Vestavia Hills Magazine, April/May 2019

DECADES OF WESTERN MEMORIES • HEATHER HURT’S CLASSROOM • MARKET FRESH SEAFOOD RECIPES

TRAVEL THE WORLD 4 WORN PASSPORTS

PAIN + HOPE THE STORY BEHIND STORYTELLERS

APRIL/MAY 2019 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com Volume Three| Issue two $4.95

mountainside

MODERN

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We’re doing our small part to give the Cahaba Lily its day in the sun.

Meet Hyumenocallis coronaira, commonly known as the Cahaba lily.

Indigenous to the Cahaba River-one of the most biologically diverse waterways in the nation - its fragrant flowers first open at night, inviting pollination by the nocturnal sphinx moth. Each flower blooms and lasts for a single day before wilting.

Nearby, our North Shelby Wastewater Treatment Plant does its own small part in making the Cahaba so rich in diversity.

The water we return to the Cahaba is actually purer than the river water itself. And our recent $9 million upgrade to reduce the amount of phosphorous in the Cahaba helps cut down on deadly algal blooms that threaten many species.

At SouthWest Water Company, we also sponsor and volunteer with Adopt-A-Stream, cleaning up debris of all kinds that threatens the river’s most fragile ecosystems. Because we want the Cahaba lily, and the river, to have many more sunny days ahead.

To learn more, visit CleanerCahaba.info

2 April/May 2019

M O D E R N N E W B O R N + C H I L D + FA M I LY P O R T R A I T U R E INFOAPEPPERMINTPHOTO.COM | 205.807.6431 H E I R LO O M A L B U M S | A R C H I VA L Q UA L I T Y P O R T R A I T S

W W W . A P E P P E R M I N T P H O T O . C O M

FEATURES 52

THIS IS MY STORY A few moments of vulnerability can build community and break down walls. Here’s what that looks like for StoryTellers—and the countless women they have connected with.

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MARKET FRESH Add a pop of herbs and citrus to fresh seafood from our local markets with these recipes from a busy mom and recipe developer.

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TRAVEL BOLDLY How one family ditched the daily grind to travel around the world without a travel agent, trust fund or tour group.

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

With spring comes spring cleaning and more. Here’s your guide to home décor, organizing and other resources.

6 April/May 2019

PHOTO BY MARY FEHR

BUILDERS & BUYERS

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PHOTO BY STACY ALLEN

arts & culture

17 Press Charming: Jenny Barry’s Hand-Crafted Letterpress Prints 24 Five Questions For: American Idol Contestant Walker Burroughs

schools & sports

25 Collaborate & Listen: Inside Heather Hurt’s Central Classroom 32 Five Questions For: VHHS RISE Chairs + Co-Chairs

food

& drink

33 A Fond Farewell: Decades of Memories at Western Supermarket

home

& style

in every issue 6 Contributors 7 From the Editor 8 VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 9 #VestaviaHillsMag 10 The Question 11 The Guide 81 Out & About 86 Marketplace 88 My Vestavia Hills

39 Mountainside Modern: Tour the Allens’ Cahaba Heights Rancher 49 At Home: Muted Beauty 50 In Style: Denim is the New Black

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contributors EDITORIAL

Graham Brooks Stephen Dawkins Alec Etheredge Briana Harris Madoline Markham Keith McCoy Emily Sparacino Neal Wagner

CONTRIBUTORS

Stacy Allen Mallory Barry Jessica Clement Mary Fehr Amy Ferguson Madison Freeman Virginia Hornbuckle Harper Nichols Melanie Peeples Emma Simmons Joe Tankersley Lauren Ustad

DESIGN

Connor Bucy Jamie Dawkins Kate Green

MARKETING

Kristy Brown Kari George Rachel Henderson Daniel Holmes Rhett McCreight Kim McCulla Viridiana Romero Kerrie Thompson

ADMINISTRATION Hailey Dolbare Mary Jo Eskridge Katie McDowell Stacey Meadows Tim Prince

Stacy Allen, Photographer

Stacy has worked in the photo industry for over 10 years as a photo editor and prop stylist for several local and national magazines. She has been taking photos professionally since 2010 and specializes in family, interior and lifestyle photography. When she isn’t taking photos, you can find her traveling the U.S. with her husband and two children or right here in Alabama, fixing up her 1950s ranch home in Cahaba Heights. She is the talent behind Mountainside Photo as well as Mountainside Home, a lifestyle and home blog.

Madison Freeman, Stylist

Madison works as a clinical recruiter for Encompass Health and on the side is a fashion, home decor, travel and lifestyle blogger. To see all of her blog posts, visit insidemyopendoor.com or follow her on Instagram @mbbfreeman. In Madison’s free time, she loves to travel with her husband and spend time with their golden retriever, Luna.

Virginia Hornbuckle, Recipe Developer & Stylist

Virginia developed a love of cooking while growing up in Memphis, Tennessee. After graduating from The University of South Alabama, she went on to attend culinary school at Johnson and Wales University. In Birmingham she has worked in restaurants, opened her own catering company and wholesale bakery, and developed recipes and styled food for photos in the test kitchen for Hoffman Media. Now she is a full-time mom and part-time food stylist and blogger living in Vestavia. Check out her professional food styling at virginiahornbucklefoodstyling.com and follow her blog for recipes and fun food ideas at virginiahornbucklecooks.com.

Joe Tankersley, Photographer

Joe is a photographer based out of Birmingham. He is currently enrolled at Vestavia Hills High School and brands himself as peachytalk photography. Joe plans to study and continue his passion for photography and art.

Vestavia Hills Magazine is published bimonthly by Shelby County Newspapers Inc., P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051. Vestavia Hills Magazine is a registered trademark. All contents herein are the sole property of Shelby County Newspapers Inc. [the Publisher]. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written permission from the Publisher. Please address all correspondence (including but not limited to letters, story ideas and requests to reprint materials) to: Editor, Vestavia Hills Magazine, P.O. Box 947, Columbiana, AL 35051.

Vestavia Hills Magazine is mailed to select households throughout Vestavia Hills, and a limited number of free copies are available at local businesses. Please visit VestaviaHillsMagazine.com for a list of those locations. Subscriptions are available at a rate of $16.30 for one year by visiting VestaviaHillsMagazine.com or calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 532.

Advertising inquiries may be made by emailing advertise@vestaviahillsmagazine.com, or by calling (205) 669-3131, ext. 536.

8 April/May 2019

from the editor

R

ON THE COVER

Mountainside Modern

Stacy and Jerrod Allen have transformed their Cahaba Heights rancher with their minimalist style.

Photo by Cathrine Taylor Design by Kate Green

Robyn Kown and I speak the same language: the language of story.

No, we don’t write fiction (I’d rather read it). The key, instead, is reality, vulnerability and ownership. For Robyn and her team, that looks like encouraging a woman to share her life story with other women in the community around her through StoryTellers gatherings at her home, which later get shared on their podcast (read more about it in this issue). For me that looks like inviting a member of that same community to meet me for coffee or in the space where they spend most of their time, also to tell a story, this time related to their art or their home or whatever subject is at hand, and then I translate that into around 1,000 words that print in these pages.

My ultimate in life has always been the hour- (or hours-) long conversation. It’s how you know what’s really going on with a friend and what’s she’s thinking about, and how I unpack all the many thoughts I might not have realized were circulating so intensely in my head. It can make for a magical first or 923rd date with the right person, or a wondrously quick car ride across hundreds of miles. It’s how we step from pleasantries about the weather or frustrations of what our day looked like, to what life really means layers deeper.

These conversations were the bread and butter of my college years and the lengthy phone calls to catch up with friends in the years that followed. Then came husbands, babies and crazy schedules. And the conversations weren’t as long as they used to be. We only had space for the highlights in day-to-day life. These days we have to create spaces for the talks we used to have, to set down our phones and shut off the constant mental list making, and simply to listen, ask questions and allow another person to dig up what’s below the surface.

It’s also what happens on Friday mornings with StoryTellers. It’s what happened when I met Jenny Barry in her home letterpress studio, Stacy Allen in her Cahaba Heights home, recipe developer Virginia Hornbuckle at Metro Diner (RIP Metro Diner!), and Robyn herself at a wooden table with coffee mugs in hand. It’s what happened when writer Amy Ferguson sat down with the McIntyre family to talk about their international travels and when Emma Simmons met up with longtime Western employees before the store closed its doors for good.

And those are the conversations we let you in on in the pages that follow too.

As awesome as all of these stories are (somehow this issue turned out extra powerful to me), they are only a taste of the layers of depth in these hills around us. Happy storytelling to you! And please do send me any ideas you have for ones to share in our future issues.

madoline.markham@vestaviahillsmagazine.com

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 9

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com They are as delicious as they are beautiful! @reabakes -@annaharris618 via Instagram on “Icing by Design”

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE

PHOTO BY MALLORY BARRY

Vestavia Hills Events Not to Miss This Month What’s going on when and where? Find our full roundup of Vestavia’s best events online each month. vestaviahillsmagazine.com/category/events/ facebook.com/vestaviahillsmagazine

@vestaviahillsmag

@vestaviamag

Subscribe to our newsletter Get the latest on Vestavia events and happenings — plus our favorite pieces of local inspiration — delivered to your inbox monthly. Sign up at VestaviaHillsMagazine.com.

VOTE TODAY! VESTAVIA HILLS’

BEST VE

10 April/May 2019

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2019

IAH

ILLSMAG

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VOTING OPEN APRIL 1-15 Winners will be announced in the June/July 2019 issue of VESTAVIA HILLS MAGAZINE.

OM

VESTAVIAHILLSMAGAZINE.COM/BEST-VOTE

#VestaviaHillsMag

Tag us in your Vestavia Hills photos on Instagram, and we’ll pick our favorites to regram and publish on this page in each issue.

@mooseprintsbham Good vibes #vestaviahills #mooseprintsbham #bham #vestavia #dtgprinting

@struttinshowoffs International twirl CHAMPIONS! Our senior halftime and senior dance twirl teams placed FIRST place, and our junior dance twirl and junior dance team placed second INTERNATIONALLY! We are so proud of all of our girls for winning gold and silver this weekend!

@vestaviahillschoir @vcc_renovation Happy Day!!

Just Singin’, we are so proud of you all for sharing the gift and the joy that you have.

Thanks to @jotankersley for capturing this special moment and to the RISE team for giving us the opportunity to share.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 11

“ ” THE QUESTION

What one place in Vestavia Hills holds the most significant memories for you?

Walking up the aisle of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church with my wife, Gay Vinyard Caldwell, on March 9th, 1974.

Old Vestavia Hills Library: story times, sing-a-longs, science, crafts & summer reading program.

Wald Park and letting my kids spend their whole Saturday there watching their friends play baseball.

Waffle House on Columbiana Road — I’ve spent birthdays, holidays, late nights, and early mornings with family and friends in just about every booth and table.

-Dan Caldwell

-Ken Williamson

-Debra Lee Talbott

-Kunal Tiwari

Vestavia Country Club. We spent lots of days at the pool with cousins and had countless family dinners at the Nineteenth Hole.

Fond memories were made at Joe’s Ranch House during my childhood. It’s the first place I saw my parents dance.

The Sears. We drove all the way from Chilton County because there were some things that “you could only get at Sears.”

Parisian! It was the place to shop. Walking up the steps to the junior department.

Lots of memories going there with my mom.

-Paige Gross

-April Moon

12 April/May 2019

-Sharon Sorrell McMichael

-Tricia Mills Burris

THE GUIDE

VESTAVIA HILLS DOGWOOD LUNCHEON APRIL 6 Vestavia Country Club 11 a.m.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Vestavia Belles, so come out to celebrate at this this annual Vestavia Hills Beautification Board event. Ashley Lowe Nance, a former Belle, blogger and educator, will share about the history of the Belles and their fashion and memories over the years.

Tickets are $25 each until April 15. To purchase tickets contact Gina Henley at ghenley401@charter.net or 205-910-4837.

Photo by Jackson Ross VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 13

THE GUIDE WHAT TO DO IN VESTAVIA APRIL 6

APRIL 7-13 Poetry In Flight Butterfly Project For Kids Library in the Forest APRIL 10 Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Vestavia Hills Country Club 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

APRIL 16 Family Night- Animal Tales!

Library in the Forest 6 p.m. Dinner, 6:30-7:15 p.m.

Show

7th Annual Paul Meyers Golf Tournament Highland Park Golf Course 3 p.m. Registration, 4:30 p.m. Tee Off, 6:30 p.m. BBQ Dinner & Silent Auction This glow-in-the-dark golf game often appeals to young professionals who sometimes take the “Best Dressed Award” more seriously than the golf

MAY 30

scores. Plus, non-golfers are invited to join the party for a barbecue dinner, silent auction and live music. It’s all held in memory of Vestavia native Paul Meyers and honors some of the many issues that he deemed important. All proceeds benefit the Paul Meyers Medical Mission Trip to Haiti that annually serves more than 3,000 patients.

Summer Reading Kickoff with Roger Day Library in the Forest 10:30-11 a.m. & 6-7:15 p.m.

Come out for a concert by Roger Day to kick off summer reading.

All ages are welcome, and free Kona Ice will be served after the morning show. Mosquito Burritos will be served at 6 p.m.

14 April/May 2019

APRIL 16 Taste of the Heights Vestavia Elementary Cahaba Heights Gym 5:30 p.m.

APRIL 18 OLLI Presents: Crooks, Scoundrels and Other Politicians Library in the Forest 1:30-3 p.m.

APRIL 25 2019 Belle Presentation Vestavia Country Club APRIL 25 Friends of the Library Presents Artist Craigger Browne Library in the Forest 10-11:30 a.m.

APRIL 26 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament For Grades 6-12 Library in the Forest 4–5:30 p.m.

APRIL 27 Lego Wars (For Kids) Library in the Forest 11-11:45 a.m.

APRIL 28-30 Rise Against Hunger Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church

MAY 1 Makerspace for Adults: Cinco de Mayo Flowers 6:30-7:30 p.m.

MAY 4 Heights Hangout Heights Village/Cahaba Heights 2-7 p.m.

MAY 14 Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Vestavia Hills Country Club 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

MAY 15, 16, 20 Extended Library Hours + Exam Study Breaks For Grades 6-12 Library in the Forest 3, 5, & 7 p.m.

MAY 16 OLLI Presents: Classical Greece Library in the Forest 1:30-3 p.m.

APRIL 23

29th Annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast Vestavia Country Club 7 a.m. Buffet, 7:30 a.m.

Program In 1995, Micah McElveen broke his neck in a near-fatal surfing accident, and after recovering he picked up soccer since he couldn’t play football.

Later he’d travel to Africa and be broken by the extreme poverty he encountered—and was inspired to start Vapor Ministries. Come hear more of his story as city officials and neighbors alike gather to offer prayers for our world, country, state and city. Visit vestaviahills.org for tickets, which cost $20 each.

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THE GUIDE AROUND TOWN APRIL 12

RISE Day Vestavia Hills High School 4-11 p.m.

The community is invited for a day a fun and games, and fundraising for the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The evening includes a cancer survivor celebration reception/ walk, a remembrance ceremony, student bands and solo musical acts, food and activity booths, a kids zone and more. RISE is the successor of Relay for Life with a new focus on local ties to cancer research.

SCHOOLS

CHEER ON VHHS Cheerleaders took home trophies from the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championships in Orlando this spring, with the JV GameDay squad placing first and the Varsity Competition squad placing fourth. They are coached

by Melissa Caffey, Kim Whitten, Emily Hudson and Dee James.

APRIL 4-6 Alabama Auto Show BJCC Exhibition Halls APRIL 5-7 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Barber Motorsports Park APRIL 6-13 Birmingham Children’s Theatre Presents: Charlotte’s Web BJCC Concert Hall APRIL 10-14 Birmingham Barons vs.

Tennessee Smokies Regions Field APRIL 12-14 Samford & Samford’s Spring Awakening Virginia Samford Theatre APRIL 12-23 13 The Musical Red Mountain Theatre Company Cabaret Theatre APRIL 12-14 Birmingham Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale Brookwood Village Macy’s Upper Parking Lot APRIL 14 BHM26.2 Marathon, HalfMarathon, Team Relay and Fun Run Railroad Park APRIL 16 Anthony Ray Hinton, Tom and Marla Corts Distinguished Author Series Samford University Wright Center APRIL 20-24 Birmingham Barons vs. Jackson Generals Regions Field APRIL 26-27 Lebanese Food and Culture Festival St. Elias Maronite Church

16 April/May 2019

THE GUIDE APRIL 26-28 Magic City Art Connection Linn Park APRIL 26-28 Alabama Ballet Presents: Ovation BJCC Concert Hall APRIL 27-28 Junior League Bargain Bash 2567 John Hawkins Parkway, Hoover APRIL 27-MAY 12 Decorators’ ShowHouse 2019 Shuttle from Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church MAY 1-5 Birmingham Barons vs.

Chattanooga Regions Field MAY 8-12 Regions Tradition Greystone Golf & Country Club MAY 16-20 Birmingham Barons vs.

Mississippi Regions Field MAY 18 Live at the Lyric: John Paul White with special guest The Prescriptions Lyric Theatre MAY 18 Do Dah Day Caldwell and Rhodes Parks MAY 17-JUNE 2 Little Shop of Horrors Red Mountain Theatre Company Cabaret Theatre MAY 18-19 Great Southern Gun & Knife Show BJCC

NONPROFIT

THE POWER OF FILM The YWCA of Central Alabama has named Sunny Tillman of Sun Video its 2018 Jeana P. Hosch Woman of Valor Award Recipient. Sunny, who lives in Vestavia Hills, produced approximately 100 videos telling the stories of YW clients, and for more than 40 years has embodied the YW mission of empowering women and eliminating racism. Her career began in 1978 as an on-air radio talent in Tallahassee, Florida, and she later worked in the news department of WBRC-TV, for Alabama Power, and with her own video production company, Sun Video, all in Birmingham.

FEB. 23

Easter Egg-stravaganza City Hall Lawn 10:30 a.m.- noon The library’s annual egg drop will be promptly at 10:30 a.m. followed by all of the pictures with the Easter Bunny, crafts, snacks, lawn games and more surprises. It’s all geared for ages birth to first grade. The event has moved to City Hall this year, so there will be plenty of parking.

MAY 28-30 Birmingham Barons vs.

Montgomery Regions Field VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 17

THE GUIDE MAY 19

Opera Birmingham 40th Annual Vocal Competition Vestavia Country Club 6 p.m.

An elegant evening of wine and song is coming to Vestavia Country Club. Five finalists will take the stage to compete for more than $10,000 in cash prizes and a chance to star in an Opera Birmingham production. All reservations are required by May 10 for this black tie optional event.

APRIL 4

Freedom from Addiction Coalition Community Awareness Breakfast Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church 7:30 a.m. Breakfast, 8 a.m. Program Learn more about the current reality of the drug addiction epidemic and discover available pathways to recovery at this free breakfast. At the end of the program by Thomas P. Dooley PhD., representatives from local recovery providers will be available to speak privately with anyone who is there. The event is hosted by the mayors of Vestavia Hills, Homewood, Hoover and Mountain Brook

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&CULTURE

ARTS

PRESS CHARMING

Jenny Barry hand crafts letterpress prints on an 80-year-old press—and no two are ever the same.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY JOE TANKERSLEY VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 19

U

Unlike many Vestavia houses, Jenny Barry’s sits next to creek that rushes with so much water it often attracts kayakers, but perhaps its most unique feature is one you can’t see from the road. Just inside her basement door sits a 1,200-pound Vandercook printing press—a weight so colossal that she had to hire a company that moves safes for banks to transport it to her basement studio from a warehouse downtown where she used to store it. “I wish I had a counter on it,” she says. “It’s been 20 years (since I got it), so there are hundreds of thousands of impressions on it now.”

Over the years she’s crafted wedding invitations,

20 April/May 2019

birth announcements, party invitations and a next generation’s wedding invitations for her clients on the 2.5-by-7-foot press, which began its life in 1940 in Chicago, six decades before Jenny first saw it. The day we interviewed her for this article, she was finishing up miniature wedding program booklets she’d printed and tied with silk ribbon—in what’s become her signature look of her Press Charming brand that no doubt many guests have turned into keepsakes. “To this day the first time I pull one off the press, I get really excited,” she says.

At her desk adjacent to the press, Jenny flips

through the boxes of samples she’s completed over the years: a clean and classy architect’s 10-year anniversary celebration, colorful kids’ stationery, dainty trifold birth announcements. She stops at a wedding suite for an event set in Cashiers, North Carolina, that boasts greens and browns on soft white paper. Several others in her box are printed on double thick paper, a trend her clients keep selecting, and one Christmas card is on a luscious handmade paper with deckled edges from Spain that is so soft that it’s extra receptive to the imprint of the press. Tags for honey and chutney jars sit in her collection alongside stacks of business cards

with all forms of personality.

Over the past two decades, Jenny has worked with event planners from Dothan to New York City, rolling imprints onto wedding paper suites for both of Nick Saban’s children, Kristen and Nicholas, and menus and place cards for events for Gwyneth Paltrow. She’s been Venmo-ed a payment from actress Molly Sims and printed 60th birthday invitations for the wife of John Cleese of Monty Python fame. But most of her clients are simply people who value a hand-crafted invitation.

Lots of the rectangular papers in Jenny’s collection VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 21

“

Each one is like a little piece of art. It’s all been hand cranked, and each one is going to look just a little different.

”

-Jenny Barry

Jenny Barry prints on her Vandercook press in the basement studio of her Vestavia Hills home.

boast traditional designs, but she likes to switch it up with whimsical designs, or go for a modern, clean look too. Unique color splashes come into play with hand painting and watercolor baths, creating one-of-a-kind designs.

22 April/May 2019

It’s the same collection she brings out for clients to try to get a feel for what they gravitate to so she can capture their particular style in her design for them.

“They get what they want versus going to online vendors and picking something,” she says, noting

often people want to combine the styles they see, which you can’t do online. Hers is a more personal process that yields a unique product she hopes will set the tone for the event as guests pull it out of its envelope.

You might not be surprised to learn that Jenny has a Master of Fine Arts in Book Arts from the University of Alabama, where she delved into bookbinding, paper making, letterpress and more, but she always thought that would just be for fun and then she’d put her undergraduate business degree to use. As it turns out, though, she has found a way to use both skillsets.

When she got married a few years after finishing her MFA, Jenny decided to print her own invitations and hunted down a Vandercook press in Indianapolis that she transported back to Birmingham in a U-Haul. She got the rollers redone, set it up and printed her invitations. After the wedding, friends would ask who printed them, and then she started printing business cards—and the business took off from there.

Although she has done letterpress work full time in the past, these days Jenny, a runner aspiring to finish her first full marathon by the end of 2019, works about 20 hours a week on her press and spends another 30 working for Lululemon—coupling her passions for creativity and fitness.

What she didn’t know when she finished her MFA was that her timing sidestepping into the letterpress business was perfect as the art form was making a comeback in the early 2000s. After all it’s “cutting edge 15th century technology,” she jokes. Presses like her

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24 April/May 2019

Vandercook were what altered history when the Bible was printed for the first time, instead of hand scripted at a price only the wealthy could afford, making printed materials accessible to the masses. With the advent of slick offset printing technologies though, letterpress went out of fashion in the late ’60s. “Then it was frowned upon if you could see the impression in the paper,” Jenny explains, “but now that’s what people want—to have something handmade where you can see and feel the impression.”

In the age of emails and texts, the personalization of letterpress now is back in vogue. “I tell people if they want something that is flawless from one copy to the next and to be identical, then letterpress is not for you,” Jenny says.

The process starts with a conversation with her client about themes and colors. From there she designs with fonts and art on her computer just as a graphic designer would, only the final approved design is then printed onto a plates sensitive to UV light that will later roll onto paper on her Vandercook. Before that time comes though, Jenny orders paper from vendors and mixes ink herself with her Pantone guide.

Perhaps her strongest eye in the design process is for color.

Jenny’s designer friend tells her she can see colors and how they work together well, creating combinations people might not think to put together. Browns were on-trend in the past, but these days charcoal grey is king. She tends to favor greens and blues, and mauve has been more popular lately, both in her printing work and in the merchandise displays she sets up at Lululemon. Each color she uses requires separate printing plate and a separate pass through the printer, so the more colors, the more complex the printing job.

The most laborious part, she says, is setting up the plates and ink. From there it’s just hand cranking papers through, over and over and over again—a process so repetitive that Jenny has worn a hole in the carpet next to the press from walking back and forth so many times over the years.

She often outsources other crafts for a project like calligraphy and engraving (which is raised on the paper, whereas letterpress is impressed), coordinating a beautiful page of an end product.

And she can add custom envelope liners or postage stamps to the package too. At Christmas her daughter Mallory, a VHHS student, often helps her attach photos to cards.

Invitation etiquette has loosened up in recent years, Jenny says, but most of her clients want to follow it to a tee. Jenny will often advise them on what Emily Post says, stepping in to let them know that the wording, “request the honor of your presence” is only appropriate for a house of worship but that “request the pleasure of your company” is fitting for other settings. Inserts should be stacked with from smallest to largest, top to bottom, and tissue shouldn’t be used for letterpress since its original purpose was to blot ink from other forms of printing.

No matter what wording gets printed, Jenny finds each project that comes off her press equally exhilarating, even 20 years into her venture. “Each one is like a little piece of art,” she says. “It’s all been hand cranked, and each one is going to look just a little different.”

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ARTS & CULTURE

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

Walker Burroughs American Idol Contestant PHOTO BY DAVID WILLIAMSON/ABC

Colleen and David Burroughs’ living room near Liberty Park was packed on Sunday, March 3, with their son Walker’s friends from high school and church and college as he played Ben Folds’ “Love Like This”—plus an impromptu bit of a Lionel Richie song he’d listened to with his mom growing up—on his American Idol audition on ABC. Immediately the judges were telling him he was “top 10 material” and had a “super pro vibe.” Here’s what the 2017 VHHS graduate and Belmont music education major had to say about the experience. high school. I thought it was irrational to be the next Shawn Mendez. But now this show is helping me be able to find a language of confidence in myself and my skills and to say, “I am a good singer and I am proud of what I have done to accomplish that.” I don’t know where my opportunities will lead from this show, but I might want to pursue a What stands out most from your musical music career. More than anything it’s an opportunity to be a good male role model for experience at VHHS? What I loved the most was being in the a young guys who don’t want to fit into a box of cappella group Just Singin’ and singing super masculinity; I wish I had had someone “Hallelujah” on the video that went viral. I like that to look up to when I was younger. found this room off the side of the stairwell with good acoustics, and after a concert we What music might we find you listening got our close friends and family to get in to or playing?

I don’t listen to what I play and write. there and sang the song. We were all sobbing What I listen to is movie soundtracks and by the end of the song.

That’s one of my What was the American Idol audition jazz music, mostly modern jazz and pop jazz, favorite memories I have had musically. experience like? all things I want to emulate in my writing. I I never thought I would do a show like this play pop music and sometimes jazzHave you always wanted to be on until some friends gave me the idea. The influenced pop. You might hear some Stevie American Idol? audition was super terrifying. I saw everyone When I was a kid watching the show I Wonder, you might hear some jazzed-up in the holding room and was intimidated by everyone. I have equated self-confidence wanted to be on American Idol and become a versions of some Top 40 pop songs, maybe with arrogance my whole life, so I have a super star. Then I got passionate about being some Elton John. In high school I sang Jonas hard time having self confidence in my a choir director when I was drum major in Brothers because I know girls would like it.

How did you first get into music?

I took piano lessons, and I started playing guitar in third grade. My first performance was the Jason Mraz song “I am Yours” at my parents’ summer camp Passport’s talent show, and I played at talent shows and church events growing up. My elementary school music teacher at Liberty Park Ms. August pushed my sister and me into music before anyone else did. The VHHS high school band director Mr. Horton has been a wonderful mentor in my life; he’s the reason I am going down the life path I am because I want to be a teacher like him. The opportunities my choir directors presented to me were great too.

26 April/May 2019

musical skills sometimes. But I wasn’t super nervous when I started singing. Katy Perry said I was Top 10 material, which is a very bold statement. I was genuinely surprised by the positive feedback especially since I had convinced myself I would be one the worst people there that day.

SCHOOL

&SPORTS

COLLABORATE & LISTEN

Heather Hurt won the “Oscar” of teaching, so what’s it like to be in her fifth-grade class?

STORY BY MELANIE PEEPLES PHOTOS BY HARPER NICHOLS VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 27

Heather Hurt’s fifth-grade class poses for a picture in their classroom, which was also Hurt’s fifth-grade classroom.

I

It is a miserable, cold, rainy day at Vestavia Hills Elementary Central, and Heather Hurt is charged with teaching a room full of fifth graders to understand place value in numbers. But first, she has to get their attention. And keep it.

“Everybody grab a partner,” says Hurt, who won the Milken Educator Award last fall. Students look across their desks, trying valiantly to make sure they team up with a friend. This requires a little negotiation, and Hurt gives them a couple seconds to work it out.

“Point to your partner,” she adds, to make sure they’re all ready.

“Pointing is rude,” a boy proffers up, but Hurt

28 April/May 2019

does not take the bait.

“Yes, but in this case it’s okay,” she says, not letting things devolve into an etiquette discussion.

She keeps them moving, on task.

From time to time, a student loses focus, falls out of a chair or gets too chatty with a neighbor, and when that happens, she performs what educators refer to as a call and response. Many teachers say things like, “One, two, three, eyes on me!” and kids will respond, almost Pavlovian and in unison, by saying, “One, two, eyes on you!” It gets their attention.

But in Hurt’s class, the call and response is a little cooler. “Alright, stop!” she says, and the kids

Heather Hurt’s reacts upon discovering she was awarded the Milken Award at an assembly at Central in October 2018.

chant back, “Collaborate and listen!” Which, in case you’ve been asleep for the last 30 years, is the opening to Vanilla Ice’s hypnotic, “Ice Ice Baby,” the first hip-hop song to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. (Suffice it to say, it’s legendary.

And even kids today know it. And you’ll probably be humming the bass line all day now. You’re welcome. Dun-dun-dun, dunda-DUN-dun.)

And then everybody gets back to work.

Hurt teaches, math, science and social studies.

But she teaches it a LOT differently than the way you probably learned it. First, there’s the math.

Yes, they do teach fifth graders a different way to do long division than you and I (and the kids’

parents) probably learned. So, Hurt records her lessons and posts them online. “If they’re trying to do the standard algorithm at home, but we’re doing partial quotient here—most kids can’t make both (work).” It solves the problem of parents saying, “I don’t know how to do it that way. Just do it my way.”

But more than that, Hurt makes math fun. “Math is not fun for everybody,” she says, “but everybody can learn math.” Shortly after Valentine’s Day, instead of just doing their math problems on worksheets, Hurt decorated her classroom in red hearts and giant black Xs while the students were at P.E. and turned it into a game called Heartbreak VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 29

Heather points to her photo in a Central yearbook from when she was in fifth grade herself.

30 April/May 2019

THE MILKEN EDUCATOR AWARD

Teacher magazine calls it the Oscars of the Teaching world. For 30 years, the Milken Educator Awards have rewarded and inspired excellence in the world of education by honoring top educators around the country with $25,000 awards to be spent in any way they please. The Milken Educator Awards target early-to-mid career education professionals for their already impressive achievements and, more significantly, for the promise of what they will accomplish in the future.

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Heather Hurt is the only Alabama teacher to win the award this year. She says she’s looking forward to attending her first Milken Conference, and says she plans to spend part of the award paying the application fee to become a Nationally Board Certified teacher.

Hitman when they returned. “Because the Heartbreak Hitman had come and taken away all the love,” she explains, “and they had to figure out (by doing these math problems) who it was.”

When her class reads the Balloons Over Broadway, a book about the history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, they describe their own floats in an essay, and then design and build their own “floats” out of shoeboxes. But it doesn’t end there. The students program Lego robots to pull the floats down a school hallway for their own parade.

And they don’t just read about history, they live it. While learning about the Boston Tea Party, they role play with live actors via Skype at the Boston museum. Not content with that, Hurt has created the school’s first Colonial Days program, where students move between fifth-grade classrooms learning about colonial life and everything from ironworks to making candles.

Simply put, Hurt goes above and beyond. And it hasn’t taken her decades to create these activities. Hurt, who recently

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“

I truly believe that I was called to do this...it wasn’t an easy path to get here.

-Heater Hurt

32 April/May 2019

”

turned 40, has only been teaching for six years. She grew up in Vestavia, wanting to be a teacher her whole life, but took an indirect route getting here.

She graduated from Vestavia Hills High School in 1997, and went to the University of Alabama, declaring her major to be in education. But it didn’t stick. By the second semester she says something just didn’t feel right to her. She ended up graduating with a business degree and spent 10 years working as a realtor.

The pull to teach was always there, though. Even as a realtor she sought certification so that she could instruct other realtors.

And, when time allowed, she found herself helping her sisterin-law, who is a teacher, and was always telling her she’d missed her calling.

One day, Hurt realized it, too. But it wasn’t too late. So, at 33, with a 3-year-old and a six-month-old, she enrolled in graduate school at Samford University for a Master of Education. She hoped all along to get a job teaching an upper elementary grade. “Eleven-year-olds are my people,” she says, with a laugh.

Not only did she get an upper-elementary grade placement, but she got it at the very same school she attended as a child.

Even more, she was assigned the exact classroom she sat in as a fifth grader. Like magic. Like it was always meant to be.

“I truly believe that I was called to do this,” she says. “It wasn’t an easy path to get here. But I think that all my experiences in life…have built up to this point, (and) that I think affects my classroom in a positive way.”

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ARTS & CULTURE

5

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR

VHHS RISE Chairs + Co-Chairs PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

What was previously known as Relay for Life at Vestavia Hills High School now has a local community focus to fund cancer research under the new name RISE. As they gear up for RISE Day on April 12 (the whole community is invited for fun and festivities!), we talked with the Chairs Ben Barrentine and Mary Hanlon Hunton and Co-Chairs Avery Richardson and Douglas Thompson about being change agents. Donations for RISE can be made at uab.edu/vhhsrise.

How did Relay for Life transition to RISE? Ben: Last year in the Youth Leadership class we had a project to come up with a new name for Relay. (Our teacher) Ms. (Kym) Prewitt came up with RISE: Rebels Impact through Service and Engagement.

Mary Hanlon: We wanted to make the organization more local. We decided give to the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center since a lot of people in our community go there if they have cancer.

was a Relay chair, so it’s run in our family and I wanted to keep it going.

Mary Hanlon: This summer my aunt got cancer, and that’s when I got really involved.

undergoing treatment right now for cancer was there. It’s a reminder of why we are doing it, why I got painted green and it didn’t come off for three hours.

What moments from RISE Day stand What were your impressions of Relay out the most?

Douglas: At the end of the day each for Life when you were a freshman?

Avery: I think it was cool to see the year we all get together and have the entire school and community come closing ceremony to reveal how much together. As a freshman you didn’t really money we raised. It’s pretty emotional have a place (yet), but you had a place and cool to see how much money we with this fundraiser. Most people in raised.

Avery: The most indescribable part is Why did you personally want to get Vestavia have been affected by cancer in some way, so it’s a hopeful feeling to know the lighting ceremony when we have involved with this cause?

2,000 luminaries in honor or memory of Avery: My grandfather passed away we are making a change. someone who had cancer. They light up from cancer four years ago, and I wanted the track, and we all walk around.

One of your fundraising events this to see if I could make a difference in that Ben: The whole day you are bouncing spring was a Character Breakfast. What in any way. through the range of emotions. You have Douglas: My grandmother had breast was that like?

Douglas: We got more than 40 people the best time of your life and laugh with cancer and beat it, and my grandfather on RISE committees to dress up as a friends, and then you are crying over was a geneticist at UAB. So it’s cool to be superhero or princess. Ben was Prince stories about people’s struggles. Someone able to give back to UAB. Ben: Both my grandfather and my Charming, I was the Hulk, Avery was in our grade’s sister had cancer and talked grandmother died from cancer, and my Dorothy. You got to see all these kids about it, and it brought so many emotions uncle got it this summer. My older sister come together, and a little boy who is for us.

34 April/May 2019

&DRINK

FOOD

A FOND FAREWELL

As Western rides off into the sunset, its former employees reflect back on decades of memories within its walls.

PHOTOS AND STORY BY EMMA SIMMONS VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 35

After 70 years of serving Greater Birmingham, Western Supermarkets is closing up shop, for good. Word that the brand’s few last bastions, including its Rocky Ridge location, are closing and making way for new Publix stores came in January as online sales and “click and collect” services are refashioning the grocery industry. In fighting the good fight, the ‘50s holdover outlived its homegrown peer, Bruno’s, by more than a decade.

Some would chalk Western’s longevity up to having the best cuts in town, but the store’s tenacity through changing times is in larger part a testament of its employees’ commitment to customer service. After working for the grocery store for most of their lives, Western’s most seasoned employees, many of us would argue, are the linchpins to its success, the real reason regulars pop in nearly every day for something they “forgot.” Thankful for its long run, Western is riding off into the sunset. Now, with heavy hearts, but open minds, its veterans are saddling up for a new adventure, but not without taking memories of their Western years with them.

Western CEO Ken Hubbard

36 April/May 2019

Russell Taylor

Receiving Manager and Wine Consultant 34 years Judging from the way Russell Taylor and Produce Manager Jeff Cleckler get on nowadays, you’d never guess they were “almost blood enemies” at one time.

Fortunately for the longtime colleagues, their grievances eventually mellowed into mutual respect.

At some point after the receiving manager’s teambuilding skills ripened, he became a certified sommelier.

“There’s always more to learn, which was the main reason I went into the field. I came to the conclusion that it would be a never-ending story,” says the fasttalking history buff.

Western rewarded him with a spot as a wine consultant. “Russell is a jack-of-all-trades. He took it on himself to learn the wine business, and he does an excellent job. He became one of our two store consultants, doubling his duties,” Western CEO Ken Hubbard says.

Equally suited to the front and back end of the business, Russell’s not lacking in people skills. His advice? “Don’t make people feel awkward. If they’re not running away, it’s working.”

Looking back on his decades at the store, Russell is most grateful his hippie hair and flip-flops didn’t thwart his attempts at getting the new weekend girl’s digits, 34 years ago. “I never expected to meet my soul mate at Western. The best thing that’s come out of my entire career here would be Jennifer. As for the future, I have a 10-year plan. My instincts are to stick with what I know.”

Concheta Sloman Front End Manager 36 years Quick-witted and plainspoken, Concheta isn’t one to mess with.

As front end manager she had to be willing to put her foot down to keep things running smoothly.

But everyone knows she wouldn’t have been “in charge of customer service,” as her nametag stated, if she didn’t have a softer side.

“There’s a retirement community next door, and Concheta would take their orders and actually deliver their groceries. She did this on her own time just to help these folks,” recalls CEO Ken Hubbard.

When Concheta saw the need for a permanent floral designer, she took on the job and broke every record for Western’s annual plant sale, perturbing the owner of a nearby nursery. She was driven to excel, feeling beholden to do her best for the coworkers who’ve become more like family over the years.

“When I had difficulties in my personal life, these people just rallied around me and picked me up. You can’t put a price tag on that now,” Concheta says.

Concheta paid it forward, lending an ear to customers whose lives and struggles she vicariously experienced. She still couldn’t tell you their first names.

“Thirty-six years ago, somebody believed in me and gave me the opportunity to become who I am. I would not have missed this experience for anything in the world. I’ve been at several stores, and this community is by far the best. I’m going to miss everybody, but it’s not a total goodbye.”

David Bullock Market Manager 42 years There probably aren’t many wives who would tolerate a husband’s latenight chats with other women. But Mrs. Bullock was one of the rare few.

“They weren’t calling me. They were calling Western,” David Bullock explains.

David doesn’t believe in signs, the paper kind, at least. He’s a word-ofmouth kind-of guy, because he knows if it’s worth hearing about, it’ll get around.

He could rely on his customers, which make up half his contact list, to spread

the juicy news of upcoming warehouse sales. Occasionally during the backroom event, a new face would prompt an inquiry from nosy neighbors, “Y’all new to the area?” And more often than not, the answer was no. Folks familiar with David’s meats were often willing to drive more than half an hour for the right cut.

Savoring singular experiences, David aimed to widen his customers’ horizons through carefully placed special orders.

He ensured they were among the first

Southerners to lay eyes on a Tomahawk cut, a visually striking rib steak with an extremely long bone.

“Western’s always had some sort of niche that nobody else had,” says David.

And that’s why its unflaggingly loyal customers are so crestfallen at the revelation of its closure.

“They might be mad, because we’re closing. But they’re not mad at Western,” he says. “I’m still going to work a couple more years. I’ve got some irons in the fire.”

Jeff Cleckler Produce Manager 50 years Western has Jeff Cleckler to thank for having been one of the strongest produce retailers in the state. Since clocking in on his 14th birthday, he never looked back, sharing his skills along the way with staff who’ve gone on to become produce managers at other supermarkets.

Unlike his protégés, Jeff, the thirdlongest serving employee, couldn’t bear to leave. About five years ago when another company approached him with a higher paying offer, he begrudgingly

turned in his notice.

“I had my manager’s blessing, but I was having a hard time pulling the trigger. He didn’t have to try real hard to talk me out of it,” Jeff admits.

Ultimately, Jeff didn’t want to give up on a company that had empowered him throughout his career and personal adversities.

“They were there for me, like I was there for them,” says Jeff, who’s lived through the better part of Western’s

history.

When the produce pundit proved his knack for the buying side of the business, Western didn’t hesitate to hand him the reins.

“Working at a smaller place like this, you know your voice can be heard. It feels more like a family, and that’s why people are so sad that this is the end of Western’s story. I’d like to work three more years and then focus on my grandkids.”

&STYLE

HOME

MOUNTAINSIDE MODERN How Stacy and Jerrod Allen are brightening their Cahaba Heights rancher with minimalist DIY design.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM PHOTOS BY STACY ALLEN VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 41

S

Photo by Cathrine Taylor

Stacy and Jerrod Allen weren’t looking to buy a house in the summer of 2011 when Stacy drove through Cahaba Heights to look at the damage from the home wrecker of a tornado that had come through on April 27. As she drove up Mountainside Drive, she saw house after house that had been demolished or at least still had a tree on top of it—but not a midcentury ranch on the right hand side. And it was for sale. So Stacy called up Jerrod and told him she wanted him to come look at it. His reaction? “Are you crazy?” But lo and behold they got a good deal on the home and sealed the deal in August.

Over the next eight years, the street has come back to life and thrived just as the aesthetic inside their home has. “It wasn’t necessarily modern at the time, but it had the midcentury ranch style I knew we could work with,” Stacy says. “We knew we could come in and finish out the inside to be modern, and it would make sense in this house.”

After all, a shared interest in modern design was part of what first drew Stacy to Jerrod. He’d been renovating a 600-square-foot condo in Southside with

42 April/May 2019

a modern aesthetic when they first started dating. “It’s one of the things that really attracted me to him,” she says. Over the years, Stacy, a photographer, and Jerrod, an industrial designer, have tackled one renovation project at a time in the home, acting as their own architect and interior designer with the minimalist Scandinavian style that inspires them. “I have the crazy ideas, and he figures out how to do them for cheap,” Stacy says.

And for them design isn’t just a private affair. “It’s a huge compliment when people see something we’ve done and do the same thing,” Stacy says, noting the reactions she gets from readers about their projects on her blog mtnsidehome.com. “I want people who like modern design to feel like they have access to it, and that it’s not just for the wealthy.”

This design philosophy the Allens hold to is perhaps best summed up in a quote from one of their favorite designers Ben Uyeda: “Design is a path to creating access to things we otherwise couldn’t afford.” And sometimes that access comes at a place and time you hadn’t expected either.

Dining Room Stacy wanted a table with hairpin legs, so Jerrod made this table with reclaimed wood from Evolutia.

Behind it hangs a gallery wall Stacy made with Ikea frames with custom mattes from Matboard and More, for a fraction of the price of a similar set she’d seen from an online framer.

Each black frame displays a different picture from a camping trip the family took to Rocky Mountain National Park in 2017.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 43

Kitchen One of the first elements the Allens decided on for their kitchen renovation was walnut herringbone countertops, and lucky for them, Ikea had just added them to their product line at the time. Stacy wanted the space to be bright for photoshoots, so they selected white cabinets from Ikea with brass hardware they ordered from eBay and covered the floors in a 12-by-24-inch ceramic tile from Home Depot that resembles marble. Shiplap on the vent hood matches several walls in the kitchen and dining area—a design element the Allens used to add character to the box shapes in much of the house.

44 April/May 2019

Breakfast Bar Jerrod found this piece of live edge walnut in the shop of the architecture firm where he was working at the time, and finished it off for this eating space. Above it hang pendant lights made in Oregon by Cedar & Moss, Stacy’s favorite lighting vendor.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 45

Office Cabinet Vignette With an older home often comes uneven floors that make furniture look uneven too, so the Allens decided to hang this office storage area they fashioned from Ikea kitchen cabinets (opposite). Stacy’s tutorial on this “Ikea cabinet hack” is one of the most popular posts on her blog. “(Ikea cabinets) are like Legos,” she says. “They are great building blocks to start with and make our own.” The frames sitting atop the cabinets are from a collaboration Stacy did with Artifact Uprising and showcase her photography.

Office To make this space feel peaceful for Stacy when she works from home, she and Jerrod stripped down the previous wood paneling and brought in the same bright aesthetic from the rest of the house. “It’s important for me to have inspiring spaces to work in,” Stacy says. The floating shelves were made from cuts from the Ikea kitchen countertops used on the desk and floating storage unit in the room. The artwork adjacent to the sofa is by Amee Calloway and the light fixture above it is from Urban Outfitters.

46 April/May 2019

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 47

Shower Frame Stacy had seen a black frame shower wall like this one on modern design blogs, and Jerrod worked with a welder, powder coater and glass company to create their own version for a much lower price

48 April/May 2019

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Master Bathroom The Allens added this space onto the back of their master bedroom. “If we were to start from scratch, that’s what our spaces would look like with the high ceilings and all the natural light,” Stacy says. After years of sharing one bathroom with four people, they were sure to add his and hers sinks on top of Ikea cabinets with leather pulls. The pendants above the sink are from West Elm, and the fixtures and sink are from EFaucets.

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Boy’s Room The Allens’ son Jude wanted a “cool room too,” and Stacy had been wanting to put black shiplap on a wall and decided to make it his Christmas present. Jerrod was too busy at work at the time to do it, so he brought home the wood and Stacy installed and painted all the shiplap herself and Jerrod’s dad Tim helped make the cuts.

To the left of the bed sits a stool Jerrod and Jude made using only concrete, a bucket and dowels based on a tutorial from one of their favorite designers Ben Uyeda.

50 April/May 2019

BEHIND THE SCENES Office & Breakfast Bar

Lighting: Cedar & Moss Office Paint: Sherwin-

Williams Alabaster White

Kitchen Cabinets: IKEA Sektion in Vettige White

Office Storage: Ikea Sektion Cabinets in KUNGSBACKA

Bathroom Lighting and Pendant Over Kitchen Sink: West Elm

Kitchen Faucet: Delta Trinsic in Brilliance Champagne Bronze Office Artwork: Amee Calloway Art

AT HOME

MUTED BEAUTY

Although I do not base my designs around trends, one of the biggest trends of 2019 I can get behind is the use of muted tones. The earthy natural colors bring a subtle hint of color that makes a room feel refreshing. Add them to your existing decor with throws, toss pillows, rugs and accessories. With their soft tones you don’t have to be afraid to mix patterns, like a traditional herringbone throw with a geometric printed pillow, and to layer textures with woven baskets, wool rugs and fun decorative accents.

Photo & Text

By Jessica Clement of JMC Studio

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1. Small Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree- Leaf & Petal, $75. 2. Charcoal Herringbone Throw- Chickadee, $98. 3. Printed Toss Pillow- Chickadee, $95.

4. Staccato Gumball- Chickadee, $92. 5. Gold Rim Abstract Wavy Bowl- Chickadee, $42. 6. Anatolia Rug- Chickadee, $1,200.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 51

IN STYLE

denim IS THE NEW BLACK

BY MADISON FREEMAN PHOTOS BY LAUREN USTAD

1

2

LOOK 1

3 1. HALF MOON GOLD AND WHITE EARRINGS GiGi’s Teen | $12

5

2. CHRYSTIE ST TOP Blues will be big this spring, and we love this dotted top.

Manhattan South | $159

3. SKINNY STRIPE JEAN

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A stripe down the side of jeans is really in right now. The quality is out of this world.

Manhattan South | $199

4. GOLD AND WHITE BANGLE BRACELET GiGi’s Teen | $12

5. THICK LEATHER BELT A belt helps bring a casual denim look together.

Manhattan South | $60+

6 Madison is a local fashion, home decor, travel and lifestyle blogger opening her door up for you on insidemyopendoor.com.

52 April/May 2019

6. BEIGE RUBBER BUTTON SLIP SANDAL These transition shoes will match almost everything in your closet.

Serendipity Boutique | $89

1. SEAS BEADED WHITE EARRINGS

1

Serendipity Boutique | $22

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2. GENTLE FAWN TASHA SWEATER It can be cold some spring days, so it’s good to have a good light knit sweater like this one in Peach Bloom to save the day.

Manhattan South | $119

3. HEPBURN HIGH ROSE WIDE LEG JEANS Different styles of jeans will be big this season, but mom jeans are here to stay. And they are comfy to boot!

Manhattan South | $199

3

4. WHITE LEATHER CLUTCH This white bag screams spring and adds a perfect pop of white to the ensemble.

Manhattan South | $100+

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5. SUEDE STRAP SHOE WITH BUCKLE Comfortable yet stylish, these shoes will have you strutting into spring.

Serendipity Boutique | $134

LOOK 2 5

SPRING MUST HAVES 1. RIBBON HAIR TIES GiGi’s Teen | $12

1

3

2. SPECKLED WHITE EARRINGS GiGi’s Teen | $12 Leather

3. FEATHER BRACELET Serendipity Boutique | $19

2

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 53

A FEW MOMENTS OF VULNERABILITY CAN BUILD COMMUNITY AND BREAK DOWN WALLS. HERE’S WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FOR STORYTELLERS—AND THE COUNTLESS WOMEN THEY HAVE CONNECTED WITH.

BY MADOLINE MARKHAM | PHOTOS BY MARY FEHR 54 April/May 2019

It’s pouring down rain on Friday morning as we turn off Highway 31 and wind behind Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church, but the weather hasn’t deterred a long line of cars from parking outside Robyn Kown’s house. We walk inside to find women all over her kitchen chatting or starting to find a seat in one of the many chairs

squeezed around the perimeter of the living room whose picture windows overlook Vestavia Lake.

They’ve all come here for one purpose: to hear a story. Not a fairy tale where prince charming arrives and everything works out perfectly, but a real life story of pain and of hope, told by a woman they likely pass at the grocery store or the carpool VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 55

STORY TIME Here’s how to engage with the stories of StoryTellers. uATTEND MORNINGS

ON

FRIDAY

holds a few couples events in the evenings. Find more

StoryTellers meets on Friday

information

mornings at 2113 Vestavia

storytellerslive.org.

Lake Drive in the spring and fall semesters. Doors open at 9:15 a.m., and the program

on

those

at

uLISTEN TO THE PODCAST Search

for

“StoryTellers

starts at 9:30 and ends by

Live”

10:30 a.m. Find a full schedule

storytellerslive.org.

on

iTunes

or

visit

at storytellerslive.org.

You can follow StoryTellers for uATTEND IN THE SUMMER

In the summer StoryTellers

line. This is StoryTellers.

If you come to one of their events, you’ll likely meet Sarah Beth Hagler, whose story was the first to make it on the StoryTellers podcast. A widow with young children, she had moved to Vestavia from Auburn to marry Vestavia native Clay Hagler in 2016. She knew people in the community had heard bits and pieces of her story, but one Friday morning she put it all together for anyone who wanted to hear, with hopes of connecting with women on a deeper level.

“There is this real freedom that comes when you just lay it out there, in being real vulnerable and letting people get to know me and all of me,” she says of the experience. “There is so much power in remembering how good God has been and how faithful he has been in bringing us to today, even if the story is still being written.”

And indeed her story has continued from the day she shared as she has connected with other widows and now gets to “love on and pray for and support” other women walking through hard times in life through StoryTellers. “I got in touch with many widows after that to meet with them for lunch or coffee to say I have been in their shoes,” Sarah Beth says. “It’s so powerful to be connected with people whose stories are very similar.”

The story of StoryTellers started a few years ago with an idea Robyn had to have a different person in her church small group tell their story each week when they met. “These were friends that I 56 April/May 2019

updates on social media at @storytellerslive.

knew, not strangers, but every single week the stories people told (revealed) totally different things that we didn’t know about people,” Robyn recalls. “I was like, ‘How did we not know that?’”

From there the concept grew from small group to a community-wide point of connection and beyond. “We had the idea of a woman sharing her story, being vulnerable and being real and open, and for other women to go, ‘Me too!’ or if they have been through something like that (to say), ‘I can deal with what I am going through,’” Robyn says.

The vision was for it to be a Christian faith-based time of sharing, but not take place in a church.

Instead, it would be somewhere in the community where all people would be free to come hear “stories of God’s goodness and his love.” From there one friend after another caught Robyn’s vision and began to spread the word to come to Robyn’s house to hear a story starting in the fall of 2017.

The first week 75 women showed up. “Well that’s not a small group,” Robyn thought. But she still had no idea of what was to come as women gathered at her home each Friday morning. Her friend Kelley Brown had bought a $20 microphone off of Amazon and taught herself how to edit podcasts of the stories, and they posted them on SoundCloud so people’s friends could listen in.

From there it picked up even more steam. Some weeks 20 women would show up, and others 100 would somehow squeeze into her home.

The StoryTellers leadership team stands in front of Robyn’s house where they meet on Friday mornings. Pictured are Kelley Brown, Dawn Curtis, Sarah Beth Hagler, Robyn Kown, Lindy Walker and Amanda Blount.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 57

Stacy Brown shares her story of striving for perfection at StoryTellers in February.

58 April/May 2019

Today a team of six is behind the weekly storytelling sessions, and countless more women than they have met have listened in to the podcast on iTunes. “It kind of blows our minds that people want to listen,” Robyn says. But one thing is certain: women are drawn to this form of storytelling, so much so that they have helped launch StoryTellers groups in Auburn and now one on Highway 280.

They have also heard interest in men’s groups starting.

“This thing went way farther than we thought it would, and there’s still room to grow,” Robyn says.

“Often it’s women we see everywhere and we’ve always wondered what their story is or what they are about. We have found it really builds community and breaks down walls, and people walk away knowing they are loved.”

The stories don’t end with Friday mornings and podcasts either. Everyone who shares later gets calls from others going through what they are going through and want to talk about it, be it chronic pain or loss of a parent or perfectionism or everyday life stress. “That’s what my house feels like all the time, and now I don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed,” they often say. “It’s a real deal and now I have someone I can talk to about it.”

Even the preparation process is meaningful for the storyteller herself. Robyn meets with each woman a few weeks before she shares and encourages her to write a timeline of her life to help gain better perspective on it. “A lot of people know what their turning point is, but some people don’t know, even if you do know your story,” she says.

“A lot of times people have never sat down and thought through what God has done in their story.

A large majority of the people knew all these instances, but they didn’t see how God loved them through it.”

And so that’s what Robyn coaches women to share. “We are not TED talks, you are not a

professional,” she will tell them. “We just care that you know your story and know it well. It’s not about presentation or how many times you say ‘mmm’ or if you read it. We just care that your heart comes across.”

And each time Robyn is blown away. “People are so brave to share their stories of their husband’s addiction or the loss of a child or ADHD or losing your parents or alopecia. People are brave to tell you how they feel,” she says. “One friend’s husband walked through addiction, and she tells a story about throwing a laundry basket at his head. When you tell people you were crazy and this situation made you insane, people relate because then they don’t feel so bad about their own crazy. And then they say look at what God did to redeem the crazy and the marriage, and other people feel safe.”

Today that friend and her husband are counseling couples who are walking through addiction. And support groups have started out of other stories too, for women who have lost a child, for moms of children with orthopedic medical needs, for women who have gone through a divorce. “You want the community and someone to walk beside you who knows what you are going through,” Robyn says.

As StoryTellers has grown, the team behind it has thought about expanding it to be a Birminghamwide event, but ultimately decided that would lose their local, casual tone—and the power of hearing stories of people you see everyday. Instead they hope that similar groups continue to form in neighboring communities.

So Friday mornings at Robyn’s house will continue to focus on connecting Vestavia women.

Even for Robyn, who grew up in Vestavia and went to Vestavia Elementary East just like both her mom and her kids, it’s made the people living around her take on new meaning. “I have never loved living in this community more than I do now because I feel so connected to so many people,” she says.

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MARKET FRESH RECIPES & TEXT BY VIRGINIA HORNBUCKLE | PHOTOS BY MARY FEHR

60 April/May 2019

Seafood has always been a favorite of mine.

Attending college on the Gulf Coast and culinary school in Charleston, I had the opportunity to try all types, playing with their versatile flavor combinations and textures. You can dress up a recipe with lobster and crab, or make it casual with fried shrimp or a huge crawfish boil. Dishes range from intricate, laborintensive French entrees to beautiful filets of fish in a rainbow of colors fresh from the Gulf, grilled simply with some olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.

Here in Vestavia the Gulf is never far away either with Snapper Grabber’s Land and Sea on Highway 31 or Sexton’s Seafood in Cahaba Heights. I’m reminded how unique of a treat it is to have these markets in our backyard when I visit my family back in Memphis— and pack a cooler of seafood to bring with me. Even in today’s world of overnight delivery, it is almost impossible or too costly to purchase really fresh

seafood in most of the mainland areas of the U.S. Add to that that we can go by Murphree’s Market for freshly shelled peas and The New York Butcher shop for an array of specialty cuts of meat, and we have access to some of the best quality ingredients in the Birmingham area right here in our own backyard.

Here are some recipes I developed using what I find in these markets—and knowing as a busy mom, I want something that is quick, delicious, and worth the expense and calories. They all feature the simplicity of fresh ingredients with a little extra sparkle: fresh herbs, citrus and good olive oil. I hope they provide a way for you to get your family to slow down and catch up with each other just like they do for mine.

Virginia posts fresh and simple recipes on her blog at virginiahornbucklecooks.com. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook at @virginiahornbucklecooks.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 61

GOLDEN TILE IN PAPILLOTE WITH VEGETABLES AND SOY BUTTER Makes 2 servings Preparation time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes

1 cup loosely packed sugar snap peas, blanched 1 cup loosely packed baby carrots, cut in half lengthwise ¼ cup fresh peas 2 tablespoons butter, melted 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon lime juice ½ teaspoon sugar 2 (6-ounce) filets Golden Tile, or other firm white fish 6 thin slices lime, seeded Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Tear off two 1 ½-foot rectangles of parchment paper. Fold paper in half, making a firm crease. Cut each square into a large heart. Place paper on rimmed baking sheet. Place half of sugar snap peas, carrots and peas on one side of crease in larger side (top) of heart. Repeat with remaining vegetable mixture and paper heart.

Whisk melted butter, soy sauce, lime juice and sugar in medium bowl. Spoon a fourth of it over vegetable mixture on each heart. Place fish filets on 62 April/May 2019

top of vegetable mixture. Spoon remaining soy butter mixture over fish. Layer lime slices over fish.

Fold opposite side of paper over fish and vegetables.

Starting from the round side of the heart, make a series of small upward folds and tucks, pressing firmly to seal. Work from round side to pointed side of heart, making small tucks and sealing as you go.

Bake for 20 minutes. Paper packets should puff.

Remove from baking sheet and place on plates.

Carefully cut top of paper to release steam and serve immediately.

BLANCH YOUR VEGGIES Blanching vegetables helps them to retain their color and is a great first step in the cooking process like for this papillote to help thicker vegetables cook evenly with thinner ones. To blanch vegetables: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Add vegetables to boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove vegetables from water and

place in an ice bath for 3 to 4 minutes or until chilled.

Remove from ice bath and place in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet if using later, or chop and serve as needed. If you are working with multiple vegetables, you can blanch clean vegetables in batches in the same boiling water, removing vegetables from water with tongs or slotted spoon.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 63

64 April/May 2019

SEARED SCALLOPS OVER SPRING VEGETABLE RISOTTO Makes approximately 4 to 6 servings Preparation time: 15 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons chopped green onion 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 cup Arborio rice 3 cups low sodium chicken broth ²/³ cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Gris (optional) 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup fresh peas, blanched 1 cup asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces and blanched 1 cup sliced baby zucchini 12 large sea scallops Zest and juice of 1 lemon, divided

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook green onion and garlic in olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes or until garlic begins to turn translucent. Add rice to garlic mixture, stirring well to coat with oil. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often.

Add 1 cup of chicken broth to rice, stirring to combine. Increase heat to medium. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until broth is almost absorbed, stirring often. Repeat in 1 cup increments with remaining broth. Add wine to rice (if using wine), cooking until absorbed.

Remove Dutch oven from heat. Add blanched peas, asparagus and zucchini, stirring to combine.

Add Parmesan, half of lemon juice and half of zest to rice mixture, stirring well. Cover to keep warm.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet.

Working in batches, cook scallops for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown, adding more olive oil if needed. Spoon risotto onto plate.

Top risotto with scallops and desired amount of lemon juice and zest.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 65

BBQ SHRIMP AND BACON OVER GOUDA GRITS Makes approximately 4 servings Preparation time: 10 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

1 cup stone-ground grits 4 cups low sodium chicken broth ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons butter 1 ½ cups grated Gouda cheese 4 strips bacon 16 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined ¼ cup barbecue sauce 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons chopped green onion Cook grits according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for water. Add butter, salt and pepper to cooked grits, stirring well. Add Gouda to grits, stirring to combine. Cover and keep warm.

Cook bacon over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet for 3 to 4 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate. Drain grease from skillet, reserving 1 tablespoon. Chop bacon.

Cook shrimp in reserved bacon grease in large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes per side or until shrimp turns pink and opaque and is fully cooked. Remove skillet from heat.

Pour barbecue sauce over shrimp, stirring to combine. Pour lemon juice over shrimp, stirring well.

Spoon grits onto plate. Top with shrimp mixture and chopped green onion. Top with desired amount of lemon juice and zest.

Stone-ground grits have the best texture, and I like McEwen and Sons that are milled just outside Birmingham. If you cannot find stoneground, you can use regular grits, but I would steer clear of instant or quick cooking for this application.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 67

BUTTERMILK CHIVE CAPER DRESSING

Makes approximately 1 ¼ cups Preparation time: 5 minutes ¾ cup whole buttermilk ½ cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons chopped chives 2 tablespoons chopped dill 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons nonpareil capers Combine buttermilk, mayonnaise, chives, dill, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Whisk well to combine. Add capers, stirring well.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.

68 April/May 2019

MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH CRAB CAKES Makes approximately 12 servings Preparation time: 15 minutes Chill time: 1 hour Cook time: 15 minutes

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked to remove shells 1 cup Panko bread crumbs 3 tablespoons chopped green onion ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided Combine crabmeat, panko breadcrumbs, green onion, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss gently with hands to combine. Pour cooled butter over crab meat mixture, tossing gently with hands to mix well.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Divide crab mixture evenly into 12 equal portions. Pat mixture firmly with hands to make a “cake.” Place cake on prepared baking sheet.

Repeat with remaining crab mixture.

Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. (It is important to chill them so that they stay together when cooking

since there are few binding agents in the crab cake.

There are no raw ingredients in crab cake. You are cooking crab cakes to brown and get a good crunch, not to cook through.)

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Place 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet. Working in batches, cook crab cakes for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown, adding more olive oil as needed so cakes do not stick.

Serve crab cakes over a bed of spring mix with Buttermilk Chive Caper Dressing or on their own with a squeeze of lemon.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 69

TRAVEL BOLDLY 70 April/May 2019

HOW ONE FAMILY DITCHED THE DAILY GRIND TO TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD WITHOUT A TRAVEL AGENT, TRUST FUND OR TOUR GROUP.

BY AMY FERGUSON | PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED | GRAPHICS BY KATE GREEN VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 71

The McIntyre family travelled to Deadvlei, Namibia in 2015.

72 April/May 2019

A

A once-in-a-lifetime retreat to the luxurious Maldives doesn’t have to the break the bank. Neither does a firstclass South African safari or a golden ticket to the world’s most insane New Year’s Eve party in Sydney, Australia.

All of these dream destinations (and far too many more) can be stamped into your passport by way of just an ordinary travel budget, if you heed the advice of local world traveler Kellie McIntyre. Just don’t ask her how to inexpensively pull off a trip to Antarctica.

“My whole deal is figuring out how to go on the most amazing adventures in the world for a reasonable amount of money,” Kellie explains. “But Antarctica has me completely stumped. I just cannot figure out how to do that one affordably.”

Kellie and her husband, Dale, who live in Liberty Park, are a couple of restless globetrotters who have visited 46 countries to date, 35 of those with their two daughters, Delaney and Riley. Along the way they have documented chronicles of their extraordinary adventures at 4 w o r np asspo r t s . co m , including the ridiculous story of the family’s detainment and deportation from China in 2013. The website also features trip ideas, budget tips and practical advice to help other families adapt their no-nonsense approach to world travel with their children.

“Traveling the globe with your kids is so much easier to do than most people realize, and there are far less expensive ways to do it than the glossy tourism brochures would have you think,” Kellie says. “Plus, it’s the greatest education your kids could ever receive.”

The thirst for international travel was rooted in the McIntyre family tree from the very beginning. Neither Kellie nor Dale grew up in families who travelled, but both were born with a wanderlust gene.

“Our mutual desire to travel abroad is definitely what initially attracted us to each other,” Dale says, but is also quick to add, “[Kellie] was pretty cute too.”

Two years into what is now a 22-year marriage, the

couple welcomed their first child into the world, a little girl named Delaney. But unlike most new parents who are sleep-deprived, overwhelmed and just trying to survive, Kellie and Dale were gearing up for their next trip. A newborn was not going to slow them down.

“We decided we weren’t going to let our desire to have children hold us back from traveling,” Kellie says. “It wasn’t easy traveling with her that young, but we did it.”

Baby Delaney began adding notches to her travel belt at only three months old when the family vacationed in Colorado and again at nine months old when the trio traveled to Puerto Rico. A year-and-a-half later, the couple’s second daughter, Riley, joined the family, and eventually, venturing far from home took on a different sort of importance as they worked in trips to coincide with the slow season in real estate (Dale is a partner at ARC Realty).

“Traveling gave us a break from the chaos of our suburban family life,” Kellie writes on the site’s blog. “Your kids only have one childhood, and we wanted our girls to have a childhood they’d never forget.”

In early 2012, the McIntyres found themselves in Cambodia, conversing with another American family who shared their love of international travel. But Kellie and Dale quickly learned that this family was on an entirely different travel level. They weren’t just traveling over the Christmas break; they were traveling for an entire year.

“Here we were, proud of ourselves for pulling off a 19day Thailand and Cambodia trip, but talking to them really opened our eyes to lots of things,” Dale says. “We realized that we could do that too. The only difference between them and us is that they stopped talking about it, and actually did it. And that’s when we decided to do the big trip.”

“Big trip” is honestly an understatement. In October 2013, the McIntyres shut off the water to their home, arranged for their mail to be forwarded to family members, setup a homeschooling regime for Delaney and VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 73

TIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL uOnly travel with other families if you have the

seasons (fall/winter) almost always offer cheaper

uWhen traveling with your kids, take them to the

uAlways check for travel warnings to confirm the

same travel style and if everyone gets along.

far away places—like Africa, Asia and Australia—

that would be difficult for them to do on their own when they get older.

uFrom both a cost-saving and storage standpoint, try to keep your souvenir purchases to a minimum.

(The McIntyres collect one Christmas ornament

per country … and maybe a shirt every now and then).

uIf you are going to be wearing a backpack for

the majority of your trip, be sure to test the weight of it beforehand. Walk around your neighborhood several times to be sure your back can handle the load.

uTurn the water off to your house if you are going to be gone for a long period of time.

uBe flexible with your travel dates. The off

Quito, Ecuador, 2018

74 April/May 2019

hotel and airfare rates.

area you plan to visit is safe. More importantly,

talk to travelers who are there and who have been there; they can give you the real world low-down. uConsider traveling independently as it leads to more unique and authentic experiences vs. traveling in a tour group. A tour group is only

going to show the best parts of a country, but if you are really trying to learn about a place’s

culture, then independent travel is the way to go. uRead books like memoirs and historical fiction about the places you are going.

uInstall the WhatsApp app and have anyone

that you want to stay in touch with do the same.

WhatsApp works no matter which SIM card or

carrier you use, making it the most popular way to stay in touch internationally.

Clockwise from top left: Hobbiton movie set, Matamata, New Zealand, 2014. Machu Picchu, Peru, 2012.

Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2013. Ubud, Bali, Indonesia, 2014

Riley (who were both in middle school at the time), and set off on a five-month excursion where they circumnavigated the globe. Riley, now 18 years old, can rattle off all 10 countries from that three-continent expedition like they are the ABCs: Iceland, England, Italy, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Bali and China.

While both girls are now thankful for their once-in-alifetime experiences, it definitely took some time for them to appreciate the incredible gift their parents had given them.

“When my parents informed me I would be skipping most

of eighth grade to travel the world, I threw the biggest tantrum,” Delaney, now 19, remembers. “I told them they were crazy, and that they had ruined my life. But of course, I ended up loving it.”

According to Kellie, the key to traveling long-term with your children is to take advantage of those middle school years. “Middle school is really your last chance,” Kellie explains. “Your kids are old enough to understand it, enjoy it, engage with it, remember it. High school is a whole different deal, because their grades are critical to getting into college.”

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 75

Although the McIntyres haven’t taken a multi-month long excursion since the “big trip,” they continue to tour the globe with smaller week-long trips and more. In February they returned from a seven-week itinerary that took them to India, the Maldives, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Cambodia (for the second time to visit the Killing Fields where collectively more than a million people were killed and buried – a part of history that Riley still cannot believe she didn’t learn about in school).

Though each stamp in their four worn passports represents a different adventure with its own unique story, they collectively can be tied to one truth.

“We always come back home with a strengthened love for the United States,” Kellie says. “We’ve seen poverty, witnessed unfair treatment of women, and been hours away from advanced healthcare, and it just makes us feel so incredibly fortunate to live in Birmingham, Alabama. We’ve been blessed with so much.”

As for the next trip, Dale has his sights set on Jordan and Israel to explore the birthplace of Christianity, while Kellie has Japan and Ethiopia on the brain. If the two can add these four stamps (or really any four) to their passport over the next year, Kellie, who turns the big 5-0 in August, could proudly say she’s visited 50 countries during her 50 years.

“I’m not sure if that will actually happen or not,” Kellie says. “But, it would be awesome.”

Taj Mahal, India, 2019

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When you choose Cahaba Glass Company, you are choosing a proven leader in the glass business.

Let us help you make your project shine!

DSLD Land Management Design Build Landscape 1178 Dunnavant Valley Rd • Birmingham, AL 35242 205-437-1012 • www.dsldland.com • dsldsocialmedia@gmail.com DSLD Land Management is a family owned and operated full service design/build landscape contractor serving the Birmingham area for over 30 years. DSLD welcomes projects of any scope and size, and stands ready to serve our clients with one of Alabama’s most credentialed professional staffs. We also employ a dedicated and experienced field service team with all requisite trades on board.

Full Service Landscaping: We take care of everything – landscape design, installation and construction. We strive to exceed your expectations. We achieve that through careful planning, setting clear expectations, and providing excellent all-inclusive service.

We Always Listen to You: We listen to you from initial consultation through build out. We understand that every customer has a unique area and ideas for creating an amazing outdoor space.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 81

BUILDERS AND BUYERS

Vulcan Pest Control 115 Commerce Drive • Pelham Alabama 35124 205.663.4200 • www.vulcantermite.com Protect your most valuable assets! Don’t let termites cause destruction on your property – get them gone quickly with professional termite pest control.

If you’re looking for the best termite company in Central Alabama you’ve found it. Vulcan’s Termite Division has over 120 years of combined experience providing commercial and home termite treatment.

Our staff works diligently to provide inspections and necessary reports in a timely manner so the stress of buying or selling your home is minimized.

Schedule your FREE termite inspection today!

One of our termite exterminators can evaluate the situation and suggest the best treatment method.

Holcombe Doors and Windows 120 Atchison Dr • Chelsea, AL 35043 205-509-4547 In 1993, Holcombe Doors and Windows opened our showroom to respond to the need for efficient and effective doors and windows. We offer assistance with the selection and proper installation of our products for residential and commercial renovations, additions and new construction projects. We install our products so we can take care of your project from start to finish.

Our main window and door lines are Sierra Pacific, Loewen and Kolbe. Windows are available in a wide variety of colors, configurations and materials. We also sell a high-end Poplar interior door and moulding line manufactured by Koetter Woodworking. Interior and exterior doors are available in a multitude of styles, sizes and finishes. Whether you are seeking products that are historically accurate, conventional, or contemporary, Holcombe is proud to be a part of your projects and to help you add to the value, comfort and security of your new or renovated home or business.

82 April/May 2019

New Showroom now Open

OUT & ABOUT

LIBRARY FUN

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PHOTOS BY MALLORY BARRY

Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest welcomed kids from the community to a Lego Wars program on Feb. 23 and a P.J. Storytime that takes places on Tuesday evenings.

1. Sofia and Valiry Mora 2. Maria and Ingrid Diaz 3. Mina and Euna Jo 4. Charlotte Browne

TASTE. SIP. REPEAT. Restaurants & Chefs, Wine, Craft Beer, Cocktails, Seminars & Special Tastings 22nd annual | April 27 & 28 | 12-3pm | Linn Park @ the 36th annual Magic City Art Connection

TICKETS: www.CorksandChefs.com

HOOVER’S VESTAVIA HILLS MOUNTAIN BROOK

HOMEWOOD LIFE

SHELBY LIVING VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 83

OUT & ABOUT

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CHARACTER BREAKFAST

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PHOTOS BY MALLORY BARRY

VHHS RISE invited the community to a breakfast filled with superheroes and princesses on Feb. 23. All funds raised go to the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.

1. Lawson, Celeste, Becka and Marshall Eppley 2. Burke Smith and Hannah Dellaccio

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3. Farheen Rahman 4. Andrea Rodriguez and Diego Melendez 5. Ben Barrentine, Mary Katherine Smyth and Rachel Bates 6. Dean, Sandy and Anna Mills 7. Jill, Jerod and Julianne Broom 8. Macey Lundstrom, Cy Powell and Gracie Yates 9. Stephanie, Wayne and Leighton Mello 10. Kim Shugart, Francie Harris and Lisa Hallum 11. Lindsey Watts, Frances Wheeler and Andie Rivera

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BARIATRIC HEALTH & WELLNESS

Do you need to lose a little or a lot ?

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Bariatric Health and Wellness offers a non surgical weight loss program that is easy to follow, customized for you, and affordable.

• Dr John Morgan has helped over 30,000+ people lose over 150,000 lbs.

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• Experienced Staff • On line protocol available If you are ready for a healthier body and mind, Bariatric Health and Wellness is for you!

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2017 Canyon Rd #17 Vestavia Hills 205-397-8856 bariatricdirect.com VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 85

OUT & ABOUT

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DINNER & DIAMONDS PHOTOS BY MADOLINE MARKHAM

Vestavia Hills City Schools Foundation held its annual night of dinner, entertainment and diamonds on Feb. 23 at Vestavia Country Club.

1. Katherine Taylor, Jason and Ashley Goetz, and Kellie and Lyle Box 2. Carrie and Luke Carrerasx 3. Amy and Jim Pattillo 4. Michelle Karney and Brandi Jones 5. Lee McKinnon, and Hunter and Erika Ponder 6. Whitney Tingle and Jenni Kime 7. Jason and Tiffany Vickers 8. Jay and Melinda Grayson, and Joy and Brian Brunson 9. Adam and Melissa Pierce, and Jenny and Brooks Ballentine 10. Rachel Stockard and Sloan Tinney

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OF THE SECRET Y • THE DYNAST STLING REBEL WRE

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• MAGIC CUBAN

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R 2017/ DECEMBE 2018 JANUARY m sMagazine.co VestaviaHill | Issue Three Volume One $4.95

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SPONSORS: PLATINUM: City of Birmingham This is Alabama GOLD: Birmingham Magazine Birmingham Mountain Radio 107.3fm Homewood Life Joe Piper Starnes Media SILVER: Bell Media Kinetic Communications

Image: John Lytle Wilson

BRONZE: Publix Super Markets Charities Encompass Health BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau Over the Mountain Journal Royal Cup

April 26-28

STEEL: Alabama State Council on the Arts & the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency Babypalooza Magazine Bancography Bham Now Birmingham Business Journal B-Metro Event Rentals Unlimited Excursions by CityVision Jefferson County Jemison Investment Company, Inc. LeafFilter North of Alabama Style Blueprint WBHM Public Radio 90.3fm Yarbrough Festival Foodservice

Linn Park, downtown Birmingham, Alabama www.magiccityart.com VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 87

MARKETPLACE

Marketplace Vestavia Hills Magazine • 205.669.3131

Acceptance Loan Company.

Personal Loans! Let us pay off your title loan!

224 Cahaba Valley Road, Pelham. 205-663-5821 Need appliance or air conditioner parts?

How about a water filter for your refrigerator?

We have it all at A-1 Appliance Parts!

Call 1-800-841-0312 www.A-1Appliance.com INDUSTRIAL ATHLETES $17.68 hour + production & safety $$$ incentives. Grocery order selection using electric pallet jacks & voice activated headsets.

Apply online at AGSOUTH.COM or call Charlie Seagle at (205) 808-4833 Pre-employment drug test required.

Grocery Store Merchandiser Experience required using planograms to set items in retail stores.

Must be physically fit, have reliable transportation & able to travel overnight at least 3 nights per week. $30,000 starting salary. Paid vacation & holidays. Blue Cross health & dental insurance. Matching 401k. Apply online at WWW.AGSOUTH.COM

88 April/May 2019

Automation Personnel Services Hiring IMMEDIATELY For: Automotive Assembly, General Labor, Production, Clerical, Machine Operator, Quality, Carpentry, Welder, Foundry.

Positions In: Calera, Clanton, Pelham, Bessemer, McCalla.

Walk-in applications accepted.

Clanton (205)280-0002.

Pelham (205)444-9774.

Bama Concrete Now Hiring: Diesel Mechanic 4 Years Minimum Experience.

CDL Preferred.

Competitive Pay. Great Benefits.

Apply in person: 2180 Hwy 87 Alabaster, 35007 Bent Creek Apartments.

Affordable 1 and 2 Bedroom. On-site Manager. On-site Maintenance.

3001 7th Street. North Clanton, AL 35045.

TDD#s: 800-548-2547(V) 800-548-2546(T/A) bentcreek@morrowapts. com Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm.

Equal Opportunity Provider/Employer Boise Cascade Now Hiring for Utility Positions. Starting pay $13.33/hour. Must be able to pass background screen. Please apply at www.bc.com

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com

Carroll Fulmer Now Hiring Class-A CDL Drivers. Over-the-road positions available. Dry vans. No hazmat. Must have one year over-theroad. Experience and a clean MVR. Competitive pay and bonus package.

Good home time.

Call 800-633-9710 ext. 2 DCH Health System Caring. For Life. $5,000 *Sign-on Bonus for full time RNs *For More Info Contact Annie.Miller@ dchsystem.com.

Apply online at: www.dchsystem.com

SEEKING SALESMAN FOR RUBBER & PLASTIC ITEMS. CALL TO APPLY 205-243-6661 $2000 SIGN ON BONUS NEW PAY SCALE TO QUALIFYING DRIVERS EVERGREEN TRANSPORT, is accepting applications for local drivers in the Calera and Leeds, AL, area. Must have Class A CDL, good driving record, 1 yr verifiable tractor trailer experience. Good pay and benefits.

Apply in person at 8278 Hwy 25 South, Calera, AL, or call for info 205-668-3316.

Now Hiring Heavy Equipment Operators and CDL Drivers Competitive pay and benefits.

Pre-employment drug test required

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer Call: 205-298-6799 or email us at: jtate@forestryenv.com Franklin Iron Works Now Hiring.

Grinders & Laborers.

Must apply in person: 146 Tommie Drive, Thorsby.

Mon-Fri. 10am-3pm.

DRIVERS Hanna Truck Lines is seeking Professional Flatbed Drivers. 53 cpm No surprises: Starting pay (all miles): 51 cpm, 52 cpm at 6 months, 53 cpm at 1 year. 100% Outbounds loads Pre-loaded & Tarped.

75% Inbound No Tarp.

Late Model Peterbilt Trucks. Air Ride Trailers.

Home weekends. Low cost BCBS Health & Dental Ins. Matching 401K. Qualifications: 18 months Class A CDL driving experience with 6 months flatbed; Applicants must meet all D.O.T. requirements.

Contact recruiting at 1-800-634-7315 or come

by HTL office at 1700 Boone Blvd, Northport. EOE Housing Authority of the Birmingham District Hiring: Homeownership LeasePurchase Facilitator Resident Services Coordinator-ROSS Human Resources Specialist Compliance Data Analysis Application Data Entry

Clerk Assistant Vice President of Housing Operations Director of Public Safety Custodian View complete description and apply at www.habd.org or 1826 3rd Avenue South Birmingham, Al 35233 NOW AVAILABLE LPN’s, RN’s 12 HOUR SHIFTS CNA’s Full-time & part-time. Apply in person: Hatley Health Care 300 Medical Center Drive Clanton, AL 35045 Health Services, Inc. Clanton Family Health 107 Medical Center Dr Clanton,AL 35045 Current Opening: •Patient Account Representative •Medical Assistant •LPN Unit Coordinator Industrial Coatings Group, Inc. is hiring experienced -Sandblasters -Industrial Painters - Helpers. Must be able to pass drug test and e-verify check.

Must be willing to travel.

Professional references required. Please send resume to: icgsecretary@ hotmail.com or call (205)688-9004 Owner Operators Wanting Dedicated Year Round Anniston, AL www.pull4klb.com

MARKETPLACE SHEETMETAL & MANUFACTURING HELP WANTED •Sheetmetal/Layout •Manufacturing Helpers •Sheetmetal Machinery Operators Multiple positions Paid holidays, typical shifts are 6:00am-2:30pm Must be reliable & on-time Call RICK: 205-644-9633 Need FREE help with your Medicare?

Call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) today at (800)AGE-LINE (800)-243-5463.

M&M Trucking Company hiring experienced trailer and tractor trailer drivers.

Minimum three years verifiable experience required. Tanker and dump experience a plus. Apply in person w/ MVR at M&M Trucking Company.

980 Lee Road.

Auburn, AL 36830.

Now Hiring!!

•Caregivers-ADL’s, assist with medications and some lifting 7am-3pm, 3pm-11pm, 11pm-7pm •Activity Director PartTime •Cooks-some 12/hr shifts Call Shay McNeal 205-620-2905 Marble Valley Manor.

Affordable 1 and 2 Bedroom Apartments for Elderly & Disabled.

Many on-site services!

2115 Motes Rd, Sylacauga.

256-245-6500 •TDD#s: 800-5482547(V) •800-548-2546(T/A).

Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm.

Equal Opportunity Provider/Employer

Are you a motivated professional? Are you looking for a dynamic career? Are you ready to control your own level of success? See why McKinnons’ is an exciting place to work and grow. Now accepting applications for Sales, Service, and Detail Shop. Apply with the receptionist.

205-755-3430 Shake up your career!!! Are you looking for something new and FUN? Milo’s is always looking for great managers to come join our growing and dynamic team. Apply online at miloshamburgers.com

Production Jobs.

Willing to Train. AAM in Columbiana is HIRING for multiple shifts.

Email resume to dcurtis@grede.com or apply in person: 130 Industrial Pkwy, Columbiana, AL 35051 NOW HIRING Class-A CDL Driver Must have clean driving record, two years experience Will train drivers on tank Drivers home nightly Contact Keith at: 205-438-4959

Montgomery Stockyard Drop Station at Gray & Son’s in Clanton. Call Lane at 205-389-4530. For other hauling arrangements, contact Wes in Harpersville 205-965-8657

Oxford Healthcare in Montgomery currently hiring certified CNA’s and/or Home Health aides in the Clanton, Marbury and Maplesville areas. Must be able to pass complete background check, have reliable transportation and have a strong work ethic. Serious inquires only. Call 334-409-0035 or apply on-line at www.Oxfordhealthcare. com

MOUNT HOME BUILDERS, INC. Build on your lot custom homes! Our plans or yours! Visit www.mounthomebuilder. com for price quotes and to see completed homes & homes under construction!

205-299-0114

HELP WANTED Small crown and bridge laboratory hiring experienced dental laboratory technicians.

Full/Part-time positions available: waxing, building model work, porcelain ceramist Contact: Bruce Osborn 205-664-8090

Mundo’s Masonry & More “Quality Guaranteed” •Brickwork•Stonework •Concrete•Fireplaces •Retaining Walls •Patio/Pathways •Driveways•Much More Serving Jefferson, Shelby & Chilton Counties FREE ESTIMATE! Call: 205-434-5783

Move in Special!

3/2 Garden Home w/ garage. Dishwasher, Fenced backyard, Great Room w/vaulted Ceiling.

Calera Schools. Rent $1150. FLAT SCREEN TV!! (205)433-9811 Southeastern Food Merchandisers NOW HIRING Class-A CDL Food Service

Delivery Drivers with 1 year experience!!! Pay & Benefits •Home daily •Schedules allow you to depart and return to same terminal daily •Dispatches are single day routes, nothing runs overnight or multiday! •Paid by weight delivered, miles, and stops •Drivers running single driver routes are earning $75,000$100,000 yearly! •Team and Helper routes are earning $65,000+ yearly What we offer in addition to route pay!

•Attendance/Accuracy bonuses •Wkly-pay w/ direct deposit •401(k) w/ company match, eligible after 6-months with quarterly enrollment •Blue Cross of AL health & dental insurance, company subsidized •Two different medical plans for Blue Cross depending on your needs •Vision Insurance, company subsidized •Basic Life and AD&D 100% employer paid •Company paid Short-Term Disability •Voluntary Life & AD&D also provided on post-tax basis for you, and your family Email resume: ofrye@southeasternfood. com Call:205-685-4534 Stellar Staffing, LLC Customer Service Is Our Passion NOW HIRING!!! Pelham • Calera • Alabaster • Clanton Starting pay: $10hr-$13hr • General Labor • Heavy Equipment Operator • Machine Operator • Crane Operator Please apply on-line: www.stellarstaffingllc. com Questions Call: 205-916-2860

CLOCK REPAIR SVS. * Setup * Repair * Maintenance. I can fix your Mother’s clock.

Alabaster/Pelham.

Call Stephen (205)663-2822 Electrician - FT Supreme Electric, local-based company in Pelham. Must be willing to learn & work hard. Go to: supremeelectric-al. com Print employment application under Contact Us. Mail to: Supreme Electric 231 Commerce Pkwy Pelham, AL 35124 or call 205-453-9327.

TaylorMade Transportation Hiring CDL Drivers for Flatbed Regional Division! BCBS Insurance After 30 Days.

To apply call: (334)366-2269 or email: s.smith@taylormadeinc. com Become a Dental Assistant in ONLY 8 WEEKS! Please visit our website capstonedentalassisting. com or call (205)561-8118 and get your career started!

White Oak Transportation is hiring CDL-A drivers in your area. Great Pay! Excellent Benefits! Visit our website www.whiteoaktrans.com for more information EOE-M/F/D/V

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 89

MY VESTAVIA HILLS Allison Youngblood

Vestavia Hills Elementary West PTO President + Mom of Two

Remember When

VHHS Homecoming I always looked forward to working on the class float with all my fellow classmates and being bused to Garland Drive and walking back to the high school! Walking as a school, next to friends was such a fun way to show school spirit. I also enjoyed the bonfire in the school parking lot.

Just My Style

Serendipity I enjoy shopping at Serendipity in Cahaba Heights because I always find what I need for a special occasion or for everyday wear. I give them my budget and what I like, and they love to take me out of my comfort zone to try new styles that I otherwise would not try!.

Greek to Me

Pappas’ Grill Their olive dip and grilled chicken Greek salad keep me returning. I love the local Greek flavor the family brings to their restaurant.

Play Time

McCallum Park This is such a great secret park tucked away off Rocky Ridge Road.

Walking in the creek or trails, fishing, and playing on the playground or the huge field are just a few of our favorite things to do—plus the bridge offers a perfect backdrop for family photos!

Light up the Night

Vestavia Hills Baptist Church The location of our church is an amazing backdrop for God to show off his amazing sunsets. On July 4th however, the parking lot and grassy area fill with families wanting to catch fireworks at Thunder on the Mountain.

90 April/May 2019

Celebrating over 60 years of serving you.

As a life-long Birmingham resident and a third generation working at Guin, I feel great pride and responsibility in carrying on the legacy of honest and hard work that my grandfather began over 60 years ago.

Family is very important to us, and we treat our customers with the same care and respect as members of our own family.

It would be a privilege to serve you.

Serving the Birmingham Area Since 1958

Air Conditioning • Heating • Plumbers • Generators • Sewers

205-595-4846 • guinservice.com Mention this ad to receive a free diagnostic service call.

VestaviaHillsMagazine.com 91

Come visit our new facility, including the new Spa Cahaba

2279 VALLEYDALE RD. SUITE 100 HOOVER, AL 35244

92 April/May 2019

Holly Gunn MD, FAAD