Issuu

CO N T E N TS

HOW TO GET A BIT MORE OUT OF YOUR EXPENSIVE CAMERA WHILE ON VACATION Article & Pictures from Richard Stone

tips

12 CROSSROADS

KINGS & QUEENS SHAPING THE YOUTH OF VICTORIA

by Carolyn Mann Morehead

8 14 16

SPEAKING LEGALLY Diane Kliem

BUSINESS Teri Moten

WEDDING PLANNING Aubrey McWilliams

CRIME PREVENTION

8 ofﬁcer John Turner INNOVATIONS IN SALON 14 THE Hair Dimensions HOME 28 DREAM Matt Studer

features

6 ANNOUNCEMENTS 22 COOPER’S

CLOUDY FRIEND

by Lori Escalante

ENTERTAINMENT IN

22 THE CROSSROADS

31 32

REAL ESTATE BLACK BOOK

& GARY MOSES CALENDAR OF EVENTS

games PUZZLE 10 PICTURE Win a dinner for 2

THE LITTLE WAYS TO CHANGE

PUZZLE 16 SUDOKU Win Family Package from

CROSSROADS CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Win a full auto detailing!

Outlaw Pass!

by Aubrey McWilliams

comments Laura Janak Johnston All Things Crossroads magazines keeps me informed about Victoria and my kids love Outlaw Pass!!!

PRESS RELEASE DIANE KLIEM

TH E C R O S S R O AD S LEA DER

WE ARE PROUD MEMBERS THE VICTORIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND VICTORIA CHAMBER AMBASSADORS SUPPORTERS OF C.A.S.A. FOR MORE INFORMATION: 361-573-3734

https://www.facebook.com/ allthingscrossroads/

In Every Change

in every falling leaf there is some pain, some beauty. And that’s the way new leaves grow.

Publisher/ Editor Vickie Romero

Executive Writer Carolyn Mann Morehead

Creative C ti Di Director t Bernard Ray Bluntzer Jr.

Delivery D li Eddie & Sandra Flores

Your complimetary magazine to what the locals know where locals go. VOL. 8 • ISSUE 12 • OCTOBER 2019 COMPLIMENTARY ISSUE

contact us: All Things Crossroads Magazine 8806 N. Navarro Ste 600-272 Victoria, TX 77904 email: staff@allthingscrossroads.com 361-935-8366 www.allthingscrossroads.com

Front Cover :

Lascena Simmons Alli Brinkman - ASB Photography

All Things Crossroads Magazine. This entire document is owned by All Things Crossroads Magazine and no portion may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of All Things Crossroads Magazine. All articles are intended as information not as advice.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

TH E C R O S S R O AD S LEA DER

T H E CRO SSR O ADS L E ADE R

SPEAKING legally

CRIME PREVENTION tip

HALLOWEEN SAFETY WHEN we think of Halloween safety, some of the ﬁrst things that come to mind are; strangers abducting children or treats that have been tampered with. While these are legitimate concerns, not only for Halloween but throughout the year, the number one most dangerous activity on Halloween is simply walking.

DIY LAW PA R T T W O AS a lawyer transitioning to private practice after working in corporations with large legal teams, I have seen how Do-It-Yourself (DIY) legal transactions “gone wrong” can be many times more expensive than hiring a lawyer, or even a whole legal team, would have been in the first place. Legal fees might seem daunting at first, but once something has been filed incorrectly, lawyers cannot erase what has been ordered by a court or other authority. A COUPLE PITFALLS TO AVOID: - Hiring a document preparation service. These are typically run by individuals who are not licensed to practice law. They are not trained to identify potential legal issues, and they are not authorized to issue legal advice. They cannot tell you when you have not provided enough information to adequately protect yourself. -Following filing instructions using “cutand-paste” terminology that you don’t fully understand. You may follow the instructions 100% accurately and still end up with an unintended outcome, such as providing a guarantee to defend ownership rights of a piece of property. If you have already had a DIY legal transaction “go wrong,” don’t despair. The attorneys at Kliem & Associates may be able to help; but if given the choice, come see us first, skipping additional legal fees and unnecessary anxiety. Kliem & Associates is “Not just a law firm. A relationship.”

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It’s something we all take for granted but according to statistics the incidents of auto pedestrian crashes essentially doubles on Halloween. The most dangerous time being 6 to 9 PM which is the time when most kids are out trick-or-treating.

SO, now that we know what to be most concerned with on Halloween, let’s do something to change those statistics.

WE deﬁnitely need to make sure small children do not go

out without adult supervision. To be honest, some of the older children need supervision too. Remind your kids about pedestrian safety rules: Stay on the sidewalk or if there is no sidewalk, walk facing trafﬁc. This way, you can at least see the cars coming towards you. Cross only at an intersection, preferably one with a stop sign or light and a marked crosswalk. Even when crossing at a crosswalk, ensure that the driver of any vehicle stopped has seen you by making eye contact with them before crossing. Never assume that a car will stop, even if there is a stop sign or light.

WE also need to address costumes and their contribution to

accidents. Make sure costumes fit properly so as not to create a tripping hazard and that masks do not impair vision. Pedestrian safety doesn’t do much good if you stumble blindly into the street. In order to improve the visibility of your little ghost or goblin, consider lighter colored costumes or add some type of reflective material. If you just can’t bear to alter the look of the costume, give the kids a flashlight, a glow stick/necklace (kids love those) or even a highly reflective Mylar candy bag. Anything to make them more visible will help. Trick-or-treat in groups. A group is easier to see than a single person plus going with a group may be a little more fun.

FOR those of you who may be chauffeuring a group of kids

around town. Be extra careful. Drive a bit more slowly to give yourself some extra reaction time and watch for kids darting out from between parked cars.

IF we put a little effort into safety, maybe we can begin to change some of those statistics. And of course don’t forget; have a safe and happy Halloween. John Turner is a crime prevention ofﬁcer for the Victoria Police Department. He may be contacted at (361)485-3811 for more information on Halloween safety or other crime prevention tips.

GAME Picture Puzzle

WIN LUNCH for 2!

Find all 7 differnces â€¢ Win from DON JOSE MEXICAN RESTAURANT! Photo by Richard Stone .Just complete the picture puzzle for your chance to win, use your smartphone to text it with your info to staff@allthingscrossroads.com or cut it out and return to: Prize All Things Crossroads, 8806 N. Navarro Ste. 600-272, Victoria, TX 77904. You Can Also Drop Off At UPS STORE 8806 N. Navarro Suite 600, Victoria. Remember to provide your name, address and telephone number. Closing Date: LAST DAY OF THIS MONTH. ONLY ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD ACCEPTED.

DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES AND email your submission to

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Today’s youth are faced with

many challenges. With technology and social media battling for their attention it is often difﬁcult to lead young people in the right direction for the real world ahead. As we have said before, there are many talented and willing individuals who are looking to make a difference in shaping the lives of our young people.

All Things Crossroads Maga-

zine caught up with Quincy Johnson, Program Director and Head Coach of Crossroads Kings and Queens. Johnson along with a team of devoted men and women coach and direct AAU afﬁliated teams in Victoria in football and basketball. In addi-

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tion to Johnson, the organization consists of Mikah BarnesPresident, Deidrick Miller-Vice President, Steven Mettey-Coach, Jayfus Smith-Coach, Terence Stafford-Coach and Michelle Garcia-Treasurer. The Crossroads Kings and Queens started seven years ago and the goal in mind was to give the youth of Victoria a positive inﬂuence through teamwork. Through this organization kids have not only learned about commitment, competition and sportsmanship but have learned to apply these principles to the challenges they face in life. Their mission is “to teach, develop, organize, manage and offer youth players the opportunity to learn the fundamental skills of basket-

ball while instilling life-lessons and values such as character, team work, discipline, respect and sportsmanship.”

these

highly competitive teams in football and basketball have won State titles and some of the young girls have gone on to play college ball. The Crossroads Kings and Queens currently consists of four basketball teams (three boy teams and one girl team) and starting this year one full contact football team. The ages of the teams range from third grade to twelfth grade. These teams travel to Houston, Dallas and even Louisiana to compete. Presently it is football season and the team practices

three times a week and travels every Saturday to San Marcos to play ball. The football season will last until Thanksgiving with a team of 23 kids ranging in ages from 9 to 10 years old. Commitment to this rigorous schedule is not only demanded of the kids and the coaches, but the parents as well. During the basketball season the schedule is just as demanding and often times tournaments are played involving Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The football team is practicing at Stroman Middle School and during basketball season the teams practice at the gym at St. Joseph.

FOR Quincy Johnson working with these kids is

more than just sports. As a young man he went through some troublesome times. There were not many programs such as this that could help bring positive inﬂuences into a young life. Through working with these kids he feels he can be that positive role model. As a 38 year old widower and father of nine children Johnson looks forward to being that role model not only to his children but to others. Johnson has seen many kids come through the program and many have stayed on the “strait and narrow” path to a successful life. “Work at it. Stay out of trouble and do what you have to do.” States Johnson. “And you can be successful. That’s the biggest thing; just teaching them to be good adults.” For Johnson the program is very rewarding and seeing the kids be successful is very gratifying.

IN any endeavor such as this, there is always

room for help. Johnson’s employers at Cowboy Containments, Michael Browning and Randy Trice, are a tremendous help when it comes to jerseys for the players. Johnson states that sponsorship would be a very good way for the community to get involved in helping the program. Uniforms, gym fees and travel all cost money. The coaches are all volunteer and sponsorship to defray some of the cost to parents and volunteers would certainly be appreciated.

if you are interested in making a differ-

ence in the youth of the Crossroads, give a thought to volunteering or sponsoring worthwhile organizations such as this one. For more information on the program, visit their Facebook page at Victoria Kings Queens.

BUSINESS tip

SACRIFICE FOR Q U A L I T Y, T I M E , & W E A LT H OPRAH once said “You can have it all. Just not at the same time”, and truer words have never been spoken. When it comes to our business, we tend to think we can do it all, when in reality, if we’re spreading ourselves so thin, we don’t stand a chance of ever accomplishing half of those things on our checklist.

LEARNING to sacriﬁce elements of our business (which include projects that likely won’t go the distance) is essential in being able to maximize our income and the value of our time. It’s not always easy ﬁguring out what we should let fall to the wayside and what is worthy of our time.

ONLY you will know what’s best for your business. Realize every entrepreneur thinks there’s always something that can be cut from the long list of “to do’s” which should help us stay focused on what is most beneficial to our bottom line…but few entrepreneurs truly prioritize. SO, what can you sacrifice in your business? What projects aren’t panning out? What tasks could be wiped off the slate? Take a step back and evaluate the things you’re spending your time on and I’m sure you’ll find a few things that you could let go that will free you up for bigger, better projects. Teri R. Moten, MBA Business Consultant and Empowerment Coach

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INNOVATORS IN THE SALON Hair Dimensions

It's Time for Autumn Colors

Pumpkins

, Football Games, Cooler Weather Oh My. It’s time for Fall colors and what better way to rock them then putting colors in your hair. Deeper and Darker is a must whether it be a Ruby, Plum, Cinnamon or a Berry color. Of Course, lighter hair is beautiful and fun but it is always exciting to add in some lowlights for dimension. Everyone could use a change, dramatic or subtle. And there’s endless possibilities on how to choose the perfect look for you. Any of the very talented stylists at Hair Dimensions can help ﬁnd the right color to match your style, personality, and attitude. Embracing this fall season can be taken up a notch. Your new color can be paired up with a Fabulous Hair Cut and Style. You will never have to worry when you’re in Hair Dimensions hands. Be on the lookout for HDs new Loyalty Treat Cards. You can be getting points for getting a service done at Hair Dimensions With these points you can receive free services and goodies which will be offered just in time for the holidays. The books are ﬁlling up and you don’t want to have to miss out on the all the wonderful colors. Make your appointment today and let us help you through a new and exciting hair journey.

Hair Dimensions 361-575-8802

WEDDING PLANNING tip

Booking a DJ BY: A U B R E Y MC W I L L I A M S P H OT O B Y C LOVER A N D V EIL P H OT OGRAP H Y.

There

are many things to consider when booking a DJ for your event. My husband and I got married in Victoria but I didn’t move here until we got married so I hadn’t connected with anyone yet. I booked all of my vendors out of Corpus. My favorite DJ at the time was booked and we had a pretty small wedding so we decided to forgo a DJ and just play music. Looking back, I wish we would have had hired someone so we wouldn’t have to worry about a playlist and had a DJ able to announce and really amp things up.

But

what questions do you ask when booking a DJ? How do you know they’ll play the right music or be great on the mic? I’ve connected with JP Padierna, the owner and DJ with JP Productions, at many events and got his thoughts on the process. JP is also on the radio with KIXS 108 in the morning. We’ve had fun at various radio events in the past few years and he sounds so great on his morning show you know he’s awesome at a wedding. Just complete the SUDOKU puzzle for your chance to win, cut it out and return to: Prize All Things Crossroads, 8806 N. Navarro Ste. 600-272, Victoria, TX 77904 or You Can Also Drop Off At UPS STORE 8806 N. Navarro Suite 600, Victoria. Remember to provide your name, address and telephone number. Closing Date: LAST DAY OF THIS MONTH, ONLY ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD ACCEPTED. DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES TO WIN! email your submission to staff@allthingscrossroads to sign-up for our newsletter.

I asked JP for a few thoughts on picking a DJ for your wedding or any event and he shared some good points. • The DJ is the heartbeat of your party. • DJs not only play music, they provide crowd-pleasing entertainment and even serve as masters of ceremonies. • Don’t make price your only consideration when you select a wedding DJ. Referrals are always a good reference but seeing them perform in person is the best way to make a decision. • If possible, do not book a DJ over a phone call. Its always best to meet face to face. • Make sure you sign a contract. • Ask questions. Especially if you have a specific music taste (example Red Dirt, Texas Country, Tejano, Latin, etc., these genres are very popular in our area). • Communicate with your DJ. Let them know your preferences and what songs not to play. Provide a schedule of events like the first dance, cake cutting and garter toss. • Let the DJ control the party, that is what you’re paying them for. A good DJ will follow what the crowd is responding to. They don’t want to be playing music with an empty dance floor.

JP is great at what he does and loves a good party! His goal is to always get your guests dancing and keeping that dance floor full. The last bit of advice he shared with me is that if you have a specific list of music you want played in a specific order, save the money and plug in a phone. Don’t book a DJ and try to micromanage their entire set. You booked them for a reason. Trust your vendors to do a great job for you.

ONE thing I want to make clear before I get into this topic: I am NOT a professional photographer.

TRUE, I spent many a Friday

night wandering the sidelines of high school football ﬁelds lugging a big ol’ Nikon camera with an impressive piece of glass (lens) hung off the front, and almost always managed to leave with something my newspaper could use to help illustrate a game.

AND, over my 30 years toiling for

hyper-local, community newspapers, I actually won a handful of moderately covetous press awards for news and feature photography.

I know how to use a camera and can

ﬁnd my way around the various setting but, to call myself a professional photographer is, at best, disingenuous. I know a few pros. I’m no pro.

THAT said, I keep plugging away

and looking for challenges. That’s why I was excited to learn that a recent wedding trip would take us to the Paciﬁc Northwest. That place is chock full of one of photography’s more difﬁcult subjects: waterfalls.

OF course, I had visions of captur-

ing images of spectacular cataracts pouring off cliffs and pouring into mossy green ravines. Sadly, even in the Paciﬁc Northwest, that kind of rushing water is more common once the snow melts — and less common in April, which is when we went.

OUR visit took us to Olympic Na-

tional Park, a temperate rain forrest on the Olympic Peninsula directly across the Sound from Seattle. It rains — at least a little bit — most every day. The forest is massive; the trees are very tall and thick with foliage and often covered with a startling, bright green moss. We visited three spots: Sul Doc Falls, the the Hall of Mosses up the Ho River Trail and Rialto Beach.

DESPITE

the time of year, we persevered and found several beautiful cascade falls while visiting Sul Doc.

IF you want to capture one of those

creamy smooth images of water spilling through a ravine or cascading down the side of a mountain, prepare to shoot in full manual mode. If you are afraid of the manual setting on your camera — or, if you have one

of those fully automatic point-andshoot cameras — prepare for disappointment. To my knowledge, there are no automatic or program modes that will yield this kind of image.

YOU should also be patient. I can’t tell you how many “test” images I took then later deleted before I was happy with my work.

BECAUSE

the creaminess of the image depends upon a very slow shutter speed, a good tripod is essential — so are waterproof boots (I learned the later much to my dismay).

WARNING:

from here on out, I’m going to get a bit technical. You might refer to the accompanying info box before reading further.

FOR waterfall photography, the

pros I talked to prior to our trip suggested I set my ISO as low as possible and my aperture around f10 or f11. This setting renders a very nice depth of ﬁeld so the back ground and foreground will both be in sharp focus.

THE camera’s shutter speed will

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be the true variable here. Once I found a good spot and composed the photograph, I started at about 5/10 of a second then nosed around a bit, checking the results on the LCD screen after each image. After a great deal of trial and error, I settled on f10 and 125 ISO for the high-contract light under the rain forest canopy. My shutter speed varied from 6/10 of a second to 8/10 of a second.

OUR visit also included a trip to the

Hall of Mosses in the Ho River Valley. There, I worked hard to capture the eery green glow of the morning sunlight shining through the moss. A fully automatic camera would likely have performed well here though, it would struggle to deal with the sharp contrasts. I suppose I could have simple set my camera on “auto” and let the the computer chip do the work but — well, recall the note above regarding challenges.

AS a photojournalist, I typically shoot in aperture-priority mode so I can control the depth of ﬁeld. I left it there for the Hall of Mosses. This yielded a setting of f5.0 at 1/80 sec. and an ISO of 125. So, most of these images taken were somewhere in this range. The deep shadows in the forest allowed

for some breathtaking contrast, as in the photo of the bench situated along the trail. I converted some of those images into monochrome and was very pleased with the results.

was noon by the time we made it to Rialto beach. It was hazy and the sun, high in the sky, was not my friend.

Some definitions: • Shutter the device in a camera that opens and closes to let in light. • Aperture how wide the shutter opens. • ISO how much light the camera’s sensor absorbs while the shutter is open. There are three major settings on most good cameras: shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Shutter speed refers to how quickly the camera’s shutter opens and closes; aperture refers to the f stop, or how wide the shutter opens (and, the lower the f-stop number, the wider the aperture); ISO is how much light the sensor absorbs when the shutter is open (the higher the number, the more light the sensor absorbs but it does so at the expense of “noise” or grain). Most good cameras let you shoot in aperture priority or shutter priority modes. Shooting in aperture priority lets the photographer determine the depth of field (how much of the fore and background is in focus), but lets the camera determine the other values. Shutter priority lets the photographer determine the shutter speed while the camera figures everything else.

RIALTO Beach is where

the Sul Doc River empties into the Paciﬁc Ocean. The river carries fallen trees out into the ocean where they are bleached by the salt water then returned to the shore. In the harsh sun, Rialto Beach is a weird, dystopian landscape littered with the hulks of ancient trees resting on beds of smooth, colorful rocks.

BECAUSE

of the difﬁcult shooting conditions, I shot in full manual mode and indulged in a ridiculous amount of bracketing (capturing the same shot using a variety of settings). There was no one setting that worked. Again, low ISO settings reduces grain and wider apertures produce a wider depth of ﬁeld so, much of this moves away from the technical and into the realm of art. It really depends upon what you’re looking for. For the closeup of river rocks stacked on a tree trunk, I set the aperture

to f2.8 which blurred the back and fore ground; the long shot of the bleached out trees on the beach was shot with a narrower aperture —f5 or 6 — for a wider depth of ﬁeld.

all, during two days of shooting, I recorded 567 images. What with composition and light, I was happy with about 60 of them. We framed only four.

ANSEL Adams was a legendary

landscape photographer who made legendary pictures in black and white up and down the Paciﬁc Coast. This journey drove home one of his prime lessons: a photographer does not take a picture of an object. Instead, a photographer captures the light — and the lack of it — that reﬂects from the object.

hope you enjoy these reﬂections from the Paciﬁc Northwest, and the informal camera lesson that went along with them. Camera gear: Nikon D-7200; Tamron 15-55 mm, f2.8 lens

Richard Stone, a recently retired newspaper publisher, is the principal consultant at RTS Connect LLC, a small communications ﬁrm helping clients at the interface of public policy and public relations. You may contact him at richard@ rtsconnect.org.

Once

upon a time, in the wee morning hours. Cooper stepped outside to smell the fresh ﬂowers. “Morning,” said Rosie. “I’m headed to town. You should come join me, how does that sound?” Cooper agreed and they walked a few feet but all of a sudden they couldn’t see the street. “Hello?” a voice said. “Where could I be? Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?” “We hear you just ﬁne,” was Cooper’s reply. “It looks like you settled down from the sky.” “Well help me back up. I can’t stay here! I’ll turn into fog and then disappear!” “It’s not that easy,” Rosie explained.

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“It’s like lifting air or catching all of the rain.” “Well there must be something you can do. If I stay any longer my life here is doomed.” “Look, we’ll ask Phil, he’s the smartest of us. I’m sure he can get you back, so don’t fuss.” “What’s going on?” Wayne walked up and asked. “This cloud here will fade; if we don’t help him fast.” “Well, have no fear, Wayne is here! I’ll get my house vac and we’ll shoot you up in the air.” And so he hurried to go get his vac. “Are we really going to wait for Wayne to get back?” “Of course not,” said Cooper, “his vac plan is dumb.” “Well here he comes!” yelled Rosie. “It’s too late to

to run!” Wayne aimed towards the cloud and turned the vac on. “Aren’t you guys glad that I came along?!” He sucked the cloud up. “Okay now we reverse!” But before he could do this; the Vacuum bag burst! “Wayne!” Yelled Cooper. “He’s probably hurt!” The little cloud sneezed from all of the dirt. “That didn’t go well at all,” the Cloud said. “I’m still on the ground and there’s dust on my head.” They cleaned him all up and asked Phil for advice. Phil laid out his plan, he was very precise. “We’ll build a tall tower using ladders and blocks. We’ll barrow the ladders from Mr. Wilcox.” Ladder by ladder and block by block they built a tall tower like a giant beanstalk. Once they were done, they climbed to the top. The little cloud shouted when he noticed his pop. “I made it back up!” The cloud yelled with joy. The father cloud grabbed ahold of his boy. “Goodbye!” Yelled Cooper, “Have a nice day!” Just then the tower started to sway. “Oh no!” Yelled the Cloud. “Push me back down!” He cushioned their fall as they hit the ground. “You saved us.” Said Rosie, “But we’re back to square one.” “Helium!” Yelled Phil, “Wait here while I run!” They wasted no time and turned the tank on. Slowly the cloud ﬂoated up from lawn. “It’s working!” Yelled Cooper as he told him goodbye and they all watched him ﬂoat back home to the sky. The End.

Our 2019 event was held on Saturday, September 14, 2019 and was an awesome day! We had over 100 Active Duty Military, Veterans & First Responders along with their families come out and join us for “A Day in the Country”! We had 3 World War II Veterans that are from Weesatche join us that day too and one of them is 101! We estimate about 300 folks came out to honor our military & remember those effected by the events of 9/11! Due to all of the generous donations we will be sending ﬁnancial help to several local area organizations that help our Military, Veterans & ﬁrst responders. Some organizations we have helped in past are Camp Hope, DeWitt County Vietnam Veterans, DeWitt County Cares, Goliad American Legion, Victoria VA Transportation Services USO of South Texas, Warriors Heart, Wounded Warriors Project, Refugio/Woodsboro VFWs, Weesatche Volunteer Fire Department and many more! We want to give a special “THANK YOU” to Lieutenant Colonel Mark Stroman, Bill Albrecht, Precision Welding, Aztec Ford, Cowboys 4 Heroes, Goliad Nat’l Bank, GVEC, Hermann Sons-Weesatche, Marek Services, Seams Like Home, Terrie Waskow, Weesatche Corner Cafe, Weesatche Dance Hall Cafe, Boy Scout Troop #60, Weesatche 4-H, Goliad NHS Students, Antique Cars/Tractors folks, Photographers - Shelly Hochdorf & Robin Alaniz, Entertainers - JD Puente & Vickie Cross and all the many Volunteers that worked hard to make the event possible!

Mark your calendars for next year: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH, 2020! Keep an eye on our Facebook page for more info & pictures. https://www.facebook.com/Weesatch4Warriors

GAME Crossroads Crossword Puzzle

Win! A complete automotive detailing from Redâ€™s Auto Detailing (Value $130.00!)

Across one of the most common insulation. 7 trendy Autumn flavor (2 Words) 8 Head Coach of Crossroads Kings & Queens (2 Words) 9 Top Ten Business Women of the Year. (2 Words) 10 Cooper helps a 1

3 4 5

6 7

2 3 8

4 5

6 10

Down where the Sul Doc river empties into the Pacific Ocean. (2 Words) Park directly across the Sound from Seattle. (2 Words) Legendary landscape photographer (2 Words) cook wine with brandy and spices (2 Words) You can have it all, just nott at the sam no ame e time

Just complete the crossroad puzzle for your chance to win a $10 gift card from Starbucks, to Send your submission use your smartphone to text it with your info to staff@allthingscrossroads.com or cut it out and return to: Prize All Things Crossroads, 8806 N. Navarro Ste. 600-272, Victoria, TX 77904. You Can Also Drop Off At UPS STORE 8806 N. Navarro Suite 600, Victoria. Remember to provide your name, address and telephone number. Closing Date: LAST DAY OF THIS MONTH. ONLY ONE ENTRY PER HOUSEHOLD ACCEPTED. DOUBLE YOUR CHANCES AND email your submission to staff@allthingscrossroads.com & Subscribe to our Newsletter

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d h

The

“Little Way” to Change by Michele Rohde

Pumpkin

spice, love it or hate it, its here! It’s been here since sweltering September actually. I think seeing those 2 words is the new trendy way to say its fall, since sometimes there is no other obvious or immediate signs down here in South Texas. We usually don’t have our ﬁrst good cold front until Halloween, when the heat ﬁnally gets scared away. Boo!

The

changing of the seasons isn’t as dramatic here as it is in, let’s say, New England, but nonetheless, we can see things change. Especially at Hobby Lobby, where the Christmas décor has been carefully placed in over 3/4 of the store long by now! (If you like Jenga, go test your skills there with their center isle displays.) But I digress. The evenings are getting darker sooner, maroon & burnt orange have been proudly displayed, some clothing & leaves are changing, pumpkins, mums & lattes are all overﬂowing.

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I always feel like I never

want summer to end, because for me, it means less time outdoors & in the water. I love those two things. Somehow, I always believe I won’t enjoy fall or winter, but then the creature comforts start to roll out, and I’m reminded that the other seasons are quite special in their own way. They also provide some relief at that moment when maybe you’ve had enough of the heat or of mowing the lawn, which thankfully slacks way off this time of year. Speaking of thankfully, we also tend to switch to a more grateful mindset as Thanksgiving & Christmas approaches.

, while summer brings to my mind a lot of care-free fun, the other seasons recall change & a different aspect of time spent. Maybe one that is closer, warmer, more comforting & indulgent.

Just as our external sea-

sons change, so can our internal seasons. As you become aware of how often this can happen in our personal lives as it does in nature, you can start to feel it approach in advance. The way we remember what time of year we can expect more rain & when the leaves fall, we can anticipate when our attitudes or habits may change right along with it. When we can get ahead of this shift, & instead of reacting to it after the fact or worse yet, resisting these seasons of internal change, we can start to become present in them & grow to a deeper degree.

What do I mean? Have

you ever noticed if you want to start a new habit, you must make room for it? Like exercise for example. It won’t happen on its own. You’ll never ﬁnd the time if you don’t prioritize it. God is most aware of this, which is why we have the changing of the seasons. It makes room. The

leaves changing color and then falling are a noticeable difference. On our property during the winter, you can see right through where our thick brush usually makes for a natural fence. Suddenly we can see much further than we could in the summer. This also sends a signal to nature to move to a different location. God removes the old and makes way for the new.

Sometimes

this happens with our friends and family too. Its natural for the seasons of our relationships to ebb & ﬂow as well. While its important to do our part to nurture relationships, its also helpful to realize sometimes they’ll fall away for a time, be pruned or grow. Nothing on this Earth is permanent.

Changing

of the seasons, whether in nature or personally, can be uncomfortable. We’re creatures of habit. We enjoy comfortable routine. But, if in that discomfort or anxiety, if we can see & feel it coming, it can be exciting to realize the reward ahead is coming. Like a kid anticipating Christmastime! What pure joy! We know after the barren winter, there are always beautiful new blooms coming in the Spring. Wonder what new blooms you’ll experience? You do have the ability to inﬂuence the quantity & quality of those blooms, you know. Work the harvest now. Expect it to feel uncomfortable, maybe even raw & dry amid the deeper change. But, if you choose to make space & declutter, if you choose to prune the unnecessary things in your life, that work will pay off.

Wecan choose to watch

the seasons come & go, or we choose to be active participants.

you need to make space for a healthy new habit like morning prayer, exercise or planning meals for the week ahead? Do you need to declutter your indoor or outdoor space to make room for the inspiration & contentment you desire to ﬁll your soul? Do you need to make room for positive relationships or personal development to grow? What leaves in your life need to change color? What needs to fall away?

Does all this sound like a

lot of hard work you don’t have time for? Does it sound overwhelming or uncomfortable? It may be because you’re looking at it as extra work. Harvesting doesn’t have to feel like work. There can be joy to be had in less & the “work” toward that effort. I l learned about Saint Therese of Lisieux, also fondly referred to as “The Little Flower” just a few years ago. Her biography is an interesting one, & I recommend reading more about her if you haven’t. But in short, she endured many hardships from her mother passing when Therese was only 4 to being very ill most of her young, short life. In her many trials – seasons of things being stripped away from her – she came to ﬁnd freedom in not focusing on herself any longer, but instead focusing on others. She chose to ﬁnd joys in all the little things she could, from a smile to a

prayer for someone in need. Thus, she became known for her “little way” of obtaining Heaven. We can choose to be joyful in our work as well if we understand its for a greater good. The way an expectant mother, while she is surely tired and working hard, she may enjoy most of her pregnancy in anticipation of holding her baby. We can do the same with the chores we grumble about. What blessing is there? You can be thankful about that blessing in the midst or better yet, pray for someone as you’re doing it. Some work we don’t choose & that’s okay. We can choose to be positive in it though until we get to the work we do choose. It will affect everything else as a result.

Try

it for just a day or week. Set your sight on the end result. Have a vision for what & how you want your personal garden of life to look and feel like. What do you want to experience? Who do you want to be? You have the ability to work on that now. What steps toward that can you take? Take those steps with joyful anticipation of your beautiful future. Relish the work, in the present moment too though, the way a gardener enjoys laboring in their masterpiece. God delights in us in this very same way. We are His works of art, & He has given us free will as a gift to be utilized.

Join in on the harvest. You’ll be so glad you did by Spring.

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DRINK RECIPE Mulled Wine

DREAM HOME tip

DOES IT MATTER WHAT INSULATION I USE ON MY NEW HOME? YES! We’ll cover the most commonly

Mulled Wine

Making mulled wine couldn’t be easier. Combine a bottle of red with some orange slices, spices, honey, and brandy, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. THAT’S IT. We like using dry varietals like merlot, malbec, or cab sauv. But really, any kind that you like should work! If you don’t like brandy, or don’t want to buy a bottle, skip it.

INGREDIENTS 1 (750-ML.) BOTTLE RED WINE 1 ORANGE, SLICED INTO ROUNDS, PLUS MORE FOR GARNISH 6 WHOLE CLOVES 3 CINNAMON STICKS, PLUS MORE FOR GARNISH 3 STAR ANISE 1/4 C. HONEY 1/2 C. BRANDY

DIRECTIONS In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients. Bring to a simmer not a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently over low heat for 10 minutes. Serve warm and garnish with more citrus slices and cinnamon sticks.

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used insulation types in South Texas for this article. Each has its pros and cons. Before we compare it’s important to know how insulation performance is measured and the term used is called ‘R-value’. R-value is the maximum amount of thermal performance necessary to keep a home cool during the summer months and warm during the winter months. It is a measurement of the insulation’s capability to resist heat moving through it. The higher it is, the better the thermal performance of the insulation will be, and the less energy will be expended to heat or cool a space.

FIBERGLASS: Fiberglass insulation dates back to the 1940s and not much has changed about it. Installation is very easy and can be performed with a razor blade and staple hammer. Proper installation calls for exact ﬁtment and making sure the batts are not compressed. Fiberglass, unfortunately, has the lowest R-value in the group ranging from 2.9 - 3.8 per inch. Fiberglass insulation also does nothing to help air leaks or to control moisture. This is the most cost-effective insulation type.

CELLULOSE: Cellulose insulation dates back to the 1980s and is created using recycled paper goods. Installation is usually

performed by a professional who blows the insulation in after mixing a wet agent to the cellulose to help adhere it to wall cavities. Cellulose has a higher R-value ranging from 3.1-3.8 per inch. Cellulose also does a better job of ﬁlling in all cavities since it’s being sprayed. Cellulose is roughly 15-20% more than Fiberglass.

SPRAY FOAM: Spray foam also is known as Polyicynen gained popularity in the 1990s and now comes in two different forms called ‘open-cell’ and ‘closed-cell’. Open-cell is the more commonly used in our climate zone due to cost and performance. Closed-cell is great at insulating and also adds moisture control after 2” of installation. All spray foam should be installed by a professional as mixing and temperature control is extremely important. Spray foam is superior to ﬁberglass and cellulose when it comes to it’s high R-value of 3.6-4.3 per inch. Spray foam also acts as an air barrier keeping your home tight and efﬁcient. Spray foam is the most expensive at roughly 40-50% more than Fiberglass. For More Info:Matt Studer Owner Pearl Homes matt@pearlhomestx.com

TIP: When using spray foam or other methods to create a very tight home it’s important to control humidity levels in our Southern climate. Stand-alone dehumidiﬁers do an amazing job of controlling comfort and giving you a worry-free home.

PRESS RELEASE Diane Kliem

Diane R. Kliem has been recognized by the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) as one of the Top Ten Business Women of the Year. Diane is a lifelong Victoria resident who currently practices law and is President of Kliem & Associates. In addition, she holds a CPA certiﬁcation and a mediator certiﬁcation. She is a graduate of the University of Houston-Victoria and South Texas College of Law. She is very active within the community, currently serves on the Victoria Professional Express Network (VPEN) board, which is a local chapter of ABWA; and serves on the Boards of the Victoria Chamber of Commerce and HOPE Child Advocacy Center.

ABWA

awards the Top Ten Business Women each year through outside judges that evaluate each candidate’s career accomplisments,

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community involvement and contribution to ABWA. With over 125 chapters across the nation, ABWA has more than 10,000 members nationwide. Each chapter can nominate a candidate for the Top Ten Business Women of the Year and from those nominations, ten are chosen for the prestigious national award. ABWA calls the Top Ten award “the highest honor awarded to an ABWA member”. The Top Ten Business Women will all have interviews, judging and will speak at the annual National ABWA convention in Kansas City, Missouri in October at the 70th anniversary of ABWA. At this convention, one of ten the Top Ten WOY will be named the 2020 American Business Woman of the Year. The Top Ten Business Women of the Year will be featured in the “Women In Business” national magazine, in the conference materials, on the website for the next year and will have more opportunities to speak to members throughout the year.

VPEN is a local non-proﬁt group that supports the community in many ways including education of members, awarding local scholarships at VC and UHV, and assisting other charities and non-proﬁts in the area through fundraising activities. Victoria is home to two ABWA Express Networks - VPEN has been in existence 10 years and WGTEN (Women Growing Together Express Network) has been in existence 3 years. Our ABWA mission statement is “to bring together business

women of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support and national recognition.”

We celebrate Diane’s nomination because this is the ﬁrst time an ABWA member from Victoria has been selected for the national award. Nine VPEN members representing Victoria will be attending the National ABWA Women’s Leadership Conference and supporting Ms. Kliem through the ﬁnal process in October. Ms. Kliem and the VPEN membership are absolutely thrilled to have received this national recognition from ABWA!

A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT As 2018-2019 President of VPEN, I couldn’t be more proud to have Diane represent our local membership as a Top Ten candidate. I have been a member of ABWA/VPEN for 9 years and worked along side of Diane on many projects. Her dedication and passion for this organization has been invaluable to the growth of our membership. What started as meeting her through VPEN, doing business with her and ultimately calling her one of my best friends; through the years and especially my Presidency, I am witness to her willingness to listen and advise. VPEN has had a fantastic 2018-2019 year celebrating our 10th anniversary, achieving the coveted ABWA Best Practice, Level 1 award and having the opportunity to present our League Top Ten candidate at the National Convention in October. I cannot wait for VPEN to be represented by Diane Kliem on that National stage. ABWA Woman of the Year victory is in sight... VPEN president : Vicki Wagner

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