This has been quite a summer for the passing of wonderful, talented people.
It should remind all of us that there is more to life than what kind of title you have, how much money you take home or who is living "better" than you. You should live YOUR OWN life...and to the fullest and without threat or harm to others.

Remember what is important, who put you here and respect that. I wish I had learned that lesson sooner than now...Wish I had learned this time last year. But it's never too late. So what are you waiting for? (more)

I’m back in town and ready to dive into your summer activities.
And while I was away, White Rock Lake got that lighting plan approved after all. Read the full story from Dallas Morning News reporter Nancy Visser on page 14. There has been so much debate about this — some folks don’t want them and some are thrilled, but mostly because this master plan isn’t going to be executed overnight, I would like to know your thoughts on the likelihood of it even coming to fruition. Leave your thoughts here on my blog by posting your opinions in the comment section below it. Let your voice be heard and we will print your thoughts in next week’s edition of neighborsgo.

We hit triple-digit heat Tuesday. This means summer is here already and in full force. It also means it’s time for your favorite Fourth of July events … namely the Little Forest Hills annual parade. This year’s theme is “60-plus Years of American Pop Culture.” I’ve already noticed the signs in a few yards along Lakeland Drive. Should be a rockin’ good time. Will you be there? If you are, you know what to do. Snap a photo, post on neighborsgo.com and look for it in print next week. Get all the details on page 6.

Summer also marks the end of school but not before we honor our talented and determined valedictorians and salutatorians. We asked them all kinds of fun questions like “If your high school mascot fought your college mascot, who would win?” Get your scrap-booking scissors ready and turn to pages 8-9. I would like to thank Gigi Ekstrom, Kristin Mannari, Susan Matusewicz and Emily Martin for tracking these very busy students down and getting the responses to us. 

How was your Father’s Day? I didn’t get to see my dad on Father’s Day because I was swamped with photo gigs. I did however enjoy the love and joy of family at the ArtLoveMagic Father’s Day Show on June 20. Look for photos from that event on page 12. If you aren’t familiar with ArtLoveMagic, it’s a local art initiative that focuses on artists and performers connecting with their audience and the community. The organization is in the process of becoming a 501(c)3 and works to make a postive impact. Learn more about them at artlovemagic.com. 

It’s week two with me at the helm and we already have our first flub out of the way.

 

I have to apologize to the parents of James Newby V and Matthew Taraba and as well as the Bishop Lynch High School Class of 2009 grads themselves. A production error resulted in a switch of the two profiles on Page 10 of the May 29 edition of neighborsgo.

 

My deepest apologies, and for scrap-booking efforts, we have rerun their photos and a short bio of them here on this page. Read them in their entirety at neighborsgo.com/stories/36697.

Even though I live in your community, I have to say I’ve felt even more welcomed since being dubbed your editor — even through the hiccups. Everyone has been very warm. Shout out to Brenda Copes, Gigi Ekstrom, Judy McMillen, Phil Mendershausen and Monica L. zum Felde to name a few. Ironically, zum Felde and I crossed paths when I edited the Mesquiteneighborsgo section when I took a photo of her that ran on the cover If I haven’t said small world yet, I am saying it now.

 

And getting acquainted with folks has brought up a few questions about how to get your stories in print. We only run content posted on neighborsgo.com unless there is a very special circumstance. I understand that things can happen, and I’m also open to coming to your work place or home to talk you through using the site if you need the assistance.

Now that all of the “official” stuff is out of the way, time for my favorite wildlife story of the week. Did you hear the one about the ducks? I really like Nancy Visser’s East Dallas Blog, which you can find at eastdallasblog.dallasnews.com.One of her entries this week is about a cop who stopped traffic in order to assist some feathered residents.

Visser writes, “It was a scene straight out of

Make Way

for Ducklings, that 1940s children’s book. But it happened in modern-day East Dallas. A Forest Hills resident reported seeing a Dallas police officer stop traffic on

San Rafael Drive

to escort a mother duck and her babies across the street…” You can read the rest at tinyurl.com/copsavesducks. Sorry for the cliffhanger.

 

Well just as soon as I’m here, I’m gone again. As you are reading this I will be out of town until June 14 but I will be more than ready to get back out there and represent your community the best I can. Have a wonderful weekend.

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Some of you may already know me. You’ve probably seen me out and about at the lake, at a local art show or at our neighborsgo meet and greet earlier this year with Jennifer Carpenter (now Jennifer Hall.)

In fact a few of you came to my housewarming party last July when I moved into the Casa Linda and Little Forest Hills area. It seems only fitting, then, that I become this section’s editor, a position I’ve coveted since we launched this print publication in 2005.

When I applied to neighborsgo (Neighbors at the time), I was asked to cover the Mesquite area. I knew about the White Rock edition and initially wanted to be the editor for it, but our old friend and current New Yorker Allen Houston got that position before I was hired.

I didn’t know much about Mesquite — mostly that there was a mall and a great rodeo. I covered the area with pride for three years and discovered there's so much more to the city. I loved working for our Mesquite section and I made terrific friends because of it.

In the past few months, I’ve worked more as a manager than a journalist. I have to admit that I missed the late nights writing, interviewing and covering stories. I also missed getting out into the community and meeting everyone. And, finally, I missed editing a section of my own. I can happily say that I’m now yours. We are neighbors, after all, and now I can get to know you even more.

With summer upon us, we have a season of great stuff we can do together.

Being an avid photographer, I’m always hopping around the lake and taking pictures of the beauty there and the surrounding area.

But I know there is even more to this community than WhiteRockLake. And I look forward to the stories and photos you will post on neighborsgo.com, as well as your story suggestions for assistant editor and reporter Kendall Kirkham to take on.

You can always find me at neighborsgo.com/jenice and on Facebook. And let’s not forget Twitter! Follow our White Rock-area edition at twitter.com/whiterockgo and if you just can’t get enough of me, follow my tweets on twitter.com/jenice78. And feel free to drop me a line at jsjohnson@neighborsgo.com.

And if virtual communication isn’t your scene, just say “hi” the next time you see me out walking around the lake. Thank you for having me, and I look forward to continuing the conversation with you in upcoming editions.

 

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A few weeks ago I was stuck behind a large truck on my way to work. I often am stuck behind a large truck or two on my way to work. This particular truck, however, had the normal "offensive" stickers all over it. One of which said, "Welcome to America. Now learn English." I posted about this topic on my Facebook and got quite a response.

Although I do understand the frustration of trying to communicate with someone who doesn't know much English (and the irritiation that comes with knowing that some families choose not to EVER learn once they arrive here), imagine being in their shoes. And let's just remember that when we visit outside of our Land of the Free, we should never assume everyone there will or CAN speak English. In this instance I found myself torn on the topic for the reasons I mentioned above and for the fact that I am an American. And I know how many people who come here want that affiliation but don't have it yet. 

Bumper stickers as food for thought isn't really a new thing. But I have found myself noticing them more these days. My friend Marie, Eden's Gardener, gave me a sticker that says, "Who's Your Farmer?" Well, she is. And I was proud to display it. And it must have been a pretty cool sticker because when I came back to my car after lunch in Deep Ellum yesterday, it was gone. Peeled clean off. I guess they wanted Marie to be THEIR farmer too...

But all of this just makes me wonder, should we wear our thoughts, ideals, emotions and our hearts on our cars? In the journalism biz, we are pretty much forbidden to place political stuff on our cars. It shows bias and is frowned upon. However, I've seen plenty of J folks sporting their beliefs loud and clear on their back windows. And in today's interesting climate in the media industry, does this even matter anymore? The rules have changed. We have changed. So is it wrong to share our thoughts as openly as what we stick on our cars?

Even if you aren't a media type, what about if you are a teacher? A pastor? A therapist? Should your car remain silent and forever hold it's peace?

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Having a new perspective on things is so refreshing...

Last weekend, I had a rare opportunity to connect with what’s important and I haven’t been the same since — and I hope I never will be.

You are probably wondering what this means — why I’m writing this way. Even though it was a commonly used word over the past few months during election season, change is crucial to moving forward in life. Change isn’t always good, and it isn’t always bad — it’s just part of our existence and we learn to accept it, embrace it and learn from it. Through my years with neighborsgo, I’ve learned to do all three because change is such a constant in the newspaper industry.

I’ve loved working with you. Mesquite, Balch Springs and Sunnyvale are bright spots that more people need to know. I’ve met so many great folks, and I call you all my friends. I moved pretty close to you when I bought my first house in July. Some of you were even there for the housewarming. I’ve watched your kiddos grow up. I’ve watched your cities flourish. Your communities are strong and proud.

But I have to go back to that word again — change. And with change sometimes you can grow heavy in the heart but still know that everything will work out fine. That is the place I am in right now. Being editor for Mesquite neighborsgo (back then it was Neighbors) since 2005 has changed my life in so many positive ways. It has helped me learn from mistakes. It also has toughened my skin and warmed my heart at the same time. But it’s now time for a change.

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If you couldn’t make this month's neighborsgo meet-and-greet at Starbucks in Mesquite, I’m sorry to say that you missed out — big time. But don’t fret, more are planned for the future and may be in other locations as well, so there are plenty of opportunities to make up for missing, but I’m not going to kid you — it was a pretty cool turnout.

Assistant Editor Naquanna Comeaux was very happy to meet everyone for the first time and was quite pleased at how the day went.
“Nearly 30 people showed up to the meet and greet for a healthy exchange of ideas, questions and comments regarding Mesquite neighborsgo,” she writes in her weekly blog, which you can find at neighborsgo.com/blog/Naquanna_Comeaux. “Free coffee and gift cards were given out, and everyone was truly enjoying themselves. I noticed how Jenice and her Mesquite contributors interacted with one another – it was like one, big happy family.”
And it most definitely was a family, with regular contributors Virginia Chase, Sergio Garcia and Rodney VanSickle telling their tales of how they started writing and sharing news about the community on neighborsgo.com. I was glad to finally meet some of you in person for the first time — Annette Cox, DeAnn Foster, Teresa Gibson and Abbey Marley. And I was pleasantly surprised to get to visit with Mesquite City Councilwoman Shirley Roberts, who said she would like to see neighborsgo become a daily section. She and Jeann Wisenbaker provided great feedback about what kind of news they want to see in our publication.

Civic news, more diverse content and traffic updates were on your wish list for our paper. And several of you said you enjoy neighborsgo because it’s a newspaper that you can always find out what’s going on in your community. Please rest assured that the future of this publication will bring all of these things to you and more … more news and more community feel. Keep your suggestions coming and contributions posted to our Web site. Thanks so much to everyone who came out Friday. And I would like to extend a special thanks to Ian Halperin, director of public information for Mesquite ISD, for stopping by and bringing MISD news to neighborsgo.com.

There were so many more of you who came that I wish I could list here, but you know who you are. And without you, your newspaper wouldn’t be even half of what it is today.

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Well it’s that time again.

Don’t you think it’s been way too long since we have chatted, face to face?

We shall get that chance once again next week when neighborsgo will host a meet and greet from 11:30 to 2:30 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Starbucks on Town East in Mesquite. Come ready for a free coffee of your choice and prepared to pick my brain about everything neighborsgo and neighborsgo.com. And if you don’t mind, I will do the same because I really want to know what you think about where we are as a media source and where we are heading. What to you like about our publication and what don’t you like? Be candid; I can take it! I hope to see all of you there.

And there is another place I would love to see you…get it? Love? It’s on neighborsgo.com talking about your stories of Valentine’s Day romance. Post them by Monday and I will make sure they get in print just in time for the “big day” or as I like to call it “the day everyone gets flowers but me.” Pity party, table for one!

 

In other news, you may have read Naquanna Comeaux’s article about DallasCountyCowboyChurch’s grand opening in Balch Springs slated for this Sunday. If you didn’t get a chance to read it, visit neighborsgo.com/stories/29215. We failed to mention the time, however. The event begins with services at 10:30 a.m. It should be quite the to-do with appearances by city officials and Dr. Randel Everett, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and a chuck wagon lunch.

For more information, visit cowboychurchofdallascounty.com.

 

Last weekend I had the pleasure of being a part of something, well, magical.

I don’t know if you have ever been to an artlovemagic show, but it is something that can truly be quite the experience. Musicians, artists, poets, photographers and the Dallas/Fort Worth community (and sometimes beyond) came together for artlovemagic’s Underground event featuring Dallas’ hidden talents. At events such as Underground, artists remove all barriers and attendees get to know who these creators are. I happened to be one of them last weekend and displayed some of my photography along with my cousin and artist Riki Johnson. And Mesquite’s own Andie Collard, who is also an artist, worked the event as a second pair of hands — helping everyone with their displays and keeping busy with the welcome table.

If you would like to see some photos from the event, visit neighborsgo.com/photos and search for artlovemagic.

 

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Here is the complete list of winners from the Jan. 23 Mesquite Chamber of Commerce Awards banquet along with a few snapshots from the event.

Mustanger President Award — Evelyn Williams, Williams Paint & Body/First State Bank

Mustanger-of-the-Year — Helen Ethridge, Windsor Florist

Tourism Award — Dr. Linda Henrie, MISD

Festival Volunteer Award — Rona Lee Price (for heading up Taste Mesquite BBQ contest at the Real.Texas.Festival.

Committee Chairman-of-the-Year Award — Todd Price, First State Bank

Chairman’s Award — Dr. Linda Henrie, MISD (for staff’s outstanding service in Leadership Mesquite project)

 
Awards by member votes

Large Business of-the-Year — Dallas Regional Medical Center

Small Business-of-the-Year — Smiley's Racing (Tom Lorenz)

First State Bank Chamber Member-of-the-Year Award — Eastfield College
 

 

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We have been helping you with your fitness resolutions this month with our weekly feature “Focus on Fitness.” I hope that it has helped you along the way.
I figured to round out the month, in addition to the last Focus on Fitness section on page 14 of tomorrow's Mesquite editon, I would give you a little peek into my trials on the get-fit wagon.

Back in “the day,” I was a workout queen. I used to work for a financial office that was literally three minutes away from the local mega-gym. Not only that, but the company had a sweet corporate discount to the gym so there was absolutely no excuse not to go. Everyday after work (and I used to get off at 11 p.m.) I would head to the gym for a nearly three-hour workout. I was determined to fight my family genes. Even when I felt I was at my most fit, I was never skinny. At the time I was a tad frustrated because I wasn’t shedding a bunch of pounds. They always tell you muscle weighs more than fat so I just kept pushing upward and onward.

Then the last year of college happened. Workouts were less frequent and by graduation I was off to Nebraska for my first journalism gig. Needless to say I fell off the steady get-fit wagon. Even though I had stints of trying to get back on that wagon, I never did anything continuous until last October after a friend introduced me to Kerry Stallo of Plano.

Kerry is president of her company, Age-Intercept, Inc. She is a Certified Personal Trainer from the National Academy of Sports Medicine and Certified Fitness Specialist for Older Adults by the Cooper Institute of Dallas. Even though she was super friendly with a kind smile, I was a little intimidated at first. I remember being at least half asleep, grumpy and groggy, stiff and worried but ready at 6 a.m. for our first workout. I was boggled by her energy but then again, that’s her job!

Since then I can see a change in my fitness level and I’ve had to realize a few things along the way — nothing happens overnight and I have to be realistic. Kerry has taught me that being fit is most important — even if you aren’t at your ideal weight. In fact, one of her key lessons is that instead of setting goals to lose weight, make your level of fitness your initial objective.

“Manage your health with the same effort and commitment that you monitor your financial portfolio. Budget time every week for exercise,” she said. “Invest in proper nutrition to fuel your engine. Build a long-term fitness plan that ensures continued good health well into retirement. Investing now brings incredible long term dividends!”

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