On August 16th, 2024, Lauren Crowder turned 40. Her 30s had been a decade full of life and milestones: at 30, she began dating Mike Crowder, the man she’d marry at 31. But, as wonderful as the prior 10 years had been, Lauren did not grieve leaving her 30s behind—because the day she turned 40 was the day her son, Crew, embarked upon the world.

Headaches and facial pain during increased cardiac activity were Queen City–native Janie Wright’s first indication that something was amiss with her health. She never guessed this seemingly random pain was actually the result of massive arterial blockages.

Love & Gratitude: The Wedding of Ashlyn Cook and Briley Court

Timeless Elegance: The Wedding of Melissa Lambert and Keith Beason

Beyond Blessed: The Wedding of Nicole Penny and Matthew Cox

Southern Charm: The Wedding of Allison Wright and Brock Yates

A Cherished Moment: The Wedding of Caroline Thomas and Chase Beebe

Come Rain or Come Shine: The Wedding of Alexandra Miller and Clete Norton

To Have & To Hold: The Wedding of Dacoda Goethals and Gage Davis

Keeping Traditions: The Wedding of Rachel Rhodes and Joel Orr

Watching the Wind Blow By: The Wedding of Summer Stussy and Hunter Druhan

On Top of the World: The Wedding of Sarah Foshee and Hayden White

Love in the Air: The Wedding of Jasmine Bruce and Austin Cree

A Southern Hello: The Wedding of Mary Claire Boudreaux and Brian Scott Rippee Jr.

Around 3:15 a.m. on the morning of October 17th, 2024, George Carpenter awoke in his second-story bedroom to a distant beeping sound. He roused his wife, Julia. “What’s that noise?” he asked groggily. Julia got out of bed and shuffled downstairs toward the sound. When she reached the end of the staircase, she saw smoke coming from under a buffet: the photo album she’d recently put there was inexplicably on fire. She shouted for George as she picked up the burning book, intending to toss it outside. But when she opened the door, the influx of oxygen caused flames to erupt all around her. She screamed more loudly.

In the film A League of Their Own, Hollywood icon Tom Hanks (playing Jimmy Dugan) tells his players, “There’s no crying in baseball!” The character might have felt differently if he had ever been to a Savannah Bananas baseball game, where fans have been known to laugh so hard that tears flow. Former Texas High baseball player Zack Phillips can attest to that, having witnessed the fun and excitement during his rookie season with the Savannah team.

Anni and Travis Bishop are hometown folks with a meet-cute story straight out of a Hallmark movie. Nobody wants to be stuck on a broken amusement park ride, but that is where Anni and Travis found true love. She graduated from TASD. He went to school in Hooks. When mutual friends decided to take a daytrip to Six Flags, they both tagged along. Fate must have given them the idea of getting on that ride together. When it broke, Anni and Travis sat at the top of Six Flags for over an hour, talking about the things that mattered most to each of them. By the end of the day, they were both thinking, “That’s the kind of person I want to marry.” They fell in love.

Like many local parents, Michelle and Steven Seals balance their energy between work responsibilities, domestic duties, and their kids’ extra-curricular activities. They plan vacations and often spend time with extended family members. However, unlike most local parents, the Sealses navigate all of those things as a family of eight. Their 7th grader, Brady, and their 10-year-old quintuplets—Mia, Tessa, Gracie, Rayleigh, and Brant—keep them constantly on-the-go.

In the heart of the Ark-La-Tex is a mother-daughter duo working tirelessly to improve the lives of others. Bobbie Jo Ashcraft and her adult daughter, Abby, spend countless hours each week leading the Joy Project Network’s Health Hub. The JPN Health Hub provides medical supplies to families in need. The recipients are primarily disabled children, though anyone in need is eligible to receive supplies.

For most people, live theater is a way to entertain themselves and get a few good laughs in. But for Anna Jo Briggs, an actress at Silvermoon Theatre and junior at Maud High School, theater is a way of life.

“I went and watched my kindergarten teacher perform in Charlotte’s Web, and I was hooked,” she explained. “After that, my mom signed me up for a week-long camp at Silvermoon, and I enjoyed it so much.”