85085 Magazine February 2019

FEBRUARY 2019

ARIZONA TRAVEL A TRIO OF VACATION DESTINATIONS A TASTE OF GREEK PITA

s r a t S r e b Cy Teenager Reese Meyer leads the way for locals making money off YouTube

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FEBRUARY 2019 | Volume 6 | Issue 2

Publisher Steve T. Strickbine steve@timespublications.com

features

20 24

Vice President Michael Hiatt mhiatt@timespublications.com

Arizona Travel

Executive Editor Niki D'Andrea ndandrea@timespublications.com

A trio of trips to take around the Grand Canyon State

Managing Editor Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Cyber Stars

Associate Editor Madison Rutherford

Local YouTubers launch careers with the click of a mouse

Graphic Designer Shannon Mead Contributors David Bowen, Kelly Collins, Christopher Elliott, Shannon Fisher, Heeya Ju, Kenneth LaFave, Shelley Sakala, Alison Stanton, Tara Storjohann, Teresa K. Traverse, Gerald A. Williams, Lauren Wise Editorial Interns Miranda Cyr, Olivia Munson Staff Writer Eric Newman

16

fresh

business

News

Spotlight

8

News Briefs

10

Development

Learning to Grow

12

26

Spotlight

Beauty

28

On the Rise

14

Smart Consumer

Saint Valentine

16

Gifts of Love

Close to Home

It's Getting Tasty up North!

18

Perspective

Injunction Junction

19

Events

Things to do in February

30 Family

85085 | FEBRUARY 2019

Botox Beware

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Body

Rest Stop Exercise

44

food

Brain Teasers

Recipe

Flourless Chocolate Cake

36

Restaurants

Marketing Director/ Social Media Manager Eric Twohey eric@85085magazine.com Production Manager Courtney Oldham Circulation

85085 Magazine sets high standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable manner. This issue was printed on recycled fibers containing 10% post consumer waste, and with inks containing a blend of soy base. Our printer is a certified member of the Forestry Stewardship Council, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, and additionally meets or exceeds all federal Resource Conservation Recovery Act standards

Ask the Pharmacist

Nutrition shakes: What you need to know

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Advertising sales@85085magazine.com (623) 299-4965

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30 Crafts

Sweet Sonoran-Style Dreams

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better

home

On Travel

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Trial Times

Schools

Pilot Program

34

28

Staff Photographers Kimberly Carrillo, Pablo Robles

46

Puzzles

47

Classifieds

85085 Magazine is published 12 times a year for full saturation distribution in Sonoran Foothills, Norterra, Fireside, Deer Valley Airpark, Dynamite Mountain Ranch, Carefree Crossing, Valley Vista, and Amber Hills. You can also pick up 85085 Magazine at many businesses including specialty shops, salons, spas, auto dealerships, libraries, children’s and women’s specialty shops, boutiques, restaurants, health clubs, hotels, medical offices, and many rack locations. Statements, opinions, and points of view express written consent by the writers and advertisers and are their own, and do not necessarily represent those of the publishers, editors, or 85085 Magazine staff. Although 85085 Magazine has made every effort to authenticate all claims and guarantee offers by advertisers in the magazine, we cannot assume liability for any products or services advertised herein. No part of 85085 Magazine can be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the express written consent of the publisher. Publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising matter at any time.

Postmaster: Please return all undeliverable copies to AIM, 1236 W. Southern Avenue, Ste 105, Tempe, AZ 85282.

Yearly subscriptions available; twelve issues mailed directly to your mailbox for $19.95 per year (within the U.S.). All rights reserved. ®2019 Affluent Publishing, LLC. Printed in the USA.

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“Tang of Cedar and Sage”

“Then the wind blew cool through the pinyons on the rim. There was a sweet tang of cedar and sage on the air and that indefinable fragrance peculiar to the canyon country of Arizona.” – Zane Grey Few writers have captured the landscapes of Arizona like Zane Grey. Many of his novels, including Riders of the Purple Sage, incited an interest in Arizona’s wild and untamed settings, and his vivid descriptions continue to bring travelers westward today.

Since this is our AZ Travel Issue, we’ve written about a trio of trips around Arizona for your readNiki D'Andrea ing pleasure. And while we’re no Zane Greys, we still Executive Editor invite you to come along as we explore the former ndandrea@timespublications.com mining boomtown of Bisbee, now an artists’ hamlet with ample bars and shops; the Main Street vibes of Cottonwood, which almost seems frozen in the ‘50s until you start sipping at any of the many modern wineries dotting the strip; and Flagstaff, where the dark skies and the dark beers are equally notable. The road trip begins on page 20.

Speaking of travel, we first became acquainted with 85085 resident Jason Yoder when he posted a video on the Norterra 85085 Facebook page, asking people to check out his travel video blog (vlog), which featured a recent trip to Thailand.

We thought it was pretty cool that there was someone in the area with their own video channel on YouTube. Then we found out that teenager Reese Meyer was also the star of her own YouTube channel – this one focusing on her fandom for pop culture things like Harry Potter. Learn about their paths to cyber stardom and see into their very different lives in our feature story, Cyber Stars (page 24).

Next month, we’ll be encouraging you to take some trips outside your door to enjoy all the festivals, spectator sports and outdoor activities in and around 85085, in our Outdoors Issue. Until then – happy trails!

On the cover: Reese Meyer. Photo by Kimberly Carrillo.

85085magazine.com

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85085 | FEBRUARY 2019

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NEWS

News Briefs New jobs available at DVUSD through resource-saving partnership

Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) is hiring classified substitutes for the positions of crossing guard, campus monitor, custodian and instructional assistant.

In conjunction with smartSchoolsplus, a Chandler-based talent manager for schools, DVUSD has established a partnership to meet the needs of the district more easily, by contracting all its certified substitutes through smartSchoolsplus. The program allows districts to save time and money on administrative work by contracting through smartSchoolsplus because they do all the background investigation and referencing for the district, according to their website.

Applications for substitute employment may be found and submitted through smartschoolsplus.com, where you can also find more information on their programs.

Deer Valley Airport acquires two new supervisory staff members

Deer Valley Airport has hired two new employees, Michael McKelvey and Deanna Dupree, for their supervisory team.

McKelvey has been hired as a night shift supervisor, where he is responsible for guiding the team to effectively accomplish maintenance activities that cannot occur during busy daytime operating hours. After working at five other airports in multiple states, McKelvey has an extensive background in airport operations.

Dupree has been hired as a supervisor for third shift and will be overseeing the safety and security of airport operations and her team’s machinery operations. She will be ensuring that the runways, taxiways and perimeter fence are inspected regularly.

She started her career as a communications dispatcher at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, and now has more than 15 years of experience.

For more information on Deer Valley Airport, visit deervalleyairport.com.

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Deer Valley Airport has acquired two new supervisory staff members. (Photo by Marine 69-71)

Starlight Community Theater holding auditions

The Starlight Community Theater will be holding auditions for three upcoming productions, which will staged from May to August.

Auditions for youths ages 7 to 19 for The Velveteen Rabbit, which will be performed May 3 to 19, will be held at 9 a.m. on March 2. Adults ages 16 and older can audition for Mamma Mia (which runs from July 19 to August 4) at 9 a.m. on May 18. Actors should be prepared to sing and do basic choreography.

Starlight Community Theater is located at 1611 W. Whispering Wind Drive in Phoenix. For more information and to find an audition form, visit starlightcommunitytheater.com.

Maricopa County forces join together to fight litter at Lake Pleasant

Three Maricopa County departments teamed up with a common goal to reduce the amount of trash and litter discarded at Lake Pleasant Regional Park during busy holidays.

The Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department, Maricopa County The Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department will give orange trash bags to each vehicle that enters Lake Pleasant Regional Park during holidays. (Photo special to 85085 magazine)

Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and Maricopa County Waste Resources and Recycling (WRR) Department have joined forces to ask park-goers to manage their own trash by giving out orange trash bags to each vehicle that enters the park during the Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day holiday periods. The orange trash bags are provided by MCDOT and additional dumpsters will be provided by WRR to account for the 8,000 visitors expected to visit Lake Pleasant Regional Park

during each holiday.

“During the summer months, the staff at Lake Pleasant Regional Park are always seeking volunteers to assist with litter collection along the roadway and inside the park,” said R.J. Cardin, Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Director. “While they make every effort to ask park visitors to ‘Leave No Trace’ and pack out what they’ve packed in, there is still an abundance of litter left behind.

By collaborating with MCDOT and Waste Resources and Recycling, we will have access to additional resources such as trash bags from distribution to park visitors, maps that highlight dumpster locations and additional dumpsters for trash collection.”

NAI Horizon closes $14 million and $4.7 million deals

Local branch NAI Horizon, of the international real estate brokerage firm NAI Global, recently closed deals totaling $18.7 million.

The $14 million investment acquisition of Deer Valley Center was led by NAI and three NAI representatives. In the sales transactions, Lane Neville, Barbara Lloyd and Logan Crum represented the buyer, 29 Bell, LLC, while NAI Global represented the seller, Deer Valley Center.

Three lands deals made up the second half

Deer Valley Center was recently sold for $14 million. NAI Horizon represented the seller. (Photo courtesy NAI Horizon)

of their recent deals, which totaled $4.7 million. Lane Neville and Barbara Lloyd negotiated a $1.937 million property in Gilbert, sold by Gilbert Growth Properties, LLC. Chris Gerow, Shelby Tworek, Gabe Ortega, Patrick Anthon and Horth Hong negotiated

a $1.7 million sale of Phoenix property, sold

by United Group, LLC. Chris Gerow, Shelby Tworek, Gabe Ortega and Patrick Anthon negotiated a $1.05 million property sale in Goodyear, sold by The Market at Estrella Falls, LLC.

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DEVELOPMENT

Learning to Grow Laura Dozer Center of UCP reaches out to North Phoenix community

By Eric Newman

T

he Laura Dozer Therapy Clinic, part of United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona, held an open house to showcase its facility and services on January 10, with the goal of reaching as many families and potential patients as possible.

Located at 1802 West Parkside Lane in Phoenix, the Laura Dozer Therapy Clinic in the over 23,000-square-foot Laura Dozer Center offers some of the state’s best therapy options for children of all ages and developmental abilities. The therapists and staff provide over 3,000 families annually with services that give kids their best chance at conquering their physical and mental goals, from speech therapy to learning how to walk for the first time at a delayed age.

Valerie Pieraccini, director of early intervention therapy and the Early Learning Center, has been an occupational therapist for over 20 years and says she loves to see the results of hard work at therapy.

“I would say the work we do fills the heart of the person who works here. I’ve seen children’s lives be changed. To watch a child struggle at something, like walking or talk-

The Laura Dozer Therapy Clinic houses all sorts of play equipment for kids of all ages and developmental abilities.

ing, and then to be able to get the family tools to work with the child directly and develop skills, it’s amazing,” Pieraccini says.

The Early Learning Center educates kids from six months to five years of age, with 30 percent needing different levels of special education or therapies. Alongside the quality education they get in the classroom, having the Laura Dozer Therapy clinic next door in the same facility allows children and their

families to get all their help in one location.

“The partnership between the early learning center and the therapy clinic is really unique, because we have those that are attending the early learning center and therapists might see them in the classroom or in the clinic right next to it,” therapy clinic manager Laura Hazy says.

UCP’s Laura Dozer Center prides itself on its therapy staff’s high education levels and willingness to work directly with patients.

Unlike other clinics in the area, UCP employs few assistants, allowing those with the utmost ability to treat and provide therapy working one-on-one with patients.

“We’re unique in that we have therapy staff that 98 percent of them have a master’s or doctorate, so it’s not modeled on having a large assistant team. It’s about the doctors and therapists actually providing the services themselves,” Hazy says.

Much of therapy is difficult work, especially for the children. However, the large campus at the Laura Dozer Center is sprawling with different play equipment and toys, as well as a rock-climbing wall and quality playground, all within the campus walls.

While learning the skills needed to succeed From left: Valerie Pieraccini, director of early intervention therapy and the Early Learning Center; former student Nicholas Baer; and his mother, Amy Baer (Photos by Pablo Robles)

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85085 | FEBRUARY 2019

in everyday life down the line can be seen as difficult, and requires a lot of time and effort, the vast array of options at the facility make children’s learning not only easier, but fun.

“A true therapist can get a child do something and the child never knows they’re working. Therapy is a science and knowledge of movement, and then the artistry is helping a child accomplish something in a way that they don’t realize the effort they’re putting in,” Pieraccini says.

While titled United Cerebral Palsy, the group wants to make clear that they treat a host of other conditions, with some of the area’s best staff around to do so. As the staff says, it would be a tragedy for needy patients to not hear about the wonderful services offered.

“My office sits in the therapy clinic, and I see the kids come and go every day. I’ve seen the progress a lot of them have made in the past three years, especially those who have come here a little longer to us, and I’ve gotten to tutor brand new families,” Hazy says. “It’s all rewarding to see the results of the hard work everyone does, and that’s what we’re here for.”

The Laura Dozer Therapy Clinic is located at 1802 W. Parkside Lane. For more information, call 888-943-5472 or visit ucpofcentralaz.org.

Top, the Laura Dozer Therapy Clinic is located in the over 23,000-squarefoot Laura Dozer Center. Right, the playground at the clinic gives all children an opportunity to enjoy being outdoors.

FEBRUARY 2019 |

85085

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HIGH SCHOOL

Pilot Program Incoming freshmen get guidance from gifted cohorts

By Jadyn Fisher

A

t most DVUSD elementary and middle schools, there are tons of options for “gifted” students. Whether it’s a dignified program like the Renaissance program, SAGE programs, or just a cluster/cohort of students with similar, more advanced needs, there are options for everybody. Over the past few years as these programs have become larger and larger, there became a demand for it in high school as well, with no real solution until the 2018-2019 school year.

Jadyn Fisher (Photo courtesy Shannon Fisher)

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85085 | FEBRUAR FEBRUARY 2019

This year, Sandra Day O’Connor High School has taken on the challenge of creating a pilot gifted cohort for the incoming freshmen coming from middle school gifted programs across the district. This pathway would consist of a separate Biology and ELA class freshman year, with an AP Computer Science elective mixed with other students.

Sophomore year, a World History class will be added to this for a total of three or four cohort classes, depending on if the student is in the elective or not. These classes consist of the same 25 students (at least for this year) and allows much deeper friendships and connections to be made.

Brenna Shoemake, a freshman in the cohort, says, “You get to know the peers around you. We feel like a little community rather than just a classroom full of strangers,” and that’s exactly what it is. Teachers are more group-oriented with lots of discussions and more hands-on projects when compared to the regular or even honors classes, which makes learning feel less painstaking than worksheet after worksheet.

A common question I get asked by incoming freshmen is if these classes are more difficult than the regular or honors classes, and the answer varies by student. If the student works well in project-based groups and picks up on concepts quickly, then yes, it does make things easier because it follows that individual need and learning style. If the student prefers more solo work and may need more time to

complete an assignment, then the program may be difficult since it goes against how they work best. These programs also offer social-emotional support for students, which is aimed at identifying and managing the stresses of school and everyday life.

From my personal experience of being in this program, I have had a good experience with it. I was a little nervous going into it as it was a brand new program at a brand new school, but I am glad I took that chance because it has been a huge learning experience. Everyone has been super flexible with scheduling and asking the students how they want to see the program change rather than just taking staff input. The other students are also helpful in the fact we build each other up by working collaboratively. This collaboration has ultimately led to students in those classes thriving and understanding the material more.

Now that these types of programs have shown success among students, other high schools throughout DVUSD are working towards making their own, similar models of this program within the next few years.

If you are interested in learning more about these programs, visit the “gifted services” tab on the DVUSD website.

Jadyn Fisher is a freshman at Sandra Day O’Connor High School. She is an active part of her school and community and looks forward to bringing awareness to community education programs.

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SMART CONSUMER

On Travel Trapped in a timeshare? Here’s how to escape

By Christopher Elliott

G

etting into a timeshare is easy. Getting out isn’t.

Kathie Asaro knows that. She recently decided her timeshare in Rancho Mirage, California, which she paid off years ago, wasn’t worth keeping.

“It didn’t fit my lifestyle,” says Asaro, a retired sales manager from Foster City, California.

Just one problem: There was no way out.

Her contract, like most timeshare agreements, had a perpetuity clause. When she phoned the timeshare company to request that it take back her unit, a representative cheerfully informed her she was stuck with her condo and the $1,300 in annual maintenance fees forever. If she failed to pay her maintenance fees, the company politely threatened to report her to a credit agency.

She’s not alone. A University of Central Florida (UCF) study found that 85 percent of timeshare owners who go to contract regret their purchase. That’s a lot of unhappy timeshare owners. And lately, they’ve been asking me if those perpetuity clauses really are forever.

They’re not.

“Getting out of a timeshare is considerably more difficult than getting in,” says Lisa Ann Schreier, author of the book Timeshare Vacations for Dummies. “But it’s possible.”

First, a reality check: No one wants you to be unhappy with your timeshare, especially the timeshare industry. “We want to ensure that timeshare owners have the option to exit their timeshare in a safe and transparent way,” says Peter Roth, a spokesman for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), a trade group that represents timeshare developers.

The industry’s own surveys show almost the exact opposite of the UCF study, suggesting 85 percent of all timeshare owners are happy with their purchases. If you’re among the 15 percent who want to invoke the escape clause, you can ask your timeshare company, hire a lawyer or sell your timeshare through a third party.

How to negotiate your way out of a timeshare

Asaro’s case is instructive. She phoned her timeshare monthly, starting in 2017, asking

for a voluntary surrender. The answer was always a cordial “no.” Representatives explained to her that her timeshare was hers for the rest of her life.

“I would also explain very slowly that I had no intention of ever paying the maintenance fee,” she says. Failing to pay the maintenance fee meant the timeshare would eventually foreclose, which meant paying a lawyer. “Why not just take it now, voluntarily, with no legal expense?” she says.

She ignored the timeshare company’s threats to “ruin” her credit rating and simply stopped paying her maintenance fees. A month later, her timeshare company relented, agreeing to release her from her contract.

“I promptly printed the attached documents they emailed, got them notarized, and completed the transaction before they could change their mind,” she says.

This option, commonly referred to as a deedback, isn’t well known. Diamond Resorts, Marriott and Wyndham offer them. But according to Jeff Weir, the chief correspondent for RedWeek, an online listing platform for timeshare sales and rentals, they aren’t well publicized.

“It’s all like a black ops program – off the books,” says Weir, a Marriott timeshare owner himself.

Well, almost.

How to litigate your way out of a timeshare

Another way out: Hire an attorney. That’s what Peggy Bendel did when she couldn’t escape her timeshare. She contacted the company within the rescission period, a cooling-off period that allows you to cancel the purchase without any penalty, but the timeshare company wouldn’t let her out of the contract.

“They dragged out the process for nearly three months, offering various alternatives that would let them keep our money, which they are forbidden to do,” says Bendel, who owns a marketing firm in Tucson, Arizona.

Finally, she hired a law firm to help her pull

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85085 | FEBRUARY 2019

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The law firm said it would take another 9 to 10 months before she got her money. “The whole process has been a nightmare,” she says.

Tom Harriman, an attorney based in Santa Barbara, California, says sometimes it takes a professional to extricate yourself. He recalls a client with an unwanted timeshare in the Bahamas.

“First, we asked the timeshare company to buy it back,” he says. “They refused. Then we offered to give it back. They refused.”

Finally, he advised his client to stop paying the $1,500 annual maintenance fee. The timeshare company took the unit back. Harriman cautions that dumping a timeshare in this way can be risky, because the timeshare company could report your default to a credit agency.

“If you are about to buy or refinance a house or car, do that first,” he says. “Then dump the timeshare.”

How to sell your timeshare

ARDA’s Resort Owners’ Coalition, a group that represents timeshare owners, can connect you with a list of professional licensed real estate brokers that specialize in timeshares.

“There is also the option to utilize advertising platforms which offer ‘for sale by owner’ postings,” says ARDA’s Roth. “Many of these platforms partner with brokers and title companies to help facilitate the transaction.”

But Schreier warns that option is a minefield for consumers. “There are a seemingly never-ending number of companies and organizations that claim to be able to get you out of your timeshare,” she says. “I don’t like generalizations, so I’ll say that 99 percent of them don’t do what they say they will, or worse, are out-and-out scams.”

If you list your timeshare for sale, she says it’s important to understand that the price someone is willing to pay for it on the secondary market is “nowhere close” to what you paid for it. Also, selling is only an option if the

timeshare is paid in full and the maintenance fees are current.

Most important, according to Schreier and other experts: Never, ever pay someone upfront in exchange for a promise to sell your timeshare, and don’t engage with anyone who contacts you first, offering to sell your property.

Before you buy a timeshare

• Ask yourself: Is a timeshare right for me?

“Consumers should always choose to purchase a vacation that fits their lifestyles,” says Jon Zwickel, president of the Canadian Vacation Ownership Association, a group that represents timeshare developers and other entities in Canada. He says the reason the secondary timeshare market is flooded with unsold inventory is that people never anticipated their circumstances would change. Ask yourself: Where do I plan to be in 10 years?

Or 20?

• Read the contract carefully. Don’t be hurried through the process and always take time to read the contract carefully, especially the cancellation clauses. “Unfortunately, your right to cancel is usually only available immediately after the closing and only for a very limited amount of time,” says Vincent Averaimo, a partner with Milford Law who specializes in timeshares. “It can range from three days to two weeks.”

• Remember, getting out won’t be easy. Even if you take all the advice in this story, a timeshare purchase may still be difficult to exit, says RedWeek’s Weir. He cautions that the lack of “a secondary market that would enable people to get out of lifetime contracts without getting scammed by third-party predators” makes the process more fraught for consumers. You need to know that before you buy.

Christopher Elliott’s latest book is How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler (National Geographic). This column originally appeared in USA Today.

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CLOSE TO HOME

It’s Getting Tasty up North!

Three new dining options will satisfy any appetite

By Shelley Sakala

What do we want? Good food!

When do we want it? Right now! fter more than a decade of some pretty underwhelming dining options, North Phoenix appears to be turning the corner. That’s not to say we don’t have good restaurants in our part of town. It’s just that people are hungry for more choices – and Arizona restaurants are finally responding. Part of the reason for the recent uptick in new places to eat is the recent uptick in new houses. More houses mean more people, which means more customers. The local population growth has caught the attention of restaurateurs. And this month we feature three new places close to home that have caught our attention.

A

Thai Chili 2go

After making a name for themselves with their full-service restaurant in Gilbert, Thai Chili created a streamlined version of their menu and launched a fast-casual dining concept known as Thai Chili 2go. Seven locations later, the Valley’s Thai food craze

has made it to North Phoenix. Located in the Fry’s shopping center on Dove Valley Road, Thai Chili 2go features three appetizers, seven entrees and their amazing, sweet and smoky Thai Iced Tea. Customers can choose dine-in, takeout or delivery. Their delivery option is powered by your choice of Grubhub, Uber Eats or Postmates (delivery fee and tip applies for each service). While the restaurant’s interior is pleasant enough for a sit-down meal, they stay true to their takeout approach. All food is packed and served in “to-go” containers inside a plastic bag. Having eaten there, I can attest to the fact that the food is served at temperatures hot enough that your food will still be warm upon delivery.

Details: Canyon Crossroads (Fry’s shopping center), 2750 W. Dove Valley Road, Phoenix, 480-566-8065, tc2go.com

Angry Crab Shack

This Cajun seafood restaurant dials up the fun – and the spices, serving ten kinds of seafood boils. If you’re not familiar with

There’s a new Starbucks location at Canyon Crossroads (Fry’s shopping center). (Photo by Kyle Loftus)

seafood boils, put on your bib and prepare to get messy! My shrimp boil was a delicious mix of shrimp, sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob, swimming in a spicy sauce mix with a customizable spice level ranging from 0-6 (6 is the hottest, with the menu warning you to order at your own risk). To give you some perspective of how hot this is, their Ghost Pepper spice is only a 4. For my dinner, I wimped out at 2 (and it was fantastic). For a crispy, less messy option, try their famous Angry Baskets, filled with fried fish, shrimp, chicken, crab or gator nuggets. Angry Crab Shack is the only place in town where you can bite an alligator! Their extensive menu also features soup, salads, sandwiches, bowls, burgers and the most amazing hurricane you’ve ever sipped this side of the bayou. My hurricane was so strong I almost named it. It was a category 5, for sure. Between the huge horseshoe bar and the abundance of TVs, I’m guessing this place will quickly become a game-day favorite.

Details: Happy Valley Towne Center, 2501 W. Happy Valley Road, Phoenix, angrycrabshack.com

Starbucks

OK, OK… I realize that the opening of a new Starbucks in a shopping center with an existing Starbucks will elicit a few snarky comments, but hear me out. The Starbucks next to Fry’s (not to be confused with the Starbucks inside of Fry’s) is big, bright and perfectly placed for anyone looking for a quick jolt of java on the go. Although there are three other Starbucks stores in the area (Happy ValThai Chili 2go features three appetizers, seven entrees and their amazing, sweet and smoky Thai Iced Tea. (Photo special

to 85085 magazine)

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Angry Crab Shack is now open in Happy Valley Towne Center. (Photo special to 85085 magazine)

ley Towne Center, plus two supermarket locations), this one is the only drive-thru Starbucks in 85085. It’s strategically located at North Valley Parkway and Dove Valley Road, letting you get your fix driving up the parkway or down the parkway. Or both, if your caffeine addiction is strong.

And with the I-17 less than a mile away, Starbucks #694 has become a great staging point for Norterrans embarking on a

road trip. As a free-standing store, it also happens to be larger than other locations.

Free Wi-Fi and lots of room to get work done. All hail the green mermaid!

Details: Canyon Crossroads (Fry’s shopping center), 2800 W. Dove Valley Road, Phoenix, starbucks.com Shelley Sakala is a local Realtor with The Sakala Group, and an 85085 resident.

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PERSPECTIVE

Injunction Junction

Flowers won’t resolve a restraining order

By Judge Gerald A. Williams

M

ost people don’t want to be alone on Valentine’s Day. Every February 14, romantic couples and friends exchange cards, candy and flowers. The holiday is celebrated in our country, as well as in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.

According to the National Retail Federation, spending connected to Valentine’s Day contributed approximately $19.6 billion to the U.S. economy in 2018. Perhaps not surprisingly, men spent nearly twice as much as women: $196.39 per gentleman versus $99.87 per lady. But what if you are being romantically pursued by someone who you want to leave you alone? One option is an Order of Protection.

Any adult can request an Order of Protection at any trial court in Arizona. For example, let’s say you live in Anthem but work in downtown Phoenix. While you are free to drive to my court, there are closer courts at the Northeast Regional Court Center near Union Hills and Highway 51, the Downtown Justice Center near Seventh Avenue and Madison, and the Phoenix Municipal Court, which is across the street from Comerica Theatre. (Why the justice court with jurisdiction over Anthem is located in Surprise is perhaps a topic for another article.)

While every court will have someone available to assist people requesting protective orders, perhaps the best resources are available at the Maricopa County Superior Court’s Law Library Resource Center. It is in Central Court Building on Jefferson Street.

More information on that location is available at superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/llrc/ protective-orders.

In order to grant a request for an Order of Protection, the judge must fi nd reasonable cause to believe that the defendant may commit (or has committed) an act of domestic violence within the past year. For this purpose, domestic violence is defined very broadly under A.R.S. § 13-3601(A) and includes offenses like harassment by telephone, stalking, surreptitiously photographing and

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cruelty to animals. In short, someone does not need to be chased with a knife to be a domestic violence victim.

Orders of Protection also require that certain types of relationships exist between the parties. For example, Orders of Protection can be issued if the parties were married, have a child in common, had a romantic or sexual relationship, or are family members.

If the parties do not meet the requirements for an Order of Protection, then the person requesting the court order may be able to obtain an Injunction Against Harassment instead. Court staff can provide assistance in determining which type of protective order is appropriate.

People across every socioeconomic and educational level have the potential to become irrational when either potential or failed romances are involved. Some things fail for illogical reasons. Although I have been asked to do so, a judge cannot order that a witness explain the factual basis for a breakup. The key is that even if one or both sides behave badly, both sides remain safe.

New Law on How Protective Orders Are Served Courts do not charge a fee to people requesting an Order of Protection, and if they are served on the defendant by either a constable or another law enforcement official, there is no charge for having them served. But the other two branches of government recently changed how they are served.

Last year, the legislature passed, and the governor signed, House Bill 2249. That law amended A.R.S. § 13-3602 to require the court that issued the Order of Protection provide it to the appropriate law enforcement agent so that it can be served. Previously, the person who obtained the order was responsible for getting it served.

The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission requested the legislation in response to concerns that only half of the Orders of Protection that were issued were actually served. There was also a concern that it was taking approximately 13 days for the protective orders that were served to be served. The new system will be electronically based and should make the system more efficient by modernizing it.

Judge Gerald A. Williams is the Justice of the Peace for the North Valley Justice Court.

The court’s jurisdiction includes Anthem and Desert Hills.

EVENTS

2019

FEBRUARY Compiled by Olivia Munson

Begins 1: Stroller Strides is a fitness program for both moms and babies.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, join FIT4MOM Phoenix & Scottsdale at the Shops at Norterra for sessions that feature exercises using strollers like powerwalking and strength and body toning.

The Shops at Norterra, 2460 W. Happy Valley Road, Phoenix, 623-5829599, norterrashopping.com, 9:30 a.m., free Begins 2: The Library Ukulele Club is open to those who are passionate about playing the ukulele. Participants must bring their own instrument and have general knowledge of how to play. Get ready to jam out in these free practice sessions, held every Saturday.

North Valley Regional Library, 40410 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway, Anthem, 602-652-3000, mcldaz.org, 1:00 p.m., free Begins 7: Made by Hand meets weekly on Thursdays and encourages adults to share their knowledge of crafting with others. Whether it is knitting or crocheting, come and spend some time with likeminded people and relax while doing something you love – crafting.

North Valley Regional Library, 40410 N. Gavilan Peak Parkway, Anthem, 602-652-3000, mcldaz.org, 1:00 p.m., free

19: Daisy Mountain Veterans and Youth for Troops invites you to help make mats for homeless veterans. This monthly event is open to all ages. Come out with friends and family to make a difference.

Anthem Civic Building, 3701 W. Anthem Way, Anthem, onlineatanthem. com, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., free 21-23: Musical Theatre of Anthem stages Daddy Long Legs based on the classic novel of 1912 and film adaptation of 1955. The production will feature actors aged 16 and older and is directed by Jackie Hammond.

Musical Theatre of Anthem, 42201 N. 41st Drive, Suite B100, Anthem, 623-336-6001, musicaltheatreofanthem.org/tickets, various times, $13-19 23-24: St. Rose Bistro is held once a month after mass and is a great opportunity to meet fellow parishioners over coffee, donuts and pastries.

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Catholic Church, 2825 W. Rose Canyon Circle, Anthem, 623-465-9740, stroseanthem.com 28-March 3: The Music Man Jr. will feature a cast ages 6-18 at the Musical Theatre of Anthem. Directed by Laura O’Meara, the production is based on the six-time-Tony-Award-winning Broadway staple and is filled with laughter, wit and a little bit of romance.

Musical Theatre of Anthem, 42201 N. 41st Drive, Suite B100, Anthem, 623-336-6001, musicaltheatreofanthem.org/tickets, various times, $13-19

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9: Singer Sophia Humbert will perform as a part of Java and Jammin’.

Humbert is an Arizona native who sings and plays piano and guitar. The event not only features live music but also a family-friendly environment with free coffee and treats.

Civic Building Terrace, 3701 W. Anthem Way, Anthem, onlineatanthem. com, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., free 9: ProMusica Arizona’s Second Annual Musical Champagne Salon is sure to be one of the most elegant evenings of the year. Held just a few days before Valentine’s Day, this event is an excuse to dress up, listen to music and enjoy a variety of appetizers and desserts while sipping Champagne and wine.

Event address and directions will be emailed to guests prior to February 9, pmaz.org, 7 p.m., $80 13: All products and services will be 10 percent on “Wax Me Wednesday” at European Wax Center. Do not miss out on these great deals at the Shops at Norterra.

The Shops at Norterra, 2460 W. Happy Valley Road, Phoenix, 623-5829599, norterrashopping.com

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Arizona Travel A trio of trips to take around the Grand Canyon State

T

here’s no shortage of special destinations in Arizona. The Grand Canyon, Sedona, Tombstone and Tucson are well-known for their nature, culture and history, but here are three other spots to spend a weekend that are less traveled than the aforementioned but just as rich in recreation, restaurants and more.

Bisbee is an old mining town turned hip and vibrant artistic community. (Photo by Chuck Feil)

Bisbee From mining boomtown to Bohemian burg

By Teresa K. Traverse

B

isbee is an old mining town turned hip and vibrant artistic community in Southern Arizona. You can wander Bisbee’s winding and steep streets as you take in mountain views, quirky shops and hotels housed inside historical buildings and see some of the city’s colorful street murals that pop up around every corner. From a ghost town to touring Bisbee’s famed Queen Mine, discover what this historical yet modern city has to offer visitors.

Old Bisbee

Begin your Bisbee journey in the historic heart of town: Old Bisbee. Stroll by old buildings now filled with a variety of charming boutiques. Highlights include Optimo Custom Hatworks (optimohatworks.com), established in 1972. Here, you can purchase or just admire handcrafted hats made using old world techniques. When you open the door to Bisbee Soap & Sundry (bisbeesoapandsundry.com), you can look forward to inhaling the scent of everything from cedar to creosote. All of the company’s products are handmade on site.

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You’ll want to explore these shops early in the day, since many of them close around 5 p.m.

Brewery Gulch was notorious back in Bisbee’s mining days as a spot where miners could head to roughly 50 saloons and it still retains some of its rough charms. You can literally smell the hops as you approach Old Bisbee Brewing Company (oldbisbeebrewingcompany.com). Enjoy the brewery’s own craft beer alongside a menu of gourmet bratwurst and vegetarian chili. Another notable haunt is St. Elmo’s Bar, established in 1902.

Anticipate a dark, laid-back atmosphere.

Thuy’s Noodle Shop is not a place you’d expect to find in Bisbee, but you’d be glad if you did. Order a steaming bowl of pho (topped with choice of fish or beef) and spring rolls from this bustling, cozy Vietnamese shop that houses just four tables.

Housed inside an old gas station turned restaurant, Screaming Banshee Pizza (screamingbansheepizza.net) slings notable wood-fired pies. The Screaming Banshee pizza features house-made fennel sausage, mozzarella fresco, house-roasted onion and mushrooms. Customers can ask for it “bloody” with red sauce or even add meatballs. Guests also have the option of building their own pizzas and calzones.

Opened this past October, Bathtub Coffee (betterthanbathwater.com) is Bisbee’s newest coffee shop. And yes, there’s a real bathtub in

the corner that’s Instagram-ready. The lightfilled space on Subway Street features cold and hot coffee drinks, smoothies and a food menu.

Queen Mine Tour

Don your hard hat, miner’s headlamp and a bright mesh vest, and get ready to head inside Bisbee’s Queen Mine (queenminetour. com). Once the economic powerhouse of Bisbee and one of the world’s most productive copper mines, the Queen Mine was in business from the 1800s until 1975. Former miners lead tours. Shine your flashlight on different minerals on the wall, see original equipment that was powered via compressed air, and walk across the tracks where carts once regularly rode through. Bundle up because it’s chilly inside. You must be wearing closed-toe shoes or you’ll have to borrow a pair. This tour might not be right for you if

you’re claustrophobic.

The open copper mine, the Lavender Pit, is worth a stop to just take in the vast size of this former copper mine. You’ll see it just off U.S. Route 80 past the Queen Mine. Head here at sunset and watch as the colors of the mine change in the sunlight.

Where to Stay

Just 10 minutes from Old Bisbee, the pink bed and breakfast Calumet & Arizona Guest House (calumetaz.com)—named after a mining company and originally built for the chief clerk of said company—is a feast for the senses. Individually decorated rooms range from 150 to 500 square feet and can feature clawfoot tubs and heirlooms of owner Joy Timber’s maternal grandmother and are decked out in period wallpaper. Included in the rate, the home-cooked breakfast alone makes this place worth the money. Order off a menu and wait as the owner or one of the staff whips up an All-American breakfast featuring your choice of pancakes, cereal, French toast and eggs Benedict served on a long, communal table where you can mingle with other guests.

Located in the heart of downtown Bisbee, Copper Queen Hotel (copperqueen.com) touts itself as the longest continuously operating hotel in Arizona. The hotel originally opened in 1902 as a hotel for investors and dignitaries of Copper Queen Consolidated Mining Company. John Wayne, Julia Roberts, Nancy Reagan and John McCain have stayed or visited. The Copper Queen hotel is also allegedly haunted. One of the hotel’s guests that has never checked out? Julia Lowell. Lowell was an “employee” of the hotel’s brothel and is said to have killed herself at the hotel after she confessed her love to one of her clients and he did not return her feelings. The hotel also offers a Ghost Hunt package. The Ghost Hunt is every first and third Thursday night of the month. A trained ghost host from Old Bisbee Ghost Tours will teach how to use ghost-hunting equipment and then search for signs of paranormal activity.

All of Bisbee’s houses are on hillsides, some with stilts or platforms to prevent a downhill slide. (Photo courtesy John Acosta)

Larry’s Antiques anchors Main Street with funky décor.

Cottonwood A big deal small town Photos and story By Niki D’Andrea

K

nown as “The Heart of the Verde Valley,” Cottonwood packs a lot of culture into a so-called small town (pop.

12,000). Art galleries, antique shops, book stores, wine tasting rooms and restaurants line Main Street (aka the commercial historic district), and parks populate the surrounding Verde Valley, from state parks to out-of-thisworld animal attractions.

Down on Main Street

Cottonwood boasts quite possibly the best Main Street in all of Arizona. People stroll along its shaded sidewalks every weekend all year-round, window shopping and stopping in a variety of unique local businesses.

Antique lovers – or anyone who appreciates big, fun and funky displays – should check out Larry’s Antiques (larrysantiques. com). The old West-looking, wood-shinglecovered building is impossible to miss – it’s covered in antique signs and wacky outdoor decor like a fake skeleton in the driver’s seat of a rusty ancient car. Enhancing the frozen-in-time vibe is Bing’s Burger Station (bingsburgers.com), located next to Larry’s.

Located in a refurbished 1940s gas station, the popular diner retains its service station roots – two Gilmore gas pumps are out front, with a red 1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe Sedan permanently parked next to them.

A short walk down the street, pedestrians can peruse and sample various vinegars and olive oils from around the world at Verde Valley Olive Oil Traders (vvoliveoil.com). Local art including jewelry, clothing, paintings and

pottery exclusively fills places like Dragonfly Handcrafted Local Art (dragonflylocalart. com) and Hart of Arizona Art Gallery (hartofazgallery.com). Book lovers will delight in the epic Adventures Unlimited Books (adventuresunlimitedbooks.com), which stocks thousands of tomes on topics ranging from aliens to zen, plus hiking guides, New York Times best sellers, children’s books and pulp paperbacks. There are many more shopping options, from a flower shop to a quilting supply store.

There’s no shortage of food options on Main Street, either. About 18 different restaurants dot the strip and surrounding streets.

Highlights include Thai Palace (thaipalaceaz. com), Nic’s Italian Steak & Crab House (nicsaz.com), and Pizzeria Bocce (boccecottonwood.com) for dinner. For breakfast, two places offer equally great eats – Old Town Red Rooster Café (oldtownredrooster.com), Travel continued on pg. 22 Pedestrians peruse the many shops lining Main Street.

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The Pillsbury Wine tasting room

Travel continued from pg. 21

which serves hot breakfast classics in a cozy diner environment, and Crema (cremacafe89a.com), which sells drinks and delicious pastries from its walk-up-only window.

Wine Walk

Thanks to its semi-arid climate and access to the water of the Verde River, The Verde Valley is a thriving wine region. More than a dozen wineries operate in the area, and Main Street is home to nine tasting rooms.

That’s too many to visit in one day, but four is a manageable number, especially spread over several hours. Must-stops are Arizona Stronghold (azstronghold.com), which offers gourmet grilled skewers in addition to its Cochise County wines; Burning Tree Cellars (burningtreecellars.com), which sells wines with grapes from various places, but mostly California and Arizona; Pillsbury Wine (pillsburywine.com), which makes wine with only 100 percent Arizona grapes; and Merkin Vineyards Osteria (merkinvineyardsosteria. com), owned by musician and winemaker Maynard James Keenan.

Where to Stay

If one is exploring the Verde Valley for any length of time or wishes to imbibe at any (or several) of the wine tasting rooms that line Main Street, getting a room at one of the lodgings in Old Town is a good idea. The largest hotel on Main is The Tavern Hotel (thetavernhotel.com), which has an embedded bar and grill, followed by the historical Cottonwood Hotel (cottonwoodhotel.com), where John Wayne once stayed. The newest hotel on the strip is The Iron Horse Inn (ironhorseoldtown.com), a boutique renovation with a young vibe and courtyard lit by a canopy of holiday lights. Rooms at all three tend to fill up fast, so booking in advance is recommended.

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Flagstaff High-mountain town boasts beer, burgers and more

By Niki D’Andrea

D

espite its reputation as Arizona’s most popular winter destination, Flagstaff has much more to offer than snowboarding and skiing at Arizona Snowbowl for a few months out of the year. In fact, summertime sees the city come alive with a flurry of festivities and artistic activities, from outdoor concerts to nature walks. But mostly beer. Seriously, there may be more beer here than at every fraternity party around the state combined, and June is like unofficial Beer Month in Flagstaff.

Food and beverage

Flagstaff boasts seven craft breweries: Beaver Street Brewery (beaverstreetbrewery.

com), Dark Sky Brewing (darkskybrewing. com), Flagstaff Brewing Company (flagbrew. com), Historic Brewing Company (historicbrewingcompany.com), Lumberyard Brewing Co. (lumberyardbrewingcompany.com), Mother Road Brewing Company (motherroadbeer.com) and Wanderlust Brewing Company (wanderlustbrewing.com). Each one serves a distinctive line of stellar suds, and collectively they comprise what’s known as the Flagstaff Ale Trail. Print out a “passport” at craftbeerflg.com and use it to receive discounts along the trail, and collect stamps for a prize at any Flagstaff Convention & Visitors Bureau location.

If fi lling your belly with beer isn’t your thing, Flagstaff has plenty of cool foodie spots to sate your appetite. Let’s start with breakfast, and MartAnne’s Breakfast Palace (facebook.com/MartAnnes). This place is legendary among locals for its hearty, heaping plates of Mexican breakfasts. For years, the wait to get a table at MartAnne’s was even more epic than the food, with lines winding down the street. Thankfully, MartAnne’s moved into a larger space a couple years ago, which has diminished some of the wait time.

But only some.

Another popular Flagstaff institution, especially among the college set, is Diablo Burger (diabloburger.com). Every burger is made from local, free range, hormone-free beef; char-broiled; and served on a signature English muffin. Popular menu items include “The Cheech” with guacamole, pepper jack cheese and jalapeños, and the unusual “Vitamin B,” topped with bacon, beets and blue cheese.

One of the newest and hippest nosh spots in town, The Mayor (themayorflagstaff.com), The Hotel Monte Vista is located in the heart of Downtown Flagstaff. (Photo by SearchNet Media)

A 1980s time-warp vibe permeates hip restaurant The Mayor. (Photo by Niki D’Andrea)

serves decent subs and sandwiches, but it’s the atmosphere most people come for: pillars covered in orange shag carpet, a wall constructed from vintage boom boxes, a 1980s-centric jukebox, a SkeeBall machine, and out back, cornhole boards and an Airstream trailer. If the servers had mullets and wore MC Hammer-style pants, we’d swear we got caught in a time warp.

The Great Outdoors

Calories can be walked off at Walnut Canyon National Monument (nps.gov/waca/index.htm). Located about ten miles southeast of downtown Flagstaff, this monument offers all manner of interpretive hikes and has two trails to explore – the Island Trail, which has 25 ancient cliff dwellings along its paths; and the Rim Trail, which includes views of a pit house and pueblo.

The Arboretum at Flagstaff (thearb.org) hosts interpretive nature programs. Lowell Observatory (lowell.edu) has fun events and educational exhibits year-round, including “Meet an Astronomer” nights on Fridays, wherein a professional astronomer shares their insights into celestial bodies; science demonstrations; and tours of the observatory, which was founded in 1894 and became world famous in 1930, when Clyde Tombaugh discovered the dwarf planet Pluto at the observatory (the “Pluto Discovery Telescope” is still on the grounds).

Where to Stay

When it comes to lodging, there are many national chains, hostels and small motels in Flagstaff, but for an authentic experience in the heart of downtown, only one of two historical properties will do: Hotel Monte Vista (hotelmontevista.com) and The Weatherford Hotel (weatherfordhotel.com). “The Monte V,” as it’s known to locals, opened in 1927 and has hosted a horde of famous folks, including Bob Hope, Zane Grey, Bing Crosby, Michael J. Fox, Gary Cooper, Debbie Reynolds, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, John Wayne and Lee Marvin. The hotel knows who stayed in which room, and also notes which rooms are supposedly haunted.

The Weatherford Hotel is even older than the Monte V. Opened in 1900 as the picture of modern luxury, the hotel got a major facelift last year and has been almost completely renovated with an eye toward maintaining its old world charm – claw foot bathtubs, inhotel saloon with massive mirrored bar back, wraparound balcony overlooking a bustling square. Both The Weatherford and Hotel Monte Vista host live music multiple nights a week, so guests looking for some “peace and quiet” might prefer one of the chain hotels.

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Cyber Stars Local YouTubers launch careers with the click of a mouse

By Madison Rutherford; Photos by Kimberly Carrillo

I

n 2005, Jawed Karim uploaded a 19-second video to YouTube in which he’s standing and speaking in front of the elephant exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. That quick clip of the videosharing site’s co-founder, which has more than 60 million views, was YouTube’s first upload. The streaming platform now hosts nearly seven billion videos, is the second largest search engine in the world and has single-handedly turned some of its users into overnight celebrities.

YouTube serves as the main source of income for many of its most popular uploaders. But what about the millions of other users who are still waiting to make it big?

Anyone can create their own YouTube channel by signing up, choosing a screen name and uploading content, but only a small percentage of these channels generate enough money to make a

living.

“It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme, I can guarantee you,” says North Phoenix resident Jason Yoder, who started his travel vlog channel, Explore with Jason, in 2018. According to Yoder, YouTubers with millions of subscribers make big bucks off videos produced in the comfort of their bedroom, creating the illusion that the site awards ready money to anyone with a computer and a camera. Making a YouTube channel is easy and accessible, but building a following – and earning a paycheck – can be extremely difficult.

“There’s only a minute portion of the population that ever achieves that. You see all the social media stars, but what you don’t see is the tens of hundreds of thousands (that are trying to make it),” he explains.

One of the most common methods YouTubers use to monetize their videos is through Google AdSense, but users must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 yearly watch hours to be eligible. Once they’ve crossed this threshold, they get paid a small amount every time a viewer watches an ad that’s placed before their video. The system is simple: more views, more money.

Anthem resident Reese Meyer has been using AdSense to monetize her videos since last November. She started her channel, Spellbooked, in 2015. The Boulder Creek High School sophomore now has over 100,000 subscribers. Meyer’s channel features edited clips from shows and movies that have huge followings, such as Stranger Things and Harry Potter. Her unique style, creativity and sense of humor caught on quickly in the YouTube community. “It’s me taking things from different movies and TV shows I like and putting my own spin on them and how I interpret them, turning them into a kind of art form,” she says.

“Depending on how many people watch my videos in a day, that determines how much money I’ll make that day. I never really knew how much money you could make until I actually started doing it,” she says.

“If I ever think I’m having a good month, I think about these really big YouTubers who have millions and millions of subscribers and views… I don’t want to be a YouTuber as my job forever but for a lot of people, they’re able to make that a reality. You’re able to make a living off of doing something at home on your computer.”(Meyer declined to disclose her monthly income.)

Meyer says she started her channel for fun.

She didn’t even consider the financial aspect.

She certainly never expected to gain such a big following in such a short time.

“Editing was something that I did just to entertain myself and I realized that maybe other people would want to see that kind of stuff,” she says. “I saw that other people were able to be successful with their channels, so I think that’s what made me want to start my own.”

Yoder, who is a chief in the U.S. Navy and a freelance Microsoft-certified trainer, was also Jason Yoder started his YouTube travel video blog, Explore with Jason, in 2018.

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Reese Meyer started her YouTube channel, Spellbooked, in 2015. She now has more than 100,000 followers.

driven by his passion instead of the payout.

“I specialize in what’s called Windows Powershell, which is an automation language. I was on the team with Microsoft to help develop the type of training that I give,” he explains. “We have training centers across the country and the world. That’s what allows me to travel.”

Yoder has taught classes in Canada, Singapore, Japan, Italy, Bahrain and across the U.S. He’s been to 16 countries and 46 of the 50 states. He says he “stumbled” across YouTube and thought it was the best platform to blend his hobbies of photography and travel.

His channel features slice-of-life video blogs, travel and photography tips and commentary on the food, culture and community of each city he visits. What sets his videos apart from other travel vloggers, he says, is his honest portrayal of each of his trips as opposed to just posting the highlights. Above all, though, Yoder uses his vlog as an excuse to get out of the hotel and explore. “It’s really opening my eyes; it’s getting me out more so I can see more,” he says.

Yoder, who just surpassed 100 subscribers, wants to continue growing his channel and eventually start teaching travel photography workshops. The vlogger brings back very few souvenirs from his trips, instead using his photos and videos as mementos. “At some point, your ability to travel will go away, but those memories, those images, will always be there,” he says.

One of YouTube’s biggest draws, compared to other social media sites, is its unparalleled sense of community. The platform was built on the principles of self-expression and inclusiveness, which have only progressed since the site’s inception. According to the website, YouTube encourages its users to “find communities of support, break down barriers, transcend borders and come together around shared interests and passions.”

“I’ve always been a big fan of stories and the ability they have to bring people together.

I can find other people who also like them and talk to them about the storylines and the characters and things that we all find humorous or funny,” Meyer says. “Being able to connect other people and personally connect to the stories and be able to go back and enjoy these movies and TV shows has always been really special to me. It’s an awesome way for me to make friends and fi nd people who I

have interests in common with.”

Nearly five billion people in 91 countries use YouTube every day. The speed and level of simplicity in which users from different countries can communicate, collaborate, influence and inspire makes YouTube an integral tool in globalization.

“I enjoy the fact that these people are from all over the world. It’s not just people that I know in my personal life,” Meyer says. “I get people who watch my videos in Australia, Europe, Asia… English isn’t their fi rst language but they’re still able to watch my videos, I’m able to talk to them and they can be directly impacted by something that I do in a positive way.”

Though the YouTube community is largely known for being caring and supportive, Meyer says she has encountered some negativity.

“People don’t like what I’m making or they think it’s stupid or they say, ‘Anybody can make this’ or ‘I don’t understand why people think you’re so special,’ but the nice people outweigh the negative ones,” Meyer says. “I just have to put into perspective how many people like what I’m doing versus those who don’t.”

Though sharing creative content on YouTube can garner a sense of community and connection, posting personal information online can pose a risk. Yoder says this is a concern for him, so he takes proper precautions to ensure his safety on and off the internet.

“If you see pictures of me somewhere in the world, trust me, I’m not there. You do have to be careful in this day and age,” he says. “I keep tabs on what I put out there and there’s things

in my life I will not share on YouTube because it’s personal. I do exercise great caution. I recommend everybody do that.”

Meyer has a personal YouTube channel on which she posts Q&As, vlogs and life updates, but she admits she monitors just how personal she gets online. “I try to focus more on things I can connect with other people on that are much more broad and general rather than things that are extremely personal to me,” she says.

Yoder says dedication is one of the most important parts of launching a YouTube channel. If the passion is there, success will follow, not unlike Jawed Karim’s now-viral video from 2005.

“Find something that you enjoy, find your passion, find a way that you’re going to be able to make a lifestyle that’s sustainable and start building your dreams,” Yoder says.

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SPOTLIGHT

Trial Times Anthem Law attorneys are devoted to their clients and the community

By Alison Stanton

W

hen Sam Crump, an attorney and owner of Anthem Law, was in college at the University of San Francisco, he did an internship in the Washington office of U.S. Senator Pete Wilson of California.

“I wanted to work in politics but I noticed his key staff had advanced degrees, so that’s when I decided to go to law school,” Crump says, adding that he did fulfill his goal of getting into politics, both as the mayor of Sebastopol, California and in the Arizona Legislature.

Crump, who graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law, joined the Army and worked as a criminal prosecutor in Germany. In 2003, he started working with a partner and is now the owner of Anthem Law in Anthem. There, he handles business law and estate planning and probate, while associate J. Nichole Oblinger does family law, bankruptcy, civil litigation, landlord tenant and business litigation.

“I took over the fi rm in March 2018.

Nichole has been an associate for much of the last 11 years,” Crump says.

Oblinger’s interest in law began at an even earlier age than Crump’s. “I can pinpoint the exact time when I became interested in becoming an attorney,” she says.

“My freshman year of high school, I had a government/history teacher that happened to also be the school’s mock trial coach. He pulled me aside one day and told me to go to the Gila County Courthouse that evening and he said he would not take ‘no’ as an answer,” she says, adding that the coach asked her to come and watch and keep an Sam Crump handles business law and estate planning and probate. (Photo courtesy Sam Crump)

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open mind.

“I went to the mock trial practice that night and it caught my interest. From that point forward, I knew I wanted to be an attorney, and I was on the mock trial team all the way through high school.”

Oblinger, who is an Arizona native, earned her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University. Just before she was about to apply to ASU Law School, Oblinger’s husband was offered a job at USAA in San Antonio, so the couple moved there and she went to St. Mary’s University Law School in San Antonio.

Crump and Oblinger have both lived in the Anthem area for some time; Crump moved to Anthem in 2002 and started the law firm, which was originally Boates and Crump. Oblinger returned to Arizona after graduating from law school and moved to Anthem for the first time in June 2007.

“In 2016, my husband was transferred to Massachusetts and we lived there for two years, and then we moved back to Anthem in July of 2018,” she says.

With 30 years of experience under his

J. Nichole Oblinger practices family law, bankruptcy, civil litigation, landlord tenant and business litigation. (Photo special to 85085 magazine)

legal belt, Crump also enjoys being an active member of the Anthem community. “I was the charter president of Anthem Rotary in 2003 and still serve on the board,” he says. “I serve on the board of the Anthem Area Chamber of Commerce and a nonprofit, Hope4Kids. I am president of Daisy Mountain Veterans. I’m also active at St.

Rose Catholic Church and in the Knights of Columbus.”

When he is not busy at work or volunteering his time, Crump says he enjoys his new frozen yogurt store, Sam’s Frozen Yogurt, also in Anthem. To check out the current flavors, visit samsfroyo.com.

Oblinger, who is a fifth generation Arizonan – her great, great, great grandfather Merit Jackson McAllister is buried on Boot Hill in Tombstone – is also involved in the Anthem community. “My children grew up in Anthem and attended elementary school and high school here, and I am involved in various personal groups in Anthem,” she says.

Both Crump and Oblinger enjoy their time working with clients, as well as calling Anthem home. “I came from the Sonoma wine country, which is beautiful, but I love the people and community of Anthem much more,” Crump says.

Anthem Law is located at 42014 N. Venture Drive, Suite D-126, Anthem. For more information, call 623-551-5457 or visit anthemlaw.com.

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SPOTLIGHT

On the Rise A-Authentic Garage Doors builds solid reputation and plans expansion

By Lauren Wise

A

garage door is one of those things that tends to reveal its true necessity only when it’s not working properly.

Whether broken, damaged by a wayward emergency break – or the illusion that the garage is already open, as has happened to this writer – or squeaks so loudly you put mousetraps in the garage corners, you’re in a jam. And with garage problems, there is an urgency to repair it. You can’t leave the house because your car and other garage contents are either stuck inside or exposed to the outside elements or passersby with sticky fingers.

So what’s a reliable Valley solution?

Enter A-Authentic Garage Doors. As it says on their website, “If you had to lift a 300 pound door six or more times a day, you’d get tired – very tired. The same is true of your garage door springs because they do the heavy lifting for you.”

Owner Darrell Peruch is known for setting the industry standards when it comes to the garage door business, a hard-earned reputation marked by impressive one-hour response times, 24-hour emergency repairs and being a one-stop shop for just about any type of garage need.

The family-owned company has been serving Arizona residents for almost 20 years, and during that time Peruch has been tailoring his business to be as transparent and customer service-oriented as possible.

“I got into the business in 1999 after a friend bought a garage door company in Tucson. At the time I owned three pizza and wing restaurants, called Peruchio’s Pizza and Wings,” Peruch says. “After helping him, I decided this was my next adventure! We opened AAuthentic Garage Door Service Co. in September of 2000.”

Now serving the entire Valley (and still Tucson), for Peruch, it’s all about respecting a customer’s time, home and wallet. When it comes to emergencies, A-Authentic is known to respond to a call within the hour, and if you need to schedule an appointment, there’s no

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The crew at A-Authentic is known for one-hour response times and 24-hour emergency repairs. (Photos special to 85085 magazine)

“arrival between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.” Everything is scheduled within a onehour window. A-Authentic wants you to understand what the problem is and what can be done: Is it just a repair? Do you need replacements? Is there an easier way to fi x it on your own that will save you money? Peruch and his technicians take the time to explain all the possible service and repair options. After all, he adds, a garage door repair is often an unexpected expense.

“I think people would be surprised that even though we are one of the largest companies in the Valley, we are very responsive and treat each customer with the highest level of respect,” Peruch says. Which is probably how A-Authentic has been named an Angie’s List Super Service winner, and has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

When it comes to the services, equipment and products, A-Authentic is a one-stop shop. Bent tracks, broken springs and hinges, malfunctioning receivers and transmitters, off-track doors, sensor malfunctions, worn weather sealant, broken or frayed cables, noisy garage doors, bent panels – A-Authentic will come fi x it for you. Looking for a new garage door? Whether it’s for added secu-

rity or to increase the value of your home, they have great options like Clopay (the only residential garage door backed by the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval) and Amarr Garage Doors, a worldwide leader in garage door design. A-Authentic also offers LiftMaster garage door openers, and accessories ranging from keyless entry to security panels to remote controls.

With all the available options and prompt response times, it’s no wonder that AAuthentic recently expanded into a new 15,000-square-foot building in a Valley area that gives easy access to the freeways to provide even faster service to customers.

“With the expansion, we will be entering into commercial service and possibly gates,” Peruch says. “But what I love most about this industry is that every day we have customers in need and we can get their door working the same day and they can go back to their lives.”

A-Authentic Garage Doors

419 W. Lone Cactus Drive, Phoenix 602-321-4384, arizonagaragedoors.com

F A M I LY

Saint Valentine

The real meaning of the "sweethearts" holiday

By Pastor David Bowen, Standing Stones Community Church

T

he date many people circle on the month of February is the fourteenth, Valentine’s Day. Some circle it so that they can completely avoid it, but others look forward to this special day.

What makes this day special? Valentine’s Day has its origins in the Roman holiday Lupercalia, which was a fertility festival dedicated to celebrating the Roman god of agriculture, but it gets its name from a third-century Christian martyr.

Emperor Claudius II ruled in Rome during the third century. The Roman Empire was known for its military power and had strict rules for its soldiers. Claudius believed that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, so he outlawed marriage. However, a catholic priest named Valentine defiled the emperor’s decree and secretly performed wedding ceremonies for young couples. In 270 A.D., when the emperor discovered Valentine’s betrayal, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death.

Over the centuries, Valentine’s Day has transitioned from a pagan festival to a day of love and romance. However, as with many things in our culture, this day has become commercialized. In fact, after Christmas, Valentine’s Day is the second most popular card-sending holiday, with over 150 million cards being exchanged.

Money magazine reports that last Valentine’s Day, people spent over $19 billion on their valentine. Flowers, candy and dinner out may make a great date night, but what about families? How should a family celebrate Valentine’s Day? As a pastor, over the years I have seen some pretty creative and fun ideas.

One family likes to start the day with a

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kid-friendly scavenger hunt, making each item an object that highlights compassion, giving and kindness. I know one dad who has a Valentine’s Day tea party with his daughters. I’ve seen creative meals with heart-shaped hamburgers and dessert made with heart-shaped strawberries. One year I saw a mom create homemade Valentine cards for her kids using Bible verses to explain how much God loved them.

Holidays allow us to focus on a certain aspect of life. Thanksgiving is a day to be thankful. Christmas is a season to be giving. July fourth is a day to appreciate our independence and freedom, and Veteran’s Day is a day to remember and honor those who allow us to enjoy such blessings. Valentine’s Day is one of those occasions that can go either way. It can be a day of tenderness

and caring or it can be a day of lust. It’s important that we model the proper attitude and express love in a way that is honoring and not selfish. To love someone literally means to put that person first. Love means to give, lust wants to get. Love is caring, lust is egocentric. Love produces stability, lust creates chaos.

Let’s remember the one whose namesake is this month, a priest named Valentine who wanted to stand against arrogance and help young couples begin their lives together. A priest who was willing to give his own life so that others could express their love and publicly pledge vows of faithfulness and commitment. If that is the real root of Valentine’s Day then it will do our communities and our culture good to model that behavior. Happy Valentine’s Day.

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CRAFTS

Gifts of Love Fast and fun creations for Valentine’s Day Story and photos by Shannon Fisher

F

ebruary is a time to celebrate love! Here are easy ideas for gifts of love.

Valentine mice can be made from saved toilet paper rolls. We always have so many rolls we save and try to reuse. Start with an empty roll and you can use paper, felt or foam sheets to decorate your mouse. We used paper and googly eyes. You can draw simple outlines for the ears and nose. Glue on eyes, whiskers, nose and ears. Let dry and you can fill with treats and add a note to roll up and put inside. Hope you enjoy making a sweet mouse for a sweet Valentine.

Thumb print rocks are another simple craft to make with smooth rocks or stones. Take a clean stone and using acrylic paint, dip your thumb and stamp two times on the rock or stone to make a heart shape. Allow to dry.

You can add eyes and a mouth or a message of your love with a permanent marker. You can also draw a heart with glue and sprinkle with glitter while glue is wet. Allow to dry and shake off extra glitter. Easy and full of love!

Crayons in heart shapes make great gifts and help recycle leftover crayons that are broken or extra ones you may have. First, take an X-Acto knife or razor blade to slice down the side of your crayons if they still have paper. This will make it much easier to peel all of them. You can also soak the crayons in water to make the paper easier to rub off if you do not want to use the razor blades. You can now sort by colors or just break them all up in one bucket or bowl. Set your oven to 250 degrees. Use a heart-shaped silicone baking pan that will not be used for food in the future. Add the broken pieces to each shape. You can use circles or any other shapes if that is all you have as well. Set the baking mold on a cookie sheet to support it and place in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, until the crayons are completely melted. You may want to watch through the window to see that they have melted all the way. Once done, carefully take out and allow to cool completely. Once cool, you can pop them out of the mold and give away your colorful hearts. Note: parents must help with this craft and be aware of the smell melted crayons make. Try to open a door or window to lessen the toxic fumes and smell while the crayons are baking.

I hope you have a month full of love!

Shannon Fisher is a local wife, mom of two girls and owner of Shannon Fisher Photography. She taught high school and elementary art before opening her photography business.

Valentine mice can be made from saved toilet paper rolls.

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Thumb print rocks are another simple craft to make with smooth rocks or stones.

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RECIPE

What’s Cooking with Jan D’Atri

By Jan D'Atri

This 3-ingre dient choco late cake is flourl ess, fabulou s and perfect for V alentine’s D ay!

Flourless Chocolate Cake Ingredients - 8 eggs - 16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1 cup butter - pinch salt, optional - powdered sugar, whipped cream or fresh berries (for garnish) Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease an 8 or 9 inch cake pan, or spring form pan. Select a baking sheet or roasting pan in which the cake pan will set. (You will be adding water to the bottom of the sheet or roasting pan.)

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3. In a microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips with the butter. Melt at 45 second intervals, and stir until the chocolate and butter are fully melted and combined.

4. With an electric mixer, beat the eggs for 6-8 minutes or until double in size. The eggs should be foamy and light colored.

5. Pour the melted chocolate into a large bowl.

6. Spoon one third of the whipped eggs into the chocolate and gently fold until combined.

7. Add the remainder of the eggs into the chocolate and fold until completely

combined.

8. Pour mixture into prepared cake pan. If using spring form pan, seal the outside and bottom with aluminum foil and place in sheet or roasting pan.

9. Place in oven. Pour 1-2 inches of hot water into the roasting pan. Bake for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes up clean. Do not over bake.

10. When done, let cool. (The cake will deflate.)

11. Serve in wedges and garnish with powdered sugar, whipping cream or berries.

Watch my how-to video at jandatri.com/ recipe/flourless-chocolate-cake

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RESTAURANT

Sweet Sonoran-Style Dreams El Encanto Dos focuses on flavor, not heat Story and photos by Kenneth LaFave

I

dreamed the other night of a rambling hacienda, where dozens and dozens of people gathered in celebration. At hardwood tables under high ceilings, celebrants feasted on traditional Sonoran-style Mexican dishes. Then my dream turned to nightmare: There was no place for me. Table after table in sprawling room after room, and not a single chair to sit in.

Then I realized this was no sleeping vision, but wide-awake reality. The hacienda was El Encanto Dos, and the cause for celebration was a typical Saturday night in the far north Valley. Cave Creek dwellers, it seems, know how to party.

My companion and I settled for seating at a booth in the bar area, where a couple of sports-TV screens interfered only mildly with the otherwise continued feeling that we had been transported to Santa Fe. Unlike the situation at some bar seatings, we were well taken care of by our attentive waitress. Our intent was to go as mainstream as one might go, starting with a rich guacamole (not tableside, but hand-smashed and dense with ripe avocado; $7.99) and a pair of margaritas: one regular, one prickly pear. The prickly pear variety was quite sweet, but the tang of the Pollo fundido – seasoned chicken wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep-fried, topped with melted jalapeño-cream cheese mixture

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cactus fruit came through.

In addition to the guacamole, we dipped our chips in three salsas, two red and one green. The hottest was only jalapeño-hot, and the others were quite mild. Chili pepper freaks might object, but I don’t. In my view, the secret to great Mexican food is that flavor, not heat, is goal. Heat is wonderful when it leads to or enhances flavor, but when the current chic for hotter and hotter leads to something like the mouth-destroying ghost pepper, the goal has been lost. The more acceptable heat of jalapeño, Anaheim and poblano chilis dominates the El Encanto Dos menu, and the meal I enjoyed on that crowded Saturday night was long on flavor and rich textures, not heat-for-its-own-sake. (There was one exception – more on this below.)

(To answer the obvious question: Yes, there is an El Encanto Uno, though it is called simply El Encanto, located in the heart of Cave Creek, while Numero Dos is out toward I-17.)

For an entree, my companion took our waitress’ suggestion for the restaurant’s most popular dish: pollo fundido ($12.99). Seasoned chicken wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep-fried, topped with the melted jalapeñocream cheese mixture that makes it “fun-

dido” – the literal Spanish means “molten.”

El Encanto’s menu refers to this as “fundido sauce,” and you can order more of it on the side, which I recommend. The pollo fundido here is such a famous signature dish that some patrons have been known never to eat anything else, which means they miss a lot.

The chile relleno is my idea of a quintessential Mexican dish that admits of many variations. (The bar favorite, jalapeño poppers, are essentially a take on the relleno.) At its root, it is a chili pepper (usually a poblano) stuffed with asadero cheese, coated in an egg batter and deep-fried. But some versions add other fillings, and El Encanto Dos offers three varieties: regular ($12.99), con carne (with green-chile meat, $14.99), and the wildly overindulgent Carne Asada Relleno ($20.99).

Of course, I ordered the big one. Carne asada consists of strips of sirloin, seasoned and mesquite-grilled. El Encanto Dos stuffs these tender strands, along with mashed potatoes whipped with the “fundido sauce,” into the pepper along with the asadero and, voila, you have enough food to last you until next Tuesday. It’s served with grilled zucchini

El Encanto Dos

1112 E. Carefree Highway, Phoenix 623-780-5938, elencantorestaurants.com

RIGOR, RELEVANCE, AND RELATIONSHIPS

Carne asada relleno consists of strips of sirloin, seasoned and mesquite-grilled.

squash and other veggies that vaguely recall the classic Mexican dish, calabacitas.

The sirloin was juicy and slightly smoky, and the mashed potatoes fundido smoothly delicious. The only surprise was the chili pepper itself, which registered much higher on the reliable heat index of my tongue than any poblano in my eating history. The waitress assured me that, yes, it was a poblano, but I came away with the sneaking suspicion that the kitchen had inadvertently used a Hatch chili (a poblano lookalike), some varieties of which can achieve the heat of a serrano. In any case, while it didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the dish, I left much of the pepper uneaten.

Dessert is not on the menu but is available. We passed on the fried ice cream and went for a shared bowl of simple, thickly delicious flan.

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www.StarlightCommunityTheater.com FEBRUARY 2019 |

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DINING

Unsung Gyros A small Greek restaurant boasts big flavors Story and photos by Madison Rutherford

T

he Greek Pita is aptly named.

The small eatery makes up for its compact quarters – crammed into a corner of the frantic labyrinth that is the Shops at Norterra – with heaping platters of its namesake Mediterranean flatbread, bathed in baba ghanoush, bordering a hummus plate, flanking falafel and gyros, slicked with garlic sauce, stuffed with onions, lettuce and tomato and dusted with chopped parsley.

What the restaurant lacks in space, it more than makes up for with its portions, flavors and authenticity. But don’t expect bells and whistles. The Greek Pita serves traditional Greek food, and that’s it. No twists, no modern treatments, no fusion fare – just good, honest Greek food. The Greek Pita sticks to what it knows. And it works.

They say good things come in small packages. The Greek Pita is certainly small – like blink-and-you-might-miss-it small – but once you walk in, the size of the restaurant will become secondary to the glowing neon menu hovering over the counter like a halo. Pictures of pitas, hummus platters, salads and generous portions of slouvaki, shawarma, falafel and gyros immediately command attention. Expect to spend your first five minutes in the restaurant with your eyes glued to this glorious Greek smorgasbord. Pro tips: Try not to drool and don’t be afraid to ask the staff for explanations and recommendations. For example, “baba ghanoush” was Greek to me, but the beaming woman behind the counter cheerfully explained that it is a hummus-like dip made of mashed eggplant instead of chickpeas.

I also learned that the eggplant is cooked on an open flame, giving the dish a subtle, smoky taste. It’s delicious, and served with a heaping plate of warm, doughy pita.

After much standing, drooling and deliberating, I knew I had to try the falafel. Every type of cuisine has a certain food that serves as a standard-setting dish; if they can’t do that

From top: The falafel pita comes with a generous helping of falafel and fries; Greek Pita’s spanakopita is a must-try; Greek Pita’s baba ghanoush is served with a side of pita bread; Dolmas are a Greek delicacy wrapped in grape leaves.

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right, you’re really in trouble. At sushi spots, it’s miso soup. At Chinese restaurants, it’s fried rice. At Greek joints, it’s falafel. These deep-fried balls made of blended fava beans and chickpeas are a culinary balancing act – they can’t be too dry or they taste like crunchy dog food, and if they’re too moist, they crumble and fall apart. The Greek Pita serves up enormous, crunchy spheres that strike the perfect balance – crispy on the outside and soft and spongy in the middle. Order it in pita form ($8.95), with the golden-brown balls cocooned in a piping hot pita and served with French fries, or the plate ($10.50), where they swim in a sea of yellow basmati rice, served with a small Greek salad, doused with a generous amount of zesty vinaigrette and liberally powdered with fresh feta.

The Greek Pita also offers a plethora of meat options – chicken, beef and gyros, skewered or shaved right off the rotisserie.

Don’t pass up the dolmas ($5.50), swaddled in dewy grape leaves and served with a side of tangy tzatziki or the spanakopita – a gilded, pillowy pastry with gooey spinach and feta interior. Each $3.50 serving comes with two pieces, so get a couple orders if you’re hungry or sharing.

No Mediterranean meal is complete without a piece of baklava, and The Greek Pita’s is a layered, honey-laden slice of heaven stuffed with walnuts and sprinkled with a crown of ground pistachios.

After you order your food, sit at one of the surprisingly roomy booths that border the tiny restaurant. Before you know it, a colorful blur of brimming paper plates will arrive at your table while mouth-watering spices waft through the air.

Like clockwork, expect each dish to be perfectly punctuated with a side of piping hot pita.

The Greek Pita

2501 W. Happy Valley Road, Phoenix thegreekpita.com, 623-587-7482

BEAUTY

Botox Beware Read this before receiving a cosmetic injectable treatment

By Kelly Collins

B

otox has become a household word and it seems like everyone including both men and women have either tried it or are thinking about giving it a try. But before you do, there are some very serious things to consider.

Be sure to qualify your injector and verify that they hold a valid medical license.

There have been recent cases of “injector imposters” posing as medical professionals and there are even unlicensed “providers” administering Botox in medical office environments. (Did you know that Arizona does not require medical assistants to re-

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ceive any type of formal training or even hold a license?) For these reasons, always ask to see a copy of the provider’s medical license before undergoing a treatment. You can also check with the provider’s board to verify that they indeed hold an active license. (AZ Medical Board, Arizona Naturopathic Physicians Medical Board, Arizona Board of Nursing and AZ Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants are all great resources.)

Ask how long (number of years) your provider has been administering cosmetic injectable treatments and what type of experience they have, including what training and preceptorships they have attended.

Also, be sure to ask how many hours a week they work in the industry.

(Lots of providers are “weekend warriors” and are only working a few hours a week or as little as once a month in a cosmetic office.)

Make sure the treatments being administered are done in an aseptic medical office environment. Lots of people have heard stories of “Back room Botox Parties” which might include receiving a treatment in a non-medical

Dr. Kelly Collins, NMD, is the owner and medical director of Premier Wellness Center in Anthem. For more information, or to book a consultation or treatments, visit premierwellnessaz.com.

environment. Some of the places I have heard clients receiving Botox and other medical cosmetic treatments at include the back room of another type of business such as a salon, clothing store, massage parlor, tattoo shop or even the back seat of a car, the bathroom or living room of a client’s house or a hotel room. Undergoing invasive treatments like cosmetic injections in a non-medical, non-aseptic environment could lead to complications including but not limited to serious infections. Ask yourself: Is whatever deal they are offering worth the risk?

Before undergoing a treatment, ask to see the Botox vials and dermal fi ller syringes. There have been reported issues with these products being “bootlegged” and/or illegally imported from other countries. When receiving a dermal fi ller treatment, be sure to ask the provider to open dermal fi ller syringe packages in front of you (each syringe should be individually sealed in its own package to ensure safety and sterility).

In order to make sure the Botox you are receiving is authentic and legal, follow these three easy steps: 1. Make sure that the established name, onabotulinumtoxinA, appears on the product box and vial.

2. Look for an Allergan Hologram on each vial.

3. Look for the U.S. license number 1145

on the vial label.

If you feel suspicious about the vial you are examining, contact Allergan (the manufacturer of Botox) directly. Allergan is able to track and verify that each vial is authentic and approved for sale in the United States. To report suspected inauthentic or illegal Botox, contact Allergan at 800-433-8871 or the FDA at 800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Google your provider, learn more about them and consider their level of expertise by determining their level of training, years of education, what type of medical license they hold, years they have spent working in the industry and be sure to read patient reviews.

(Look at the provider’s website, read their bio, and look to Facebook and Yelp to read what other clients have to say about their experience and results.) Also, don’t be afraid to ask a friend for a referral to a provider they have been happy with.

Ask to see before and after photos of clients that they have treated. Ask what type of treatments they specialize in? Do they offer advanced techniques? Do they have advanced training that enables them to do more advanced treatments such as non-surgical rhinoplasty, tear trough rejuvenation or jawline definition? What type/brand of products do they use? Do they use different products for different areas of the face? What tools do they have in their “toolbox”? Are their results “cookie cutter” or more advanced?

And finally, go with your gut feeling. Do you feel comfortable with the person that is doing the treatment? Do they make you feel confident and secure in their ability? Do you feel good around them? Are they the type of person you want to trust with injecting one of your most valuable assets, your face?

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BODY

Rest Stop Exercise 6 roadside stretches to relieve travel stress

By Niki D’Andrea

T

raveling can be physically strenuous, regardless of your method of travel.

When flying, there are the bags to carry, all the bustle of getting through security, hurrying to gates and standing around, then finally squeezing yourself into close quarters with strangers. When driving, there’s the necessity of staying awake and alert and watching for hazards, plus sitting in the same position for potentially hours on end. Add to this the challenges of eating healthfully and getting truly restful rest while on the go, and traveling can be a painful prospect for some.

But there are some ways to alleviate the discomfort and stay limber, especially while enjoying a road trip. Here are six roadside stretches physicians and personal trainers recommend for travelers. These exercises are easy to do at a rest stop, especially if you don’t mind fellow travelers watching you with curiosity. Hey, better to cramp your style than your quads, right?

1: Chest Stretch

Standing against a surface such as the edge of a wall or a doorway, place your forearm

against the surface with your elbow bent.

Holding your shoulder at a 90 degree angle, turn your body away from your arm until you feel a stretch in your pectoral muscle. Hold the stretch for 15 seconds, then turn a little deeper into the stretch for another 15 seconds, for a total of 30 seconds. Repeat on opposite arm. This stretch helps to reduce soreness and tightness in the chest and between the upper shoulder blades.

2: Upper trapezius stretch

Bend your head to the right side and place your left hand behind your back and your right hand over your head. Gently and carefully pull your neck slowly to the right until you feel a stretch in your left upper trapezius muscle. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the opposite side. This stretch decreases muscle tension in your neck.

3: Modified prayer stretch

Place your hands against a surface which is the height of your hips. Learn back until you feel the stretch in your lower back. Hold for 30 seconds. This stretch helps to reduce muscle tension in the lower back.

4: Hamstring stretch

Stand up straight and then bend down from the hips, reaching toward your toes until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. If you must bend your knees, only do so slightly. Hold for 15 seconds, then lean down a little deeper for another 15 seconds, for a total of 30 seconds.

This stretch increases the flexibility in the back of your thighs and reduces tension in the lower back.

5: Hip flexor stretch

Step forward into a lunge position, with your front leg bent and your back leg straight until you feel a stretch at the front of the hip on your back leg and in the calf of the leg that is back. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds. This stretch is especially helpful for people who have been sitting for long periods of time by reducing tightness at the front of the hips and lower back.

6: Standing mermaid stretch

Place one hand on your hip and the other arm over your head. With the arm over your head, reach towards the opposite side until you feel a stretch in your side. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

This stretch improves the flexibility of your oblique muscles (“love handles”) and improves overall spinal flexibility.

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85085 | FEBRUARY 2019

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H E A LT H

Ask the Pharmacist Nutrition shakes: What you need to know

By Tara Storjohann and Heeya Ju

W

orking as a community pharmacist at a grocery store, I encounter many patients asking for nutritional drinks. When asked for its intention, everyone has a similar answer: “to be healthier.” I have found that many patients have no knowledge of what these products contain or the differences among the various products that are sitting next to each other on the aisle. Hopefully this brief article will help to answer some common questions I receive about nutrition replacement drinks/shakes.

What is a nutrition replacement drink?

Nutrition replacement drinks are readyto-drink liquid nutritional products that help provide complete and balanced nutrition, and these are easily found on a pharmacy or grocery store shelf. The drink can be used as a meal replacement or a meal supplement

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85085 | FEBRUARY 2019

depending on the condition, preference and the product itself. There are several drink products depending on the consumer’s purpose, including Ensure®, Boost®, Glucerna®, SlimFast®, etc.

What is in a nutrition replacement drink?

These products are typically designed to provide a healthy balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein. Nutritional drinks contain unnecessary sugar to improve taste. Most drinks also contain various essential vitamins and minerals.

Are nutrition replacement products safe for diabetic patients?

The answer is yes and no. I have my diabetic patients controlling their diabetes very well by replacing one of their regular meals with such a product. However, it is strongly recom-

Tara Storjohann has resided in Anthem since 2002 and is a pharmacist and an Associate Professor in the College of Pharmacy at Midwestern University in Glendale. She enjoys spending time in the Arizona great outdoors hiking and snowskiing. She is a health advocate and is passionate about helping others achieve their wellness goals.

mended to talk to your healthcare providers before trying them out. In addition, there are certain products formulated for those with diabetes, such as Glucerna and Boost Glucose Control. Nutrition shakes specifically for diabetic patients are typically designed to maintain blood sugar levels and avoid spikes in blood sugar levels.

Carbohydrate (g/d) Protein (g/d) Males: 19 and up

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Table 1. Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies

confuse nutrition drinks with protein shakes, which are more commonly consumed when losing weight or building healthy muscles.

Replacing one of your heavy or unhealthy meals with a nutrition drink may help you lose weight because calorie intake is key to losing weight.

Heeya Ju is a first-year community pharmacy resident for Albertsons Companies and Midwestern University. She graduated from the University of Arizona with her bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology in 2014 and Doctor of Pharmacy in 2018. She enjoys yoga and Pilates. Heeya hopes to learn more throughout her residency training to be able to bring a positive impact to communities in need.

Can I drink a nutrition drink to lose weight?

This is another question I often get from patients in their 20s and 30s. Many people

What are the risks of using nutrition drinks?

The first thing you need to know is that there is a reason these products taste good – sugar and carbohydrates. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that carbohydrates make up 45 to 65 percent of total daily calories and that less than 10 percent of daily calories come from added sugar. This is why you need to be wise when choosing your products. Some may have more calories from added sugar in-

stead of complex carbohydrates, which does not abruptly increase your sugar level. Additionally, even though it is called a “meal replacement,” it is not recommended to replace all your meals with nutrition drinks.

If you can eat regular meals, that’s the best option to get your necessary calories and nutrients. If you are consuming food regularly, then drinking additional nutrition drinks may put you at risk for taking in too many extra calories, resulting in weight gain. It is best to avoid this unless advised by healthcare providers.

Remember, the key to getting healthier starts with eating a nutritious and balanced diet full of whole foods including fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. Please ask your pharmacist about appropriate options for your specific needs.

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Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down, and each small nine-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

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