The heart-brain connection to good health
Pastor of Mount Pleasant Christian Church plans to retire
INSIDE
Little known deal lets you experience high-end hotels
Juice up your immune system with tasty treats
Local pastor to retire after 40 years in ministry.
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Boost your immune system with orange juice.
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New national park announced in Colorado.
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Travel on a budget with hotel and resort daypasses.
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Phyllis Bex discusses the game of bocce.
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A love-hate relationship with denim.
Cooking demonstration and a dinner to enjoy!
Thursday, March 21 • 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Astral at Franklin - Capital Room
Afternoon in Italy
Embark on a culinary journey where participants will immerse themselves in the art of preparing an Franklin favorite dinner for one or two. Join our expert chef as she guides you through each step of the recipe, unraveling the secrets behind the flavors that make this dish a cherished community delight. Enjoy this delicious meal with some new friends, but also newfound culinary skills to savor and share. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect, learn and indulge in the joy of cooking.
After your meal, take a tour of Astral at Franklin.
To sign-up call 463.200.7990 or email SGornall@astralatfranklin.com.
HHow do you quantify forty-four years of serving full time in ministry? If you ask Pastor Chris Philbeck, who will retire June 30, and to borrow from a popular musical: “The measure is love.”
Since 2001, Philbeck has served as senior pastor for Mount Pleasant Christian Church (MPCC) and more recently, oversees their churches in Impact Bethany, Old Southside, Fairfax and Clermont. However, Philbeck’s journey didn’t start at a pinnacle. Instead, it began growing up in a Christian home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, worshipping at Osage Hills Christian Church, a group of people Philbeck remembers fondly. “This church loved our family and nurtured me,” he said. Later, Mike Nuthman, his uncle, encouraged him to pursue full-time ministry, as he had done.
From 1976-80, Philbeck attended Ozark Bible College where Ron Carter, the college chaplain, provided encouragement and mentoring. After graduation, he became a youth pastor in a Houston church where he taught Sunday school classes with ministry responsibilities night and day, Monday through Thursday — an overwhelming schedule. On the upside, while there, he met his future wife, Sandy Elston.
Philbeck was hired in 1982 to grow the members of a church of 30 people in Sugarland, Texas. For seven years, they met in rented facilities, until they multiplied to 250 members after constructing Kingsbridge Christian Church, later renamed Providence Christian, in a planned development. “There, they gave me the freedom to figure out what I was doing. Everything was like on-the-job training with most of the families ten years older than us.”
“I remember looking out an upstairs window, seeing the droves of people coming out and feeling this was God’s plan.”
— Pastor Chris Philbeck
In 1992, the Philbecks, now with Andrew, 7, and Tricia, 4, moved to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, to lead Northside Christian Church, whose attendance had stagnated. “Every time they got some momentum, something sabotaged it,” Philbecks recalled.
In the first 12 months, his goal was to add 100 new members, and by his oneyear anniversary, new members totaled 98. The church doubled in size for two years in a row, and by 1997, attendance was up to 1,000 people. The Philbecks enjoyed worshipping with an extended family that included his mother, an older brother, siblings, nieces, nephews and his younger brother, Kenneth, who served as the church’s youth minister.
Late spring 2001, an MPCC elder contacted Philbeck about replacing Pastor Reggie Epps, who planned to return to Kansas City as the senior pastor of the church his father had planted. He turned down the offer, not wanting to uproot Andrew after his sophomore year because decades earlier, before his own senior year in high school, Philbeck’s family moved from Oklahoma to Texas, and he didn’t want to do that to his son.
However, MPCC elders persisted, and in August 2021, Philbeck and Sandy visited the church to confirm their decision.
“I remember looking out an upstairs window, seeing the droves of people coming out and feeling this was God’s plan.”
When Philbeck arrived in October, MPCC’s attendance hovered at 2,000 people. For their family, the situation was uncomfortable for a while. “It’s traumatic when you leave a church because people seem to struggle after their pastor leaves. And I stepped into a church where I knew no one.”
After settling in, Philbeck noticed the ministries had outgrown available space, so building became a priority. MPCC’s sports ministry expanded into health and wellness when the Community Life Center opened across Fairview Road in 2008. Two years later, the children’s ministry moved into a repurposed area called “Bibleopolis.” In 2013, the 15,000-square-foot IMPACT Center, currently serving 400 families monthly, consolidated a weekly distribution of food, clothing and household items south of the main building where an educational wing was also constructed.
Philbeck challenged the congregation to broaden their outreach with a
simple question: “Can a single church in central Indiana change the world?” Soon missions expanded from the Central India Christian Mission, the Pro-Em Ministries in Poland and Impacto Latino in Mexico to affiliations in Cuba, Austria and the Middle East, as well as Pioneer Bible Translators.
“Mount Pleasant has always been great at focusing on outreach,” Philbeck said.
After the building phase ended, he urged MPCC to become debt free, a reality accomplished in 2018. Two years earlier, the Change for a Dollar program was implemented, asking weekend attendees to donate a dollar each. MPCC then gives away $1 times the attendance number, usually between $3-$4,000, to assist those who need help paying bills regardless of who they are or where they live.
His favorite statistic since 2001 is that 2,505 people have expressed their faith in Jesus through baptism. “We have been able to live out the mission of changing the world for Christ in a variety of ways,
and I’m confident this church that’s 140 years old in April will continue that.”
Philbeck often teases that he has had a huge role in bringing Bluebell ice cream to Indiana. When he first arrived, he was homesick for sunshine, warm weather and his favorite — homemade vanilla ice cream — so he wrote Bluebell’s corporate office in Texas about his predicament. Months later, congregants enjoyed an ice cream social donated by Bluebell.
He admits that fatigue influenced his decision to retire and plans to take a six-month break before pursuing parttime ministry. “I’m stepping outside of the full-time role but not stepping away from ministry,” he said. He will always remember that “Mount Pleasant has been a warm and generous church who loved me and my family well.”
Philbeck’s plea at the pulpit won’t be forgotten: “We ask God’s blessing on this reading and hearing of his word.” Indeed, he has, as one church in central Indiana continues to change the world.
TThe same risk factors that contribute to making heart disease the leading cause of death worldwide also impacts the rising global prevalence of brain disease, including stroke, Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
By FamiLy Features Photo By getty imagesThe global death rate from Alzheimer's disease and other dementias is increasing even more than the rate of heart disease death, according to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2022 Update.
Globally, more than 54 million people had Alzheimer's disease and other dementias in 2020, a 37% increase since 2010 and 144% increase over the past 30 years (1990-2020). Additionally, more than 1.89 million deaths were attributed to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias worldwide in 2020, compared to nearly 9 million deaths from heart disease.
“The global rate of brain disease is quickly outpacing heart disease,” said Mitchell S.V. Elkind, M.D. M.S., FAHA, the past president of the American Heart Association (2020-21), a professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and attending neurologist at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
“We are learning more about how some types of dementia are related to aging, and how some types are due to poor vascular health. It’s becoming more evident that reducing vascular disease risk factors can make a real difference in helping people live longer, healthier lives, free of heart disease and brain disease.”
According to the statistics update, people with midlife hypertension were five times more likely to experience impairment on global cognition and about twice as likely to experience reduced executive function, dementia and
Alzheimer’s disease. The risk for dementia associated with heart failure was nearly two-fold.
Experts recommend maintaining a healthy weight, managing your blood pressure and following other hearthealthy lifestyle behaviors that can also support good brain health while studies show maintaining good vascular health is associated with healthy aging and retained cognitive function.
Optimal brain health includes the ability to perform tasks like movement, perception, learning and memory, communication, problem solving, judgment, decision making and emotion. Cognitive decline and dementia are often seen following stroke or cerebrovascular disease and indicate a decline in brain health.
Consider these steps to live a healthier lifestyle and protect your heart and brain health:
n Don’t smoke; avoid secondhand smoke.
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n Reach and maintain a healthy weight. Be mindful of your eating habits; eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and added sugars.
n Be physically active. Start slowly and build up to at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity, such as brisk walking, each week. As an alternative, you can do 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of the two, to improve overall cardiovascular health.
ONlINE
learn more about the relationship between heart health and brain health at heart.org
n Get your blood pressure checked regularly and work with your health care team to manage it if it’s high.
n Have regular medical checkups and take your medicine as directed.
n Decrease your stress level and seek emotional support when needed.
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Bolstering your immune system during winter, when coughs and colds seem to take control, is a must for the entire family. Supporting your wellness can start in a simple place — with the foods you eat and drink.
Consider an easy choice for any season like Florida orange juice, which can help you and your loved ones get the vitamins and minerals you need all winter long. With 100% of the daily recommended value of vitamin C in every 8-ounce serving along with key nutrients like potassium and magnesium, there's a reason it's referred to as the "Original Wellness Drink."
With no added sugar or artificial flavor, it provides the benefits you need without the additives you don't. It contains natural sugar from the whole fruit for a delicious solution that's one of nature's nutrient-rich foods with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Plus, it's easy to use as a nutritional ingredient in wintertime favorites like this comforting orange juice and coconut chickpea soup or to start your day strong with a superfruit breakfast smoothie.
Paired with a healthy lifestyle, 8 ounces of 100% orange juice may help support a healthy immune system as an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin D in fortified juices. Vitamin C is commonly associated with helping maintain and strengthen healthy immune systems by protecting cells and promoting the production and function of immune cells. Meanwhile,
vitamin D also plays an important role in regulating immune response by helping immune cells fight off bacteria and viruses.
"Safeguarding your health against the spread of illness is important year-round, especially during colder months when reports of cold and flu increase," said Dr. Rosa Walsh, director of scientific research at the Florida Department of Citrus.
"A key step in supporting your immune system is maintaining a well-balanced diet that is high in essential nutrients. Incorporating an 8-ounce glass of 100% orange juice can help you meet the recommended daily value of vitamin C and support your hydration."
Beneficial plant compounds, like those in Florida Orange Juice, along with flavonoids and colorful carotenoids work to support the immune system by fighting inflammation and helping cells communicate, which can help strengthen immune responses when encountering infections.
Additionally, 100% orange juice is a source of phytonutrients like hesperidin, which has been shown in clinical studies to have antioxidantlike properties, heart health benefits and may help reduce inflammation. Hesperidin has also been linked with benefits related to cognitive function, immune system function and bone health.
To find more information and immunity-boosting winter recipes, visit FloridaJuice.com
Servings: 2
8 ounces Florida orange juice
4 ounces dark sweet cherries
2 ounces pomegranate juice
In a blender, puree orange juice, cherries and pomegranate juice; then serve.
»o range Juice an D c oconut
c hick P ea s ou P
Servings: 8
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, finely grated
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until it shimmers.
Add onions, bell pepper, carrots and salt; cook until onions are translucent, 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic and cardamom; cook 1-2 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant. Do not brown.
Add vegetable broth, coconut
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 quart vegetable broth
1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
1 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup Florida orange juice
Cilantro, chopped (optional)
milk and chickpeas; bring to simmer.
Decrease heat to low and cook until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add orange juice, remove from heat and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Serve garnished with cilantro, if desired.
history
Colorado is now home to America’s newest national parkBy Lauren Penington | the Denver Post (tns)
AAmache National Historic Site in southeastern Colorado is officially America’s newest national park, the National Park Service announced recently.
Amache, located one mile outside of Granada, was one of 10 incarceration sites used to detain thousands of JapaneseAmericans during World War II. The town of Granada acquired and donated the land needed to establish the site as a national park.
“Amache’s addition to the National Park System is a reminder that a complete account of the nation’s history must include our dark chapters of injustice,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams stated in a news release. “To heal and grow as a nation we need to reflect on past mistakes, make amends, and strive to form a more perfect union.”
Nearly two years ago in March 2022, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill
backed by Colorado lawmakers to designate the camp a National Historic Site.
The goal then was to make Amache, also known as the Granada Relocation Center, eligible for increased funding to protect and preserve the historical site.
Before becoming a National Historic Site, Amache was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1994, and designated a National Historic Landmark on February 10, 2006.
“As a nation, we must face the wrongs of our past in order to build a more just and equitable future,” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland stated in a news release. “Today’s establishment of the Amache National Historic Site will help preserve and honor this important and painful chapter in our nation’s story for future generations.”
More than 10,000 people were incarcerated at Amache between 1942 and 1945,
according to the release. Now, Amache joins six other national parks already established to preserve this chapter of American history.
Although the camp itself is in ruins, Amache’s historic building foundations and road alignments are largely intact, preserved through the years by Amache survivors and their descendants, residents of Granada, the Amache Preservation Society and more.
The site consists of a historic cemetery, a monument, concrete building foundations, a road network and several reconstructed and restored structures from the World War II era, including a barracks, recreation hall, guard tower and water tank.
Amache’s official redesignation announcement came just four days before the Day of Remembrance of JapaneseAmerican incarcerations during World War II, recognized each year on Feb. 19.
IIf you're a budget traveler like me, you might gravitate to hostels, Airbnbs and affordable ecolodges. Sure, you might daydream about lolling poolside at a fullservice tropical resort, but you know you don't want to pay for it.
Services like Dayuse and ResortPass offer a win-win solution — but not many travelers know about them.
With these websites/apps, you can visit a broad range of hotels, spas and resorts for just a few hours to a full day without paying for an overnight stay. Participating hotels and resorts don't openly tout these services, but they don't seem to mind taking in the extra guest revenue during the slow times that are otherwise focused on checkouts and housekeeping.
On two Tuesdays this winter, I tried Dayuse on a long layover in Miami and
ResortPass during a getaway day on Maui. Here's how it went:
Dayuse — the breakwater Hotel on Ocean Drive in Miami beach
My family of three had a grueling trip home from Buenos Aires in November, with an eight-hour flight arriving in Miami at 5 a.m., followed by a 12-hour layover. I knew I would be sleepless with my 23-pound infant daughter on my lap. But I always strive to take a "buffer day" after big trips — one more day off before going back to work. So I decided to make something of our day in Miami.
First, I extended our layover to 16 hours, with a 9:05 p.m. departure to Minneapolis. This required a phone call to American Airlines. Then I turned to Dayuse.com and Miami Beach.
Dayuse lets you reserve daytime hours at hotels around the country, whether you want to sleep, work, use the pool or whatever else you're up to. Among the app's boutique and trendy options in Miami Beach, I wanted to experience the Art Deco atmosphere of the South Beach district. So I reserved a room at the classic 1939 Breakwater Hotel.
Our reservation from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. included pool access for a grand total of $109. I also rented a car to get from the airport to Miami Beach and back ($86, including tolls), but an Uber/Lyft would have sufficed.
Our double room was clean and serviceable, with a courtyard view. We set up our travel crib and all took turns napping. After checking out the hotel pool — a modest sliver with an ocean view
— I decided to skip it and just use the Breakwater as a base for exploring.
While my partner slept, I strapped the baby into her carrier, and we headed out onto the Ocean Drive promenade, which was bustling with the early energy of a beach day. We crossed the street to the Art Deco Welcome Center, taking in an exhibit on the architectural styles of South Beach.
Out on the sand, I ogled a modernist lifeguard tower and was so taken by the scene that I reserved a beach bed we never made it back to. Then we hit the shops on Ocean Drive, where I picked up a tie-dyed Miami Beach baby onesie for $9. Back at the Breakwater, we had a touristy seafood lunch while people-watching on the covered patio at the hotel’s Havana 1957 restaurant. I realized we could have happily parked here all day.
But time flies on Dayuse, so use it wisely. After lunch, we had just enough time to frolic in the waves before showering, repacking and returning to the airport.
Our day in Miami Beach was brief, but in eight whirlwind hours, we recharged and got a taste of the beach-hotel experience.
ResortPass — A mini ‘White lotus’ in Maui
At the end of a six-day vacation in Maui, we had one long, unstructured day. We had to check out of our Airbnb condo at 10 a.m., but our flight home wasn’t for 12 hours.
Since last year’s devastating wildfires at Lahaina, an air of melancholy hangs over Maui’s “aloha” spirit. Tourists are mostly wanted, but it’s complicated. We steered clear of the affected west side last month, opting for the resort towns of South Maui and the volcanic wilderness of East Maui. But we were still craving just a little of an experience a la “The White Lotus,” the HBO show about bad, ultrarich tourists that filmed Season 1 at the Four Seasons Resort Maui.
Enter ResortPass. In Maui, the website offered a dizzying range of options includ-
ing daybeds and cabanas — priced from $300 to $1,150 — at five-star properties like the Grand Wailea Maui, a Waldorf Astoria resort. We opted for basic day passes at the four-star Fairmont Kea Lani, covering 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for $100 per adult, plus fees. If that sounds like a lot, that night’s rate at the Fairmont started at about $1,100.
From the palatial Fairmont lobby, we were directed outside to the “keiki” (kiddie) pool area. The shaded poolside lounge chairs were perfect. Food and drink service had a light presence, and it almost felt like we could have sneaked into the place, but I’m sure someone was keeping tabs on us. An attendant did inflate our baby pool float.
My now 1-year-old daughter, flushed with excitement from learning to walk, dismissed the keiki pool entirely and instead bolted across the resort’s manicured grounds straight to the azure pools and giant hot tub of the adults-only area. I steered her back to our spot. When
the baby napped later, I received a spine adjustment not in the spa, but in the 140-foot waterslide that whips between two lagoons.
After eating ahi for lunch at the poolside restaurant (complete with swimup bar), we headed across the resort’s grassy lawn abutting scenic Polo Beach. Although resort-adjacent beaches may appear private, all beaches on Maui are public. I waded out for some bodysurfing, only to be pummeled into the ground by those legendary Hawaiian waves. Worth it, though.
With sunset approaching and our day pass expiring, we discovered the 1.6-mile Wailea Beach Path. Strolling the public trail alongside volcanic cliffs as the sun reddened behind the Hawaiian islands of Lanai and Kaho’olawe, I caught a glimpse of the real Four Seasons Maui from “The White Lotus.”
Maybe our Fairmont daycation wasn’t a true “White Lotus” experience. But it was just what we needed for a day.
By PhyLLis Bex
PHYLLIS BEX HAS BEEN A RESIDENT OF JOHNSON COUNTY SINCE 1973 AND DIvIDES HER TImE BETwEEN GREENwOOD AND FLORIDA
SHE CAN BE REACHED AT PBEX49@GmAIL.COm
HHave you ever played bocce ball? It’s a peculiar game like bowling, shuffleboard, corn hole or the Olympic sport of curling. Bocce is pronounced, “bah-chee.” Get it right, or the old folks will let you know. This Italian sport was brought here by immigrants; it’s one of the oldest sports in the world. The word bocce in Latin means boss.
To start with, you have four players per team with two players standing on each end of a long, rectangular 13-by-91 court. The surface can be grass, sand, crushed stone, or like here in Palm Harbor, outdoor carpet over concrete. Each team has either four red or four green balls, weighing two pounds each and are four inches in diameter. The game also has a little white ball called a pallino, which is 1 1/2 inches in diameter and weighs one-third of a pound.
The red team rolls first. The first player rolls the white pallino, which is the target ball, and one of their red balls. Then the green team tries to get closer to the pallino. This continues until both teams have rolled all four balls. The players who have the closest ball or balls win the point(s) for that round. Then the other end rolls. The game we play here is to 14, winning by one point.
Having only played bocce ball a few times, so far, it isn’t as easy as it looks. However, after watching players line up and throw tells me it is a slow game that requires patience and is well suited for those in the winter of their lives and not for the youthful. I watch competitors with canes and walkers stumble to the court and throw very good balls. Some have been playing for thirty years and some, like me, have just started. It’s a game for the young at heart.
Like any game, there are a lot of rules and strategies. The kind, yet older population is sure to tell you if you are doing anything you shouldn’t — all the time. My team captain is Alice. The other players kept correcting me and finally said, “Go ask Alice.” All I could think of was the song, “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane, and when I walked to the other end, I had a big smile on my face.
Alice is a sturdy-and-sure octogenarian who doesn’t take anything from anyone, including me. She is also a quick-witted and dry-humored
person who I like to believe has lived a colorful life. So I said to her, “They told me to ‘go ask Alice.’ Do you know that song?” She said, “Yeah, what about it.” And so began a great friendship of like minds.
We also began playing euchre every Wednesday afternoon. Being from the Midwest, we know how to play, and it is fun to play even with those just learning. If you and your partner win, you move to another table and switch partners. It goes like that for two hours with no big deal, no teams and no record keeping. Just playing for the fun of it. And guess what, Alice plays euchre, too, and what an adept card player she is. It is always a pleasure playing at the same table as her because Alice is a hoot to be around.
The older I get, the more I realize we only grow in age and little in mental maturity — unless we keep schooling ourselves in various intellects. One thing I do know, however, is that I’ve mellowed over the years about many ideas and issues. It could be that I want peace of mind more than anything, or maybe I just don’t care anymore. For example, playing pickleball and going golfing in Florida is almost a full-time job to some people. But I discovered that even though I want to win and have the best score possible — “Girls just wanna have fun!”
We play pickleball almost every night and most Saturday afternoons. If the ball is close to the line but probably out, we call it in — just play nice. I win enough and having fun is more important than anything. The social aspect of playing sports is what I love the best. I have made many new friends while playing pickleball here and everywhere else I played.
Golfing is a pleasure I enjoyed since the early nineties. Although, when I started playing pickleball in 2015, I decided not to play much golf. However, here in Palm Harbor, the three nine-hole executive courses are included in the monthly HOA fees we pay, so we play more golf now, too. The challenge is still present for golfing, at least for the short game.
Now, if I could only get Alice to play golf with me.
TThey hang so chicly in my closet all sequined, stitched and blingy — ready for the right occasion. They have traveled well through fashion decades, too, slightly revising for the times.
Boot cuts and bell bottoms, skinny legs and trouser styles, colored and stone washed have a place at the right moment and fashion calling. Even hats, belts, shoes, jackets and vests will turn a city slicker to cowgirl as fast as a lasso ropes its prey.
Call it a love-hate relationship with denim.
Love the way denim looks on other people, especially my super stylish co-workers and friends, who pair one little item of the down-home fabric with any outfit and look like they walked out of Cosmopolitan magazine. Love the way it brings a wrangler, Wild West vibe to the urban sprawl of commercial progress.
Hate the way it takes six years, 11 months, 23 days, four hours and 57.8 seconds to find the right fit. Don’t care for the discomfort of having the material stuck to my legs after a short car ride to the store, either.
Enter my latest purchase of the boyfriend jean. I know what you are thinking — that was two, three even four seasons ago. It takes me that long to find the right size. These baggy boyfriend jeans rekindle the teenage spirit of throwing on any old garment and looking fabulous. Most of us probably realize, though, we would never actually wear our boyfriend’s or husband’s jeans – not a chance. Can you imagine? Think wardrobe malfunction at its greatest.
Shopping for jeans routinely ranks about No. 227 on my most favorite things to do. It takes me six months to talk myself into it and another six months to grace any dressing room with about 50 pairs in hand. That’s the problem with being short and middle-aged. The body is a continual work in progress, and denim is not our friend.
My last full-on jeans shopping spree took place 12 years ago while visiting my college roommate at her home in North Carolina. It was a great, long girls’ weekend of overeating, laughing, crying, reminiscing and realizing no pair of jeans is one size fits all. We shopped for three days trying on item after item of the latest and greatest low-rise boot cut blend — only to arrive home and find two pairs right down the street at the Gap.
I called her from the outlet mall parking lot that day. She was thrilled I finally found jeans that fit. I expected the same emotional support recently, after telling her it was time to go jeans shopping again. Eagerly awaiting her thoughts, the line first went silent, then, dead air. Denim can make or break a 30-year friendship.
This aversion to jeans shopping has not always been a thing. It used to be easy finding the perfect fit of Calvin Klein, Levi, Sassoon or Guess. One year as a teenager, I diligently saved several paychecks from my job at Dairy Queen to buy a must-have pair of jeans blinged-out with bananas and other fruit as the design. Paid $113 for them, but well worth every penny, as I wore them for a decade, then cut them into shorts and gained several more years of wear.
Love the way denim looks on the hanger — especially in the form of jackets and accessories. My co-worker always says a jean jacket complements anything, while looking fabulous in her stylish little dress and denim combo.
I, on the other hand, look like I’ve stuffed
style, then have to rip off the jacket as soon as a hot flash hits.
The motto: never give up hope, the right jean jacket will come along. The pattern: buy one, keep it for 10 years, never wear it, donate it, see someone else looking cute as a button in their denim jacket and purchase another one. Buy, donate and repeat.
My latest denim craze is an imposter blend of polyester and spandex in the form of leggings. Who knew this little fashion find would be comfortable and chic with its imaginary stitching and pockets? No zippers or buttons, no length problems, not too flared or skinny in the leg. They’re the perfect combination of black, stone washed, a good fit and quite a bargain at $7 a pair with a mix of styles and colors. It was easy to find leggings a place in my wardrobe.
Welcome to my closet.
CHERYL FISCUS JENkINS IS A FREELANCE wRITER AND JOHNSON COUNTY RESIDENT. SHE CAN BE REACHED AT mOvEINSPIREDHEALTH@GmAIL COm
