ARRAY/HOLA Dec. Issue

LOST! Amy the Alpaca Text “Amy” to 28748

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Happy Holidays from #TeamARRAY !

Angie Lyle

AnneMarie Ziegler

Gerson Ivan Malca Burneo

Mikayla Lochlear

Garren Dearman

Keith Sykes

Ebony Walden

Daniel Montoya

S tone Samuels

Alex Breohs

Peggy Manning

Info@ArrayNC.com

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hort Anissa S

Tisha Waddell

Stephanie Stewart

Caroline Schafer Charles Mardre

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Tara Kellaway

Kathy Bernier

Tabitha Jones

Tiffany Haywood

Kylen Dooley

Johnnerlyn Johnson

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ARRAY Magazine

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• Editor’s Note

or the month of December, celebrate YOU! Give yourself the best gift of all, and that is a chance to be your authentic self! We so often scurry to and fro to find the best gifts for family and friends, but what about gifts for ourselves? In October, I was helping someone complete a task. During the course of helping him complete the task, the gentleman, and he was very kind, asked me, “Is your hair sort of like a 60s Halloween costume, or...?” I smiled and responded, “No. It’s just the way my hair grows out of my head.” I felt so free!!!! Whether I’m donning braids, twists, wigs, ponytails, straight hair, or my afro, I’m giving myself the gift of being my natural self. I appreciated the question from this veteran who happened to be AfricanAmerican. He responded back to me, “I love it that you are embracing who you are.” I said, “Me too.” Embrace yourself for Christmas 2020 and forever!

Merry Christmas from ARRAY Magazine where we encourage you to be YOU!!

Johnnerlyn Johnson, Editor

Publisher AnneMarie Ziegler info@arraync.com Chief Operations Officer & Events Angie Lyle Angie@ArrayNC.com ARRAYdio Podcast Director and Host Caroline Schafer ARRAYdio@gmail.com Editor Johnnerlyn Johnson

6 Finacial Focu$

8 Health 10 Amy

Garner

21 Recipe 22 As Eye See It

Marketing Marketing@ ArrayNC.com Sales Sales@ArrayNC.com Art Director Kylen Dooley Photography Le Image Life of Science Photography

Writers Keith Sykes Stephanie Stewart Tara Kellaway

Follow us on our social media!

Disclaimer Please note that the inclusion of stories and articles in any publication owned by ARRAY Publishing & Marketing, LLC does not imply endorsement of products or people. The views of the authors are presented for information and entertainment only, and may not necessarily reflect the views of ARRAY Publishing & Marketing, LLC. Specifically, ARRAY Publishing & Marketing, LLC in no way endorses any claim associated with health and/or well-being with respect to any particular person. We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. We will not be held responsible or liable directly or indirectly for any loss or damage that is caused or alleged to have been caused in connection with the use of, or reliance on, any content in this magazine. ARRAY Publishing & Marketing, LLC reserves the right to deny any advertisement or listing that does not meet ARRAY Publishing & Marketing, LLC standards. Submissions are welcome, but unsolicited materials are not guaranteed to be returned. ARRAY Publishing & Marketing, LLC assumes no responsibility for information, products, services or statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. Any and all material, excluding paid advertisements, will be published at the discretion of ARRAY Publishing & Marketing, LLC. ARRAY Publishing & Marketing, LLC is not responsible for translations of this publication.

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• Financial Focu$

Consider Some Year-end

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t may be hard to believe, but we are getting close to wrapping up 2020. If you have a year-end to-do list, here is one more item you might want to add: Lower your investment-related taxes. To help meet this goal, consider these moves you could make before year-end: • Increase your 401(k) contributions. If your employer allows it, add some money to your 401(k) before the year is out. (You can put up to $19,000 in your 401(k) or similar plan for 2020, or $25,000 if you’re 50 or older.) If you fund your 401(k) with pre-tax dollars, the more you put in, the lower your taxable income. After-tax contributions, such as those for a Roth 401(k), won’t result in tax savings for 2020 (but should reduce taxes in future years).

• Add to your IRA. You’ve got until the April tax filing deadline to contribute to your IRA for 2020, but why wait until the last minute? You can put up to $6,000 in your IRA for the year,

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or $7,000 if you’re 50 or older.

With a traditional IRA, your contributions may be deductible, depending on your income; with a Roth IRA, contributions aren’t deductible, but your earnings can grow tax-free, provided you meet certain conditions.

• Donate some investments.

Recent tax law changes have resulted in far fewer people itemizing their deductions.

However, if itemizing still makes sense in your situation, you might want to consider donating an investment that has gained value since you purchased it to one of the charitable groups you support. You will generally be able to deduct the fair market value of the investment, and you can avoid paying capital gains taxes on the appreciation.

• Consider selling investments to realize capital losses. You may have taxable capital gains, either from selling investments that have increased in value or simply from owning mutual funds (mutual fund managers constantly buy and sell

d Investment Tax Moves individual investments within the funds). These capital gains could increase the amount of taxes you owe. If you own some investments that have lost value since you purchased them, selling them would generate capital losses that could be used to offset capital gains. Further, if you have more losses than gains, you can use up to $3,000 of your losses to offset ordinary income.

Keep in mind that selling an investment may change the allocation and performance of your portfolio. Also, just because an investment is down in value is not necessarily a reason to sell.

And once you sell an investment to generate a capital loss, you need to wait at least 31 days to repurchase it to avoid incurring what’s known as a “wash sale.”

Your financial professional can help you determine if selling any investments makes sense for your situation.

Before making any of these moves, you’ll also want to consult with your tax professional. And remember that

while taxes are a consideration, they should not necessarily drive your investment decisions. When investing, you need to build a portfolio that’s appropriate for your risk tolerance and time horizon and that can help you achieve your goals, such as a comfortable retirement.

Still, if you can make some taxsmart investment moves before the year is out, you may well reap the benefits next April. ~A~

Written by Edward Jones and provided by Jonathan L. Proffitt, Financial Advisor at Edward Jones Investment.

For more information or questions call Jonathan at 910-488-7535.

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• Health

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=Press Ups & Overhead Shoulder Presses=

egin by facing face down on a mat. Place the palms of your hands at your chest.

Press your body up until your chest and part of your belly comes off the floor. Keep your neck in alignment with your spine as you lift up. Hold the position for 3 seconds. Return to start position. Repeat for a total of 3 sets, 12-15 reps each. Rest for 30 seconds after each set.

Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Raise the dumbbells to form two 90 degree angles beside your head. Hold your stomach in; keep a slight bend in your knees and raise the dumbbells up over head until they meet in the middle. Return to start position. Repeat for a total of 3 sets, 12-15 reps each.

Rest for 30 seconds after each set.

Inspire Health Tip This exercise, often performed in physical therapy, is a feel-good exercise for your lower back muscles. The movement should be slow-paced and not forced.

This can be done every day for lower back health.

Inspire Health Tip This is an excellent exercise for improving upper-body strength.

Start with 5-10 lb. weight and increase as needed. Your arms should be just slightly in front of your body throughout the movement. ~A~

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Written by Tara Kellaway Photography by Science of Life Photography

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hen you sit down and talk with Amy Garner, you can’t help but realize just what an inspiring woman she is.

There are so many levels to her, but she really gives you a sense of who she is. She does not hold back on her life experiences and how she wants to better herself and others.

Amy’s life started in Charleston, South Carolina. Helping people was ingrained in her from the beginning thanks to her parents.

Her father, Andy, worked as an employee of the Department of Defense and was a Unionadvocate, and mother, Pat, was a public high school PE teacher and basketball coach. For a few years after graduating high school, she moved around for a few years before settling down in Fayetteville with her husband and son, Chris.

Being a military town has made Fayetteville a melting pot of people from different backgrounds and cultures. It is something that helped Amy and her bi-racial family feel

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included in the community. Of Fayetteville she says, “I think diversity is our norm here and that is a beautiful thing.”

Shortly after the move to Fayetteville, her marriage fell apart. Amy had bills to pay and Chris to take care of. To make ends meet, she worked multiple jobs: receptionist, cashier, janitor. With no end to the work in sight, the young, single mother was exhausted and felt hopeless.

The janitor job, surprisingly, became significant and was a turning point in Amy’s career. In 1998, she was cleaning an opioid addiction treatment program and a year later, she had become the Director. She returned to school and received her certification in addiction counseling. That job not only gave her a steady income but affirmed her passion for helping others. While she does not know what it means to be an addict, she does know

what it is like to feel ashamed of something she has done. “We can identify with other people without having walked in their shoes. If we are brutally honest with ourselves, we could all find recovery from something in our lives… nicotine, caffeine, shopping, sex, codependence. We all have something,” she explains.

When Chris graduated from Terry Sanford High School in 2011, he went on to attend Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia on a full basketball scholarship.

Meanwhile, Amy found herself suffering from empty nest syndrome which caused her to fall into a troubling depression.

She threw herself into volunteer work often referring to it as “an empty craziness”. She kept busy in order to drown out the overwhelming quiet at home.

She was unsuccessful. She shared “I could not find the

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purpose for my life anymore.

My whole adulthood had been centered on providing. I felt done and desperately alone.

I contemplated suicide in November of 2011. That thought process was interrupted by a friend, just calling to check in and invite me to a holiday dinner. That simple gesture shifted my whole mindset. It was that simple and was like a lightbulb. Just that phone call and that demonstration that someone cared about me, was thinking of me, could still see me… that was enough to shift my gears away from ending it. That changed everything.”

In light of that change, Amy’s volunteerism changed from a need to fill a gaping void to a desire to be a positive part of the community. She volunteered as an usher with the Fayetteville Symphony and she was the President of the Friends of the Library. She was also a Chamber Ambassador, she hosted a Syringe Exchange, and volunteered with harm reduction agencies where she distributed naloxone and drug overdose prevention training. You may have encountered her and her group hugging people during

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voting for the 2016 election.

A person could feel tired just listening to all of the things that Amy has done, but it does not end here.

During Amy’s childhood, she spent afternoons and weekends with her Mother’s teams. It was an outlet for her. When Chris started playing, Amy tried her hand at coaching, but soon realized she’d rather watch from the bleachers. Chris kept playing basketball even after he graduated.

He competed in the 2014 NCAA Tournament and played professionally in Germany from 20152016. He returned to Fayetteville and hosted skills camps before settling down in Charlotte and becoming an individual trainer and coach.

In 2012, Amy began working as an Official in youth basketball.

Becoming a referee was difficult at first because “it’s a very closeknit group of men.” She worked and proved that her skills on the court were not related to her gender. She enjoys being a referee and refers to it as her “church”. “I spent years working with underserved, high-crisis struggling people, day-in and day-out. While there is great reward. There is also great sadness within treating substance

users. Officiating was completely opposite. It was working with people and having fun.”

In 2017, Amy felt the need to be close to her family. She continued to work in opioid addiction treatment and as a referee. She also volunteered with the SC Harm Reduction Coalition and continued to provide overdose prevention resources.

Unfortunately, exhaustion and depression set in again. She was in a relationship that was toxic and did not have a positive support system. In early 2020 at the start of the covid-19 pandemic, she decided to make some changes and knew it was time to go back home…to Fayetteville.

As a community-minded woman, it was not easy to put self-care first, but Amy knew she had to. Not only did she scale back on her volunteering, but she also set herself up with a more reasonable work schedule, and time to work on her physical and mental health. She wanted to understand the part she played in her own story and own it. She wanted a more positive support system as well.

Borrowing a page from a neighbor, who in her 90s cited her longevity to maintaining strong friendships with her

female friends, she started having Goddess Gatherings in September. These events consisted of women getting together to shed the labels they lived with daily. These women would get together for dinner and random events. Whether it included watching the Kentucky Derby, dance lessons, or just sitting around carving jack-olanterns, the women were able to just relax and talk about everything from credit card debt, to women’s health issues, to romance.

The early part of Amy’s life revolved around taking care of others. Thanks to her experiences, she has learned the value of taking care of herself first. She has even been able to tell people when she just cannot handle their “pile of bricks”. She still helps others but helps herself as well.

We should all take a page from her book. ~A~ Tara is a Fayetteville native, mother of two girls, a Zumbini mom, online ingame chat moderator, and loves to write--in her spare time!! She enjoys being a part of #TeamARRAY as a freelance writer.

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Support a local 4 star rated charity this holiday season: Fayetteville Urban Ministry

Charity Navigator has granted Fayetteville Urban Ministry ,FUM), Inc. the coveted -star rating for back-to-back years 2019 & 2020. This is the highest possible rating, only given to organizations demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. Additionally, only 2% of the charities that Charity Navigator evaluates have received 2 or more consecutive -star evaluations, placing FUM in an elite group.

Transform a life with your donation today. Visit www.fayurbmin.org and get involved!

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• An Array of Weddings

How to plan your wedding during Covid-19

Written by Stephanie Stewart

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f you’ve been following the articles I’ve shared in the “Array of Wedding Info” section, you’ve learned how to determine your wedding budget, picked a date and theme for the big day, and received great tips on how to start sourcing venues.

However, one of the most important factors that I’ve yet to discuss is how to do all that during Covid-19!

With a second wave of the virus upon us and cases steadily rising in North Carolina and across the country, many couples are faced with the unique challenge of planning a wedding during a global epidemic - no easy task!

North Carolina residents, as well as people all over the country, are being encouraged to avoid large gatherings (i.e. weddings) and in turn have created a challenge that the wedding industry has never experienced!

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Photography Provided By Le Image In the next few articles, NC experts (as well as couples who got married during Covid-19) will give insider tips on how to salvage your current wedding plans and/or plan your wedding in the midst of all the craziness!

Keep an eye out for more info on:

What questions to ask about Covid-19 policies when considering vendors This is an unprecedented time, and there are policy changes being made by most wedding professionals to accommodate couples during Covid-19. In this article, we will discuss important questions to ask your vendors when booking your NC wedding during the pandemic.

Wedding Alternatives For couples who don’t want to wait or decide to consider alternatives, there are options

available! From Zoom weddings to two-person intimate elopements on the shore, our experts will give tips on creative options for couples who don’t want to wait!

How to find the silver lining (and hidden deals) in the midst of chaos!

While it may be hard to see the silver lining in planning your wedding during the coronavirus outbreak, now is actually a great time to take full advantage of being stuck in the house by researching and calling potential wedding vendors! We will discuss negotiating tactics and how to take advantage of a rare opportunity to get a great deal!

Besides being able to sleep in and snuggle with your fiancé, taking a moment to slow down is actually good for your mental and emotional health! Wedding planning is stressful, and it’s easy to lose focus on what the most important part of your wedding day -committing your lives to one another. Whether that happens in three weeks or in two years, the most important part hasn’t and won’t change!

You get to marry your best friend!!

Plan Well. Stay Safe. ~A~

Stephanie Stewart is a local Wedding Planner and Officiant specializing in Elegant Events on a Shoestring Budget. Stephanie listens to your needs, wants and helps make it all happen working within your budget to provide you with the wedding or event of your dreams. Check out all of the services offered at www.shoestringelegance.com

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Make Your Holidays Easier With These Helpful Tips and Tricks

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ordless screwdrivers, drills and saws, as well as lawn mowers and leaf blowers that are equipped with ENERGY STAR battery chargers use around 30% less energy than corded counterparts.

Pressure cookers and Instapots are the most energy-efficient way to cook. Not only do they heat up faster, they cut energy by as much as 70%.

Plug holiday decorations into a programmable timer.

You can avoid forgetting to turn decorations off and using unnecessary power.

Switch to LED light strands as they use 80% less energy than conventional strands and last much longer.

Don’t be afraid to place more than one dish in the oven at a time, especially when doing that holiday cooking. Just be sure to leave room around each one for heat to circulate.

A power strip may seem like a boring gift, but you can purchase models that switch on and off as you enter or leave the room. This keeps electronics from wasting

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energy when not in use and eliminates the need to hit the red power button all the time.

A programmable thermostat can save nearly $200 per year in energy costs. Some can even “learn” your family’s schedule to provide more personalization.

Many smart thermostates now allow you to adjust your climate controls remotely from a smart phone. ~A~

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• Recipe

Cranberry Orange Bread Pudding Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 65 minutes Servings: 12 Pudding: 1 loaf Texas toast or day-old bread 1-2 tablespoons softened butter 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries 6 eggs 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3 1/2 cups 2% milk 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/8 easpoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse granulated sugar (optional) Orange Custard Sauce: 3 egg yolks 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 cup half-and-half 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest To make pudding: Cut bread into bite-sized cubes. If bread

is soft and fresh, place cubes on half sheet pan and let stand at room temperature overnight to dry out.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with softened butter.

Place bread cubes in prepared baking pan. Scatter cranberries over bread.

Beat eggs with sugar, milk, orange zest, orange juice, melted butter, vanilla and cinnamon until well blended. Pour evenly over bread and cranberries to coat. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake 60-65 minutes, or until custard is set and edges of bread are browned.

To make orange custard sauce: In small saucepan, whisk egg yolks with sugar until lightened to pale yellow color, about 2 minutes. Stir half-and-half into mixture until combined. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 15-20 minutes, or until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon.

Stir orange zest into custard sauce.

Serve bread pudding with warm custard sauce over top. ~A~

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Likes, Views, and Shares: The Desensitization of America Written by Keith Sykes

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esensitization is a psychological process that has often been involved in explaining viewers’ emotional reactions to media violence. Research suggests that continued exposure to violence in mass media will result in desensitization.

Between our 24-hour news cycle, social media, and practically every adult person owning or having access to a cell phone or tablet, we are inundated with information that is causing us to be less empathetic by the minute. The biggest change in empathy seems to have

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happened in the 2000s with the popularity of social media. There have been countless stories and documentaries produced discussing the dangers of internet addiction.

Technology has made it extremely easy to access and share information. Although, this can be considered a good thing, many times it can be detrimental.

I can remember in the 11th grade, watching the Space Shuttle Challenger take off from Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 28, 1986.

Just 73 seconds into its flight the shuttle broke apart as a result of a ruptured fuel tank, killing all seven crew members.

My entire class watched in absolute disbelief. We were able to process what had happened and discussed it as a class. We

individually expressed what we had witnessed, and the teacher helped us navigate through it all. We weren’t bombarded with watching the looped video play on every news channel or watching the same story be shared repeatedly by different friends.

It happened; we experienced it; and we moved on.

Technology is completely different today. For example, Facebook was invented in 2004 and the cellphone four years later. The way we experience major events today, specifically tragedies, has attributed significantly to our desensitization. Practically everyone who experienced the September 11 attacks can attest to it being all they remember from that day - on every channel,

flooding timelines, and the topic of every conversation. I remember watching the towers collapse repeatedly each time the story was run and every time a different friend shared it on social media. I remember receiving numerous text messages telling me that a plane had just crashed into the Twin Towers. Even after I had been following the story for over an hour, I was still receiving messages telling me what had happened.

I remember being numbed by the time I had watched the story over 100 times. I didn’t know what to feel, and eventually, it didn’t affect me the same as it did initially. During the recent election cycle, we have witnessed many instances of police brutality caught on video.

Because of captured cellphone

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footage, we have also witnessed routine police stops turn into unjustified murder right in front of our faces. Unfortunately, this has become the norm, and now when it happens, our collective response is anger.

We see these stories all too often, and it is impossible to erase them from our memories regardless of how graphic they are because we are so quick to share them - some for the purpose of the shock value, others for

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awareness. No matter what the reason, many of us are gradually desensitized without a means to process what we are witnessing or the ability to disconnect from it.

Social media allows us to care from a distance - which really isn’t caring at all. It makes it so easy for us to say, “I’m praying for you” or comment, “I’m sorry for your loss,” but we need to follow up. We have gotten so accustomed to commenting in

to regulate our usage and be sure to completely disconnect from time-to-time and just be present. ~A~ Keith is from New Orleans, Louisiana and is a retired military veteran. He is instrumental in the planning of various local events and has assisted in the launch of a number of entrepreneurial business ventures. He is also a freelance writer for ARRAY magazine.

passing, sometimes with no real substance behind what we send.

Social media trains us to be careless about other people.

Along with becoming more obsessed with ourselves, Complete Solutions to Protect What Matters social media makes us less Most compassionate for others FIRST GENERATION LIFE - Universal Life by replacing relationships - Policies for Minors - Mortgage Protection instead of enhancing them.

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(910)644-2766 it. Not all of us, but it does CALL ME. something to how we react.

Just as much as we must pay attention to what we eat, we must be mindful of what we consume digitally.

It is important to not allow social media to cause us to disconnect from the present.

We must remember social media’s place in our lives and not allow it to replace relationships. It is necessary Taking those who are broke or broken, plug them into our 7 STEPS Sales System and doubling their income, in the first year, through our final expense products.

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Coming soon January 2021!

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