Pcls web

Painting and hiding rocks in hopes of bringing smiles around town has become a trend in Parker County.

Back to Life Ministries: A Heart for Haiti In a world overcome with tragedy, “Back to Life Ministries� fights back by bringing the light of Jesus to one of the most impoverished areas of Haiti.

Academic Challenge Teenager Toby Hutchison knew he needed to set himself apart for college, and he took the initiative to find jobs that would allow him to enroll in private school his senior year of high school.

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Contents 10 20 32

BACK TO LIFE MINISTRIES: A HEART FOR HAITI

In a world overcome with tragedy, “Back to Life Ministries”fights back by bringing the light of Jesus to one of the most impoverished areas of Haiti.

STILL IN THE FIGHT Rudy Smedley admits he was in the fight for wrong for so long and now it feels good to fight for right.

BACK TO SCHOOL. BACK TO RULES: KICKING SUMMER HABITS AND KEEPING HAPPY KIDS Summertime and the living is easy… or maybe the living is just relatively lawless. Four strategies to help shake off summer and soften the blow of back to school.

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BOY MOMS’ POWER BRUNCH Three women at different stages and places, all sharing a similar goal… to raise a few good men.

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TEACHERS TELL ALL: 20 THINGS YOUR CHILD’S TEACHER WISHES YOU KNEW

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LIFESTYLE PROGRAM EMPOWERS KIDS TO BUILD HEALTHY HABITS

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THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: THE HEALTH TREND THAT’S NOT SLOWING DOWN

There’s truly no profession that deserves a Tell All like teaching.

Texas Health Neighborhood Care and Wellness Willow Park is helping kids and teens take charge of their health and well being.

Gluten-free, non-GMO, low-carb, no-carb, whole food, raw food, keto, paleo. If you got a problem, yo, there’s a diet to solve it. But, what if it’s not only about WHAT we are eating, but also WHEN we are eating it?

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BRINGING HOME A NEW PET Becoming a new pet owner can be a very trying, as well as rewarding experience. We’ve detailed some thinking points to consider before coming home with your new family member.

About the Cover Cover photo is of Ellie Betush by Whitney Chilton Photography. To read about the positive vibes little rocks are spreading, turn to page 86.

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2/21/17 11:54 AM

Contents 74 86 91 96 106 112

ACADEMIC CHALLENGE Teenager Toby Hutchison knew he needed to set himself apart for college, and he took the initiative to find jobs that would allow him to enroll in private school his senior year of high school.

THE LITTLE THINGS Painting and hiding rocks in hopes of bringing smiles around town has become a trend in Parker County.

AVOID “CRAMMING” FOR COLLEGE SAVINGS Mike Smith with Edward Jones has some advice for those planning to attend college.

UNFADING LOVE Max Clark reminisces about his late wife and tells about the love letters he still leaves at her grave.

PARKER COUNTY LIFESTYLE’S CONTRIBUTORS Here at Parker County LifeStyle Magazine, we can’t do it without our amazing writers and photographers! We’d like to thank them for all their help and introduce them to you!

CACPC HAS YOUR BACK

Families and children dealing with sexual and physical abuse, now have a team closer to home to help guide them through the legal, medical and emotional battle.

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86 In Every Issue 29 64

BELIEVE BOLDLY Clothe Our Kids with Truth with Erica Willis

HOMETOWN BUNDLES OF JOY Welcoming Parker County’s newest residents.

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84 94 118

KEEPING IT REAL Keeping it Real with Erin Griffith

THE LIST: Fall Events Around Parker County

WHAT’S UP, PARKER COUNTY? Local calendar of events.

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Hello

!

S

chool is just around the corner, and for so many of you that means so many different things. To our teachers out there who are working tirelessly on their rooms and curriculum, preparing for those children that God will send through their doors—we are praying for you. To our mamas who are bringing their most prized possession to school for the first time ever and handing them over to capable hands, just not their own hands—we are praying for you. To our mothers who are drinking in every last minute they have with their seniors who are soon to leave the nest and knowing that the thirst will never quite be quenched—we are praying for you. And to all of our babies, because they are always our babies no matter how old, that will take in new things, explore fresh perspectives and learn exponential ideas this year—we are praying for you.

We pray that this year will be the best year yet.

We just wrapped up our first year with Parker County Lifestyle Magazine and what a year it has been! We have met some truly amazing individuals throughout our journey to share the stories that make our home so special. Our community of Parker County has been so gracious and accepting of us and we love to hear how this publication has blessed you! Thank you for your feedback and support of our work. Besides picking up your free issue, be sure to keep up with us on the website and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for events and announcements!

With any new issue, we meet new faces and new businesses that are making Parker County a better place to live. In this edition you will read about Rudy Smedley, a Martial Arts instructor whose faith is the driving force behind his teaching. You will also read about the love story of Max and Billie Clark, founders of Clark Gardens, of which lives on through the pages of his letters and a garden that stands the test of time. And finally, we shine the light on “Back to Life Ministries” who is shining the light of Jesus in one of the most impoverished areas of Haiti.

We couldn’t do any of this without the steadfast support of our local businessmen and women. Thank you so much to all of our contributors who support this community publication. Help us to thank our advertisers for their contribution to your local magazine by shopping local! Their involvement allows this publication to come free of charge to you.

Go by any advertiser’s location to pick up your complimentary copy.

We are so excited about this season in your lives and we thank you for your tremendous support over the past year in Parker County! We look forward to many more issues to come! Until the next edition, Wishing you many blessings,

Red Fin Publishing Justin & Hayley Six

Kyle & Halsey Clark

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Justin Six

CREATIVE | DESIGN

enVision Creative Services

CONTENT DIRECTOR

Hayley Six

Hayley.RedFin@gmail.com CONTENT COORDINATOR Noel Betush

Noel.RedFin@gmail.com

SOCIAL MEDIA CHAIR Halsey Clark

PROOF READER

Hayley Six

PHOTOGRAPHERS Whitney Chilton Photography

Randy Cutshall Photography

Denim & Velvet Marketing + Design

Everything Ever Photography

Jaimie Hill Photography

Lindsey Sullivan Photography

COVER PHOTO

SALES

Photo by Whitney Chilton Photography Halsey Clark

Kyle Clark

Molly Gray

Hayley Six

Garilea Thrash

CONTRIBUTING

Erica Willis

WRITERS

Erin E. McEndree

Halsey Clark

Kyle and Halsey Clark

Lindsay Allen

Sarah Gooding

Halsey.RedFin@gmail.com (817) 565-0439

Tori Mortensen

Justin and Hayley Six Hayley.RedFin@gmail.com (817) 320-6360

PUBLISHER

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Parker County LifeStyle Magazine

Parker County LifeStyle© is published quarterly by Red Fin Publishing.

www.redfinpublishing.com P.O. Box 1239 | Weatherford, TX 76086 (817) 301-3828

pclifestyle

All rights reserved. Copies or reproduction of this publication in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without expressed written authorization from the publisher.

#parkercountylifestyle #gettheskinnyparkerco

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Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein.

Advertising is subject to omission, errors, and other changes without notice.

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faith

BACK TO LIFE MINISTRIES:

A

Heart for Haiti

By Erica Willis Photos provided by Baily Mize

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magine a home, the floor made of packed dirt. The walls, if any, are constructed of cardboard, random pieces of sheet metal, or tarps strapped down by ropes. They provide no real protection from nature’s wrath. When it rains outside, it is wet inside. Wind and sun beat through the cracks, unfettered by the shack of a home. There is no door to lock, no window to open. Multiple children sleep in one bed, if their family is lucky enough to own one. Food is hard to come by, and when it is available, must be divided with everyone in the home. Sickness, lack of education, and limited or no access to clean water create an atmosphere of hopelessness.

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Sophonie and Marie, Gilbert Christian School T H E S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO M EN

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Welcome to Haiti, the poorest nation in the northern hemisphere.

Fifty percent of Haiti’s urban population is unemployed, leaving families to fight, steal, or beg for basic living necessities. Less than fifty percent have access to clean water, and only twenty-five percent have adequate sanitation. The average American will turn a blind eye to their plight, the concept of saving an entire nation too much to conceive.

Most people choose apathy over helplessness. Others, like the creators of “Back to Life Ministries,” see the need of a struggling country and rise to the challenge. They believe with God, anything is possible.

Back to Life Ministries began when the McKinley family in Weatherford recognized a need to serve Haitians when adopting two children from the impoverished country.

While in Haiti, the McKinleys met Pastor Bledney “Nahum”

BTLM President Toby Mize and Abraham from the BTLM children’s home

Karen Mooney, Delaney McKeown, Merelee Reese, Lexi Williams, Rebecca Brown, and Courtney McKeown with WCS sponsor children, 2015

Toby Mize with children from the Gilbert Christian School

Child playing behind the Gilbert Christian School

Joseph, a local Haitian minister, and his wife Vena. Pastor Nahum and Vena felt called to serve the orphaned of their community and provide education for those who might otherwise go without. In addition to their six biological children, they had opened up their tiny home to seventeen additional children who had nowhere else to turn. At the time, Pastor Nahum also led a church of 200 and a school of 100, now grown to over 300 children.

The McKinleys were deeply moved by Pastor Nahum and Vena. God stirred a vision in their hearts to begin Back to Life Ministries as a way to support Pastor Nahum. In this way, they partnered with an established ministry, rather than begin a mission work from scratch. They began sharing the story of the Haitians with others, hoping to see God save lives and provide basic life-sustaining needs through their new non-profit.

Toby and Baily Mize, a local Weatherford couple, jumped at the opportunity to serve and traveled to Haiti to help begin

“We give because we’ve seen the Lord provide amazing things like a home, and even beds for children who didn’t have beds to sleep on. We’ve seen a school of almost 300 children have food to eat every day.”

– Toby Mize the organization's school sponsorship program, "Take A Hand." It was then they fell in love with the Haitian people and made relationships there. They saw the work that was being accomplished through the local ministry, and they dedicated themselves to go “all in.” They were inspired by the deep-seeded joy of a people who had so little, learning themselves what it means to truly be content in life.

Toby now serves as the President of Back to Life Ministries and Baily serves in several high-level capacities, including organizing trips for people who, like them, long to make difference. For the Mize family, their role in the ministry is a gift they have received; a chance to watch God work in ways they never imagined. For them, it is a labor of love.

“We give because we’ve seen the Lord provide amazing things like a home, and even beds for children who didn’t have beds to sleep on. We’ve seen a school of almost 300 children have food to eat every day. We’ve seen lives changed, T H E S KI N N Y F O R LO CA L WOM EN

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hearts transformed, and families restored,” Toby says.

But he is quick to recognize that this ministry couldn’t operate without the involvement of many faithful others, as well as the support of those who donate sacrificially to the ministry. They have seen firsthand the difference made by a community’s investment.

“All the people who give--that will give in the future and have given in the past—we want to thank them from the bottom of our hearts. We have seen the Lord do amazing things with it!”

One such partner is the Weatherford Christian School.

They support the Haitian school in many ways, including sponsoring Haitian students and collecting supplies. Their families serve the orphanage and school through mission trips and pray fervently for the people of Haiti.

Family who attends school in Balumette

Baily Mize with children from the Gilbert Christian School

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Typical housing for many children attending Gilbert Christian School

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Math at Gilbert Christian

Ashley, Djenica, and Kendina from BTLM children’s home

The number of people living in poverty in Haiti is astounding, with two and a half million Haitians living in extreme poverty.

In addition to local organizations and companies supporting the ministry, individual sponsors invest as well.

After hearing the plight of Pastor Nahum’s housing situation, an anonymous donor provided funds to build a 5,000 sq. ft. orphanage, with room enough to house Nahum’s family, orphans, staff, and occasional visitors.

It doesn’t end there. Back to Life Ministries recently provided a local church with 60 Bibles written in the Haitian Creole native language. They pay teachers at Pastor Nahum’s school a salary of $75 per month and provide meals and curriculum for the children who attend. They also supply medical care to local families that would otherwise go without by facilitating mobile medical clinics twice a year.

The Mize family is just one example of how someone can invest in the lives of those in need. Whether financially, prayerfully, or physically, you too can make a difference. The number of people living in poverty in Haiti is astounding, with two and a half million Haitians living in extreme poverty. Back to Life Ministries asks for your support, knowing that God will provide them with all they need to keep serving the people of Haiti.

To find out more about what Back to Life Ministries has to offer and how you can partner with them, please visit their website, www.BacktoLifeMinistries.org, or follow them on Facebook @BackToLifeMinistriesHaiti. PCLS

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community

STILL IN THE FIGHT 20

PARKER COUNTY LIF ESTY LE

BY ERIN E . MCENDREE PHOTOS BY WHITNE Y CHILTON PHOTOGR APHY

hen your love for God, your passion for helping people and your talents all work in unison, it is a sweet spot to live. Rudy Smedley did not always have those three elements working together. Rudy admits he spent many years focusing on himself and winning. “I finally feel like I am winning and it is a totally different reason than it was in my 20s,” Rudy said. “I’ve learned life is about how you finish the fight.”

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As a teen in south Fort Worth, Rudy enjoyed sports. His passion was football and all he wanted to do was play in the NFL. Rudy remembers playing baseball at church with his big brother waiting for their dad to pick them up every Sunday.

“My brother, John, and I would use our Bibles as bases and run around the bags in our Sunday clothes,” Rudy laughed.

“John was nine years older and taught me to slide into second, swing and run the bases.” Rudy’s dad passed away when he was eight and John was the only male influence in his life until he met Clifford Dowdy in 8th grade.

“I had a soap box derby I was riding down a hill when a girl on a bike rode out in front of me,” Rudy explained.

“I ran into a tree to miss her and it tore the axle right off.”

Rudy had to push his broken derby up the hill to get home.

Clifford stopped to give Rudy a ride. He was John’s Sunday school teacher. “I know this was a divine meeting,” Rudy said.

“My world expanded that day.” Clifford took Rudy to church three times a week and picked him up for football practice every morning. He took Rudy to the store for his mom and

to hockey games, skating, rodeos and snow skiing. “Clifford took a special interest in me because he knew I didn’t have a dad and John had graduated high school and was gone,” Rudy said. “I never thought of him as my dad, but he did all the actions that a dad would do. No doubt he had an effect on the rest of my story.”

When Rudy was a sophomore in high school, he took up for a kid who was getting bullied. The bully came over and spit on Rudy and that scared him to death. Clifford took Rudy to the Fort Worth YMCA for karate lessons. “I was the only skinny, snot-nosed, 16-year-old with three grown men,” Rudy said. “Grand Master J. Pat Burleson, Grand Master Billy R. Brammer and Grand Master Caroll Murphy said I would never last. Truthfully, I didn’t want to be there.” Clifford, however, did not give Rudy a choice.

Many times Rudy hid in the bathroom when it was time to spar. He did not want to be used as a human hacky sack.

Three months into karate, John came home to visit and took Rudy to church. He picked on Rudy so much that he put a

also worked for commission,” Rudy said. “I networked and called people. I did demonstrations at schools and set appointments. I liked it because kids wanted my autograph.”

When Rudy tested for his black belt, he failed the first time.

“It sent a clear message that the Texas black belt test was the toughest around,” Rudy said. “I wore a white belt in protest for a week, but I didn’t give up. I passed at the next test four months later. It was a great lesson that took me a while to learn.”

During the 70s, Rudy admits he was surrounded with sex, drugs and rock-n-roll and bad decisions. He traveled all over the United States. During that time he was not winning and became heavily depressed. “I know Jesus was there, but I didn’t make an appointment with him and I prayed for the wrong things,” Rudy said. “I was addicted to winning and wanted my prestige back.” When he was winning he was selected to be the Light Heavy Weight representative for the US Karate team. The team won World Championships in the odd years for the next seven years and traveled to Milan, London, and Munich. During that time he kept the school going and awarded his brother, John, his black belt.

karate move on him and broke his nose. “I ran all the way home,” Rudy recalls. “The next Saturday morning, John started karate.”

From white belt to first brown belt, nine belts, Rudy never won anything. “I felt like I was paying money to get beat up,” Rudy said. That all changed when he won his first tournament. “I was a nobody fighting for my life,” Rudy said.

This first win was a turning point for Rudy. It transformed him into a confident fighter and changed his attitude towards winning. “I went from a scared kid, just existing on the mat to really fighting hard,” Rudy said. He won the next sixteen matches in a row and still holds the record for consecutive wins in American Martial Arts Brown Belt division. He won region, state and national titles as a brown belt.

“Back then we had no pads, no gloves and it was brutal.

Safety was not an issue and there were many injuries and broken bones,” Rudy said. Rudy believes Martial Arts today is 100% about safety. He takes many precautions to keep his students safe while on the mat in practice and in tournaments.

At eighteen, GM Burleson and GM Brammer asked Rudy to manage and teach at a karate school they were opening. He decided to seize the opportunity to run the school. “I learned how to care quick. I learned the business and teaching and

In 1987, Rudy felt flat and retired from the team. He knew he needed a break. He needed a different perspective from the last 17 years. He got out of the karate business. Because of several severe accidents, Rudy spent close to ten years in physical therapy. During that time, he did several things. He acquired his Real Estate license and began working as the director at the Huguley Health Club. “I started feeling useful while I helped people,” Rudy said. “I started going to church and rededicated my life to the Lord.”

“I realized my tumultuous life was because of the absence of Jesus in my life. All that early success then the downward spiral made me feel like a total loser,” Rudy said. “I realized instead of getting on top of the world, I should have been getting on my knees.”

Rudy met Cindy in 2002 and admits she saved his life in more ways than one. They married in 2003 and for the first time he had a relationship where the Lord was central in the relationship. “His will and determination for teaching and helping students is extraordinary,” Cindy said. “His faith is the guiding light leading him to help people and receive the Lord’s grace.” For eleven years, Rudy taught private karate lessons at the Pueblo de Cochiti in Santa Fe where he and Cindy lived seven years and then at his home off Tin Top Road.

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“HIS FAITH IS THE GUIDING LIGHT LEADING HIM TO HELP PEOPLE AND RECEIVE THE LORD’S GRACE.” – CINDY SMEDLEY

“DON'T DO IT LIKE ME, DO IT BETTER THAN ME.” – RUDY SMEDLEY

In 2015, Rudy’s life came full circle when he opened his own karate studio off I-20 and Mikus Road called Rudy Smedley’s Martial Arts and Self Defense. “We start every class with a devotional, prayer, and the Pledge of Allegiance,” Rudy said. “I teach each student to respect others, self, parents, and country.” Rudy always says, “Don't do it like me, do it better than me.”

Rudy teaches students to keep moving, looking up and lifting God up even when it goes against the grain. “Rudy continues to amaze me not only in Martial Arts, but also in his walk of faith,” Cindy said. “We are blessed beyond words.”

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Believe Boldly CLOTHE OUR CHILDREN WITH TRUTH

M

y eye catches the “Back to School Sale!” banner hanging precariously over the color-coded display of pastel and primary goodies. The time has come for every child’s dream, the insanity that is cleverly disguised as “School Supply Shopping.” I will spend an arm (and the occasional leg) on wide-ruled paper and glue sticks, all in the name of education.

I can already hear the pitter-patter of tiny…whining.

My solution for my kids’ incessant begging for the newest and greatest is the revolutionary, cutting-edge, never-ending “No.” “No, you don’t need Trolls pencil toppers to ‘sing better in music class.’”

“No, a fidget spinner is not a school supply. Counting how many times it spins will not make you smarter in math, I

promise.”

“No, I will not pay $10 for a talking pencil box. I don’t care if it glows inside your desk. Unless it creates pencils from tiny trees growing inside, you aren’t getting it!”

I am not a school year Scrooge, promise. I would love for my children to have folders covered in Minecraft and glitter unicorns! But I have to draw a line somewhere between shoes that fit properly, and shoes that have Bluetooth capabilities.

Expecting a phone call while running in 3rd grade P.E., are we?

Though the pressure to give our kids the latest and greatest can squeeze us dry, we shouldn’t allow it. Don’t forget this school year that you, my friend, are the parent, and that little person tugging on your shirt hem is the child. Only one of you can be in charge, and here’s a hint: It isn’t the one hitting

his sister in the back with his new lunchbox. Being in charge means choosing what is best for your little monsters, and that isn’t always easy.

We should fill our child’s heart before we fill our shopping cart.

As quick as we are to clothe our children in the latest Nike fashion, we must fervently clothe them in the tools they need to make wise choices.

We have to speak aloud the words of God’s love for them.

By doing so, we help them hide words of Truth in their heart for the times they will be bullied, or will become the bully. We can encourage, challenge, and remind them of their value apart from possessions.

These intentional conversations with our children will be what anchors their success in the school yard.

This year I will walk every

supply-filled aisle, your comrade in mothering. Just like you, I will be enthusiastic about the newest Crayola color and raise my arms in victory when we swipe the last Shopkins backpack. But these things will be secondary to what they truly need for another year of school: God’s Truth.

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many.” Deuteronomy 11:18-21a

- Erica

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DR. GOODWIN’S PASSION GOES

“Beyond Smiles” His care and concern for his patients as well as his community comes from the Word of God and Matthew 5:16.

Dr. Goodwin counts it a privilege to recognize others who are also shining their light in Parker County.

682-312-5260 | 709 N FM 1187, Ste 600, Aledo aledodentistry.com

R

yan Aldridge is the Area Director for Aledo Young Life.

Young Life is a ministry that strives to introduce kids to Jesus Christ and help them walk in their faith. YL leaders walk alongside kids and show up in their world. They are a relational ministry to the core and you will see their volunteers wherever high school kids are: football games, practices, school lunches and school

functions. They currently have two ministries going in Parker County. One for any high school kid, and one for all special needs students ages 13-24 called Capernaum.

“It is our joy to invest in high school kids throughout Parker County and to be an example of Christ in their life as they walk and struggle through high school.” – Ryan

Each quarter Goodwin Dental Goes Beyond Smiles to spotlight some of the incredible people they are blessed to call patients.

HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

NIGHT AT THE HOMETOWN MUSEUM REMIX HAPPENING

K

ids ages 7-11 enjoyed a night at The Doss Heritage and Culture Center as they had the museum all to themselves playing games, eating ice cream and pizza, catching a movie, and living every kid’s dream!

Photos provided by The Doss Heritage and Culture Center

BACK TO SCHOOL. BACK TO RULES:

Kicking Summer Habits and Keeping Happy Kids

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Summertime and the living is easy… or maybe the living is just relatively lawless. Four strategies to help shake off summer and soften the blow of back to school.

BY TORI MORTENSEN

I

t’s approximately 652 hours past bedtime, bottom of the ninth, game one of the College World Series. One child is standing six inches from the TV, watching the Tigers and devouring rainbow sherbet with a plastic fork off of a paper plate. The other is knee deep in a slice of week old Oreo Cheesecake. After all, they did skip dinner.

You think you recognize the tee your oldest is wearing as the one his little brother got for the dodge ball tournament in roughly 2013, you try to recall just how many days in a row he has had it on…and that mullet though.

The dining room table is finally being put to use. It plays host to two, stuffed to the point of un-zippability, REI “Wheely Beast” Duffels and a freshly Fed Exed Fly Rod in preparation for the almost three week “road trip to end all road trips” which begins in roughly 72 hours.

You consider, for a moment, packing the summer reading project form. You know, so your son might knock that out on the drive? You wonder where said form is and then scrap the idea and get your own plate of sherbet.

On the way back from the freezer, you notice the interior doormat is holding roughly a quarter inch of water, the result

of the daily, afternoon water gun war gone too far. Rather than ring it out, you let it be. It will still be summer tomorrow and the water wars are inevitable.

Summertime and the living is easy… or maybe the living is just relatively lawless.

Why do we do this to ourselves, y’all? Why do we so fervently buck the same systems we so diligently worked to implement August-May? Why, all of a sudden, is bedtime a moving target just because it’s sunny and 129 degrees at 8:30pm? Well, I’ll tell you why it happens in our house… because rules are lame.

It literally sucks the life out of me to constantly reinforce rules that I know help my children to be reasonably accepted human beings. I much prefer to allow them to roam free. To be a YES PARENT. To see their faces light up like the Fourth of July when I say “Yes, you can eat dinner in the tree” (an actual question posed in our house this summer) and “Yes, you may have that second Snickers bar and yes, I know it’s 11:15pm” and “Yes, it doesn't matter that your brother had the Super Soaker first, you can go ahead and take it from him because it makes you happy.”

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But, as the Good Book tells us “Don't be a YES Momma all the time.” Proverbs 29:17 Ok, so not that EXACTLY, but something more like…

“Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.”

I am all about some “rest” and “soul delight” anywhere I can get it, y’all.

So we all agree we have to rein it in for back to school, if not just for our kids’ well being and the sanity of the teaching profession, then because the Lord said so.

Now, let’s talk tips to get us over the dreaded back to school and therefore “back to rules” transition period.

START ‘EM BACK EARLY. I mean, sort of a no brainer, but set a date, experts say roughly two weeks before school starts. In my house, I give my crew even more advanced notice. Three weeks out, I let them know that they have 7 days of summer left and THEN starts two weeks of back to business as usual in preparation for the first day.

Reinstate bedtimes, family dinners, alarm clocks, setting out things for the next day, those things that equal real life during the school year. It can also be pretty maddening to have someone ask you each and everyday when something is going to happen, so I always have some sort of “countdown to the first day” clock. A chalkboard, or paper chain for littles or even an app works well for the older ones. This is not because I am a Suzy Homemaker Pinterest DIY lover. It is simply to keep everyone on the same page and the question asking

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to a minimum. I’ve found that so much of the stress in life plum goes away when we tell folks in advance what they can expect.

SET SOME GOALS. You can give even the youngest preschooler the gift of this important life skill and the earlier you start…well, you know the rest. Give each family member a notebook, a 3x5 note card, or even one of those giant sticky Post-Its. Ask your child what two or three things he or she would like to accomplish this school year.

Maybe it’s perfect attendance or to participate in the talent show. Maybe it is no tardies or a B in math. Maybe it’s learn to read or make one new friend or make varsity.

Maybe it’s to not argue with his teachers or be chosen student council president.

Talk about what it would mean to him if he achieved that goal and the kind of things he’ll have to do to accomplish something like that. Talk about the alternative things she may feel, if she doesn't get that B in math. How does it feel when you don't believe as though you did your best? Post the year’s goals in your home. Review them often. Come back to them when things get hairy and feel out of control.

SORT OUT THE RESPONSIBILITIES. We like to assume our children know what they are responsible for and what it looks like to be responsible for those things. Chances are they don’t. Who is doing what this year? Could your daughter pick her own clothes? Could your

second grader make his own lunch or your middle schooler log into the lunchroom app and be sure he has money in the account? Is it your responsibility to clean out the folder and search for homework and papers to be signed or is it the job of your child to sort through that monster and deliver forms and notes to you.

Who will do what this year and what does it look like when those things are done correctly?

STRUCTURE A STRATEGY FOR WHEN THEY SCREWUP. Here’s the thing, we are just big sinners, raising little sinners. The sooner we realize it, the easier our existence as parents on this mixed up, free agency-filled earth will be. We are all going to mess up and misbehave and miss the mark.

However, we go back to our ole’ friend Proverbs. Correction is critical. Have a simple plan for when kids, inevitably, go off track.

In most basic correction situations, you can use a simple technique like the one made famous by everyone’s favorite babysitter, the Super Nanny, a technique also known as The Naughty Step.

I can’t very well put my ten year old in timeout on a step stool or naughty mat, but the concept remains essentially the same.

If appropriate, remove the child from the immediate environment, get on their level, tell them exactly what they did wrong and describe how it makes you and/or others impacted feel, then WAIT. WAIT until it feels uncomfortable.

Then, WAIT some more.

For an older child, review the consequences you have hopefully previously set for that type of behavior and clarify that the consequence will in fact occur. Take the phone, the toy, the keys, the free time, etc. if it’s necessary or appropriate.

Remind them of the goals they set for this year and posted in your home. Ask them if their behavior is getting them closer or further away from those goals.

Now, tell them that you like them. That you are on their side, but that you do not like and will not accept the behavior.

Then hug them tight. Say the actual words “I love you” and then let that mess go. Seriously, it is over. No one wants to be continually reminded of how they dropped the ball or let people down.

Above all, cut yourself some Back to School slack. When the bedtimes and meal planning and an endless stream of corrections flowing from your lips all just seems to be too much, remember that studies show our children will not turn out to be helpless, jobless vagabonds just because we let them stay up late and eat sugar in September.

However, some statistic somewhere from some big Ivy League psychologist or neurologist or maybe a sociologist, IDK… I can’t really recall…anyway, someone who knows, wrote something once that said children who have well defined boundaries are happier and more respectful towards others.

And isn’t that what most of us would actually write on our OWN 3x5 notecard of back to school goals?

In the 2017-2018 School Year… I, Mom, will raise happy, respectful kids and find last year’s Summer Reading Project form. PCLS T H E S KI N N Y F O R LO CA L WOM EN

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T H E S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO M EN

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BOY MOMS’ Power Brunch

Three women at different stages and places, all sharing a similar goal… to raise a few good men.

By Tori Mortensen Photos by Whitney Chilton Photography and provided by the Davis and Doolittle Families

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wo blonds and a brunette walk into a brunch. What does the brunette say? Sorry I’m late. I had to settle a dispute between my sons about whether or not they ‘did or did not tie’ in a race that they ran in our front yard two summers ago.

When I invited Lori Davis, fifth grade teacher-mom to Tyler (21) and Dylan (18) and Rebecca Doolittle, dentist and National Guard reservist-mom to Dallin (5) and Russell (3) to sit with me over brunch one rainy day in June, I had intended to spend a morning over some chicken and waffles discussing the joys and struggles of being a mom at three different life stages. Myself, with my first child entering the middle school years, Rebecca, having her oldest entering kindergarten this year and Lori preparing to send her youngest to college.

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I did not intentionally choose other boy moms, nor did I intentionally choose moms who each had two boys who were also very close in age, as my sons are.

In fact, I didn’t even realize that I had subconsciously set up a #boymom brunch, until I was talking to my husband about where and with whom I would be headed that drizzly Saturday morning. But, maybe God knew just what he was doing when he prompted me to invite those two women specifically to a discussion that was intended to simply be a Q & A about parenting at various junctures.

See, the immensity of being a boy mom has been the focus of my heart (and prayer) for 10 years. God placed boys on my heart long before he placed them in my home.

Ironically, despite my multiple #boymom burnout tees, I am a product of what I call the Great, Girl Power Generation.

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Yes, we, the women raising today’s school aged children, are the result of the modern feminism of our own mothers, women who were raised with significantly more limitations than we could ever comprehend. Women who determined to raise their daughters not only to believe that there is no glass ceiling, but also to know there was actually no ceiling at all.

Our mothers lined our bookshelves with rows of American Girl adventure storybooks and set our TVs to Saturday morning cartoons like “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?” The buzz phrases of the day were “girls can be good at science too” and “you can do anything a boy can do,” and they were on repeat. And if folks weren’t telling us quite often enough, that we could be President or anything else we wanted to be for that matter, we could just listen to the pop soundtrack of our Caboodle-carrying childhood.

Thank you Spice Girls and Destiny’s Child for insisting that we “tell people what we want, what we really, really want” and encouraging us to “throw our hands up… at all the other independent women.”

Even the federal government, itself, wanted to shatter the limits that had been placed on the women that came before us and helped to do so by implementing mandates in regards to the admission of girls to college and the employment of women in corporate America.

News flash… It was pretty successful. Our mothers, the music and the mandates and the vocabulary shift all worked.

Excuse me while I get serious for a sec.

Academically we got the message, about 60 percent of students entering college are female. By 2010 women in their mid-twenties surpassed their male counterparts in earning college degrees by more than eight percentage points.

In fact, we now outperform men academically at all levels of school and are more likely to enroll in graduate school, according to The Rise of Women by Thomas A. DiPrete and Claudia Buchmann. Also concerning is the rate of diagnosis of attention deficit disorder and the corresponding prescription of medications. The CDC states that more than 11% of all boys ages 3-17 are diagnosed with ADHD at some point. Over the same age range, only 5.5% of girls will be diagnosed…half.

Emotionally, we girls believed in “the power” as well.

Studies suggest that the psychology community’s effort placed programs building our self-esteem and confidence has been remarkably successful, effectively promoting awareness of girls’ issues related to body image, girl power, and cyber bullying.

However, it appears boys’ mental and emotional health may have been taken for granted.

Experts like William S. Pollack of the Centers for Men and Young Men at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School believe boys’ problems are more hidden and misunderstood, making them arguably more dangerous. According to the CDC, in the United States, the male-to-female teenage suicide death ratio is estimated at 3:1. “There’s no doubt that in relation to suicide, boys and young men are in a crisis,” he says. “And almost nothing has been done to remediate it from the gender perspective.” It appears as though girls are more easily able to cope with the modern teenage experience, bullying and the likes.

Perhaps the scariest trend of all? Fewer young men than ever before report a desire to have a family of their own. This is a problem with grave consequences too vast to touch on in this article.

Is it possible, that while folks were super busy building up girls, they simply failed to see boys slipping?

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So, out of “Girl Power” came the most stable, employable, well-educated women in the history of the world. What came out of it are female doctors, female lawyers and female Indian Chiefs… tiger moms and helicopter moms and granola moms and attachment parenting moms.

What’s our Girl Power Generation to do… now that so many of the strong, independent women it produced…are raising a mid-sized SUV full of BOYS… of all things! The same sort of boys which society told us were silly, immature, hopeless and rude. The same boys who we were told were troublemakers, out to break our hearts and were even THE competition, and the boys who now seem to be in trouble.

Boys who are facing what some psychologists call a “boy crisis.”

What boy moms might do, is take a cue from that great ’90s era so many of us grew up in, and form one of those seriously powerful “girl groups.” A group full of women who feel like “Boy Power” isn’t necessarily a bad thing and may even be a worthy cause in 2017.

What if modern feminism is more about creating women who are POWERFUL enough to move ALL the mountains for ALL the people, including the mountains facing their sons?

Davis Family Davis Family

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Doolittle Family

You know? Women who neither wanted to date “scrubs” when we were in college, nor do we intend to raise any of our own “scrubs” now.

We might actively look to surround ourselves with diverse boy raising gals, women with different backgrounds, ages and experiences and with different stories. A girl group, who together, form a power posse of sorts, armed to save boys on behalf of women of all generations.

I’m talking about finding a few powerful women who will tell us the absolute truth about God’s declarations for us as mothers, even if it hurts worse for a while. In a girl group, members lean on the strengths and experiences and talents of one to be a balance where the others are weaker.

And that’s just what we did at Vintage that day.

What was scheduled to be a question and answer session… quickly turned into a Boy Moms Girl Group jam session.

We sat together as powerful women and vocalized our desire to change the conversation about today’s generation of boys. We asked questions of Lori who had been in the “boy mom industry” the longest, and we listened as she shared her heart and how it broke as she prepared to send her first son, Tyler, to college. We talked scheduling conflicts and fears and obvious failures and clear successes. We confessed our struggles with letting go and with judgment from other moms. We talked similarities and differences between brothers. We talked about each playing the role of bad cop in our households. We emotionally replayed some of our best and worst days as mothers and we fought back lots of tears.

We “freed our minds” just like En Vogue recommended way back in ’92.

We spoke about best-laid plans and how the set-list is ever changing. We spoke about the undeniable power of prayerful mothers.

I walked away that day with a deeper understanding of what the Great ’90s Girl Power Movement may have done for those of us who were its focus. It equipped me, for one, to be the mom of a man.

I had always been led to believe the purpose of feminism was simply to create equality between men and women.

But, what if modern feminism is more about creating women who are POWERFUL enough to move ALL the mountains for ALL the people, including the mountains facing their sons? Women who also know how to call on the incomparable powers of heaven to be a force in the lives of those around them… girls who are powerful enough to stand up when they are able and smart enough to lean on one another when they aren’t.

While Girl Power is certainly evident in female run businesses, boardrooms and operating rooms across the

country, it is also a critical tool in the success of the modern family and in the daunting task of boy raising in a time unlike any other.

The book of Psalms reminds us that our “children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.”

I’d like to think we will utilize our society-induced power to honor the reward our Lord Himself has bestowed upon us.

Upon leaving brunch that day, I understood that the POWER, which we girls were raised to understand we have, is totally tangible. Plus, it is multiplied when we stand (and even when we sit and eat figs and brie) united in a common, Christ-centered goal. Whether that goal is building a billiondollar corporation or that of raising a man who, when the time is right, is prepared to be the capable patriarch of a family of strong, powerful women and men of his own.

You know, I think our gracious Heavenly Father (and the Spice Girls alike) must find great joy in this application of modern Girl Power… Girl Power 2017. PCLS

WRITING CONTEST TOPIC:

H i s t o r i c a l / Pa r k e r C o u n t y

WO R D C O U N T L I M I T: DEADLINE:

1000

S e p t e m be r 30t h , 2017

Submit entries to Hayley.Redfin@gmail.com Please include contact information and any photos to go along w ith your w riting piece.

If you are younger than 18, please submit parent per mission.

Winner will be published in the next edition!

We love Parker County and all the people who live here, and we can’t wait to see what you come up with!

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T E A CHE RS TELL ALL: Things Your Child’s Teacher Wishes You Knew

By Tori Mortensen

A

s the daughter of a 36-year education veteran, I grew up listening to my saint of a mother attempt to talk at least one of her student’s parents off the cliff via phone a minimum of three nights a week. Sometimes those conversations ended in agreement and other times the mother or father of a student had already decided his or her child’s teacher was wrong and nuts and there was just no getting around it. Regardless, my mother was ever so supportive of “her kids” and their families, speaking always of a child’s great gifts and talents, rather than his struggles and shortcomings. In her career, she played a direct role in the graduation of hundreds and hundreds of at-risk students… mostly in tandem with the efforts of great parents, but sometimes in spite of parents’ efforts, and other times in the complete absence of any parental involvement at all.

Parenting school age kids is clumsy to say the least.

For many of us, it’s the first time we have really considered any influence or input from an “outsider” when it comes to our child’s well being. Sometimes that transfer of power is welcome, but often times we trip over it.

We all know the feeling, the test paper comes home and the question/correct answer/grade, etc. just doesn’t make any flipping sense at all. We screen shot it and share it to validate our concern. We open the folder to find a color change and are convinced our child actually deserved parole for her offense. Our son tells us what the teacher did about “such and such” and we declare her certifiably crazy and commence to a moms’ group text marathon to get to the bottom of what the heck happened at school today. Maybe we care too much, or maybe we just don’t know how to care in a helpful way?

Or perhaps we are on the other side of that coin. We haven’t checked in on our child’s progress in weeks. We aren’t sure of the teacher’s expectations or what our child needs to do to meet those expectations and we just hope our daughter will learn to apply herself and “figure it out.” We count on the teacher to teach our child to read at grade level and control him in class and to make sure he’s good and ready for whatever state test it is they take this year. We take a comfy seat in the back and let the teacher drive our child’s education by herself. Maybe we think we are doing the teacher and our child a favor by staying out of the way, or maybe we just don’t know how to be involved in a way that leaves everybody better off come May? A well-meaning parent can be a teacher’s single greatest ally, a simple thorn in her side, the missing link or worse, she can be like a virus that spreads drama-filled, bad vibe germs all over the school.

How can parents be actively involved without being awful and at the same time distant enough without disappearing? What can we do to help our kids and their teachers succeed?

What is it teachers really want us to know? What would they tell us if we swore they could tell us the truth and that we wouldn’t get offended? Well most teachers will tell you, “There are no stupid questions.” So we just went right on ahead and raised our hand and asked them. And in true teacher fashion, they answered eloquently!

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1

Don’t always believe your kid! Get the full story before you start ranting, raving and losing your mind! 1. I am an adult. 2. I try my

best to be fair and unbiased. 3. I promise I have your child’s best interest

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Any words of advice given by the teacher should be considered as advice from a professional who cares, not to be taken as a

sign that the teacher is against their child. Teachers generally have

at heart. With that being said, come to me and ask for the details that

their best interest at heart. Instead of listening, I think some parents

your precious pumpkin may have left out. - 3rd grade 9 years

react defensively. Anyway, that’s my two cents. - College Instructor

2

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My nitty-gritty advice to a parent would be to not just let the teachers do all the “teaching.” If a teacher knows that a child

needs help on how well or how fast they’re reading, you need to

Just because we don’t do things the way mom would do it, doesn’t make it wrong. Kids need to learn to adjust to different

people and different styles of learning and authority. Also, please

also be working on that at home as much as we are working on it

stop texting your kid during class!! Just because they are texting

at the school. When a teacher assigns homework to a student, it’s

a parent doesn’t make it ok! They are still breaking a rule and

not because we want to take away from family time, it’s because

are distracted. If it’s an emergency, call the office! If it’s not an

we want them to practice areas in which they are struggling. - 3rd

emergency, wait until lunch or after school. - 9th grade, Special

grade 12 years

Education, 7 years

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Your child will not live under a bridge because they made a B or even a C, likewise they are not necessarily headed to

Harvard because they make straight A’s. Teaching your child to

We do better when we have a good attitude about it. Whether it’s easy or challenging, fun or boring, a negative attitude keeps

us from doing our best and a positive attitude helps us achieve

respectfully talk to the teacher before butting in will go a long way

more. And a parent’s attitude about work, projects, school and

in teaching them respect. - English 17 years

teachers also encourages success or mediocrity. We all do better

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when we are upbeat! - 1st grade, 17 years Take the time to read to/with your child; make it a priority. Your child is going to make mistakes and so am I. Accept this and trust

that things will be okay. - Multiple grades, 5 years

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Let them LEARN from their trials and mistakes, not escape them!! You are only doing them an injustice if YOU steal their

opportunities to grow and learn as God has designed. That doesn’t

I wish mothers knew that every action has an equal reaction

mean you shouldn’t be a voice for your child... just use the mistakes

from their child. Every word they say that is negative (or

as teachable moments while they are young so that as they blossom

positive) affects their child. If you have an unsure home life, the child

into adults they have the tools they need to make better decisions -

is aware. If you have fights and think your child doesn’t understand,

5th grade, Science, 27 years

you are wrong. Not only do they understand what a fight is, they feel

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like it’s their fault. I don’t care where you came from in life, try to be better for your child. Whether that is being more involved, more positive or making better choices. Be willing to make those changes so your child able to STAY a child and focus on things that a child should. - 4th grade, Special Education, 2 years

Please don’t be frightened when your child brings home a low grade.... you have to see failure before you see success!

My biggest advice to parents is to partner with their child’s teacher every year and work on building a positive relationship.

This makes communication so much easier throughout the year when issues may arise. I also think it’s important to join the PTA - it plays a major role in building school moral as well as helping teachers and students feel more supported. - 5th-6th grade, 4 years

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Know that I went into education to love and nurture and build children because I was inspired by teachers in my own

life. Teachers who pushed me, who believed in me when I did not believe in myself. Who walked me step by step to learn how to solve problems, or at times walked away and let me fall on my face in a safe place to learn and grow. So thank you for trusting me with such a

large responsibility. Since becoming an educator I have continued my

remember that there are 20-30 other students in that class and

education and understanding of children and curriculum as well as

instead consider what YOU might do to enhance his education. If

learning styles and culture, and laws and testing and poverty and....

your child is struggling, consider what YOU might do to help him

well as much as I can get my hands on. All of this to help me as a

at home. We are there to help and guide and assist, but his success

teacher and help your child as they walk into my classroom.

ultimately depends on a combined investment.

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We as teachers are no longer just able to teach reading and math. I also get to teach social skills, guidance lessons, bully

conflict, and testing. It is kinda crazy. What I want you as a parent

The best reminder I would give parents is: teachers are advocates for their children; wait 24 hours or at the very

least, get a good night’s rest before sending a hateful email that

to do to help your child and to help me: TRUST ME!!!! Sorry do not

attacks a teacher. All of my students have been perfect angels, but

mean to yell, I just broke a classroom rule. School is your child’s job,

I’ve heard some teachers mention on occasion their students don’t

so let them do the work. Let them struggle and talk it out with you.

always present the full truth to their parents. It’s extremely rare, but

Let it be hard. Life is hard. You doing their work for them does not

I’ve heard it happens. - Secondary English, 13 years

teach them how to solve problems and to be successful. If your child

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does not do their homework, let them get whatever the consequence is for not doing the homework. Do not do it for them. You are teaching them that there are no consequences for their actions.

Don’t be a pain in the drop off line, morning OR afternoon.

That kid that causes problems/trouble in your child’s class

probably didn’t get a meal at home or love or Christmas presents.

Another super silly thing that is super simple that drives me crazy

The teacher is probably aware and trying his/her best. Make sure

– Valentines. Let your kids write the names of their classmates. This

your child knows how he/she is getting home everyday. DO NOT

is their time to practice handwriting, spelling, and a simple note-

make excuses for your child... I know it’s the hardest thing ever to

taking skill of moving information from one document to another.

see your child suffer consequences, but it is more detrimental in the

No, it will not be as cute, no it will not be perfect or Pinterest -ready,

long run if your child never has to “learn the hard way.” DO NOT

but your child will have pride when they pass those cards out. They

send Gogurt (or any food) that your kid can’t open by them self...

will enjoy the process and help you next year when it comes time to

just kidding but it really would be nice. - 15 years

create Valentines.

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Your kindergarten student is very capable of entering the classroom, putting away their backpack and taking care

Honest, polite parents who are invested in their child’s education are highly appreciated by teachers and are never

a bother. I can’t tell you the nights of sleep I’ve lost worrying

of business without your help. I love your child and I am doing

about my students - not just their academic progress but their

everything I can to teach him/her to be a competent, capable,

emotional states, their worries and concerns, their health, their

independent human being. When you do the job for them, you are

social difficulties. We get to see a side of them that you might not

teaching them that they are not capable. - Kindergarten, 23 years

get to see. We love them and we want to work with you to help

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them succeed in every part of their lives. - Colorado teacher now in It’s NEVER a good idea to post your frustration or anger on social media. It WILL get back to the teacher even if

the teacher isn’t named and even if you aren’t “friends” with the teacher. Someone will screenshot it and send it to him/her. Teachers are VERY protective of each other... you will become “that” parent.

Just saying…

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Your child is not more important than the other students. His needs and rights do not supersede the needs

and rights of others, and most teachers are honestly doing their best

Texas, 1 year

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Thank you for letting us have your child, thank you for trusting and supporting me. This is a really hard job, and we cannot do it without our parents and their support. Now go join your PTA and attend the PTA meeting. Volunteer at your school, help make copies, cut out laminating, and help read with kids. Get involved - education is the future to our country’s success and boy howdy, we need some success. PCLS

to serve all students equitably. So, if your “gifted” child is not being challenged and is bored, before you complain to the teacher and demand that she adjust the class’s plan to meet his specific needs,

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SHOT IN THE DARK! 2017 GOLF TOURNAMENT

SEPTEMBER 29TH

GOLF TEE TIME IS 8PM | DINNER INCLUDED LOCATION: Squaw Creek Golf Course 1605 Ranch House Road | Willow Park, TX 76087

East Parker County Chamber of Commerce www.EastParkerChamber.com | 817 441-7844

East Parker County Chamber of Commerce

COMMUNITY LIFESTYLE & BUSINESS EXPO 2017

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Thursday, October 19th 4:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

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Lifestyle Program Empowers Kids to Build Healthy Habits

F

itness and nutrition staff at Texas Health Neighborhood Care and Wellness have collaborated to develop the Healthy Lifestyles program, an eight-week course that teaches children practical habits about exercise and nutrition that they can carry into adulthood.

“The goal of our program is to provide our participants with knowledge and resources that will empower them to lead healthy lives far into the future,” said Hayley Webb, MS, CI-CPT, group exercise coordinator and personal trainer at Texas Health Willow Park Fitness Center. “We want them to learn to focus on what it means to be healthy and overall well-being and less on weight and appearance.”

Healthy Lifestyles emphasizes the importance of leading an active life and learning how to shop, cook and even eat out healthy. The program began last year and hopes to help more children learn to lead healthier lives through strategies to remove everyday barriers to physical fitness and “everything in moderation” nutrition approach. It features two 60-minute sessions per week that include discussions about self-esteem and confidence building and an activity or workout with a certified personal trainer. In addition, the program offers cooking demonstrations and grocery store tours to help participants learn the “shop the perimeter” strategy.

Participants also receive dietary input from a registered Texas Health dietitian. Parental involvement is highly encouraged, so a guest pass to the facility’s fitness center is available to family members during the program. Pre- and post-knowledge and fitness assessments are also given to track progress.

“The Healthy Lifestyles program gives us the ability to care for our community by providing access to resources that

help them invest in their health and well-being,” said Rebecca Slemmons, fitness manager at Texas Health Willow Park.

“We are helping to build healthier kids and families and ultimately a stronger and healthier community.”

Healthy Lifestyles is offered in the spring, summer and fall. Texas Health Willow Park is offering two four-week express sessions this summer. The fall session is scheduled to start September 12th and run through November 2nd.

To learn more about the Healthy Lifestyles program call, (817) 757-1551 or stop by the Texas Health Willow Park Fitness Center to speak to an instructor.

About Texas Health Resources Texas Health Resources is one of the largest faith-based, nonprofit health systems in the United States. The health system, which along with UT Southwestern founded Southwestern Health Resources in 2016 to make it easier for North Texans to access the highest quality care consistently in a responsive and coordinated manner, includes 29 hospital locations that are owned, operated, joint-ventured or affiliated with Texas Health Resources. It includes Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas, Texas Health Arlington Memorial, Texas Health Harris Methodist and Texas Health Huguley Hospitals, Texas Health Physicians Group, outpatient facilities, behavioral health and home health, preventive and fitness services, and an organization for medical research and education. For more information about Texas Health Resources, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit www.TexasHealth.org.

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GET TO KNOW PARKER COUNTY

For information on advertising and sales opportunities, please email Justin.RedFin@gmail.com or call 817-301-3828.

For information on photography, writing opportunities, or to share stor y ideas, please email Hayley.RedFin@gmail.com or call 817-320-6360.

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KEEPING IT Traini ng the Next Generation an interest

Parker County youth with recently in a law enforcemen t career a lifetime. received the opportunity of

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217th William “Karl” Keesee was the of duty, DPS officer killed in the line the duty of protecting and serving.

When the Students Become the Teacher

REAL

Angie McCrory of the Weatherford thoughts Police Department shares her highs and on life, motherhood , and the lows of the job.

William “Karl” Keesee was the 217th DPS officer killed in the line of duty, the duty of protec ting and servin g.

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The Fast & The Furious: The health trend that's not slowing down

By Tori Mortensen

A

pparently there's room for yet another driver in the race for “Top Diet Trend of 2017,” because the latest program making a name for itself in nutrition, Intermittent Fasting, has pulled up to the starting line and the other guys in the mix are taking notice.

But health industry is in a pileup when it comes to Intermittent Fasting. Less diet really and more eating schedule, proponents of this clock- or calendar-based eating routine have created multiple styles which encourage and restrict eating based on alternating times of feeding and fasting. According to recent studies, the Instagram influencers and lots and lots of fitness bloggers, the results of Intermittent Fasting are pretty darn great, including simple weight loss and vastly improved health.

Though the concept is highly contested in an industry that spent years convincing us that we MUST basically eat around the clock in order to achieve our health goals.

Cue the Internet momentum and contention.

Touting benefits from Alzheimer's prevention to a complete immune system reset, from achieving advanced mental clarity to better mental health, multiple studies claim fasting may not only improve your overall health, but may even help you live longer.

Some have shown that intermittent fasting may

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decrease low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol. Additionally, IF may improve insulin resistance, which, in turn, helps stabilize blood sugar levels.

In one recent study, periodic fasting was linked to lower risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and aging.

Some scientists seem to believe this is likely due to the ways that it affects cell and hormone function. During the fasting phase, many cells die and stem cells turn on, which starts a regeneration process and gives rise to new, younger cells, study author Valter Longo, PhD, recently explained in an interview with Health Magazine. "It sounds too good to be true, but it's not," he said.

Other data states that the prime health benefit of fasting comes when the body puts itself in a natural state of ketosis (ketosis is yet another health buzzword and could be a whole article in and of itself).

And yet another camp promotes an IF eating schedule as a weapon in the body's struggle against a life filled with artificial light i.e having your days and nights mixed up, insomnia, daytime drowsiness.

Now, again, ask anyone who has a car in this fitness race and you will most certainly hear mixed opinions (and even mixed explanations) of IF. Some individuals have even been driven to come out in full force against the trend and while others call it “The single most powerful thing you can do for your body.”

I do not have a degree in nutrition, nor am I a doctor, and you should totally ask one or both before you embark on any type of dedicated health journey. I am simply sharing with you the experience I had during my trial run at the controversial intermittent fasting deal, which was a positive one.

the restricted window. Almost all IFers choose mostly healthy foods during feeding periods, regardless of caloric goals because they DO value the benefits a quality diet provides.

I fell somewhere in between, eating in a deficit some days and within regular calorie levels on others and generally eating a clean diet.

WHO:

WHEN:

Lots of folks have been fasting since, well, The Beginning.

We hear it continually mentioned in the Bible as a spiritual tool used by those asking the Lord for direction, clarity, even blessings like protection and HEALTH. Most modern religions continue to honor the biblical practice of fasting in some way, with many recognizing it as possibly the most powerful form of spiritual discipline.

From a purely medical standpoint, evidence shows that fasting has been used throughout history and was one of the first forms of treatment prescribed by many early medicine practitioners.

We can even throw it back to the caveman days and recognize that a cave man would not have had access to a 24/7 buffet of food and snacks. He would have likely filled up only when he had a successful hunt, meaning there is some evidence that our bodies were not designed to eat around the clock day in and day out, but rather that we have conditioned them to do so.

While fasting has been practiced for eons and almost anyone can pull it off, fasting is certainly not right for everyone. If done incorrectly, it could even result in harm to the body so again, consult your doctor and do some research before committing.

The plan worked well for me because I had experience with religious fasting, I am in good health and I'm already not a breakfast eater which makes it very manageable for me to string together a 16-hour fast (more on this later).

Most popular intermittent fasting plans can be grouped into 3 categories: Alternate day fasting, 24-hour fast followed by a 24-hour non-fasting period. One can also choose to fast for 23 hours with one meal per day.

Whole-day fasting specifies various ratios of fasting to non-fasting days, such as the 5:2 diet, in which people consumed 400–500 calories (women) or 500–600 calories (men) during the 5 days of regular eating and 2 days of fasting. During non-fasting days, the diet is regular.

Time-restricted feeding - daily fasting period with a shortened eating window of 3–12 hours. For example, one form of TRF calls for fasting for 16 hours each day and eating total daily calories during the remaining 8 hours, typically on the same schedule each day. This is the program I used during my trial. I basically had my last meal at 5pm or 6pm and my first meal of the day at around 10am or 11am.

WHAT: Another thing that got me geared up for this program is its simplicity. Pick one of the IF styles that works for you.

Eat when you are in feeding times. Don't eat when you are in fasting times.

Some IFers choose to limit overall calorie intake in order to put themselves in a calorie deficit promoting weight loss.

While others IFers eat the same number of calories as they would within a “normal” day, they simply eat them within

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WHERE: My favorite thing about intermittent fasting is that you can do it anywhere! It doesn't require a fancy pants organic grocery store be in your neighborhood. You won't need to bring your own containers or drink a shake or take a supplement or eat your food raw or measure and weigh it unless you want to. In fact, there is really no meal prep required at all. You aren't required to do anything other than eat on the schedule which works best for you. Again, most successful IFers also subscribe to some sort of plan for healthy eating during their “feeding hours” which can be done anywhere these days!

There is also an amazing free app called Zero, which will allow you to track your fasting goals right on your phone. I found this to be super helpful!

WHY: Now to be clear, most IF subscribers are probably drawn to the plan for its weight loss claims, but studies showing the laundry list of potential health benefits just can't be ignored.

I can attest to the fact that during my trial I did have periods of hyper focus and clear headedness. I did lose around 7-10 pounds and some skin problems I had experienced for nine years were almost completely nonexistent! IF gets bonus points for resetting my taste buds and allowing me to actually taste my food again. I could also recognize when I was truly hungry and could literally feel the energy I was receiving from the food I ate, in a different way than a sugar rush though, more like a food high. And I slept!

If you quit eating at around 6pm or so, come 10pm… you may just happily put yourself right on to bed.

So, if you struggle with nighttime eating or sticking to complicated diet plans, inflammation, insomnia or just those last 5-10lbs, you may want to consider intermittent fasting before you wave the checkered flag on your health.

The way I see it, if this type of stuff is speeding to the front of the pack in the minds of healthy lifestyle thinkers and is also mentioned amongst the company of spiritual champs, maybe we should at least look at giving it a test drive.

PCLS

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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

PCSP FRONTIER DAYS

HOMETOWN

STOCK SHOW AND RODEO HAPPENING

O

n June 6th, the Parker County Sheriff’s Posse kicked off their 70th annual Frontier Days Rodeo and Stock Show, showcasing the area’s best of the best.

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Taya Kyle.

American Wife.

Join us for our Healthy Woman 10th Anniversary Celebration.

Taya Kyle is the wife of the late U.S. Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle and the author of the New York Times bestselling book, American Wife. Taya is a bold advocate for women and families and a passionate voice for faith, strength and American ideals. Join us as she shares her powerful story of love, war, faith and renewal. Taya believes every person alive seeks love and faith in something, and struggles and fights some sort of battle. Taya’s story is about withstanding and persevering even when life brings uncommon and unforeseen circumstances to our door.

Tuesday, September 12

Live Music & Expo: 4-6 p.m.

Dinner & Speaker: 6:30 p.m.

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Hagan Fore Parents: JBrian and Julie Fore Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography

Steele Wicker Parents: Brent and Allison Wicker Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography

H O M ETOWN W e lco m i ng Par ke r Co u nty ’ s

NEWEST RESIDENTS Photos courtesy of Lindsey Sullivan Photography, Denim & Velvet Marketing + Design, and Jaimie Hill Photography

Dylan Gosnell Parents: Chris and Haley Gosnell Photo by Denim & Velvet Marketing + Design

Presley King Parents: John and Ka iley King Photo by Lindsey Su llivan Photography

Sophie Thompson Parents: Mark and Brittnee Thompson Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography

Skylar Adair Parents: Clayton and Baylee Adair Photo by Jaimie Hill Photography

Kason de Cento Parents: Chase and Kayleigh de Cento Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography

Ryann Safford Parents: Scott and Courtney Safford Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography

Slayte Deaver Parents: Riley and Bristyn Deaver Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography

Hudson Walker Parents: TStephen and Whitney Walker Photo by Lindsey Sullivan Photography

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Equal Housing Lender Member FDIC

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Bringing Home a

New Pet

By Dr. Kuczek with A z tec Pe t Hospital

Becoming a new pet owner can be a very trying, as well as rewarding experience.

We’ve detailed some thinking points to consider before coming home with your new family member.

H

aving a pet can be a very rewarding yet trying experience. Not every pet experience can be like Lassie, some end up like a Marley. Either way, we find a joy in pet ownership that cannot be replicated. The decision to join the ranks of pet ownership cannot be taken lightly, it is a long term commitment to a living creature who is totally dependent upon you.

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Once you decide to take the plunge, there are some things to consider. Dog, cat or non-traditional pet? Do you travel and move often? Do you rent? Do you have children in the home? All of these things can factor into what pet is ideal for you. If you live in an apartment, a large dog may not be right. Some leasing companies have weight limits and breed restrictions. Small children need a dog that can tolerate the things kids do. If you work late hours and are rarely home, maybe a cat might be your choice. Military families should especially be aware of their pet choice. Large dogs are harder to move overseas. Some countries and on post housing have breed bans.

Once you find your ideal pet, there are options on where to find your pet soulmate. Pounds, rescues and breeders all offer many wonderful pets. Wherever you go, make sure to ask questions and do your research. Many older rescue pets may need some sort of medical care for life. Some breeds have medical conditions that are genetic. Make sure you find a reputable breeder. No matter where you get your pet, all pets need medical care especially as they age.

Before you bring your new pet home, make sure your home is ready. Pet proofing your home is much like childproofing. Chemicals, electrical hazards, poisonous plants can cause harm. Something as simple as a misplaced trash can or laundry hamper can cause issues. Some dogs love to eat dirty socks or scraps in the trash. These can cause medical emergencies. Large dogs can pull the cookies off the counter you just baked and if they have chocolate in them you will be off to the vet. Make sure your yard is safe and that the fencing is suitable for your pet. Pets love to have their own place to relax, especially if you have a busy household. A well placed bed, house or crate may help in this.

Some pets come with a name already, you should make all attempts to keep this name. If you get to choose your new pet’s name, here are some things to consider. One or two syllable names work best. Make sure it is something that you will not be embarrassed to say in public. Another suggestion is to make sure the name does not rhyme with “no.� After every movie with a pet in it, there is a huge population of new

pets with that name. I have seen many paint horses named “Hidalgo” or “Seabiscuit.” Dalmatians named “Pongo” or labs named “Marley.” Try yelling “Marley” at the dog park and see how many dogs start running your direction.

Diet is very important. There are so many options. I recommend feeding a quality reputable brand. You do not necessarily have to buy the most expensive food, but make sure you do not feed the cheapest. Many food fads can be found on the internet. Many of these to include the raw meat diet can cause some serious medical issues because they are not nutritionally balanced. Some pets may need a special diet due to medical conditions, your veterinarian will help you find the ideal diet for your pet. Table scraps should never be fed as they can cause gastrointestinal upset or pancreatitis.

Also remember treats need to be of good quality and that they should be calculated into the daily caloric intake.

Training is crucial. More pets end up in the pound because of behavioral issues than anything else. There are many things you can do at home. Touch your pet’s paws daily, reward them for good behavior. Do not let them run all over you, there is a balance between love and respect that helps develop a healthy well behaved companion. The more time and energy you spend with your pet, the better they turn out. Do not be afraid to seek out a qualified trainer to help you with the basics. A well behaved pet that knows a few

tricks is always cool.

Find a veterinarian you love. There are many options from low cost parking lot clinics to full service hospitals. I recommend finding a clinic you like and staying with them.

Continuity is key. Many of the parking lot vaccine clinics are not local and if you have an emergency, they are not there for you. I also see where military families have trouble moving with their pets because they cannot get the full vaccine history for health certificates. If you work with one clinic, they have a history to work with and they can make sure there are not gaps in your pet’s healthcare. It is ideal to see the vet as soon as you get your new pet so your vet can make sure you are covered for the many diseases that can affect your pet. Too often, people put off seeing the vet and their new puppy or kitten come down with severe debilitating diseases that could have been prevented. Another suggestion would be to start a health fund. There are many insurance companies for pets. If you would take the monthly premium that the insurance would charge and put it in an interest earning account, you could have the money to save your pet’s life when it is needed.

Pet ownership is a huge responsibility that will bring joy into your life. Everyone can remember their pet.

Ultimately, pets cannot take care of themselves and it is our responsibility to do the right thing by them. Tonight go home and throw the ball for your dog or grab your cat’s favorite toy and enjoy what they bring into your life.

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faith

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ACADEMIC

CHALLENGE

By Lindsay Allen Photos by Jaimie Hill Photography and provided by Teresa Hutchison

Teenager Toby Hutchison knew he needed to set himself apart for college, and he took the initiative to find jobs that would allow him to enroll in private school his senior year of high school.

A

s a teenager approaching the final year of high school, college tours, visits with the administration and talks with current students and alumni are pretty common as considerations are being made for the next phase of life. For Weatherford resident Toby Hutchison, he was doing all these things, yet it wasn’t with colleges, but with Weatherford Christian School (WCS).

Determined to help set himself apart and give himself the right tools he needed for college, Toby, at 17 years of age, started strongly considering his academic studies. “I had friends at WCS and I saw the challenge the school provided them and the work they were doing in the classroom,” Toby recalled. “I knew I needed to put myself in a more challenging environment academically, I just wasn’t sure how to do it as the tuition at WCS was a bit daunting.”

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Toby and his family toured the school the summer after he completed his junior year of high school. “On the tour I realized I had to go to WCS. The Christian community and the classroom benefits sold me on it,” he said.

After realizing that if he did want to attend private school, the financial burden would be on himself, he developed a plan. He went to work for his dad’s company, helped his church with Sunday morning and Wednesday evening cleaning, and served as the assistant youth pastor as well. It wasn’t easy for an 18-year-old trying to work enough to pay tuition bills, while being actively involved in the school and being challenged with much harder course work and more homework, but Toby said through it all he kept reminding himself of the payoff that would come with the challenge.

Bearing the cost of tuition was just one factor. Switching schools also meant leaving behind responsibilities at his old school, like drum section leader and tennis team leader, but Toby didn’t make the decision quickly or take the decision lightly.

“My best friend Ryan had moved to WCS in 7th grade and was always begging me to move to that school. Because of him, I was able to meet several other students at the school and attended school events with family friends who were enrolled at WCS, shadowed Ryan for a day at school and played basketball there on open gym nights,” he said. “I was familiar with the school and the academic programs, and my junior year of high school I began thinking I should make the move.”

After saving his hard earned money the summer before senior year started, Toby was able to pay for the $400 down payment and begin saving for the next tuition bill.

Thankfully, his second semester at WCS came with many scholarships that helped him graduate in May 2017 and graduate with no debt. On top of the scholarships from many generous parents at the school who knew Toby was working long hours to pay for the education he desired, was the generosity of another parent when his truck was hit by a deer and totaled. “With no transportation, I couldn’t get to school or more importantly, work, but a staff member of the school

“I just set up my drums on the sidelines and started playing. I wanted to bring a little more excitement and energy to the game and thought my drum set was a way to do it.”

loaned me a vehicle, as they knew all my money was going toward my tuition and I wasn’t in a position to spend that same money on a new vehicle,” he said.

While learning the ropes of a new school, Toby was quick to add his own flavor to WCS too. When a past injury prevented him from playing football his senior year, he became a one-man band for the football team, who had no marching band during the games. “I just set up my drums on the sidelines and started playing. I wanted to bring a little more excitement and energy to the game and thought my drum set was a way to do it,” Toby laughed. “There were times when the coach would have to tell me to stop as his players couldn’t hear him calling out plays over the drums, but we always laughed about it on Mondays.”

His love for music didn’t stop on the WCS football field.

During the first semester of chapel classes, Toby formed a small worship band with some fellow classmates, which helped influence the school to hire a worship teacher, Mr. Brandon Baldwin, for a worship class the second semester.

“Mr. Baldwin was a huge influence on my life and in my musical training.” This class gained popularity and support,

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“I learned a lot throughout this process about trusting in God and having a good attitude, while studying harder than ever before.”

and eventually speakers, electric guitar and many other instruments were added. “This was easily my favorite class this last year,” he said. “I like leading music and learning music.”

Leaving a class of 75 students and moving to WCS with seven in his class, Toby was excited for the one-on-one instruction, but also pointed out that with the small scale, comes a magnifying glass. “Everyone knows everyone, and my classes were sometimes as little as three students, which meant any senioritis we had was easily identified by the teacher,” he joked.

Looking back on his senior year, Toby said his work ethic grew immensely because his workload was the challenge he needed. “On top of more homework than I was originally used to, I was trying to work as much as I could to pay for school and it taught me about balance and perseverance,” he recalled. “I learned a lot throughout this process about trusting in God and having a good attitude, while studying harder than ever before.”

Financial management was another big lesson for Toby this last year as he gained his own checking account with the help of his parents to deposit his earned money and make payments toward his tuition. Another life lesson that Toby said will come in handy for years to come.

While he was the new guy at first, it didn’t take long for Toby to find his niche and join the WCS family, which he is proud to be an alumnus as he starts his next chapter at Weatherford College. PCLS T H E S K I N N Y F O R LO CA L WO M EN

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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

2 ND ANNUAL HOMETOWN

SPARK IN THE PARK HAPPENING

T

he 2nd annual Spark in the Park was a huge success, turning out thousands to witness one of the largest fireworks displays in North Texas. Families enjoyed fireworks, food trucks, and live music by Josh Weathers and Wade Bowen. You can find details on everything happening in Weatherford at www.experienceweatherford.com.

Photos by Everything Ever Photography

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Since 1976

STATE LICENSE #55034 AI

CO M M U N I T Y • H O U S E • R A N C H • I R R I G AT I O N • DA I RY A N D G E OT H E R M A L W E L L S 82

PARKER COUNTY LIF ESTY LE

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home & family

KEEPING IT REAL Photos by Whitney Chilton Photography

Erin Griffith

unimpressed, roll their eyes or growl and try to go back to sleep.

with

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hen Brock Elementary Principal, Erin Griffith, isn’t busy running her home, she’s running her school.

With a passion for working with other educators, Erin has devoted time to help organize Ed Camp Parker County and has recently received a full scholarship through Raise Your Hand Texas to attend The Closing the Achievement Gap Institute at Harvard University.

She resides on the Busby Ranch with her two children and husband, Austin, who works on the ranch. Her daughter Gigi is a freshman at Brock High School and a Maverick Rangers cheerleader. Her son Grady is a 2nd grade prankster at Brock Elementary. In her

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spare time, the mother of two and self-proclaimed foodie enjoys discussing food and traveling with her family in their 5th wheel.

WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU DO BEFORE YOU GO TO BED? Every night I thank God for the blessings in my life. I can’t go to sleep without doing that.

WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU DO IN THE MORNING? I wake my kids up with a happy “Rise and Shine!” They are usually very

PARKER COUNTY LIF ESTY LE

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? I am actually reading 2 books, Lead Like a Pirate and The Book Whisperer. I am a nerd about reading educationrelated non-fiction. I get inspired through reading to make school awesome for kids! I have been told I need to include a little fiction in my life. :) TELL US FIVE THINGS THAT ARE ON YOUR “BUCKET LIST”.

1. Get my doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction (boring, I know) 2. Travel internationally with my family!

3. Go on a cross country tour of the 50 states in our 5th wheel.

4. Learn to surf!

5. Retire and live on the beach in Hawaii WHAT ARE 3 WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOURSELF? Passionate, Dramatic, Hopeful WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE/ GO TO ARTICLE OF CLOTHING OR ACCESSORY? Boots - I love wearing boots and dresses!

HEELS OR FLATS? Heels - You can hear me coming down the hall from a mile away. :) WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING A MOM? Hugs and snuggles from my kids. My youngest thinks his hugs are worth money. :)

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU ENJOY IN YOUR FREE TIME? Spending time with my family, themed cooking nights, listening to music and playing 42.

HARDEST PART ABOUT BEING A MOM? When I see my children hurting or struggling and I can’t fix it. I realize that when they learn to overcome obstacles on their own, they are becoming better people. It is still hard.

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PLACES IN PARKER COUNTY? When we go out to eat you will usually find us at Rio Mambo, Fire Oak, Shep’s, Backroads, Vintage, Taco Casa or The Shed. I love all the boutiques and shopping around like Truly Trendy, Silverado Creek, Santa Fe Terra Western Furniture, Teskey’s, and who can resist Target. There are so many, it’s hard to narrow it! I just love it here.

WHAT IS YOUR STARBUCKS DRINK ORDER? Either a Venti Unsweetened Black Tea with one shot of Mango or a Pikes Place with Cream and 2 Splenda.

HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN BALANCE? I am very lucky that my brother and sister in law, (who happens to be my best friend) live on the same ranch we do. We get to spend a lot of time together relaxing and letting our kids play. It is important to me that I have time to let go and laugh.

WHAT ARE YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND HOW ARE YOU USING THEM? I would say

WHAT DO YOU NOT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT? Lip Gloss! Ask anyone that knows me, I always have some with me. understanding and serving others. I believe that listening and showing true empathy for others is very important. In my role, I have to build trust and walk with people through good times and bad. Listening and not judging where they are at is how I build relationships.

trouble turning my brain off when I get home.

WHAT TALENT DO YOU WISH YOU HAD THAT HAS ELUDED YOU? I wish I was good at team sports. When I was in 7th grade I was on a basketball team that scored 0 points in the game. I was so uncoordinated that I actually sat on the bench that whole game.

when I (as a teacher) had an administrator that was a dreamer and dramatic like me. I grew so much working for her. I realized that becoming a principal would allow me to help teachers grow their passion for learning and encourage them to dream of what is possible for our kids.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB? I love seeing our students run in the door every day with a smile. If I ever have a bad day, all I have to do is go sit in a kindergarten classroom and my heart is full.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB? It is a heavy weight to know that my decisions impact kids and families. I take it very seriously and have

WHAT MADE YOU BECOME A PRINCIPAL? Honestly, I never thought someone like me could be a principal. I saw the role as very managerial and I tend to be a dreamer and a little silly at times. That changed

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST REWARDING DAY ON THE JOB? There are so many, but I am particularly proud of our STEAM Carnival we had this year.

We turned the whole campus into an interactive science experience. The students had so much fun and spent the day exploring and discovering.

WHO’S HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON YOU? My parents! My dad was an F-16 pilot when I was growing up. He was gone a lot but I was brought up to know that the sacrifices he made were to serve a greater good. My mother was always there to guide us and make sure we were well rounded children.

Together they instilled in my sister and I high expectations to serve others and work hard at whatever you do.

IF YOU COULD LEARN TO DO ANYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I would learn to surf! So when I retire in Hawaii, I will fit in. :) WHAT IS SOME ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE OTHER MOMS IF YOU COULD? Learn to balance your professional responsibilities and leave them at work so that when you are home, you are fully present. This has been a struggle for me at times, but it is something I am making a priority.

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THE LITTLE THINGS

By Lindsay Allen Photos by Whitney Chilton Photography

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here is always a trend and a fad that can be followed and these days it usually relates back to technology, but Parker County, as well as other counties across the United States, is gathering together for a more nostalgic activity. Painting and hiding rocks around the towns is creating a real life treasure hunt for children and giving people of all ages an outlet for creativity and kindness.

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The process is easy; paint a rock, include an uplifting message if you like through the painting and hide it around town and wait for someone to find it and post the picture on Facebook. The finder of the rock can either keep it or re-hide it. Sounds simple enough, yet is creating excitement and lots of attention around town. So much so that businesses in the community are hosting rock painting parties and places like the Weatherford Chick-Fil-A and Yesterday’s Sandwich Shop offer free food to those who find their rock.

Amy Murphy paints in hopes that she can make someone’s day when they find the rocks she hides. “I paint about 30-40 rocks a week. I have had quite a few surgeries this year after I was diagnosed with cancer in February, and the rocks have been a great distraction for me, especially because the surgeries keep me in bed,” she said. “When I paint, I forget about everything going on with my health and the rock painting group has provided so much encouragement to me as well.”

A community coming together and offering kindness is exactly what Kelsey Sexton was hoping for when she started a Facebook page in 2016 for Weatherford rock painters and hiders. The group (Weatherford *Rocks*) has grown to over 3,000 members and provides a place for found Weatherford rocks to be posted so that the painter gets joy in knowing it was found. “This point of all this is to have fun! Let your creativity come out and get out of the house and away from the electronics,” Sexton said.

“There are some really talented people in Weatherford, but all the rocks are masterpieces in their own way.

From the most detailed ones to the scribbles that a two year old painted.”

The reverse side of each rock is painted with the Facebook group the finder is to post to and can be hidden all over, but parks seem to be a popular place for hiding and finding. “I loved the idea of this after a friend told me about and it and thought it would be a great community builder,” said Jennifer McDaniel, director of children and family ministries at Aledo United Methodist Church. “It was so exciting to see someone post a picture to our Facebook page (Aledo Rocks) the same night we hid our first rock!”

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Aledo United Methodist Church has hosted two painting parties for the town and people of all ages have attended. The first party drew roughly 100 painters and the second party attracted around 130. “The first party was hosted the week prior to Spring Break, so when the kids were out of school the Facebook page saw a flood of pictures being posted of all the found rocks,” she said, “It was so wonderful to see our community come together to spread joy.”

Those who find the rocks have the option to keep it or re-hide it, but Sexton reminds everyone to post their found rock regardless as the painter enjoys knowing it was found. While Sexton and her two small children have painted around 70 rocks thus far, she has yet to find one herself, but notes that her kids love going rock hunting! Murphy’s mom, at almost 60 years old, has gone rock hunting too and Murphy said it was priceless to see her mom find her first rock and “run and woohoo” in excitement.

Sexton holds a weekly poll on the Weatherford page to select a theme for that week’s rock painting that she and her kids will do. Winning themes have included Parker County Peaches, Disney, outer space and 4th of July. Rock painting and hiding has been great for many

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kids to get away from the television and out of the house and has brought many smiles to lots of faces this year.

While painting and hunting for rocks is fun, some have just as much fun when hiding them. McDaniel enjoys watching her kids hide rocks “ninja style” as they call it so that they are sneaky about the hiding process and ensure no one sees them doing it. “One time they even asked me to take them rock hiding at dark so no one would catch them. They are truly in it to bring a smile to someone’s face,” she said.

They say it’s the little things in life that matter and these small rocks are certainly proving that with the excitement, joy and kindness they are spreading. ***Weatherford residents should know that the animal shelter-painted rocks are not part of the trend, but were placed there by the staff long ago. PCLS

They say it’s the little things in life that matter and with all the excitement, joy, and kindness they are spreading, these small rocks are certainly proving that.

Avoid "Cramming" for College Savings

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Provided by Mike Smith/Edward Jones

f you have children, you're keenly aware that it's getting close to back-to-school time. Today, that might mean you need to go shopping for notebooks and pencils. But in the future, when "back to school" means "off to college," your expenditures are likely to be significantly greater. Will you be financially prepared for that day?

It could be expensive. The average cost for one year at an in-state public school is $22,261, while the comparable expense for a private school is $43,289, according to the College Board's figures for the 2012-2013 academic year. And these costs will probably continue to rise.

Still, there's no need to panic. Your child could receive grants or scholarships to college, which would lower the "sticker price." But it's still a good idea for you to save early and often.

To illustrate the importance of getting an early jump on college funding, let's look at two examples of how you might fund a college education. A 529 plan is one way - but not the only way - to save for college. (The following examples are hypothetical in nature and don't reflect the performance of an actual investment or investment strategy.)

Example 1: Suppose you started saving for your child's college education when she was 3 years old. If you contributed $200 a month, for 15 years, to a 529 plan that earned 7% a year, you'd accumulate about $64,000 by the time your daughter turned 18. With a 529 plan, your earnings grow tax free, provided all withdrawals are used for qualified higher education purposes. (Keep in mind, though, that 529 plan

distributions not used for qualified expenses may be subject to federal and state income tax and a 10% IRS penalty.)

Example 2: Instead of starting to save when your child was 3, you wait 10 years, until she turns 13. You put in the same $200 per month to a 529 plan that earns the same 7% a year. After five years, when your daughter has turned 18, you will have accumulated slightly less than $15,000.

Clearly, there's a big disparity between $64,000 and $15,000. So, if you don't want to be in a position where you have to start putting away huge sums of money each month to "catch up" on your college savings, you'll be well advised to start saving as early as possible specifically, during the first few years of your child's life.

Of course, given all your other ex- penses, you may find it challenging to begin putting away money for college. And with so many years to go until you actually need the money, it's tempting to put off your savings for another day. But those "other days" can add up - and before you know it, college may be looming.

Consequently, you may want to put your savings on "autopilot" by setting up a bank authorization to move money each month into a college savings account. And, as your income rises, you may be able to increase your monthly contributions.

Save early, save often: It's a good strategy for just about any investment goal - and it can make an especially big difference when it comes to paying for the high costs of higher education.

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Top 3 Stretches for Pregnancy 1. PELVIC TILT OR CAT-COW POSE

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Start by kneeling on the ground with your knees directly under hips and arms beneath shoulders while looking forward. Take a deep breath, tuck your bottom and round your back. Exhale deeply while relaxing your back into a neutral position and looking forward again.

2. HIP FLEXOR STRETCH

The hip flexors are a very important muscle group not only during pregnancy, but also during childbirth and postpartum. To begin, kneel on the ground, place your right leg in front of your body with your right foot on the floor. Place your hands on a chair or your hips for support. With a straight back, move your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front thigh.

3. PIGEON POSE

Start in the same position as Cat-Cow. Bring your right knee forward until it touches your right wrist, slowly inch your right shin and foot across the midline of your body until your foot is directly below your left hip. Next, straighten your left leg back. Keep your back straight up and use your arms for support with hips balanced.

Dr. Parker is the only Pediatric and Pregnancy Certified Chiropractor in Parker County. Call The Chiropractic Place for Mommy & Me, P.A. to start off your motherhood right.

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The List

Fall Events Around Parker County

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or all of “those people” that live for the fall—this one’s for you. You know the ones…they wear flannel and oversized sweaters. They drink Pumpkin Spiced Lattes. Their house

is decorated on September 1st and they kill the pumpkin patch photo game. This list is for all of those people. Because we love those people and we love fall. So enjoy your season in your hometown!

Get dressed in your best plaid, grab a latte and a friend and experience Parker County in all of its fall glory!

2ND ANNUAL 1920S SPEAKEASY STROLL AND CRUISIN’ THE BANKHEAD FESTIVAL September 22-23, 2017 Don’t miss your perfect opportunity to relive the ’20s as you take a stroll down memory lane during this annual event in the downtown district. Bring a friend and experience the “speakeasy” culture as you do the Charleston and fox trot your way around local participating businesses.

The weekend will also feature a parade of classic cars as we celebrate the Bankhead Highway for the 2nd Annual Cruisin’ the Bankhead Festival. For more information and updates on these events, Like and Follow Historic Downtown Weatherford TX’s Facebook Page.

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CRAFT & CORK October 14, 2017 Take in the crisp fall air, live music, food tastings, and locally sourced wine and craft beer pairings at Hudson Oaks’ annual Craft & Cork. Located in Gene Voyles Park, you can expect for vendors to open around 6:30 pm. Tickets cost $40 for general admission and include wine, beer, and food tastings.

If you are interested in VIP parking and early entry with your food and wine experience, opt for the VIP ticket for $50.

Presale tickets are available. For more information or to signup for the presale list, visit craftandcork.us.

ALEDO FEST October 21, 2017 Load up the family and head to Aledo Fest on October 21st from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Aledo Church of Christ Grounds to take in fall the old fashioned way. This is a free event for the whole family. Kids will enjoy rides, bounce houses, face painting, pony rides, a petting zoo, game truck, hamster ball races, and mini train. Enjoy food trucks on site, local vendors, and live music by musical talent, the “Rocky Lott Band”.

TALKING TOMBSTONES TOUR

AUTUMN ART WALK

October 21, 2017 Show up at the Old City Greenwood Cemetery between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm for the unique experience of the “Cause of Death” tombstone tour, where docents guide visitors to various locations throughout this silent city, retelling stories of times past. Tours take place every fifteen minutes.

Admission for children 10 years and older is $11 and children under 10 is $6. Please wear comfortable shoes and leave strollers at home.

October 22, 2017 The time has come yet again for the annual Autumn Art Walk, hosted by Chandor Gardens. Step up your fall photo game this year by posing at one of the garden’s fall photo set ups. Guests are invited to tour the historic grounds, enjoy local food and music, and appreciate fine art and live demonstrations by talented artists. The event takes place between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm at the gardens, located at 711 West Lee Avenue and admissions is $1. See you at the gardens!

HARVEST FESTIVAL October 21, 2017 Bring your little ghosts and goblins to Historic Downtown Weatherford for their 2nd Annual Harvest Festival! Your trick or treaters will relish all that the downtown district has to offer from slides and face painting to pony rides and a pumpkin patch. After your family has worked up an appetite from all of the fun, stop in one of the downtown restaurants for ghoulishly themed eats for your little ones!

GOBLINS IN THE GARDEN October 29, 2017 This annual fall event has become a beloved classic at Chandor Gardens! Goblins in the Gardens is a spook-free, costumed, trick-or-treat experience for the whole family! The fun will take place at the gardens, located at 711 West Lee Avenue, between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm. A themed area will be decorated for personal photos and costumes are encouraged. Children get in free, adult admission is $2.

Guests 18 or under must be accompanied by an adult.

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Unfading Love Max Clark reminisces about his late wife and tells about the love letters he still leaves at her gr ave.

By Lindsay Allen Photos by Jaimie Hill Photogr aphy, Lindsey Sullivan Photogr aphy, and provided by Max Clark

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t was a love story that was never supposed to happen.

At 16 years old, Billie was visiting her parents in Hooker, Oklahoma the summer before her senior year of high school. Her dad moved a lot for work and had been transferred the end of her high school career and Billie decided to stay back in Canadian, Texas to finish school. That summer she was set up on a blind double date, but when her date, Max’s roommate, couldn’t make it, he stepped in.

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“That night my friends picked me up and then we went on to get Billie. I rang the doorbell and was immediately interested. I can still see the dress she wore that night; long and white and cut off right above her ankles,” Max recalled, “We went to the drive in movies that evening to see Snows of Kilimanjaro and I always told Billie that one day we would rent that movie so I could finally see it. I was too enamored with her that evening to actually watch it.”

That was July 1950, and by September 1950 Mr. and Mrs. Max Clark were married and living in Hooker. Max had asked Billie to consider delaying the wedding to let her finish her senior year of high school, but she refused knowing that something would interfere or happen if she moved back for a year.

Max remembers coming home their first week of marriage and handing Billie his pay check and asking her to take care of the family finances. “All I asked was that she

never put us in debt unless we agreed to it and that we never bought anything cheap - if we wanted something, we would save for it and buy of quality,” Max said. “She did a great job and honored my requests. We never once fought about money.” The only problem was that after Billie passed, Max was notified four years later that he didn’t have any credit to his name he recalled with a laugh. “For 50 years I let her buy it all and she did, in her name, so while I had built a business and had credit through my work, I didn’t exist in the credit world as an individual.”

Billie did more than run the family finances though; she was the one who encouraged Max to start his own contracting company and she was the one who worked alongside him the whole time. “She was the catalyst for everything that happened during our marriage. It was her hard work and loyalty that carried our family,” Max stated.

It was Billie, with Max’s help, who started the Clark

Gardens too. While the gardens were never meant to be a public venue, they have been a place of beauty and relaxation for many who have entered. The garden was first designed in 1972 to meet the desire of their daughter to have a garden wedding and by 2000 the garden was opened for the public.

“It was all pure accident. We moved into our new home in November of 1972 and the wedding was in May 1973 and we didn’t have a garden for our oldest,” Max recalled, “My wife got busy turning our backyard into a garden and one thing led to another, but it was never meant for the public, it was meant for us. We never put anything on paper; we just built it a little at a time. We never wondered as we were building it if the public would like it, it was always about if Max or Billie would like it.”

In 1999 Max and Billie donated 143 acres of land to the Max and Billie Clark Foundation and the Clark Gardens were opened the following year and is now an event center, beautiful garden and plant nursery for the general public.

The gardens are more than a public venue, but a public display of Max’s unending love for Billie, who passed away in 2012 from Alzheimer’s disease.

The gardens are more than a public venue, but a public display of Max’s unending love for Billie, who passed away in 2012 from Alzheimer’s disease.

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Max still lives on the property in the house they built and hasn’t moved a thing since her passing. The clothes still hang in Billie’s closet, the books she was reading before the disease took over remain unmoved and the décor she picked out still hangs on the walls. Billie is buried on property at the White Gardens, which the two built together as their burial ground.

If you visit the White Gardens inside the Clark Gardens it’s not uncommon to find a large floral arrangement at her grave with a handwritten note from Max. “Every event; Christmas, birthday, Valentines Day, anniversary, Mother’s Day, wedding anniversary and other important dates to us, I leave Billie a card at her grave along with a bouquet,” Max said, “I know she isn’t there, but it’s healing for me to talk to her.”

Max, who visits Billie’s grave daily to talk about the day and everything going on, said, “The letters I leave remind her of our love and how much I miss her…they are just heartfelt statements to her. In our busy lives we don’t take time to appreciate what we have. I enjoy remembering her and I enjoy writing to her as if she were still here.”

“I told her she was the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Billie was my best friend and an absolutely wonderful woman.”

– Max Clark Some of Max’s favorite memories include the time she was so ecstatic when he gave Billie her first fur coat, or the night he gave her an engagement ring and going to all the professional tennis matches as Billie loved tennis and the many home cooked meals, particularly her chili, she always had prepared for the family.

With two daughters, six grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren, Max and Billie Clark have a love story that will be passed down from generation to generation and by those who stop to read the letters he leaves on Billie’s grave.

“My youngest granddaughter asked me the other day what it was about Nana that I loved so much,” Max said. “I told her she was the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Billie was my best friend and an absolutely wonderful woman.”

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HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS

33 RD ANNUAL PARKER HOMETOWN

COUNTY PEACH FESTIVAL HAPPENING

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arker County celebrated the 33rd annual Peach Festival on July 8th in historic downtown Weatherford with local vendors, family entertainment, and the best peaches in the state.

Photos by Randy Cutshall Photography

M e e t Ou r C on t r i bu tor s Here at Parker County LifeStyle Magazine, we can’t do it without our amazing writers and photographers!

We’d like to thank them for all their help and introduce them to you!

Lindsay Allen writer Lindsay Allen bleeds maroon and loves the simple things of life. A graduate of Texas A&M University, she lives in Aledo with her husband and their daughter. As a family, they love camping, visiting the Texas Hill Country and eating any and all sweets! It’s hard for Lindsay to say no to a volunteer opportunity at her daughter’s school, the church or any thing else that might arise. She lives life with her ‘to do’ list in hand and is always looking for an opportunity and a good book.

Whitney Chilton photogr a pher Whitney’s passion for photography began when she was just a teenager shooting with her dad’s 35mm camera in East Texas. Today, her love for creating beautiful images is still going strong. She loves to photograph families, kiddos, seniors, weddings and anything in between. When she’s not behind the camera, you’ll typically find her with her crazy family or wandering the aisles of an antique store or a local target.

She loves a funny t-shirt, she’s a sucker for a good joke (even though she says she doesn’t know any) and loves to have fun!

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Sarah Gooding writer Sarah Gooding thrives on using her passion for storytelling to celebrate the Kansas communities she and her family have called home while following her husband’s call to pastoral ministry. Always up for new challenges, Sarah serves as executive director of the Goddard (Kan.) Chamber of Commerce, with a heaping side of freelancing and volunteering with her church and community. When she unplugs, Sarah enjoys family time spent getting grubby and digging in her garden, cooking, jogging or camping across the country.

Jaimie Hill photogr a pher Her name is Jaimie – that’s right, with two i’s. She’s a wife to a hard working firefighter and a mother to two rowdy little boys! Photography has become her happy place and her creative outlet! She loves everything about it!

It’s been her great pleasure to work with the awesome folks of Parker Co. for the last 3 years.

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Janzen Jackson photogr a pher Janzen Jackson is a talented photographer, and is the face behind Rodeo Vogue. Janzen is a cowgirl to the core, born in the saddle and raised in the alley of a barn; but that never stopped her from putting her mom’s dresses, heels and all the jewelry she could find. In college, Janzen fell in love with photography; a passion that she has since turned into a full-time business. Janzen also maintains her own western fashion blog, Rodeo Vogue, where she covers morning slack outfits, high fashion photo shoots and everything in between.

Erin McEndree writer Erin is a freelance writer as well as a Life Purpose Coach for women. She is passionate about telling people’s stories. Through those stories, she helps women understand, accept and share theirs to heal and help others heal in similar situations. She is married to Darryl and they have two teenage children. She has been writing and speaking using a Biblical perspective since her children were tiny. Last year, God pushed her into Life Coaching and she has grown in abundance by stepping into her purpose. You can find more info at www.steepedinpurpose.net or on her Facebook page at Erin E McEndree.

Tori Mortensen writer Tori is a Louisiana girl and a boy momma. She accidentally tripped and fell into writing as she was building a side business in health and wellness. When she’s not writing she enjoys assisting small to midsize companies with marketing, branding and growth strategies. She is a lover of all things southern, long baths, healthy living and good manners. She, her husband, Ky, and sons, Beck and Jett live in Brock. #GeauxEagles

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Lindsey Sullivan photogr a pher 5 years ago she took a giant leap of faith and started her photography business out of her home. She recently added freelance photography for multiple publishing companies to her portfolio. Even though she specializes in portrait photography, she truly enjoys picking up her camera every chance she gets. From the time she was 6 years old, her heart was set on capturing memories of her family and friends. She now happily lives in Weatherford with her husband Mark and 3 wonderful children. She runs her business with a great deal of passion, most importantly giving back to others. She loves being a part of her clients’ lives to capture an important moment in time, a moment that will hopefully be remembered forever through her images. “The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do.” -Andy Warhol

Erica Willis writer Erica Willis is a writer, speaker, and the founder of Believe Boldly ministries. Her passion for prayer has reached over 1,000 people across the globe through #theFives, a division of her ministry. Her first book, Believe Boldly: The Power of Simple, Confident Prayer to Unleash the Supernatural, is set for release February 2018. She has been married to her husband Joey for 13 years and they have two children, Tristan and Reese. She resides in Weatherford, TX.

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CACPC Has 112

PARKER COUNTY LIF ESTY LE

Your Back

P

By Erin E. McEndree Photos by Denim & Velvet Marketing + Design

arker County was the largest county in Texas without a Children’s Advocacy Center, but thanks to a tenacious group of professionals and community members, and months of planning, the facility is scheduled to open Fall 2017, ahead of the 2018 target. The 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization will help children who have been victims of sexual and serious physical abuse have a voice when they make a cry for help.

The center will also provide educational services to recognize and prevent such situations. “We are making Parker County kids a priority,” Jana Jordan, Investigator Supervisor for CPS, stated.

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A variety of professionals are needed to staff these delicate cases. A collaborative effort with CPS, Law Enforcement, Prosecution, medical and recovery services cover the whole child and non-offending family members from start to finish. “We realized kids were falling through the cracks and we needed to be more efficient,” Josh Pitman, Crimes Against Children Investigator, said. Previously, some of the services were being outsourced to Hood, Palo Pinto, or Tarrant County. Families’ unnecessary delays and long drives to provide important pieces of the puzzle that were not being provided locally. “One of the first steps is the forensic interview. We had to rely on neighboring counties’ resources.

We could not provide care until this screening was complete,” Josh said.

The forensic interview is a top priority for the CAC team to set in place. “We hope to have an interviewer in

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place by December,” Jeff Swain, Assistant District Attorney, said. During these interviews, CPS and Law Enforcement personnel watch from another room as conversations are conducted at the child-friendly center. “The center is less intimidating for the child than if it were conducted it at the police station where children could potentially see criminals,” Jeff said. “The interviewer is trained to not use leading questions, mirror what has been said for clarification and it is all age appropriate.” The immediate evaluation preserves the validity of the child’s outcry. The goal is for the child to only be interviewed once so they do not have to relive the traumatic experience over and over.

Training is essential for the multidisciplinary team being created. The CAC will provide many opportunities for training to improve knowledge and skills so prevention, investigation and prosecution can go as smoothly as possible.

The CAC is the first defense and exposure the child and families have after a traumatic event. “We believe other support groups, such as CASA, can benefit from the information CAC gathers in the initial interview,” Jana said.

“Our goal is to also provide much needed parent support groups, court preparation and counseling. We want to see the kids and families all the way through.” The CAC’s future vision is to provide onsite concealing for victims and their families. Until this goal is realized, they staff will provide resources where those continuing needs can be met. Helping families deal with and heal from their experiences is the goal for the members.

Starting an advocacy center is challenging. However, the committee did not set out to ‘recreate the wheel’. They have modeled the CAC of Parker County from other successful Texas Child Advocacy Centers. The vision and plan is great, but eventually funds have to be acquired to make it happen.

Fortunately, Sheriff Fowler approved funds from the Drug Forfeiture account to help with start-up costs. “It is like taking money away from the drug dealers and using it for the kids,” Jamie Guzman, Assistant County Attorney, said.

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The fund accelerated the set-up process and the committee was able to open earlier than expected. Grants are being applied for from the state to continue this new venture for Parker County. Fundraisers are also planned to help with the new agency. In June, the proceeds from the Daddy Daughter Dance at the Sheriff’s Posse went to help the committee solidify their vision. The CAC Board Members were also confirmed in June, made up of professionals from related agencies and community members.

Education is another piece of the puzzle. “With growth [of a town] comes more child abuse cases,” Dedra Vick, Program Development Chairperson, said. “Sheriff Fowler and Josh came to me and asked me to handle marketing and education.” Since 2016, Dedra, Jeff, Josh, Jana and Jamie have been getting the word out by speaking to groups and organizations such as the Lion’s Club, Rotary and local Chambers. Her mission is to help educate the public and create awareness of the upcoming launch of the CAC in Parker County. “Social media has also played a role to educate the public,” Dedra explained. “We have created a website and Facebook page for visibility.” Support from the community is greatly appreciated. Supplies and materials have been used for outreach in the community.

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“We are providing education for schools and the community. We want people to be pro-active and see the signs before the events occur."

– Jana Jordan

Prevention is part of the model also. “We are providing education for schools and the community,” Jana stated.

“We want people to be pro-active and see the signs before the events occur. We want to educate parents about how to be aware of dangerous situations. Online cyber bulling is also discussed.” The goal is to make students and the public aware and get so many people involved that the incidents are avoided when possible.

As a community member and treasurer, Deena Nichols is excited the committee is on track and even ahead of the timeline to open the CACPC. “I want [law enforcement and CPS] to have every possible help and simplify the process for our kids,” Deena said. The future of children and families is very important. The CAC hopes to help make a positive difference in the recovery, resiliency and long term mental health of people touched by traumatic events.

“Our goal is to strengthen families here. We want kids coming out better at 18 than they would have without us,” Jamie said. The forum the CAC creates with such a diverse variety of people to staff cases is the key to a successful outcome. They want children and families to know they have your back when it comes to sexual and physical abuse.

For more information, events and volunteer opportunities, goto the website at www.cacparkercounty.org or search the Facebook page at cacparkercounty. PCLS

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What’s

Par ke r Up, County?

Calendar of Events

AUGUST

16TH

25TH

Lunch & Latch Breastfeeding Support @ The Chiropractic Place

Storytime: Dog Gone It! @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

7TH

Storytime: Home Sweet Home @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

26TH

Teen Legion: Gamers’ Circle @ Weatherford Public Library | 2:30 pm

8TH Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

17TH Ladies’ Night Out @ Historic Downtown Weatherford Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm

Miracle League Fall Registration

28TH After School for Teens: Gamers’ Circle @ Weatherford Library | 4:00 pm

Concerts in the Park with Charley Crockett @ Heritage Park | 8:00 pm

29TH

Storytime: Just One More Story @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

18TH

Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

10TH

Storytime: Home Sweet Home @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

30TH

Summer Spectacular: Ice Cream Social @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

Planter Box Creation Crafting Class @ Back Home Bakery

Storytime: 26 Letters = Millions of Words @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm

19TH

Awana Begins @ Willow Park Baptist Church | 6:30 pm

11TH

Last Blast Before Class and Color Run @ Historic Downtown Weatherford

31ST

20TH

After School for Teens: Ex Libris @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

9TH

Cake Decorating @ Back Home Bakery Storytime: Just One More Story @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am Outdoor Expo @ Willow Park Baptist Church | 6:30 pm

12TH

Celebrate Recovery @ Willow Park Baptist Church | 7-9:00 pm Historic Downtown Weatherford Ladies’ Night Out

Kingdom Rally @ Heritage Park

21ST

“Oh La La” Sanctified Hope Fall Fashion Show @ Trinity Bible Church | 10:30 am

Trivia Night Hosted by Weatherford Public Library @ Antebellum Ale House | 6:30 pm

14TH

22ND

Veterans Employment and Benefits Fair @ Weatherford Public Library | 2:00 pm

Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

15TH

23RD

Diabetes Education @ Texas Health Willow Park

Storytime: Dog Gone It! @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

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Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm

SEPTEMBER

6TH Lunch & Latch Breastfeeding Support @ The Chiropractic Place Storytime: Splish, Splash, I Was Taking a Bath @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

7TH Wooden Sign Craft Class @ Back Home Bakery After School for Teens: WPL Tribe @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm Food Park Lounge Night @ Heritage Park | 6:00 pm

8TH 13th Annual PCSP Ranch Rodeo and Dance @ PCSP Grounds Storytime: Splish, Splash, I Was Taking a Bath @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

9TH Safe Sitter Class for Ages 11-16 @ Texas Health Willow Park | 9:00 am 13th Annual PCSP Ranch Rodeo and Dance @ PCSP Grounds

1ST

11TH

Storytime @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

After School for Teens: Gamers’ Circle @ Weatherford Library | 4:00 pm

2ND

12TH

Model Train Show @ Clark Gardens

Healthy Lifestyles Program Begins @ Texas Health Willow Park

5TH

Lunch and Learn with Cook Children’s Pediatrics @ Texas Health Willow Park | 11:30 pm

Diabetes Education @ Texas Health Willow Park

24TH

American Red Cross Blood Drive @ Weatherford Public Library | Noon

Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm

After School for Teens: Anime and Manga Club @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

PARKER COUNTY LIF ESTY LE

Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

13TH Storytime: Down on the Farm @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am Teen Writers’ Group @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

14TH After School for Teens: Ex Libris @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm Concerts in the Park with Bri Bagwell @ Heritage Park | 7:00 pm

15TH Storytime: Down on the Farm @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

16TH Cookie Decorating @ Back Home Bakery Scrabble Run @ Historic Downtown Weatherford | 12:00 pm Miracle League Fall Season Starts

18TH After School for Teens: Anime and Manga Club @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

Home Bakery Aledo Farmers Market @ Aledo Community Center | 3:00pm

26TH Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

27TH Storytime: Apple Picking Time @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

Storytime: Falling Leaves @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

21ST Open Crop Night @ Back Home Bakery After School for Teens: WPL Tribe @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm Ladies Night Out @ Historic Downtown Weatherford Concerts in the Park with Kody West @ Heritage Park | 7:00 pm Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm

22ND Storytime: Falling Leaves @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am 2nd Annual 1920’s Speakeasy Stroll @ Historic Downtown Weatherford | 7:00 pm

11TH

Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm

Teen Writers’ Group @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

29TH

12TH

Storytime: Apple Picking Time @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

Free Fishing @ Still Waters Retreat | 3:00 pm

First Monday Trade Days Kicks Off East Parker County Chamber Shot in the Dark Golf Tournament @ Squaw Creek Golf Course | 6:00 pm

30TH

OCTOBER 2ND After School for Teens: Anime and Manga Club @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

3RD Diabetes Education @ Texas Health Willow Park Free Fishing @ Still Waters Retreat | 3:00 pm Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

4TH Lunch & Latch Breastfeeding Support @ The Chiropractic Place Storytime: Dandy Dinosaurs @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am TCA Preview Day Free Fishing @ Still Waters Retreat | 3:00 pm Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm

23RD Cruisin’ the Bankhead Festival @ Bankhead Highway | 9:00 am

6TH

25TH

Storytime: Dandy Dinosaurs @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

21ST Miracle League Awards Day/Last Game Talking Tombstones “Case of Death” Tour @ Old City Greenwood Cemetery | 1:00 pm Aledo Fest @ Aledo Church of Christ Grounds | 1:00 pm Harvest Festival @ Historic Downtown Weatherford | Noon Movie in the Park @ Heritage Park Women to Women Mentoring @ Willow Park Baptist Church | 10:00 am

10TH

After School for Teens: Ex Libris @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

Read Across Texas Book Discussion @ Weatherford Public Library | 6:00 pm

Personalized Doormat Craft Class @ Back

After School for Teens: Gamers’ Circle @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

Walk to End Alzheimer’s @ Roger Williams Ballpark | 8:00 am

Lunch & Latch Breastfeeding Support @ The Chiropractic Place

A Matter of Balance Class Begins @ Texas Health Willow Park

28TH

Diabetes Education @ Texas Health Willow Park

20TH

9TH

Free Fishing @ Still Waters Retreat | 3:00 pm

LTC Class @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 9:00 am

Food Park Lounge Night @ Heritage Park | 6:00 pm

Safe Sitter Class for Ages 11-16 @ Texas Health Willow Park | 9:00 am

Teen Writers’ Group @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

19TH Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

7TH

After School for Teens: Ex Libris @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm

22ND Autumn Art Walk @ Chandor Gardens | 12:00 pm The Isaacs Concert @ Willow Park Baptist Church | 6:00 pm

23RD After School for Teens: Gamers’ Circle @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm New Member’s Reception @ Willow Park Baptist Church | 6:30 pm

24TH Free Fishing @ Still Waters Retreat | 3:00 pm

13TH The Pink Luncheon @ New River Fellowship Church | 11:30 am Storytime: Fire Safety @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

14TH Craft & Cork @ Gene Voyles Park | 6:30 pm

Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

25TH Storytime: Scary Things @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am Teen Writers’ Group @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

26TH

16TH After School for Teens: WPL Anime and Manga Club @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

Free Fishing @ Still Waters Retreat | 3:00 pm After School for Teens: Ex Libris @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm Ladies’ League @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 6:00 pm

17TH Diabetes Education @ Texas Health Willow Park Free Fishing @ Still Waters Retreat | 3:00 pm Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

18TH Lunch & Latch Breastfeeding Support @ The Chiropractic Place Storytime: This Little Piggy @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

19TH Free Fishing @ Still Waters Retreat | 3:00 pm After School for Teens: WPL Tribe @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm Ladies’ Night Out @ Historic Downtown Weatherford Ladies’ League @ Weatherford Public Library | 6:00 pm

Storytime: Scary Things @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

28TH Halloween Cookie Decorating @ Back Home Bakery

29TH Trunk or Treat @ Willow Park Baptist Church | 6:00 pm Goblins in the Garden @ Chandor Gardens | 12:00 pm

30TH After School for Teens: WPL Anime and Manga Club @ Weatherford Public Library | 4:00 pm

31ST Free Fishing @ Still Waters Retreat | 3:00 pm Ladies’ Night @ Lone Star Guns Gallery and Gear | 5:00 pm

20TH Storytime: This Little Piggy @ Weatherford Public Library | 10:30 am

T H E S KI N N Y F O R LO CA L WO MEN

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Index of Advertisers Addington & Associates................................................... 62

Lindsey Sullivan Photography........................................ 26

AirMedCare Network.........................................................110

Lone Star Guns Gallery....................................................103

All About Kids......................................................................110

Lone Star Medical Group....................................................5

Associated Well Services................................................. 82

Mike’s Westside Rental..................................................... 83

Back Home Bakery.............................................................. 111

North Texas Electric........................................................... 62

Bells Natural Stone..............................................................73

Optimum Healthcare..........................................................27

Beving Books......................................................................... 111

Painting with a Twist.........................................................103

Brock Cottage Flowers & Gifts...................................... 93

Paralegal Services of North Texas...............................103

Camp Gladiator...................................................................103

Parker County LifeStyle.................................................... 54

Carly Klassen, DDS............................................................. 67

PlainsCapital Bank.............................................................. 66

Clark Gardens.......................................................................... 2

Prather Insurance Agency................................................ 19

Clark Real Estate Group...................................................... 7

RedFin Pools......................................... Inside Front Cover

College Park Rehabilitation and Care Center............27

Resurge Clinic....................................................................... 66

Corner Stone West............................................................. 92

Still Waters Retreat Center..............................................110

Couts Christian Academy.................................................73

Teskey’s......................................................................................9

Denim & Velvet Marketing + Design............................. 111

Texas Health Hospital Willow Park............................... 45

Don Bell................................................................................... 51

The Chiropractic Place...................................................... 92

East Parker County Chamber of Commerce............ 50

The Design Center...............................................................37

Edward Jones - Mike Smith.............................................. 111

Trinity Christian Academy............................................... 83

Elder’s Pure Water..............................................................110

Vintage Car Museum & Event Center.......................... 93

Ernie’s Tire & Automotive................. Inside Back Cover

Weatherford Christian School........................................ 36

Facial Cosmetic and Surgical Center.................... 18, 55

Weatherford Cosmetic and Family Dentistry...........72

Farm Bureau........................................................................102

Weatherford OB/Gyn.......................................................102

First National Bank........................................... Back Cover

Weatherford Regional Medical Center...................5, 63

Fort Worth Billiards.............................................................72

White’s Funeral Home....................................................... 67

Galbreaith Pickard Funeral Home................................. 82

Whitney Chilton Photography........................................52

Goodwin Dental................................................................... 30

Williams Trew...........................................................................3

Hilltop Park Rehabilitation and Care Center..............27

Willow Park Baptist Church............................................ 28

Holiday Cleaners.................................................................102

Willow Park Rehabilitation and Care Center.............27

Jaimie Hill Photography................................................... 93

Wolfpack Services.............................................................102

Jerry’s Chevrolet..................................................................... 1

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