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Main Feature

6 Music for our Ears

How Bob Horick and other music lovers

worked to bring orchestral music to

Georgetown.

Historical Georgetown

12 Restoring an Elm

Street Treasure

Karen and Bob Phipps have lovingly

restored one of Old Town’s historic

treasures.

Talent

18 Audacious Art

Kay Briggs discovered her own hidden

creativity and now helps others do the same.

Escapes

22 A Small Resort

with Big Accolades

Discover a nationally renowned spa only

40 miles away.

24 Picture Perfect

Candid shots of recent events and people

having fun.

ong>Bizong> Spotlight

26 Quick Stop for an

Affordable Adjustment

Dr. Scot Knight, owner of the

Chiropractic Station, is not your ordinary

chiropractor.

Things People Say

30 Q & A

Have fun with friends as you read their

answers to our question of the month.

2 January 2011 | Focus on Georgetown

January 2011

CONTENTS

Bon Appétit

31 Clip and Save Recipes

Favorite dishes from a local caterer

that you can clip and file in your own

recipe box.

33 Plugged In

Stay in touch with current books, movies,

and live music in the area.

Naturally Georgetown

34 Growing Healthy Trees

Tips and tricks for planting tress that will

flourish and grow from Chris Doleva.

Wining and Dining

35 What’s Your Forte?

The Vineyard at Florence introduces The

Forte, one of their specialty red wines.

Get Physical

36 Get Results with

Fitness Boot Camps!

No longer drill instructors and

harassment, fitness boot camps still help

you stay motivated and lose weight.

Seniority Rules

40 Every Hour Counts

Geri Sheer spends her free time

volunteering at the Georgetown

St. David’s hospital.

Dollars and Sense

42 The Savings Snowball

Investigate a new approach to saving for

those special events or purchases.

Healthwise

44 Using Hypnosis

to Meet Your Goals

Jim Wayland, Ph.D., tells how hypnosis

can help you succeed with your New Year’s

Resolutions.

Generosity

46 Friends You Just Don’t

Know Yet

The Ronald McDonald House helps

families like the McLeans when their

focus needs to be on their hospitalized

child.

Save the Date

48 Monthly Calendar

Keep current on next month’s events and

festivities.

Correction: On page 60 in December’s issue, Lindy Strahan was incorrectly identified as Lindy Smith. We apologize for the error.

January 2011 | Focus on Georgetown 3


Publisher’s NOTE

Happy New Year! As we embark upon a brand new year, we at Focus on Georgetown magazine

would like to take this opportunity to thank our readers and advertisers for your support and loyalty.

Although we are a relatively new publication, we are not new to the area or to the business. I moved

to Georgetown in January of 2010 bringing the concept of a community magazine to this area

similar to one that I had been associated with in the Dallas area for the past seven years. The majority

of the staff at Focus has worked closely with me for the past year on a previous publication and due

to unforeseen circumstances, in November, we were compelled to launch the first issue of Focus

on Georgetown magazine, keeping with the standards of quality that we had been accustomed to

providing our readers. We trust that you will recognize our style and our passion for the community

as well as our endeavors to keep Focus on Georgetown a publication that is first class, full of new

and interesting ideas and the most up to date happenings, while maintaining the feel of the quaint

closeness of our community and keeping you informed of your friends and neighbors who make a

difference where we live.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their hard work and loyalty

to Focus magazine. We are quickly and steadily adding new members to our team. This month we

welcome Jane Best to our sales team. Jane is the owner of the Page House. We featured the Page

House (located on Hwy 35 and Leander Rd.) in our November issue and Jane was so impressed

with the results of the magazine that she wanted to come on board and be a part of our team. Jane

says, “It is a beautiful magazine and I think it is going to be ‘THE’ Georgetown Magazine . . . I

want to be a part of that!” You will want to meet Jane, she will make a positive impression on you.

Thank you for inviting us into your home. Our New Year’s resolution is to continue to grow

and bring you the very best of Georgetown in every issue!

Publisher

liNDA MOFFETT

512-966-9426

linda@focusongeorgetown.com

Sales Representative

JANE BEST

512-818-6012

jane@focusongeorgetown.com

Editorial Director

BETHANy POWEll

512-630-5513

beth@focusongeorgetown.com

Graphic Artist

CHARlES HiCkMAN

Contributing Writers

CHRiS WOMACk, JiM

DillARD, REBECCA

lACkiE, RACHEl

iNGRAM, lAuRA EliEl,

CHRiSTOPHER DOlEvA,

AliX ZERTuCHE, SuSAN

lAHEy, JiM WAylAND,

Ph.D.

Ad Director

SHARON SHAW

214-315-9247

sharon@focusongeorgetown.com

Photographer

JOE CORNEJO

512-868-9101

Focus on Georgetown is a publication of Lady Phoenix Publishing. Copyright © 2010. All rights reserved.

Focus on Georgetown is published monthly and mailed free of charge to over 25,000 homes and businesses

in Georgetown and parts of Round Rock. Subscriptions are available at the rate of $38 per year or $3.50 per

issue. Subscription requests should be sent to Focus Magazine, 503 Riverview Drive, Georgetown, TX 78628. For

advertising rates call Linda at 512-966-9426, for editorial correspondence, call Bethany at 512-630-5513.


Music

for our Ears

How local music lovers brought

orchestral concerts and harmony

to Georgetown with the Temple

Symphony Orchestra.

By Chris Womack

Despite having no symphony orchestra of its own,

Georgetown regularly enjoys great symphony

performances. If you’ve

found yourself enjoying the Temple

Symphony Orchestra at the impressive,

1,200-seat Georgetown ISD Performing

Arts Center, you’ve probably wondered

how all this came about. Bob Horick

has most of the answers.

Bob is a friendly, talkative guy with

an odd career split among languages,

music, math, and computer science.

As for how the Temple Symphony

regularly offers great programs to

Georgetowners, he’s a big part of the

reason. However if you’re wondering

how the whole unusual deal with

another city’s orchestra got set up in

the first place, Bob credits Gaz Green

as the man who brought the symphony

to Georgetown, and Georgetown to the symphony.

Bob has been on the Georgetown Symphony Society’s

board since 2001, a year after its founding, when Gaz called


him up and asked him to join. A bassoon player, Bob is one

of three musicians on the board and now serves as its vice

president and artistic director, which

he’s done for eight years. He’s also the

retired director of networked systems

at Southwestern University, as well as

an associate professor emeritus of both

Russian and computer science. Bob

manages much of the symphony’s stage

arrangements, coordinates with Temple

Symphony Orchestra Conductor

Thomas Fairlie and Executive Director

Rick Thomssen, signs contracts, chooses

a Van Cliburn International Piano

Competition medalist for a special

concert each year, and generally makes

things happen.

He comes by this kind of thing

naturally. Active in music from an early

age, Bob attended the University of

Rochester’s prestigious Eastman School of Music, and very

nearly joined the U.S. Air Force Band in 1958. “I had also

applied to study Russian—there were hardly any people at

that time who had an advanced knowledge of Russian, and

I got a three-year fellowship to the University of Chicago,”

he says. “I decided that although music is more fun, there’s

probably a more stable income in being a professor.” But it

didn’t hold his interest much more than a dozen years. In

another career transition, Bob found himself as a computer

pioneer, helping a Wisconsin college build its academic

administrative computing capabilities in 1974.

By 1983, Bob and his wife, Judy Belle, had settled in

Georgetown, where he helped Southwestern University

set up its first computer lab with IBM personal computers

that were brought to Georgetown in the back of a white

convertible driven by an unshaven young entrepreneur

named Michael Dell. Since then, Bob has been involved

in orchestral and other music here and in the capital,

attending the Austin Lyric Opera and Austin Symphony

The Temple Symphonic

Orchestra didn’t mind

performing a bit more

in exchange for wider

exposure and a little

more income.

concerts, playing bassoon in Southwestern University’s

orchestra, and helping Dr. Kenny Sheppard start up the

all-volunteer San Gabriel Chorale in 1988.

Around 2000, word started to circulate about someone

starting a local symphony. Bob attended one of the first

Georgetown performances and soon learned about the man

who put much of it together. “I had heard of him—I’d

heard that there was this phenomenon in town, Gaz

Green, who had organized this,” he says. “It wasn’t very

long before some people that I knew also knew Gaz Green,

and Gaz Green called me up.” At the time, in 2001, the

Georgetown Symphony Society was barely a year old, and

had yet to hold a full concert season as it does today, with

six or more performances a year.

The whole thing owes its existence to the early efforts of

Gaz and his wife Dee in the late 1990s. Georgetown didn’t

have a symphony orchestra of its own, but Gaz’s daughter

Lois Reiter played violin in the Temple Symphony Orchestra

just up the road. What’s more, the Temple Symphony

Orchestra didn’t mind performing a bit more in exchange

for wider exposure and a little more income. The situation

continued on page 8 >>



Celebrated French pianist, Philippe Bianconi, rehearsing on the

Steinway Grand piano that Gaz Green obtained for the Georgetown

Symphony Society. Mr. Bianconi was appearing as part of the GSS

continuing series presenting pianists who were medalists or finalists

at the Van Cliburn International Piano competitions in Fort Worth.

>> continued from page 7

called for a guy with Gaz’s talents. “He was one of those

people who never met a stranger, and immediately made

friends with everybody,” explains Bob. With experience in

the real estate industry, and in marketing for IBM, Procter

& Gamble, and elsewhere, “he could sell refrigerators to

Eskimos,” said Bob.

Gaz—nobody called him Gazexer, his given name—

used the might of his charm and salesmanship to convince

local banks, real estate brokers, and scores of other arts

patrons to “buy tickets and donate to the Symphony

Society when there wasn’t any Symphony Society,” as Bob

puts it. Gaz, then a Sun City resident, knew that particular

business sponsors really liked the demographics of

symphony-goers—they have a bit more disposable income,

many are retired, and they like a few of the finer things in

life. Bob calls Gaz Georgetown’s “P.T. Barnum of music,”

but strangely, Gaz wasn’t a serious musician himself.




continued from page 8

Gaz did, however, buy a $30,000 Steinway grand

piano with his own money. Not to play it himself, but

to secure an instrument for the symphony—every good

symphony needs a grand piano, and you can’t easily

pack one up and move it from Temple to Georgetown

several times a year. As luck would have it, another of

Gaz’s daughters, Dee Wilson, found a nice old Steinway

just when he needed it. Through her husband—famous

composer Richard Wilson, a professor at Vassar College

in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.—she found out that the school

was selling a nearly perfect piano, and Gaz jumped at the

chance with his own funds.

“He knew about investments,” Bob explains. “The

trick was to talk the Symphony Society into adopting

this piano and restoring it, with the idea was that it be

kept at Georgetown High School.” And it worked. The

society paid him back and the Georgetown Independent

School District gets to keep it, albeit in a special humiditycontrolled

room, for its own use as well as the Symphony’s.

Thomas Fairlie conducting the Temple Symphony Orchestra

Meanwhile, Gaz used his social networks, especially

in Sun City, to spread the word that there would be a

symphony concert season. The Symphony Society printed

up tickets, sold them to a ready audience, and held a

concert featuring the Temple Symphony Orchestra.

Today, the audience is still enthusiastic and the music

is good and getting steadily better, but in economic times

like these, the Georgetown Symphony Society is probably

wishing it still had the talents of a Gaz Green, who died in

2007. “It all went along very well until the big crash,” says

Bob, getting a little rueful about the recession. “Suddenly

we find ourselves with no sponsors at all.”

Fortunately, the Symphony Society’s many local fans

continue to buy tickets and otherwise donate to keep the

city’s symphony alive. Bob finds that most encouraging,

but it’s nothing to sit on your laurels about. “It would be

interesting to see what Gaz would have done, were he still

alive,” adds Bob. “He could always come up smelling like a

rose, no matter what.” n


Historical Focus

Elm Street

house in the

1920s.


Restoring

an

Elm Street

Treasure

Wanting a piece of history as a

home, Karen and Bob Phipps

bought and restored a house

with several distinguished prior

residents. And they found some

surprises along the way.

By Jim Dillard

“I love this house,” Karen Phipps said

enthusiastically when asked what

brought her and her husband Bob to

Georgetown 13 years ago. “I love it. I love almost

everything about it, although it has been frustrating

at times.”

The house Bob and Karen share with a couple

cats and Zeus, a Labrador retriever mix, was built

by Henry W. Harrell in 1895 at 14th and Elm

streets in what, at the time, was a newly established

neighborhood for Georgetown’s more-prosperous

businessmen and merchants. It’s a beautiful

house steeped in Georgetown history, with many

architectural details that have survived from its

beginning. And as lovers of historic homes, the

Phippses have worked hard to preserve the house

and its heritage.

A partner of Georgetown lumber company

owner Charles Belford and director of Georgetown’s

First National Bank, Harrell designed the 2-1/2

story Queen Anne home himself. The design was

so popular that Harrell and Belford constructed

two nearly identical homes to the north. One was

built for Georgetown mayor and merchant, W.

Y. Penn, and the other for J. A. McDougal, who

made his fortune driving cattle up the

Chisholm Trail.

The house’s continuous 26-footlong

cypress beams sit on top of

limestone footings and piers that

remain level after 115 years. The

materials for the home were brought

to Georgetown by rail, including an

As lovers of

historic homes,

the Phippses

have worked

hard to preserve

the house and

its heritage.

unusual fan-shaped glass installed in

the front door, windows and doors

trimmed in an elaborate Victorian

style, and six fireplaces finished with

tile, wood, and ornamental metal.

None of the fireplaces are alike.

Several architectural features drew

Karen and Bob’s attention during the

year-long negotiation to purchase the

property. Built into the west wall of

what was originally the dining room,

but is now the Phipps’s kitchen, is a





small stained glass window. “I spend

a lot of time in front of this window

and I enjoy looking at it,” Karen said.

Created in the late 1890s, the window’s

triangular-shaped Art Deco features use

frosted glass and several muted colors.

“It’s amazing,” Karen added. “The

windows we brought with us when we

moved in match the kitchen’s stained

glass window perfectly. It was like they

were meant to go together.”

Also of special significance to the

Phippses is the banister that rises from

the back of the front hallway to the

second floor. “We like to think about

the people who have run their hands up

and down that banister over the years,”

said Karen.

Henry Harrell and his wife,

Arabella, owned the house from 1896

to 1907. Mrs. Harrell was very active

in club work, and according to her

daughter Alice, “mother had the house

built for the history club.” The home’s

large front parlor and even larger

dining room was well situated for large

groups and social affairs.

The parties did not end when

the Harrells sold the property to

W. F. Magee and his wife Tomye.

Owners of a retail store called The

Good Store on the north side of the

square, Mr. Magee and his wife were

extremely active in Georgetown social

events and society functions.

The house was next purchased

by Williamson County Judge Samuel

V. Stone and his wife Bereniece in

1937. Samuel served as judge from

1935 to 1970, and had previously

served as Williamson County Tax

Collector from 1922 to 1935. Both he

and his wife, a Georgetown educator,

were active in local civic events and

Southwestern University organizations.

Judge Stone occasionally made

good use of one of the house’s

significant architectural features—a

cupola constructed as part of the porch.

When the opportunity arose, he would

stand at the curved porch rail and

marry couples on the lawn below. After

Judge Stone’s death, Mrs. Stone lived in

the house until 1982 when the house

passed through several owners before

being purchased by the Phippses.





Like most historic homes, the

Harrell-Stone House suffered the

ill effects of time and inconsistent

maintenance. Although a nine-month

restoration project in 1981 had

connected the cook house to the main

structure, and converted the maid’s

quarters into a car port, making the

home comfortable required much

additional work by the Phippses.

According to Bob, the couple

faced a number of surprises that they

had not encountered when restoring a

small Hyde Park bungalow years earlier.

One of these was the extended family

of squirrels found living in the back

hallway’s laundry chute. Another was

leaking gas—20 or more separate gas

leaks—that kept a crew of plumbers

busy and the home’s gas supply shut

off for several weeks. When a section of

gingerbread trim fell off the front eave

near the roof, a special crew was needed

to re-attach it because “the average

carpenter does not have the ladders, or

the inclination, to get up on a roof like

that,” Bob said.

They also noticed a vine that had

grown in through a front window and

up an interior wall. “You could take

your finger and push on the glass in

Judge Stone’s wife, Berenice, standing with an

unidentified young woman and a young man

thought to be the gardener on the north side of

the porch beneath the cupola. c.1937.

the windows and they would move

back and forth,” Bob said.

Re-glazing the home’s many

windows and caulking other air

leaks was critical during the couple’s

first winter in the house. “We were

huddled together, Bob and I and

the pets, in front of the dining room

fireplace, wrapped in blankets and

shivering,” Karen said. It was at this

point that their love of the old house

and their desire to live in a home with

such a significant history would have

been quickly traded for a modern

home with a good central heating

system. “But you do what you have to

do,” said Bob, and the couple forged

ahead, turning the aging structure into

a comfortable, modern home while

preserving its 19th-century charm.

Unfortunately, two unique

architectural features were negatively

affected by a previous restoration. The

first were a number of frescos depicting

early Georgetown scenes painted on

the dining room wall by Southwestern

University artist Carl O. Beraquist at

the request of Judge Stone. In an effort

to preserve the deteriorating images, the

frescos were removed and framed. They

now hang in the home’s entry way. The

Phippses were unable to save another

unique feature, however—Biblical

verses that were handwritten along the

inside of the exterior door jambs.

The Phippses have worked hard to

maintain the home’s late 19th-century

charm. Entering through the oversize

front door is like stepping back to

a less complicated time with fewer

distractions and a more genteel way

of life. Sitting on a small table by the

front door are a number of calling

cards originally used by previous

owners, Mrs. Harrell and Mrs. Magee.

“I keep the calling cards there so that

their spirits will feel at home just in

case they come back for a visit,” said

Karen with a smile. n


Talent

AuDACiOuS Art

With one homemade gift, Kay Briggs launched an artistic pursuit that now

nurtures others’ creativity, too.

By Rebecca lackie

According to Georgetown Artist Kay Briggs,

everyone has creativity to draw upon. And

teaching people to tap into their own artistic

skills is one of the things that Kay does the best.

“I like teaching people how to do different things,”

said Kay. “You’re empowering people to be creative. That

one little act of creating something on your own can be

very healthy.” Not only did that drive lead her to develop

her own abilities and new occupations, it found her a new


community here in Georgetown and connections that she

hopes will artistically enrich us all.

But finding her own creativity didn’t always come

as naturally to Kay as it does now. It wasn’t until Kay’s

children were in elementary school that she discovered

the creative outlet she loves. It began one year when Kay

needed a gift for her child to take to school, and she

decided to save money by painting a shirt. It was so well

received that Kay decided to enroll in art classes.

As a result of the continued comments on her

remarkable shirts, Kay began selling her painted creations

at craft shows—again with tremendous response from

the community. She simultaneously discovered the art

of commercial Christmas

decorating after decking the

halls of her husband’s office

one year, which led to a

successful business that lasted

her several years.

Still, in spite of her

interesting nine-to-five jobs,

Kay missed the fun of creating

for herself, being her own

boss, and getting lost in the

creative process. So she left

her commercial Christmas decorating business and got

back into painting—her first love. “My whole focus is

creativity,” she explained. “I thrive off of being creative. I

just need to have that creative outlet.”

Kay missed the fun

of creating for herself,

being her own boss,

and getting lost in the

creative process.

Kay discovered that when she let her imagination

take control, she was inspired by visions of her

childhood. Paintings of Guinea hens, like the ones at

her grandmother’s house, began to take shape. Cows and

chickens—and all of the other

animals she grew up with—

began finding their way into

her work. “It just reminds me

of being young, of everything

being easy,” Kay said of her

paintings. “I always lived in

rural areas, so I guess I am

inspired by that.”

Fortunately, the public

seemed to share Kay’s love of

animal-inspired art. Some of

her most popular artwork is her “Funky Chicks” series of

paintings, her “Happy Guinea” series, and her “Happy

Cows” series. But Kay has never been one to stick to just



continued from page 19

one form of creative expression. She is also well known for

her painted shirts, painted aprons, hand-made bags and

floral pins, which are fashioned from recycled fabric.

One great thing

about Kay’s painted

shirts, she explained,

is that they are more

useable and more

reasonably priced

than paintings, which

means that even the

most budget-conscious

person can own a work

of art. “My whole goal

about being creative

is to teach others how

not to be scared of it,”

she said. “It’s all about

using that part of your

brain that most people

do not use.”

Ever the visionary, Kay began helping her friends

who were stay-at-home moms or were unemployed to

generate business using their artistic skills. “They all had


skills. My friend Starla was an excellent seamstress, so we

worked together to make shirts and aprons and all kinds of

different products. Her current seamstress, Deborah, makes

beautiful aprons and more.”

However, when Kay

moved from Houston

to Georgetown almost

five years ago, she lost

some of her creative

connections. Deciding

that she could not

live without her art,

Kay set out to make

new connections

in Georgetown. At

that point, she began

attending Georgetown

Market Days with her

paintings, shirts, and

crafts; and she met

many other artists and

business people, particularly Jack and Karen Hachmeister,

who own Chupa Rosa on the square.

After considerable planning, Kay and the

Hachmeisters decided to work together, soon setting out

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to find additional

artists who could

lease space at Chupa

Rosa. They ended

up creating Good

Water Arts and Gifts,

a store that hosts

the work of several

well-known artists

and craftspeople,

and sells hand-made,

one-of-a-kind gifts

that cannot be found

elsewhere. This

successful new store

has become home to

Kay’s creations, as

well as the creations

of many others.

These newfound

contacts within the

artistic community

have really been a blessing to Kay in other ways, too.

Recently, all of the volunteers at the recent Georgetown

Christmas Stroll wore shirts screen-printed with one of

her paintings. Another benefit of Kay’s collaborations

with other artists is their plan to hold art classes at

Good Water Arts and Gifts beginning in February.

One advantage of taking classes, Kay said, is that it

encourages creativity.

“If you learn what an

acrylic paint will do,

you will know what it

will stick to,” she said.

“It’s all about learning.

It’s important for

people to tap into their

own creativity. It adds

passion. It adds a sense

of accomplishment,

and it just completes

another part of you.”

For more

information on Kay’s

art, visit her website at

kboriginalsartstudio.

com or find her

on facebook at

KBOriginals,ART. n


Escapes

A Small Resort With

Big Accolades

Tense from the workweek? Just need to get

away for a while? An award-winning spa is

right down the road.

By Rachel ingram

Did you know that the

number one destination

spa in the United States is

less than 40 miles away? Lake Austin

Spa Resort earned that honor from

Conde Nast Traveler magazine for

the past two years. But don’t let that

intimidate you. According to General

Manager Tracy York, the resort’s

mantra is to make guests feel like

they’re at a best friend’s lake house.

“A lot of people won’t go to a

spa because they don’t know what’s

going to happen and it will be too

luxurious,” Tracy said. “But we are

very warm and friendly and call

guests by their first names. We have a

huge return business; there are a lot of

people who honestly use [the resort]

as if it were their best friend’s lake

house, and visit us on a regular basis.”

If you’re looking to disconnect

from your everyday life for a day


or even half a day, the resort’s

Lake House Spa has plenty of

opportunities for rejuvenation. There

are over 100 services to choose from,

and many of the special treatments

are developed in-house. In addition

to treatments, spa packages include a

gourmet healthy lunch and access to

the spa’s two pools, hot tub, sauna,

and steam room. It’s amazing what

taking a little time for yourself can

do, and you can return home in the

evening feeling completely refreshed.

For a weekend getaway, the

possibilities are endless. The resort has

four types of rooms, with amenities

ranging from inspiring views over

Lake Austin to cabins with a private

garden and hot tub. The spa offers

up to 20 activities each day, from

gardening to readings by New York

Times Best Seller authors. If you’re

ready to kick off your work-out

program for the new year, try one of

the many fitness classes or programs.

Once a month, Lake Austin Spa

Resort offers their acclaimed Culinary

Experience, in which celebrity and

other highly trained chefs hold

cooking classes to show guests how

to make healthy changes to their diet.

February will mark the launch of The

Celebrating Paws pet program, a fourday

program that celebrates the health

benefits and fun of having pets.

The resort is thankful for its

accolades, but the real reward is

hearing from happy guests. “To be,

over the last five years, either number

one or number two on the major

travel lists is just tremendous,” Tracy

said. “I think the recognition that

is important to me, though, is what

the guests say. When you become a

frequent guest here, you have a voice.

It’s your house.” n


Picture Perfect Georgetown

ribbon Cutting

held for national

dimensions and

associates.

performances on the

main Stage at the

Christmas Stroll.

a ribbon cutting was held for manhattan pie

Company located at 1501 park lane in Georgetown.


lori montgomery, director of membership

at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce,

celebrated her 50th birthday on december

4 by jumping out of a perfectly good

airplane.

a ribbon cutting was held for the new Friendly Computer/

Friendly Connections located at 4134 Williams dr. in

Georgetown. photo by darrell Smith/Smith photography.

Georgetown

eagle High

School band

drum line

at the

Christmas

Stroll parade.

SponSored by: Framer’S Gallery

e-mail your “picture perfect” photos to: graphics@focusongeorgetown.com

new Generation Voices of praise Community Choir at the

Christmas Stroll parade 2010.

Celia, dayna,

and edna at

bethlehem

Village.

Karsyn

rosenbusch

coloring a piece

of furniture.

Thank goodness

for washable

markers!

SpJST Float at the Christmas Stroll parade 2010.

Kids pose for a

photo with the

Grinch at the

Christmas

Stroll.

my work at the Framer’s Gallery has

become an interesting and fulfilling

artistic venture.

-pricilla Jones

Framer’s Gallery

Memories warm our hearts,

preserve them with the best.

610 S. main Street

Georgetown • 512-863-2214

mention Focus on

Georgetown magazine and

get 35% oFF any Frame


ong>Bizong> Spotlight Spotlight

QuiCk STOP

for an Affordable Adjustment

By Rachel ingram

When you close your

eyes and picture a

chiropractor, what

do you see? Is he or she outfitted

in a gas station shirt, alligator

skin boots, and a charming grin?

Probably not. “I wanted something

fun,” says Dr. Scot Knight. “I

wanted something different, too.

I used to wear a tie and a white

jacket, and I looked very sterile,

very ‘I am Dr. Knight.’ Well, now

I’m just Scot. People know I’m a

chiropractor when they come in.”

Building on the old gas station

theme, Dr. Scot is also getting a

special door chime and a large gas

station sign near the front door of

The Chiropractic Station at 2913


In business and style, Dr. Scot Knight is a

different sort of chiropractor.

Williams Dr. Instead of showing

the price per gallon of gas, it will

It’s $20 a

treatment,

no questions

asked. No

hidden fees, no

start-up cost.

Just affordable.

say “$20 per spinal treatment.”

It’s all part of his business plan

brainchild—giving patients

affordable and convenient care

in an upbeat environment.

Dr. Scot has been a licensed

chiropractor for 16 years, but his

interest in chiropractic care began

when he injured his back playing

high school football. After a week

of taking pain medication and not

getting better, he decided to give

the local chiropractor a try. “At the

time, I didn’t know anything about

it,” he says. “Everybody was really

skeptical about chiropractors, but I

kid you not, after one treatment I

was back playing, pain-free. It was

unbelievable.”

After high school, he earned his

bachelor of science at Angelo State

University, then went to chiropractic

school in Dallas. He worked in

private practice for 13 years and later

ended up with his own practice in

Round Rock. Tired of playing games

with insurance companies, he sold

his practice to pursue something

different. He worked in sales for

Zimmer’s orthopedic spine division,

but missed chiropractic care and

interacting with patients. Three years

later, he came up with the business

plan that now drives his practice.

“With the shape that our

healthcare system is in and the

direction our government has

taken it, I just had to do something

different,” he says. “So my big thing

here is that I’m affordable. It’s $20 a

treatment, no questions asked. No

hidden fees, no start-up costs. Just

affordable.”

With very little overhead, Dr.

Scot is able to keep the cost of all

his visits to $20, which is less than





most co-payments. Since he doesn’t

take appointments, he doesn’t have

a secretary and he can see about 50

patients a day by himself. He isn’t

rushing them out the door either; he

talks and jokes with them like old

friends.

And believe it or not, the

convenience comes from not

scheduling appointments. His patients

love that they can walk in anytime

Monday to Thursday, between 10 a.m.

and 5 p.m., and he is always available.

His patients

love that they

can walk

in anytime

Monday to

Thursday,

between 10 a.m.

and 5 p.m., and

he is always

available.

“You won’t believe how many people

come in here who say, ‘Well, I called

my chiropractor, but I can’t get to him

until tomorrow, and I need to be seen

today.’ I say, ‘No problem, come on

in,’” says Dr. Scot.

Appointments consist of a

short session with a Jeanie Rub

massager and an adjustment. Short

appointments mean short wait times.

When a new patient comes in for a

consultation, Dr. Scot gives them an

examination, report, and treatment

all on the first day. He treats all

ages—mostly people with headache

problems and lower back pain, but

many of his patients are children with

chronic allergies and asthma.

Several chiropractors won’t treat

patients immediately and some refuse

patients if they don’t stick to their

treatment plans. Dr. Scot gives his

patients options. He asks what they

want out of their treatment plans,

and their answer usually leads to two

options that Dr. Scot calls Patch Care

and Fix Care.

Patch Care focuses on pain

relief; once the pain disappears, the

patient can return on an as-needed

basis. “It doesn’t correct the problem,

it just deals with the pain,” Dr. Scot

says. “Pain is the last thing to come

about in a problem and the first

thing to leave, so those few patients

who choose pain care unfortunately

end up back in here within a month

or a week, if not days. But that’s

OK. It’s an option, and [people] like

options.”

The alternative is Fix Care in

which Dr. Scot works on correcting

the problem. “We focus on the

problem, which is the functional

structure of the spine,” he says.

A practitioner of what he

preaches, Dr. Scot lives a healthy

lifestyle and gets adjusted about every

other week. He and his wife, Tara,

have been together for 15 years and

have a 10-year-old daughter and

a seven-year-old son who also get

adjusted regularly.

If you stopped going to a

chiropractor because they cost too

much, it was too difficult to get an

appointment, or it was just too much

hassle, then give Dr. Scot Knight and

The Chiropractic Station a try. Your

spine will be glad you did! n

The Chiropractic Station

2913 Williams Dr.

Georgetown, TX 78628

512-758-7848


Things People Say

To do away with

all the negativity

and keep the

positive around!

-Marci Fuller

Spend more

time with

grandkids!

-Clint Truitt

To be really good at

painting and stuff!

-Madison Schacherl

To be better at sports!

-Shelby Lankford


To learn a little bit more about the people in our community,

we asked some of them the following question.

Q: What is your New Year’s

Resolution for 2011?

To teach Texas History to

the world! -Robert “Bob” Payne

To get my house squared

away and the basement

clear! -Edith Payne

I have learned so much from

my mistakes that next year I

am gonna go out and make

some more!

-Giovanna Ginorio

Figure out how to make

money for my talented

sounds of a “Woodblock”

and become my own

“SUPERSTAR!”

-Tammy Hufford

Georgetown was the third safest

town in Texas in cities with

over 50,000 in population.

In 2011, I would like to see

it move into the number

one position.

-Captain Kevin Stofle

To just finish

the P90X

workout!

-Dayna Charriere

I just want to see

the economy get

better and my

business thrive.

-Marcela Remirez

February’s Question: What do you really want this Valentine’s Day? Send your responses to admin@focusongeorgetown.com.

Be sure to include your complete name in your response. Select answers will be published next issue.

Cremini

Mushrooms

with Chorizo

Pesto

Cream

Cheese Balls

Spicy Stuffed

’Shrooms!

Crunchy Bites of

Cheese

Best little stuffed mushrooms

ever! These tasty appetizers can

be made in advance and then

baked just before serving to

enjoy them warm.

Cheeseballs are always a quick

and easy treat! You can serve

them with crackers as a snack

or with a meal as an appetizer.

These are a great make ahead

part of your menu.

Submitted by Laura Eliel, Bittersweet Cakes & Catering


Bon APPéTIT ClIP AnD KEEP RECIPE CARDS Bon APPéTIT ClIP AnD KEEP RECIPE CARDS

Pesto

Chicken

Mixed

Berry

Cobbler

yum, Dessert!

Bon Appétit

Cheesy Chicken

Simply delish and so quick to

get on the table. This dish goes

great with wild rice or pasta like

fettuccine.

Mixed Berry Cobbler: Mmmmm

Good! The play of flavors in

your mouth is simply incredible.

Whether using fresh or canned

fruit, you will enjoy this burst of

sweet color. The recipe is so easy

to make and add a scoop of vanilla

ice cream and viola you have a 4

star dessert.



Bon APPéTIT ClIP AnD KEEP RECIPE CARDS

Bon Appétit

Bon APPéTIT ClIP AnD KEEP RECIPE CARDS


Pesto Chicken

Mixed Berry Cobbler

Trim each breast. Roll in egg

wash, then in bread crumbs. Put

on tray that has been brushed

with melted butter. Spread some

pesto on each breast, drizzle with

more melted butter, then bake

at 400° for 20–25 minutes. Put a

slice of Provolone on each piece

and bake for five more minutes.

boneless breast of chicken

bread crumbs (fresh or store

bought)

eggs, lightly mixed

pesto

butter (melted)

Provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

You will need a 3-quart glass

baking dish. Peel, core, and slice

pears. Saute with butter and 1/2

Tbl cinnamon. (Very briefly.) In

large bowl combine the sugar,

cornstarch, rest of cinnamon. Put

the fruit into the bowl and add

the lemon juice and toss. Put in

the baking dish. In food processor

put the flour, sugars, and butter.

Pulse until crumbly. (This step

can also be done by hand.) Put

on top of the fruit. Bake for

approximately 35–40 minutes.

Filling:

7 to 8 ripe pears (can used

canned)

3 to 4 cups fresh berries

(blueberries, blackberries, etc.)

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbl cornstarch

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 Tbl cinnamon


Crust:

1-1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 Tbl cinnamon

3/4 cup butter, cut into slices

Pesto Cream Cheese Balls Cremini Mushrooms with Chorizo

Saute the chorizo and beef

together. Remove from pan

and let drain in strainer. Chop

onion and saute in the left over

fat from the meat. Drain well.

Mix together and add some chili

seasoning and the marinara.

De-stem and wash all of the

mushrooms. Put the ’shrooms

on baking sheet, pour a little

vinaigrette into each one and

onto the pan. Then stuff with

meat mixture. Put some grated

Parmesan on top of each one.

Bake at 400° for approximately

15–20 minutes.

Cremini or mini Portabello

mushrooms

1/2 lb chorizo

1/4 lb ground beef

1 med. yellow onion

chili seasoning

1/2 to 1 cup spicy marinara sauce

Balsamic vinaigrette

grated Parmesan

out with a slotted spoon. Put on

the mixture. Stir them around and

coat them well. When cool, crush

to small pieces.

Mix the cream cheese, pesto, Tsp

cinnamon, and Parmesan cheese

together. Form into balls. Then

roll the cheese balls into the

crushed nut pieces. Put finished

balls into the refrigerator. These

can be made up to 1 week in

advance.

2 Tbl butter

pecans or walnuts

cinnamon

sugar

1 8-oz. block of cream cheese,

softened

1-1/2 to 2 Tbl pesto

1 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbl Parmesan

Melt butter in medium sized

pan. Add nuts. Coat them well

and cook for 5–10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix three parts sugar

to one part cinnamon and put

mixture on waxed paper. When

nuts are done cooking, take them

Plugged in is a short review of the newest movie

releases, new and

recommended

books, a list of live music

from the area, and top

musical albums.

live Music to Anticipate:

Jan. 1 Texas Tango, Hardtails

Jan. 6 Sonny Wolf, Hardtails

Jan. 7 Trey Haney Band, Rattlesnake Inn

Jan. 7 Henry Crafts Band, Hardtails

Jan. 8 Roger Len Smith Band, Hardtails

Jan. 14 Jimi Lee and Mr. Venson, Silver and Stone

Jan. 14 Billy Brown and Triple Shot, Hardtails

Jan. 14 Aaron Einhouse, Rattlesnake Inn

Jan. 15 The Palacious Brothers, Hardtails

Jan. 15 Charlie Lucas Band, Rattlesnake Inn

Jan. 23 Push-7, Hardtails

Jan. 22 Full Moon Fever, Hardtails

Jan. 22 Phil Hamilton and the Backroad Drifters, Rattlesnake

Inn

Jan. 28 Solution, Hardtails

Jan. 29 The Whitestone Band, Hardtails

Jan. 29 Dirty River Boys, Rattlesnake Inn

Be sure to check out Georgetown’s premier venues, listed

below. Some acts are late to schedule!

Landmark Tavern

701 Main Street, 2nd Floor

512-819-0100

Georgetown Winery

715 S. Main St

512-869-8600

Silver & Stone

501 S. Austin Ave., 4th Floor

512-868-0565

Hardtails Bar and Grill

1515 N. I-H 35

512-869-5454

Rattlesnake Inn

6060 Texas Hwy. 195

254-793-9439

Recent Popular Album Downloads:

Country: Rascal Flatts—Nothing Like This

Hip-Hop: Cee Lo Green—The Lady Killer [Explicit]

Indie: Mumford & Sons—Sigh No More

new Movie Releases:

Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage—Not rated by

press time. Opens Jan. 1. Starring Patrick

Stewart, Shahin Sean Solimon, and Sadie

Alexandru.

Season of the Witch—PG-13. Opens Jan.

7. Starring Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman,

Robbie Sheehan, Claire Foy, Stephen

Campbell Moore, Stephen Graham.

The Green Hornet—PG-13. Opens Jan. 14.

Starring Seth Rogen, Michael Pena, Adam

Sandler, Cameron Diaz, Kwon Sang-Woo,

and Jay Chou.

The Dilemma—PG-13. Opens Jan. 14.

Starring Vince Vaughn,

Kevin James, Winona

Ryder, Jennifer

Connelly, Channing Tatum, and Queen

Latifah.

Barney’s Version—R. Opens Jan. 14. Starring

Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Minnie

Driver, Rachelle Lefevre, Dustin Hoffman,

and Scott Speedman.

Hot new Book Releases:

The Red Garden, by Alice Hoffman. Releasing

Jan. 25. In her signature magical realism, Hoffman

paints a picture of the interrelated characters

and events forming 200 years of the history of

Blackwell, Massachusetts.

Tick Tock, by James Patterson and Michael

Ledwidge. Releasing Jan. 24, this fast-paced thriller

follows top New York City detective Michael

Bennett as he searches for the perpetrators of a rash

of horrible crimes.

Family Affair, by Debbie Macomber. Releases

Jan. 4. After her divorce, Lacey would lay low and

recuperate, but for the intrusions of a neighbor’s

cat named Dog, who accidentally brings new life

into her world.

The Inner Circle, by Brad Meltzer. Releasing

Jan. 11, Meltzer’s latest story of intrigue follows

government archivist Beecher White, whose

discovery of a national treasure results in a death

and sends him on the run.

The Hammer and the Cross: A

New History of the Vikings, by Robert Ferguson.

Releases Jan. 4. For more than 300 years, the

Vikings terrorized Europe with rape and plunder

until the destruction of the Uppsala temple to

Norse gods in 1090. Ferguson combines an

understanding of Scandinavian heroic poetry with

archaeology to weave an intriguing story of conquerors past.


Plugged In

Naturally Georgetown

GrowinG

Healthy Trees

A local arborist shares his wisdom for healthier,

longer-lived trees and a more verdant Georgetown.

By ChrisTopher Doleva

It’s impressive how much time

and care Georgetowners put into

their trees, and it’s remarkable

how many new trees they plant

throughout the area. These young

trees will soon grow into something

more, offering everything from

beauty and shade to landscape and

playscape. But local tree-planters

should not forget two major factors

involved in planting a tree—carefully

choosing the type of tree, and making

sure it is planted properly.

With the harsh climate here in

Central Texas, it’s critical to get a

good, hearty tree that can survive the

extremes of weather. Obviously, fastgrowing

trees will yield desirable results

sooner, and Red Oak, Lace Bark Elm,

Chinese Pistachio, and Drake Elm are

good choices in this category. There

are trees that grow faster, but most of


them have short lifespans and are very

susceptible to disease and decay.

Gardeners with a little more time

on their hands can go with some of

the slightly slower-growing oaks, such

as the Live Oak, the Chinquapin

Oak, or the Burr Oak. As far as

ornamental trees go, Crepe Myrtles

are always a good choice.

The next step is to plant the tree.

Simply digging a hole and burying

the tree will not give the best results.

First of all, the hole should be at least

one-third larger than the tree’s root

ball. Then there is preparing the dirt

that the tree will be planted in. The

best way is to mix some of the root ball

material with compost, fill the bottom

of the hole with this mixture, and put

in the tree. The ball of the tree should

be even with the ground—preferably

even a little bit higher.

Before back-filling with the

compost mixture, it’s important

to aggravate or even cut the roots

of a container-grown tree so

that it won’t continue growing

in a circle, which will eventually

choke it. Finally, secure the tree

with three stakes if the root ball

is not heavy enough to keep it in

place. Make sure not to tie the

tree too tightly or too loosely,

as that will affect how the tree

roots-in and how it grows.

Of course, anyone with

tree-planting questions should feel free

to contact a local arborist for expert

answers. n

Doleva Elite Tree

Certified Arborist TX 3638A

512-801-4144

arbor.topher@yahoo.com

What’s Your

ForTE?

Introducing Forte, a standout

red wine from The Vineyard

at Florence.

The Vineyard at Florence,

approximately 20 miles north of

Georgetown, is a breathtaking

property that was the very first winery in Williamson

County to grow its own grapes for their wines. Resident

winemaker Dan Gatlin has been crafting wine from

Texas-grown grapes since 1981, and has produced some

of the best Tempranillo wines in the country. One

standout wine available from The Vineyard at

Florence is Forte. Forte ($49/bottle) is made

from Lenoir Grapes that are grown on site at

The Vineyard at Florence. Forte has an earthy

nose, with flavors of black fruit, and a well-

rounded and smooth finish. It is comparable to a Shiraz

and pairs well with red meat, game, and hard cheeses.

Join The Vineyard at Florence on January 29 for the

San Gabriel Wine Trail, a multi-winery event featuring

tastings and food. Tickets are $35/person and are available

at the winery or at www.sangabrielwinetrail.com. n

The Vineyard at Florence

111 Via Francesco, Florence, TX 76527

www.thevineyardatflorence.com

254.793.3363


Wining and Dining

Get Physical

Get Results with

FiTnEss

BooT

CAmps

Find the support and motivation you need to help

you achieve your New Year’s resolution goals.

By Alix Zertuche

It’s January. The parade of food that began in

November and marched turkeys and hams and

Christmas cookies and New Year’s champagne through

your digestive system has come

to an end, leaving as mementos

your strained buttons and the

disappointed voice of your Wii

Fit. “Oh. Looks like you’ve

gained a few pounds since your

last visit. Would you like to hear

a fitness tip?”

No you wouldn’t. This time,

you need more than just a tip.

This time you need a resolution

that won’t end up—like Aunt

Martha’s hand-knitted purple

socks—unraveled in the trash bin by February. You need

motivation . . . you need accountability . . . you need Boot

Camp!

Fitness boot camps have increased dramatically

in popularity over the last few years,


Fitness boot camps

generally include

some level of aerobic

activity combined

with stretching and

weight training.

with nearly every gym and many independent trainers

offering their own version of a boot camp. “It’s essentially

personalized training at a group rate—you get a lot of

attention and guidance,” says

John O’Connor, owner of

Georgetown Fitness, which

runs several boot-camp and

“functional fitness” classes at its

5,000 sq. ft. facility on Austin

Avenue. “People do better in

groups—it keeps them coming

back, and part of the problem

with gyms is keeping people

coming back.”

The original fitness boot

camps very closely mimicked

military boot camps—complete with instructors who

barked orders like drill sergeants—but most instructors

now rely on encouragement and group motivation to get





results. Fitness boot camps generally

include some level of aerobic activity

combined with stretching and weight

training.

Jason Voges, general manager

and certified personal trainer at

Anytime Fitness, has been conducting

boot camps for the past year and a

half. Each of their boot camp classes

draws between six and 12 people for

a challenging 45-minute workout.

Jason says it is the goal of the gym to

keep the classes small enough to focus

on individual needs, but large enough

for the participants to push each

other in a group setting.

Why would you consider a boot

camp? In addition to being a great

way to lose weight and get toned up,

group classes can be exceptionally

motivating. People who might let

their workout schedule slide are much

more likely to stick to a training

program if they feel they might let

other people down. Group classes

like fitness boot camps also build a

strong sense of community, and it can

be very encouraging to hear others’

personal records and share your own.

Several local gyms and other

facilities offer boot camps, and it

should be easy to find one nearby that

fits your schedule:

• Georgetown Fitness

900 North Austin Ave., Ste. 200

512-819-0644

• Snap Fitness

3316 Williams Dr., Ste. 125

512-591-7899

• Anytime Fitness

4112 Williams Dr., Ste. 101

512-863-9990

• Georgetown Recreation

Center

1003 North Austin Ave.

512-930-3596

Alternatively, a few local

businesses offer boot camps as standalone

programs, including:

• Design Fitness Solutions

designfitnesssolutions.com

512-294-8441

• Georgetown Ultimate

Boot Camp

www.gtultimatebootcamp.com

512-633-4676

Be sure to meet and talk to the

personal trainer before choosing a boot

camp. The skill and experience of the

trainer will often determine how well

the boot camp will work for you. Then

start exercising and get fit! n


Seniority Rules

EvEry

Hour

Counts

For those with a little extra

time, volunteering provides

a great way to put it to good

use for Georgetown.

By rachel ingram

“I think most people

volunteer for the same

reason I volunteer,” Geri

Scheer says, “which is to give back to

the community.”

For the past seven years, Geri

has graciously helped St. David’s

Georgetown Hospital work more

smoothly and efficiently as an

active member of its auxiliary

program. In fact, she now serves

as the program’s president. And

according to Geri, the auxiliary

program is always looking for

volunteers, so whether you want

to work once a week or to get

involved with the board eventually,

there is a place for you.

The auxiliary program has been

a fixture at St. David’s Georgetown

Hospital since 1980, and its roster

boasts people of all ages, although

most of them are retirees. A few

current volunteers have even been

involved in the program since its

inception. Volunteers spend their

three- to four-hour shifts greeting

people, escorting visitors to their

destinations, comforting people

in the waiting room, handling

dismissals, sorting and delivering

mail, and stuffing envelopes.


Even the smallest task helps the

hospital run more smoothly. “We

provide a lot of service and a lot of

hours,” Geri says. “They may be

simple things, but they keep the

hospital from having to hire someone

to do that job. There are a great

number of hours put in—it all adds

up over time.”

“We greatly value our volunteers

and the added care and consideration

they provide to our patients and

visitors. We always want St. David’s

Georgetown Hospital to be a big part of

the community and for the community

to be a part of us,” says Lynne Harris,

Volunteer Manager at the hospital.

Geri became a hospital volunteer

shortly after she retired nine years

ago, although she says she was

appointed president because she’s

“one of those people who can’t say

no,” she has accrued more than

enough experience to qualify for

the position. “I got involved in the

auxiliary and started doing one

job, then another job,” she says. “I

was captain of our team here—the

Thursday morning team—then I was

the entertainment chairman, which

means I planned any social events.”

January marks her seventh year

at St. David’s and in Texas, but her

familiarity with hospital volunteering

goes back to her life in another state.

“I lived in California, and I met a

lady who volunteered at a hospital,”

Geri says. “I said, ‘Gee, that sounds

nice.’ So when I retired I went to

volunteer at another hospital.”

And that is exactly how most

people find out about volunteering

at St. David’s Georgetown: word-ofmouth.

They do have some recruitment

activities, including a volunteer day

at Sun City, but most people sign up

because they know someone else who’s

doing it.

For more information on

volunteering, please contact Lynne

Harris at (512) 942-4197. n


Dollars and Sense

The Savings

snowBALL

A new way to save up for special purchases.

By susan Lahey

It’s resolution time again. Time

to make all those changes you

never got around to last year.

But while opportunities for change

abound—for example all the diet

foods go on sale in the grocery store’s

freezer section—one change that

many people vow they are going to do

is to save more money. Once the bills

are paid, it always seems that there are

more purchases to save for than there

is excess money to save. That’s where

you can get help from the savings

snowball.

Most people have heard of a debt

snowball, the idea that if you have

a stack of debts, you put the largest

payment toward the one with the

highest interest rate, with smaller

amounts toward other debts. Then, as

you get the first one paid off, you take

the money you were putting into the

first debt and roll it into paying off


the next. Before you know it, they’re

all paid off. Snowball!

But Stephanie Collins, the

financial maven of the website

“Poorer Than You,” has come up with

a wonderful twist on this concept—

the savings snowball. In this scenario,

you write down things you’re

saving for in order of importance or

imminence. Then you apply a certain

amount in savings toward that goal

each month. You might be saving for

a car purchase, a future home down

payment, a college fund, a retirement

fund, an emergency fund, or even a

trip to Africa.

Figure out how much you’re

going to need and when you will need

it, and that will tell you how to save

in increments that will get you to

your first goal by the deadline. When

you have reached your first goal, roll

the amount that previously went to

the first goal into the next one, along

with what you were already saving for

goal number two.

There are many advantages to

the savings snowball. One advantage

of a conscious, budgeted plan, is that

you don’t have to think about it every

month. You figure out what you can

afford and put it in your budget, just

as you budget for rent or a mortgage

payment. Another great advantage

is that you don’t close your eyes to

the upcoming cost of a purchase and

hope for a windfall, then wind up

putting it on a credit card.

So, although Georgetown is

woefully—or mercifully, depending

on how you look at it—lacking in

snow, January is a great time to make

a snowball. n


Healthwise

UsinG Hypnosis

to Meet Your Goals

By James T. wayland, m.A., ph.D.

Did your 2011 New Year’s

resolutions include

an exercise campaign,

stopping smoking, eating healthier,

learning a foreign language, or saving

more money? Your intentions were

good, but do you often quit a few

weeks later and forget about your

resolutions?


Most behaviors are reflex-like

and habitual, and executed without

conscious thought. New Year’s

resolutions are about changing

reflex-like behaviors, such as eating

a chip or smoking a cigarette.

Those unconscious behaviors can

be substituted with new, healthier

habits and behaviors through

conscious focus. And one effective

For people who want to make

positive changes in their

lives—perhaps by kicking a

bad habit—hypnosis can yield

results where New Year’s

resolutions have failed.

way to achieve your goals is by using

hypnosis and learning self-hypnosis.

All repetitive thoughts or

habits, whether for better or worse,

activate certain pathways in the brain

repeatedly. Over time, they create

“neural grooves” in your brain. If you

repeat the same old negative thoughts

and behaviors, those habits literally

become embedded in your brain.

In order to reach your larger goal,

you must make and follow through

on smaller goals first. As Winston

Churchill said, “Continuous efforts—

not strength or intelligence—is the

key to unlocking our potential.”

Hypnosis is not an altered state

of consciousness. It is not what you

might have seen in a movie, on

television, or a stage show. Instead

it is heightened awareness, memory,

focused attention, insight and

problem-solving. During hypnosis, a

qualified hypnotherapist can help you

become more responsive to your own

goal-related ideas and suggestions.

The result is new thinking, options

and behaviors that will help you

achieve new, helpful habits.

A hypnotherapist helps you

understand the behavior you want

to change. During hypnosis, a

heightened ability for concentration

allows you to find and overcome

mistakes and flawed beliefs that may

have prevented success in the past.

With proper instruction, you can

even learn to hypnotize yourself for

continued enhancements of thought

and changes of behavior. Considered

to be the most powerful form of

hypnosis, self-hypnosis is simply a

tool to access one’s own subconscious

to create change.

If you are concerned about using

hypnosis for behavior changes, ask a

qualified, credentialed hypnotherapist

to answer your questions and dispel

some of the myths. The more you

know, the better and more helpful

your hypnosis experience will be. n


Generosity

Friends

You Just

Don’t

Know Yet

With a critically ill son, the McLeans found support at The Ronald McDonald

House, an overlooked gem in Central Texas social services.

By Alix Zertuche

Ronald

McDonald House

“The

covers all the little

details while the rest of your life is

going crazy,” says Doug McLean.

“It really is the house that love

built.” Like the McLean family,

most people who stay at the Ronald

McDonald House never know what

the organization does until the

nearly unthinkable happens to their

child—a serious and life-threatening


illness—and that experience can be

extremely isolating. But with the

Ronald McDonald House’s help,

families like the McLeans can find

a way to manage one of the most

difficult periods of their lives.

When Doug and his family

found out their son had been

born with CHARGE syndrome,

a cluster of related birth defects,

they learned from a social worker

at Dell Children’s Medical Center

that they would be spending a

great deal of time at the medical

facility supporting their son

through treatments. They lived in

Georgetown at the time, so that

meant a lot of long drives for the

McLeans between home and Austin.

Fortunately, that social worker

also introduced them to the Ronald

McDonald House. “The only

yardstick for utilizing the Ronald

McDonald House is the need of your

child and the fact that your home is

a certain distance from the hospital,”

explains Doug. The McLeans, who

now live in Round Rock, spent nearly

six months at the Ronald McDonald

House of Austin and Central Texas

starting in October 2007.

Although some families that

stay at the Ronald McDonald

House can afford a hotel room,

its proximity to the hospital and

the support of staff and volunteers

can make it the best option for

parents with a critically ill child.

Even well informed parents can

miss important information if they

are not present when physicians

visit their children on rounds. “My

parents raise cattle in Jarrell and

an old saying is ‘The best fertilizer

for the ground is the owner’s

footsteps,’” says Doug. “The same

is true with a complicated child or

adult in the hospital.”

Parents are empowered by

being there—they can advocate

for a sick child and ensure

coordination between well

meaning, but overworked doctors,

nurses, neurologists, cardiologists,

neonatologists, and surgeons. This

helps the hospital staff maximize its

abilities, and it helps to provide the

best possible outcome for the child.

One of the benefits of staying

at the Ronald McDonald House

is the support from other families

who are experiencing very similar

situations. Volunteers at Austin’s

Ronald McDonald House provide

two meals a day, and if a family

misses a dinnertime because of a late

night at the hospital, volunteers wrap

up leftovers for later reheating. The

facility also features “game rooms for

the other kids, a freezer for breast

milk, computers, common areas

and private areas for discussion and

reflection,” says Doug.

The McDonald’s fast-food

chain does not own the Ronald

McDonald House—the bulk of its

funding comes from community

support. If you would like to help the

Ronald McDonald House continue

its mission, visit www.rmhc-austin.

org to learn more about donating

money, volunteering, helping

with fundraising, and providing

much-needed supplies. The Ronald

McDonald House always needs

household goods such as paper

towels, toilet paper, and basic toiletry

items.

Should you or a friend be in

the unfortunate position of having a

seriously ill or injured child who will

require long-term hospitalization at

any Austin area hospital or Scott &

White Memorial Hospital in Temple,

the local Ronald McDonald Houses

will be there for you. n


Save the Date


January 4, Pancake Fundraiser.

Applebees. 8–10 a.m. $6 per person.

Fundraiser supporting your local

American Legion.

January 6, Newcomers & Friends

of Georgetown. St. Johns Methodist

Church, 311 E. University Ave. 9:30–

11:30 a.m. Make new friends and find out about Georgetown and

what it has to offer. www.georgetownnewcomers.org.

January 7, First Friday. Downtown Historic Square. Shops will

stay open until 8 p.m. Stroll the historic streets at your leisure,

visit galleries, meet local artists, view new works and exhibits, and

listen to live music. First Friday is sponsored by the Downtown

Georgetown Association, on the web at www.dgagtx.org.

January 7, Off The Record. Sun City Ballroom. 7–10 p.m. For

Sun City Residents. $10 per person. Come dance with Off The

Record, a dynamic show band that performs your favorite tunes of

the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. Elvis might make an appearance, and who

knows what other classic favorite will show up!

January 8, Lunch and Learn Business Development Seminar.

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. RSVP

Required. $10 per person. Contact Georgetown Chamber of

Commerce at 930-3535.

January 11, Georgetown Bird Walk.

Booty’s Road Park Pavilion, 1631 Booty’s

Park Road. 8 a.m. Registration required.

Walk along the Georgetown trails and

identify bird species. Guided walks last

about three hours each. Twenty-year

birding veteran Jim Hailey leads the class.

Contact 930-3596 for details.

January 12, Melancholy Ramblers. Legacy Hills Park

Pavillion, Sun City. 5 p.m. For Sun City Residents. $10 per

person. Come see Marco’s hummel, Frances’s accordion, Brady’s

yodel, and Blackie White’s banjo! This foursome will delight you

with their humor.

January 13, Author H. W. Brand. Georgetown Public Library.

2 p.m. Advance-tickets $13, $15 at the door. The Hill Country

Authors Series presents H.W. Brand,

winner of the 2010 Texas Book Festival

Author’s Award and author of American

Colossus: The Triumph of Capitalism,

1865–1900. All tickets include dessert

from the Red Poppy Cafe. Tickets may be

purchased at Second-Hand Prose or by

calling 868-0445.

January 13, 14, 15, Anne of Green Gables Musical

Performance. Church of the

Nazarene (4015 E. University).

7 p.m. on Jan. 13 and 14, 2 p.m.

and 7 p.m. on Jan 15. Tickets are

$7, $5 for children 10 and under.

Tickets available at the door. www.

artsavenueforkids.com

January 14–February 6, The Sunshine Boys. The

Georgetown Palace Theater. Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark”

were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they

aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them for a “History of

Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back

together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs.

January 21, Mike Clifford Band Dance. Sun City Ballroom.

7–10 p.m. For Sun City Residents. $10 per person. Mike Clifford

has been dubbed “Austin’s purveyor of breezy, melodic Texas

honky-tonk country.” Come out to enjoy another fabulous

performance by this talented group!

January 21, 22, 27, 28, and 29, The Sound of Music.

Klett Center for the Performing Arts. A sing-a-long will be held

at 2 p.m., on January 22, only. Performance at 7 p.m. $5 for

students, $10 for adults. The Georgetown High School Theater

Department will be performing their rendition of the classic

musical.

January 27, Canned Food Sculpture Competition and Food

Drive. United Way of Williamson County and the Austin Toros

host a competition where teams collect non-perishable food items,

and create a sculpture made entirely of canned food. All food

collected donated to food pantries serving Williamson County.

Held at Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park. Sign up teams by

January 5. Go to www.unitedway-wc.org or 512-255-6799 for

more info.

January 27–February 25, Salon Explosion! Opening.

Southwestern University Fine Arts Gallery. 1–5 p.m. A national

invitational printmaking exhibition sponsored by The Sarofim

School of Fine Arts. For more information, vainl@southwestern.

edu or 512-863-1379.

January 30, Temple

Symphony Orchestra. Klett

Center for the Performing

Arts. 4–7 p.m. Featuring

the “Big Band Blast” with

Pianist Rich Ridenour.

For more information

and tickets, see www.

georgetowntexassymphony.org

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