A DAY NEVER FORGOTTENLocals reminiscepage 6

page 10Simple & RefreshingSWEET HYDRATIONpage 8

Fresh deals on fall footwear

THESE BOOTS AREMADE FOR WALKING

04THELIFE

THE LIFE Magazine is published in Rio Grande City, TX. THE LIFE Magazine and its employees do not assume liability for products or services offered herein. Permission to use

or reproduce material herein must be with express written consent of the publisher. 2013THE LIFE Magazine is Printed in the U.S.

Letter from the Editor

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PublisherMayor Ruben O. Villarreal

Giselle Mascarenhas Villarreal

EditorJacqueline Mercado

Account ExecutiveBuster Brown

Contributing WritersBrenda Bautista-Damm

Yirla Nolan

PhotographyRoel Reyes

Aracely VasquezMarlene Mendoza

DesignGPGI Design Group

Devon SmittkampJohn Rios-Zertuche

601 Main StreetRio Grande City, TX 78582

socialifestarr@gmail.com 956.393.1692

5,000 issues monthly and 500+ distribution points Starr County, Zapata County and growing.

Dear LIFE Reader,

Welcome to our September issue of THE LIFE! This very special edition is dedicated to all the he-roic men and women who were involved in 9/11, a day that changed the world. On the cover is a breath-taking picture of the New York City “Freedom Tower.” This striking tower is the tall-est building in the Western hemisphere and is proof of our strength and resilience! I want us all to remember this day that manifested an un-breakable bond between us by sharing my personal ex-perience during 9/11/01 and some very special memories from THE LIFE’s friends and family. Fall is right around the corner. As our northern neighbors begin to pull their sweaters from the closet, we have a few more weeks of heat to contend with. Bren-da, our Health & Fitness con-tributor gives us tips on how to stay hydrated. Flip on over to page 10 for a delicious and simple spin on a classic beverage. Also, catch up on Yirla’s latest fashion advise with “These Boots Are Made for Walking” on page 8.

GET YOUR CALEN-DAR’S OUT! We’ll inform you of upcoming events such as the South Texas College Starr County Campus 9/11 Re-membrance Ceremony on September 11 and the An-nual National Night Out on October 1st at Starr County Fairgrounds. You definitely don’t want to miss out on the donut eating contest spon-sored by Law Enforcement, RGC’s Greater Chamber of Commerce’s “Once Upon a Time” lighted Christmas Pa-rade and so much more! THE LIFE Magazine will now hold social media cam-paigns (book your consulta-tion with me or Buster) and we are launching our first one with Yogurt Express’ “Art in a Cup.” Learn how to win free yogurt for a year. Stay connected on our fan page for upcoming communi-ty events, latest resources available to you, plus get to know our amazing advertis-ers.

I hope you enjoy this “FREEDOM” edition The LIFE

team prepared with love.

“Working toward a United Community.”

I was a 7th grader at Ringgold Middle School. I remember not finding out until 4th period, I had P.E. before and we didn’t have a TV at the gym. I remember walking into class, everyone was watching the news and asking questions. None of us understood what was going on or why anyone would want to hurt us. I specifically remember my History teacher, Mr. Sanchez, talking to us about it and explaining what had happened. He was an army veteran and I remember him having to leave some time after it happened because he got deployed. It’s a day none of us will ever forget. But now we’re no longer in a bubble, and we’re a lot better prepared.

- Judith Lopez

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On the morning of 9/11 my husband at the time was heading to the hospital to pick me up. He walked in and I had just turned the TV on and

it showed the first plane crashing into the building. I asked him what movie that was, and then we started listening to the broadcast and we were just

stunned.Sarah Hammond -

I was in 8th grade at Roma Middle School and had a test scheduled in AP History class. The TV news were turned on and the test was postponed. At first, everyone thought it was an accident, until eventually we found out what actually had happened. It was a very sad day, and believe it or not, I wanted to take the test. We all remember emotional events like these because they become flash-bulb memories, a concept that I now teach in my psychology courses at STC.

- Alex Sarabia

During the 9/11 attack I was working at a manufacturing company in New Jersey, about an hour away from New York; we were astonished with the news we were hearing on the radio. We weren’t allowed to go home at

the time, so when I arrived I found many messages from my family in Texas who were worried about us. You could literally see fear in everyone’s eyes

on the street. I guess we all feared for our lives.

Blanca E. Lopez -

I was with my husband, at that time boyfriend, who’s birth-day is actually is on 9/11. Now every year we celebrate his life, we also pray and remember those innocent people. A day we will never forget.

- Karina E. Martin

It was a routine morning in my fourth grade class at San Jacinto Elemen-tary. My brother had just eaten breakfast and gotten to class. As I tried to wrap my mind around fractions and whole numbers I heard through the intercom “Jacqueline Mercado, please come to the front office.” Immediately, I got nervous. I had no idea why they wanted me to go and my moth-er never came to pick me up early unless I was sick or we had a family emergency. I remember walking through the hallways as I made my way to the front office, becom-ing more and more apprehensive with ev-ery step. When I arrived, my brother was already there, and I couldn’t help but no-tice the worried look on my mother’s face. I asked her why she’d come to pick us up; she was still in dismay and struggled to find the words to explain what was happening. How do you even begin to explain to a nine and seven year old that the country is under attack by terrorists? Terrorist. That was a word I had never heard before. I

didn’t quite understand the gravity of the situation, but I could tell it was a very big deal because the whole nation was ter-rified, no one had answers and we were all in a panic. Nine years later, as a recent high school graduate, I boarded a flight to New York City. During my stay I had an oppor-tunity to attend the 9/11 memorial. It was very inspiring, from the names of the peo-ple lost to actual objects left behind. The most remarkable moment was meeting a first responder at the St. Paul’s Chapel of Trinity Church. This historic church was used as a refuge for many firefighters, respond-ers and survivors, as it miraculously survived the collapse of towers one and two. I will never forget that day, for it taught me to appreciate life! To be thankful, count your blessings, notice the simple pleasures and acknowledge everything that you receive. What had started as a regular Tues-day morning quickly changed the lives of everyone in our nation. But, despite the

fact that many innocent lives were lost that day, our nation has come a long way. Thanks to that tragic event, our country is now more united than ever. We’ve put aside our race, economic status, political affiliations and religious beliefs to become one. A nation truly under God. The event also made us more aware of our surround-ings. Our homeland security has become stronger making us more prepared. Even though those people committed that hei-nous crime to try to destroy us, our country prevailed. Heroes emerged from every-where that day, saving the lives of hun-dreds. Words can never begin to express the amount of gratitude we all have to-wards those heroic men and women who risked, even lost, their lives to save the lives of complete strangers. They will never be forgotten. God Bless America. -Jacqueline Mercado

A DAY NEVER FORGOTTEN

“My years of experience as Vice President of Citi-

zens State Bank will guide the school board to spend

wisely and to plan pru-dently. You can bank on me to watch the bottom

line because it is a matter of dollars... and sense.”

RAUL P. MORENO JR.

“Being appointed to the Roma ISD School Board

was an honor that gave me the opportunity to give

back to my community. My faith, my family and my

drive to succeed have fol-lowed me to make positive changes in my hometown.”

LETTY GARZA-GALVAN

“Hard work and the impor-tance of education helped me break the chains of pov-erty and are values that are part of who I am. No child should be left out... and every student deserves the best teachers and facilities.”

DAGO SALINAS

“Being a proud member of Roma High School’s Mighty Class of 1991 and our histor-ic first-ever Varsity football team taught me life lessons I want to bring to our board. Working together - as a team - will allow us to provide our children and our educators with the best educational environment possible.”

TONY SAENZ

Each of us has worked hard for Roma...and for your right to elect a School Board that will work hard for you! Individually, we are each uniquely qualified to serve you. You know each of

us and our families, as dedicated, experienced, caring, involved members of our community. Working together, we will make our Roma schools the best they can be today... and even better tomorrow!

08THELIFE

THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKINGSeptember is a great month to kick-start fall with great boot styles that will add an extra skip to your step. Like always, Target fulfills your style needs with a great selection of kickers that will add extra attitude to your outfit. Here are 5 styles that I recently found at the Target stores near you so hop into your car and score one of these!

This style is the SAM & LIBBY Sadie Ankle Boot. It is well crafted in a beautiful navy that will add that hint of color to any pair of jeans you wear this fall. The $39.99 price is nothing for a pair of boots made by an actual designer label.

These Adi Slouchy Microsuede Boots $34.99 have been worn in past seasons too and it all comes down to one small

factor…..they are super comfortable! These can come in handy during any

long shopping day where comfort is im-portant without having to give up style.

The Ankle Boot The Slouchy Boot

The Knee High Boot The Western BootNo boot list would be complete without the much adored west-ern boot. The Mossimo Kaci Western Boot $34.99 is the perfect pair to wear in Texas where it has become a wardrobe staple.

Last year was the year of the knee high boot. This year the trend continues but in

a much more subdued way. The riding boot is a perfect way to showcase this

style without the over the top feel of these very high boots. These Merona

Kasia Leather Boots come at a price of $74.99 which is a steal, considering these

styles usually go for hundreds of dollars anywhere else.

The Combat Boot

My favorite from the bunch, these Mossimo Khalea Combat Boots $28.00 will sure make its rounds this fall. The simplistic approach to this style will allow you to pair them with jeans for a bicker chic look or with dresses in order to toughen up an

otherwise girlie look.

by Yirla Nolan

10THELIFE

We are still feeling the heat of summer and stay-ing hydrated is essential.How many glasses of water do you drink in a day? How many bottles of water do your children drink everyday? Many of you might not be aware of the fact that our body is composed of 60% water. This means that drinking enough liquids every day is necessary to have a healthy body and lifestyle. However, many of us do not like to drink water and rather steer towards a carbonated drink or a high sugar juice. The fact that such drinks are liq-uids does not mean that they count as dai-ly water consumption. Water is not always our first choice because we are so used to drinking sweet flavored drinks on a daily basis.The lack of water in our bodies can lead to dehydra-tion, constant headaches, bad circulation, bad skin and even a higher risk of developing cancer. There are many fun and tasty ways to drink wa-ter with a twist. There have been many articles and re-ports where they have discussed how adding specific fruits or herbs to water can help as a natural detox, energy booster or fat burner.

Therefore, I have decided to share a recipe of a dif-ferent way of drinking water without it tasting like just plain, clear flavorless water.

MintCucumberLemon Water is one of my favorites because not only does it taste de-licious but it has magnificent beneficial de-toxifying properties. All you need is a pitcher of water, 2 sliced lemons, 1/2 sliced cucum-ber and 10 mint leaves. Pour all the ingre-dients in the pitcher cover and refrigerate overnight. The following morning all you need to do is pour it in your favorite water bottle, have a cold glass with your lunch meal and keep your body hydrated all day long. I am a health nut and I love to share

healthy recipes and tips that I have applied in my life. As a mother of two kids under the age of four I am al-ways on the lookout for fun ways to keep my children living a happy healthy yummy life. This is my first arti-cle for The Life Magazine and I am looking forward to sharing more tips and information with all the faithful readers.

-Brenda Bautista-Damm

SwEeT HyDrAtIoN

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Myth: Hospice is a place. Reality: Hospice care usually takes place in the comfort of an individual’s home, but can be provided in any environment in which a person lives, including a nursing home, assist-ed living facility, or residential care facility.

Myth: Hospice means that the patient will soon die. Reality: Receiving hospice care does not mean giving up hope or that death is immi-nent. The earlier an individual receives hos-pice care, the more opportunity there is to stabilize a patient’s medical condition and address other needs.

Myth: Hospice care is only for cancer patients. Reality: A large number of hospice patients have congestive heart failure, Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia, chronic lung disease or other conditions.

Myth: Patients can only receive hospice care for a limited amount of time. Reality: The Medicare benefit, and most pri-vate insurance, pays for hospice care as long as the patient continues to meet the criteria necessary. Patients may come on and off hospice care, and re-enroll in hospice care as needed.

Myth: Hospice provides 24-hour care. Reality: The Hospice team (which includes nurses, social workers, home health aids, vol-unteers, chaplains, and bereavement coun-cilors) visits patients intermittently, and is avail-able 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for support and care. Some hospices are able to provide “continuous care,“ but hospices must have a program inplace for this to happen and pa-tients must meet certain criteria.

Myth: All Hospice programs are the same. Reality: All licensed Hospice programs must provide certain services, but the range of sup-port services and programs may differ. In ad-dition, hospice programs and operating styles may vary from state-to-state depending on state laws and regulations. Like other medical care providers, business models differ. Some programs are non-profit and some hospices are for-profit.

Myth: Hospice is just for the patient. Reality: Hospice focuses on comfort, dignity, and emotional support. The quality of life for the patiens, family members and care givers is the highest priority.

Myth: Once a patient elects hospice, he or she can no longer receive care from the pri-mary care physician.Reality: Hospice reinforces the patients prima-ry physician relationship by advocating either office or home visits, according to the physi-cian’s preference. Hospice works closely with the primary physician and consider the con-tinuation of patient-physician relationship to the highest priority.

SELAH HOSPICE CAREmyth vs. reality

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by Sarah Sagredo Hammond

Has this ever happened to you? You come home on a hot, humid day, only to find that your house is sweltering. You can hear the air conditioner churning away, but the air coming through the vents is tepid at best. That’s when you call for help. Depending on the problem, you may have to sweat it out from a day to a week before the temperature in your home is once again at your comfort zone. You can avoid this scenario by performing some routine preventative tasks to keep your air conditioning unit running smoothly and efficiently. Consider this: your air conditioner runs all day long, every day, 24/7. You use air conditioning more than you use your car. Thus, it should get more attention and service to keep running at its peak performance. And, because your air con-ditioner runs 24/7, your air conditioning company should too. Select one you can trust and that will come out when you most need it, no matter the hour. The best time to service an air conditioner is before it’s actually needed. Regular maintenance and cleaning are extreme-ly important. Performing these tasks can not only keep you from discomfort; but regular maintenance can also help lower your utility bills and extend the life of your air conditioning unit. Stud-ies have revealed that over 80 percent of all breakdowns are due to IMPROPER or NO MAINTENANCE. Have your air conditioning system checked at least once a year by a licensed air conditioning company. Dirty coils and an improperly charged system have a dramatic effect on efficiency and performance. You may see up to a 30 percent improvement after servicing. Make sure the company you select has Workers Compensation Insurance. If the company doesn’t carry this in-surance, the technician can sue you, the homeowner, should an accident or injury occur during their time on the property. In addition to the annual check up by a licensed profes-sional, here are a few do-it-yourself tips to help keep your unit running smoothly.

• Change the filter at least once a month. This is important when-ever the system is running, winter or summer. A dirty filter slows down the airflow through the system. Pleated paper filters Merv 5-7 are recommended for the average home system. For non-standard units, ask your Certified technician which filter will work best for you.

• Inspect the duct system for leaks. Leaky ducts can cause airflow to be released in your attic instead of inside your home, thus re-ducing the performance of your system and increasing your elec-tric bill.

• Spray for ants every three to six months. Our techs have en-countered many problems caused by these pesky pests. Issues arise when ants block the electrical contacts on relays, causing shorts in the system.

• Remove dirt from the air conditioner drain. Technicians use a high-pressure vacuum to clear the drain; this clears out any backup that can cause water overflow and damage to ceilings and walls. Ask the technician how to perform regular maintenance to keep your drain lines from clogging.

• Clean the condenser coil in the outside unit. To clean the con-denser coil, make sure the power from the unit is disconnected first and allow a few minutes for the system to cool down (10-15 minutes). Rinse the coils with water until the water is clear of dirt and debris.

• Every month, remove any leaves or debris from the outdoor condenser unit. Aim grass clippings away from the unit when mowing and make sure that your sprinkler system does not sit too close to your condenser. Sprinklers can be a major cause of rust. Keep vegetation at least two feet away from outdoor units.

• Shade the outdoor compressor unit. Shaded units can be up to 10 percent more efficient in summer months. However do not block the airflow on the sides by at least 20 inches around or di-rectly above the unit.

• Use your ceiling fans. Ceiling fans provide an energy-efficient way of circulating cool air, by helping you feel cooler without ac-tually changing the temperature of the room. But don’t run a fan in an unoccupied room; you’ll simply add the heat from the mo-tor in the room and waste electricity.

• For additional energy savings, check windows and doors for air leaks and seal with weather stripping or caulk as needed. You’re paying to cool the air in your home, so take steps to be sure it’s not escaping outdoors.

For more tips, go to www.LadyCoutureMag.com and click on the Atlas ad. Your air conditioner does not just keep your home com-fortable; it removes humidity and can help keep dust, pollen and bacteria out of your air. If your unit is working properly, and your home has the proper humidity control, you should be comfort-ably cool with a thermostat setting of 78 degrees. If you haven’t had your unit serviced in a while, schedule an appointment now. The servicing of your air conditioner twice a year is a fraction of what it costs to repair or replace it.

Keep Your Cool

Strutters. He states that he is in here to train, teach, show and prepare his stu-dents to meet their goals. The proof of his expertise is in the awards of the groups and individuals he has instructed – champions!

The facility is open Mon-day through Thursday, from 4:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. There are three class-es; beginner, intermedi-ate and advanced. The classes are only one hour each.”

Solis was the first coach to attend the champi-onships in Florida and is the number one ranked coach in South Texas.

“Zapata County News” and Joyce Currington.

“As you travel west on Highway 83, you will no-tice a big white estab-lishment on the left, with a banner, Southern Evo-lution. Tumbling, gym-nastics, cheer-leading and more to come.

These boys and girls will not be thumping away on video games; they will be actively training and honing their skills and bodies for competi-tion or just for fun.

Mario Solis, the owner of the facility, has a great staff, all of which are in-terested in the activities and the students. Solis has worked in McAllen for ten years, four years in Rio Grande. He has also worked with Zapata

MENTION THIS AD FOR50% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH!

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IGNITE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Birthday Celebration for

Ociel Mendoza

GRAND OPENING

26THELIFE

Revival of the Renaissance by Leo Lopez III

New York Life Finance Workshop for Starr County’s small businesses

Lenders Fair for Starr County’s small business with Accion

Stuff the Bus with the Rio Grande City Library

Rio Grande City, City Workshop

Tourism & New Business

Stuff the Bus with the Rio Grande City Library