2 • Thursday, March 8, 2012
OPINION/CONTENTS
IN THIS ISSUE
MURPHY’S LAW
Long Story Short
Y
While other real estate companies were shutting their doors Henry Ray and Wilmer Poyner were opening theirs. Ray and Poyner Properties opened two years ago and the company is not only surviving, but flourishing. Also, see how a Hoover business is helping get houses ready to sell. See Home, page 22.
ON OTMJ.COM See before and after pictures from the Handeys’ home (Page 22) renovations. Browse through more photos from the area’s social events. Like us on Facebook for updates on what’s going on at the Journal
COMING MARCH 22
A Night Under the Big Top draws a large crowd, benefits Glenwood Autism and Behavioral Health Center.
IN THIS ISSUE ABOUT TOWN PEOPLE LIFE SOCIAL
4 8 10 12
NEW BUSINESS WEDDINGS SCHOOLS SPORTS
OVER THE MOUNTAIN
JOU RNAL
28 29 31 36
March 8, 2012
Publisher: Maury Wald Editor: Laura McAlister Features Writer: Donna Cornelius Office Manager: Christy Wald Editorial Assistant: Stacie Galbraith Sports: Lee Davis Contributors: Susan Murphy, Bones Long, Cary Estes, June Mathews, Emil Wald, Marvin Gentry Advertising Sales: Suzanne Wald, Julie Trammell Edwards, Tommy Wald Vol. 21, No. 5
OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL
Over The Mountain Journal is a suburban bi-weekly newspaper delivered to Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and North Shelby County areas. Subscriptions for The Journal are available for $24 yearly. Mail to: Over the Mountain Journal, P.O. Box 660502, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216. Phone: (205) 823-9646. E-mail the editorial department at editorial@otmj.com. E-mail our advertising department at ads@otmj.com. Find us on the Web at otmj.com. Copyright 2012 Over The Mountain Journal, Inc. All rights reserved. The Journal is not responsible for return of photos, copy and other unsolicited materials submitted. To have materials returned, please specify when submitting and provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All materials submitted are subject to editorial review and may be edited or declined without notification.
and splashes of lemon juice to bleach ep, it’s a new me. Not really. it in the sun. I’m the same as I was yesterSometime during my college day. It’s just that my previous years, I decided to get it cut, certainly picture was much older ... or younger, not to pixie length, but so it just sat depending on the way you look at it. on my shoulders. Looking back, it I asked our fearless OTMJ editor, was probably bad timing as it coincidLaura McAlister, if I could update my ed with my then-boyfriend Harold’s column photo after a couple of intrephippie rebellion phase. For a while id readers met me and said, “Funny, there, his hair was longer than mine. I thought you were younger.” Well, I It was also better behaved. No lonwas when the old picture was taken, ger weighed down with those excess so in the interest of truth in advertisinches, my hair started to wave. It ing, I decided to update to Murphy’s wrinkled. It twanged. Law 2.0. Harold cut his hair before we got And here it is. I’m more mature married, but I left mine the same. I now ... in some ways. My face has Sue Murphy wasn’t sure just what to do with it, more character (read: wrinkles). My and once we had children there hair is different, too, which is not My face has more wasn’t time to think about it anysurprising. You look at yourself in until the day I had a quarterthe mirror day after day and every character (read: wrin- way to-midlife crisis and decided to once in a while you want to see a kles). My hair is differ- have it cut into a shag. Then it new blow dry configuration. numerous lengths at numerWhen I look back through my ent, too, which is not was ous portions of my head, twanging family albums, it’s like hairstyle time-lapse photography. I started surprising. You look in all directions. I thought it was and daring until we moved out bald, no hair at all until I was at yourself in the mir- brave to Birmingham and the stylist said, almost two. When it finally started sprouting, my mom dealt with it ror day after day and “Honey, did you do this to yourfor a while with ribbons and barevery once in a while self?” So much for art. rettes, but somewhere around my Since then I’ve been on a fourth birthday she’d had enough you want to see a new hairstyle seesaw, a little shorter, a and took my sister and me down blow dry configuration. little longer, a little shorter, a little to the beauty shop, where Mabel longer, depending on whether I was slipped us under the pink plastic sick of it tickling the back of my poodle cape and gave us pixie cuts. neck or experiencing a painful pixie cut flashback. Trust me, there was nothing magical about these You’ve caught me during a tad longer phase. If you do’s. Our hair was so short that unless we were should see me out on the street with my ears in full dressed in ruffles and lace (which we seldom were), view, you’ll know that I’ve doubled back. If my hair there was always a question as to whether we were is even longer, it probably just means I haven’t taken boys or girls. Ladies stared. Kids just came right out time to call for a haircut appointment. If I’m wearing and asked. I hated it. a hat, I’m out of shampoo. As soon as I was in charge of my own hair, I let Long story short, I exist currently as pictured, older it grow ... and grow and grow until it hung limp and and hopefully wiser, still happy to be here talking to straight down the middle of my back. I didn’t do rollyou and grateful that you keep listening. Thanks. ❖ ers or headbands or clips, just a part down the middle
OVER THE MOUNTAIN VIEWS
What do you enjoy most about Girl Scouting?
“Girl Scout Cookies. They’re my favorite.” Grace Ellis Vestavia Hills
“We talk and sing a lot.” Margaret Patton Vestavia Hills
“I like having meetings. It’s fun getting to see your friends outside of school. They are like my second family.” Anne Kearney Patton Vestavia Hills
“You get to see your friends and learn stuff together.” Liddy East Vestavia Hills