Having recently returned from the Texas GOP Convention in Houston, where I had the honorof serving as a delegate, I found myself having the same conversation with delegates fromacross our state. Regardless of where they lived, nearly everyone shared a common concern:getting voters to the polls in November may be the most important challenge we…
BRINGING NEW ENERGY TOELLIS COUNTY Founded underthe umbrella of the Texas Federation ofRepublican Women, Ellis County’s newlyformed Bluebonnet Federated RepublicanWomen is already building momentumamong local conservative women. Theorganization held its first meeting inJanuary and is scheduled to receive itsofficial charter in July, joining one of thenation’s largest networks of Republican women’s organizations. The new club…
by Cindy Burch My mother-in-law is in her eighties and has traveled quite a bit, yet Paris had somehow alwaysslipped through the cracks. Last year, she made a simple request: would I take her to Paris in the spring? She didn’t have to ask me twice. We arrived on a brilliant, sunlit morning. We headed…
THE TRADITION OF THE SEASON STORY BY CINDY BURCH Step into The Dove’s Nest this holiday season and you’ll find a winter wonderland sorichly decorated, it’s nearly impossible to take it all in with just one visit. The momentyou walk through the doors, you’re welcomed by a serene and elegant display centeredaround nativities, angels, crosses,…
If it’s summer, you can bet there are plenty of Southerners cruising along the scenic two-lane Florida highway known as 30A. Between Destin and Panama City Beach, the 24-mile stretch of Emerald Coast is packed with golf carts, bicycles, and expensive SUVs enjoying the best of beach living. Once just a sleepy stretch of beaches,…
Built on a series of hills, like its larger sister Lisbon, sits the historic city of Porto with the Douro River winding through the city dividing the populated right bank of Porto from the opposite Vila Nova De Gaia. Porto is home to some of the world’s largest port wine cellars. If you haven’t tasted…
Although Fredericksburg is one of the most popular road trip destinations in the Lone Star state, it has been several years since my husband and I took a long weekend to soak in some Hill Country charm. Last month, we headed off with friends to check out some of the new wineries and restaurants we…
After 30 years in the catering business, I feel like I have lived through every trend imaginable when it comes to wedding receptions. When I first started in the business big lavish buffets were primarily what Texas brides wanted while most of the country opted for sit down dinners with smaller guest lists. My own…
CRAWLING THROUGH SPAIN… TAPAS STYLE! When you land in Spain you intuitively want to immerseyourself in the country’s most traditional social ritual, thetapas bar crawl. It’s a way of life for Spaniards. A visitor canget off the plane, go straight to a tapas bar in any Spanishcity and sip sangria, inhale some air-dried ham (jamon),and…
While St. Thomas and St. John are clustered tightly with the British Virgin Islands, their sister, St. Croix, sits alone forty miles south. It is less touristy, more relaxed and quite a bit bigger than those two islands combined. We have visited the island many times and love the laid-back vibe. There are no high-rise…