10 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2017 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2017 11 JOIN OUR FAMILY! GoodLifeFamily has opportunities for tenured account executives and student writers. For more information, emailTricia@goodlifefamilymag.com. Contributors - Sheryl THE GOOD PEOPLE at goodLIFEfamily PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sheryl Lilly Pidgeon Sheryl@goodlifefamilymag.com Direct: 214.476.8131 EDITORIAL TEAM TriciaWhite ManagingEditor Tricia@goodlifefamilymag.com Direct: 214.725.1981 Elle Parks FashionEditor Elle@goodlifefamilymag.com Rick Seaney TravelEditor Rick.Seaney@farecompare.com COPY EDITORS Audra Glidewell Tracy Graivier Bell Senior Copy Editors Jordan Kiefer Copy Editor WRITERS Lisa Beach Karyn Brodsky Kristin Cicciarelli Cindy Greenberg Kelli McMullen Dawn Bluemel Oldfield Lindsey Pidgeon Deb Silverthorn AliciaWanek ErinWanek ADVERTISING TEAM Amy Lendl Advertising Manager Advertising@goodlifefamilymag.com Melinda Bogoslavsky AdvertisingAccountExecutive Melinda@goodlifefamilymag.com Direct: 214.603.9478 Lizabeth DeBoe AdvertisingAccountExecutive Lizabeth@goodlifefamilymag.com Direct: 214.727.9986 Mendy Lea AdvertisingConsultant Mendy@goodlifefamilymag.com Direct: 214.228.5052 CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Melton jennifer@goodlifefamilymag.com PRODUCTION TEAM Jaxie Pidgeon MarketingAssistant Bill Brock Videographer Bill@whiterockfilms.com SOCIAL MEDIA/DIGITAL MARKETING PixelCutLabs GOOD LIFE FAMILY 3308 PRESTON ROAD, STE 350 PMB #113 PLANO, TX 75093 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com LIVE. LAUGH. LEARN. (UNPLUG!) REPEAT. Colin Smith Estate Law Expert Colin Smith obtained a computer science degree from the University of Texas and worked as a software consultant for ten yearsbeforereturningtotheclassroomon nights and weekends, earning his law de- gree from SMU in 2010. Colin finds that helping families plan for the future is most rewarding and focuses his legal career on estate and business planning, especially living trusts. Colin is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association, and the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association. In his free time, he enjoys golfing with his children, leading a Cub Scout den, at- tending University of Texas football and Texas Ranger games, andwoodworking. Rebecca Baker TheJimUtleyFoundation Dr. Dean Beckloff PediatricTherapist Dr. Kwabena Blankson AdolescentMedicinePhysician Nishima Chudasama ProgramDirector,NestFoundation Dr. Sandy Gluckman FunctionalBehavior&HealthSpecialist Vanita Halliburton FounderandPresident, TheGrantHalliburtonFoundation Donald Hooton, Jr. EducationPrograms TheTaylorHootonFoundation Anne Hudson DisabilityHiringSpecialist,LaunchAbility Dr. Cary A. Israel PresidentEmeritusofCollinCollege William McLaughlin PISDHumanResourcesDirector Whitney Rosenbalm RichlandCollege&CollegiateHighSchool Charmaine Solomon Co-Founder, MyPossibilities Libby Spears Filmmaker,ChildAdvocate Dr. Susan Sugerman AdolescentMedicinePhysician KellyWaterman AdvocateforKidswithSpecialNeeds Dean Beckloff, PhD Family Counseling Specialist Dr. Beckloff maintains an active coun- seling practice in Dallas, specializing in treatment for children’s issues and fam- ilies going through divorce. Dr. Beckloff has extensive experience, including teaching, working as a school counselor, providing teacher training, and working at the Center for Play Therapy at the University of NorthTexas. He is also active in his community, working with child-focused community groups; his desire is to see kids and families thrive despite the stressors of life. ABOUT US There are two things parents hope to give their children: roots and wings. But it’s often hard to know if the decisions we’re making are the right ones, especially when the world is changing so quickly. GoodLifeFamily is a resource for parents with kids tweens to twenties. Extensive and insightful content addresses the daily joys and struggles of finding a balance between kids and parents while keeping ourselves sane in the process. You’ll meet inspiring women and men who have stared down life’s challenges, survived, and now are willing to share their journey with you. GoodLifeFamilyis committed to making a difference in the lives of our families, friends and communities as the go-to source. We’re living, we’re learning, and most important, we’re laughing.We hope you will too. CONTACT US SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE: GoodLifeFamilyMag.com/subscribe ADVERTISE: Advertising@goodlifefamilymag.com SUBMIT EDITORIAL IDEAS: Tricia@goodlifefamilymag.com Ryan J. Blair FinancialStrategist,WealthManager Ryan has assisted families in achieving their financial goals for over 10 years with SFMG. He believes a client’s goals and values should drive the wealth manage- ment process, and his primary objective is to build lifelong partnerships with cli- ents through trust. As Director of Wealth Management, he is responsible for the oversight of the firm’s wealth management process. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association. goodPOINT The Gift of Being Present Rick Seaney Financial/Investment Strategist Internationally known travel and airfare expert Rick Seaney, CEO and co-founder of FareCompare, is the media’s go-to resource for airline industry news. Rick’s missionisclear:“Iwanttohelpconsumersfindthebestflight deals available every time they shop”and he loves to share his insider information. Besides his advice blog on FareCom- pare, Rick began writing a weekly column for ABCNews back in 2008 which continues to this day; he is also USA Today’s Airfare Expert columnist as well as a regular contributor to Fox News and is frequently quoted in the pages of the New YorkTimes,WallSt.Journal,HuffingtonPostandmore. Jeff Anderson Partner, ONDA Jeffrey O. Anderson is a partner in the Family Law firm of Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP, with offices in Dallas and Frisco. He has devoted his legal career to Family Law litigation and the betterment of the field of Family Law as a whole. He is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and he is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Trisha Cunningham CEO, NorthTexas Food Bank Trisha Cunningham is the President and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. Prior to joining NTFB, Trisha worked at Texas Instruments (TI), recently serving as Chief Citizenship Officer. Trisha sig- nificantly expanded TI’s philanthropic efforts, most notably increasing volunteer efforts 13-fold during her tenure.Trisha works with local nonprofits and has an executive certificate in nonprofit management through the University ofTexas at Dallas. 2017 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Deborah Walsh Dobbs, M.A. Deborah is a sociologist with 21 years experience at The Counseling Place, a non-profit agency dedicated to empow- ering victims of crime. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin and her Master of Arts from the Univer- sity of NorthTexas. Deborah is a self-described lover of food, whiskey and wine. She is also proud to be a mother, wife, non-profit leader and writer. Stacy Hyde, M.A., LPC StacyisagraduateoftheUniversityofAr- kansas where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and later obtained her Master of Arts in Counseling from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Stacy is a Licensed Professional Counselor, currently serving clients at The Counseling Place, a non-profit agency dedicated to empowering victims of crime. Stacy believes in meeting her clients where they are and helping to guide them to where they want to be. goodPEOPLE I bet you are holding your cell phone, or it is at least at a hand’s reach. Can’t seem to get through the day without scouring social media for the most up-to-the-minute details of what you are missing out on? We are living in a technology revolution, people. The instant access to information is truly mind-blowing, but it is also distracting and so very different from when we were kids. In those years, hanging out with friends and family meant talking face to face, and TV created opportunities to gather to hear the news or be entertained. Memories were made as a family, whether it was witnessing history with each NASA launch, trying to stay up all night with Jerry Lewis for the annual telethon, or watching the newest episode of our favorite family-friendly sitcom together. Today life is a high-speed connection counted in nano-seconds and illustrated in pixels. We don’t even print photos anymore, and scrapbooking is soon to be a long-lost art. Our visual history is stored on our digital devices and in a cloud that we hope will never malfunction lest we lose our memories. If the internet is down, we are down and out. Yes, technology is amazing and has changed how we are connected to the world, but at what cost? Are we losing our connection to one another? It is increasingly tempting to look over there rather than focus on what is right here. I call this “Distracted Living Syndrome.” Too many options, too much information. It’s harder to focus and to hold a conversation in person rather than via text, and when we are together, we spend too much time looking at the top of the other person’s head since their eyes are on their screen — and vice versa. I think you’ll agree that the newly implemented no-texting-while- driving laws are beneficial and were designed to help us be more focused, less distracted drivers. If we take our eyes off the road to text, we risk losing control. Although the physical repercussions are not as serious, when we look down at our devices, we take our eyes off our lives and miss out on personal connections. I think we need some strategies to help us FOCUS on everyday personal interactions too. My 18-year-old daughter, Jaxie, has begun calling for a “phone stack” at our dinner table because she found herself alone in conversation even though we were all seated shoulder to shoulder. Maybe this isn’t the perfect solution, and clearly we need to implement many more, but at least it’s a start. The holidays have always been my favorite time of year — and for good reason. They’re a time of good food, of traditions, of celebration, of sharing, of family and friends gathering together. So this holiday season, my resolution is to be here without technology getting in the way. I’m planning to starve my distractions and feed my focus. GLF is focused on helping you live the good life.  In this issue, we hope you find useful tips and sage advice to help you unplug and enjoy the spirit of the season. Thank you for being a part of our GLF family.  I wish you and your family a joyous winter break with plenty of time to “hang up and hang out.” Live for the moments you can’t put into words. Elle Parks Photographer & Stylist Elle Parks is a commercial photogra- pher/stylist and designer based in Dal- las. Her work has appeared in national and local publications including Vogue, Texas Monthly and D Magazine. Her background is in the fashion industry, with her experience in places like New York and Milan, it allows her to design each shoot as unique as her clients. Andrea Katz Avid Reader After 20 years in commercial real estate sales, Andrea Peskind Katz founded Gre- atthoughts.com due to her love of read- ing. She is always looking for the next great read and the next great beach.  In 2016, Andrea formed the Great Thoughts’ Great Readers Book Salon on Facebook, now home to over 3,000 readers and authors, where she hosts a monthly book club and au- thor chats.  To join the book salon, go to www.facebook.com/ groups/greatthoughtsgreatreaders. Dr. Melanie Ross Mills As a certified and licensed Temperament Therapist, Dr. Melanie Ross Mills is gifted at instigating purposeful dialogue and honestself-reflectionontopicsoffriend- ship,parenting,andmarriageduringher one-on-one sessions and through her Life Bonds™ Book Series. She was recently honored with the Women of Excellence Award, and she has been seen or quot- edintelevisionprogramsandotherpublicationsnationwide, including serving as a FOX News Radio Relationship Expert. She received her degree in Applied Learning and Develop- ment from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Mills resides in Dallas with her husband Michael and teenage son.