There are 13,000 weddings in Oklahoma each year, and, at one point, Adrenaline Entertainment was doing about 450 events annually. “The more weddings I did, the more well-versed I became,” he remembers. “I’ve been to 1,500-plus weddings. I can say, ‘This works really well’ or ‘This doesn’t work so good.’”
With all of these weddings come plenty of war stories, says Lawrence. Once, a bride’s dress flew up over her head while she was dancing with her dad to “Butterfly Kisses.” Another time, a bride’s hair caught on fire when a sparkler, copious amounts of hair product, and a tipsy reveler combined (she was fine). Lawrence has seen numerous “M.O.B.’s” (mothers of the bride) ruin weddings because they ended up smothering their daughters while trying to live vicariously through them.

So with all that can go wrong, Lawrence urges couples to let professionals handle their special day, even in this era of “budget everything.” And it’s not just for peace of mind – almost everyone has a relative who is willing to document the event, but you never know what the quality will be until it’s too late to redo it. Your first dance with your spouse as a married couple is an elegant moment, and the sound of Cousin Ted eating bruschetta while holding the camcorder likely isn’t something you want to remember forever. Not to mention the fact that whoever is behind the camera doesn’t get to experience the wedding to the fullest. Also, if something goes wrong, it’s better to blame hired help than a family member. “I’ve seen relationships devastated,” he says, because someone ruined or missed something. “It’s important that you capture it from the beginning and capture it right.”

Lawrence married his wife, Erin, in 2008, and actually enlisted his Adrenaline Entertainment crew for his own wedding. They were nervous wrecks, working their boss’s wedding, but Lawrence says they did a fantastic job. “I’m the biggest bridezilla of them all,” he admits. “I had high expectations; I knew what I wanted.” He’d been working weddings for five years before he experienced his own, and Lawrence says that changed the game for him from then on. “You never understand how big a deal it is for the bride and groom until you get married yourself,” he relates.

While managing a stable of DJs, videographers and photographers, Lawrence also works full time as a worship leader at New Covenant United Methodist Church in Edmond. As a singer-songwriter, he tours student ministries, camps, retreats, discipleship weekends, and other events across the region, often travelling out of state and hitting about 50 tour dates per year. “I get to travel and play music a lot, which is fantastic,” he says.
Lawrence’s first album, Remind My Soul, was released in September and can be found at
www.justinlawrencemusic.com or on iTunes.

Even with his musical success and ministry, Lawrence hasn’t stopped handling wedding receptions. “It’s the best industry to work in the world. You are paid to go put on parties and make sure the parties are fun … we love doing it.”

To learn more about Adrenaline Entertainment, go to www.okcweddings.com.

Austin already has broken a sweat. Alone, he crouches low in a praying-mantis stance, roaming back and forth across the room. Two steps with the right foot, then a hard low drive with the left, sweeping his imaginary opponent’s feet out from under him for a lightning quick takedown. Again and again, Austin repeats the move, chin down, brow furrowed in focus. It’s intense. Austin is 5 years old.

He smiles at his father, Sonny, who is standing nearby. “Do it again, buddy!” Austin is having a blast. And he’s not the only one. In half an hour, 75 boys, the “novice” group, ages 4 to 13, will fill the room. Then another group, the “open” class of experienced wrestlers, will take over the space. These are the Edmond Generals. Their motto? Leave it all on the mat.

Fourteen years ago, Hardell Moore — twice an Oklahoma High School State Champion, and a two-time Big 12 Champion and All-American at Oklahoma State University — started the Edmond Generals. 10 to 15 youths formed the inaugural team. Now, more than 150 wrestle with the club, which competes from late autumn until early spring. In early January, 70 Edmond Generals competed in the United States Junior Open & National Team Tournament in Oklahoma City. 27 placed in the top six of their weight class, with nine finalists.
“Wrestling has opened a lot of doors for me. This was a way for me to give back to the sport, and in a way, to my parents for all they gave me,” says Moore.

Moore, along with assistant coach Justin Rosen, teaches life lessons. These young athletes learn that effort is key, and giving full effort always pays off, though sometimes one must wait for the reward. The values of education, commitment and good citizenship are interwoven with pointers on the intricacies of the half nelson. “Wrestling is a very tough sport,” says Moore. “If you can wrestle, you can do anything.”

Coach Moore’s whistle blares, and his group begins running their warm-up laps. The next 15 minutes are filled with the kind of exertion and stretching that would make most grown-ups tired and sore just watching. A seven-year-old flashes by, sporting a wrestler’s unique headgear. He’s ready to learn. Soon, Coach Moore and Coach Rosen will begin teaching him and his teammates the same techniques they will see college and even Olympic athletes use in every match. Often, a seasoned teammate of age 11 or 12 will jump in to demonstrate a new move or technique. But not all are on the floor.

Around the edges of the room, several older, more experienced wrestlers have arrived before their scheduled practice time. Notebooks open, they’re doing their homework. And therein lies the off-the-mat focus the coaches have promoted. These spirited athletes receive great encouragement. Many of the Generals are the children of wrestlers. It’s a tight-knit community, and a larger-than-expected number of parents stay throughout the practice.

Connor and Paxton, both 13, are each in their ninth year of wrestling. Although they are in different weight classes — Connor weighs 78 pounds and Paxton, 86 — they often square off against each other on the practice mat. They are training for the upcoming Cliff Keen Tulsa Nationals, where more than 2,000 youth wrestlers from across the country will compete.

“I like wrestling because it’s a very aggressive sport,” says Connor. “But also, it teaches you discipline.” Meanwhile, Paxton likes the individual nature of the sport. “You are responsible for yourself. And, it keeps you in shape,” he adds.

Practice is nearing its close now. In one circle, two boys of about 6 are learning that once you take your man down, you must keep him down (an escape can earn a point for your opponent). One youngster realizes that sitting on his adversary seems to be working … for now. Not to worry — coaches will quickly step in to demonstrate the proper escape technique.

But it’s safe to say there will be no real escape for many in the room. Wrestling has captured them, and there is no doubt that future champions are among them.

Take Florida, for instance. I love the aqua water and sugar white sand of the panhandle but Cocoa Beach on the Atlantic side, with its white-capped surf is also a favorite. We made our first trip to Florida when our children were ages 6 to 14 years old. We were on the road before 6 a.m. with all three kids sleeping in the back of the van. On the way to our destination we stopped in Vicksburg, MS, to explore the historical area and got into Tallahassee late at night with no place to stop for food. Our downtown hotel had already closed the restaurant but sent crystal goblets of milk via room service to enjoy with our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches—a staple I learned to pack long ago. The next day we settled into our little condo on Cocoa Beach, our home base as we visited Walt Disney World, Sea World and Kennedy Space Center, leaving time to hit the beach most afternoons.

We eventually spent vacations at other Florida beaches and traveled to several Texas shorelines, including North and South Padre and enjoyed them all, even with sea gulls swooping down and stealing our food. Then for my 39th birthday, my husband arranged a trip to the greatest paradise of all—Hawaii.  As always, we took the kids along. Some of us had never flown before that 10-hour trip. Friends asked, “Don’t you want to take a short trip, just to see how you do on a plane?” (Okay, I was one of those who had never traveled by air.) Nope! No short trips! I was determined to get to Hawaii no matter what the flight was like, and of course it was fine and the beauty of the islands was worth every hour on that plane.

The thing is, I’ve not been to a beach in years. Our son, Jay can no longer fly because of his heart disease. My husband and I discussed renting a motor home and driving to a sandy shore, but pancreatic cancer stole that trip. But I’m thankful we took some exciting vacations through the years and fulfilled many of our dreams. We drank from Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth, shopped Mexican markets, took a sunset cruise on the gulf and spent a week in a cottage on a beautiful Iowa bluff. We saw the sun rise and set over different oceans, traveled the Ozark Mountains in the spring and fall and visited the French Quarters in New Orleans. We also did some crazy things along the way, like stopping at a snake farm to see an albino rattlesnake (oldest son’s request) and getting stuck in the sand at Padre Island. (Who in the world would drive a van onto the beach in spite of his wife’s caution? Guess!) I have beautiful memories of our vacations.  

So what does your dream trip look like? Maybe you would like to float down the Mississippi River on a raft or a riverboat, go fly-fishing, take a Caribbean cruise, travel by train to a remote region or ride a mule down the Grand Canyon. Go for it! Or perhaps you’re like me and just want to drive a motor home to the beach in this grief-filled winter of my life and hope a summer of joy will follow. Don’t put those dreams off too long! Time has a way of running out.

The new location offers a drive-through window for to-go orders, an outdoor patio and bar area. One thing that hasn’t changed is the Hobsons’ commitment to providing quality Mexican dining, with great service and a good price.

“We have developed recipes through the years and are constantly trying new ones to keep our menu options fresh and new,” said Hobson, an Edmond native. A few original recipes created by their Mexican chefs are the Alambre — grilled marinated fajita beef, mushrooms, sautéed onions and bell peppers smothered with Monterey jack cheese and Hobson’s favorite specialty item, Pork Chili Verde — marinated pork slow-cooked in green sauce and salsa roja.

These specialties are constantly evolving as the Hobsons encourage their chefs to experiment with new recipes and improve old ones. One traditional Mexican favorite has become a customer favorite at Habaneros — the chili relleno. “We use large roasted poblano peppers and stuff them full,” Hobson said. “So many chili rellenos you get at other places are skinny and barely full. Ours are big, full, plump and round, and therefore full of great flavor.”

Chris Hobson grew up in Deer Creek, and has been around restaurants most of his life. “(Opening his own restaurant) is something Chris has always wanted to do,” Hobson said. When the original location became available at the corner of Broadway and Waterloo Road, it seemed like a great fit — close to where they lived, and in an area that had no other eating establishments.

The experience of owning their own restaurant has been like nothing else. “It’s been a lot harder than we expected,” Hobson said. “But great, too. We get to meet so many people. We have regulars that come in all the time, and it’s awesome to see those faces every week and to form new relationships.”

The new location, open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, has different décor than their original restaurant. Stained concrete floors, granite countertops, arched doorways with brick paver eyebrows, neutral colors with pops of traditional Mexican heritage colors all set the tone for diners.

“We want everyone to feel welcome when they come in,” Hobson said. “To feel accepted, comfortable, not feel out of place.” For more information, call 359-3319 or visit www.habanerosok.com.

Profiles International serves more than 40,000 clients worldwide providing assessment tools that, according to Kelly, have made their services “high in demand.” “My business is based primarily in the OKC and Tulsa areas but (we) also service several large national accounts through our Enterprise Solutions Division. Typically those clients have 500-1,000 employees minimum.” Kelly says their flagship product is the Profile XT (PXT) which provides information on learning index, behavioral traits and occupational interest. In addition to the PXT, the Checkpoint 360 Feedback tool measures 70 specific job skills which fall into eight universal management and leadership competencies and 18 skill sets.

Kelly started Corporate Profile Solution Specialists, a subsidiary company of Profiles International, in 2005. After 17 years of coaching college football at universities across the U.S., Kelly was living in Illinois while his family was living in Edmond. “That wasn’t a good fit for my family. I literally answered an ad for Profiles International, traveled to their headquarters in Waco, Texas, and began partnering with them. In education, it’s all about test and measurement. I enjoy the science behind the testing and this is a nice complement to what I’ve done in the past,” he said.

Kelly is enthusiastic and proud of the integrity of the company he partnered with almost seven years ago. “We perform reliability and validity testing on our products continuously and have set the industry standard for our products while remaining moderately priced. It’s one reason I chose to go to work for them. I can go to a business fully confident that we have the best possible products for them,” he said.

“A lot of employers don’t realize what the cost of turnover is until they put pen and paper to it. An engaged worker produces about 60 percent more than an unengaged worker because they’re satisfied and enjoy being there. That’s different than someone who just clocks in and out,” said Kelly. “If a company has personnel issues, it’s worth it to pick up the phone and see if we’re a good fit for their company.”
 For more information, go to www.profilesok.com or call Kelly at 517-4791.

Head Over Heels Boutique’s vintage décor and brands like VANELi, Clarks and Sesto Meucci could be indicative of a store found in Dallas and that’s one thing that customers love. “There’s a large number of people who drive to Dallas to buy shoes or they order them online. We have customers come from OKC, Norman and Enid specifically to come to this store. One lady called and has a friend from Georgia that’s coming in when she visits. Our customers tell us they like the friendly, comfortable environment and love the vintage theme.”

Varying widths in high fashion isn’t the only thing that makes Head Over Heels a specialty store. Their full-service specialists are trained to help each customer find the perfect shoe. “When people come in with an odd-size foot, we bring them what we have in their size. We’ll walk out with six to eight boxes in their size and they’re shocked we have that many,” said Sue. “Our dream is to have more stores, in other cities and states. But our biggest success is to be able to fill a need and have people come in and share that with us.”
Head Over Heels Boutique carries a variety of Brighton jewelry and handbags as well as FarmHouse Fresh products. The store also has new spring shoes in, including Cole Haan and Brighton.     

Head Over Heels Boutique is located at 1201 NW 178th Street (2nd & Western) in Edmond. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 285-1700, search for them on Facebook and Twitter or visit www.headoverheelsok.com.

Showhomes OKC matches vacant homes for sale with screened home managers — individuals or families who live in the homes during the selling process — to provide a win-win for all parties involved, said Showhomes OKC owner John Stockton. The homeowners and real estate agents win by selling their homes faster and for more money, and the home managers win by being able to live in homes that they might not otherwise be able to afford, or even homes that are the same level of home they are used to living in, but for a much–reduced monthly payment, Stockton explained.

In 2008, a study conducted by the Real Estate Staging Association determined that filled homes sold 85 percent faster than vacant homes. And a 2004 survey of Realtors showed that homes filled with furnishings sold for 10 to 20 percent more. Showhomes OKC’s program has found a way to make sure the homes selling are full of beautiful furniture and accessories at no additional cost to the homeowner or real estate agent. They use home managers’ possessions.

When home managers apply for Showhomes’ program, they go through a background check and an interview. Stockton makes sure they don’t smoke or have pets, and then evaluates their belongings to ensure they would be acceptable for staging the level of homes he helps sell.

“Some (managers) qualify for a $300,000 house, while others qualify for a $700,000 house,” Stockton said. It’s based upon how much furniture they have to fill the different sized homes, as well as the quality of their furniture. Once those factors are determined, Stockton places the manager in a home that meets the size and style of their belongings. If the managers have children, Stockton keeps them in the school district where they attend.
Showhomes OKC has a decorator who helps stage the home with the manager’s belongings, to ensure the home looks its best. The personal items, such as photos and mementos, go into boxes for storage in the attic or garage, as do any knick knacks or other pieces that don't work with the design scheme.

The managers in return pay their moving expenses and a set monthly fee to Showhomes OKC, which is usually about 30 percent of what the mortgage would be if they owned the home, Stockton said. They also are responsible for the costs of maintaining the yard and a pool if the home has one, as
well as utilities.

“I get a lot of (managers) who are in transition (in their lives),” he said. Newly divorced people are custom-made for the program, with their nice furniture but decreased income. Business families who are transferred into the city also enjoy the program, as it gives them a chance to familiarize themselves with their surroundings.

“One gentleman is building a 3 million dollar home, and while it is being built, he is a home manager. This saves him storage costs and from having to live in a small apartment in the transition,” Stockton said.
Paul and Staci Swales became home managers for Showhomes OKC about 10 years ago when Paul lost his job. At that time, they had two children, 8 and 1, and another on the way. The idea of keeping a home constantly “show ready” with young children can be daunting to most. Paul said it wasn’t easy. “It was very difficult at the beginning; we all had to learn,” he said. “But the kids have grown accustomed to having to live in a picked-up, clean, orderly environment.”

Within a few years of entering the program, the Swales had saved enough on monthly mortgage payments that they were able to buy a home of their own. Then about three years ago, Paul decided to start his own business, so once again, they became home managers. “We sold the house, and had a huge amount of furniture — enough to (stage) a 7,000-square-foot home — so we couldn’t go into an apartment. This (program) is tailor made for people in transition like we were,” he said.

Combined, the Swales have been home managers for about seven years. In that time, they have lived in 14 different houses, ranging from a $225,000 home to their current $2.5 million home in Gaillardia — for which they pay $1,400 a month plus utilities. Their shortest stay in a home was five weeks, and the longest 14 months, although eight months seems to be the average.

Moving that often is a headache, Paul said, but the benefits greatly outweigh the inconvenience. And in time, his family has learned to streamline the process, knowing how to pack and unpack efficiently. “You have to learn how to live (the home manager) lifestyle,” Stockton said. “Moving often means you don’t collect all the stuff you collect when you live years in a home. And your personal stuff stays in boxes. You live with what you need to and call it a day.”

Home managers are generally given 30 to 45 days notice that they will be moving, and also have to give a 30-day notice if and when they decide to retire from being a manager.
“We have had our favorite houses, but never one that we disliked,” Paul said. “That’s one of the benefits: experiencing different neighborhoods and additions. It allows us to live in properties we wouldn’t otherwise be able to experience.”

And it allows home buyers to see the homes as such, rather than as empty houses, which in turn makes them sell faster and for more money. And with 15 years of experience dealing with hundreds of homes and managers, Showhomes OKC has proven that sometimes what seems too good to be true is
simply just good.

The night before the race, she went with her family to pick up her registration packet. On March 5, 2011, Huston woke up, got dressed and put on her running shoes. That’s the last thing she remembers.
Allison Garrison grew up wanting desperately to run. But, Garrison had a heart problem that restricted her activity levels. She also had a stubborn streak that propelled her to do something she was told she couldn’t do. So, with adulthood, greater awareness of managing her condition and discussions with her doctor, Garrison began to run.

She started participating in races a couple of years ago and had a group of running buddies that included her young son. They made a routine out of entering the local races that led up to the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and that meant this past spring, they would be running in the Deer  Creek Classic.

“That day, we actually very much debated about not running in the race,” Garrison says. The weather was bitterly cold and she explains that if she hadn’t had her group to hold her accountable, she wouldn’t have run. If she hadn’t, the day may have turned out very differently.

During the race, Garrison kept pace with members of the military who were participating because, she explains, their group did cadence calls and it helped keep her motivated. This is how she happened to be near a young man who was having some trouble so she stopped to help him.

Helping comes natural for Garrison, who is a physician assistant. “Medicine has been a part of my life since I was born essentially,” Garrison says. Her parents divorced when she was young and her mother is a nurse who worked long hours and took her daughters along with her. “We basically grew up in a hospital and just hung out with the patients and got to know all of the different aspects of medicine.” Garrison is now the president of the Oklahoma Academy of Physician Assistants and works with students at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.

After she had helped the young man, Garrison continued on the run. She was making her best time ever and she was almost to the end of the race. There was just one last turn to make, one last hill. It was at the top of this hill that Garrison saw someone lying on the ground.

Huston was in great shape. There was no clear indication that an artery in her heart had grown between her aortas when it should have grown around them. She had two fainting spells when she was young, once at a high school dance and then again in her jogging class when she was 19. Though the latter incident landed her in the emergency room, the doctors didn’t investigate further.

“The doctors were like ‘we have no idea what’s wrong with her.’ They didn’t check my heart; they didn’t do any of that stuff. They just said ‘I guess it was just one of those things,’” Huston says and advises people to never ignore warning signs. Even though more than 20 years passed without incident, it actually wasn’t ‘just one of those things.’ Like a silent bomb waiting to go off, Huston’s condition is usually found in the autopsy after a person dies, she explained.

When Garrison arrived on the scene, there were a few people crowded around Huston. They thought she had had a seizure because, as Garrison explained, a cardiac arrest can sometimes mimic a seizure by causing a
person to shake.

Garrison asked if Huston was breathing. No one was sure. Huston’s condition was deteriorating and that’s when Garrison took charge. She felt Huston’s wrist and her neck. There was no pulse. She began CPR with the help of, as fate would have it, one of her former students. The incident is a prime example of why everyone should know CPR, says Garrison. “It was one of those situations where everyone who was around her, they wanted to help but no one knew what to do and everyone was kind of looking for someone to take over,” she says. “They were just waiting for help to arrive and meanwhile she was dying.”

Between breathing and chest compressions and with the arrival of the volunteer fire department and their equipment used to shock Huston’s heart, her pulse came back, intermittently. Garrison says she gives credit to God for helping her stay calm during the incident, because though she has dealt with all kinds of medical emergencies, never had she been faced with one outside of a controlled environment like a hospital or clinic. “I didn’t even realize what had gone on until it was over,” she says. “It just hit me all of a sudden what
had just happened.”

Huston and her family also see a higher power in what happened that day. “We all know that God was working in my life,” she says. “We all know that this happened at this particular time, on that particular day, with Allison running behind me, that was God’s perfect timing for this to happen.” Huston adds that it was a miracle she came out of the incident without brain damage. “They had told my husband that when I woke up, not to expect me to be the person that I was,” she says.

Huston is thankful to Garrison, who kept in touch with her and visited her in the hospital. “I always call her my angel because that’s what I feel like she is. She is the angel that was put behind me in this race,” she says.  Huston is now back to running up to four miles a day and emphasizes that what happened has made her even more determined to live a healthy lifestyle.

 For more information on heart health, visit www.heart.org.

Marcy Smith, formerly and professionally known as Marcy Walker, never knew faith or religion while growing up. She certainly didn’t find it on the daytime dramas she starred in while living in New York City or Los Angeles. She did, however, open a letter weekly from a woman in New Jersey who wasn’t a fan of the daytime soaps, but just a person compelled to write each week about God to a woman she never knew. “I wanted God in my life because of the gospel I heard through her,” said Smith, now a children’s pastor in Edmond. “I wouldn’t be here today, I wouldn’t have met my husband, I wouldn’t know Jesus as my Savior now if it wasn’t for her.”

Former star of daytime dramas “All My Children” and “Santa Barbara,” Smith is a vital part of the LifeChurch.tv Edmond Campus, but her road to Edmond and faith was a weaving one that took her through starlet dreams, fame and finally, despair.

Smith was born in Paducah, Kentucky but never stayed in one place long. The daughter of an aeronautical engineer, she went to many different schools before graduating high school in Illinois in 1979. “I say I’m from everywhere,” Smith says. “I was in Illinois thinking about college and was encouraged to go to a casting call for a PBS movie, ‘Life on the Mississippi.’ I went and they said that out of all the people who auditioned, I was the most perfect for the role of the sourthern belle because I was the most naive.”

Because of her potential, beauty and talent, the casting director encouraged Smith to move to New York City. With the blessing of her parents, she moved to the Big Apple, got an agent and landed her first role on “All My Children.” “I was happy beyond belief,” says Smith. “It was the answer to my hopes and dreams. I think whenever you are on a set, you are meeting a new family. You are a part of something, and you feel accepted in your part. But it was also a learning curve.”

Smith played the roles of Liza Colby on “All My Children” from 1981 to 1984 and again from 1995 to 2005, and of Eden Capwell on “Santa Barbara” from 1984 to 1991. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1987 and 1988 for her role on “Santa Barbara” and won the Emmy in 1989 for her portrayal in which her character was brutally raped. “Being nominated for an Emmy was very exciting,” Smith says. “To be thought of as the best of the best was an honor and to win was fantastic. The recognition was not something I took for granted. It was pretty incredible.”

Besides soap operas, Smith starred in several movies, including “The Return of Desperado,” “Terror in the Shadows,” “Bar Girls” and “Midnight’s Child.” Yet, throughout her acting career and rise to stardom, something was missing. During that same time, a message was coming to her every week, but it was a message she wasn’t ready to hear yet.

While Smith played her roles on daytime television, a housewife in New Jersey named Carolyn Guest was witnessing about her faith in God to a neighbor. She desperately wanted to find something in common with her neighbor in order to reach her with her faith. “This … neighbor was going out of town for a while, and this was before everyone had DVR’s for their television,” Smith says. “The lady asked Carolyn to watch her shows for her so they could have coffee when she got back and Carolyn could tell her what happened.”

Happy to have a connection with her neighbor, that’s exactly what Guest did. The daytime show, ironically, was not the one Smith starred in. “I was in the show right before that one, but Carolyn would tune in early and catch the end of our show,” Smith says. “She said she felt compelled to pray and saw my face when she prayed. Her husband told her, ‘Actresses are people too, so what’s the harm in praying for her?’”

Soon, the letters came. The New Jersey housewife reached out to the daytime star and told her the story of the neighbor and that she was praying for Smith. The letters came every week — sometimes they shared news about Guest’s children and family, sometimes they talked about life, but they always talked about her faith.  “She wrote me every week for seven years,” says Smith. “I never wrote her back, but she didn’t seem like a fan, and she wasn’t a fan. I never think of her as a typical fan — just a person who came out of nowhere to fulfill a testimony to me.” At the time, she never saw how God was talking to her in each envelope.

Life, however, can turn sour and dark. In New York City, Smith saw suffering and sorrow in her friends and acquaintances. She saw drug use, alcoholism, anorexia, cancer and AIDS. She was surrounded by death and questioned why. “I lost a very good friend to liver failure,” Smith says. “I said, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ Carolyn helped me understand that figure — God — in my life really wanted to be Lord in my life.”
Finally, the letters hit home. Having not grown up with faith, Smith’s first impression of it was through the actions of a stranger. “She modeled who Christ was before I knew Christ,” Smith says. “It was 15 years ago that I gave my life to Jesus, when I said ‘I don’t want to be the lord of my own life.’”

After accepting God into her heart, Smith said she all of a sudden wanted things that God wanted for her. She found a home church in Connecticut and met her future husband in Bible study. Two years later, she started teaching Bible school. “I loved teaching the children about how much God was there for them and how He loved them,” she says. “After a long time of praying, God told me that the scales had tipped, and I said I’m walking away from acting.”

Smith married her husband after six months of dating, and Guest, the letter lady, was among her bridesmaids. Soon, Smith’s family and Guest’s family both moved to Huntersville, North Carolina and Smith went to work as a children’s pastor. “The experience I had in North Carolina was amazing. It was amazing what we were able to do, but God called me to something more,” Smith says. “I put my resume out there and I got a call from LifeChurch.tv asking if I’d come to Edmond, Oklahoma. I thought, ‘Oklahoma? Really? This isn’t part of the plan.’”

What Smith found, however, was a home. As soon as she set foot in the church, she fell in love with the city, the people, the food and the welcoming atmosphere. “Six months ago we moved to Edmond,” Smith says. “For me, I wanted to go where God is, and God is here. God is at work in so many ways … and I love that I’m now part of this church family and staff.”

To this day, the letters that a stranger sent for seven years straight are still a dear part of Smith’s life. “I hope my story encourages people to not give up on people they have hope for. It does matter, and what you say to others matters. Because of Carolyn, I took the leap … and look at how many lives
she’s changed.”

It’s a nasty gun, loud with a burst of fire out the end, and it kicks up like an unbroken and angry mare. There was a reason why Al Capone and other famous gangsters favored this fully-automatic machine gun. It hit hard and sprayed wide. “In 1934, the government passed the law on machine guns because of this gun. Whenever you think of old gangster movies, this is the gun they used,” said Steve Hazelwood of Cold Hand Arms, a class 3 gun shop in Edmond.

That A1 Thompson is the granddaddy of the other fully-automatic machine guns being shot at Heartland Outdoors, 1444 N. Kelly, in Edmond, on the first Friday night of each month. The smell of burnt gunpowder, sweat and oil — not as unpleasant as it sounds — permeates the gun range as veterans, gun enthusiasts, beginners and even youth try out what very few civilians can try — shooting fully-automatic weapons.

Full Auto Fridays are a special event offered by the two-year-old gun range, and it’s one of the most popular nights of the month. From 6 to 10 p.m., $15 and the cost of ammunition grants you the chance to shoot anything from a bullish HK 53 to a surprisingly mild and friendly 9 mm Sterling fully- automatic (favored by the British until the 1970s) to the wild and ugly Krinkov, the gun used by Osama Bin Laden.

Because Hazelwood’s store has a special license to deal in fully-automatics as a class 3 dealer, he knows not everyone can have the chance to shoot a gun like an AK-47 — used famously by Russians, Vietnamese and Iraqis – or M-4s — the modified version of the famous M-16. So, with a passion for shooting, he offered the use of his guns to Heartland Outdoors for the public to try out. “This is the only chance a lot of people have to try out a weapon like this,” said Hazelwood. “Because of games like Call of Duty, machine guns have become a lot more popular and a real attraction. So, first and foremost, we teach safety, and we do it in a safe environment.”

Hazelwood grew up around guns, and he started working with guns as a hobby while taking care of his grandfather. Three years ago, he opened Cold Hand Arms, specializing in accessories for semi-automatic weapons. He has in his possession, however, some of the most impressive fully-automatics ever made. In March 2010, he approached Heartland about offering Full Auto Fridays. “We had a lot of people show up that first time. It was busy the whole four hours,” Hazelwood said. “The second month, we had 75 people. It was a line to the door.”

Jared Harshaw, business partner at Heartland Gun Range, said machine guns have a taboo allure about them. “Not everyone has them,” he said. “We usually start beginners off with a smaller caliber submachine gun, like a 9 mm Thompson or an M4 9 mm. Then we’ll jump you up to an HK 308.”

Black floors are littered with shell casings that gleam in a dull brass of all sizes. The first boom of a gun makes you jump three feet off the floor, even with earplugs. The range is filled with big guys and only a handful of girls, but the girls who are there are as enthusiastic about shooting as anyone else. Melissa Sullivan, an old schoolmate of Hazelwood’s, brought her 14-year-old daughter, Macaulin, to shoot. “This is the first time for us,” said Sullivan. “I’m not a gun enthusiast, but I know Steve and know about the company, so I thought I’d bring the kid out.”

Macaulin tries her hand at the M4 9 mm. As she shoots, bullets fly out of the gun like angry bees, stinging with heat and landing erratically. “Hello!” Macaulin yelled out at the first kick of the gun. She lets fly a long burst of bullets. “Ah! The casings are hitting my head,” she yelled again, but she doesn’t stop. She keeps going until the bullets are gone and only a huge smile remains.

The HK-53 is a bully of a gun. It’s short and thick with a flame that shoots out the front, but it’s nothing like the M-4 Shorty Commando. Lining up for the first shot, the noise alone could kill a man. It’s like a bomb exploding and all you see is flying shell casings and a starburst of yellow flame. Everyone else at the range jumps when the gun booms, and heat rolls off of it in a brusque wind. “Yeah,” Hazelwood said. “That’s one scary gun.”

The Kalashnikov AKS-74U (Krinkov) short assault rifle, another gun available at Heartland’s Full Auto Fridays, was used by police across the USSR and the post-USSR countries. The AKS-74U, or “Krinkov” as coined by Afghani Mujahidins during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980s, is also the gun of choice in Arab countries due to its compact size, which allows it to be carried in cars or concealed under clothes. It is, however, limited on effective range and has poor accuracy beyond about 150 meters.

In a beginner’s hands, bullets fly off the ceiling of the shooting range. “Those sparks were you hitting the ceiling,” Macaulin giggled. Everyone else on the range is as forgiving, and with big guns come big bonds. Everyone starts trading weapons, allowing a stranger to shoot a strange gun. Philip, of Edmond, owns the British 9 mm Sterling, an elegant and slender machine gun. Hazelwood lets visitors try the Heckler & Koch G36, which the Oklahoma City SWAT team uses.

The beginning shooter may be nervous at first. “Once you shoot an automatic for the first time, there’s a release of tension,” Hazelwood said. “Afterwards, you get pumped up. It’s like firecrackers — everyone likes the boom and how much noise they make. The allure is the fact that you can’t have it. It’s against the law. But, you have to know how to control an automatic or it’s no good.”

Harshaw expects the popularity of Full Auto Fridays to continue to grow. The enthusiasm brings more and more new faces to Heartland Outdoors on those Fridays, and everyone leaves excited. “You can expect big smiles. We aren’t making money on this, but it gives people an opportunity to do something adventurous. It’s exciting, and it’s a safe place to do it.” For more information, visit
www.heartlandoutdoorsok.com