Hormonal IMBALANCE + MIGRAINES
Do you find yourself suffering from a headache every time you turn around, whether it’s right before a child’s baseball game, or on a big day at work where you’re expected to deliver a presentation for your group, or on vacation with your family at the beach? Many women come to me asking how to manage these debilitating headaches that disrupt their life. There are different types of headaches, but migraines take the cake for shutting a person down from his or her normal functioning. Migraines can be managed, and the key is to take control of how you manage your body. Definition and Symptoms A migraine is a complex […]
A Tradition of Serving Children | What Is Kiwanis?
Those of us who are members of Kiwanis are often asked just what we do and who we are. The official description from Kiwanis International is: Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world, one child and one at a time. However, a more succinct explanation is that Kiwanis is creating tomorrow’s leaders today. The true mission of Kiwanis is to empower communities to improve the world by making lasting differences in the lives of children. “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” ~ Frederick Douglass Today, we stand with more than 550,000 members from K-Kids to Key Club to Kiwanis, […]
A Family Tradition | Far-Flung Family Keeps Holiday Traditions
There’s a Christmas quote I like that goes, “In the eyes of children we find the joy of Christmas; in their hearts we find the meaning.” Holidays are fun and exciting and it’s a special time of year to share traditions and create lasting memories with our children and loved ones who live near or far. I claim my two nephews,Thomas and William, as my “adopted” children. As the first grandchildren, they often visited Aiken during Christmas with my sister Nancy and her husband Jeff. Nothing brought me more joy than to have the kids for the holidays. When my two nieces were born a couple of years later, it […]
THANKSGIVING MORN
On the porch, the quiet hush of an autumn morning, Cup of tea warming chilled hands, Pale sunlight bathing the deserted fairway. Our travelers slumber amid the reassuring drone of home. Soon the house will be alive with the melody of family Nestled together for another Thanksgiving Day. Yet, in my mind, the comforting spirits of other holidays linger; Overlapping images of our own children, of teens home from college, and toddling grand-babies now on the brink of adulthood. I reflect on the wonder of each And realize that some things are given to us for just a season, Living on in our minds, etched as golden scenes and shared […]
Photo of the Month: Rhett Walker
It is amazing what can bring people together. Like a hat! The opportunity to take this photo came from a simple interaction between two creatives about a hat. Mr. Rhett Walker, singer-songwriter, and Ladonna of Aiken Hattery, had come together to customize his hat. After adjusting the hat, she wanted Rhett to meet with a few of us to do some collaboration. We met over coffee and hit it off immediately, throwing ideas around and coming up with some amazing event ideas for the future. And I had the privilege of taking the photos. We were able to set up the photo shoot around the very hat that brought us […]
Thanksgiving All Year Long
This year instead of simply celebrating a Day of Thanksgiving, consider living a life of thanksgiving. Research shows that those who live a thankful life every day enjoy powerful and lasting benefits to their emotional, physical, and cognitive health. In fact, people who practice gratitude daily are shown to have better relationships, less stress, and healthier brains and bodies. The Science of Gratitude When gratitude is expressed or received, neurotransmitters called serotonin and dopamine are released in the brain. These mood enhancing chemicals immediately produce feelings of happiness. When gratitude occurs daily, these positive neural pathways are strengthened, resulting not only in an increase in mood but also in a […]
Celebrating at the Office
As the days of the year grow short on the calendar and thoughts turn to sugarplums and a certain man who wears the red suit and commutes by sled, ‘tis once again the season for office parties, gift exchanges, and corporate social responsibility. Holiday traditions have created wonderful memories for all of us. Year after year we look forward to familiar events, food, and festivities that make the season what it is. It’s a time when people come together to share experiences and have a little fun. These experiences need not be limited to your family and personal life — they can be enjoyed in your workplace as well. Many […]
A Path to Tradition | A Sunday Drive to Remember
First day of September, a month which is usually favorable to me, and I have my first ever carriage driving accident. I’ve been driving this horse for nine years now, pleasure driving, competitions, cones, dressage, or just showing off in parades and drives through Aiken. Never an incident until today. Rhett used to be a stunning dappled gray Saddlebred, very forward and energetic, a bit more high-headed than necessary. Now at horse middle-age of 17, he’s lost all his lovely dapples and black points and has slowed down considerably. Probably a good thing, for I will be 82 this month and have slowed down considerably myself. We’ve been a team, […]
A National Tradition | Soaring Turkeys | WHAT IF ONE OF OUR FOREFATHERS HAD GOTTEN HIS WAY?
It took an act of Congress and six years to make the bald eagle our national bird. In a letter to his daughter in 1784, Benjamin Franklin complaint was not that it took so long to accomplish this feat (some things about Congress haven’t changed much), but that the turkey was a more deserving creature to earn that honor. “For in Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird and withal a true original Native of America… He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade […]
A Traditional Legacy | A Tale of Two Centuries
“If you’ve never been to Rose Hill, you’re missing out.” So I was told. By several people. Repeatedly. So I went. It was a Wednesday. Rose Hill greets you at the gates. Landscaped walkways welcome you and beckon you forward. Hundreds of years of hard work and talent and passion rest comfortably, as if they knew you were coming. Music and laughter chase each other through the front door of the main house. Incredible, stomach rallying smells escape kitchen windows. Rose Hill wants you to relax. Have a bite to eat. Something to drink. While the guitarist strums and sings, people pass around crab dip and hummus plates. Conversations about […]
