Supporting and Celebrating the Trades

In 1979, Holly S. Hill was a teen living in northern New Hampshire with her parents and five siblings. Holly’s father, Fred, owned a local business with his brother, Bob, that provided heating fuels, furnace installations, plumbing, and other services. As a child, Holly admired her father’s ability to fix just about anything, and she often accompanied him when he was “out on a call.” Today, she reflects gratefully on how her father made sure

By Sheriff Frank Reynolds

We have all had that dreaded feeling when you see the police cruiser sitting on the side of the road, and you look down at the speedometer and realize, “Oops.” Although many of us have been pulled over at some point, many have not. So, what should you do if the police stop you?

1. Don’t panic.  
Some drivers abruptly stop in the middle of the road, creating a traffic hazard. Others may focus on their rearview

Things to Consider When Planning Your Destination Wedding

By Julie Senger

So, your honey recently popped the question, and you’re excited to begin planning your future together! You want your wedding to be as unique and meaningful as your relationship is, so you decide to have your special day in a romantically beautiful place that has sentimental value to the both of you — but that place happens to be hundreds or even thousands of miles away from where you, your

By Jessi Fearon

The average college graduate’s student loan debt is $37,172. It will take the average person ten years to repay this debt — an entire decade! At this rate, many college graduates will barely have their student loans paid off before their own children start college.

When money is tight, saving for college can be a challenge. However, completing college debt-free is possible. The following strategies will help families prepare their finances so that

Helping You Look Your Best

By Cyndi Braun

It’s a new year, and time to take a good, long look at … yourself.

Remember a few years ago when you noticed those tiny lines on your face? Are they not so tiny anymore? Or, did you lose a lot of weight recently (hooray!) but need help losing that excess skin? Do you have some other body feature that has always bugged you?

Now is the perfect time for a change. Whether you seek a subtle change or major

Silly Name, Serious Band

With exceptional musicianship, powerhouse vocals, high-energy performances, and more than 100 years of combined professional music experience, the members of Fantabulous know how to get wedding, corporate event, festival, and club crowds on their feet and keep them there. Playing songs from the 60s to today — including pop, rock, country, R & B, rap, funk, and jazz music, their song catalogue has something for just about everyone. A sampling of the

By Jessica Asbell

Little Fires Everywhere is about the seemingly perfect community of Shaker Heights. But this utopia isn’t quite as perfect as it seems. The Richardsons are the perfect family with Lexie heading to college in the fall; Trip, the jock who excels at sports; Moody, the shy, quiet one; and Izzy, the black sheep of the family who causes her mother much consternation. But, they live in a great house, on a great street, and go to great schools until Mia and Pearl

North Georgia Pregnancy...

Relationships, sexuality, and the value of life are increasingly confusing topics. Teaching relationship integrity and Biblical truth is considered antiquated and bigoted. Is it any wonder that so many suffer from relationship related problems like high STD and teen pregnancy rates, high abortion rates, high divorce rates, and high child poverty rates?

Into this confusion, the North Georgia Pregnancy Center carried a new vision

By Sheriff Frank Reynolds

As you may imagine, working in public safety is a tough business. However, it’s not always the work that’s tough; it’s often the sacrifices you might not expect. Missing ballet recitals, little league baseball games, and anniversaries are common practice in our profession. You see, I believe most people who put on the uniform and badge do so because they feel the need to serve their communities. They certainly don’t do it to get rich, well, not in the

By Laura Mikszan

It’s a new year, and many individuals are searching for the “Emerald City” of health and wellness. People wake up after the tumultuous twister of the holidays, and they realize they are “not in Kansas anymore.” The pounds have packed on, and they need a path to follow — much like the "yellow brick road."

Like Dorothy, many begin the path alone, staring across a strange land of fitness and nutrition, unsure of how long the road will stretch out before them.

By Maria Harrison, LMT

The use of essential oils is rising dramatically, as more people discover alternative health treatments and age-old remedies for feeling better. With all the buzz out there, you may have questions about using essential oils. What are they? Are they new? How do I use them? Is there a difference in quality? Are there any dangers? There are so many details and historical uses; let’s take a closer look.

So, what exactly are essential oils? Essential oils

The Place to Go for Body Work

By Cyndi Braun

Motor vehicle accident? Fading paint? Restoration of a classic? Whatever your car needs, Howard’s Auto Body specializes in bringing it back to its prior glory.

Quality body work is something Howard Vallimont has been doing for forty-some years, starting when he was a teenager. In 1996, he set up shop on Marietta Highway in Canton. Since then, the business has grown to include five body shop technicians and a

Using Poetry to Honor and Remember Those We Have Lost

By Farris Yawn

Losing someone close to you is one of the hardest things you may ever endure. It can be hard to find comfort and peace when your grief is fresh, even if the death was expected.

During his many years ministering to grieving families and friends, Pastor, DR. C.R. Hill, Jr. found a unique way to provide comfort. In addition to being an ordained Methodist minister, Dr. Hill is a talented and

Art Driven Community

By Tina Morris

As a little girl, Debbie Tidwell took boat rides on Little River past Woodstock, but never imagined that her future would take shape there. Today, she resides and works in Woodstock, GA, making her living as an artist and art teacher.

From a young age, Debbie enjoyed drawing and doodling. She went to UGA for graphic design. After working in the graphic design industry for several years, in 1996, a friend convinced her to take

Meet Sue Burkhart Chisholm

Burk'art Clay

By Samantha Canuel

Sue Burkhart Chisholm has been creating unique nativities in north Georgia for over twenty years. After a life of traveling, Chisholm and her husband currently reside in north Georgia. This exceptional artist had much to say about her journey through clayworks, tradition, and storytelling.

The Clay Became My Path
When asked about when she knew she was meant to be

By Jessica Asbell

Last Christmas in Paris is a novel told through letters. It opens in December 1968. Thomas Harding, at the end of his life, is going to spend one last Christmas in Paris because of a promise he made to his now deceased spouse. As he travels, he rereads the letters that began a lifelong love story, a love story born out of pain, heartache, and the Great War.

Thomas fought in WWI, alongside his best friend, Will. As Thomas and Will go off to war,