Trinity - Vol. 10, Issue 12, December 2014

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Vol. 10, Issue 12, December 2014

The Premier “Shop Local” Community Magazine Directly Mailed To 18,000 Homes In Trinity & Surrounding AreasThis Independent Community News, Business & Dining Guide Is Directly Mailed Once Each Month To:Aristida, Champion’s Club, Chelsea Place, Country Place, Ellington Estates North, Ellington Place, Fairway Springs, Fox Hollow, Foxwood, Greenbrook Estates, Heritage Lake, Heritage Springs, Hills Of San José, Hunter’s Ridge, Hunting Creek, Longleaf, Magnolia Estates, Nature’s Hideaway, Oak Ridge, Riverbend, Riverchase,River Crossing, River Oaks, Riverside Estates, Riverside Village, Riverside Villas, Seven Springs Golf & Country Club, Southern Oaks, Spring Lake, The Sabals, Thou-sand Oaks, Timber Greens, Trinity, Trinity East, Trinity Oaks, Trinity West, Veterans Village, Woodbend, Woodgate, Wyndgate & Wyndtree

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:The 90th East-West Shrine Game®..3Community Calendar............4-5 Community News Briefs......6-7J & C Consign and Design..10-11LaserSpa of Tampa Bay.......14-15ToyMakers of East Lake......18-19HoneyBaked Ham Store..22-23Furniture Galore................26-27Holiday Family Time........30-31Canine Estates.......................36Longleaf Elementary.........38-39The Friendship Singers......42-43Slim Boy Alex.................52-53Colored Classifieds...............54

By Julie Kanehl

It’s funny how the most impor-tant things in life are often the thingswe take for granted! Quality timetalking to the people we love, for ex-ample. But when our hearing or ourbalance is affected, conversations canbe stunted, laborious and frustratingfor even those who love you most.Our hearing is precious, and when it islost, it can truly affect your quality oflife. If you or someone you love suf-fers from hearing loss, there are manyoptions available! Dr. Kelly Hansenand the helpful staff at Trinity Hearing& Balance can help you ring in theholidays and the New Year with hear-ing solutions that will bring smiles to

the faces of everyone you love. There’sno better gift than that!

Gone are the days of the bulkyold hearing aids that buzzed andhummed! Today there are many af-fordable options that can help youhear again, and more importantly, helpyou to be involved again! TrinityHearing & Balance is located at 8605Easthaven Court at the River CrossingProfessional Center on Little Road inNew Port Richey. Convenient to all ofPasco and Pinellas Counties, TrinityHearing & Balance has been helpingpeople of all ages for more than 20years! Their experienced, personalizedapproach makes finding answers tohearing and balance concerns easy.

Dr. Hansen is a Purdue graduatewho went on to earn her Doctorate in

Hear for the Holidays with Help from Trinity Hearing & Balance!

See “Hearing” on page 50

By Kim Thomas

There is nothing more importantto devoted parents than the safety andhappiness of their children. From thetime they are born, you work hard tocreate a space at home where they feelloved and where they can safely ex-plore their world. So of course, youwant their learning environment awayfrom home to be exceptional.

Educare Preschool in New PortRichey focuses on providing infantsand children with a safe, nurturing,enriched environment where safety is apriority, and where the faculty adheresto a higher standard than required bythe county.

Director Dawn Windstrup says,“This is not a typical franchise facility.

Educare Preschool is familyowned and operated and weoffer a higher quality schoolat a reasonable rate.”

Educare Preschool inNew Port Richey opened inFebruary and is the newestof Educare Preschool’s threelocations and the only one inPasco County. Parents lovethe convenient location at3545 Universal Plaza in NewPort Richey, which is behindthe CVS at the corner of U.S.Highway 19 and Moog. But moreimportant than a convenient drop-offand pick-up, is what you find behindthe securely locked doors of EducarePreschool––a dedicated staff, a secureand safe space, and a nurturing learn-

ing environment with everything yourchild needs to feel like this is theirsecond home. Being a sister schoolto the Palm Harbor and CountrysideEducare Preschool locations, the

Educare Preschool Focuses on Providing aNurturing Learning Environment

See “Educare” on page 46

Circle Time with Ms. Nola at Educare Preschool

Dr. Kelly Hansen

Audiology at Arizona School ofHealth and Sciences. Dr. Hansen isdedicated to continued education andresearch in both hearing and balance.She helps people diagnose their hear-ing concerns, and she diagnoses pa-tients who suffer from dizziness andvertigo. A Fellow of the AmericanAcademy of Audiology, Dr. Hansen isone of just a handful of doctors whoare Board Certified in Audiology. Ad-ditionally, her practice has the distinc-tion of earning an AudigyCertification, which is quite the goldstar – given only to those Audiologistswho have the highest credentials andfind themselves amongst the most ex-perienced doctors of Audiology.

Trinity Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles2 For Ad Info 727-943-0551 • www.NNLFlorida.com DECEMBER 2014

professional careers.More than just a game, since

1925, the East-West Shrine Game hashelped raise money and awareness forShriners Hospitals for Children, ahealth care system with 22 locationsdedicated to improving the lives ofchildren by providing pediatric spe-cialty care, innovative research, andoutstanding teaching programs formedical professionals. Children up toage 18 with orthopedic conditions,burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lipand palate are eligible for care and re-ceive all services in a family-centered

environment, regardless of the fami-lies’ ability to pay.

To learn more about ShrinersHospitals for Children, pleasevisit shrinershospitalsforchildren.org.

Trinity Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles For Ad Info 727-943-0551 • NNLFlorida.com DECEMBER 2014 3

Trinity AreaNeighborhood News & LifestylesDirectly mailed once a month to nearly18,000 households in zip code 34655.

220 Safford Ave. S. Tarpon Springs, FL 34689

Phone: (727) 943-0551; Fax: (727) 942-2432Advertising E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

© 2014 Trinity Area Neighborhood News & Lifestylesis published by Ads 2 Publications, Inc.

Nothing that appears in the Trinity Area NeighborhoodNews & Lifestyles may be reproduced, whether wholly or inpart, without permission. Opinions expressed by TrinityArea Neighborhood News & Lifestyles writers are their ownand do not reflect the publishers’ opinions.

Trinity Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles is alwayshappy to accept outside editorial submissions to thepaper. Please call for outside editorial submission and adver-tisement deadlines.

Trinity Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles will con-sider previously non-published outside editorial submissionsthat are double spaced, typed and less than 500 words. TrinityArea Neighborhood News & Lifestyles reserves the right toedit and/or reject all outside editorial submissions and makesno guarantees regarding publication dates. Unsolicited edito-rial materials will not be returned.

Trinity Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles reservesthe right to edit &/or reject any advertising. Trinity AreaNeighborhood News & Lifestyles is not responsible for errorsin advertising beyond the actual cost of the advertising spaceitself, not for the validity of any claims made by its advertisers.Trinity Area Neighborhood News & Lifestyles is published byAds 2 Publications, Inc.

PublisherTim SelbyGeneral ManagerJim O’ReillyEditorKim ThomasAdvertising SalesMatt Selby Jared NagerJim O’ReillyAlexis Selby

Billing ManagerDoreen Selby

Billing AssistanceTina O’ReillyCorrespondentsJulie KanehlKatie Thomas Dara TuckerMarcy SanfordAlexis Selby

Art DirectorDat X. Do

Graphic ArtistsDat X. DoTony Sica

IN ITS 90TH GAME, the East-West Shrine Game® is the longestrunning, most respected college all-star football game in history, and hasbeen part of sports history since 1925.Some of the greatest college players —Tom Brady, John Elway, Brett Favre,Roger Staubach, Dick Butkus, GayleSayers, Walter Payton — have playedon the East-West gridiron in a test ofskill in support of Shriners Hospitalsfor Children®, and in the process,earned a spot in the NFL.

Join the fun on January 17, 2015to be part of this historic event andsupport Shriners Hospitals for Chil-dren. See some of the best collegeplayers and NFL coaches. Enjoy greattailgating and relax and enjoy thebeautiful beaches in St. Petersburg.Kickoff is at 4 p.m.

Tickets for the East-West ShrineGame are now on sale through allTicketmaster outlets. Fans can pur-chase tickets in advance for the gameonline at www.shrinegame.com or call813-281-8686, or you can purchasetickets at www.ticketmaster.com.

All game tickets are $15 and gen-eral admission, first come first serveseating (price does not include servicefees). Tickets are not required for chil-dren under the age of 2. Tickets canalso be purchased on game day at the

Tropicana Field Box Office.The East-West Shrine Game is a

showcase for up-and-coming NFL tal-ent as national media and scouts fromevery professional team spend theweek in St. Petersburg to review theplayers. More than 100 players fromthe 89th East-West Shrine Gamesigned with NFL teams. Any givenseason there are about 265 East-Westalumni on NFL rosters. More than 70alumni have been inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame, havingshowcased their talents on the East-West gridiron before launching their

Tropicana Field is the Chosen Venuefor the 90th East-West Shrine Game®!


Community CalendarTrinity AREA

Pinellas County Animal ShelterOffers $12 Adoption Fee

Throughout the month of De-cember, Pasco County Animal Serv-ices has an adoption fee of only $12on all long-term shelter residents (over30 days at shelter). Adoption fees in-clude spay/neuter, microchip and vac-cines.

Dec. 20, 12 –6:30 PM––FREEADOPTIONS, Santa & Grinch Pho-tos––One day only, free adoptions (in-cludes spay/neuter, microchip andvaccines). And you can have your picture taken with the Grinch and Santa

from 12-4 PM. Pincllas County Animal Shelter is

located at 19640 Dog Patch Lane inLand O’ Lakes. 727-834-3216 or813-929-1212.

Pasco Fine Arts Hosts Artists’Holiday Show & Sale

Dec. 2 – 20––Surprise your lovedones with unique,original, affordableworks of art, have a smooth shoppingexperience AND support your localArts Council! Thank you!

Pasco Fine Arts is located at 5744Moog Road in New Port Richey (be-hind Centennial Library).

Hours: Tues-Thurs, 9 a.m. - 4p.m. and 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturday(closed Mondays & Fridays in Decem-ber). Call 727-845-7322

Metropolitan Ministries CentralPasco Donation Tent

Dec. 15–23––Now is the time toprovide help for neighbors in need!Metropolitan Ministries serves thepoor and homeless families in Pascoand neighboring counties. KeystoneCommunity Church makes givingeasier by providing a donation tentopen throughout the season at aconvenient location at 21010 SR 54in Lutz at the corner of SR 54 andHwy 41. Spark your giving spirit thisseason with donations of nonperish-able food, new toys, and monetarygifts.

Tent Collection Dates: Mon-day–Friday, Dec. 15–19, 8 a.m.–2p.m., 10 a.m.–4 p.m. on Saturday,Dec. 20; noon–3 p.m. on Sunday,Dec. 21, and 8 a.m.–5 p.m. on Mon-day, Dec. 22 and Tuesday, Dec. 23.For information call (813) 948-

4522, or email Pastor Gary Edwardsat [email protected].

NAMI Family & Friends SupportGroup Meetings

The Pasco County Chapter ofNAMI (National Alliance on MentalIllness) offers two types of supportgroup meetings each month, one for*family and friends of those with men-tal illness, and one for ** those livingwith mental illness. This includes allbrain disorders, including, but notlimited to OCD, depression, bi-polar,schizophrenia, multiple personalities,etc. Information: 727-992-9653 orwww.namipasco.org.

*FAMILY & FRIENDS SUP-PORT MEETINGS

2nd & 4th Monday, Monthly,7:30–9 PM––Medical Center of Trin-ity West Campus, 2nd and 4th Mon-day of each month in ConferenceRoom C, 5637 Marine Parkway, NewPort Richey

1st & 3rd Thursday, Monthly,6:30–8 PM––Regional Medical CenterBayonet Point, Shoreline Café Meet-ing Rm, 14000 Fivay Rd. in Hudson

1st & 3rd Tuesday, Monthly, 7–8:30 PM––NAMI Pasco Office (in


Jallo Plaza), 6480 Land O’ LakesBoulevard

**NAMI CONNECTIONSRecovery support group for those liv-ing with mental illness.

2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 7¬–8:30PM––NAMI Pasco Office (in JalloPlaza), 6480 Land O’ Lakes Boule-vard, Land O’Lakes

Wednesdays, 7–8:30 PM––Med-ical Center of Trinity West PascoCampus, 5637 Marine Parkway, NewPort Richey, Conference Room C: Forinformation NAMI 727-992-9653

Morton Plant Mease SupportGroups Calendar

WELLNESS/PARENTINGSat., Dec. 13, 9 AM––The Basics

of Prepared Childbirth – Express – atMorton Plant Mease Outpatient Cen-ter (Trinity), First Floor ConferenceRoom, Fee: $25.

WELLNESS/OTHEREvery Monday, 1–3 PM––CPAP

/ BI PAP Clinic – at Morton PlantNorth Bay Hospital, Medical ArtsBuilding, Sleep Disorders Center.

1st Tuesday Monthly, 1:30–3PM––North Bay Ostomy SupportGroup – Morton Plant North Bay

Hospital, Bekesh Education and Con-ference Center Meeting Rooms 2 & 3

Phone Number for All Events(727) 953-6877 or visit: www.BayCa-reEvents.org

Support groups and classes arefree to the public unless fee is noted.

LOCATIONS: Morton PlantMease Outpatient Center, 2102 Trin-ity Oaks Boulevard in Trinity, andMorton Plant North Bay Hospital,6600 Madison St. in New Port Richey

Downtown New Port Richey ArtGallery’s Handmade Art Exhibition

Dec. 5–27––The Downtown NewPort Richey Art Gallery’s annualHandmade Holiday Gift Gallery exhi-bition continues this month with manynew items being added to the exten-sive collection. The exhibition contin-ues through Sat., Dec. 27th.According to Gallery Director, BonnieBratby-Carey, “The exhibition, whichopened in November, has been popu-lar with residents as they discover atreasure trove of handcrafted items andart in every medium, reasonablypriced, and all created by local artists.”

Gallery hours are Wed.–Sat., from12 to 6 p.m. Also on display during

December will be student artworkfrom Gulf High School and the J. W.Mitchell High School.

Get Covered | Stay Covered Health& Wellness Fair

Jan. 10, 10 AM–2 PM––at theLand O’Lakes Library, 2818 CollierParkway in Land O’Lakes.

Premier Community HealthCarewill host reoccurring workshops aboutthe ACA and provide Healthcare Mar-ketplace application assistance.

Free wellness resources & kids ac-tivities offered throughout the event!

If you miss the enrollment healthfair event, Walk-Ins/appointments toreceive free ACA education and freeassistance from a Certified ApplicationCounselor are accessible at the follow-ing Premier locations from 7 a.m.–7p.m. on Mondays and 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.on Tuesday-Friday.

The New Port Richey FamilyHealth Center is located at 2114 SevenSprings Blvd. in Trinity.

Website: www.premierhc.org.Email: [email protected],or call 727-645-4185 Ext. 5015,5016, 9228, 9227, or 9331

Tennis League FormingA Tennis League for players of all

ability levels is forming now for menand women. The League will play allover Pasco County and well beyond.Challenge your game by playing otherscompetitively and meet new friends. Sr. Over 60 Coed Slo Pitch SoftballLeague

Accecpting new players. Gamesare played in central Pasco County.Meet new friends-fun thru fitness.

For information on the tennisleague or Sr. Slo Pitch Softball, callLeague President Walt Bockmiller tojoin in the fun at 813-527-8211. Playgolf, bowl, tennis and indoor volley-ball as well. Call now for further infor-mation…Lets Play!

Seven Springs Ladies Golf Associa-tion Annual Garage Sale

Sat., Jan. 24, 7:30 AM –2PM––Please mark your calendar forthis big annual sale that will be held atSeven Springs Golf and Country Club,located at 3535 Trophy Boulevard inNew Port Richey. The garage sale issponsored by the Seven Springs LadiesGolf Association.


News BriefsTrinity AREA

St. Stephen’s Episcopal ChurchEvents

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church,located one block east of U.S. 19 offGulf Drive at 5326 Charles Street inNew Port Richey, invites you to join usfor Holy Eucharist each Sunday at 8a.m., and Mass, and 10 a.m., musicand Sunday School.

Christmas Services: 7 PM –Family Service and Holy Eucharist; 10PM - Carol Sing followed by solemnhigh mass. Bring a snack to share andjoin us in the parish hall for eggnogfollowing the service. We are a warmand caring parish and would love towelcome you. You are also invited tojoin us for our planned activities:

Thrift Shop: The church ThriftShop is open Monday through Fridayfrom 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Gently usedclothing, small appliances, housewares,shoes, etc. on sale for very low prices.A special half price sale is held the firstfull week of each month. The shop islocated on the church property. Call727-846-1378 or 849-4330 for infor-mation.

Card Party/Luncheon: On thesecond Monday of each month, thewomen of the church host a card partywith a delicious salad luncheon. Doorsopen at 10:30 and lunch is served atnoon. Call Esther (816-3930) to re-serve a table for cards – the cost is $6per

Angels Left Behind Dinner: The“Angels Left Behind” – widows andwidowers of the church – get togetherfor dinner the second Saturday of eachmonth at 4:30 p.m. Call Doris Jenkins– 727-937-0039 for information.

Afternoon Tea: The OutreachGroup will host an Afternoon Tea onSaturday, January 17, beginning at11:30 a.m. Tickets are $12 each.

Classic Car Show: A Classic CarShow is scheduled for Saturday, Febru-ary 7, in the church parking lot. . Carregistrations are from 9 a.m. untilnoon. Food court, bake sale, thriftshop will be open, door prizes andmuch more. .

Fashion Show: Saturday, Febru-ary 28, 11:30 a.m., sponsored by theEpiscopal Church Women. Fashions

from St. Stephen’s Thrift Shop Bou-tique Section will be modeled; acatered lunch will be served at noonand there will be door prizes and bas-ket raffles. Tickets are $12.50 each andmay be purchased by calling 727-849-4330.

We invite you to visit our web siteat www.ststephen-episcopal.com.Email us at [email protected], or callthe church office, 727-849-4330 forinformation on any of these activities.St. Stephen’s is located one block eastof U.S. 19 off Gulf Drive. We look for-ward to hearing from you.

Community Council of West PascoDelivered Thanksgiving Dinners to250 Families

The Community Council of WestPasco members, local assisted livingfacilities, nursing homes, rehab centersand volunteers delivered 1,400 warmturkey dinners to more than 250 fami-lies in West Pasco on Thanksgivingmorning.

The Outreach Committee coor-dinates the Thanksgiving Deliveryproject who receive referrals fromlocal schools and social service agen-cies who work with and identify fami-lies most in need during the holidays.

Jennifer Gardens Assisted Living Facil-ity made the majority of the mealswith more than 1,000 meals and Stay-well/Wellcare Health Plans donated$1,000 for each family to receive apumpkin pie. Volunteers picked upmeals from Sunshine ChristianHomes, Atria Windsor Woods, AtriaBaypoint Village and The Cottages tobe delivered the family homes by 11a.m. “We met our maximum of 1,400meals a week prior to the cut-off date.This shows there is still significantneed in Pasco County,” remarkedBecky Bennett, Co-Chair of CSCOutreach Committee. Those receivedafter the maximum was met were re-ferred to other organizations such asMetropolitan Ministries and the Xcel360 Basket Brigade Project. Thanks tothe following agencies for additionaldonations to make this possible.

- Pasco Guardianship Association - Florida Pharmacy - Medical Housecall Services - Charlotte Day Bowling - Califoria Nails - Evelyn Hjort - Advantage Home Care - Bayonet Point Rehab - Madison Point Rehab The Community Service Council


of West Pasco is a proud organizationconsisting of professional leaders andindividuals building eternal friendshipsand providing networking opportuni-ties for their businesses. The blend ofdiverse backgrounds and talents worktoward the betterment of our commu-nity. CSC meets the 2nd Thursday ofeach month at 11:30 a.m. at SpartanManor. For more details, visitwww.commuityservicecouncil.org.

Regional Medical Center BayonetPoint Receives Atrial FibrillationCertification

Regional Medical Center BayonetPoint announces that it has beenawarded full Atrial Fibrillation Certifi-cation status from the Society of Car-diovascular Patient Care (SCPC). It isone of several of HCA’s Afib andHeart Rhythm Centers to be certified.

“This certification involves rigor-ous evaluation of every stop along thecontinuum of care, to ensure we’veimplemented the latest in evidence-based best practices,” said Julie Lal-lanilla, VP of Cardiac Services atRegional Medical Center BayonetPoint.

“Atrial fibrillation affects nearlyfive million Americans, and can in-crease the risk of stroke fivefold - so

when the SCPC launched the pro-gram, we jumped at the chance to en-sure we’re doing what we can toenhance the quality of life for our pa-tients,” said Shayne George, CEO ofRegional Medical Center BayonetPoint. “This is one more indicationthat we are walking the walk in ourcommitment to our mission, visionand values statement,” he added.

Key areas in which a facility withAtrial Fibrillation Certification mustdemonstrate expertise include the fol-lowing:

· Emergency Department Integra-tion with Emergency Medical Services

· Emergency Assessment of Pa-tients with Atrial Fibrillation

· Risk Stratification of the AtrialFibrillation Patient

· Treatment for Patients Present-ing to the Emergency Department inAtrial Fibrillation

· Atrial Fibrillation Discharge Cri-teria from the Emergency Department,Observation Services, or Inpatient Stay

· Atrial Fibrillation Patient Educa-tion in the Emergency Department,Observation Services, and InpatientUnit

· Personnel, Competencies andTraining

· Process Improvement

· Organizational Structure andCommitment

· Atrial Fibrillation CommunityOutreach

Tampa Bay Lightning HonorsMadeline Robinson of Wheelchairs4 Kids

The Tampa Bay Lightning re-cently honored Madeline Robinson,of Wheelchairs 4 Kids, as the 11thLightning Community Hero of theyear. Robinson received a $50,000 do-nation from the Lightning Foundationand the Lightning Community He-roes program, which will be donatedto Wheelchairs 4 Kids.

Robinson is the driving force be-hind the local non-profit organization,Wheelchairs 4 Kids, with a mission toprovide hope, confidence and re-sources to children with physical dis-abilities. Her drive was ignited whilepreviously working with children’scharities and repeatedly noticing chil-dren with wheelchairs that were toosmall, broken and/or irreparable.Robinson realizes that it is difficult forfamilies to acquire funding for wheel-chair replacements. Kids grow quicklyand children who are in wheelchairsoutgrow their chairs and need replace-

ments more frequently, which is a fi-nancial hardship on many families.

Seeing a real need, Robinsonstarted Wheelchairs 4 Kids in April2011. Wheelchair 4 Kids is a non-profit organization providing wheel-chairs, home and vehiclemodifications, and other assistive de-vices, while also hosting fun activitiesto give children with mobility chal-lenges an opportunity to live life to itsfullest. Robinson continues to serve asExecutive Director for Wheelchairs 4Kids and to date she has impacted thelives of close to a hundred children inprovided assistance. The donationfrom the Tampa Bay Lightning Foun-dation and the Lightning CommunityHeroes program is greatly appreciatedbut there is more work to be done!Robinson says, “We received a$50,000 donation which will be usedto help pay for many of our kids onthe waitlist, but there are more!”

If you’d like to find out moreabout how you can help providewheelchairs to children in need, pleasevisit the website,www.wheelchairs4kids.org or call(727) 946-0963. Wheelchairs 4 Kidsis located at 1976 Pinellas AvenueSouth in Tarpon Springs.


By Kim Thomas

J & C Consign and Design FineFurnishings and Gift Boutique is atreasure trove of excellent finds! If youhave last minute Christmas shoppingto do still, J & C Consign and Designhas some excellent choices for inex-pensive gifts that are unique and fun!From the Trinity and New PortRichey areas, if you are driving out toCitrus Park Mall, you are alreadygoing past J & C Consign and De-sign, which is located at 8809 GunnHighway in Odessa, next to the ManCave Warehouse. So why not stop byand check out the ever-changing mer-chandise!

I stopped by recently to check outthe newly consigned items and, boy-oh-boy, did I score! We moved re-cently and I am still looking for theright mix of furniture for the house weare in. I found a beautiful antiquetable and a fabulous fireplace screenfor my home, and I found gifts! Aframed piece of quirky, fun artwork formy aunt, a couple of adorable photoframes for my brother and his wife, a

photo frame glorifying being a“Southerner” for one of my sweet-tea-loving family members. But there is somuch more, like the handcrafted mer-chandise from local artisans, includinghand-painted signs, custom designedtin buckets and gift bags.

Gift ideas abound in this storewith picture frames from Glory Hausand festive holiday platters, cheesespreaders, and serving trays. Lookingfor something special? J & C has it,

and even carries a full line of luxuriousHen House linens. If you are lookingfor a gift, you can’t ask for an easiershopping experience. “We have peoplewho just pull in, put the car in park,and run in for a gift because we have agreat selection and it’s so easy forthem,” says Christine. Truly, why findthe crowds and traffic when you canpop in J & C Consign and Design. It’seasy to get into, there is plenty of

parking and the selection is a delight. Another thing to love about J &

C Consign and Design – this store isbudget friendly. You won’t believewhat you can find for under $25. Forless than $10, you can give yourselfthe gift of aromatherapy and try oneof the Tyler Candle Company® can-dles. The smallest votive (2 oz.) lastsfor 15 hours. Tyler Candle Companyhas gift sets for the holidays that are

Last Minute Shopping is Easy at J & C Consign and Design!


sweet and inexpensive. I loved the onethat included a candle, lovely-scenteddetergent for luxurious laundry androom spray. There are some delicioussmelling holiday fragrances available inthe candles, in addition to the fabu-lous scents that are always available.

Furniture – Both New & QualityPre-owned

I love a good deal and don’tmind a refurbishing project, so I fre-quently shop at thrift stores and con-signment shops. But it’s definitely hitor miss. This is not the case at J & CConsign and Design! The problemhere is deciding on what to buy be-cause there really are some greatchoices; of course none of them needto be redone but if you love to repur-pose furniture, you can trust that thepieces you buy at J & C are quality. Alady was picking up a well-made lin-gerie chest that she was going to re-paint and turn into an heirloomquality piece. With J & C, you have tostop in frequently enough not to missout on the best stuff. I spied an an-tique chair that was wide with a lowseat and a high back – a chair fit for aking that was sold to a lady before Igot there at a pauper’s price! I missed

out on that one. Right now, the storehas some brand new pieces from Lex-ington, and even the used furniture isin such great shape that I thoughtsome of the used pieces on consign-ment were brand new.

If you haven’t stopped in yet to J& C Consign and Design, you should.There is a great selection, and it is pre-sented to the customer in boutiquefashion, which is a refreshing andmakes for a better shopping experi-ence. And, every day there is some-thing different and with the greatprices, if you see something you like,you better buy it!

J & C Consign and Design islocated at 8809-B Gunn Highwayin Odessa, and is open from 10a.m. until 5 p.m. on Tuesday – Sat-urday, and on Sunday, 12–5 p.m.Please call (813) 920-0800 for ad-ditional information or visit thewebsite,www.jcconsign.com, whereyou can find information abouthow to submit photos of itemsyou’d like to consign and sign upfor email updates. You also can“Like” J & C Consign and Designon facebook for updates on the lat-est merchandise.


By Katie Thomas

LaserSpa of Tampa Bay, located inTarpon Springs, offers clients expertisein laser care, non-surgical cosmetic en-hancements and complete aestheticskin care for healthy, glowing skin.With a goal to meet clients’ needs andstay in the forefront of industry ad-vances, LaserSpa of Tampa Bay is thebest in the Bay for laser tattoo re-moval, anti-aging laser treatments,photofacial therapy, laser hair removal,cellulite treatment, Botox®, dermalfillers, microdermabrasion, electrolysis,waxing and DermaLaser Acne Ther-apy. The skilled professionals atLaserSpa of Tampa Bay bring you thebest and latest in laser technology,while treating you to spa services in abeautiful, serene setting.

Barbara Frangos, DC startedLaserSpa of Tampa Bay after realizinga need for aesthetic services in thecommunity. She originally began herbusiness in 2001 as Essentially BareHair Removal & Skin Care, butquickly realized that in order to offerclients a full range of services, hercompany would need to expand.

From originally offering hair removal,Dr. Frangos began developingLaserSpa of Tampa Bay to further fa-cilitate her own business growth andthe growth of services she could pro-vide to clients. Dr. Frangos says, “As Isaw the needs of my clients change, Ibegan to continuously update my ownknowledge, further my education andexpand our services to include treat-ments with the best state-of-the-artequipment available. We combine ourexperience and knowledge in laser carewith the skills of our clinical aestheti-cian to achieve great results.”

Expect a Friendly Reception &Professional Results!

LaserSpa of Tampa Bay’s teammembers are not only experienced andknowledgeable in their specific fields,but everyone is personable and gen-uinely friendly. They are truly inter-ested in what you want to accomplishand want to give you the best resultsand a good understanding of yourtreatment. They focus on educatingyou on the skin services you receiveand give you the best treatment basedon your needs, while providing great

advice about home care for yourselfduring and after your treatments.

Very few can embrace their cel-lulite, but with LaserSpa nearby, youdon’t have to! LaserSpa of Tampa Bayoffers state-of-the-art cellulite reduc-tion with LPG’s Endermologie®, anon-invasive procedure utilizing FDA-approved technology that smoothesout cellulite, tones the body and im-proves overall appearance of the skin.Susan Giles is certified in Endermolo-gie®, and offers this treatment thatuses rollers over problem areas of theskin, which many say feels like a deeptissue massage. At the same time, suc-tion is used to redistribute the skinand remove dimpling. Another serviceavailable, called Liftmassage®, helps tosmooth out skin and even give yourbuttocks a lift!

Clients enjoy Meredee DeLuca’squick wit and expert skin care servicesas LaserSpa’s on-staff aesthetician.With over 25 years experience,Meredee specializes in facials, peels,microdermabrasion and more. Sheloves working with individual clientsto help them find the perfect skincareroutine and products for healthy,

beautiful skin. Jenna Harris, ARNP performs

both Botox® and fillers at LaserSpa ofTampa Bay, in addition to teaching herservices nationwide. She is consideredan artist in her field of expertise of cos-metic enhancements without surgery.

Say Goodbye to UnwantedTattoos!

Dr. Frangos has more than 13years experience in laser and pulsedlight treatments and she has a truepassion for staying at the forefront oflaser technology. Dr. Frangos explains,“The technological advances in laserhave allowed us to treat patients withall skin types.” LaserSpa of TampaBay’s laser services are offered for anti-aging treatments and acne is treatedwith DermaLaser Acne Therapy, bothof which offer great results. But per-haps the most dramatic change thatlasers bring about is the erasing of badchoices – as in tattoos gone wrong.And if you’re looking for expertise,top-notch technique and superiortechnology, LaserSpa of Tampa Bay isyour destination for tattoo removal,and now offers the PicoSure® laser for

LaserSpa of Tampa Bay Introduces the Latest in Laser Technology


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newest laser, the PicoSure®,” says Dr.Frangos, “It is super awesome and thevery best in laser technology. It’s fast,powerful and it works wonders onboth blue and green ink, which werethe most difficult pigments in tattooremoval in the past!”

With over seven years of experi-ence in tattoo removal, Dr. Frangoshas seen what works and what doesn’tand she won’t have you waste yourtime or money on treatments that areinferior. Her expertise with laser tattoo

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After many years of successfultattoo removal using the MedLightC6, the previous gold standard in tat-too removal, Dr. Frangos was amazedat the quicker results PicoSure® of-fered and is excited to bring the latestlaser to her clients. She says, “Pico-Sure® erases blue and green ink injust two to three visits, whereas be-fore it took fifteen to twenty! Withthe Picosure® laser, the time betweentreatments is less and the number oftreatments are far less. I still utilize

the MedLight for red inks. Whencombining the power of both lasers,the results are phenomenal!”

Tattoos are a form of self-expres-sion in many ways, but many peopledecide that later on in life that tat-toos that were once representative ofthem no longer match their lifestyle.When it comes to tattoo removal,you want a treatment that works thatleaves your skin clear. Dr. Frangos of-fers just that! She is able to eliminateunwanted ink and pigmentation ofall hues from the skin.

One LaserSpa of Tampa Bay

client says, “I could notbe happier with the resultsthat I am getting fromthis laser. I was astoundedafter the first treatment,and see continued resultsafter the second. My tat-too is practically gone atthis point, and unlikelasers of the past, I know Iwon’t have to endure 10plus treatments. Tattooregret is an awful feeling,and I am delighted thatthere is finally a laser thatdoes what it claims.” –Dianne O

From tattoo removaland acne treatments that work, to thebest in anti-aging treatments and cel-lulite reduction, Dr. Frangos and herteam of skilled hands-on professionalswill give you the personal attentionyou deserve at LaserSpa of Tampa Bay.

Boost your skin health andyour confidence – call LaserSpa ofTampa Bay at (727) 934–4477.LaserSpa of Tampa Bay is located at1219 E. Tarpon Avenue in TarponSprings. For a full and detailed listof services, please visit online atwww.mylaserspa.com.

The images above show the superior results that are accomplished with the latest laser technology for tattoo removal - the PicoSure®.Image #1 (left) is the tattoo prior to any treatment and Image #4 is after 4 treatments with the MedLight C6, which was the gold

standard prior to the PicoSure®. Then check out Image #5 showing results after just ONE treatment with the PicoSure® laser! Clients are raving about the excellent results they are getting for tattoo removal at LaserSpa of Tampa Bay!


By Julie Kanehl

In this world there are preciousfew who truly put their talents towardshelping others, without the expecta-tion of pay or press, and without spe-cific season. The ToyMakers of EastLake are an amazing group of menand women who donate their time,their love and their talents to creatingtoys for children in the hopes of sim-ply bringing a smile to their faceswhile they are in the hospital, recover-ing from an illness, or facing distress ofany kind. These ToyMakers of EastLake are busy elves all year long, mak-ing thousands of toys for children withonly the hope of a child’s happiness astheir return.

Their mission: “To providebrightly painted, simple wooden toysto children in physical or emotionaldistress,” is simple yet powerful, andtheir all-volunteer, all non-profit or-ganization is one that makes a greatdifference, especially to the lives of achild. With their simple mission andthe love and efforts of their many vol-

unteers, they have made a differencein thousands of lives!

Authentic & Handmade with Love!ToyMakers of East Lake is an off-

shoot of a ToyMakers group thatbegan with humble beginnings inPasco County. Starting with just a fewtools and a desire to help children in1982, ToyMakers have delivered morethan a quarter of a million handmadetoys to local children in Pinellas,Pasco, Hillsborough, and evenAlachua counties to hospitals such asAll Children’s Hospital, Tampa Gen-eral, Shriner’s Hospital in Tampa, andShands Pediatric Clinic in Gainesville,just to name a few. Toys have been de-livered to children as far away as Mex-ico, the Caribbean and South Americain the aftermath of disasters, and areoften delivered to local fire depart-ments and first responders, who reallyappreciate having something to give tochildren when they are in a crisis.

The ToyMakers of East Lake or-ganization began in 2007 by ToyMak-ers such as Gene Watson, who puts so

much love and attentioninto his toys that youcan’t help but smile. Lo-cated right here in PalmHarbor, ToyMakers ofEast Lake is an OutreachMission for the East LakeUnited MethodistChurch, who believes intheir cause so much thatthey have provided themwith a space for a beauti-ful workshop. Throughdonations, pledges andgifts, their toyshop is awonder to behold.Maybe you can’t see itwhen you’re driving by,but there’s a whole lot ofmagic going on in thatshop. Many busy elves do-nate several mornings aweek to carefully creating toys out ofwood using simple patterns and band-saws. Making all kinds of toys, they aremost famous for their cars, “Batmo-biles” and “Daisy Racers”!

Each car is made by hand, and

carefully sanded to remove any sharpedges. Each wheel is created, lacedonto straws and painted with care,and then put together with more thanglue at its heart. Next, they are metic-ulously painted by hand with lead-freepaint donated by Sherwin-Williams,

The ToyMakers of East LakeMaking Smiles One Toy at a Time!

ToyMakers is a fun and fulfilling way to make adifference in the community


and given to boys and girls whoclutch them to their chests and can’twait to race them around their rooms.Maybe it’s the love that’s so present ineach car, maybe it’s that each one isunique, just like every child, or maybeit’s that many children have neverbeen given a handmade gift that canraise their spirits so quickly. Whateverthe magic is, it’s real, it’s palpable andit’s truly touching.

I took my own children to theToyMakers of East Lake Open Houseand Silent Auction on Saturday, No-vember 15th at the East Lake UnitedMethodist Church. Each of my chil-dren were given a handmade car andgiven many chances to race their caron a handmade ramp outside theevent. My three-year-old daughterwanted to do nothing but “race” herpretty car for hours, and she hasn’tslept without that gem of a car sincethat day. Children know a gift madewith love when they receive one.

While I was there, not only did Iget an amazing tour of their toyshopand get to meet some of the kind peo-ple who volunteer their time for thiswonderful cause, but I also learnedthat there’s more than one missionhere. There’s obviously the declaredmission of making toys for childrenwho are suffering, but also I saw thatthere was a ministry here of adults,

many of whom are retirees, whofound a renewed purpose, a wholenew group of friends, and a renewedfaith in the world through volunteer-ing. I was so moved by the program,that I want to volunteer! Why don’tyou join me?

You Can Help!Current President of the ToyMak-

ers of East Lake Board, Bob Helms, islike many volunteers who thoughtthey’d come by one Saturday a month,but fell in love with the mission, and indoing so, found himself at the shop ona very regular basis. Soon, his wife,Janet, joined the cause as well, andtoday they are both on the Board,hoping to help lead ToyMakers of EastLake to help even more people.

Bob says, “ToyMakers are peoplelike you and me! You don’t have to beable to operate complicated wood-working machinery to be a volunteerhere. We have one volunteer who re-ally enjoys tracing patterns onto thewood, and we have others who love topaint daisies on the Daisy cars.” Headds, “Whatever you can do, there’s away you can help.”

ToyMakers of East Lake is alwayslooking for volunteers! In addition tomaking beautiful toy cars, Toy Mak-ers of East Lake also makes boats, air-planes, helicopters, and walking duck

and penguin toys, just to name a few!These walking toys are a really won-derful way of helping kids who needto be walking as part of their therapy– while walking their ducks; theydon’t even realize that they’re doingtheir therapy!

A third ministry is their bicycleprogram. Toymakers of East Lake col-lects used, discarded and out-grownbicycles, and refurbishes them andgives them to people in need – forboth children and adults! Workingwith local schools and other charitableorganizations such as Homeless Work-ing Adults, they even help send usedand refurbished bicycles to Haiti andother areas in need after a crisis, sothat those people can get work andprovide for their families.

Additionally, ToyMakers of East

Lake is proud to partner with studentswho are part of the Florida Bright Fu-tures Scholarship Program, which pro-vides scholarship opportunities forstudents in our area who have verybright futures, but need help finan-cially. These students need volunteerhours as part of the program, andmany of the students who volunteerfor ToyMakers of East Lake havefound themselves coming back oncetheir volunteer requirements havebeen met! They become volunteers forthe love of helping others instead ofjust for credit!

So, this year, if you’re looking fora way to give more than presents, andyou’d love a way to give back and“pay-it-forward,” you can help by vol-unteering, donating, or even sponsor-ing this worthy cause! Every little bithelps! Whether you can donate yourtime, commit $5 a month, or simplydonate the old bicycles in your garage,the Toymakers of East Lake would bevery grateful, and you’d be helping acause that doesn’t just help children atthis time of year, but one that helpslocal children all year long. So, whatdo you say? How about I see you atthe shop?

The ToyMakers of East Lake’sWorkshop is located at 2690 Tan-glewood Trail in Palm Harbor, be-hind the East Lake UnitedMethodist Church. If you wouldlike to donate, sponsor or volunteer– and ToyMakers needs experiencedwoodworkers – please visit the web-site at toymakersofeastlake.org oremail them at [email protected].

Children cherish these simple, old-fashioned toys handmade with love

Gene Watson (right) is one of thefounders of ToyMakers of East Lake


By Katie Thomas

The holidays are here! Partiesfull of holiday cheer, drinks, deliciousfood and the warmth of family andfriends are upon us and nothingmakes a party complete quite like afully cooked and ready to serveHoney Baked Ham®. Since 1957,having a Honey Baked Ham® at thecenter of a holiday feast has been atradition for many families. Some ofus wait all year to savor the taste of aperfectly sliced ham or turkey breastwith sweet, crunchy glaze.

Your local HoneyBaked storehas made it even more convenient topick up your favorite products thisholiday season with three pick-up lo-cations. Now, in addition to the mainHoneyBaked store in the Walmartplaza on U.S. 19 North in PortRichey and the satellite store in theLongleaf community of the Trinityarea (located just off of StarkeyBoulevard on Town Ave.), you alsocan pick up your Honey BakedHam® at the Winn Dixie located at

1640 U.S. 19 in Holiday. With more locations, Honey-

Baked hopes to help serve up morestress-free holiday meals for cus-tomers through greater ease of pur-chasing and serving its products.HoneyBaked is committed to makingyour order and pick-up services quickand efficient, so you can focus onwhat really matters this holiday sea-son – your family and friends and thewonderful time you will spend withthem! It is this focus on customerservice and convenience thatprompted HoneyBaked Ham to offerproducts at Winn Dixie.

Lisa Shippy-Gonzalez, owner ofthe Port Richey HoneyBaked Hamstore and the satellite store in Lon-gleaf, is excited to bring her cus-tomers another way to shopconveniently. “Adding the WinnDixie location to our other two loca-tions in Port Richey and Trinity re-ally gives our customers a whole newway to shop for their favorite Honey-Baked products. They can go intoWinn Dixie and pick up everything

‘Tis the Season for Honey Baked Ham ! ®


they need for a holiday party withouthaving to stress about pick-up times,driving all over town for different in-gredients or getting the perfect holi-day dish. We have partnered withWinn Dixie for complete customerconvenience!”

If you'd like to pick up yourHoney Baked Ham® from WinnDixie, just head on over and pick oneup. No call-ahead or order is neces-sary because Lisa stocks Winn Dixie

daily to make surethe grocery story hasas many HoneyBakedproducts as they willneed for customers.Winn Dixie managerBob says, “It hasbeen a great experi-ence pairing up withLisa’s HoneyBakedstore. We are reallyhappy to bring twogreat communitybusinesses togetherfor the convenienceof our shoppers.”

Of course, youstill can order yourentire menu from theHoneyBaked stores

in Port Richey and the satellite storein Longleaf, so that you can com-plete your meal with sides anddesserts. Call ahead or order onlineand your meal will be ready and wait-ing. Get your family a ham orsmoked or roasted turkey breastalong with classic side favorites thatinclude: Yukon Gold Mashed pota-toes, Potatoes Au Gratin, Sweet Po-tato Soufflé, Broccoli Rice Casserole,Macaroni and Cheese, Cinnamon

Apples, Cornbread Dressing, an arrayof premium desserts and more. Mymouth is already watering!

“Our storefront allows you tosee the hams, turkeys and otherproducts you want just like in a nor-mal retail store,” says Lisa. “We canmake your holiday meal easier andeverything tastes homemade! Cus-tomers love that they can shop at ourstore and save themselves the hassleof cooking, buying ingredients,preparing and presenting everything– we can do it all, so you can enjoythat time with your loved ones!”

Isn’t it great to have a choicethis year? Whether you choose to goall out and have your entire holidayfeast prepared exclusively by Honey-Baked or just pick up a ham, adessert, or a couple of sides, you’lllove that you made your life a littleeasier this year! ‘Tis the season for

making memories with your lovedones and a HoneyBaked gives youmore time for fun!

Pick up your Honey BakedHam® at Winn Dixie located at1640 U.S. Highway 19 in Holidayfrom 6 a.m. to midnight, Mondaythrough Friday.

If you choose to order fromone of your two local HoneyBakedstores, call and place your orders assoon as possible! The HoneyBakedHam Company of Port Richey islocated at 8637 US 19 in PortRichey; call (727) 815-3739. TheHoney Baked Ham satellite storein Trinity’s Longleaf community islocated at 3104 Town Avenue,Suite 106; call (727) 372-7014.

For a full description of menuitems, catering information andstore coupons visit the website,www.honeybakedonline.com


because I want to make certain every-thing is perfect.”

Furniture Galore’s showroom isdecked out with beautiful, Americanmade pieces that range from bedroomsets, dining sets and living area piecesto Serta mattresses, outdoor furniture,lamps, rugs and more! You can outfityour whole house from Furniture Ga-lore with American made pieces thatare handcrafted and made from realwood! From accent pieces that includelocal art, to table lamps and specialtyrugs - there is no end to the optionsyou have for making your home beau-tiful at Furniture Galore!

Furniture Galore offers hun-dreds of fabric options for furniture,50 leather options, multiple financeplans and has a total of 35 manufac-turers to choose from. This placetruly is all about selection and thechoice is yours! Furniture Galoreeven has a number of Florida furni-

ture manufactures available, so youcan buy completely local! What's bet-ter than a Florida home decked outwith handcrafted made in Florida forFlorida furniture?

Christian says, “Our showroomfloor showcases our American madeproducts because we believe in sup-porting our nation's economy. Manyof our vendors are locally sourced andhave a grassroots, sustainable mindset.For example, some of our companiesplant a tree for every tree they use andmany companies pride themselves onusing the best solid wood available inNorth America.” Although FurnitureGalore’s showroom focuses on Ameri-can-made pieces, you will also findtons of catalogues that source fromother places in their store.

“We don't want our customersto have to feel as if they have com-promised, which is why we offersuch a large selection here at Furni-

Be Choosy! Shop at Furniture Galorefor Selection and Prices that Can’t Be Beat!

By Katie Thomas

Furniture Galore, located at 9017U.S. Highway 19 North in PortRichey, is Pasco County’s leading fur-niture and mattress store. With a mis-sion to provide customers thefurniture shopping experience thatthey deserve, Furniture Galore strivesto give customers the furniture selec-tion they want, but with zero pressure,no commission based sales and endlessoptions for furnishing your home.Furniture Galore’s motto, “BeChoosy” is indicative of their missionto provide the best in choice, selectionand possibilities, so you never have tosettle for less when it comes to fur-nishing your home!

Tonya and Christian Peytonopened Furniture Galore in May2014. Tonya is a Florida native andwas raised in the Bay area, whileChristian is a well-traveled native

Tennessean. The couple operates Fur-niture Galore as a team; both areyoung, professional and passionateabout their business. “We are familyowned and operated here at Furni-ture Galore,” says Tonya. “We wantto help people find what they’re look-ing for, while providing a comfort-able atmosphere with ethical businessstandards. Neither Christian nor my-self make commission, so we dothings a little differently than otherbig box furniture retailers. Our goalis to make each customer feel wel-come, while helping them find whatthey want for a price that is affordableto their budget.”

Christian and Tonya are able tospecial order items in for customersand always deliver what they promise.Christian says, “When a deliverycomes in to our store, I hand checkeverything myself before my guys de-liver the product to a customers home


ture Galore,” says Christian. “Themost important thing to us is know-ing that we have helped a family fur-nish their homes the way they want,

so they can build memories that willlast in an atmosphere they have builtfor themselves.”

Furniture Galore is dedicated to

bringing a new meaning to customervalue and service. With $40 home de-liveries, five year plus warranties and asatisfaction guarantee – you can trustthat you will be treated with the up-most respect. Furniture Galore cus-tomer Vie says, “My husband Irecently moved to Florida from NewJersey. We were advised by our closefriends who own a moving company,to only bring what we absolutely feltwe had to keep. We held on to ourantiques and heirloom pieces, butother than that we sold it all. Weshopped in other stores, online and incatalogues, but just could not findwhat we were looking for. I drove byFurniture Galore one day and decided

to check it out. We owe a big thanksto Christian and Tonya – they specialordered everything we wanted intothe store, checked everything overand delivered it to our home. Chris-tian made certain we had exactly whatwe wanted – from size, to style andfinish. Both Christian and Tonya havebeen very accommodating and haveeven helped refer me to trustworthybusinesses around the area for uphol-stery help. My husband and I down-sized, but with the help of FurnitureGalore we have been able to set upour home to include everything weneeded. From a complete bedroomset to bookshelves – our house iscoming together to feel like a home!”

You deserve the best in furnitureselection, choice and possibilities.You deserve to “Be Choosy!” Getthe style you are looking for to makeyour house into the home you havealways wanted.

Visit the Furniture Galoreshowroom at 9017 US Highway 19N in Port Richey. Check out theirwebsite to shop by brand and seeunique selections at www.yourga-lore.com or call (727) 484 - 6981for more information.


By Julie Kanehl

The holidays are the most hectictime of the year, which is kind offunny when you think about it, be-cause it’s supposed to be the time ofthe year when everyone comes to-gether to enjoy each other’s com-pany, share what they’re grateful forand rejoice in the greater meaningsthat are the basis for the festivities!Instead, we find ourselves busierthan ever, more stressed than ever,and probably not feeling at peacewith the holiday season. Is this ring-ing any bells?

Well, here are some helpful tipsto minimize the stress and maximizethe togetherness! The first is to cre-ate a holiday to-do board! It’s easyand it doesn’t have to be fancy or“Pinterest” worthy! Just haveeveryone in your family write downa holiday activity that they wouldlove to participate in during thenext couple of weeks, and togetheras a family you can work together tomake those things happen! Theseactivities don’t need to be fancy or

expensive! Here are some examples:Making sugar cookies, decoratingthem in the kitchen and sharingthem with friends and family! Howabout choosing a night to go look atChristmas lights in your pajamas?No one will know! What aboutpacking up a picnic of holiday good-ies, your favorite movies and show-ing up at your best friend’s housefor a holiday movie night? Maybeyour little one wants to see everyone

go ice-skating at the mall, or per-haps see a holiday movie on the bigscreen? Maybe it’s as simple as hav-ing hot chocolate by the fireplace, ifyou have one, or fire pit even!Whatever ideas your family comesup with, it should be a great conver-sation–starter and set the tone thatthe holidays really should be aboutbeing together, instead of accumu-lating mass quantities of stuff!

Be Creative!Another idea is to spend some

holiday time being creative! With allof the fancy phone apps, it’s nothard to take a picture that will makea beautiful holiday card, so grab afriend or a neighbor with a smartphone and take some fun picturesthat really show your family’s per-sonal sense of style! Pictures can beprinted off cheaply all around town,and you can even handcraft your

Make The Most out of Family Time This Holiday Season!


cards from scratch. There’s nothinglike a handmade holiday card! If youare too busy, you can easily haveyour picture made into a card that isready to pick up at the store the nexttime you go out for milk.

One of my favorite activities is aHoliday Themed Game Night! Youcan use your family’s favorite boardgames, play your own version of“Minute to Win It” or even havecontests like “Who can go thelongest without using theiriPhone/Tablet!” Set the stakes high– maybe the winner gets to choosethe next holiday movie or controlthe remote control for the next twohours. Perhaps they get to open thefirst present when it’s finally time!Think outside the box!

If you’ve never tried it, maybethis is the year to get your family orfriends together to make a ginger-bread house! Or everyone could makehis or her own and you’ll have a wholevillage of gingerbread. Have a contest!Set the rules, and then get out all ofthe old Halloween candy for decorat-ing, and use whatever else is left overin the pantry from cereal to chips tomake your own unique creation! Takelots of pictures and you won’t believehow much fun you’ll have! This is re-

ally a great activity for people of allages, artists and non-artists alike, andit’s a tasty activity too!

Give Back!Of course, eating is an essential

part of the holiday, so getting to-gether to bake is a given, but maybeyou can do something different thisyear and bake for someone else! Doyou know of anyone who is in need?Maybe going through a hard time?It doesn’t take a holiday to reach outand help others, but sometimes thistime is the best time to do just that.If you’d like to give back this season,there are myriads of opportunitiesout there. Many of the localchurches and synagogues offer op-portunities to help the needy! Thiscan be as easy as donating clothesfrom your own closets to going outand helping to serve the homeless.

Whatever you decide to do thisholiday, do it with love and kindness.For these are the roots of every holi-day celebration, and to be togetherat the holidays is really the greatestblessing of all.

Happy Holidays from all ofus at Neighborhood News andLifestyles! We look forward toserving you in 2015!


“At any given time Canine Estatescan have up to 35 dogs, some are spe-cial needs,” says Dolly Smith, of theCanine Estates rescue organization.She adds, “Most recently we took in awhole family of Chihuahua’s, all flea-infested. There were five in total andthen there were nine! At only 1 yearold and just a baby herself, this littleone gave birth to four puppies.Thankfully the puppies were bornsafely under the care of our vet tech.”

Canine Estates is a local non-profit organization that fosters andadopts out small dogs.

Dolly says, “Canine Estates isnot simply a rescue, we do not pickand choose the dogs that we take in.We take the ones others overlook,the blind, the sick or those very old.Deep down we always hope a “Spe-cial Person” will come along andadopt, because in the end they justwant a warm bed and someone tolove them. Precious is a beautifulgolden colored Lhasa Apso mix, 10year young and weighs 15 lbs. She isone of our senior gals but this breedhas been reported to live up to 20

years so she has a lot of wonderfulyears and love to give to her newfamily! She does have KCS (dry eye)and will require eye drops for her en-tire life. An adult home or one witholder children would be best for Pre-cious! She is very sweet, loving andplayful. She was found in Largo as astray by SPCA before coming to res-cue and is so ready to become part ofa family once again.”

Another Special Pup is Barney, abeautiful Shih-Tzu mix who has lim-ited vision in only one eye due to glau-coma. Dolly says, “Everyone at CanineEstates loves Barney. His eye was savedwhen we took him to our vet and anophthalmology doctor. He is so verysweet and loving and just draws you tohim. Barney does take medication inhis eyes but he doesn’t mind it. Dogsdo exceptionally well with limited eye-sight or even totally blind.”

Dolly urges, “Make an appoint-ment and meet some of our dogs atCanine Estates, you never know –your best friend just may be there togreet you.

There are other dogs on the list

for a “Home for the Hol-idays” that you may love!Prissy, a two-year-old MinPin mix weighing 16pounds with a beautifulblack shiny coat often de-scribed as regal looking!Puppy, one of the Chi-huahua family, is three years old andweighs only 5 pounds! Puppy wouldlove another small dog as a companionor he can fly solo! He craves atten-tion. Courtney is a Doxie Chihuahuamix, and is two years old and weighseight pounds. She loves chew bones,toys and gets along with other smalldogs but likes to be the leader!

Contactinformation:(727) 412-0558; (239)851-1468, www.CanineEstates.com;or email [email protected] them on facebook at www.face-book.com/CanineEstatesInc.

Adopt a Rescue Dog from Canine Estates!


By Dara Tucker

Ten years ago Longleaf Elemen-tary opened their doors wanting theirstudents to excel in academics and thearts. Under the direction of theirprincipal Jennifer Heptig and assistantprincipal Debra Wichmanowski, Lon-gleaf Elementary continues their long-standing tradition of educating thewhole child. Students focus onFlorida Standards and take high stakestesting just as they do in all publicschools in Pasco County; however, atLongleaf special area teachers (music,art, and physical education) are knownas enrichment teachers. These enrich-ment teachers communicate fre-quently with regular educationteachers to see how they can integratethe Florida Standards into the specialareas. This integration often allowsstudents to better comprehend newskills as they see how it applies to thearts and physical education.

MusicJames Wanker opened the music

department at Longleaf Elementary

and works with theschools’ second fulltime music teacher Jen-nifer St. Charles. Overthe years Longleaf hascreated two differentlevels of chorus forfourth and fifth graders.The Liberty singersconsists of over 100fourth and fifth gradesingers and has moreboys than any other ele-mentary choir in PascoCounty. Freedom is achoir that Libertysingers can audition totry to join. This smallerchoir focuses on morecomplex melodies andincludes dance move-ments in their perform-ances. Both choirs perform regularlyincluding three performances at TheShoppes at Wiregrass, River RidgeCenter for the Performing Arts, andeven Downtown Disney! On Decem-ber 5 over 100 fourth and fifth graderstraveled to Downtown Disney to per-

form an ensemble of holiday songsand music from the Disney movieFrozen. I attended the performancethis year and was teary-eyed at thebeautiful sounds these young childrenmake. Disney visitors were treated toan amazing show, and as you looked

around there were many little touristsspinning and twirling to the songs ofFrozen performed by the Longleafchoir. In past years, Freedom ReviewShow Choir has performed in Wash-ington D.C. as the Florida delegate tothe National Anthem Project. Free-

Longleaf Elementary Celebrates 10 Years of Education and Arts

Longleaf Elementary’s Liberty and Freedom choral groups perform at Disney yearly.(Photo by Heather Goldstein)


dom also represented the State ofFlorida in Honolulu for Hawaii’s Fifti-eth Birthday Celebration.

A third grade chorus starts in thespring, and second graders are alreadypracticing their choral skills in class.Speaking and listening skills are an es-sential part of the new Florida Stan-dards. Children that performregularly in front of audiences notonly practice their speaking skills, butalso are practicing their reading flu-ency in a real world context. Itdoesn’t feel to students that they arepracticing reading when they memo-rize their lyrics, or math as they countbeats to music!

Longleaf Elementary also per-forms an annual musical, which is di-rected by fourth grade teacher JaneneRedfield and James Wanker. The mu-sical provides another opportunity forstudents to audition and participate inan after school activity which allowsthem to put their English/LanguagesArts skills to use. In the past studentshave performed adaptions of Annie,Aladdin, Willy Wonka , Jungle Bookand The Little Mermaid to a live audi-ence at night. Auditions for the musi-cal is something many students starttalking about shortly after school starts

in the fall – before the musical for theyear is even decided on!

ArtIn addition to weekly art, fourth

and fifth graders receive a “Call toArtists” inviting them to try out for aweekly art club called Modern Mas-ters. This small group of studentsare able to learn more advanced arttechniques in the before school set-ting, and their art is able to be morestudent driven. For years, includingthis coming year, Longleaf hashosted summer art camps. Thesecamps allow for students to keeptheir creativity flowing during thesummer and use art mediums, suchas clay, that they don’t find at mostsummer camps.

Longleaf Art Department believesdisplaying student artwork is an im-portant part of the visual arts processand participates yearly in several localshows such as Pasco County Fair. Stu-dents learn the connection between vi-sual art and writing as they are taughtto “edit and revise” their pieces withan artist’s eye before their pieces aredisplayed. Because today’s studentswill be creating art in a digital world,Longleaf Elementary School’s art

teachers worked with students on theinternational introduction to com-puter science called the Hour of Codefor the first time this year.

Physical EducationDonna Qualtiere and Susan Er-

ickson take their physical educationdepartment to the next level. Theywon the “Back to Football Contest”put on by Play 60, with the grantearning them enough money to builda fitness trail. They accomplished aGuinness Book of World records byperforming the world’s largest hula-hoop workout. Each year they host aduathlon with over 100 children par-ticipating and an annual hula hoopchallenge that has children hula hoop-ing for up to 5 hours. The ESE stu-dents at Longleaf Elementaryparticipate in Special Olympics includ-ing: softball skills, bowling, cycling,soccer team and soccer skills. Lon-gleaf physical education hosts the sec-tional NFL Punt Pass and Kickcontest, and participates in FitnessGram. The coaches work to fosterteamwork, good sportsmanship andhealthy habits among all their studentsin order to foster lifetime skills thatwill serve them well as they grow into

productive, active adults.

Mini Majors After visiting a school of the arts

in Polk County, Longleaf Elemen-tary’s enrichment team and adminis-trators were excited to model a MiniMajor in our county. Mini Majors arean exploratory arts wheel for fourthand fifth graders. Every seven weeksstudents rotate through an introduc-tion to an area of the fine or perform-ance arts. This year these rotationsinclude dance, photography, greenscreen, glass fusing, and musical the-atre. The school has received fabulousfeedback from students about MiniMajors, including students saying theydon’t ever want to miss school onMini Major days!

Longleaf Elementary is proud tocelebrate their tenth anniversary thisyear, and even prouder of their staffand students who make the school ashining star in our community.

Longleaf Elementary is locatedat 3252 Town Avenue in the beau-tiful Longleaf subdivision. Lon-gleaf is under the leadership ofPrincipal Jennifer Heptig and Assis-tant Principal Debra Wich-manowski.


3/2/2 1708 htd sq ft. Just moveright into This home which offerswood cabinets, stainless steel ap-pliances, designer style laminateflooring, vaulted lace ceilings,plant shelves. plus much more!Fabulouse pond view! $245,000

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By Marcy Sanford

“Friendship and peace, may itbloom and grow,” sang members ofThe Friendship Singers at the begin-ning of their 20th Anniversary Cele-bration in December. Member aftermember of the group will tell you thatwhile they are proud of the joy andpeace they bring to the people theysing to, being a member of the groupbrings joy and peace to them person-ally as well: the joy of forging new andlasting friendships and the peace ofknowing there is a community of peo-ple to celebrate with you during happytimes and support you during difficultones.

“A friend told me about theFriendship Singers 19 years ago,” saysJoyce Allen. “I have always loved tosing. I like going to the nursing homesand being able to entertain the pa-tients there. It is wonderful to be ableto bring a little comfort and happinessto people’s day. I also really appreciatethe fellowship of the group. Everyonelooks out for each other and comfortsand helps each other through our own

difficult times.”Alberta Bailey echoes Joyce’s sen-

timents. “My husband and I both lovethe fellowship among the group. Welove going to the nursing homes andsinging and visiting with people, manywho don’t ever have visitors. It is a joyto talk to them and sing for them. Ourdirector, Delores Gast, is a wonder-

fully patient person. She is very caringand concerned and is always lookingout for other members when they aresick or down. She does a great job ofencouraging us as a community.”

With some encouragement fromfriends, Delores began The FriendshipSingers 20 years ago after retiringfrom her job of 22 years as a church

choir director. She is thrilled with theway the group has grown since then.“We have new people join us everyyear,” says Delores. We started with12 members and now have more than40. We’ve entertained thousands ofpeople. The most wonderful part ofbeing in The Friendship Singers is tosee the happy faces of the residents

Friendship Singers Celebrate 20 Harmonious Years!

(left)Delores Gast is the Director of the Frienship Singers, which celebrates 20 years this month. The group welcomesnew members and currently has 40 members who bring smiles to the faces of those they visit and sing to.


during our performances. Many ofthem don’t have visitors on a regularbasis and it is nice to be able to enter-tain them and bring some joy intotheir lives.”

Delores says that the group isopen to anyone who is interested insinging, “Our youngest member is ahigh school student and our oldest is92 years old. We have people who liveall over the area from Dade City toCarrollwood, Odessa to WesleyChapel. In addition to the joy we getfrom performing for nursing homeresidents, we have all become like fam-

ily to each other. It isa wonderful groupof people.”

After their holi-day performances atthe BaldomeroLopez State VeteransHome, First BaptistChurch, and the OldSchoolhouse in Lutz,The FriendshipSingers will take abrief break. They willresume rehearsalsand performing inJanuary.

The only re-quirement for becoming one of TheFriendship Singers is a love ofsinging. The group practices twice amonth at the Land O’ Lakes SeniorCitizens Center and typically per-forms twice a month at homes andcenters throughout Hillsboroughand Pasco County. For more infor-mation on becoming a member,please contact Joe Berling at 813-997-1454 [email protected] or JoyceRuby at 813-468-3095, oremail [email protected].

20 Years of Friendships and Singing!


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Educare Preschool in New PortRichey follows the same guidelines asthe locations in Pinellas.

Dawn explains, “Our teachers arerequired to keep a transition log, sobasically we know everything they aredoing throughout the day. We also getEmergency Release Forms from par-ents on all of our students and we dolocal background checks on everyonewho works here. These are things thataren’t required in Pasco County, butEducare Preschool wants to providethe highest level of care possible. Westay below the teacher-to-student ra-tios that are required by PascoCounty.” Prior to becoming a partnerand the Director of the New PortRichey location, Dawn was the Direc-tor at the Countryside Educare Pre-school, and brings years of experienceto this newest location, striving tomake it a family-like, warm atmos-phere conducive to learning.

Parents and visitors alike must bebuzzed in through the locked frontdoor of Educare Preschool, for addedsecurity. The open and welcominglobby is brightly decorated and has a

comfortable seating area and behindthe front desk is a large monitor show-ing views of the entire facility fromthe cameras throughout.

Educare Preschool is equipped tocare for infants as young as eightweeks to preschool-aged children, butthe 12,000-square-foot facility also hasenough space for summer camp,which the facility plans on offering thissummer to school-aged children.

There is a large outdoor play area,which the teachers try to use every dayif the weather permits, as well as ahuge indoor play area. While each ofthe age groups are kept in separateareas, the low walls allow Dawn tooversee every area at all times.

Personally, I liked the open feel ofthe big space at Educare Preschool,and all of the children in the classeswere happy and well attended. MissNola had her class of 4-year-olds inthe VPK program mesmerized atstory-telling time. They listened in-tently and followed her directioneagerly, proving that these little onesare going to know what it takes to bea successful student, even at theiryoung age.

Educare Preschool is an approvedVPK provider. Dawn points out thatthe VPK program is free to everyone

and is not income-based. It provides agood learning foundation for childrenprior to entering kindergarten, so theycan go in to their primary school yearsready to learn and already knowinghow to behave in a school setting.

Learning is a big part of growingup, and Educare Preschool tries tomake learning fun. Here, young minds

learn through play and hands-on,creative activities, which also encour-age the development of physical, socialand emotional skills.

According to their ability, eachweek the children are taught a numberof things – a Spanish word, a signfrom American Sign Language, acolor, a number and a shape – which

“Educare”Continued from page 1

Dawn Windstrup, Director of Educare Preschool in New Port Richey


they are encouraged to rememberthrough use of a theme and theme-related activities and games. The kids’artwork is displayed everywhere,giving them a sense of pride in theirability to create. Learning throughart, music and movement are dailyactivities at Educare Preschool.

Kids absolutely love it whentheir parents are involved in theirworld and Educare encourages thisspecial time through family-friendlydays like “Donuts with Dad” andMuffins with Mom.”

Educare Preschool provides everychild with a hot, nutritious breakfast

and lunch, as well as snacks. Themenus, which are rotated, meet theguidelines set forth by the USDAFood Program, so parents can focuson what they have to during the day,knowing that their child is receivingtwo balanced meals while in the careof his or her teacher at EducarePreschool. A full-time chef preparesall of the meals for the three EducarePreschool facilities at Educare’sCountryside location.

If you are looking for a pre-school or daycare where your childwill be safe, and will flourish underthe care of qualified caregivers who

will provide a fun, activity-enrichedcurriculum, then visit the EducarePreschool in New Port Richey.

Educare Preschool’s 3 locationsare open Mon.–Fri., 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.For more information and theaddresses to the Countryside and

Palm Harbor locations, visit onlineat www.educarepreschool.net.

If you are interested in schedul-ing a tour of the New Port Richeylocation, at 3545 Universal Plaza,please call Dawn Windstrup at(727) 849-4200.

Educare Preschool, is an approved VPK provider, and provides care for babies as young as eight weeks and preschool-aged children. The teachers at Educare Preschool are dedicated to providing a nurturing environment where kids learn through fun activities, art and music.


Offering a range of services tohelp patients with hearing concerns,Dr. Hansen helps people of all ages,from children to the elderly who havehearing loss, ringing in the ears (Tin-nitus) and other inner ear concerns.Hearing loss usually develops gradu-ally over time, although some hearingloss can be sudden. Whatever is goingon, you can be sure that there’s noguesswork going on at Trinity Hear-ing & Balance, as they have the verybest technology on hand. Combinedwith an educated staff that is patientand caring, it’s no surprise that peoplerecommend Dr. Hansen.

Dr. Hansen says, “I perform hear-ing evaluations for children and adults,determining whether or not it is atemporary hearing loss or permanentnerve damage.” She adds, “Somehearing loss is medically treatablewhich is why a diagnostic hearing testis important to rule in or rule out amedical component that could becontributing to the hearing loss.”

While hearing loss cannot be re-versed, there are many options thatcan help! Whether you live a very busy

lifestyle, or you tend to enjoy thequiet, Trinity Hearing & Balance canhelp you find the right hearing aid foryou. Today’s hearing aids are smaller,and less noticeable, unless of courseyou want to be noticed, and then ofcourse, they come in a wide range offun colors. The most important thingis that they work when you needthem. Dr. Hansen and her staff arewell versed in the many different typesand styles available and they can helpyou navigate the many options.

Offering free hearing screeningsand demonstrations of the latest hear-ing aid technology, Dr. Hansen wantspeople to know that there are solu-tions. Most of the time, it’s not some-thing you have to suffer through orlive with. Specializing in advanced dig-ital hearing aids, Dr. Hansen has spe-cial training in how to fit them to yourindividual specifications. The newesttechnology allows people to hear atthe dinner table when seated in a noisyrestaurant, have less feedback, and areless irritating to wear than the modelsthat came before them.

Additionally, the staff at TrinityHearing & Balance takes care of theirpatients long-term, regularly removingearwax when necessary and makingsure that the hearing aids are working

as they are intended. This is all part ofDr. Hansen’s dedication and personal-ized approach.

Robert and Joan said, “Wewanted to let you know… we appreci-ate your care and patience. You didnot rush us or mind taking the time todo things right. We have had such badluck with other hearing aids. It seemsall we did was send the hearing aids tobe repaired and pay more money. At

times we thought we would never findany help or be able to hear. Our homelife was very frustrating as you canimagine. Now, it is unbelievable wefeel like life is worth living again. Wehighly recommend Dr. Hansen.”

Balance, Dizziness & VertigoDizziness is one of the most com-

mon health complaints in the world,and often, it’s a symptom that indi-

“Hearing”Continued from page 1

Nikki Goldowski, Dr. Kelly Hansen with Lucy, and Christine Smith of Trinity Hearing & Balance wish you a Happy & Safe Holiday Season


cates to physicians that something elseis going on. Often, it has something todo with the inner ear. These condi-tions can lead to balance issues, mak-ing it difficult to live a full life!Millions of Americans are living withvertigo, and it’s a very difficult condi-tion to “live with.” It can strike at anytime, and one minute you’re fine andthe next minute the floor seems to berushing up to meet you!

Dr. Hansen says, “I get a lot ofreferrals from primary care doctorsabout dizziness!”

Scientifically, the ear is a master-piece! And inside your inner ear,there are particles that help centeryou, and assist you with balance.These particles can become dis-placed, and when even one particlegets out of place, it can cause dizzi-ness, nausea, disorientation, balanceproblems and of course vertigo. Thisis called Positional Vertigo, and it cannow be cured in her office! To helpmake things easier for patients to un-derstand, Dr. Hansen has institutedan amazing program called “ePa-tient.” This program helps patientsto really understand each step intheir care, and simplifies things intolayman’s terms.

To best treat her patients, Dr.

Hansen has brought in the very besttechnology out there to help diag-nose and treat patients who sufferfrom dizziness and vertigo associatedwith the inner ear. This genius pieceof equipment looks like somethingout of a NASA training program, butit can actually resolve vertigo issuesright away! It’s called the Epley Om-niax System.

The Epley Omniax System actu-ally uses goggles that are fitted withcameras that monitor a patient’s eyes.Once Dr. Hansen is able to diagnosewhat is happening using the EpleyOmniax System, she is able to rotatethe patient 360 degrees, and actuallyguide the particles back into the innerear where they belong! This is the fu-ture of vertigo treatment! The bestpart is that patients who have thiskind of vertigo may only need thisone time treatment!

Fred, a patient of Trinity Hearing& Balance said, “Thank you so muchfor giving me a life without vertigo!”

Don’t miss another minute. Ifyou or a loved one is suffering fromhearing loss or dizziness associatedwith vertigo, there are a number oftreatment options available at TrinityHearing & Balance!

Trinity Hearing & BalanceCenter is located at 8605 EasthavenCt., Suite 101, at the River Cross-ing Professional Center in NewPort Richey. Hours are Mon. –Thurs., 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., and by ap-pointment only on Friday. To makean appointment, call 727-755-0391. Trinity Hearing & BalanceCenter is a provider for most insur-ance plans, and offers 12 month in-terest-free hearing aid financing.For more information, visitwww.TrinityHearingandBalance.com.


New Port Richey's own, 23-year-old Slim Boy Alex, has been playingguitar and singing around town sincethe age of 14, so a lot of folks in thearea have had a chance to watch himperform, but what you may not knowis that he was called back for a secondaudition with the hit NBC showAmerica's Got Talent and he still hasa shot at being chosen for the show’stenth season. Producers from Amer-ica’s Got Talent were in Tampa hold-ing auditions on November 2, 2014.

“There were thousands of peoplethere and the entire atmosphere waselectrifying,” shares Allen Markow,who is Alex’s father. Slim Boy Alexhad a "scheduled" time of 9 a.m. Hegot there at 6:45 a.m. and the line toget into the convention center wentaround the building then looped backand forth like waiting for the latestDisney World ride. He didn’t even getinto the building until after 9 a.m.After filling out a ton of paperworkand signing his life away, Slim BoyAlex said, “Then the fun began!”

A different world unfolded at theaudition! The “holding area” was alarge room with chairs, lights, and

cameras on long boom poles and a lotof talented people running around.The center stage area was a hub of ac-tion, where all day long acts were get-ting up and performing. At timesthere would be five different jugglers,or six people trying to sing differentthings at the same time.

“There were times when theywere filming and we all had to gocrazy,” says Slim Boy Alex. “So, forthe next eight hours, I waited for mynumber to come up. They took 50people at a time down out for the au-ditions. Around 5 p.m., my numberwas called. I went into a smaller room

and there were two judges. I only had90 seconds and I had rehearsed a songcalled Flagpole Sitta by Harvey Dan-ger. The reaction was immediate andpositive. I was told to wait outside theroom. I waited about an hour and saweveryone else have their audition andleave. I was then asked to come to an-other room for a second audition. Iwas ready with a song by Jim Croce,Don’t Mess Around with Jim. On thesecond round, the judges were veryhappy and one said, ‘There is some-thing about you that I cannot keep myeyes off of.’ Then by 11 p.m. thatnight I was able to go home. It was along day but a good one.”

About Slim Boy AlexSlim Boy Alex has lived in New

Port Richey since the age of 11. Origi-nally from Maryland, he took up gui-tar around the age of 9. His dad Allensays, “When most kids were playingvideo games, he would spend thattime playing guitar. This was beforeYouTube when you had to work hardfiguring out songs and having patiencewas key.” Allen says that singing hasbeen great for his son. Slim Boy Alex

Slim Boy Alex Takes on America’s Got Talent

Slim Boy Alex is waiting to hear back from the producers of the NBC hit showAmerica’s Got Talent to see if he will be chosen to compete


loves to perform and bring the housedown, but singing has been helpful tohim personally, too. Allen says, “Hestutters at times when he speaks buthe sings many songs that have a lot ofwords in them. Playing music andsinging has helped his stuttering im-prove a lot over the years.”

A lot of people in our area al-ready know that Slim Boy Alex hastalent because they’ve seen him grow-ing up playing music and singing.When Insomniacs on US 19 was justa tea and coffee house Slim Boy Alexwould go there every Tuesdayevening and practice in front of a live

audience. Now Insomniacs is a barand you can still catch him playingthere every now and then.

Right now, on Tuesdays SlimBoy Alex will be at Seaside Inn onUS 19 from 6 to 10 p.m., and atWhiskey River on Wednesdays from6 to 10 p.m., and then at the VillagePub from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m.Other places around town whereSlim Boy Alex plays at times are TheCrab Shack, Fisherman Shack, SimsPark, Clearwater Beach Sunset Festi-val and many more. “Like” Slim BoyAlex on facebook for updates onAmerica’s Got Talent.


To place your ad, please call Jim O’Reilly at 943-0551TRINITY AREA Color Classifıedsence in tile, natural stone, laminate and hard-wood flooring. Can provide referenced uponrequest. No job too big or too small. We aimto please! Don’t waste your money or yourtime on your next flooring project. CallGilberto, 813-401-4593 or Ethan 813-493-7426.

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LAWN CARE - GREEN WITH ENVY.Fertilization Lawn, Shrub and Pest ControlSpecialist. Hire Green with Envy and hireyour neighbor. We have over 22 years in thebusiness. We would love to earn your busi-ness! Full Service Chemical Company, Liquid& Granular Fertilization, Weed Control andInsect Control. Call Green with Envy for afree estimate and ask us about a Trinity neigh-bor discount. We are licensed and insured. (727) 772-4177.

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Reliable and honest cleaning lady offeringprofessional cleaning service. I will also walkyour pet and care for your home if in need ofa vacation. Over 25 years of experience! If youare looking for an organized and efficientcleaning person, call today for appointment.727-372-2823 or 727-505-4798

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EDUCATIONAL INSTRUCTION

Tutoring for elementary students by (re-tired) teacher with 35 years experience. Willpersonalize practice in reading, writing ormath. References available. Watch your childgain more self-confidence as skills improve!Call Dianne @ 376-3700.

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H E L P W A N T E D

Trinity Fitness Center and Weight LossClinic LOOKING to fill positions in Sales!!Rodan + Fields Skin Care Line needs busi-ness reps who are passionate about helpingothers with skin care treatment productsand earning commission based pay! ALSO,looking for a eager self starter as a weightloss coach!! Commission based pay for bothpositions and must love to network and besocial! WILL TRAIN the right person.SEND resume or any info in regards tothese jobs to [email protected] call 727-463-1250.

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G A R A G E S A L E

Annual Garage Sale. Saturday, January24th from 7:30 am to 2:00 pm at SevenSprings Golf and Country Club, located at3535 Trophy Blvd., New Port Richey, FL34655. The garage sale is sponsored by theSeven Springs Ladies Golf Association.

S E R V I C E S A V A I L A B L E

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KleanSlate Professional Cleaning Service -How do you want to spend your time? Let usfocus on the cleaning, so you can focus onwhatever you choose! We are a Licensed, In-sured & Bonded professional cleaning com-pany serving Pasco, Pinellas & HillsboroughCounties. Weekly, biweekly & monthly ratesavailable. Call today for a free in home esti-mate! Ask us about our Fall Cleaning Special:$75 OFF ($25 OFF your first, third and fifthcleanings) - (866) 88-KLEAN (885-5326).

Lilly Pad Pet Sitting. 20 years vet tech andpet sitting experience. Licensed and insured.Reasonable rates and extremely reliable, highquality service! I care for: horses, goats,dogs, cats, birds and exotics. The best careout there for all of your pets! Contact Jackieat: (727)255-9432

Frank's Handyman Service. No job toosmall. FREE Estimates. Senior Discounts.Call 813-625-2765. Insured.

Deborah's Bookkeeping Service. No JobToo Small! 20+ years experience. Reason-

able rates. Call or email for your day orevening appointment to discuss your book-keeping needs. 727-376-2340 [email protected]

Dorothy Cleaning Services. Houses, Apart-ments, Offices, Vacancies, Move In/Out,Free Estimates. Call us today! 727-372-5431

AFFORDABLE POWER WINDOW RE-PAIR - BILLY FIX-IT SERVICES (MO-BILE SERVICE) “WE COME TO YOU”.Specializing in •Power Window Repair•Power Door Locks •Door Handle Replace-ment •Side View Mirrors •Door Glass Re-placement. Over 8 years in Pinellas Countynow serving Pasco County. Mention this adto receive $10. off a new window motorand/or regulator replacement. CALLBILLY FIX-IT SERVICES 727-793-4624OR VISIT www.powerwindowguy.comFOR A FREE QUOTE!

CNA Offering Non Medical and MedicalCare. Designed to fit individuals needs. In-cludes flexible hours and over nights.Housekeeping, errands, doctors visits, trans-portation, meal prep, special dietary needs,and medication supervision. To customize aplan for you or your loved one , call BarbWilken at 727-277-8562 or email [email protected]. References andlevel 1 and level 2 back ground checksavailable upon request.

CAKES FOR FUN-Reasonably priced Dec-orated Cakes for all occasions, made especiallyfor you. From small parties to corporateevents. Also available, Cupcake Towers andCookie Trays. Over 25 dog breed cookie cut-ters! Minimum 2 week notice, more forlarger events including weddings. Visit oursite: http://xanadu05.wix.com/cakes-for-fun or call (727) 375-5446.

A NEW LOOK Pressure Washing-2 cardriveway $55 (includes all front sidewalks).Add $10ea. for 3 car and corner lots. MostPool Decks & Cage $125. Fascia, soffits,gutters $100-$125 or whole home exteriormost $150-$200. Fences $1per foot. Land-scape cleanup and odd jobs too.www.anewlookpw.com. Call Randy 727-271-2920

HOUSE CLEANING SERVICES: 14 Yrs.Experience, Honest, Reliable, ReasonableRates, Trinity References. Call Rhonda:(727) 326-5447

Mary's Cleaning Service - Licensed, Insured& Bonded professional serving Pasco, Pinel-las & Hillsborough Counties. No home toolarge or small. We supply all the necessarycleaning products that will leave your homelooking & smelling wonderful! We are a petfriendly company & treat your pets & homeas if they were our own. Weekly, biweekly &monthly rates available. Call for a free inhome estimate today & get all of your house-cleaning needs fulfilled. Call Mary (727)389-0347

Tile and Hardwood Installation. Experi-enced and competitive. Over 20 years experi-

Trinity - Vol. 10, Issue 12, December 2014

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Transcript of Trinity - Vol. 10, Issue 12, December 2014