kitchen cabinets.

BY CAROL SCHANK Contributed photos

If you are building a home or giving your kitchen a makeover, take an imaginative approach to your kitchen cabinets with these innovative ideas, provided by Elevations by Wisconsin Building Supply, Gerhard’s Kitchen & Bath Store and Beyer Cabinets LTD. Before you start your project, do your research, then consult a designer or come up with your own ideas to make the space work for you. Custom-built or stock cabinets can make all spaces convenient, functional and easy to incorporate.

Visiting showrooms and consulting their designers is a great way to inspire your cabinet redesign. These designers will have up-todate ideas and work with you to make the best choice for your space requirements. crw

Go beyond the kitchen! Explore accessories that feature smart storage ideas for bathrooms, desk areas, entertainment centers and beyond. The possibilities are endless if you put your imagination and designer to work!

• Corner wall cabinets are an ideal location for a stack of convenient turntables.

• Wide drawers with dividers are perfect for organizing craft and art supplies.

• Pullout drawers for cutting boards keep everything neat and tidy in a small space.

• Vanity drawers can be organized with dividers, partitions and angled shelves to organize cosmetics for easy visibility.

• The end of an island is a great place to tuck a spice rack in a shallow cabinet.

• Angled end cabinets can be utilized for smaller storage items.

• A pantry hides cleaning supplies. www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 33

This pullout drawer makes spices and other items easy to find and convenient to reach.

This pullout makes a great space for all of your pots, pans and lids.

Three-Drawer Corner Cabinet Kemper Choice-Dewitt Kitchen Gerhard’s Kitchen & Bath Store

Base Pots and Pans Pullout Eksten door style Kemper Echo Gerhard’s Kitchen & Bath Store

No more messy floors with this cuttingboard and trash combination. It’s great for composting right from the cutting board.

Make the space your own by working with a designer to create cubbies and baskets that fit your needs.

These drawers run diagonally into the corner, which makes them deeper than most.

Kemper Choice-Dewitt Kitchen Gerhard’s Kitchen & Bath Store

This was created as a two-tier silverware drawer but can be used for so much more.

Custom-made drawer-in-a-drawer organizer Beyer Cabinets LTD

Rev-A-Shelf Pullout Waste Container with a custom cutting-board drawer Beyer Cabinets LTD

Designer-made cubbies and baskets Beyer Cabinets LTD

Design a beverage center where your guests can help themselves to coffee, espresso or other hot beverages.

A heavy mixer can be lifted with ease to countertop level and stored in its own cabinet.

Wisely use the storage space within large corner cabinets with convenient swing-out baskets.

Wall Appliance Cabinet Elevations by Wisconsin Building Supply

Base Mixer Storage Cabinet Elevations by Wisconsin Building Supply

Blind Corner Basket Cabinet Elevations by Wisconsin Building Supply

34 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 35

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| FOOD |

A NEW TWIST ON A HOME-COOKED MEAL Indian Meal Kit expands your palate, easily and healthfully.

BY JULIE NELSON Contributed photos

You love Indian food, but making it at home sounds like,

well, just too much. Too many spices that you don’t have, too many leftover ingredients you may not use again, too much work. Now one Coulee Region woman has a deal for you: She’ll gather and measure all the spices and ingredients for you and provide easy-tofollow directions. All you have to do is cook, assemble and eat.

Puja Mehta is a native of India who now lives in La Crescent with her husband, Pavak, and their two daughters. About a year ago, Puja and Pavak started a small business called Indian Meal Kit, which is pretty much as it sounds. The kit is a small cardboard box filled with premeasured spices and ingredients customers can buy and prepare at home in 30 to 40 minutes. The kits are available at the People’s Food Co-op in La Crosse and Rochester and at Woodman’s in Onalaska— the Mehtas will even deliver any local orders made via their website, www.indianmealkit.com.

Authentic and healthy

The meals are about as authentically Indian as you can get, according to Mehta, and are slightly different than what you will find in most American restaurants. She says Indian restaurants typically offer foods from the Punjab area of India, which is only a small portion of the country. The Mehtas have lived in several regions of India, and Mehta says the meal kits contain foods you would get if you went to someone’s home. “There is a large part of India that needs to be discovered, and that’s what I’m trying to bring to people here.”

For anyone who shies away from Indian food because they think it will be too spicy, Mehta says fear not. “While some people do eat very spicy food, I grew up in the middle part of the country, where not eating too spicy is common.” She prepares the meal kits so that customers can pack their own heat, so to speak. They can add the www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 37

DAL AND RICE From Puja Mehta

DAL

⅓ cup yellow mung beans ⅓ cup red lentils 5¼ cups water, divided 1 onion, diced 1 tomato, chopped in small pieces 1 T red chili powder (optional, to taste) Cilantro, to taste

TADKA MASALA 1 ¼ ⅛ 1½ 1

T ghee (Indian clarified butter) tsp. cumin seed tsp. asafetida tsp. crushed garlic bay leaf

DAL MASALA ½ ½ ¼ ½

T salt tsp. garam masala tsp. turmeric tsp. brown sugar

DAL TADKA

Puja Mehta, owner of Indian Meal Kit. Photo by Janet Mootz.

entire chili packet, just a teaspoon, or none at all.

Mehta makes the Indian Meal Kits as healthy and as environmentally friendly as she can. “When my children were born, I started researching the nutritional value of foods more carefully. I offer foods that are just as healthy as what I feed to my own family.” Instead of butter or cream, Mehta prepares her meals with yogurt or ghee (a clarified butter). “I buy my vegetables fresh from the farmer’s market during the summer and get them as fresh as I can during the winter,” she says. A lifelong vegetarian, Mehta’s meals are all meat-free, although she includes instructions on where in the recipe meat could easily be added.

Food for a cleaner world

The packaging of her meal kits is another source of pride for Mehta. A graphic designer by trade, she designed the logo and the sticker for the kits. The box for the kits is made in America and is biodegradable. The small cups that contain the masalas are made from sugar cane. “This is a choice I am making,” she says. “Every parent, every person, wants to make this place not a dirtier place but one where there is less plastic.”

So far, the Mehtas have relied primarily on word of mouth to spread the news about their product. “We wanted to start small and make sure we could handle the demand,” says Pavak, who handles the bookkeeping.

The company is off to a good start, and chances are if you haven’t tried one of the meals already, you’ll soon be hearing from someone who has.

38 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

1 ¼ 1 1 ½ 1

T ghee tsp. cumin seed tsp. garam masala tsp. crushed garlic tsp. mango powder (optional) red chili

Place the beans and lentils into a bowl and rinse 4 to 5 times. Add 1 cup water and set aside.

Heat a large saucepan on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add all the Tadka Masala ingredients and fry for 1 minute. Add the diced onion and fry for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add soaked beans and lentils and mix well.

Add all the Dal Masala ingredients and mix well.

Add 4 cups water to the saucepan and mix well. Increase the heat to medium-high and cover the pan partially. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

After 20 minutes, taste the dal. Add red chili powder to taste: for mild spice, add ¼ tsp. red chili powder; for very hot, add 1 T. You may omit chili powder altogether. You may also add more salt at this stage.

Cook for 8 more minutes at medium-low heat. While the dal is cooking, heat a small saucepan on medium heat and add all the Dal Tadka ingredients. Fry for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add ¼ cup water to the small saucepan; then pour the mixture over the dal in the large saucepan.

Wash the cilantro and add it to the dal. Remove from heat and cover the dal while the rice cooks, or until 2 minutes before serving.

BASMATI RICE

1½ cups basmati rice 3½ cups water Rinse the rice 3 times and place it in a medium saucepan. Add water to the rice and stir over medium-high heat for 8 minutes or until it starts boiling. Reduce heat to mediumlow and cover partially. Cook for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low and simmer the rice for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool for 3 minutes. Serve with hot dal. crw

Julie Nelson, a freelance writer in La Crosse, is a big fan of Indian food and excited to see palak paneer as one of the meal kit choices.

Dal and Rice, one of Puja Mehta’s ready-to-make Indian Meal Kits.

Wine Pairings for the Holidays

It’s time to entertain! Here are some holiday hints for celebrating with a great wine pairing: Think red! Whether it’s the bright red of a fresh cranberry wine or the dark red of an aged red or Cassis, a glass of beautifully colored wine can be the highlight of a holiday table setting.

Wine and food pairings are easy for holiday dinners. Turkey, dressing and desserts all go with a chilled rosé or cranberry wine, and of course countless red and white wines pair well with holiday meals. An Internet search of “turkey dinner wine pairings” will give you ideas for any taste.

Desserts are the grand finale of a tremendous culinary event! Ports or port-style fortified wines are often paired with rich desserts.

Take your toast up a notch by creating your own Kirr Royale. With one part Crème de Cassis and nine parts Champagne or sparkling wine, a Kirr Royale is a holiday in itself. If your friends prefer a spritzer, substitute a lemon-lime soda for the Champagne.

Around the living room, outside on a chilly afternoon or in the kitchen, a mulled or spiced wine can create a warming experience. Try the many options available and create your own recipes.

Happy holidays from our homes to yours!

Lynita Docken-Delaney Winemaker, Elmaro Vineyard www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 39

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A novel by Winona author Kathleen Anne Kenney Published by Nan A. Talese/Doubleday

Photo: Kathy Greden

Av ai lab le a t books to re s and am azon. com 40 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

| NONPROFIT |

Left: The staff of Coulee Council on Addictions prepare to break ground on the new center. Right: Cheryl Hancock, executive director of Coulee Council on Addictions.

It seems natural to feel compassion for

someone who is fighting a terrible disease—say, cancer—and to think, “That could be me, or my spouse. My child.” But that surge of fellow-feeling is not always the response when the disease is substance use disorder, or addiction. Cheryl Hancock, executive director of Coulee Council on Addictions, hopes that will change.

The growing problem of addiction in the United States is no secret. “All you have to do is turn on the television,” says Hancock.

Less well known is that substance use disorder is a chronic disease, not a moral failing. It is, furthermore, not something that happens only to “other people.” The epidemic of addiction to prescription painkillers—which leads in some cases to heroin use—has dispelled that misconception, says Hancock. “It’s not just people living under a bridge; it’s your neighbor.”

REBUILDING A LIFE Coulee Council on Addictions helps people start anew.

BY DOREEN PFOST Contributed photos

A desire to help

Coulee Council on Addictions exists to advocate for people in the Coulee Region who are struggling with substance use disorder, to educate the public about addiction and to assist not only individuals who are battling addiction, but also their families. “It’s not an individual disease,” says Hancock. “It’s a family disease.”

Sadly, it’s something Hancock knows from painful experience. Her daughter lost her long and hard-fought struggle with mental illness and substance use disorder in December 2016. Hancock’s work with Coulee Council is a source of strength and hope. “I’m not unique,” she says. For parents and other family members whose lives have been touched by addiction, the desire to help becomes a way of life. www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 41

One way that Hancock and Coulee Council help is by advocating for public policy and attitudes that improve the prospects for people seeking treatment and recovery. For example, Hancock notes that relatively little research and development effort is expended on treatment of addiction, compared to other diseases. “We continue to treat substance use disorder the same way we did 40 years ago,” she says. “Imagine if we did that with cancer.” On top of that, if a person is not successful in treatment, she notes, we too often assume that the person with the disease is at fault, rather than the choice of treatment.

Dispelling stigma, breaking barriers

Coulee Council also seeks to dispel the stigma that is often associated with addiction—a stigma that may make people reluctant to seek help for themselves or a family member, or may keep the rest of us from asking, “What can I do?”

Once an individual or family member recognizes they might need assistance, Coulee Council is there to help. “We have a number of resources in La Crosse,” says Hancock, “but

there are sometimes barriers, such as lack of money or insurance.” And people often need more than answers; they might not even know the right questions. Coulee Council helps individuals and families determine what help they need, what they should be asking and where to seek resources.

After a person receives treatment for addiction, long-term recovery support helps maintain the strides made in early recovery. Rebuilding a life—without drugs or alcohol—can mean changing ingrained behaviors and leaving friends and familiar situations behind, at least for a while. Over time, says Hancock, substance use disorder can take people down a path of bad patterns and behaviors that help them sustain their addiction. “They have to relearn social skills they’ve lost to the disease.”

Support for a sober life

Confidently you.

Did you know you have access to a highly skilled, board-certified plastic surgeon at Winona Health?

Whether you’re interested in services that are medically necessary or you’d simply like to change something about your appearance, board-certified Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon, Hans Serleth, MD, provides the surgical care and expertise you’re looking for.

If you’re considering plastic or cosmetic surgery, chances are you have a lot of questions. Our team is here to provide answers.

A new home

Hans Serleth, MD

Plastic, Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgeon

Winona Health Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery. Confidently you.

To learn more, call 507.474.3152 or visit plasticsurgerywinona.org.

855 Mankato Ave. • Winona, MN • 507.474.3152 • plasticsurgerywinona.org 42 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

At the Coulee Council Drop-In Center, the hope is that people will learn to have fun again, says Hancock, “but this time in a clean and sober environment.” To that end, the center offers a place for people to socialize over a meal or a cup of coffee, or to participate in a full calendar of activities, including football Sundays, pool and softball leagues, craft projects, dances and karaoke.

At open-mic nights, called “Java Jam,” participants read poetry, perform music or share other inspiration. Hancock notes, “We have musicians who say it’s the first time they’ve performed clean and sober.” The center is also a meeting place for a variety of support groups.

Not surprisingly, Coulee Council has outgrown the building it has occupied since 1979. Next year, the new Coulee Recovery Center is scheduled to open, more than doubling the space available for consultation offices, support group meetings and events, and adding other important spaces such as a reading room, a meditation area and a private waiting area for counseling services.

This growth is all in the interest of helping people start anew. “Today can be the day,” says Hancock. And as individuals strive to remake their lives, their determination to do so may inspire the rest of us to remake the way we view the disease of addiction.

“Recovery happens here every day,” says Hancock. “We’re here to support people in that journey.” crw Doreen Pfost is a freelance writer in Elroy and a believer in new beginnings.

TRANSFORM YOUR SKIN With the region’s ONLY Certiied Acne Clinic.

• We combine the power of pharmaceutical-grade products that are customized for your acne type, with a series of bi-monthly treatments.

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www.brilliantbodywork.com

www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 43

Be sure to sign up as a fan at www.crwmagazine.com to share your thoughts, ideas and photos, network with fellow readers and learn more about upcoming events.

44 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

| ACCOMPLISHMENTS |

So much care, so close.

Winona Health Designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence

River Trail Cycles Hosts Holiday Open House

Vernon Memorial Healthcare (VMH) is excited to announce relocation of the VMH Wellness Center and CrossFit Viroqua to a newly renovated 20,000-square-foot facility, located at 1130 Nelson Parkway, Viroqua.

Vernon Memorial Healthcare CEO Kyle Bakkum says, “VMH is committed to improving the health and well-being of our communities. Wellness expansion will allow us to provide more opportunities in the area of well-care and preventive medicine, encouraging and supporting the growth of healthy-minded communities.”

A completion date of January 1, 2018, is expected. Newly expanded hours will be Monday-Thursday 5 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday 5 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m.-noon and Sunday noon-5 p.m.

River Trail Cycles in Onalaska will hold its annual Holiday Open House December 8-10. This is one event you don’t want to miss! The entire store is on sale, with up to 75 percent off clothing and accessories.

Daily door prizes will include a number of items, such as one $50 gift card each day (no purchase necessary). You’ll find lots of buyone, get-one items and many great gifts under $10—perfect for stocking stuffers, secret Santas and gift exchanges. 2017 bicycles are clearance priced, and free layaway is available until spring. Hurry in for the best selection!

Also check out locally made snowshoes for sale and rentals. Open seven days a week.

Photo: Food Network

Winona Health has earned the designation of Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.

“It takes an incredible team commitment to earn accreditation as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence,” said Claudine Van Meeteren, director of Imaging Services at Winona Health. “The criteria is extensive.

Our staff and technology are the best of the best, and we have an outstanding team devoted to providing the highest standard of care.”

Winona Health uses 3-D technology (tomosynthesis), for all screening mammograms at no extra charge. To learn more, visit winonahealth.org. To schedule a screening mammogram at Winona Health, call 507-457-4320.

VMH Wellness Center Moves to New Home

Women’s Fund Announces 2017 Roberta Zurn Award Winner Food Network Features Meringue Bakery

International Furniture Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Pastry chef Jen Barney of Meringue Bakery is about to get more than 15 minutes of fame.

Best known for her elegant wedding cakes and unique, custom flavors, the local doyenne of desserts will showcase her delectable works of art when she appears on the Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. The sevenpart series runs Mondays at 8 p.m. November 6 to December 18.

A graduate of the acclaimed Le Cordon Bleu, Barney will offer samples of her holiday desserts on Black Friday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Café D’Vine in Onalaska. Her creations are also available daily at Bean Juice in La Crosse.

In 1987, with a vision of offering comfort, style and top-notch quality at affordable prices in home furnishings, Gail Cleary opened International Furniture. Since then, that vision has grown into one of the area’s largest and most prestigious furniture stores. While styles have changed, Gail’s commitment to offer some of the finest brands and personalized design services in the furniture industry has remained. July 2017 marks International Furniture’s 30th year in business at its original La Crosse location, 301 Sky Harbour Drive. Visit the store or see more at www.iflax.com.

Rosalie “Roz” Schnick is being honored with the Roberta Zurn Outstanding Women in Leadership Award. Each fall the Women’s Fund recognizes a woman in our community who has encouraged the advancement and full participation of women and girls in society. Roz has made it her mission to help others achieve their full human potential by providing access to such essentials to life as healthy food, freedom from violence, a reasonable roof over a person’s head, adequate healthcare, good educational opportunities, meaningful jobs/careers for economic self-sufficiency, supportive mentors and organizations to promote a person’s wellbeing, and sustainable environment.

Congratulations Roz!

Accomplishments is a paid section featuring your business or organization. Call 608-783-5395 or e-mail info@crwmagazine.com for more information. www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 45

Anxiety - Depression - Relationship Conflict Couples - Individuals - Teens Mindfulness Based Psychotherapy

205 5th Ave S Exchange Building Suite 308 La Crosse, WI 54601 PH 608.785.0011

heartjourneylx.com

46 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

Cindy Ericksen

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist

| MAKEOVER | U P DA T E

YOUR WARDROBE

BASICS

Time to freshen up your staples?

Help is just around the corner!

Who doesn’t need more shoes?

Polish up your tired shoe wardrobe at Urban Shoetique in Onalaska and Winona. Pikolinos “Naturally Good” shoes with tie, $195; Spring Step “L’artiste” tall boots, $180; All Black short boots with glitter, $174.

A classic tunic and skinny-jean pairing can be found at Willow in downtown La Crosse. Details like black lace trim and button sleeves take this look beyond basic. Shilla blouse, $115; Principle hi-rise skinny jeans, $128.

Add some sass to basic black with prints and a sleek vest from Mainstream Boutique in Onalaska. Mystree brocade top, $68; Slimsation pants, $69; Montana Co. vest, $139.

Visit Touch of Class in downtown La Crosse for an asymmetrical take on the classic little black dress. Joseph Ribkoff dress, $286; Honora necklace, $305.

www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 47

Connecting you with your Community

CONNECTIONS MAIN STREET MAVENS • Winona’s Emily Kurash • La Crosse’s Robin Moses • Viroqua’s Nora Roughen-Schmidt

10 WAYS TO CONNECT TO YOUR COMMUNITY LOCAL WOMEN WE LOVE FARM-TO-TABLE FAVES

IT Y COMMUN SECTION! INSIDE

Real Women

CONNECT TO THE OUTDOORS SUMMER MUST-HAVES

Real Stories

LOCAL

LEADERS A WISE Effort

from 7 Rivers Alliance Young Professionals

Lead the Way

Create the Home Within You

A Good Mentor Spring’s

Leading Trends

Maureen Freedland

Leading by Example

PLUS: DE RA 2017 PA MES OF HO

MAKERS & SHAKERS

Making: A Creative Superpower Jamie Heiden’s Magical Photography A Mansion Restored Makers, Shakers & Bakers Celebrate Local Art Crochet a Coral Reef

Life in the Coulee Region

608.783.5385 816 2nd Ave. S.,Onalaska www.crwmagazine.com

Passion + Compassion

Stacy Shapiro Is a Force for Good

LABA Home Show Guide inside!

48 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

LOOK STUNNING THIS WINTER KATE SPADE • MARC JACOBS • COACH • CHICO’S J. CREW • ANN TAYLOR • MICHAEL KORS • EXPRESS

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www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 49

| RETAIL THERAPY |

Marvelous Makeovers Ring in the New Year with a fresh hair and makeup look.

BY PAIGE FORDE

Photos by Jordana Snyder Photography

If you’ve been looking to revamp your beauty routine, now is the perfect time to do it! These three local salons reveal exceptional beauty transformations that are sure to spark inspiration for your next visit.

Ultimate Salon & Spa Model: Kristi Nystrom

If you’re looking for an updated length, a subtle asymmetric bob adds an edgy texture that speaks volumes.

This dramatic, multidimensional color was achieved by mixing deep chocolate cherry tones with a rich copper faceframing balayage. Dark plum and metallic eye shadows were paired with a neutral lip to complete this look.

Hair: (Exclusively Aveda) Full Spectrum Hair Color treatment; Color Conserve Shampoo and Conditioner, $22 each; Pure Abundance Style-Prep, $25; Thickening Tonic, $29; Volumizing Tonic, $22; Control Force Hair Spray, $31.

Makeup: (Exclusively Aveda) Mineral Makeup Dual Foundation, $26; Tinted Moisturizer, $32; Face Accent in Plum Touch, $26; Eye Color in Black Tulip, $15 and Copper Haze Trio, $27; Lip Color in Fossil, $18.

Before 50 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

Model: Kylee Keller

For a natural, timeless style, you can never go wrong with a honey-golden blonde and eye-catching highlights to give off a lustrous shine. This radiant look was enhanced by applying a maroon-toned smoky eye and light pink lip.

Marvelous Makeovers

Chelson B Salon Center Hair: Olaplex highlight treatment; Loma Moisturizing Shampoo and Conditioner kit, $24; John Amico Thermal Protective Conditioner, $14; Loma Nourishing Oil Treatment, $20.

Makeup: Coastal Scents concealer; RCMA foundation; Coastal Scents eyeshadow and blush palettes; NYX highlight and contour palette; Ardell brow pomade; Ardell strip eyelash extensions.

Before www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 51

Orange Pearl Salon & Spa

Marvelous Makeovers

Model: Jennifer Masewicz

In this glamorous look, luxurious extensions add the perfect amount of length and volume, as well as create a chic ombre effect. Along with these soft, tousled curls, a bright lip was balanced out with minimal warm-toned eye makeup.

Before

52 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

Hair: Basic length extension service, $850; Unite Texturiza, $29; Unite 7Seconds Glossing, $28; Unite Go365 Finishing Spray, $29. Makeup: Airbrush application, $68; Globeauty lipstick in Bordeaux, $17.

LET’S BREAK THE ICE.

50% O F F YO U R F I R S T WA X ! * * New clients only, first visit. If used on combo services, discount applied to highest priced service only. Not valid with other offers.

Coulee Region Women 608.519.4409

La Crosse, WI

f WaxingLaCrosse

Find it

Downtown Downtown Magic

Experience the magic of the Rotary Lights and make new downtown traditions, enjoy dazzling holiday displays, family fun and Santa’s Workshop.

Shop, eat and be entertained in Downtown!

Santa’s Workshop December 1st - December 24th

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 2- 7 pm Sunday 11 am- 5 pm Visit Santa and Mrs. Claus in their workshop at Downtown Mainstreet located at 500 Main Street

LACROSSE DOWNTOWN.COM www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 53

Possibility is Powerful When we see someone lose hope, we can either watch as she is drawn downward or step in to reverse course and help her begin to thrive.

The Women’s Fund chooses to step forward because we believe in her. We are tireless in uncovering unmet needs in our community, thoughtful in providing the right resources and diligent in tracking the effectiveness of our programs.

Because of the Women’s Fund she has more options – a path to stability, self-sufficiency, dignity and an opportunity to pay it forward.

Learn more about our efforts at

womensfundlacrosse.org 54 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

| TRAVEL |

SPONTANEITY IN SEDONA Is there a more beautiful destination to create your own adventure?

BY KRISTEN DUCHROW Contributed photos

When we set out to prepare for a kid-free getaway to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband, Dave, and I were overwhelmed with possibilities. A longtime fascination and desire to visit the Southwest helped narrow our search, and we reminded ourselves that this was to be a vacation, which—we’ve learned since having kids—is quite different than a family trip. We were seeking a getaway that wouldn’t require a great deal of planning or punctuality once we were there.

We’d both heard rave reviews about Sedona, and after a quick online search revealed awesome airfare, we were sold. With flights booked, we put trip planning on the back burner for a bit. In the weeks before our trip, and with a good taste for adventure, we chose to visit Red Rock County.

Our vehicle of choice for exploring the picturesque desert was a BMW convertible rented via Turo, a car rental marketplace where travelers can rent from local car owners. Sedona is approximately 115 miles north of Phoenix, and once we hit State Route 179, the Red Rock Scenic Byway, we were immediately thankful we had the option to drive with the top down. The famous red rock formations against the bright blue sky were stunning. If time had only allowed for a day trip, or even just a few hours in Sedona, the views from the road would have been worth it.

Hitting the road with the top down!

Arriving too early to check into our hotel, we decided to spend the afternoon hiking. We felt overwhelmed looking at a map trying to decide which trail to explore first—we wanted to see it all! For our first hike, we chose Doe Mountain. The Doe Mountain Trail switchbacks directly up the side of a flat-topped mesa. At the top, you can walk the perimeter of the platform while enjoying breathtaking panoramic views of prominent red rock landmarks. The expansive views put into perspective the vastness of what awaited us in the days to come.

First hike: Doe Mountain www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 55

Dinner at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill

Dave takes on the Broken Arrow Trail.

Day two: the breathtaking Broken Arrow

Day three: hiking together at Brins Mesa

Saying good-bye to Sedona

The end of a great adventure!

Our first night, we dined at Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill. Reservations are highly recommended, but we scheduled our dinner last-minute through Open Table, an online restaurant-reservation service. We were bewitched by the sunset view from the patio and the way the fading sunlight bounces off the red rocks as the sun sinks. It was dark by the time we were seated for dinner, which offered yet another spectacular view: the stars. The city prides itself on being a dark-sky destination, one on a short, prestigious list of cities where you can actually see the stars at night.

Back in our hotel room (booked via an Express Deal through Priceline), we mapped out our remaining three days in Sedona. Each day began with hiking, before the desert sun got too hot, and ended with dinner at a recommended restaurant. On our second day of hiking, we learned there is much more detail offered on the maps at the trailheads than on ours.

Pairing this newfound knowledge with our willingness for adventure, we pieced together our own loop itinerary, which allowed us to never hike the same path twice. That day, we traveled Broken Arrow Trail, which intersected with Chapel Trail and led us to Chapel of the Holy Cross. To finish our loop, we followed Mystic Trail to Hog Wash Trail to return to our starting spot.

By now, we had fallen in love with the laid-back lifestyle of Sedona and its exceptional views. Having done little research about the area, we wondered how this sacred little spot came to be so popular. We drove to the Sedona Heritage Museum, but judging from its appearance, we doubted it would offer the history lesson we had in mind. While driving through Uptown Sedona earlier, I had noticed what looked like a self-guided history tour along a highway sidewalk. Grabbing lemonade from a local coffee shop, we made our way to said sidewalk. As we walked from plaque to plaque, we learned about the first settlers, Sedona’s namesake, the era of Western Hollywood movies, Sedona’s climate and energy vortexes and the funny little native animal called a collared peccary, or javelina.

On our third day, we explored yet a different area of the red rocks, this time with the destination of Brins Mesa. Brins Mesa was most recently made famous in 2006 when an illegal campfire was left unattended and started a wildfire and destroyed 4,440 acres of pristine forest. Once again, we made a loop by combining the routes of adjacent trails. This area offered different scenery with wider trails, more desert vegetation—some still with visible fire damage—and canyon-like views. Having hiked only a handful of trails in our short stay, we were thankful the assorted paths offered a wellrounded perspective of the unique landscape.

Our last day we woke early, packed a small breakfast to eat while we watched a sunrise and hiked another new loop before it was time to make our way back to Phoenix. We took one more glory ride along the Red Rock Scenic Byway, this time traveling south. Just as we were amazed at how quickly the red rock formations had appeared during our arrival, we were again amazed at how rapidly the landscape changed back to a mundane desert—a transition back to reality. As I looked over my shoulder—with the top still down in our convertible, of course—a quick thought passed that it was all a fairytale.

Reminiscing on our time in Red Rock County, I’m thankful for our lack of planning, which allowed us to create our own adventure each day; for my husband, who is my best partner in unplanned adventures; for the diverse landscape of the United States; and for the natural beauty of Sedona. crw Kristen Duchrow has lived in the Coulee Region for nearly a decade and is proud to call it home. No matter where travels bring her, returning to this friendly community and the beautiful bluffs never gets old.

56 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 www.crwmagazine.com

AHHH...SNOW DAYS.

FORECAST EVERY MORNING

DOWNLOAD THE WXOW WEATHER APP! SCHOOL CLOSINGS • LA CROSSE FORECASTS • LOCATION BASED ALERTS

www.crwmagazine.com DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018 57

ADVERTISER INDEX Aligned Life Coaching, LLC............................................ 18 Altra Federal Credit Union.............................................. 60 Always is Forever LLC..................................................... 49 Ameriprise Financial/Hanson & Associates..................... 36 Beyer Cabinets LTD........................................................ 28 Brilliant Bodywork ......................................................... 43 Chelson B Salon Center.................................................. 49 Contour Clinic................................................................ 14 Creative Solutions .......................................................... 44 D. M. Harris Law, L.L.C. ................................................ 46 Downtown Mainstreet Inc.............................................. 53 Edward Jones.................................................................. 40 Elmaro Vineyard............................................................. 39 EWH Small Business Accounting ................................... 40 Fayze's........................................................................... 46 Feist Seigert Dental..................................................... 2, 22 Fitness Lying Down......................................................... 18 Gerhard's ..................................................................... 13 Gundersen Health System.......................................... 5, 59 HeartJourney Counseling................................................ 46 Hidden Valley Designs INC............................................ 31 Honda Motorwerks......................................................... 17 House Warmings............................................................ 27 International Furniture.................................................... 23 J Company...................................................................... 31 Jen Towner Photography................................................. 44 Johns, Flaherty & Collins, SC.......................................... 36 Jordana Snyder Photography........................................... 46 Kathleen Anne Kenney .................................................. 40 Kristin Ottesen Upholstery ............................................. 32 La Crosse Area Builders Association............................... 35 La Crosse Media Group ................................................. 44 La Crosse Regional Airport............................................. 32 Leithold Music................................................................ 46 Mainstream Boutique..................................................... 49 Mary Riedel Counseling Services, LLC............................ 40 Mayo Clinic Health System ....................................... 3, 24 Naturally Unbridled Wellness LLC.................................. 18 Overhead Door Company of the 7 Rivers Region, Inc..... 28 Painted Porch.................................................................. 31 Patti Evans Real Estate .................................................... 27 People's Food Co-op...................................................... 36 Practically Posh.............................................................. 28 Pump House Regional Arts Center.................................. 54 River Town Dental Care.................................................... 7 River Trail Cycles............................................................ 43 Satori Arts Gallery.......................................................... 44 Savvy Home Consignment.............................................. 35 Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services.......... 46 Style Encore.................................................................... 49 Take 5 Productions......................................................... 44 Tammy Z’s Yoga & Pilates Studio..................................... 35 The Board Store & Flooring Design Center..................... 27 The Company Store Outlet............................................. 32 The Pilates Studio LLC.................................................... 53 The Therapy Place of La Crosse....................................... 18 Trust Point........................................................................ 9 Ultimate Insulation LLC.................................................. 28 Ultimate Salon & Spa..................................................... 10 Vernon Memorial Healthcare......................................... 26 Waxing the City.............................................................. 53 Willow Boutique............................................................ 53 Winona Health............................................................... 42 Wisconsin Building Supply............................................. 31 WKBT Newschannel8.................................................... 20 Women in Wellness........................................................ 18 Women's Fund of Greater La Crosse............................... 54 WXOW News 19........................................................... 57

ACCOMPLISHMENTS International Furniture.................................................... 45 Meringue Bakery............................................................ 45 River Trail Cycles............................................................ 45 Vernon Memorial Healthcare......................................... 45 Winona Health............................................................... 45 Women's Fund of Greater La Crosse............................... 45

58 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2018

COMMUNITY CALENDAR ONGOING EVENTS American Association of University Women (AAUW) 2nd Sat. of each month (Sept.-May), 9:30 a.m., aauwlacrosse@hotmail.com, aauw-wi.org.

Business Over Breakfast La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce, 4th Wed. every month, 7:30-8:45 a.m.

Preregister 608-784-4807, lacrossechamber.com.

Children’s Museum of La Crosse weekly programming: Silly Sundays Special activity 12:30-1:30 and 3-4 p.m.

Spanish with Senora Jenny every Tues., 10:30 a.m.

S.T.E.A.M. Team every Wed., 10:30 a.m.

Wee Move for ages 1-7 with adult, every Fri., 10:30 a.m.

Little Learners for ages 1-7 with adult, every Thurs., 10:30 a.m.

Coulee Region Professional Women (CRPW) 4th Tues. of each month, Shenanigans, 5:30 p.m. Beth Kirchner, crpwomen@gmail.com, 608-317-5703.

La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce monthly breakfast meeting. 2nd Mon. of each month, 7 a.m., Radisson. Admission is $5 and includes breakfast. lacrossechamber.com.

La Crosse Toastmasters Club 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m., Gundersen Health System Urgent Care Bldg., Basement, 1830 S. Ave., La Crosse.

League of Women Voters 2nd Tues. of each month, noon, Radisson Hotel, Nancy Hill, 608-782-1753, nfhill@centurytel.net.

NAMI Family Support Group 2nd Mon. of each month, 6:30 p.m., South Side Neighborhood Center, 1300 S. 6th St., La Crosse.

Onalaska Area Business Association 2nd Tues. of each month, noon-1 p.m., La Crosse Country Club, oaba.info.

Onalaska Hilltopper Rotary every Wed. noon-1 p.m., La Crosse Country Club, Onalaska.

Onalaska Rotary every Mon. at 6 p.m., lower level of Blue Moon, Onalaska.

Onalaska Toastmasters Club 1st and 3rd Mon. of each month, noon-1 p.m., Goodwill, La Crosse.

Viroqua Toastmasters Club 2nd and 4th Thurs. of each month, 7-8:30 p.m., Vernon Memorial Hospital, Taylor Conf. Rm., Lower Level, Viroqua.

Women Empowering Women (WEW), last Wed. of each month, Schmidty's, noon-1 p.m., Shari Hopkins, 608-784-3904, shopkins@couleebank.net.

Women’s Alliance of La Crosse (WAL) 2nd Thurs. of each month, noon, The Waterfront Restaurant, Kasey Heikel 608-519-8080, drkasey@naturallyalignedchiro.com.

CALENDAR EVENTS Nov. 8-Jan. 6, The Circle of Life’s Elements: A Photographic Exhibition by Jim Brickl, The Pump House, www.thepumphouse.org.

Nov. 11-Dec. 24, Santa Visits & Photos, Valley View Mall, www.myvalleyview.com.

Nov. 11-Dec. 24, Holiday Giving Station, Valley View Mall, www.myvalleyview.com.

Nov. 24-Jan. 1, Rotary Holiday Lights, open daily 5-10 p.m., Riverside Park, La Crosse, www.rotarylights.org.

Nov. 30-Dec. 23, Winter Wonderettes, 7:30 p.m., 2 p.m. Dec. 23, Muse Theatre, 608-397-3752.

Dec. 1-10, A Christmas Carol, 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-first Sat., 2 p.m. second Sat.-Sun., Toland Theatre, Center for the Arts, UW-La Crosse.

Dec. 2-24, Charity Gift Wrap Station Presented

by Habitat for Humanity, Valley View Mall, www. myvalleyview.com.

Dec. 2-24, Santa and Mrs. Claus Visit, Downtown Mainstreet, 500 Main Street, 2-7 p.m. Wed.Fri., 2-7 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun, www. lacrossedowntown.com.

Dec. 7, Lefse Making Class, 5:30-7 p.m., People’s Food Co-op, La Crosse, www.pfc.coop.

Dec. 7-17, A Christmas Story, 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun., La Crosse Community Theatre, www. lacrossecommunitytheatre.org.

Dec. 7-23, Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings, 7:30 p.m.

Thurs.-Sat., The Pump House, www.thepumphouse.org.

Dec. 8-10, La Crosse Dance Centre’s Nutcracker Ballet, 7:30 p.m. Fri., 2 p.m. Sat.-Sun., Viterbo Fine Arts Center Main Theatre, www.viterbo.edu/fac.

Dec. 8-10, River Trail Cycles Holiday Open House, Onalaska.

Dec. 9, Milk & Cookies with Santa & Mrs. Claus, 8:3010 a.m., The Children’s Museum, www.funmuseum. org.

Dec. 9-10, Set Me Free Shop Open House, Sat. 5-7 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.-12 p.m., First Free Church, Onalaska.

Dec. 9, 15-16, 22, Santaland Diaries, 7:30 p.m. (and also 9:30 p.m. Dec. 15-16), La Crosse Community Theatre, www.lacrossecommunitytheatre.org.

Dec. 10, Gingerbread House Making, 2-5 p.m., People’s Food Co-op, La Crosse, www.pfc.coop.

Dec. 10, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 6:30 p.m., La Crosse Center, www.lacrossecenter.com.

Dec. 13-14, String Ties Holiday Bluegrass, 7:30 p.m., The Pump House, La Crosse, www.thepumphouse.org.

Dec. 14, Women's Alliance of La Crosse scholarship fundraiser, 12 p.m., The Waterfront Restaurant, contact Kasey Heikel, 608-519-8080, drkasey@ naturallyalignedchiro.com.

Dec. 23, Lorie Line: King of Kings, 7:30 p.m., Lyche Theatre, www.webercenterfortheperformingarts.org.

Dec. 27-30, Winter Recharge Camp, Living Waters Bible Camp, Westby, Pre-Registry Required, www. lwbc.org.

Dec. 29, Red Cross Blood Drive, Valley View Mall, www.myvalleyview.com.

Dec. 31, Skyrockers New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display, midnight, atop Grandad Bluff.

Jan. 4, Women’s Christmas, 5:30-8 p.m., Franciscan Spirituality Center, www.fscenter.org.

Jan. 6, New Year’s Resolution Walk/Run, 8 a.m., YMCANorth, Onalaska, www.laxymca.org.

Jan. 6, Snowflake Junior Ski Jump Competition, Westby, www.snowflakeskiclub.com.

Jan. 10-11, Midwest Farm Show, La Crosse Center, www.lacrossecenter.com.

Jan. 14, La Crosse Bridal Expo, 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., La Crosse Center, www.lacrossebridalexpo.com.

Jan. 18, Illuminate Your Beauty from the Inside Out with Stefanie Peters, author of Unleash Your Lady Boss, 5-7 p.m., Café D’Vine, 5-7 p.m., $25, tickets available at Mainstream Boutique, 1125 Main St. Onalaska, 608-519-5522.

Jan. 20, Broadway’s Next Hit Musical, 7:30 p.m., The Heider Center, www.heidercenter.org.

Jan. 21, Wedding World 2018, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., La Crosse Center, www.weddingworldlacrosse.com.

Jan. 25-Feb. 11, I Do! I Do!, 7:30 p.m. Thurs.-Sat., 2:00 p.m. Sat.-Sun., La Crosse Community Theatre, www. lacrossecommunitytheatre.org.

Jan. 27, Great Tri-State Rail Sale, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., La Crosse Center, www.4000foundation.com.

Jan. 27, Tea & Hospitality, 2-4 p.m., Franciscan Spirituality Center, www.fscenter.org.

Jan. 28, Kamikaze Fireflies, 3 p.m, Viterbo Fine Arts Center Main Theatre, www.viterbo.edu/fac.

Feb. 2-3, Snowflake Ski Jump Tournament, Westby, www.snowflakeskiclub.com.

If your organization would like to be included in our Community Calendar, please contact us at editor@crwmagazine.com or call FEBRUARY/MARCH 608-783-5395. www.crwmagazine.com 2016 58

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