Publisher's Note

Welcome to a very special edition of All About Women of the High Country for March and April. When the winter weather shows signs of breaking in the spring, a young woman’s (and also a young man’s) fancy often turns to thoughts of building a life with that special person. If we are not planning a wedding ourselves, most of us know a friend or relative who is doing just that. We have included lots of tips and suggestions for that wonderful event, plus articles on lots of other subjects in this issue. Enjoy!

When I read through the various articles on weddings, I chuckled to myself because both Sherrie and I are in unique positions to know the wedding scene very well. For many years, Sherrie ran a catering business and I’ll bet she lost count of the number of wedding parties she planned. I, on the other hand, was married to a Charlotte bandleader and owned Goodman Entertainment & Events in the Queen City. And yes, I have lost count of the number of weddings and related events for which we provided the music.

One thing both Sherrie and I stressed in our businesses was to book early. On many choice dates, yours won’t be the only one. The earlier you chose your caterer, your musicians, your florist, your location, etc., the better. Many bands book up a year in advance; certainly six months is about the closest you can cut it.

The best way to find good music is by word of mouth. Ask around. Find the musicians everybody enjoyed at that wedding you attended last year. The second best way is to choose a reliable musical entertainment agency. With an agency, if something happens to your planned musicians at the last minute, a very good substitute can usually be found with a minimum of trouble. After all, weddings are supposed to be fun, right?

By the time the next issue of All About Women comes out the first of May, we should be seeing leaves popping out on the trees and some spring flowers. I, for one, would like to fast forward to that point! Of course we’d miss St. Patrick’s Day and Easter and lots of birthdays and other occasions.

But, in the meantime, sit down with some good reading material (and you are holding some of the best!) and enjoy whatever nature throws at us for March and April.

As always, we welcome your suggestions and comments. You are the reason we exist and we want to provide content you’ll enjoy reading. So, let us hear from you.

Have a great March and April!
Nancy





Editor’s Note

Can it be? Is that a robin I see? Spring is just around the corner and what a busy time it will be. (Did I just write a poem?)

As they often do this time of year, weddings, proms, graduations, municipal elections and so much more will soon be filling our calendars and making memories for all involved.

Garden plots will soon be cleared, lingering debris from winter’s destructive storms removed, and riversides occupied once again with faithful fishers in pursuit of the big catch.

And speaking of the big catch––nothing warms my heart much more than a lovely bride on her wedding day, unless it’s a newborn baby (but we’ll go there later!).

As you’ve already noticed by the gorgeous bride on our cover, it’s time to turn our focus to engagements, weddings, receptions and all the planning that goes with them.

In this exciting issue that lends itself to a breath of fresh, spring air, you will meet several women––and men––who are glimmers of light and who spread warmth throughout their corners of the world.

The lovely Jama Greene Maples, shown on our cover, grew up in Watauga County while watching plenty of fairy tale movies and always knew in her heart that she would one day meet her Prince Charming and ride off into the sunset. She did just that. You will love her story!

I can’t wait for you to read about Gloria Marquez, a local RN who at 67 recently ran the Disneyland Marathon in Anaheim, CA, just a while after hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. Quite an accomplishment, don’t you think?

We have packed this magazine full of life’s greatest moments for several women––and the men we can’t live without.

We hope you savor every morsel of this magazine! We continue to be amazed and extremely grateful for all the compliments and words of encouragement we hear every time we produce another issue.

As always, we ask that you please support our advertisers who make it all possible. I do not say this lightly, because we could not make this magazine available to you without them.

Okay, this is the March-April edition. So, Happy Women’s History Month; Happy Easter; and Happy Birthday to both of my sisters, Gail and Sandy, and my two nieces, Makenzie and Renee, a special cousin, Patti, and one of my two best lifelong friends, Gina; plus lots of other wonderful folks in my life who are celebrating during this time––too many to mention and most others are men, anyway!

(Clay Mohr, 60 never looked so good!)

Growing older, but better together––
Sherrie