Kicking the tires is an action that is synonymous with checking the soundness and quality of tires, but in reality, it doesn’t really tell you much of anything at all except maybe the amount of padding in your shoe.

There are a lot of myths and misinformation on the subject. More often than not, drivers don’t really know when their tires need replacing, they don’t know how to inflate them properly and they are clueless to essential basic care details. Maintaining properly filled and quality tires will not only increase the safety of your vehicle but can also make your car more fuel efficient, so you should take the time to brush up on your facts and bust those tire myths.

Myth: You should maintain a lower operating tire pressure in the winter than in the summer

Fact: Some drivers will lower tire pressure in the winter in an attempt to gain more traction and control on icy roads, but in reality driving on too-low tires can cause damage and make your vehicle less safe in dangerous conditions. Tire pressure will naturally lower in the winter without any action on your part. Tire pressure should be checked monthly.

Myth: I should inflate my tires according to the pressure indicated on the tire sidewall.

Fact: The handwriting’ is not on the wall – the tire sidewall, that is. Molded into the sidewall is the tire’s maximum inflation pressure, not the manufacturer-recommended pressure. Because the function of air in a tire is to support the weight-carrying potential of a vehicle, tires are built and rated to carry certain load capacities, and automakers select those sizes compatible with the ride, handling, traction, fuel economy and load requirements of their vehicles. For normal operation, follow inflation pressure recommendations in the owner’s manual or on the vehicles placard located in the glove box or on the door post.

Myth: A tread pattern is required for great traction on dry roads.

Fact: A tire without any tread provides the best results for dry traction due to the maximum amount of rubber touching the road. A tread pattern, with its groove voids, actually lessens this traction on dry roads. The role of tread is to act as a squeegee in wet conditions and removes water from under the tire and channels it through the grooves for improved wet traction.

Tires can be a substantial investment for your vehicle, knowing some of the facts will help you not only maintain them but increase their life and your value. Remember that even premium tires can show signs of premature or uneven treadwear without proper alignment, and it will cause excessive tire wear as well as increases fuel consumption, so make sure you check it periodically. Regular tire rotation about every 6,000 to 8,000 miles promotes more uniform wear for all tires on a vehicle.

The story of a business that takes the game out of dating

Bubbling laughter, rosy faces, warm smiles. No, you are not at a theme park or a party, you are in a face-to-face interview with the wonderful people at Great Expectations Dallas (GE). The interview is the second step in the program’s simple process.

Great Expectations Dallas, a “personal matchmaking program,” for lack of better words, acts more as a life coach and best friend than what the name entails. Greeted by the blushing, friendly, outgoing character Stefanie Hogan, Dallas Center Director, you will immediately feel at ease, no nervousness and no awkward conversations. Stefanie and her team make you feel like you are having a conversation with an old friend. She remembers your name, your likes, dislikes and has one specific, helpful personality trait in particular: the ability to read people and match them with their soul mates.

Companionship – such a result is worth the meeting. Great Expectations is different than online dating sites. Having been in business for more than 35 years, Great Expectations knows what they are doing. They conduct thorough background checks and personal screenings, ensuring the utmost protection for their members. Their discreet team also guarantees personal involvement. “We hold your hand until you find someone; we are like a personal liaison for your dating life,” says member services manager Lindsey Barton. From guiding you in the right direction, marketing you the way you need to be marketed and giving you a chance to get in front of your desirable audience, it is evident that Great Expectations is dedicated to your happiness and personal improvement.

In fact, there is a good chance that your advisor will give you a few necessary truths to spur on this personal improvement. Do you know that pit-in-your-stomach, sick feeling you get when you look in the mirror after being with friends all day and find a big piece of spinach in your teeth? This will not happen with your new friends at Great Expectations – guaranteed. Much like scenes from the well-known movie Hitch, the representatives at Great Expectations will guide and support you, resulting in better first impressions. “People who think they are unmarketable and will never find love, find it through our program. It’s such a rewarding business,” Stefanie states, beaming.

Curious where Stefanie’s passion for matchmaking came from? In April of 1996, long before her career at Great Expectations, Stefanie’s family went through the tragic time of her father’s passing. Empathizing with the void in her mother’s heart, Stefanie purchased a membership to Great Expectations for her mom as a Mother’s Day gift in May of 1999. Although her mom was a bit skeptical, she used her membership for a couple of months and went on a few dates, meeting Scott within five months of joining the program. Scott and Marsha were married in November of 2001 and have been together for 10 years this month! “My mom’s success story is proof that anyone can find true love,” muses Stefanie. “She is a tough one – very picky – but we did it and she and Scott are incredibly happy together.”

There are plenty of other success stories. In fact, the current owner of Great Expectations Dallas, Mr. John Meriggi, met his wife through the Houston location and they recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. After his wonderful experience at the Houston location as a client, Mr. Meriggi felt compelled to purchase and run the Dallas office. Norine, Assistant Director, who’s been at Great Expectations for 20 years, met and married through Great Expectations as well. Members Hettie and Jerry describe their experience as “very personal; the ladies at Great Expectations were very encouraging and thoughtful. We got support every step of the way.” Member Monica was looking to “date someone with family values who was loving, successful, funny and independent,” which she found in her husband, Kent, within one month of joining the program. Another member, Roger, decided to join GE because he was “tired of the set-up and bar scenes.”

The process of joining this confidential, professional service is simple. First, take a quick look at the website, greatexpectationsdallas.com, or call the office at 214-390-5200, and answer a few pre-screening questions. On the phone you will have the opportunity to set up a face-to-face interview with an advisor where your identification will be checked, a background screening will be conducted and they will screen for emotional stability. Your representative will then review your membership options and give you access to the private website database that is for members only, where you can conduct searches to find potential dates. Complete the member profile and set a date for your professional photo shoot with Mary McAlister and her warm, friendly team, and voila, you are ready to meet and mingle. Your advisor will give you suggestion profiles, from which you will choose your top picks to go on dates. The process is based on mutual consent and you will always get to see the other person’s pictures and profiles before you date them so there is no awkward blind dating.

“The main basis of our program is to choose someone who is right for the member. If I’m doing my job correctly, you shouldn’t have to meet more than five people,” states Stefanie. “People are looking for the right person, not to date a hundred different people. They are allowed to search the website to pick whomever interests them. There is no limitation to the number of searches they get. And we are there for the entire process, there is no room for misrepresentation.”

Privacy and lack of misrepresentation are the most important differences between Great Expectations Dallas and other competitors. “Online dating services are a breeding ground for misrepresentation,” says Stefanie. According to a 2002 Wall Street Journal article, “more than 30% of visitors to the top three stand-alone personals sites are married.” Although other sites claim to reject profiles that are “inappropriate,” screeners “rely on the applicants to tell them. So, obviously, married people can get past the screeners.” The thorough interview process at Great Expectations ensures that each member is sincere and safe.

Great Expectations’ staff is dedicated, creating an environment in which they each know their members on a personal level. Most of the staff have worked at Great Expectations for more than 15 years. They dedicate their quality time thinking about the betterment of their members and especially enjoy brainstorming for the popular and fun future events. When you are a member, you get to enjoy summer musical events, speed dating events, happy hours, limo pub crawls, cruises, the annual Christmas gala, sporting events and much more. There is something for everyone.

Whether you are too busy to date, are tired of the bar scene, don’t feel comfortable placing your personal information online or can’t seem to find the type of person you are looking for, Great Expectations Dallas will meet you where you are. Whatever your reasoning may be to quit your current social habits, Great Expectations will be there to back you up and point you in the right direction. They guide you through the process of finding your “other half,” as well as introducing you to a new, exciting social circle.

In the words of success story couple Ruth and David, “Just give it a shot. What do you have to lose?”

Great Expectations Dallas
14180 Dallas Pkwy | Suite 100 | Dallas

214.390.5200

Great Expectations Ft Worth

1300 S. University Dr | Suite 502 | Ft Worth

817.332.8009
greatexpectationsdfw.com

Vigilantes Performing Arts Association is a unique arts organization that is growing and busy within North Texas. The organization grew from an all age drum and bugle corps that has competed and performed since 2008.
The drum and bugle corps activity is one similar to marching bands you see on football fields in the fall. However the drum corps compete across the country and perfect their performances in the hot summer months. Vigilantes Drum and Bugle Corps is the first All Age corps from Texas in the 45 year history of Drum Corps Associates competitions to become a Finalist. The corps finished in 3rd place in 2009 with a 50 member marching unit in Rochester, NY.
In addition to this musical unit, the association introduces a winterguard (Vigilantes Indpendent Guard) and winter drum line (VIP) to competition this winter. These two new units are for members 21 and under. The two groups will combine to compete in local North Texas Color Guard Association competitions with the show titled “Tragic Obsession.” Both organizations are still looking for talented drummers and dancers or color guard members to round out their roster.
In addition, an all age brass group called V Krewe is performing throughout the metroplex having appeared at the Denton Tree Lighting event, with the Turtle Creek Chorale, with Epiphany Dance in Garland, and at Texas Legends NBA D-League basketball games. The brass ensemble is a for hire organization and available to perform as small as a single solo instrument to a large brass band in a variety of styles and sounds.
The organization is also in process of creating a full dance and musical performance with Epiphany Dance. The dynamic dance group is looking to partner with the brass and drums to create a 4th of July program that will entertain with the grace of dance, but with the raucous joy of brass and drums that celebrate the freedom and passion our nation celebrates each summer. The combined organizations are seeking corporate sponsors and a location for this concert. If you are interested in partnering with the organization please send an email to our Executive Director at Mathew.lunsford@vigilantescorps.org.
For further information about VPAA and any of the ensembles, please visit the organizations website at www.vigilantescorps.org

Vigilantes Winterguard

Vigilantes Independent, the Winter Guard, will compete in the regional Winterguard International circuit NTCA (North Texas Colorguard Association). Contest are held on weekends in high school gyms and are proven to be very competitive. The drum corps housed by VPAA is an all age unit compared to VI being an age specific unit with ages 14-22 being able to compete. The Winterguard has upcoming shows at W. G. Thomas Coliseum in Haltom City, in January and February, and Denton High School in March.
The guard is part of VPAA, which is a national non-profit 501(c)3 organization. We operate by donations, member dues, and sponsorships. Our goal is to foster an educationally competitive ensemble in which all members obtain a higher skill set to their craft, as well as instill a valiant work ethic and promise in North Texas’ youth. We currently have membership from Argyle, Krum, and Denton.

Ahh, November…’Tis the season of thanks and giving. It is no coincidence that our national day of gratitude is a few short weeks from Christmas, the day for showing our friendship and love with gifts from the heart. These two days have been linked together, time-wise, since the Revolutionary War, and for good reason.

After all, the November holiday is not called “Thanksgetting.” Many see Turkey Day as the official start of the holidays, and some see the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday? What a name!) as the beginning of Christmas shopping season. And who are we shopping for? Not ourselves.

What better way to start the season of gifts, parties, those irresistible hors d’oeuvre platters, turkey and roast beef dinners, and scrumptious desserts than a big family feast? (With football as an added bonus!) We all give thanks, even if silently, for health, happiness, friends, and family, not to mention for living in one of the most prosperous countries in the world.

Even those less fortunate still are grateful, if for nothing more than waking up on the right side of the dirt that morning. Because that is the one thing we are all thankful for – our lives, to be able to live for another day, even if we must struggle through it.

And what of those who wonder what fresh hell the new day will bring? What of those who wake to pain and suffering? What of those with no bed of their own to awaken in? What of those who find little to be thankful for, whose biggest concern this time of year is how to feed their children, how to provide even the smallest Christmas?

There is something we can do for those “What ofs.” We can give. We can give our time to soup kitchens and nursing homes, we can give our contributions to charities benefitting the ill and homeless, we can give our helping hands to those who need them. We can give.

And in the big picture of things, giving is good for YOU, as well. The fastest way to receive is to give, because giving starts the reciprocal action of receiving. We all receive according to how much we give. Give the best of you, everywhere you go. Give a smile. Give kindness. Give love. Your giving should be a giving without expectation of return – a giving for the sheer joy of it. But it all comes back to you, in one way or another. The old cliché “What goes around, comes around” is not an old cliché for nothing. It is true.

Denton County gives every year. The Salvation Army, the Denton County Toy Store, the Shop With A Cop program, the various Community Food Banks, all benefit from your generosity. Hundreds of families and thousands of children celebrate a true Thanksgiving and an actual merry Christmas because of you, and your giving hearts.

Denton ABATE, your local Motorcyclists’ Rights Organization, is sponsoring its annual Memorial Toy Run and Food Drive on November 19th.  Along with the Asbury Methodist Church and the Lake Dallas American Legion Post 88, toys for the Denton County Toy Store, monies for Shop With A Cop, and food for the Lake Cities Community Food Pantry will be collected. Everyone is welcome; you can come in your car, your truck, your airplane, your sleigh…or ride your motorcycle. If you can’t make it, collection boxes are at all Denton County offices and many businesses, and all proceeds go to these charities. So give. And have a Happy Thanksgiving, and the Happiest of Holidays.

Taryn McColpin is Newsletter Editor for Denton ABATE. For more information on the Toy Run, or on joining Denton ABATE, please call 940-595-1144 or email tarynwithat@hotmail.com.

Whether you are planning a full home-lit wonderland or just the front porch twinkling in holiday splashes of merriment, it is the time to start thinking about the “how to’s” and get it all planned out.  You can’t wait until the weather gets icy, the winds start to blow or snow is on the ground to get your internal clock boasting holiday spirit.  Planning now will keep the job safe and sane.

First thoughts are always so innocent, “Let’s hang a few lights, join the holiday cheer.”  You buy three or four strings of the twinkling, blinking bulbs and throw them to the utility room to wait for the next Saturday morning.  But Saturday rolls around and you find that you should have measured the length of the area you had planned to light, you need a plan for getting electricity to the areas, and somehow you will need to get those strings to stick to something and hold them in place.  Ahhh…those small details.

Make your plan now.  Measure the area that you want to light. Popular spacing between bulbs is 12 to 15 inches for the roof.  Bulbs spaced too close together can cause the lights to blend too much.  Choose clips for the project.  There is a large selection that will include those specific for gutters, flat roof tops, high peaks, siding, brick or paint.   There are also all-in-one clips that may be your best option.

You will need power cords to get the electricity to the area you will display and a timer will make your holiday display is less of a nuisance as those cold nights come around and you find yourself nestled, all snug in your bed with the lights still on outside.  Power Stakes are a great tool and good investment to bring power closer to the display area so cords are not running all over your front yard.  Look for stakes that implement timers and/or remote controls for extra convenience.  Save the energy and make sure the lights go off between bedtime and midnight.

Almost finished.  Be sure to take some photos of your job well done, and these photos will help for next year when remembering what you did that you loved, and also what you would like to change.

Now put that ladder away, but for only a few weeks.  Taking the twinkling bulbs down in a TIMELY manner is as important as the initial decorating.

The Children’s Room

Tip #1
Children like to collect, allow them one area to put their favorite things on display, this could be the dresser, night stand or you could install a shelf around their entire room, close to the ceiling, above the door jams.

Tip #2
For school work memories, create a 3 ring binder with sheet protectors and tabbed grade level dividers to hold special papers, awards, report cards, and photos.  Fill it up with their most memorable treasures. Remember when the binder is full it’s time to acquit. Label the outside of the binder with the child’s name and grade.

Tip #3
For a child to clean up their room, you must first lead by example. Is your room picked up? Also, setting a system for their room, and other rooms will help. Consider bringing in a pro, like myself, that will help eliminate a melt down between family members.

Tip #4
Put a daily check list on the bathroom mirror for each child to complete before his/her head hits the pillow at night, or leaves out the door in the morning.

Tip #5
If you have clothes fitting too big for the child, put them in a plastic box labeled ‘winter too big’ or ‘summer too big’ and when that season comes around again, have the child try on the clothes. Remember to keep the boxes high in the closet, as not to confuse with clothes worn this season.

Tip #6
Every child’s room should have a laundry basket, a trash basket, and a box of Kleenex.

Tip #7
Everything should be categorized into themes, and then sorted into boxes. Example: army men, Barbie dolls, stuffed animals, art supplies, sports gear, etc.  Once toys or crafts are separated into individual boxes, your child will have a better understanding of how to organize.

Debbie Monahan is the owner and founder of Organizing 101.com, for corporate and residential organizing. You can email her at organizing101@msn.com.