Cheers to a NEW YEAR, a new DECADE for that matter!

Lola MagazineBevin Hicks, Lola Shreveport

Does anyone else feel like the ā€˜90s were ten years ago? I watched my son walk to the car this morning with his Spiderman lunchbox and teared up. Iā€™m not sure if it was the fact I have given into tacky Spiderman lunchboxes or that we celebrate his 4th birthday this weekend. Iā€™m not ready for him to be a big kid. Iā€™m not ready for him to grow out of my lap. Iā€™m not ready for my daughter to be in junior high.

Iā€™m not exactly ready to get older myself, but if I am lucky enough, I will. I am grateful to be in a place in life where I want to stop the clocks and live right here, right now,Ā  forever. Life doesnā€™t work like that, though. The clocks keep ticking and the yearsā€¦ decades, keep coming. The good part about all of this is the longer I live the more I understand.

Sure, I will miss my kids being little, but I know there will be more moments, more stages, in my life that I will want to pause. If we stayed where we are, we would miss all the ā€œbest day eversā€ that are to come. So, I will dry up the mom tears, learn to love superhero gear, brace myself for parenting through junior high, stock up on wrinkle cream, and have faith that the best is yet to come.

This issue of Lola Magazine will inspire you to embrace the new year and bring you insight on living your best life; mind, body and spirit. We bring you stories on finding love later in life and humor in life after forty. Check out tips on beating the winter blues and indoor activities for stir-crazy kiddos. Get ready for Mardi Gras, Louisianaā€™s biggest party of the year, with our Hostess with the Mostess. If your home is needing a new look for the new year, we have you covered with chic design trends for 2020.

Whatever kind of chapter this past year or decade has been for you, a new beginning has arrived, filled with endless opportunities and new favorite moments to be made. The close of one chapter is always the beginning of a new chapter, and God willing, an even better one. Cheers to making 2020 your best year yet!

Cheers! -Bevin