The month of May means Mother’s Day and Memorial Day weekend. This year, you could remember your loved ones — lost or living — with a Memory Bear. Joan “MaMa Bear” Jonckheere is the owner and founder of Memory Bears in Okemos. It’s her goal to help you capture your memories with a cuddly teddy bear sporting fabric once used by your loved one. Jonckheere started creating Memory Bears last year as gifts. The first bear was a loving gesture to her best friend who’d lost her husband. Read more [...]

Carrie Rathbun Hawks Named PACE Maker of the Year Carrie Rathbun Hawks, APR was named the 2012 PACE Maker of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America’s Central Michigan Chapter. Rathbun is president of Rathbun Public Relations and has practiced public relations and marketing for almost 21 years. The PACE Maker award is given to one outstanding professional each year who is nominated by their peers. As president of her Laingsburg-based consulting firm, Rathbun’s clients have Read more [...]

Williamston’s newest eatery boasts culinary combinations like no other I am salivating just thinking about it. I have found a new place to adore. Borrowing from its website, Williamston’s Tavern 109 has many comforting favorites with surprising discoveries. Their food is “packed with so much creativity and energy, you can taste it!” I love being able to choose something off a menu that is divergent of the traditional. Don’t get me wrong, we need those. A solid, dependable dining choice Read more [...]

The year – 2006. The scene – 2 a.m. during spring break near a dumpster outside of an apartment building in Phoenix, Ariz. There I was, peering inside a dumpster, actually considering reaching in to retrieve a packet of McDonald’s Sweet & Sour Sauce that was accidentally tossed out. What was wrong with this picture? It all started in December. Looking over the annual family Christmas photo, I couldn’t help but notice that while most people tend to gain weight when they enter college, Read more [...]

Enrolling your child in the Children’s Ballet Theatre in Old Town becomes, not just an experience and responsibility for them, but for the entire family. For Caryn Rhodes, who serves as board chair, and many other families within their ballet performance company who can testify, the extra work is always worth it. Made up of 52 dancers from 48 different families, the non-profit organization is entirely self-sufficient with all volunteer work from families helping with anything from costumes and Read more [...]

As part of the Michigan branch of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), Kristen Taylor wants people to understand that there is recovery from mental illness. NAMI Michigan provides support for those diagnosed with a mental illness, their family and loved ones. Taylor is also involved in the Lansing community, recently she was part of Dancing with the Local Stars. Q: Tell me about your work with NAMI Michigan. A: I’ve been with them for two and a half years. We’re also an army of two Read more [...]

Emily Horvath, associate professor at Cooley Law School in Lansing loves the students she gets to work with on a daily basis. This is especially true with the legal fraternity Delta Theta Phi for which she serves as faculty advisor. With a passion for law, she admires the notion of lawyers instructing other lawyers. Q: How did yo u become interested in teaching? A: I was in private practice for six years, and in my sixth year I started teaching as an adjunct. I realized at that moment teaching Read more [...]

Don't let anyone ruin this one for you. Not even the TV spots and trailers for The Cabin in the Woods can prepare you for what's coming. Screenwriters Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Drew Goddard (who penned Cloverfield — who also served as first-time director), two long-time collaborators, take the slasher flick genre and turn it absolutely on its head. They take every trope you can imagine, chop them up, throw them in a blender, mix them all around and serve them to us in Read more [...]

A recurring theme lately in my coaching business has been helping clients deal with what seems to be urgent. With the constant bombardment of news, social media, texts, etc., we have become a bit addicted to the facepaced, now-now-now obligations. This can make everything seem urgent. Recently I met with a former client, Karen, who was once a CEO of a small organization and has since transitioned out of that role into developing her own successful consulting business. Karen was able to capitalize Read more [...]

It’s the time of year when folks everywhere decide to go green! Not the football cheer or hugging a tree, no this go green means salads and bowls of vegetables as we prepare to fit into our swimsuits this summer. Rather than reducing our carbon footprint, we focus on reducing our Carbonara footprint. Spring is a time for renewal and once again we renew our efforts to look more like we belong on muscle beach rather than look like a beached whale. The problem a lot of us have is the dedication Read more [...]

Sitting in their tidy, warm and inviting dental office both Dr. Portnoy and Dr. Tu appear much like any other professional dentists. And while they eventually followed a similar path as many dentists, the beginning of their paths were unlike any other. Imagine you’re a small child, around 7 years old. In the middle of the night your parents wake you up, hurry you in the dark to the coast and place you on a ship where you, still confused, remain for a number of days, encountering various obstacles, Read more [...]

From the kitchen of Catherine Blatnik Ingredients 1 cup margarine 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups white flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sour cream Topping 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup white sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream margarine and sugar until smooth with electric mixer or by- -hand with large spoon in large bowl. Add eggs, vanilla extract, Read more [...]