JANUARY 2022
LIVE YOUNG
WELLNESS SPA look young FEEL YOUNG live young
things
ARTICLES 04
NEW YEAR BRINGS NEW HOPE
contents TA B L E O F
20
Look Young
07
feel young LIVE YOUNG WELLNESS SPA 10
CHERRY PECAN “NICE” CREAM
10 HOT VALENTINE’S DAY GIFTS
09
12
BROWN SUGAR VANILLA SCRUB DIY
5 THINGS TO TRY
24
STALKER PREVENTION MONTH
28
INSIDE COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION
27
THE BIG GAME
FEATURED
14
Annexation of Castle Hills
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Fresh Coats for Tired Walls JANUARY 2022 | LIFE IN CASTLE HILLS | 5
Publisher of Murray Media Group, kelly@murray-media.com Publisher & Editor Scott & Kelly Murray
Administration
Optimism
2022 W IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS IN
ell, the holiday season is officially behind us, and 2022 is already here. Can you believe it? Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday
that we were sending the kiddos back to school in triple-
digit temperatures, and I can remember getting ready for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season as if it were yesterday. But here we are, almost to February. Wow! They say time flies when you’re having fun and, while I definitely had a lot of fun this year, I have even more optimism as I look forward to another new year.
As we start to ponder how we’re going to make 2022 better than last year — personally, professionally, spiritually, etc. — I urge you all to reflect on 2021. Regardless of whether or not you nailed this past year, I’d be willing to bet that you still learned and grew in ways that you never expected this year. I know I did. And I’m sure we will take all of those lessons and put them to good use this year. That’s what I love about life – you never know what the next day (or, in this case, the next year) is going to bring. It’s the unexpected challenges that help us grow the most. We sure are happy to share our lives with each and every one of you. Enjoy your family, cherish your friends, always be kind, laugh often, and find unique and inspiring ways to make the best of even the bad days.
Managing Editor Jana Melton Sub-Editor Bobbi Byrne
Writers
Caylie Howard, Steve Gamel,Diane Ciarloni Jade Kensington, Jean Eisenmann Leena Duwadi, Mark Miller
Advertising Inquiries
sales@murray-media.com
Production
Graphic Designers Mish Cunningham-Scott Cayla Thompson Arynn Tomson Hallie Preece
Photography
Miranda Longoria Photography Your Candid Memories Photography What’s That Guy’s Name? Photography by Guy T Live Beautifully Photography
Letters
Life in Castle Hills invites reader feedback, story suggestions and general comments. Email artwork@murray-media.com.
All submissions become the sole property of Murray Media Group.
Editorial Inquiries Call Caylie Howard at 972.899.3637 or email editor@murray-media.com www.Murray-Media.com Address: 3513 Yucca Dr., Ste. 200 Flower Mound, TX 75028 Life in Castle Hills is published monthly by Murray Media Group. Some articles and/or content may be sponsored by advertisers. Opinions expressed in articles or advertisements do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. Life in Castle Hills is not responsible for omissions or information that has been misrepresented to the magazine. Advertisers and its agencies assume all liability for advertising content. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted without the permission in writing from the publisher. © 2022 Murray Media Group
Cheers to 2022!
Sincerely, Kelly Murray 6 | LIFE IN CASTLE HILLS | JANUARY 2022
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Making Connections, Building Relationships
Interested in Networking? Join us every Friday for our Leads Power Networking meeting with over 50 businesses in the DFW area! Find out why we're voted the #BestBusinessNetworking Chamber in North Texas. Doors open at 7:45 a.m.
Ready to meet other business women in the community? Have lunch with the chamber ladies and several women in business every 3rd Friday of the month at Verf's Grill & Tavern in Flower Mound from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. (No cost to attend, just pay for your own lunch).
Eager to learn more?
Meet the chamber staff and learn everything you need to know about our chambership on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022. Meeting begins at 9:30 a.m.
People do business with people they know, like and trust. Building relationships and making connections is crucial to building a business network. The Lewisville Area Chamber of Commerce offers you a variety of great networking opportunities. For more information scan the QR code:
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Annexation
CASTLE HILLS of
by Mark Miller | photos courtesy of James Kunkle
E
veryone involved in the annexation of Castle Hills into Lewisville knew something likely would be missed but aside from some initial minor issues, all has gone well since the Nov. 15 transformation.
“Overall it’s been pretty smooth because of all the work that went in ahead of time,” said James Kunkle, the City of Lewisville’s director of community relations
Our goal is for people to have a positive experience in Lewisville. Whether they live here, work here, or are visiting here we want their interaction to be positive,” 14 | LIFE IN CASTLE HILLS | JANUARY 2022
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and tourism. “We knew there would be some
operations – what we do, how we do them and
cleanup items afterward but there’s been
why we do them and how things would change
nothing dramatic, nothing damaging, nothing we couldn’t fix pretty quickly. “We learned a lot from Sugarland because they did something similar about five years ago. We had a list of things we needed to do. We asked for their list and compared them. They were very helpful to us.” To address the list, 33 new staff was hired to serve between 14,000 and 18,000 new residents. Lewisville also increased its
in Castle Hills for those items.” One thing that has changed is restaurant inspections which Lewisville conducts twice annually while those facilities in Castle Hills were viewed at best once by the State of Texas. Animal services are another enhancement. Denton County provided limited assistance and no shelter for stray dogs while Lewisville has dedicated one staff person to answer calls and has a shelter. Castle Hills residents now
informational campaign including emails,
must register their pets.
newsletters, monthly inserts into water bills, and
While major property change requests still start
quarterly town hall-like meetings. “We really kicked it into high gear early in 2020,” Kunkle said. “We knew it was less than 24 months away so we formed an annexation education committee with two members of each of the water district boards plus some atlarge residents that met monthly or bi-monthly for about four months. We just fed them reams of information including details on city
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with the Castle Hills Homeowners Association Architectural Review Committee, now they go to Lewisville for the permit. “You see all those things across the realm of municipal services. Some of them, Castle Hills hasn’t had at all,” Kunkle said. “Some, they were very limited because they were being performed by the state or the county or sometimes the water district with limited
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staffing. And some are the same services but
positions. The annexation also created one new
with different phone numbers.”
city council seat. Starting this year, Castle Hills
Another new service is sidewalk repair/ replacement, the cost of which previously went to the homeowner and now is done by the city. Castle Hills had contracted with Lewisville for on-demand police services with limited patrols (16 hours a day) added several years ago. Today, there is 24-hour protection with two patrol beats and a neighborhood resource
residents who previously could serve on the water board can run for the council and school board. The way Kunkle sees it, Lewisville basically annexed a small town. “Our goal is for people to have a positive experience in Lewisville. Whether they live here, work here, or are visiting here we want their
officer all included with property taxes.
interaction to be positive,” he said. “We have
Speaking of property taxes, as expected, most
more engaged with Carrollton or The Colony or
Castle Hills residents will see a reduction. Though they will lose a local homestead exemption, their rates came down enough to make a difference. Kunkle said adding Castle Hills diversifies the housing stock and tax base through executive-level housing.
some residents of Castle Hills who have felt Plano for things like the library or youth sports or shopping. We want them to be aware we have a great library and youth sports programs and we’ve got some of the same stores here. “It’s been exciting and for me, the best part is the response we’ve got from the Castle Hills
Election to city council is changing from
residents. The majority has been positive. It’s
at-large to residential districts. That means
definitely been inquisitive. It’s our job to show
candidates must live in the district in which they run, though all city residents vote for those 16 | LIFE IN CASTLE HILLS | JANUARY 2022
those who are unhappy that their taxes went up that they are receiving value.”
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18th annual
STALKER prevention month by Caylie Howard
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S
talking is a very serious issue that
commonly used tactic when it comes to
that you can find online to help you with this
happens more often than you would
responding to their perpetrators is to confront
process. Make sure to include any police
think. Each victim’s experience is different
or threaten their stalker or even attempt to fight
reports that are filed in your records.
but the problem is still the same. Some cases
back against them, which can end
are more dangerous than others, with the
very dangerously.
situation leading to attacks, sexual assault, or
4. It’s important to save all evidence of stalking when you can. A common form of
Denton County’s Friends of the Family is a
contact with stalkers is by using technology.
great source for assistance as well as a place
If you remember to save all of the emails, text
Unfortunately, there isn’t one single
to offer helpful tips and resources to victims.
messages, photos, and social media postings
psychological or behavioral profile that could
Below is a list of 5 great tips for victims who are
as evidence of your stalker’s behavior, it will
point out to us an individual that carries those
experiencing this harmful situation.
benefit you in the long run tremendously. You
even killing the victim.
dangerous and unsettling stalker tendencies. There’s also no definitive way to predict what a certain stalker will or won’t do to their victims. A stalker’s behavior can escalate from less lifethreatening interactions such as phone calls or text messages to more physical contact such as delivering gifts or showing up to places that their victims are. When it comes to victims of stalking, there is a very real struggle with how to respond to their stalkers. There are a few more common ways that victims seem to choose to handle the situation. Some victims attempt to reason with their stalkers to calm them in hopes that being kind to their attackers will encourage them to stop. There are many victims of this crime that tend to play down their frightening experiences by trying to convince themselves that their situation isn’t as bad as it truly is. Another
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1. A great tip to remember when you find yourself in a stalker situation is to trust your instincts. Many victims of stalking situations often are encouraged by their friends or their
may also look into ways to use your technology devices in a more protected way. A great source for this is the National Network to End Domestic Violence Safety Net Project’s Tech Safety Site.
family to downplay the behavior of their stalker
5. Contacting a local victim service provider,
or the situation as a whole. However, your safety
such as Denton County’s Friends of the Family,
needs to be the number one priority. If you feel
is a vital part of safely escaping a stalker
any sort of real threat or harm, trust
situation. These local helpful sources can
your intuition.
aid you in exploring your options as well as
2. If you feel that you are in immediate danger, the first thing that you should do is call the
discussing a plan of safety for you and everyone involved.
police. They are going to be your number one
It’s important to note that as a victim of stalking,
source of protection in these horrid situations.
you can’t control your stalker’s behavior.
Take the time to explain the stalker’s actions
However, you should also feel empowered and
and why they are causing you distress or fear.
encouraged to take the necessary steps to keep
3. Keeping a record of each interaction of any
yourself and your loved ones safe from harm.
kind is a great tool to use when dealing with a stalker. There are examples and templates
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