Hometown Madison - January & February 2017
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Volume 3 Number 1<br />
Jan/feb <strong>2017</strong><br />
All About Us<br />
____________________<br />
Lessons from Lucky<br />
____________________<br />
Looking for the story
CA.CNews.FBChamps4x5_Layout 1 12/20/16 2:49 PM Page 1<br />
I FOUND<br />
COMPASSION<br />
As soon as we stepped beyond the gated entrance, I knew that<br />
St. Catherine’s Village was the right place for mom. That she would<br />
receive the personalized attention she needed. And would retain her<br />
dignity with person-centered care to support her emotional, social,<br />
intellectual, and spiritual…as well as physical…well being.<br />
You know what else I found?<br />
Living here is unexpectedly within reach.<br />
congratulations,<br />
Canton Academy<br />
AA STATE CHAMPS<br />
www.CantonAcademy.org<br />
Supportive Environment<br />
SPECIALIZED SKILLED NURSING<br />
NAMED BEST NURSING HOME **<br />
• Semi-private<br />
and private rooms<br />
• 24-hour nursing care<br />
and on-duty security<br />
• Assistance with<br />
day-to-day activities<br />
• Three meals served daily<br />
• Regular housekeeping<br />
CONTINUING<br />
LIFE CARE <br />
Independent • Assisted<br />
Memory • Skilled<br />
(601) 856-0123<br />
www.StCatherinesVillage.com<br />
**By the Clarion-Ledger.<br />
Proudly CARF-CCAC<br />
Accredited<br />
ORTHODONTICS<br />
2 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
4 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
publisher & Editor<br />
Tahya A. Dobbs<br />
CFO<br />
Kevin W. Dobbs<br />
Consulting editor<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
Account Executives<br />
Rachel Lombardo<br />
Kati Gaines<br />
Dacia Durr Amis<br />
Contributing Writers<br />
Camille Anding<br />
Ben Hutton<br />
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
Erin Williams<br />
staff Photographer<br />
Othel Anding<br />
Administrative Assistants<br />
Alisha Floyd<br />
Brenda McCall<br />
Layout Design<br />
Daniel Thomas / 3dt<br />
• • •<br />
It will take a few days to adjust my thinking to writing <strong>2017</strong>, but I’m grateful for a new year<br />
and its opportunity for a fresh beginning. This year will mark our 4th anniversary of <strong>Hometown</strong><br />
Magazines. I’m confident I’ll continue to be at home on the learning curve.<br />
However, I’m also confident that the list of new friends will grow as we meet and highlight the<br />
stories that are still waiting to be discovered in our hometown. I’m especially grateful for my new<br />
friend, Andrew Seago, who I recently met and am delighted to feature in this issue.<br />
Andrew’s attitude amid his extreme physical challenge is beyond inspiring.<br />
I’m blessed that Andrew’s’ story will serve as the perfect prescription for<br />
any who complain and whine about the trivial in day-to-day living.<br />
I extend a special thank you to our advertisers and readers who are<br />
making it possible for <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong> to be a part of <strong>2017</strong>.<br />
As publisher, it’s my desire to promote our hometown and its wonderful<br />
residents. I’m amazed and inspired with just how many there are!<br />
www.facebook.com<br />
/hometownmadisonmagazine<br />
For subscription information<br />
visit www.htmags.com<br />
Contact us at info@HTMags.com<br />
601.706.4059<br />
26 Eastgate Drive, Suite F<br />
Brandon MS 39042<br />
• • •<br />
All rights reserved. No portion of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong><br />
may be reproduced without written permission from<br />
the publisher. The management of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong><br />
is not responsible for opinions expressed by its<br />
writers or editors. <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong> maintains the<br />
unrestricted right to edit or refuse all submitted<br />
material. All advertisements are subject to approval by<br />
the publisher. The production of <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong><br />
is funded by advertising.<br />
In this issue Super Shakes........................ 6<br />
Addiction Lurking................... 10<br />
Hope Conference .................. 16<br />
Lessons from Lucky ...........20<br />
Oh Happy Day .........................26<br />
A Re-Defining of Disability........... 32<br />
All of Us ......................... 40<br />
Looking for the Story .............. 46<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 5
A small building with a drive-thru<br />
was available at the Reservoir area, and<br />
Stogner and his wife signed a lease and<br />
started their business. The business was<br />
originally called Super Shakes, but they<br />
had to change the name to Quick Quakes<br />
because the owner of the building served<br />
ice cream shakes next door and didn’t<br />
want any confusion. Once the ice cream<br />
store closed, the former owner gave<br />
Stogner the greenlight to change the<br />
name back to the original Super Shakes.<br />
“It was about that time we were<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
Jason Stogner had a problem. As a graduate of University of<br />
Southern Mississippi with a degree in nutrition and dietetics and being<br />
a registered dietician, he knew more than a little about good nutrition.<br />
But as a sales rep who traveled all day (making healthy meal plans for<br />
patients), Stogner was often forced to eat unhealthy fast food on the<br />
road, mostly because of the convenience and lack<br />
of other options. “I knew what I was eating wasn’t good for me.”<br />
Stogner began preparing smoothies at home to take with him on<br />
the road. “One day my wife, Jodie, tasted one and she thought they<br />
were great. She told me I should be selling those!”<br />
Stogner gave it some thought and looked into existing smoothie<br />
franchises, but the nutritional information for the drinks was not good.<br />
“They were high in sugar and low in protein. I started playing with<br />
some formulas at home, playing with different ingredients to form new<br />
drinks that would provide energy and nutrition while satisfying hunger.<br />
It wasn’t long before I decided to open my own place.”<br />
opening our second location in the<br />
Township in Ridgeland, so we used that<br />
as an opportunity to rebrand ourselves,”<br />
explains Stogner. Through a series of<br />
events, Stogner met his business partner,<br />
Taylor Lyle, who owns a label company in<br />
Richland. “He made the labels for Quick<br />
Quakes, and one day he delivered them<br />
in person and ordered a shake. Soon he<br />
was coming every day and he also started<br />
ordering shakes for his staff. We talked,<br />
and he asked if he could join me in the<br />
business, and we’ve gone full steam<br />
ahead ever since.”<br />
There are now two more Super Shakes<br />
locations, one in the Crossgates area of<br />
Brandon, and the newest inside the<br />
Healthplex in <strong>Madison</strong>. “Franchising is<br />
6 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
definitely in our plans for the future,” says Stogner.<br />
“We’ve had people contact us from all over the country,<br />
including New York, Florida and California. We definitely<br />
plan to grow.”<br />
Super Shakes are made to order at any of the locations.<br />
There are nine basic formulas that meet a variety<br />
of nutritional needs. “Everyone needs 15 to 30 grams of<br />
protein per meal,” explains Stogner. “People who skip<br />
breakfast often go up to 15 hours without a meal. What<br />
they don’t realize is the body will get its needed protein<br />
supply from the muscles or even from organ tissue, so<br />
it’s important to refuel the body each morning. When the<br />
body is deprived of essential nutrients it needs to stay<br />
healthy, the immune system is weakened and the body<br />
goes into a downward spiral. That’s why we offer Super<br />
Fit, to keep folks healthy and fit.”<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 7
Other formulas include Super Fuel, Super Trim,<br />
Super Power, Super Charge, Super Calm, Super Meal,<br />
Super Gain and Super Sleep. All of the formulas are<br />
available at the Super Shakes locations, and can also<br />
be purchased in large containers that make 30 servings.<br />
The formulas can be customized with different<br />
flavors and supplements which can be added.<br />
All the powdered formulas are made in Mississippi<br />
with the best raw ingredients sourced in the United<br />
States. “We try to keep things as local as possible,<br />
especially with the fruits and vegetables we use.”<br />
The powders are made using whey protein isolate,<br />
the best form of protein available. There are also<br />
vegan versions which use pea protein or egg whites.<br />
Stogner says he usually drinks two of the shakes<br />
a day, which is helpful with his active lifestyle. He is<br />
still employed as a sales rep full time, and he has a<br />
country music band, The Jason Stogner Band,<br />
which has two releases on iTunes.<br />
“I think Super Shakes has a world of potential<br />
to grow,” says Stogner. “We started out to make<br />
a difference in Mississippi, one shake at a time.<br />
If we can make it in Mississippi, the least healthy<br />
state in the Union, we can make it anywhere.”<br />
8 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 9
Addiction<br />
Lurking<br />
Ben Hutton’s Story<br />
Intro from Dad, Steve Hutton<br />
As a parent, what you are about to<br />
read will fall under the category,<br />
“This could never happen to us.”<br />
I can assure you, you’re dead wrong<br />
in that assumption. Today’s drug<br />
addict is often the private school<br />
star football player, the privileged<br />
child driving a BMW that his parents<br />
gave to him, the good-looking college<br />
sophomore, the child of the well-known<br />
public official, and your neighbor’s<br />
beautiful daughter you saw grow up<br />
next door. It’s real, it’s epidemic,<br />
and it’s all around us—right here<br />
at home.<br />
10 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
The following words<br />
are from my son ...<br />
It was 2009 and I was 18-years old.<br />
I had more friends than I could ask for.<br />
I had a beautiful girlfriend with an incredible<br />
personality. I was in great physical shape.<br />
I had a black 2009 LTZ Silverado 1500 which<br />
was way too nice for any guy my age. I was<br />
extremely successful in sports and had<br />
Division I college football in my near future.<br />
I had a family who loved me. I was raised<br />
in church and had everything I could ever<br />
ask for. From the outside looking in, my life<br />
was perfect.<br />
Fast-forward about a year: Nobody<br />
wanted to be around me. I no longer had<br />
girlfriend. I was super thin and looked like I<br />
had almost quit eating altogether. I was<br />
so pale that I don’t even think pale would<br />
any longer be the correct word to describe<br />
me. My hair was long and ungroomed.<br />
That black Silverado had been taken from<br />
me and sold. I had quit showing up for<br />
practice with that college dream team and,<br />
in fact, I had decided I could no longer handle<br />
going to school at all. My life was completely<br />
falling apart.<br />
What happened? How could I go<br />
from having such a “perfect” life to<br />
someone who was barely holding on by<br />
a thread? What could be so bad that it<br />
could cause such a destructive impact on<br />
my life? How did I all the sudden throw my<br />
goals and dreams in the trash as if they<br />
never existed?<br />
Today I’m 25 years old, soon to turn 26.<br />
I was asked to share my story about a certain<br />
subject that is seemingly becoming more<br />
and more of a problem in today’s world.<br />
Even worse, everyone knows about this<br />
growing problem, but not many know what<br />
to do about it. The issue I’m discussing is<br />
addiction—that ugly word nobody wants to<br />
talk about.<br />
If you ask 10 different people how<br />
to help someone that is struggling with<br />
addiction, you’ll most likely get 10 different<br />
answers. Some of those answers may look<br />
like this: Maybe they’re just going through<br />
a phase. Maybe they have a mental illness<br />
and need proper medication. Maybe they<br />
just need to grow up. Maybe they need some<br />
better friends. Maybe they just need a better<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 11
job or maybe they just need someone to<br />
talk to. Maybe they need to be at a different<br />
school. Maybe they just need proper support<br />
from their parents. Or maybe they just need<br />
to figure out what they like to do that makes<br />
them happy. Maybe they need to go to rehab<br />
or maybe they just need go to church more.<br />
The list of “maybes” can go on and on<br />
and on. So, what is the answer? Maybe you<br />
yourself have struggled with addiction or<br />
maybe you personally know of someone that<br />
has. If so, you know that trying to find the<br />
solution can be an endless maze of confusion<br />
that always brings you back to the beginning.<br />
Often, the one thing that may seem to<br />
work for a while one day, doesn’t. And the<br />
one struggling is back at it again as if they<br />
never stopped—and are probably getting<br />
worse. It’s as if they can’t see what they’re<br />
doing to themselves and the people around<br />
them and, if they can see, they don’t seem to<br />
care because they just keep doing it. It’s as if<br />
they’ve lost all care about life in general and<br />
no longer have any hopes or desires. All they<br />
seem to be concerned about is themselves<br />
and whatever substance it is that they are<br />
addicted to. If they actually cared about<br />
themselves and everyone else around them<br />
wouldn’t they just stop? Why do they keep<br />
doing this?<br />
I have one reason for writing this<br />
story. That one reason is to somehow grab<br />
someone’s attention that needs to hear this.<br />
Whether it’s the addicted or someone trying<br />
to help the addicted, here’s the point: I spent<br />
years “trying” to get sober. I tried so hard<br />
to get my life together and failed time after<br />
time, which only made things worse. I was<br />
furious at myself for continually failing—over<br />
and over and over again.<br />
Finally, two years ago, I found myself<br />
sitting in rehab for the fifth time. I was at<br />
a very rough place—a low-point in my life<br />
where I didn’t know what to do anymore. I<br />
was miserable and no longer cared about<br />
anything. I wasn’t sure how much longer<br />
I could even try. I was so low in life that I<br />
seriously considered becoming homeless<br />
and just doing drugs until I died. I hated<br />
myself. I was done.<br />
I made a call to my parents from rehab<br />
and they mentioned a place called Teen<br />
Challenge. They said it was different and that<br />
I should try it. I called another friend from<br />
rehab and, ironically, he mentioned this Teen<br />
Challenge place, too. He had heard about it<br />
on the radio. I had absolutely no desire to go<br />
but, for whatever reason, agreed to at least<br />
look into it.<br />
I wound up at Teen Challenge of the<br />
Dakotas in Brookings, South Dakota. It’s the<br />
best place I could’ve ever “wound up” and it<br />
was at just the right time. When I got there I<br />
was so broken and at such a bad place in my<br />
life that I was willing to listen to practically<br />
anything they had to say.<br />
This is when things changed.<br />
They told me that there was actually<br />
nothing wrong with me. They said I didn’t<br />
have any disorders like many doctors had<br />
told me. They taught me God’s word, inside<br />
and out. They showed me that all along I<br />
had been searching for God’s love and didn’t<br />
even realize it—I was just searching in the<br />
wrong places.<br />
I had fallen prey to believing the devil’s<br />
lies. I believed that drugs were the only<br />
thing I had to help me cope. I thought that<br />
without them I couldn’t make it and that<br />
nobody understood the things going on with<br />
me. Ended up that was all just a big lie.<br />
I had begun to rely on drugs in the<br />
same way I was supposed to be relying on<br />
God. The drugs may have helped me feel<br />
better for a while but they always ended up<br />
bringing disaster. God doesn’t do that. God<br />
always works for our good, but I didn’t know<br />
how to rely on Him.<br />
It didn’t make much sense to me. I<br />
literally had to be taught how to rely on<br />
God. Through scripture and through leaders<br />
teaching us by example, I learned to talk<br />
to God. I learned to read God’s word. And I<br />
12 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
learned that God has a love so deep for me<br />
that I can’t even understand it.<br />
I learned that by Jesus Christ dying on<br />
the cross for my sins, I’m forgiven of all the<br />
things that haunted me day and night, and<br />
I can be free from those chains. Not only<br />
can I be free from that life, but I can now<br />
live an awesome fulfilling life by trusting<br />
God and carrying out what He has planned<br />
for me. That doesn’t mean it’s easy—but<br />
it’s more than worth it.<br />
If I wanted to go back and start<br />
doing drugs right now, I could. But<br />
why would I? Why would I go back to<br />
something that creates a temporary<br />
feel-good and escape when God offers<br />
me a life from which I never want to<br />
escape or hide.<br />
If you are the one struggling with<br />
addiction or anything for that matter,<br />
God doesn’t care what you’ve done no<br />
matter how bad you may think it is. He just<br />
wants you to come to Him. He wants you to<br />
let Him change your life inside and out. He<br />
wants to give you a reason to live.<br />
The decision to put your trust in God,<br />
is completely up to you, but I can attest<br />
that it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.<br />
And it’s one that I’ll never regret. Praise<br />
God for grace.<br />
Closing from Dad . . .<br />
My wife Joni and I drove Ben to South Dakota. He was broken<br />
and facing multiple criminal charges. And as we pulled away,<br />
we were convinced we would never see him again this side of<br />
Heaven. He was tired, defeated, beaten, and had no desire to<br />
continue living. But God wasn’t done with Ben.<br />
Honestly, if we hadn’t actually lived our story, I wouldn’t<br />
believe it. Addiction is unbelievable. I began to journal one<br />
day simply as therapy, and 15 days later had written 67,000<br />
words. It is our prayer that our story may serve as hope to<br />
those families entangled in addiction, and as a warning to<br />
parents of young children as they navigate raising Godly<br />
children in an ungodly world.<br />
(The paperback, Pride Aside, may be purchased at www.prideaside.org and on<br />
Amazon. Ebooks are available on Kindle, iBooks, and Nook.)<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 13
PROPERTIES<br />
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Sales Associate Broker Associate Broker Associate Sales Associate Sales Associate<br />
Best Real Estate Company<br />
BECKY MORGAN<br />
Sales Associate<br />
JOHN SKELTON<br />
Sales Associate<br />
LESLY TOOHEY<br />
Broker Associate<br />
CANDY WHITEHEAD<br />
Sales Associate<br />
Tanya Brieger Best Real Estate Agent<br />
Steven Smith Best Home Builder<br />
www.KeyTrustProperties.com<br />
Ridgeland Office: 601-956-4944 Covington, LA office: 985-502-1629<br />
220 W Jackson St, Suite 200, Ridgeland 312 S Jefferson Ave, Covington, LA 70433<br />
14 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong><br />
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<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 15
HOPE<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
Some things happen because there’s a<br />
need. That’s exactly why the Hope Conference<br />
for Cancer Survivorship happened the first<br />
time. Susan Mason saw a need, and she worked<br />
to fill it. Fifteen years later, she’s still working<br />
hard to fill that need for area cancer patients,<br />
cancer survivors, and their caregivers.<br />
Mason was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s<br />
Lymphoma in 1994. Like so many people<br />
do, she went to the M.D. Anderson Medical<br />
Center in Houston for a second opinion. “I<br />
was immediately connected with their patient<br />
support system,” she recalls. “Every year, I went<br />
to Houston to their survivor’s conference where I always received<br />
a lot of knowledge, education and encouragement.”<br />
Back at home in Clinton, Mason said she realized that the<br />
metro Jackson area has a lot of medical facilities, but there was<br />
nothing offered like the conference she had been attending in<br />
Houston. “Our area is unique in that instead of one huge medical<br />
center, we have several top-notch hospitals. I thought it would be<br />
great to pull them all together to form a coalition to serve cancer<br />
patients and survivors. I wanted to do a conference in Jackson<br />
like the one they have in Houston.”<br />
What Mason didn’t know was that the hospitals are all highly<br />
competitive and nothing like what she wanted to do had ever<br />
been done. But that didn’t stop her. “It was a challenge to bring<br />
them all together, but I managed to do it!”<br />
She began by contacting the Mississippi Chapter of the<br />
American Cancer Society and the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society<br />
of Mississippi. “Those organizations started on this journey<br />
with me, and they are still involved, along<br />
with Jackson State University and Belhaven<br />
University.”<br />
That journey resulted in the first ever<br />
Hope Conference in 2002. “The church I go<br />
to, First Baptist Church Jackson, hosts the<br />
conference, which will be held for the 15 th year<br />
on March 4, <strong>2017</strong>.” The conference will have a<br />
survivors panel featuring Whitney Pickering,<br />
Stephanie Bell Flynt, Senator Hillman Frazier,<br />
Terri Hederman and Ashley Johnson. Coach Jay<br />
Hopson of University of Southern Mississippi<br />
will be the keynote speaker, sharing his own<br />
experience with cancer.<br />
Breakout sessions will include cancer exercise therapy as<br />
well as sessions that focus on education and encouragement.<br />
Mary Margaret Judy is the executive director of St.<br />
Catherine’s Village in <strong>Madison</strong>. When asked to give her thoughts<br />
on the conference and the program, in general, she said, “Put<br />
it in the hands of our Lord and his physicians. Do not give up<br />
hope. St. Catherine’s Village and all of the St. Dominic family are<br />
proud to help light the way for the Hope Conference for Cancer<br />
Survivorship.”<br />
The logo for the event, a lighthouse, was designed by<br />
Marshall Ramsey, also a cancer survivor. “Our motto is ‘Lighting<br />
the way to cancer survivorship’ because we want to shine light on<br />
people and their journey,” he said.<br />
For more information on the conference visit<br />
hopeconferencejackson.com.<br />
16 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 17
2<br />
Goals<br />
I hope<br />
to reach<br />
this year<br />
1. Lisa Beagles<br />
– Owner, Doe’s Eat Place of Ridgeland.<br />
I want <strong>2017</strong> to be a year of progress,<br />
without regrets, while maintaining my<br />
priorities. God, family, and then business.<br />
I want to better my community by<br />
encouraging local small business<br />
cooperation and providing practical<br />
help to adults with limitations.<br />
2. Trent Nelson<br />
First, I would like to volunteer more<br />
time towards community service.<br />
Starting in <strong>2017</strong>, I’m going to be on the<br />
board of directors for the <strong>Madison</strong><br />
County Chamber of Commerce. With<br />
that, I’m excited to see what opportunities<br />
to help serve others come about. Second,<br />
I want to continue with a healthy lifestyle.<br />
In 2016, I made some lifestyle changes<br />
striving to be healthier. I started eating<br />
better and exercising at Kudzu Crossfit in<br />
Gluckstadt. So far, I’m 40 pounds lighter<br />
and just feel better in all aspects of my life.<br />
3. Hunter Owen<br />
1<br />
In <strong>2017</strong>, I want to continue to grow my<br />
gym, Coyote Crossfit, to positively affect<br />
as many people as possible in the <strong>Madison</strong><br />
County area. I also want to set a positive<br />
example for my family and friends in my<br />
faith and fitness!<br />
18 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
3<br />
4. Tianna Cowan<br />
2<br />
In <strong>2017</strong>, I strive to be debt free and have<br />
financial freedom! I also love traveling<br />
and would like to travel more and<br />
explore all cultures.<br />
5<br />
4<br />
5. Brian Leach<br />
I plan to locate my Alfa Insurance Agency<br />
in the Town of Livingston to meet the<br />
insurance needs for the families in that<br />
area. In March, <strong>2017</strong>, my wife and I are<br />
expecting our first child and I strive<br />
to set a Godly example for my family<br />
as we grow together.<br />
6<br />
6. Nikki Grafton<br />
In <strong>2017</strong>, my goal is to love myself so<br />
I can better love others and to give my<br />
children the present of my presence–<br />
and put my phone down.<br />
7. Alison Martin<br />
In <strong>2017</strong>, I hope to make better decisions<br />
about what to say “yes” to, and make<br />
more room in my schedule for downtime<br />
with my family and I would love to<br />
read the Bible all the way through this<br />
year. I’ve always wanted to do it but never<br />
have. Hopefully, <strong>2017</strong> will be the year.<br />
8. Cooper Tyner<br />
My goals for <strong>2017</strong> are to learn how to<br />
shoot a gun and to buy my wife a new<br />
car because she is the most wonderful<br />
woman in the world and she deserves it.<br />
7<br />
8<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 19
20 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
Erin<br />
Williams<br />
Loving When It Isn’t Easy<br />
olly was born On September 23, 2013. and our lives changed for<br />
the better. After being married for almost three weeks, my husband<br />
and I knew we wanted to add to our family. So when she turned sixweeks-old,<br />
Dolly, the golden retriever puppy, joined our household.<br />
Dolly is the perfect dog. She’s sweet-natured, obedient, cheerful, and was a breeze to train.<br />
She is truly one of those once-in-a-lifetime dogs, and we couldn’t love her more.<br />
Fast forward two-and-a-half years to when we stumbled upon a fearful, skinny, black,<br />
pit-bull mix puppy. She came crawling to us out of nowhere and we found out she had<br />
been living under a shack after being dropped off and abandoned a few days earlier. In less<br />
than 10 minutes, we pulled 14 ticks off of her. We decided to keep her, and, in that moment,<br />
she became “Lucky.”<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 21
Although Lucky doesn’t have a mean bone in her little<br />
body, loving her hasn’t always been easy. When we decided<br />
to take Lucky in, we also took in her past problems, learned<br />
behaviors, and lack of training. We learned that she was<br />
deathly scared of leashes, ropes, water hoses, riding in a<br />
vehicle, and being picked up.<br />
On top of that, Lucky has turned our yard into a field<br />
of craters. She’s torn apart more than her fair share of<br />
pillows, towels, toys, mats, etc. If it’s outside, in Lucky’s<br />
eyes, it’s fair game.<br />
Between cleaning up after her, house training her,<br />
teaching her not to jump and to not be afraid of a leash,<br />
teaching her to trust humans, and showing her how to<br />
act around children, there’ve been many times that I’ve<br />
almost thrown in the towel. I mean, she’s just going to tear<br />
it to shreds anyway, right? In fact, I’ve almost done it more<br />
times than I’m willing to admit.<br />
However, in the last six months that Lucky has been<br />
a part of our family, amidst all the hair-pulling trials,<br />
she has taught me more about patience and love than I<br />
would’ve learned on my own.<br />
Lucky teaches me everyday how to love when loving<br />
isn’t easy.<br />
With Dolly, we fell in love with her instantly because<br />
she is the easiest, most cheerful and obedient dog we’d ever<br />
been around. Loving Dolly was easy. But in life, more often<br />
than not, loving isn’t easy at all. In fact, it can often be<br />
messy and difficult, at best.<br />
When we make the choice to love others, we have to<br />
love all of them—including their past problems, current<br />
issues, and future predicaments. Real love in relationships,<br />
whether with family, friends, or, in my case, a dog, is a<br />
22 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
Lucky teaches me everyday<br />
how to love when loving isn’t easy.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 23
24 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong><br />
Loving when it isn’t easy doesn’t<br />
just change the other person,<br />
it changes you, too.
journey full of detours, snags, and<br />
unlovable moments along the way.<br />
And, it’s not always easy.<br />
When we chose to bring Lucky<br />
into our family, much like how we<br />
choose to bring others into our<br />
lives, we made a commitment to<br />
love her, regardless.<br />
While Dolly draws immediate pats and smiles from<br />
others, Lucky doesn’t. I mean, who doesn’t want to love on a<br />
Golden Retriever? It’s harder to want to pet a rambunctious<br />
Pit-Bull. In many ways, Lucky has had the odds stacked<br />
against her and been discriminated against her entire life.<br />
How many of us know others like that: People that are<br />
easy to love and don’t look intimidating versus others<br />
who we stay away from based on their looks and perceived<br />
personas?<br />
In some ways, Lucky has taught me to go beyond what<br />
I’m comfortable with. Although I don’t have kids yet, I want<br />
them to grow up learning that you love others regardless of<br />
whether they’re lovable or not, especially if they’re different<br />
than you. I want them to learn that others, like Lucky, can<br />
come out above the circumstances they were born into, and<br />
that love transcends similarities or looks.<br />
I want them to love well. Whole love.<br />
How will our kids today know what we don’t exhibit?<br />
And if we’re really honest with ourselves, we’d see that<br />
there are times when we aren’t always as loveable as we<br />
think we are.<br />
At the end of the day, we’re actively training Lucky<br />
and teaching her what we expect of her. And while I hope<br />
she’ll someday stop tearing things up and start behaving<br />
better, I can’t say for certain she will. I think the same thing<br />
is true in life. While we love others and hope they will<br />
come out of certain scenarios and situations that make<br />
loving them hard, the stark reality is that sometimes they<br />
won’t. But choose to love them anyway. Loving when it<br />
isn’t easy doesn’t just change the other person, it changes<br />
you, too. n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 25
Oh<br />
Happy<br />
Day<br />
Susan Marquez<br />
26 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
When<br />
Adam Panetta<br />
took his girlfriend<br />
out on their boat<br />
one sunny summer day,<br />
she didn’t<br />
suspect a thing.<br />
“It was a<br />
normal day,”<br />
Kristen Panetta<br />
recalls.<br />
“We went out about three or four<br />
in the afternoon, and after about<br />
an hour, he took me to a secluded<br />
area at the Reservoir and told<br />
me to go the front of the boat.<br />
Then he asked if he could blindfold<br />
me.” Kristen didn’t think<br />
anything of it because Adam was<br />
such a kidder by nature. “I just<br />
thought if he threw me off the<br />
boat, I’d be really mad!” While<br />
she was blindfolded, Adam<br />
quickly rolled out a red “carpet”<br />
made of paper, sprinkled it with<br />
rose petals, put on a button-down<br />
shirt and put a sign around their<br />
rescue dog’s neck. “He told me to<br />
take off the blindfold, and there<br />
was Stella, our dog, with a sign<br />
that said, ‘Will you marry my<br />
daddy?’ It was perfect.”<br />
When they returned to the<br />
dock, their families were there to<br />
greet them. “We had a party right<br />
there at our condo’s clubhouse,”<br />
says Kristen. “It was so much fun,<br />
and so special.” That was on July<br />
12, 2015. The wedding planning<br />
began right away.<br />
Kristen and Adam met in<br />
high school, but they weren’t high<br />
school sweethearts. “I was in the<br />
ninth grade at <strong>Madison</strong> Central,<br />
and he was in the tenth. We met<br />
over the Christmas break when<br />
we were both hanging out at the<br />
same friend’s house.” They did go<br />
to his junior prom together, but<br />
Kristen said he made her nervous,<br />
so she wouldn’t date him. “Yet, we<br />
would talk and talk all the time.<br />
We were just great friends.”<br />
Adam went to Ole Miss, and<br />
a year later, Kristen went to Mississippi<br />
State. Her senior year, he<br />
moved to Chicago to work. “We<br />
talked on the phone a good bit,<br />
and one night we made a bet on<br />
who would win American Idol. If<br />
he lost, he’d have to come see me.<br />
If I lost, I had to travel to Chicago<br />
to see him.” Adam’s contestant<br />
won, and Kristen announced to<br />
her sorority sisters that she was<br />
going to see Adam in Chicago.<br />
“They were shocked. They really<br />
didn’t know anything about him,<br />
and they knew I wasn’t the spontaneous<br />
type.” Once she went<br />
to see Adam in Chicago that<br />
summer, Kristen said they have<br />
been inseparable ever since.<br />
Kristen has always enjoyed<br />
doing side projects on her own,<br />
and liked the idea of being her<br />
own boss. “Adam encouraged me<br />
to find something I wanted to<br />
do and to write a business plan,”<br />
she said. “I worked with Kendall<br />
Poole, a local wedding planner,<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 27
and realized that I loved everything<br />
about weddings. There are<br />
already some wonderful wedding<br />
planners in this area, so I didn’t<br />
want to step into that, so I kept<br />
thinking about what I could do.”<br />
Along with her mother, Kristen<br />
made several trips out of state<br />
to visit small bridal boutiques<br />
to shop for her wedding gown.<br />
“My mom said that Mississippi<br />
really needed something like<br />
that, and the idea was born!”<br />
Kristen did some research and<br />
together, she and Adam decided<br />
that she needed to go ahead and<br />
do it while she was in full-out<br />
wedding planning mode, or wait<br />
a couple of years. “I decided to<br />
go ahead and do it!” So while<br />
she was planning her wedding,<br />
Kristen opened Elle James Bridal<br />
in Ridgeland. “We are located<br />
just above Bella Bridesmaids on<br />
Jackson Street in Ridgeland. I<br />
only sell bridal gowns, and they<br />
only sell bridesmaids’ dresses,<br />
so we complement each other<br />
perfectly.”<br />
Kristen walked down the aisle<br />
in her own wedding gown on<br />
April 30, 2016. “We got married<br />
at Providence Hill.” The couple<br />
had wanted to marry by the lake,<br />
as an homage to their engagement<br />
on the water, but there was a<br />
100% chance of thundershowers<br />
forecast for their wedding day.<br />
“We decided on Wednesday to<br />
hold the ceremony indoors,”<br />
remembers Kristen. “Of course,<br />
on our wedding day, the weather<br />
was beautiful. But that was OK,<br />
because everything was simply<br />
beautiful.”<br />
Adam’s father, Eddy Panetta,<br />
passed away when Adam was in<br />
college, so as a way of having his<br />
dad close on his wedding day,<br />
Adam asked his father’s brother,<br />
Joseph Panetta, to officiate the<br />
ceremony. “We were budgetconscious<br />
throughout,” said<br />
Kristen. “We had a string quartet,<br />
but for as long as I could<br />
remember, I wanted a choir at<br />
my wedding singing ‘Oh Happy<br />
Day’ as we walked up the aisle<br />
as husband and wife. I couldn’t<br />
afford a choir, so I wanted the<br />
string quartet to play it.” Kristen’s<br />
mom told her that the leader<br />
of the quartet said the song<br />
wasn’t well-suited to be played<br />
by a quartet, but Kristen was<br />
adamant. “On our way up the<br />
aisle, I had an ear out, listening<br />
for the song, until I realized that<br />
there was a full choir at the end<br />
of the aisle, clapping and singing<br />
“Oh Happy Day.’ My mother had<br />
arranged it as a surprise for me!”<br />
Their dog, Stella, was honored<br />
at the wedding with a<br />
signature drink. “It was called<br />
‘The Stella,’ and we had her<br />
name and the recipe printed<br />
on the cocktail napkins!” It<br />
seems Adam and Kristen have<br />
found the right recipe for a<br />
happy life together. n<br />
28 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 29
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<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 31
32 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
Camille Anding<br />
A Re-Defining of Disability<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 33
In 1981, Andrew Seago,<br />
at age four, survived a<br />
near-death accident and<br />
was thrust into the world<br />
of the quadriplegic.<br />
Insurmountable obstacle?<br />
Not for Andrew. Thanks<br />
to a faithful network<br />
of family, friends and<br />
caregivers, young Andrew<br />
with great fortitude<br />
and tenacity, denied his<br />
paralysis of robbing him<br />
of a productive life.<br />
After almost three months in St. Dominic Hospital,<br />
Andrew adapted to homeschool until the second<br />
grade. It was a giant decision when he joined other<br />
second graders at Spann Elementary and continued there through<br />
the sixth grade.<br />
Since Andrew’s three older brothers attended Jackson<br />
Academy, his transition into high school was a given. After<br />
graduation, he wrestled with his future but once again followed<br />
his brothers to earn a degree at Mississippi State.<br />
“It was a God thing,” he said as he explained how he was<br />
able to find caregivers in just a month before school began.<br />
After earning a degree in educational psychology, he continued<br />
his college studies and earned his Master of Rehabilitation<br />
Counseling.<br />
One of his caregivers, Quantae Walker, described Andrew’s<br />
lifestyle as, “on the move.” He speaks to church groups and<br />
teaches classes in his area of expertise.<br />
His most recent project is heading up the Magnolia Classic<br />
fundraiser for Joni and Friends. The Classic is an “intense”<br />
dodgeball tournament scheduled for <strong>January</strong> 28, <strong>2017</strong> at Jackson<br />
Academy. There are three divisions – adult, youth (8-16) and high<br />
intensity. Entry fee for a team of six is $120.<br />
This is the tournament’s fourth year. It’s grown from three<br />
teams to thirty-two last year and helps fund the summer camps<br />
for disabled families in Mississippi and Alabama. Junior high age<br />
to adult participate.<br />
Andrew’s contagious smile seems a strange counterpart to a<br />
life that’s confined to a motorized chair and breathing apparatus.<br />
He’s mastered the maneuvering of his mobile chair with the use of<br />
his chin and is accustomed to the round-the-clock caregivers that<br />
are always nearby. Preston Jackson has been with him for thirtyfour<br />
years.<br />
“Some days are really bad; some really good,” Andrew says<br />
of his condition. “You just have to roll with it.”<br />
As he faces daily challenges, he realizes, “everybody’s got<br />
problems.” He sees his faith in God as essential in coping with his<br />
disability.<br />
In the midst of his disability world, Andrews says, “Ablebodied<br />
people have a hard time relating to me or any other<br />
disabled people. And I’ve had a hard time relating to other<br />
disabled people because I’ve lived such a normal life. I’ve been<br />
blessed with family, friends and caregivers, and I’m resigned to<br />
the fact that I’m here for a reason.”<br />
34 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
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36 •• Jan/Feb Nov/Dec <strong>2017</strong>2016
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Madison</strong><br />
Reader<br />
SPOTLIGHT<br />
Monica<br />
Sutton<br />
Why did you decide to make <strong>Madison</strong><br />
your home?<br />
We decided to make <strong>Madison</strong> our home in<br />
2015 because we wanted a hometown feel<br />
with the amenities of city life. <strong>Madison</strong> is one<br />
of the most beautiful cities with a variety of<br />
entertainment, dining, shopping, and most<br />
important, a great school system.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
Victor and I have been married for 14 years.<br />
Victor is a health administrator with the<br />
Mississippi Department of Health and I am a<br />
clinical psychologist with Batson Children’s<br />
Hospital. We have 2 children, Victor, II (Vic)<br />
and Lauren. Vic is a 6th grader at <strong>Madison</strong><br />
Middle School and Lauren is a 5th grader at<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> Avenue Upper Elementary. Our<br />
children are actively involved in the <strong>Madison</strong><br />
Ridgeland Youth Club (MRYC) and Victor<br />
has, and continues to, coach football and<br />
basketball with MRYC.<br />
What is your favorite memory of<br />
living in <strong>Madison</strong>?<br />
There are many fun memories about<br />
<strong>Madison</strong>. However, among the most fun<br />
memories are: Being warmly welcomed<br />
to our neighborhood with a cake and a<br />
smile from neighbors and enjoying the<br />
fireworks (with my family) on 4th of July<br />
in Liberty Park.<br />
What are some fun things to do in<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> on the weekends?<br />
There’s always something to do in <strong>Madison</strong><br />
including a variety of sporting events, catching<br />
a movie at The Grandview–Malco Theatre<br />
or dining at first class restaurants. When we<br />
are not busy with school activities or<br />
recreational sports, particularly on Sunday<br />
after church, we often enjoy taking a walk or<br />
bike ride on one of the beautiful trails.<br />
Share some things you enjoy doing<br />
in your spare time.<br />
We enjoy cooking out and entertaining family<br />
and friends. During the summer months we<br />
love spending time at the pool or taking<br />
family vacations. Most of all we enjoy<br />
cheering for our children’s sports teams<br />
(basketball, football, softball and baseball).<br />
Where are your three favorite places<br />
to eat in <strong>Madison</strong>?<br />
Kristos Greek Restaurant, Bonefish Grill,<br />
and Georgia Blue.<br />
What are three things on your bucket list?<br />
Taking trips to Africa, Paris and Hawaii are at<br />
the top of the bucket list.<br />
Who is someone you admire and why?<br />
The person that my husband often talks of<br />
and admires the most is his grandmother. She<br />
was an educator and owned her own tax<br />
business. She taught Victor the value of hard<br />
work and getting an education. She would<br />
often remind him that mediocrity is not<br />
acceptable.<br />
Where do you see yourself in ten years?<br />
Victor and I often talk about early retirement<br />
as we both started our professional careers<br />
very early. So, we will most likely be traveling<br />
to visit our kids on their respective college<br />
campuses, traveling the world or maybe even<br />
starting our own consulting business in the<br />
area of health and wellness.<br />
What is your favorite childhood memory?<br />
My favorite childhood memories include<br />
listening to my mother tell the story of the<br />
birth of Jesus, the smell of homemade cakes<br />
and pies, and the laughter of family during the<br />
holidays.<br />
If you could give us one encouraging<br />
quote, what would it be?<br />
In everything, set an example by doing what is<br />
good. In your teaching, show integrity and<br />
seriousness. (Titus 2:7)<br />
What is your favorite thing about<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> Magazines?<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> Magazine provides a view into<br />
the lives of families that shows the hospitality<br />
and warmth of Mississippi’s communities. n<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 37
serving our community<br />
Fire Marshal Joe Davis<br />
canton Fire Department<br />
Why did you decide to be a fireman?<br />
It was a childhood dream.<br />
How long have you been with the<br />
Canton Fire Department?<br />
17 years.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
My wife’s name is Linda. I have two sons,<br />
Tyranny and Joe Davis, III.<br />
What is the toughest thing you have<br />
experienced in your job?<br />
Responding to a sick or hurt child.<br />
Share some things you enjoy doing in<br />
your spare time.<br />
Mechanic work, fishing, hunting, training<br />
dogs, and spending time with my family.<br />
Name three things on your bucket list?<br />
Buying my wife a 750 BMW, adding a room<br />
addition to my house and sending my<br />
youngest son to private school.<br />
Where do you see yourself in ten years?<br />
Retired.<br />
If you could give one piece of advice to<br />
a young person, what would it be?<br />
Stay in school. Obey your mother and father.<br />
What is a favorite childhood memory?<br />
Being baptized and joining my church.<br />
What is the biggest mistake you think<br />
young people make today?<br />
Not finishing school and not going through<br />
with the goals they had in mind.<br />
What is your favorite thing about the<br />
City of Canton?<br />
Being a part of the Canton Fire Department<br />
and a member of Mount Calvary Missionary<br />
Baptist Church. The EMS and law enforcement<br />
is the best. I am fortunate that I get to live in<br />
this great city with my family.<br />
Who is someone you admire and why?<br />
My Uncle Buck. He was the man who taught<br />
me my ABC’s and 123’s. He also encouraged<br />
me throughout my childhood. His famous<br />
words were, “Always be your own man.”<br />
38 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
madison's finest<br />
Sheriff Deputy James Hall<br />
madison county sheriff's Department<br />
Why did you decide to become a<br />
sheriff's deputy?<br />
I got into law enforcement so that I could try to<br />
keep the community I work in a safe place to live<br />
and raise a family. When I became a deputy for<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> County Sheriff’s Department, that same<br />
attitude applied but it became more personal<br />
because this is the place that I call home.<br />
How long have you been with the<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> County Sheriff’s Office?<br />
I have been here two years including the time I was<br />
in the sheriff’s deputy reserve program. Each day<br />
was an opportunity to meet new people in the<br />
community and to see and learn new things that<br />
I did not know about law enforcement in general.<br />
Tell us about your family.<br />
I am happily married to my wife Cara Hall. We just<br />
celebrated our first anniversary this November.<br />
We have a dog and a cat that keeps us pretty busy.<br />
We both have family that live in <strong>Madison</strong> County.<br />
What is the toughest thing you have<br />
experienced in your job?<br />
I don’t think I can mention one that would be any<br />
worse than the others because to the people that<br />
fall victim to those things, it is possibly the worst day<br />
of their lives. You just have to stay professional and<br />
let them know that you care for them and are there<br />
to help –whether it’s losing a loved one in an<br />
accident, or the victim of a senseless crime.<br />
Who is someone you admire and why?<br />
I don’t necessarily have an individual that I’ve always<br />
looked up to, but rather the kind of person that gets<br />
up every day to work and support his or her family<br />
and also helps out those less fortunate than them.<br />
They do all these things and don’t expect any<br />
recognition for their work. They are the unsung<br />
heroes and I admire that.<br />
Where do you see yourself in ten<br />
years?<br />
Hopefully I’ll still be serving the citizens of <strong>Madison</strong><br />
County with the sheriff’s office. But wherever I am,<br />
I know that God has a plan for me and my family,<br />
so I am pretty excited about it.<br />
Share some things you enjoy doing in<br />
your spare time.<br />
I am a country boy at heart so I often enjoy hunting<br />
and fishing and just spending time with family and<br />
friends in the outdoors.<br />
Name three things on your bucket list?<br />
To spend some time in Alaska doing some hunting.<br />
I’ve always wanted to build a cabin by a lake on<br />
some land. My wife and I want to visit is Ground<br />
Zero in New York City.<br />
If you could give one piece of advice<br />
to a young person, what would it be?<br />
Try to think about how the choices that you make<br />
affect others–like your parents and friends. Be<br />
smart about those decisions and think for yourself,<br />
not letting pressure from outside sources force you<br />
to make the wrong decisions.<br />
What is a favorite childhood memory?<br />
When I was playing baseball for a select team called<br />
the <strong>Madison</strong> Royals. We were in Memphis playing<br />
a game and they brought me in to close out the<br />
game on the mound. The game was tight and the<br />
winning run was at the plate. I had two outs and<br />
was able to strike the batter out to win the game.<br />
I think that is the dream of every little boy, and I got<br />
to live it out that night.<br />
What is the biggest mistake you think<br />
young people make today?<br />
I think that young people believe that bad things<br />
cannot happen to them and that they are invincible.<br />
They need to just be more careful because God<br />
only gives you this one life on earth and it can be<br />
taken away in an instant. But by the same token,<br />
you should strive to use the life that he has given<br />
you to make the world a better place.<br />
What is your favorite thing about<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> County?<br />
The pride that the people that live and work there<br />
have for their county.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 39
40 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
ALL<br />
SUSAN MARQUEZ<br />
ABOUT<br />
US<br />
SIXTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, RICHARD MCGEE’S<br />
GRANDFATHER PROPOSED TO RICHARD’S<br />
GRANDMOTHER IN FRONT OF FORTUNE’S<br />
ICE CREAM (NOW SQUARE BOOKS) ON THE<br />
SQUARE IN OXFORD. SO WHEN RICHARD WENT<br />
ON TO MEET THE GIRL OF HIS OWN DREAMS,<br />
HE KNEW THAT WOULD BE THE VERY SPOT<br />
HE’D WANT TO PROPOSE TO HER, TOO.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 41
“HE HAD BEEN<br />
ACTING A LITTLE<br />
FUNNY, BUT<br />
I DIDN’T THINK<br />
ANYTHING OF IT.”<br />
“It was September 26, 2015,”<br />
recalls Whitnie McGee. “It was<br />
game day, and most people<br />
have a hard time believing we<br />
were both wearing red.” That’s<br />
because Whitney, a Booneville<br />
native, is a die-hard Mississippi<br />
State fan. “I used to tell my family<br />
and friends that I’d never date or<br />
marry anyone from Ole Miss or<br />
Alabama.” That’s what makes the<br />
story so much fun. Richard is a big<br />
Ole Miss fan. Because she was a<br />
good girlfriend, Whitnie agreed to<br />
accompany Richard to an Ole Miss<br />
game in Oxford, and she thought<br />
he was taking her to dinner at the<br />
Ajax Diner on the Square before<br />
the game. “He had been acting<br />
a little funny, but I didn’t think<br />
anything of it.”<br />
When they got to the<br />
sidewalk in front of Square Books,<br />
Richard stopped and told Whitnie<br />
that on the very spot where they<br />
were standing, his grandfather<br />
had proposed to his grandmother<br />
65 years earlier. “Then he told<br />
me that he wanted to spend<br />
the rest of his life with me, and<br />
he got down on one knee and<br />
proposed.”<br />
Luckily, she said “yes,” because<br />
just above them on the balcony,<br />
her mother and his entire family<br />
were looking down on them.<br />
“They all clapped and cheered,”<br />
says Whitnie. “It was the sweetest<br />
thing.”<br />
The storybook romance<br />
began on Halloween in 2013.<br />
“His best friend married my best<br />
friend and that’s how we met,”<br />
Whitnie says. “We were at a<br />
Halloween party and hit it off.<br />
Somehow, we ended up singing<br />
karaoke somewhere and I sang<br />
the Ike & Tina Turner version of<br />
‘Proud Mary.’”<br />
Whitnie had a feeling she<br />
might see him again, and a couple<br />
of days later he texted, asking if<br />
she’d like to hang out. “He cooked<br />
me dinner the next week, and<br />
we just connected. We’ve been<br />
together ever since.”<br />
Richard was originally from<br />
Canton, and when the couple<br />
began planning their wedding,<br />
set for April 23, 2016, they chose<br />
to get married at Lake Caroline.<br />
42 •• Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong> <strong>2017</strong>
LUCKILY, SHE SAID<br />
“YES,” BECAUSE JUST<br />
ABOVE THEM ON<br />
THE BALCONY, HER<br />
MOTHER AND HIS<br />
ENTIRE FAMILY<br />
WERE LOOKING<br />
DOWN ON THEM.<br />
“His parents live there, and most of<br />
our friends are in the Jackson area,<br />
so it seemed like a natural thing to<br />
do.” They got married on the pier,<br />
overlooking the water, and had<br />
the reception in the clubhouse.<br />
“It was beautiful.”<br />
Hers wasn’t a traditional<br />
wedding – “we wanted something<br />
that was more about us.” Whitnie<br />
walked down the aisle to Elvis’s<br />
“I Can’t Help Falling in Love with<br />
You.” Dan Confait played the song<br />
on an acoustic guitar and sang as<br />
Whitnie approached her groom.<br />
Her 12-year-old Pomeranian<br />
was her “dog of honor,” wearing<br />
a pink dress that matched the<br />
bridesmaids’, accented by a crystal<br />
necklace. After being pronounced<br />
husband and wife, the couple<br />
went back up the aisle to the Dolly<br />
Parton/Kenny Rogers song “Islands<br />
in the Stream.” It fit us. We love<br />
country music, and we love to<br />
have fun.”<br />
The wedding had a vintage<br />
shabby chic theme, with Mason<br />
jars filled with baby’s breath and<br />
pink roses lining the aisles. Her<br />
cake, created by Amy Davis of<br />
Turquoise Chandelier in Brandon,<br />
featured a cascade of pink roses.<br />
“I know it was my wedding,<br />
but I think it was the best ever,”<br />
said Whitnie. “We had the best<br />
time.” As the band (Smiley and the<br />
Young Guns from the Delta) played,<br />
the couple and their guests danced<br />
the night away. Before the night<br />
was over, she made a song request<br />
and got up on the stage. “This is<br />
the song I sang the night we met,”<br />
Whitnie said to her guests. “It’s the<br />
song I was singing when he fell in<br />
love with me!”<br />
As Richard and Whitnie made<br />
their exit, the band played the Ole<br />
Miss and Mississippi State fight<br />
songs while guests held sparklers.<br />
A New Orleans-style parade,<br />
complete with band playing<br />
“When the Saints Go Marching In”<br />
followed as the guests all shared<br />
their good wishes for couple<br />
to have a long and happy life<br />
together.<br />
The couple now resides in<br />
<strong>Madison</strong>. Richard is in logistics,<br />
working as a manager with JB<br />
Hunt, and Whitnie is the marketing<br />
director of Northpark Mall in<br />
Ridgeland.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 43
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<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 45
46 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
Mary Ann Kirby<br />
LOOKINGFOR<br />
THE<br />
STORY<br />
Everyone has a story, don’t they? I often<br />
make up peoples’ stories in my mind so that I<br />
can fill in the gaps created from not knowing<br />
details—and I’m not entirely sure why I do<br />
it. I guess I’m just an observer of life. And<br />
because I like to write stories, I’m always on<br />
the hunt for one.<br />
My husband and I have even made a<br />
game of it. We’ll see a couple that we don’t<br />
know at a restaurant and spend the next<br />
thirty minutes creating their fictitious story.<br />
It has made for some hilarious conversations<br />
between the two of us as there are no limits<br />
to the depth of detail that make this couple<br />
extraordinary.<br />
On Sundays, when people are asked<br />
to come to the front of our church during<br />
invitational, I often cry at their “stories”—<br />
even though I don’t know what those are.<br />
I sometimes wonder if they’re broken and<br />
hurting and I all of a sudden ache for them<br />
and the burdens that they may carry.<br />
I imagine the single mom, raising a<br />
family alone and trying to make ends meet.<br />
Or the one that dreamed of children but<br />
struggled with infertility. I imagine the man<br />
that has recently lost his job and his insurance<br />
benefits only to have just gotten a bad report<br />
from the doctor. And all this is completely in<br />
my imagination, mind you. I can’t hear them<br />
when they speak to the pastors at the front of<br />
the church—but I can see them—and for some<br />
reason I’m compelled to give them a story.<br />
Maybe I’m crazy. Or maybe it’s how I make<br />
strangers more relatable. I have an intuitive<br />
desire to connect.<br />
Several years ago we had just moved<br />
into a new neighborhood with super-strict<br />
covenants. Our first Christmas season in our<br />
new home had come and gone and Mardi<br />
Gras and Valentine’s Day decorations had<br />
begun to pop-up everywhere. Every day I<br />
would ride by this one house that still had<br />
Christmas lights hanging from their eaves.<br />
And every day I would think, “Surely they’ll<br />
take those down soon.”<br />
I’m certain there were guidelines<br />
somewhere that addressed the timely<br />
removal of neighborhood Christmas<br />
decorations. If not, there needed to be.<br />
Another week would pass and the lights<br />
still remained. I had become indignant<br />
that they weren’t following the rules (what<br />
rules?). I mentally drafted the letter that<br />
would be sent to the homeowners association<br />
demanding that their lights be removed.<br />
When had I become Nosey-Nellie, the<br />
judgmental neighbor that made everyone else’s<br />
business her business? Why did I even care?<br />
Aren’t we all guilty of doing this in some<br />
form or fashion—making other people’s<br />
issues our business? Don’t we often judge<br />
people’s choices without fully understating<br />
their reasons for making them?<br />
The adored actress and comedian Betty<br />
White was once quoted as saying, “I don’t<br />
know how people get so anti-something.<br />
Mind your own business, take care of your<br />
own affairs, and don’t worry about other<br />
people so much.” She’s 94-years old. I wonder<br />
how long it took her to figure that out.<br />
So on the 21 st of <strong>February</strong> of the very<br />
first year in our new covenant-protected<br />
neighborhood, 58 days after Christmas and<br />
7 days after Valentine’s Day, the offending<br />
home was lit up like I had never seen. I’m<br />
certain it could be seen from space. Their<br />
Christmas tree stood defiantly in the living<br />
room window and the icicle lights that<br />
hung from the eaves blinked as if to signal<br />
their rebelliousness to the entire world. I<br />
absolutely could not believe my eyes. Their<br />
blatant disregard of holiday decorating code<br />
was mind-boggling.<br />
As I slowed my car and rounded the<br />
corner to get a better view, a banner that<br />
read, “Welcome Home Ryan” hung across the<br />
garage doors right next to a flag bearing the<br />
United States Marine Corps emblem. And then<br />
it made sense. Their son was returning home<br />
and they had “saved” Christmas just for him.<br />
I burst into tears. First of all, I felt<br />
grateful. My sense of patriotism immediately<br />
outweighed my sense of incredulousness.<br />
How thankful they must have been to have<br />
him home and in the safety of their loving<br />
arms. But then I felt embarrassed. They<br />
don’t make enough lights to express the joy<br />
my husband and I would feel had our own<br />
son been returning home. To this day I am<br />
changed as a result of that experience.<br />
When you look at a person, any person,<br />
remember that they have a story. Everyone<br />
has gone through something that’s changed<br />
them. Life is hard and everyone has ups and<br />
downs—and fears and pain. Give grace, love<br />
and support to those around you who may<br />
have struggles you don’t see. Our opinions<br />
don’t matter. But how we treat people, does.<br />
I “imagine” Ryan and his family to have<br />
had the most extraordinary Christmas-in-<br />
<strong>February</strong> that ever was. And now, when<br />
I see something that doesn’t necessarily<br />
make sense to me, I try not to criticize it but<br />
rather look for the story. After all, when you<br />
actually realize there’s something you don’t<br />
understand, then you’re generally on the<br />
right path to understanding all kinds<br />
of things.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 47
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48 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
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<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 49
The CHALKBOARD<br />
madison county Schools<br />
Germantown<br />
National Merit<br />
L-R: Brantley Hudnall (Commended Scholar), Owen Ivan (National<br />
Merit Semi-Finalist), Tommy Brunson (National Merit Semi-Finalist),<br />
Alex Usher (National Merit Semi-Finalist)<br />
Economic Summit Winners<br />
Seniors Breana Pigott, Trey Buckley, and Mac Lashley, were the overall<br />
champions at the International Economics Summit, beating out around<br />
70 teams. This competition is conducted through the Mississippi<br />
Council on Economic Education.<br />
Youth Legislature 2016<br />
Front L-R: Kylie Cockerel, Riley Angell, Baylie Baudier, Katelyn Adams,<br />
Molly Hutto (Teacher) Back L-R: Jake Kealhofer (Teacher) Harrison<br />
Grimes, Caleb Collins, Will Clark, Kathryn Mccullouch<br />
The Mississippi Youth Legislature is a model legislative and judicial<br />
program for high school students. Students from Mississippi public and<br />
private schools come together at our State Capitol and participate in a<br />
mock legislative session. Student participate as a legislator, attorney,<br />
supreme court justice, lobbyist, press delegate, or legislative page. Each<br />
legislator writes a piece of legislation that they debate through the<br />
legislature in hopes of having it signed into “law”. Each piece of proposed<br />
legislation, or bill, goes through the full legislative process. During each<br />
session, a full cabinet of officers (students) is elected to serve over the<br />
next year’s Youth Legislature.<br />
Highland<br />
Lazaire B. Martin is a stay-at-home mom that volunteers her time to<br />
making the lives of her children and our community a great place to live.<br />
She’s the 2016 Highland Elementary Parent of the Year.<br />
Elementary students participated in the Toys for Tots drive for two<br />
weeks. Children were excited to bring and donate a toy. Toys for Tots has<br />
been touching children’s lives all over the world for over 20 years. The<br />
students, teachers, and staff here at Highland were extremely glad to add<br />
more smiles in the world.<br />
50 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong><br />
Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.
<strong>Madison</strong> Avenue<br />
On Thursday, October 27th, the <strong>Madison</strong> Police Department,<br />
Homeland Security agents, FBI agents, Mississippi Highway<br />
Patrol, and the Bureau of Narcotics assisted MAUE students in<br />
solving the crime of the missing chandelier.<br />
A week before the event occurred, the chandelier, made of<br />
recycled plastic bottles, was stolen from the library. The thief left<br />
behind a footprint, fingerprint, hair sample, drink in a cup at the<br />
top of the ladder and a note that said, “Sorry.” The students used<br />
these clues to figure out who the thief was.<br />
Students made statements to law enforcement officials about<br />
what they heard and saw. Six suspects were identified before<br />
Mystery Night. Students arrived Thursday evening and reported<br />
to their homeroom teacher. The students and parents watched a<br />
video outlining the evidence and the motives of each suspect.<br />
Three labs were set up to analyze the thief’s footprint, fingerprint,<br />
writing sample, drink sample, hair sample, and time card. The<br />
students used this information to eliminate suspects and identify<br />
the final two suspects.<br />
After completing the three labs, students moved outside to the<br />
stage to hear the FBI reveal the gender of the thief. Once the<br />
gender was revealed, Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler spoke to<br />
the thief and let her know that stealing is not tolerated in <strong>Madison</strong>.<br />
The thief apologized and then Judge Dale Danks sentenced her to<br />
fifty hours of community service at the Webster Animal Clinic.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 51
The CHALKBOARD<br />
madison county Schools<br />
Mannsdale<br />
Look what Santa brought to Mannsdale! The Mannsdale library<br />
has a new Makerspace. A Makerspace is an area where students<br />
can create, invent, explore and build. Students are using a variety of<br />
materials from Legos to robots. They are learning the beginning<br />
stages of coding and using their imaginations in the process. The<br />
makerspace challenges tie in with the literature being read during<br />
Mrs. North’s storytime. These Mavericks love the new addition!<br />
52 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong><br />
Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.
<strong>Madison</strong> Station<br />
Elementary<br />
In October, the MSE kindergarteners visited the Jackson Zoo<br />
for lots of fun and smiles.<br />
On December 9th, <strong>Madison</strong> Station 2nd graders got to go on a<br />
trip with their passports to many different areas of the world<br />
that included Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Canada, and<br />
France. The students learned about the different Christmas<br />
traditions in those countries as well as music, food and games<br />
they have.<br />
The students in 3rd grade had Egypt Day on November 17th.<br />
Egypt Day is a fun filled day where the kids dress in Egyptian attire,<br />
perform a play, play games and have food from the Egyptian<br />
culture.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 53
The CHALKBOARD<br />
madison county Schools<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> Crossing<br />
<strong>Madison</strong> Crossing Elementary School students were visited by<br />
Germantown cheerleaders, dance team and football players who<br />
welcomed students to school and visited some of the classrooms.<br />
Amber Young, a senior at Germantown High School, is one of 65<br />
mentors at GHS. She comes to visit and works with her mentee<br />
at <strong>Madison</strong> Crossing Elementary. Amber attended <strong>Madison</strong><br />
Crossing in elementary school and says it’s so much fun coming<br />
back to her old school. Raina Cross is a third grader and enjoys<br />
spending time with Amber twice a week. Amber was recently<br />
crowned Homecoming Queen at Germantown High School and<br />
plans to attend MSU and major in Elementary Education.<br />
54 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong><br />
Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.
MRA<br />
Our K5 classes had their Annual Christmas Program, “Happy<br />
Birthday Jesus”, in honor of Grandparent’s Day. All our parents<br />
and grandparents were invited to join us for this special day in<br />
celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.<br />
The K3 classes at MRA had their Annual Gingerbread Decorating<br />
Day on Tuesday, December 6th. The parents and/or grandparents<br />
were invited to come and help on this festive occasion.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 55
The CHALKBOARD<br />
madison county Schools<br />
Christ Covenant<br />
The program for Christ Covenant School’s Grandparents Day this<br />
year was A Salute to America. Students in kindergarten through<br />
fifth grade performed patriotic songs and our middle school<br />
students served as hosts and hostesses. After the program, grandparents<br />
were invited to tour the classrooms. What a sweet time it is<br />
at CCS where we are privileged to honor each grandparent with a<br />
musical program and special time spent with grandchildren.<br />
56 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong><br />
Submissions provided by local officials from each individual district and not to be considered editorial opinion.
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<strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 57
Camille Anding<br />
The Time Coin<br />
Alonely Grace stared out the frosted<br />
window, watching the blustery north<br />
winds make havoc of the carpet of<br />
brown leaves. The New Year’s <strong>January</strong> seemed<br />
to taunt the warm memories of Christmas.<br />
The frigid temps and relentless winds<br />
combined to add misery to her loneliness.<br />
The noise and warmth of her Christmas company were sorely<br />
missed. Grace turned her back to the drab winter scene and sat down<br />
near the fireplace. The corner where her Christmas tree had blinked and<br />
twinkled was just another lonely corner in her home. The fire glowed<br />
brightly, but it was the only bright thing in the room. Loneliness with its<br />
dreary gray cloak wrapped around Grace with a smothering grip.<br />
She retreated to her closet to find a sweater but instead, pulled a<br />
cherished quilt from the top shelf. Sitting with the cover made by her<br />
mother added a love layer of warmth over her entire body. Grace<br />
touched the stitches and traced their long-ago artistry. The stitches<br />
were tiny and uniform – the work of a veteran seamstress.<br />
Grace remembered many of the fabrics<br />
– remnants from handmade dresses her<br />
mother had sown. The pink and white checked<br />
gingham was a favorite Easter dress that Grace<br />
wore with her Easter “bonnet” and white<br />
gloves. The red, white, and blue stars were a<br />
Fourth of July memory.<br />
As Grace studied the quilt, her thoughts turned from her loneliness<br />
to the treasure on her lap. Her mother had taken remnants and tiny<br />
scraps to create a covering stitched in love. She could vividly picture her<br />
mother leaning over the stretched cotton canvas that her dad helped<br />
erect in the den.<br />
Grace had walked around her mother’s “quilt factory” many times<br />
but never associated the creation with a treasure. Time and inevitable<br />
change had reversed that.<br />
The quilt would warm Grace on this lonely day and transport her<br />
to long ago memories and the blessings of a happy childhood. God<br />
would use the quilt to teach her that remnants – even scraps can be<br />
transformed into works of beauty by His touch – no matter our age.<br />
And loneliness? For today, it would ride off on the winter winds. n<br />
58 • Jan/Feb <strong>2017</strong>
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To see all locations and specialties, please visit MyMeritDoctor.com<br />
Walk-in, same-day and next-day appointments are available.<br />
Just call 844-MSMERIT for an appointment with a provider near you.<br />
<strong>Hometown</strong> madison • 59
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