When Spring is on the Horizon!

By Janet Prince

Spring time is my favorite time of year!  I love the longer days (don’t forget to change your clocks on March 10!), the grass turning green, the flowers starting to bloom, and all the leaves coming back on the trees.  Another way to know that Spring is on the Horizon in Columbia is when you start hearing about all the fun things you can do on the weekend.  Whether it’s a hobby you enjoy or a fundraiser for charities in our area, Columbia is full of great things.

I thought I would share with you some of the great things on the horizon for you to consider doing in our community.  I have attended or participated in many of these activities before, and many of these activities I had no idea about but am now intrigued.  Remember, this is just a sampling of events from our immediate area, but you can always go online and find many, many more.

I hope you will get out and enjoy some of these with your family or your best friends!

March 2019

The Craftsmen’s Spring Classic Art & Craft Festival, March 1 – 3 at the SC State Fairgrounds.  (www.crafshow.com)

Lexington Medical Center Foundation “Aim for Clarity” Sporting Clay Tournament, March 9 at Palmetto State Armory course in Swansea.  For more information contact Beth Wingard at ebwingard1@lexhealth.org

Rock Horry Picture Show Festival, Friday, March 15, 6:00 p.m. at the Historic Columbia Speedway.

St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Five Points, March 16, 2019.

Palmetto Sportsmen’s Classic, March 22-24 at the SC State Fairgrounds.  (www.psc@dnr.sc.gov)

GFWC Jr. Woman’s Club of Columbia “Baubles & Bubbles” Brunch, March 23 from 11am – 2pm at the Sims Stackhouse Mansion, 1511 Laurel Street…more information on the Junior Woman’s Club of Columbia Facebook page.

GFWC Lexington Woman’s Club 35^th Annual Charity Golf Tournament, March 25 at the Country Club of Lexington…more information on the Lexington Woman’s Club Facebook page.

Spring Arts & Craft Show, March 30, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Lexington Middle School.

April 2019

River Rocks 2019 by the Congaree Riverkeeper, April 13, noon – 8:00 p.m., at the Congaree River near Founder’s Park, 555 Williams Street, Columbia.

“Hippie Fest,” April 20 at the Historic Columbia Speedway in Cayce.

Lexington Medical Center Foundation McDaniel’s Golf Classic “Campaign for Clarity” Gala, April 24 and 26 at the Columbia Metro Convention Center. For more information LMCFoundation@lexhealth.org

GFWC Chapin Woman’s Club Fabulous Flamingo Fling, April 26 at the Timberlake Clubhouse.  For more information visit www.chapinwomansclub.com

 

May 2019

GFWC Woman’s Club of Cayce “Hot Flash 5K at Timmerman Trail, May 4.  Signup at www.StrictlyRunning.com or visit the Woman’s Club of Cayce Facebook page.

GFWC Celebrating “Tote-ally” Amazing Women at the Sims Stackhouse Mansion, May 11, 10:00 a.m. – noon at 1511 Laurel Street.  Tickets are just $10 and can be purchased at the door.

Lexington Wine Walk, May 11, 6:00 p.m. at the Icehouse Amphitheater.

Lexington Medical Center 2019 Governor’s Cup Road Race, May 17-18, ½ marathon, 5K run/walk, Main Street Mile, Kid’s 1-Mile Run.  For more information visit www.lmcfoundation@lexhealth.org

 

Remember this is just a sampling of fun things to plan and do this spring.  Get out and enjoy yourselves!

Heart Disease Pop Quiz

When it comes to heart disease, how knowledgable are you? In this WIS-TV report, news anchor Dawndy Mercer-Plank asked community members in downtown Columbia questions about heart health. Then, Dr. Heather Currier, new cardiothoracic surgeon at Lexington Cardiovascular Surgery, provided answers. Watch the video here.

Heart disease is the #1 killer of men and women in America. in fact, it kills more people than many forms of cancer combined. A recent study from the American Heart Association showed that approximately 46% of American adults have some form of heart disease. In South Carolina, the most common heart surgery is coronary artery bypass. And, as the population grows older, valve replacement is becoming more frequent, too. 

Lexington Medical Center wants you to “Just Say Know” to heart disease. To test your heart health knowledge with a quiz, visit LexMed.com/Know.

 

Baking Blessings

By Rhonda Woods

Hello Everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day/Evening with family, friends, spouse, or significant other!  My daughter bought me my coveted Whitman’s Sampler….and I devoured it promptly!  LOL.  My students and I made a special “Amore” lunch for our faculty and staff on Valentine’s Day serving 4 cheese baked ziti, garlic butter bread sticks, spring mix greens salad, and chocolate delight for dessert!  It was enjoyed by all, and they anxiously await the announcement of our next faculty and staff lunch! Great support for our program.

I was also blessed to have attended a European breads class at Trident Technical College in Charleston last week.  The chef and staff were awesome, and the breads were delicious!  I have included some pictures of the beautiful breads the attendees and I made during the 6-hour class. The breads include Ciabatta, Challah, Baguettes, Levain, and Focaccia. I enjoy baking so much that I registered for the next 3 classes too! It’s just a little something for me to do as my year gets better and better.  Praise God for listening to me, for answered prayers, for peace, and for happiness.  “I am patiently waiting, Lord, for Your plan for my life.”  Baking may be one of His answers!

My daughter is our “Almost Valentine Baby,” born on February 12 (also Abraham Lincoln’s birthday).  It was a cold, wet day similar to what SC is experiencing now.  With a pocket of dimes for the pay phone to call the relatives, it was just my sweet husband, doctors, and nurses for the delivery.  While I was in recovery, he walked down to Taylor Street Pharmacy from the Baptist Hospital for a bouquet of yellow roses. He is pictured here with his baby girl: a very musically gifted, beautiful inside and out, NASCAR Racing, Clemson fan just like her Daddy. We were not able to celebrate until after her birthday this year, but we made up for it with her special lunch request of herb marinated pork loin with sauce, butterbeans and rice, macaroni and cheese, and of course, her birthday dessert choice, strawberry swirl cheesecake with chocolate dipped strawberries!  All my family, my mom and sister, gathered together to celebrate.

May God bless you and your family as He continues to bless ours,

Chef Woods

Herb Marinated Pork Loin

@ 10 servings

Pork:

• 4 lb. pork loin, trimmed (so @ 4 1/2 lb. before trimming)

Marinade:

• 2 T. Italian seasoning
• 2 T. granulated garlic
• 2 T. olive oil
• 3 T. soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 c. light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 1/2 c. honey (optional)

Sauce:

• Pan drippings strained
• 2 T. corn starch
• 1/2 c.
  Chicken broth/stock
• 1 c. BBQ sauce (I use Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ)

Place the pork in a gallon freezer bag. Mix the marinade and pour over the trimmed pork, turning to coat. Polk meat with a fork all over to allow the flavors to penetrate some.  Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slip the pork into a baking dish/pan and pour the marinade over it. Cover with plastic wrap and then heavy aluminum foil. Bake @ 1-1 1/2 hours or until a minimum 145 degrees F internal temperature is reached.  Remove the foil and plastic wrap and brown the top of the roast, if desired. Remove dish/pan from oven, remove pork to a cutting board to rest and carefully drain & strain the pan drippings into a medium saucepan. Whisk in the cornstarch, chicken broth, and BBQ sauce.  Bring just to a boil to thicken, whisking to prevent scorching.  Slice the roast, put it back into the baking dish/pan and ladle the hot sauce over the slices.  Cool any leftovers and refrigerate.

 

Crumb Topped Macaroni and Cheese

@ 12 servings

Macaroni:

• 1 gallon hot water
• 1 T. salt
• 1 T. oil
• 1 lb. dry macaroni

Sauce:

• 6 T. butter or margarine
• 1/2 c. flour, plain
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 3/4 t. dry mustard
• 1 T.  Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 c. milk, whole
• 1 lb. (4 c.) shredded cheddar cheese (I use Velvetta Cheddar)

Crumb Topping:

• 2 c. fresh bread crumbs (@ 4 oz or 1/4 lb.)
• 2 1/2 T. butter or margarine

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a small stockpot, bring water, oil, and salt for macaroni to a full boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente (done, but still firm), drain, and put it back into the stockpot. In a large saucepan, melt butter for the sauce.  Whisk in flour, salt, and dry mustard to make a roux.  Cook, stirring for 8 minutes over medium heat-DO NOT BROWN.  The roux should be light in color.  Add Worcestershire Sauce and milk, whisking until smooth.  Cook until thickened.  At this point, you have made Béchamel Sauce. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon and stay firmly separated when you drag your finger though it.  This is called Nappe’.   Add the shredded cheese and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and pour over the cooked macaroni in the stockpot, stirring to mix.  Lightly spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish or pan with pan spray.  Pour the macaroni and cheese into the prepared dish/pan.  In a mixing bowl, toss the bread crumbs with the melted butter. Sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the macaroni and cheese.  Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly and the crumb topping is golden brown.  Cool and refrigerate leftovers.

Note: try this recipe with Gouda, Havarti, White Cheddar or Colby Jack Cheese.

 

4 Cheese Baked Ziti

@ 12 servings

Sauce:

• 1 lb. ground chuck
• 1-2 t. dry onion flakes
• 44 oz. crushed tomatoes
• 8-10 oz. oz. tomato puree
• 1 1/4 t. Italian seasoning
• 1 t. dried parsley flakes
• 1/8 t. pepper
• 1 t. salt
• Cheese mixture:
• 12 oz. cottage cheese
• 6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
• 6 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 t. dried parsley flakes (optional)

Ziti:

• 12 c. hot water
• 2 t. salt
• 2 t. oil
• 12 oz. dry ziti

Topping:

• 4 oz. shredded Provolone cheese
• 1 t. dried parsley flakes

In a large saucepan, brown the ground chuck and onion flakes.  Drain.  Add crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, Italian seasoning, parsley flakes, pepper, and salt.  Simmer, stirring occasionally while making cheese mixture and cooking pasta.  In a small stockpot, bring water, salt and oil to a boil.  Add ziti and cook until al dente.  Drain.  In a mixing bowl, combine cottage, Mozzarella and Swiss cheeses with optional parsley flakes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9″ x 13″ baking dish or pan with pan spray.  Combine sauce, cooked ziti and cheese mixture together (this will look very questionable, but hang in there, it is delish when baked together).  Cover the dish/pan with plastic wrap and heavy foil.  Bake 30-45 minutes or until bubbly.  Remove foil and plastic wrap.  In a small bowl, mix the shredded Provolone and parsley flakes together.  Sprinkle over the baked ziti.  Return to the oven to melt the cheese topping.  Cool and refrigerate leftovers.

 

Update on My Weight Loss Journey

by Tina Michelle Cameron

Hi everyone. I am 10 weeks and 5 days into my weight-loss journey. I have been under physician supervision since I started this journey in December 2018. I have not done as well as I had hoped regarding working out, but I am pleased so far with my weight loss and improvement of my blood pressure. I have cut out my go-to snack of Pringles, and I am 5 days short of 1 year without any soft drinks. I’ll admit there are times when I would love a good ice-cold Coca-Cola or Mountain Dew. This is the longest that I have ever gone without soft drinks since I was a teenager.

I am following the Keto diet. I know there are mixed feelings about this diet, but I am doing more of a modified Keto. I am not eating lots of fats every single day. I have increased my protein intake and decreased my sugar and carbohydrate intake. My nurse practitioner wants me to have a little carbs every day just not a lot. I have increased my water intake from 1-2 glasses a day to almost 3l daily.

When I began Keto, I found an app on my phone to log my food, water, weight, and exercise daily. The app calculates it for you and makes it easy. I will admit, I have not logged anything in the past few weeks, but I need to get strict again with this as it really helps you see what you have done. I also will be getting back in the gym tomorrow morning as my graduation is fast approaching in May, and I want to look nice when I cross that stage for my BSN degree at the University of Alabama.

I have found some really good recipes from a coworker-Brittany who is also doing Keto, and I have found some by simply doing a Google search. For the first time in a very long time, I am cooking every few days and enjoying it. The recipes I have enclosed below will last me a few days and with my hectic schedule, it is just easier to eat the same thing for 3 or 4 days in a row. I hope you enjoy the recipes, and I look forward to hearing from you. As of today, I have lost 21.5 lbs. and my blood pressure is within a normal range.

Egg Roll in a Bowl

This dinner recipe features ground pork, cole slaw mix, and seasonings to create a low-carb egg roll served in bowls.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 396 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground sausage
• 1 bag dry coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• sliced green onion

Instructions

1. In a large, deep skillet, brown sausage. Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine garlic, soy sauce, and ginger; set aside.
2. Once sausage is cooked through, add dry coleslaw mix to skillet and stir to combine.
3. Pour soy sauce mixture into the skillet and stir, continuing to cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until cabbage is wilted, but still a bit crunchy. Serve with sliced green onion.

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

Calories 396 Calories from Fat 270

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 30g 46%

Saturated Fat 10g 50%

Cholesterol 81mg 27%

Sodium 1804mg 75%

Potassium 544mg 16%

Total Carbohydrates 10g 3%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 4g

Protein 20g 40%

Vitamin A 3.9%

Vitamin C 52.3%

Calcium 6.7%

Iron 13.9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Confidence Builder

By Shannon Boatwright

One of my very favorite things in life is witnessing another individual gain confidence.

Inspiring others has always been part of my drive as a performer, producer, director, as a human in general, and certainly as a teacher. Right up there with inspiring others is seeing someone’s confidence grow and shine before your very eyes as a result of your own influence. Being a teacher definitely gives me an open sea of opportunity to attempt to build confidence in the young adolescents I have the honor of teaching.

The past two weeks I’ve been holding auditions for my honors drama program. I see tons of kids come in busting at the seams with nervous energy. Sometimes their nervous energy is crippling, creating a bumbling mess that physically renders them unable to speak straight, stand straight, or even think straight.  I make it my mission, whether there’s outstanding talent present or not, to create an environment that makes them feel comfortable. I truly make major efforts to let them know I’m on their side. I want them to shine and enjoy the moment, just like they do when they’re privately practicing the art they’re intrigued with.

We all are superstars in the comfort of our own homes, cars, or showers. We work it and envision ourselves just like the celebrities we idolize on the big screen. When we’re in our own space wrapped up in our intrigue and passion, we let it go, shine, and rock it out with everything we’ve got, so why is it when most of us get in front of others, or in particular situations, we suddenly become unable to produce anything even close to worthy of sharing our passion, much less our talent? We all have the potential. Again, whether true skill is present or not, we have the potential to let loose and share our love for whatever art form fills us up. However, it’s difficult for a hardcore, nervous person to truly have fun in the moment that they’re auditioning for anything.  It’s real life. It’s nerves. It’s utter fear in some cases.

Whenever I’m able to actually provide comfort and encouragement for someone to shine, whether on a small or large level, it’s truly a priceless and beautiful thing to witness if that person’s confidence comes forth. To see an individual reach a level in which they feel OK, capable, successful, and self-assured, is a lovely thing to witness – sometimes so much so that it’s a real heart filling moment that brings honest joy.

I had a young man come in to audition and he obviously had a spark about him. He had pizazz. It was in him, and I could see that he knew he could do it, but he had not had the time to memorize his monologue and the memorization part was totally holding him back. I could even tell he was trying to improvise his way through the monologue but just got hung up on flat out not remembering the words. He began saying, “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it…” I couldn’t tell if it was part of the monologue or him actually giving up. I had to ask, “What’s happening here?” With tears in his eyes, he proceeded to declare, “I just can’t do drama; I couldn’t memorize it!” I then asked him how long he’d had the monologue, in which he replied he’d just gotten it that day. Which means he’d memorized half of the long monologue in a very short amount of time and even seemed to capture the character as well. I applauded him on doing as well as he did in such a short amount of time and let him know I could tell that he was talented, totally capable of doing this monologue, and that I was going to need to see him do his thing! I let him hold the script in his hands, gave him direction and had him re-audition. The kid proceeded to nail it. He connected with the camera, he showed character and in turn felt great about it. Due to my encouragement, he was able to share his love for acting and give a really great audition. I was able to watch a child’s confidence literally soar right before my very eyes. Priceless.

It just goes to show that if you respond to others positively and provide a little encouragement, you can really help another individual shine. The really beautiful thing is that as I dedicate time towards building confidence in others, my own confidence grows. Being a confidence builder is a priceless thing. How do you help build confidence in others? What elements help to build your own confidence?

Fixing A Racing Heartbeat at Lexington Cardiology

We’re pleased to bring you a blog series called “Meet the Patients.” We share the stories of Lexington Medical Center patients whose experiences will educate and inspire readers about the outstanding care provided throughout our hospital network and the importance of modern medicine.

For years, Natalie Herndon felt her heartbeat racing extremely fast. Many doctors dismissed the University of South Carolina student’s symptoms as anxiety. But at Lexington Cardiology, a Lexington Medical Center physician practice, doctors discovered something wrong with Natalie’s heart – and knew just how to fix it. She shares her story below.

Natalie’s condition was called PSVT – paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. That’s an abnormal heart rhythm where the electrical signal goes in a circle around the heart rather than in a straight line from top to bottom. It causes a rapid heart rate and can make people feel palpitations, or fluttering, of the heart. In Natalie’s case, she was born with an extra electrical connection in the heart that allows the signal to move faster than usual. She underwent a cardiac ablation that stopped the abnormal heart rhythm in its tracks.

Since her procedure in July, Natalie no longer suffers from PSVT episodes.

For information on Dr. Christopher Rowley and Lexington Cardiology, visit LexCardio.com.

Foods That Mean Love

By Rachel Sircy 

I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I never try to blend together my own flour mixtures. I am a working mother of a four-year-old, and I simply don’t have the money or the time to hunt down and combine all those little bags of flour to make a baking mix that might make perfect doughnuts but can’t be used to dredge a pork chop. Actually, I don’t make doughnuts or porkchops, but that’s beside the point. What I use instead are gluten free all-purpose flour blends. There are quite a few of these on the market these days, but I recommend purchasing those that can be used as a cup for cup substitute for regular wheat-based flours. Normally, these all-purpose flour blends will advertise somewhere on the package that they are cup for cup substitutes. Pamela’s Artisan Blend happens to be my favorite at the moment (You can see the little yellow dot on the front of the package advertises a 1:1 substitution with regular flour):

The real value of these 1:1 substitutions is that you can pull out old recipes and use them again without having to have an advanced degree in food science to figure out how to make them gluten free. Some recipes are really worth making time and time again. This is my grandmother’s recipe for shortbread cookies. The title of the recipe is “Holiday Cookies” because without fail, these cookies were a part of every single holiday on the yearly calendar. My grandmother had a cookie cutter with a shape to match each holiday in question: a pumpkin for the fall holidays, Christmas Trees, hearts for Valentine’s, eggs for Easter and so on.

 

My daughter and I made these cookies with my grandmother over Christmas just the way that I used to make them with her when I was little. Just the other day, HRH (my daughter) and I made some for Valentine’s day.

 

They turned out to be beautifully imperfect. HRH was really excited about the sprinkles, so she added most of them to the first four cookies. With all the cookies together, it makes a nice ombre effect.

The best part is being able to pull out this old recipe and reminiscing about learning to make these cookies as a child while teaching my daughter how to make them. Someday, I hope she makes these cookies with her children. Sometimes love looks like a cookie…

And it tastes like one too…

Surprise!

By Lisa Baker

What come to mind when someone says surprise?  You probably think of many things depending on what’s going on in your life.

Well right now for us, our surprise is Mom has a urinary tract infection (UTI).  With dementia patients, a UTI can come on so quick like a surprise.  It really knocks these patients for a loop. With Mom, she seems very unresponsive, eats basically nothing, and drinks nothing.  She can look very dazed almost like she isn’t aware of where she is.

Dad on the other hand gets more aggressive, mean, very agitated, and unreasonable. They are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Right now, Mom is in the ER.  They are running the usual test and giving her IV antibiotics.  They also did a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia.  It is possible that they may want to admit her for a few days until she shows some improvement.  My sister-in-law, Stefanie, is with her in the ER and depending on how Mom acts may stay with her if she is admitted tonight.  When Mom is like this, we very much have to play things by ear.

If it were Dad, we would probably leave him with the hospital staff.  I know you must be thinking we don’t love him; we do, but that just gives you an idea of how mean he can be.  We know that is not the real Dad we have grown to love. It’s very hard to sit there and take it all.  This is one of the times that you have to also take care of yourself.

No one has the right to tell caretakers of dementia patients that we are doing it wrong.  We are the only ones that can decide what is best for our parents and our family.

Stop and read and reread that last sentence.  Now don’t be afraid to use it.

Everyone’s life and circumstances are different and even more so when dementia plays a role in a loved one’s life.  Only you know or can even try to decide what is best for you.

Please don’t forget that. If you forget everything else, don’t forget that.

For us, the next several hours to days will tell if treatment is effective enough for her to return to her facility.  If not, we could be back to square one looking for another place for her. Now we wait and keep checking on her and see what the doctor has to say.

Dad seems to be his usual self at his facility.  He still wants to go home.  He hangs on to the thought of going home.  In his mind, he can take care of himself.  I saw him Thursday of last week.  He was very hung up on the fact that my first husband and I had separated and divorced.  He was upset that I didn’t tell him about it.  I’ll tell you he helped me move out when we separated more than six years ago.

He was also upset that I didn’t tell him that I was getting married to my current husband. Yes, he and Mom both were at our wedding four years ago, but all I could tell him was, “I’m sorry Dad; I thought you knew.”

My visits with him last no more than an hour most of the time. That’s about all he and I can take.  It’s even gotten to where I have to figure out a way to slip out unnoticed.  If I don’t, he thinks he is walking out the door with me.

I hope that all your surprises are the ones you can be excited about. I’ll let you know next time how things go with Mom and how Dad is doing.

As always, take time to make memories but also take care of yourself.

How many of you are caregivers out there? How many of you care for a loved one with dementia?  I would love to hear from you.

Don’t Make People Guess

by June Greenlaw 

I’m sure many of you have been through the loss of a loved one who did not leave a will or express their wishes upon their death.  Maybe they died suddenly and far too young.  Those of you who have experienced this know the stress involved in trying to plan a service and decide whether to bury or cremate your loved one.  I encourage you not to put your family in that position.

I realize that it’s difficult to think about your own demise, but let’s face it, none of us will be here forever!  It’s worth taking the time to write down your preferences to avoid burdening those left behind with guesswork.  There are many things to consider and lots of resources available to help guide you.

One such resource is called Everplans.  This service will guide you through planning your service including choosing music, naming those you’d like to speak, noting scripture you’d like to have read, etc.  You can also upload and store important documents.  The service is free for 30 days which would allow you to think through things and print out plans if you don’t want to subscribe.  If you choose to store documents, the fee is $75 per year: a small price to pay to allow your family to know your wishes and have all necessary paperwork in one place.

If the thought of uploading sensitive documents has your skin crawling, consider buying a fireproof safe to store these precious items. You should also make a list of bank accounts with logins and passwords, gather insurance paperwork, and note where you have small policies that are offered for free at places like banks.  Write down things loved ones should know about insurance that you may have through your employer and beneficiary information.  Consider storing a copy of each of your monthly bills so that things such as cell phones or car insurance can be canceled easily.

The suggestion of writing your own obituary might have you feeling like you’d seem self-absorbed, but you can ask family and friends for help.  Consider posting something on social media asking people to write 3-5 sentences that describe what they think of you as a person or what they think are your most impressive traits.  Maybe ask folks to share their favorite memories of time spent with you.  It will not only be a gift to your loved ones when they don’t have to do this, but it may even be an eye-opening ego boost!

If you have the ability to prepay for your service, please do it.  If you have not already done this, think about starting a separate account that you put a small amount in each month to be used for this purpose.  It’s sort of like a Christmas Club, but for end of life costs.  The average cost of a funeral is about $7000, so divide that among the years you think you have left and put that amount in this account each year.  The amount of stress this will relieve will be priceless!

Name an executor to carry out your wishes.  This should be a person you trust to make sure that what you want to have done IS DONE regardless of what others think about it.  Write letters to the important people in your life.  These words will bring comfort to them as they go through the grieving process.

Personally, I have used Legal Zoom to create a will, and I thought the price was reasonable and the process was very easy.  If you believe there is a need to spell out who you want your belongings and assets passed onto, you’ll need a will to avoid making a bad situation worse.  I implore you to consider doing these things sooner rather than later as none of us are promised tomorrow.

 

A Knack For Unique Gifts…A Valentine’s Day Story

By:  Marianna Boyce  

“Who’s the Best in All the Land?”

Does Someone Hear a Marching Band?

For me, Valentine’s Day is like most other holidays.  We shouldn’t wait for a specific date on the calendar to be thankful, patriotic, giving, or loving.  We would all better benefit to celebrate these wonderful qualities on a daily basis.

Holiday or not, my husband Gerry has a knack for giving very unique gifts.  The gift he gave me in 2004 is by far, the most unique gift ever!  Stay with me a minute.  There’s a backstory.

It was my son’s sophomore year in high school.  Cody was also a marching band member.  As band parents, we chaperoned most of their trips and events.  It was no surprise when we were asked to help with their Disney trip that year.  I would be responsible for twelve students and Gerry would have thirteen.

Days before our departure, I was busy packing for our trip.  I didn’t even think about being in the Magic Kingdom for Valentine’s Day, but someone else certainly did.

Once we arrived at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, we met our group for breakfast.  It was February 14, and I was still oblivious to the fact it was Valentine’s Day.  We distributed their breakfast vouchers and told them to meet us back at a popular place near the castle at noon.  This was when we would give them their lunch vouchers and verify our that group was all still alive and accounted for.

The funny thing is, instead of venturing away from us, they all stuck with us like glue.  You should’ve seen the expression on the ride attendant’s face when he asked how many, and our response was twenty-seven!  He actually accommodated us so we could all ride together.

When we exited the ride, we saw two students from another group.

They ran toward me shouting, “Mrs. Boyce, Mrs. Boyce!”  My heart was pounding because I thought someone was hurt.

When they got to me, a young lady handed me a small envelope and said “This is for you.  Happy Valentine’s Day.”  They both ran off giggling.

Our large group of clingy high school students knew exactly what it was.  It was one of those small childish Valentine cards you would buy for your second grader.  I flipped the card over and read the sweetest note on the back from my dear husband.  I also read it aloud for the kids.  They loved it as much as I did.  Of course, I saved them and thought I’d share a few with you.  If you zoom in, you can read one or two as well.

What I didn’t know at the time was that Gerry had purchased several boxes of these childish “Will you be my Valentine” cards.  He wrote on each one, sealed them, and secretly handed them out to about 50 of the band members at breakfast that morning.  He instructed them to hand deliver these personal handwritten cards from him, if and when they saw me throughout the day.

About every 15 minutes, I had a random band member running up with excitement they had found me.  It was like a wild goose chase for them (I was the wild goose)!

I received cards that entire day and well into the evening.  I felt like a Disney Princess!

Gerry’s goal involving the students in the fun was for an important teachable moment: material things are not needed to make someone feel special.  For me, this gift is the best and most unique in our 31 years of marriage…and it only cost him about $8.00.  The effect?  Priceless!

Thoughtful gifts for no particular reason are great; however, this unique gift wouldn’t have worked well on say… April 8^th.  It had to be given on February 14… at Disney World… by 50 of our awesome 2004 band students.  “Who’s the best in all the land?  White Knoll High School Marching Band…” along with my very loving and thoughtful husband!

 

This year, my gift to Gerry is being able to share this true and very unique story with the world!

 Happy Valentine’s Day Sweetie! 

 I Love You!