Your Best Skin Starts With a Plan. Let’s Make It Glow.
WRITTEN BY MAGGIE MCLNTYRE
Most people do not walk into a medspa because they simply want “a laser” or “a peel.” They come in because something about their skin is bothering them. Maybe their skin looks dull, sun spots are becoming more noticeable, or makeup is settling into texture differently than it used to. Maybe Botox is doing exactly what it should, but their skin still looks tired.
Why Professional Family Photos Matter
WRITTEN BY KAREN PRESECAN
Professional family photos are far more than pretty pictures—they’re a way of preserving identity, connection, and legacy. In a world where everything moves fast and memories fade quickly, intentionally documenting your family becomes one of the most meaningful investments you can make. Professional family photos capture authentic connection, family history, and emotional legacy, creating heirlooms that grow more meaningful with every passing year. Children grow, parents age, and life changes in ways we barely notice until we look back. Professional photos freeze these seasons with clarity and intention.
Honor Your Roots: Reflections from Ethiopia
WRITTEN BY LIYA ZEWDU
Visiting Ethiopia is different when it is not your first time. For me, Ethiopia has always been more than a vacation. My parents come from there, and since then I feel as if it is a place connected to my culture, food, language, and so many parts of who I am. This summer, I had the chance to spend time there again, and being back there gave me a chance to experience something familiar.
One Orthodontics: Where Smiles Begin with Connection
Dr. Mohammed Abdulateef and Dr. Besher Osman didn't just meet as classmates. They discovered a mutual passion that would shape their careers. "From day one, we shared a passion for orthodontics and a dream of opening our own practice together," Dr. Abdulateef recalls. Seven years after that initial meeting, One Orthodontics became a reality, offering comprehensive orthodontic care for children, teens, and adults throughout the community.
Will or Trust? Breaking Down One of the Most Common Estate-Planning Questions
WRITTEN BY DIANA H. D’ALESSANDRO, Attorney-at-Law
As an estate planning attorney, one of the questions I am asked most often is, “Do I need a Will or a Trust?” The answer depends on your circumstances, your goals, and how you want your assets handled during your lifetime and after your death. Although Wills and Trusts are both important estate-planning tools, they serve different purposes.
November: Dazzle's Recycled Foam Printmaking
WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE COX
Have you ever wondered if something headed for the recycling bin could become an art tool? This month, save a clean Styrofoam food item and turn it into your very own printing stamp. You'll draw into the foam, add color and discover what happens when you press your design onto paper. Each print may look a little different - and that's part of the fun of exploring something new!
One Legion Family, One Mission: Inside Stafford's American Legion Post 290
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
PHOTO BY KAREN PRESECAN
Every December, veterans and volunteers at the Stafford American Legion Post 290 collect, sort, and pack boxes of food for local families in need. Throughout the year, teenagers train on the Post's firing line, scholarships go to graduating seniors, and motorcycles roll out on rides that honor the fallen and raise money for those in need. These activities vary, but the mission stays constant: Post 290 serves veterans, their families, and the community it calls home.
A Path to Healing: Understanding Your Dog’s IVDD Diagnosis
WRITTEN BY DR. KATRINA SPIES, DVM
When your dog suddenly stops moving, hunches their back, cries out, or struggles to walk, you are instantly thrust into a high-stress medical crisis. Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) is one of the most common and painful spinal conditions I treat, and I know how terrifying the prospect of sudden paralysis or high-cost surgery feels at that moment. But if you are facing an IVDD diagnosis today, please know you are not out of options
Parents Education Corner: Making the Most of the Holiday Season
WRITTEN BY CHERICE TAYLOR
The holiday season is here, offering a unique opportunity to slow down, enjoy the outdoors, and strengthen the bonds that matter most. While it is a time for celebration, it is also the perfect moment to foster deep connections and reinforce lifelong learning—especially with our senior family members.
A Holiday Gift Guide for the Woman Who Has Everything
WRITTEN BY VIKTORIYA TKHORYK
There is always one woman on your holiday list who seems to have everything, and sometimes that woman is you. She knows what she likes, and when anyone asks what she wants for the holidays, she insists she already has it all. We’d like to politely disagree! She gives her all in everything she does, and there is always a reason to pamper her. This holiday season, four new arrivals at Thistle Medical Aesthetics make the perfect gift for someone you love, or for yourself!
A Place to Slow Down: Valor Ranch Offers Healing Through Horses, Community, and Service
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
On 120 acres in King George, Virginia, a husband-and-wife team is proving that sometimes the most powerful form of healing isn't found in a clinical setting, but on a farm. Healing can be found beside a horse, around a bonfire, or simply sitting still with the people you love.
Is It Time to Replace Your Floors?
WRITTEN BY KARIE OWENS
Warping, cupping, or buckling. Run your hand across the floor. If the edges of the boards curl up and the centers sit lower, that's cupping. If entire sections lift off the subfloor, that is buckling, and moisture usually causes it. This occurs from prolonged moisture exposure, either from moisture in the air (humidity) or large spills and damp environments. The only way to correct this is replacing the flooring.
Home, Heart, & Legacy: The Taylor Family of Liberty Knolls
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
PHOTO BY KAREN PRESECAN
For the past decade, Liberty Knolls has been home to Allen and Saresa Taylor, who pride themselves as a family built on military service, faith in one another, and a deep commitment to their community. Together they've raised a beautifully blended family of seven children and six grandchildren, weathered the kind of loss that reshapes a family forever, and turned their grief into a mission that now reaches far beyond their own front porch. Their story is really three stories woven into one: a life grounded in home, connections and passions fueled by their heart, and a legacy built through love and purpose.
Parents Education Corner: Are You a Dreamer?
WRITTEN BY CHERICE TAYLOR
As we approach Halloween, we often see our children trying on new identities. They might dress as superheroes, astronauts, explorers, or historical figures. While the fun is in the candy and the costumes, these outfits are also a perfect, low-pressure entry point for meaningful conversation. A child dressed as a pilot isn't just playing; they are stepping into a future version of themselves. Use the excitement of costume shopping or DIY projects to ask: "What do you like about being a [character/profession]? What kind of adventures do you think you’d go on if you were really doing that?"
Homegrown & Heartfelt: How the Longs Cultivate Community
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
PHOTO BY KAREN PRESECAN
In the quiet South Stafford neighborhood where Robin and Lester Long have made their home since 2011, success is measured not in profits but in community connections. At the heart of their story lies Long Family Markets. This business represents far more than commerce—it's a platform for service, a bridge between generations, and a testament to the power of following one's passion.
Finding Stories at Mountain View
WRITTEN BY KIRA POHWALA
Everyone has a story to tell. At Mountain View High School, students have many opportunities to discover, create, and share those stories. Whether through writing, games, photography, performance, or literature, creative students can find places to turn their ideas into something others can experience.
How to Navigate Selling & Buying in a Shifting Market
WRITTEN BY GINGER WALKER
The Stafford and Fredericksburg, VA real estate market is shifting from a seller's market toward a more balanced, buyer-friendly environment. Interest rates are up, and inventory is rising, but prices remain elevated compared to historical norms. Success now requires strategy on both sides of the transaction.
October: Dazzle’s Mix-and-Match Pumpkin Patch
WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE COX
Have you taken a trip to a pumpkin patch or even the grocery store and noticed that pumpkins are not all alike? Some are tall and twisty. Others are tiny, round or covered with bumps. Today, you’ll use your four Creative Superpowers to create a pumpkin patch filled with unusual colors, playful patterns and plenty of imagination!
Home Is a Person: The Story of Suad and Jim McClain
WRITTEN BY MALLORY HARDGROVE
PHOTO BY KAREN PRESECAN
Suad and Jim's story almost didn't happen. Both had recently come out of difficult relationships, and both were adamant that friendship was all they wanted when a mutual friend introduced them by text message. Then, on November 6, 2019, they talked on the phone — and didn't stop. The conversation lasted nearly eight hours, stretching so late that Suad, still living in Hawaii at the time, finally told Jim she needed to sleep before her early restaurant shift.
Chain of Hope: Suicide Awareness at Riverbend High School
WRITTEN BY LIYA ZEWDU
For Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Riverbend High School’s counseling department brought a message of hope to the football game on September 18th through Chain of Hope. The Chain of Hope was a school-wide initiative that reminded students that they matter and that people around them care. Students wrote their own messages of encouragement and support on teal and purple paper links. They put all the links together to create one large chain.