It is hard to imagine anything more breathtaking, or fragrant, than fourteen acres of blooming roses! This magnificent scene greets visitors each April and October at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden, the country's largest public collection of roses with 38,000 bushes of at least 600 varieties.

The old, yet vibrant culture of the American West is rich with colorful history and tradition. During the first weekend of September, you can experience that heritage with those who have dedicated themselves to preserving and passing it along to folks of all ages.

Following the Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm and is estimated to have caused $150 to $180 billion in damages, several dozen CHRISTUS Spohn associates deployed to Aransas Pass, Refugio, and Rockport, cities that were hit especially hard. “I was fortunate to participate in the cleanup efforts in Aransas Pass and see firsthand how our associates improved the lives of residents there and provided hope and healing to the community,” Doss said.

Call it fate, coincidence, or divine intervention, but when the floodwaters began to rise, fellow Texans rose to the occasion. One woman, 20 dogs, and three generous men with helping hands made for one inspiring story to come out of the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area.

Hurricane Harvey did not consider age as it brought its flood waters throughout the Houston area, as both young and old scrambled as best they could to find a safe place to stay. Many seniors, some with slow gaits, aches and pains, and confused thoughts, were forced to leave their flooded homes, seeking shelter. Fortunately for some, Conroe’s Carriage Inn Retirement Community welcomed new residents with open arms.

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Those words are the heartbeat of the community of Hope City. In a time of crisis for their beloved city of Houston, the Hope City family immediately stepped into action and has spent every moment since Hurricane Harvey hit rescuing people and rebuilding their community.

For many people, the idea of an elopement means sacrificing the beauty and elegance of a traditional ceremony in favor of a quick, impersonal exchange of vows without a second thought given to planning the event. Perhaps this was true in the past, but soaring wedding costs and busy schedules created the need for a fiscally responsible alternative that features all of the intimacy and romance of a traditional wedding with a more streamlined and affordable planning process.  A plethora of truly unique options for elopements that combine Texas values of family and tradition with the simplicity of the modern age have risen in the Lone Star State within recent years.

Some symbols immediately conjure up thoughts of the Lone Star State, like the longhorn, bluebonnets, or cowboy boots. However, onions, pumpkins, and lizards do not! Surprisingly, all of these choices, and dozens more, have been adopted by the State Legislature as official symbols of Texas.

In the spring of 2016, Frisco, Texas welcomed a new museum. The public has embraced the National Videogame Museum (NVM) with open arms, which has thus far been a resounding success. Sean Kelly, a founder along with Joe Santulli and John Hardie, considers the first year phenomenal, “the level of interest more than even we were expecting.”