As Laurie Calahan waited in the waiting room of the Gingerbread House Children’s Advocacy Center, she immediately knew she wanted to give back to an organization that helped her family during one of its most difficult times. Calahan chose to use her talents as a …
JENNIER BAXTER I started fishing with my daddy when I was a little girl. He fished in tournaments, so I have always been around the sport. I got my first boat when I was sixteen, and when I sold it I still fished in ponds or …
My crazy idea to become a funeral director started when I was about 10 years old. My great grandfather passed away and after being at the funeral home in Gladewater, Texas, for his viewing and service, I knew exactly this is what I wanted to …
While recently planning for my business’s 25th year, I’ve spent quite a bit of time reflecting on all of the experiences that brought me to this point. Most distinctly, I recall my arrival in Moscow; a long way from home for a twenty-year-old woman from …
“There may be no relationship that affects us more profoundly; that is closer, finer, harder, sweeter, happier, sadder, more filled with joy…or fraught with woe…than the relationships we have with our brothers and sisters.” ~Jeff Kluger I will never forget the day that my husband, …
Since Lola magazine was incepted, I have celebrated the inspiration, style, and positivity it brings to our community and to the state of Louisiana. I am honored to have an opportunity to join in their mission. My name is Jacquelyn Bowers Gentry, M.D. I am …
All about my “mommy” Alexis Valenti • Shreveport, Louisiana It takes a very strong woman to raise a child without the father, and that’s what my mother did since I was a year old. We always had help from my grandmother and great grandmother who …
“I plan to give you love, nurturing and just enough dysfunction to make you funny.” ~author unknown When Lola asked me to write about this particular subject, I thought the timing of this assignment was incredibly ironic. My oldest child is preparing to graduate from …
“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision and with finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this …
One of my greatest hopes as a parent is for my children’s friends to think of our house as their home away from home. I hope to always have a pantry full of snacks and a slew of kids that know they are always welcome. …
When I originally moved back to the Shreveport area, I was truly struggling to find my place professionally. I had not pictured myself moving back to the area, but I found myself very close to an ill grandmother. Shreveport was my hometown sure, but my …
