Continue reading »]]> Article & Photography Susan Motley

Eric Laverentz, senior pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Stanley, and his wife, Jennifer, live in Overland Park with their three young sons. Although they grew up in the area, their paths didn’t cross until both were living in Nashville in 2000. That meeting almost didn’t happen.

Eric had graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and was working on another graduate degree at Vanderbilt University. To pay the bills, he was serving as a youth pastor at a local church.

“As a single pastor in the south, everyone has a cousin or a niece or a pharmaceutical sales rep they want you to meet,” says Eric. “I never took anyone up on it.

“Then a church friend gave me Jen’s number. I had it for three months before I called. That first call lasted three hours and we discovered we were both from Kansas City. By the first date, I knew she was the one.”

Jennifer majored in journalism and history at MU, but had decided journalism wasn’t for her. Through an interview with a professor, she was exposed to the field of historic preservation and her interest was piqued.

“My first brush with old buildings was as a volunteer tour guide at the Harry Truman Farm Home in Grandview,” Jennifer says. “Since I was ready to live in another area of the country, I went to Middle Tennessee State for my masters in historic preservation.”

At the time, Eric was considering getting out of ministry and wanted to pursue teaching and politics. But God had a different plan. “The Lord began working on my heart and I felt called to full-time, ordained ministry.”

Eric and Jennifer were married in June 2002 and moved to Dayton, Ohio, where Eric took his first senior pastor position at Kirkmont Presbyterian Church. They loved Dayton, the church and the people there.

But in 2006, Eric was offered the senior pastor position at Presbyterian Church of Stanley, a church that had long impressed him.

“I was attracted to Stanley Presbyterian because the congregation has a vision for ministry, wants to go deeper in their faith and to learn to love their neighborhood, community and the world,” says Eric. “They were open to change and that is a testimony to the quality of people there.”

“There is a feeling of community at this church,” Jennifer says. “People are enthusiastic about sharing each others lives and encouraging one another.”

In five years as senior pastor, Eric says he has seen the church grow “in members, mission, discipleship and community presence.” During that same time, the Laverentz family grew too. They now have three boys: Calvin, who just turned 5, Hank, 2 and Otto, 9 months. Although Eric’s family has since moved to California, Jennifer is thrilled to be back near her family.

“I am thankful every day for the opportunity to live in this area and close to family,” Jennifer says. “It is such a blessing to see the boys get to know their grandparents and uncles. And we love the support, especially the impromptu date nights my parents provide!”

Jennifer is sensitive to moms who don’t have family nearby. “I try to be open and on the lookout for new friendships because it can feel lonely moving to a new area. Our church started a moms Meet-up group(Meetup. com/PCOSYoungFamilies/) to reach out to other moms we meet around town. We get together and do things with our kids like go to the zoo or have play dates.”

Jennifer admits having three boys under five can be a challenge. “The job is to constantly meet the needs of little people. I just clean up breakfast and its time for lunch! Balancing their needs with housework and the stuff I’d like to do, like go for a run or organize my photos, can be difficult. But when I set aside what I’m doing and stop to play with them, that is the best part of my day.”

Eric agrees. “I love watching them discover new things and seeing the sense of awe and wonder they have.

“I think Jen is a great mom because she is so patient. She is very creative and always has one idea in the hopper to keep them busy and occupied. I recently spent the weekend watching all three and I don’t know how she does it!”

Jennifer thinks Eric is a fun dad. He wrestles, loves practical jokes, and he happily watches Looney Tunes and movies with the boys. “But he is also very intentional about the values he wants to pass on to the boys, and I love that,” she says.

The Laverentz family loves to go on adventures together. “We call them ‘country rambles’ and they usually take us up north and involve trains,” says Jennifer. “Most recently we drove to Parkville for dinner and train watching. Sometimes we land in Atchison or Weston. Lots of times we start without a final destination in mind!”

Eric and Jennifer agree. They feel very blessed to be raising their family in this town and with this church community

Continue reading »]]> Article Lisa Allen | Photography Angela C. Bond

Blessed. Imperfect. Authentic. Grateful.
Steal a few moments with Michelle Gressel and you’ll hear those words; you’ll also witness an ebullient spirit, a heart for community and an infectious laugh that instantly makes you feel as if you’re privy to a sensational inside joke.

Known in Olathe as a former Olathe Chamber of Commerce Board Member as well as an Ambassador and the emcee of hundreds of Chamber coffees, chair of countless community events, volunteer for numerous organizations and Leadership Olathe graduate, Gressel spends her days not unlike a typical Johnson County working mother of three. She shuttles children to wrestling, T-ball and dance class while juggling a high octane position as director of sales at Residence Inn Olathe and marriage to a law enforcement officer.

It’s what happens in the wee small hours of the morning, though, that fuels Gressel’s passion driven business called The Torn Edge. It started as she stared down the prospect of turning 40; grateful to be sharing the milestone with a friend, Gressel was enlisted by that friend’s husband to create a piece of art to gift his wife on her big day.

It began with her suggestion to write down words that described his wife, but then Gressel began tearing. She ripped beautifully patterned papers into random shapes, leaving the edges raw and ignoring their mismatched form. Eventually, she put it all back together into a work of art that celebrated the unique beauty of her friend.

That paved the way to a second piece called “Love,” which still hangs in her bedroom. Every piece since then has featured words that matters to Gressel; ‘compassion and passion’ was next, with ‘grace’ right after that. At that time, she entertained a fleeting thought that she might be able to sell a few of her creations in local boutiques.

“I had no idea what God was starting to put on my plate, and what was starting to unfold in my own life. God is perfect with this plan,” she says, sharing how a business connection led to her first art showing at First Friday. Frustrated with the process of trying to create the perfect pieces for her debut, Gressel recounts how her mother-in-law saw through the “not pretty mess” of jumbled intentions on her dining room table to the true core of what Gressel’s art is about: learning to love, and forgive, herself as much as she does others.

“I don’t know that I like the word broken,” she says, “but I am. I am far from perfect and have battled the same demons so many others struggle with.” Gressel’s art has led her to local churches, where she shares those demons with congregants. Through tears and quivering voice, she speaks candidly of her lagging self-esteem, an eating disorder, suicidal thoughts and other challenges that left her broken but not beaten.

It is her art, she says, that has allowed her to embrace herself again and to share her story with those who hold fast to their own secrets and the inherent shame that always follows. Through the art she stands transparently before everyone, welcoming them in and providing a safe place in which to release their own burdens.

At every church, she encourages those listening to join her in writing a word or sentiment on a torn piece of paper that she takes home and turns into a unique piece of art. She then returns that canvas to the church, a constant reminder of God’s grace and our ability to love again. “This art has become a ministry for me,” she says. “The art allowed me the outlet to be still at night, to tear up these pieces of paper, and to know that He is God. He spoke to me in the deepest, darkest hours of my night. I am so thankful for paper, for glue and for the blank canvas that allows me to make something beautiful again out of the torn and ragged edges of my life.”

Even though she intentionally priced her initial pieces so high that they wouldn’t sell, Gressel has since designed products for Naomi’s Hallmark in Shawnee and is also in preliminary talks with a major gift manufacturing company. She is downright giddy at the possibility that she sees ahead.

“There is so much in store,” she says, sharing that a book about the torn edges of our lives as well as a unique product line, more videos and inspired music are all ‘simmering in her crock-pot’.

Follow Gressel’s journey at TheTornEdge.com and on Facebook at Facebook.com/TheTornEdge.

Continue reading »]]> Article and Photography Lisa Gartland

Students at Saint Thomas Aquinas once again put words into action at an all school assembly held on April 10. Student speakers and a video reminded students of the suffering that accompanies cancer treatment. One way the female students have found they can help is by donating their hair to wig banks for cancer patients who have lost their hair. In 2011, 95 girls participated in the Wigs Out event at the school. This year that number increased to more than 115 high school girls participating in what has become an annual event.

Each girl, many of whom grew their hair out specifically for this purpose, picked a friend to chop eight inches or more of her locks. The cutting took place simultaneously, and all the hair has now been sent to the Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Program to make wigs for women and children who have undergone chemotherapy treatment.

Once the cutting was complete there was applause and celebration in the gym, and the girls boarded a bus to Xenon International Academy in Olathe to have their new shorter lengths styled.

Theresa Wynne, a junior, took part in the Wigs Out assembly this year, allowing her friend, Jessica Satterfield, to cut her hair. Wynne says, “I’ve had two aunts battle cancer. One died and the other survived. Cutting my hair is something really easy I can do. My hair is going to grow back anyway.” The Wigs Out vision was started several years ago and continues to be coordinated by Aquinas teacher, Kim Harrison.

Continue reading »]]> I’ve decided I need to look for a volunteer opportunity that will allow me to snuggle with babies. I’ve heard of them, seen such programs featured on television, so I know they exist. I just need to find one and go through what I imagine might be a long screening process. I suspect someone will want references and a background check before I’m allowed to nuzzle my cheek on the soft fuzz of a baby’s sweet head.

My two boys are growing up fast, in more ways than one. When I want hugs from them, they now have to bend awkwardly to fit my slightly taller than average stature. As for snuggling, well it’s just not the same as when you could rock them in your arms.

I spent several years as the editor of two local parenting magazines. While my boys were growing into their tween years, I was able to keep my brain engaged in the world of toddlers and tots as I organized content based on the woes of getting baby to sleep through the night or how to teach toddlers to share. Now that my days are immersed in community news and events, mostly for the grownups, I realize I miss the babies! And before you suggest it, NO, I don’t wish we’d had more children of our own. Two was the perfect number, in every way, for my parenting plan and level of expertise. It was fun to put a baby-themed issue together this month and it just got me thinking about what brings me joy and what I miss about those baby days.

Enjoy what will surely be a busy month of May, and I hope I’ll see you around town!

Lisa Harrison, Managing Editor
Lisa@LifestylePubs.com

Continue reading »]]> The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary held its 32nd annual Omelet Brunch in March at the Salvation Army Westport Community Center. For 31 years, employees of YRC Worldwide, based in Overland Park, volunteered their time to cook delicious made-to-order omelets for the guests. The fundraiser supports local Salvation Army programs, including homeless shelters, food pantries, emergency assistance and substance abuse programs. The event raised more than $8,000. The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, comprised of approximately 300 women in the Kansas City metro area, devote their time, energy and love to support the programs and services of the Salvation Army. Photos courtesy of Steve Yates.

Continue reading »]]> The Shawnee Mission community came together in April in support of Head Start of Shawnee Mission at its Bright Futures Luncheon. This event raised funding for the organization, which serves low-income children and families in Johnson County by providing early childhood education, health, mental health, disability, nutrition, parent involvement and social services. The luncheon program included several speakers, including Head Start’s Executive Director, a member of the Board of Directors, and a Head Start parent. The heart-touching program featured the delightful children and families served, as well as the services and support provided.

Continue reading »]]> Students at Overland Trail Elementary and Overland Trail Middle School held the Second Annual Hoops For Harvesters in March to raise awareness and meals for Harvesters. The three-onthree basketball tournament featured more than 150 Overland Trail students, up from 60 players the first year of the event. The players, volunteers and sponsors raised more than 30,000 meals. “Some of our young players experienced basketball, community service and Harvesters all for the first time in this tournament, and it was important we leave them with a positive impression of all three,” said Jennifer Geiger, tournament coordinator for Overland Trail Elementary.

Corporate sponsors for the event included Winning Streak Sports, Michael F. Flanagan, LLC, Langin Law Firm, Bettah Buttah, Honda of Tiffany Springs, SMN Teamwear, ADIDA DJ Entertainment, H & R Block, as well as many Overland Trail families.

Continue reading »]]> Tim Webber, a junior at Olathe North High School, has achieved a perfect 36 ACT score. Webber, the son of Joyce and Rich Webber, took the test three times to achieve the perfect score. He has attended Olathe School District for his entire education. Webber said he is looking at Northwestern University, Drake University, Creighton University and Iowa State. “Tim is so humble that he did not tell anyone at school that he had earned a perfect ACT score,” Principal Connie Heinen says. “When I asked him to come to the office so I could congratulate him, he was again so humble. He credited his achievement to his outstanding teachers and supportive parents. He has now been working with other students to help them improve their ACT scores.” Webber is a member of the 21st Century Programs Distinguished Scholars Language Arts and he is involved in debate at Olathe North.

Continue reading »]]> Words Todd B. Natenberg

My twin sons rested in their infant seats latched into our double stroller during a walk at Oak Park Mall, when I decided to take a break for feeding time. With some fancy maneuvering, I placed them both in my lap together, and they took their bottles. They were six months old at the time.

“Oh, my goodness!” a passing woman said, expressing concern. “Do you need some help?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks very much,” I replied with a smile.

Said another, moments later, “Wow! Is Mommy sick or out of town? I guess you got stuck with the kids.”

“Hardly,” I answered. “Every moment with my sons is a blessing. I love every minute of it.”

“Really,” the second one responded. “That’s a great attitude.”

Huh? Did she think that I was convincing myself that I loved my sons? Did she think I was convincing myself that I loved spending time with them?

It indeed was Daddy day, but not because Mommy was sick or out of town. I just wanted to spend special time alone with my two beautiful boys.

Fast forward a year. With my wife truly out of town, I took my sons to a playground. No longer infants, now 16-months old, they could walk, run and get into their share of trouble, I mean fun.

At the playground, we played peek-a-boo near the monkey bars. Under my supervision, they scaled the slide and wobbly bridge. And yes, I chased them around galore, recreating a workout for myself, complete with many double carries of more than 50 pounds to ensure their safety. It was déjà vu all over again.

“Twins? Wow! I can’t imagine,” a woman said this time around. “I think one is tough enough.” “Looks like you have your hands full,” another chimed in.

My response was the same as it always is: “Double blessing, every moment is fantastic.”

Why do so many assume that parenting is a burden? My wife tells me that I’m unique in how I’ve embraced rocking them to bed, cleaning up after them, changing diapers (well, I say I’ve embraced the last one), and overall loving them with hugs, kisses and words every moment of every day. Of course, this doesn’t include the “obvious” fun parts such as playing with them, teaching them how to hit a baseball and giving regular shoulder rides.

While I appreciate my wife’s compliments, I’m not alone. Just look at a father with his arm around his son or daughter at a line in a restaurant getting food, or in a park where dad is flying a kite with his kids. Some may question whether they embrace the behind the scenes duties of parenthoodas outlined above. But as a man, I know they do.

I can’t wait until my next Daddy day. Tomorrow.

Continue reading »]]> Article Christopher Clark | Photography Courtesy of Parisi Coffee and Angela C. Bond

It’s been years, decades, really, since coffee began evolving from its role as a get-me-going commodity into a culinary craft, a tricked out piece of the foodie puzzle that may be every bit as demanding as haute cuisine. You need good equipment, a capable barista and the best beans, sourced from all over the world.

Long the clinched domain of specialty coffee hubs like Seattle, San Francisco and Portland, that same international ethic and devotion to the craft now is thriving in Kansas City. Shops, cafes and specialty roasters have sprouted up all over the metro, slavishly devoted to providing locals not only with their caffeine fix, but also the equipment and beans they can use at home to elevate their wake-up-call-in-a-cup into a thoughtful and surprisingly satisfying morning ritual.

So with recent medical evidence suggesting that coffee may offer some health benefits, such as potentially lowering your risk of diabetes and some neurological disorders, it only makes sense to go for the good stuff. And in Kansas City, there’s plenty to go around.

“Kansas City is known for having a great palate,” says Jason Coffee, the aptly-named operator of popular Kansas City-based website CoffeeCupNews.org, where readers can find tutorials on brewing coffee, equipment reviews and celebrations of the city’s burgeoning coffee culture. “We have a thriving and growing foodie and culinary scene. The success of places like The Roasterie and Broadway Roasting Company has proven that the same growth is sustainable in coffee as well. I believe that success and growth we are seeing now is only the beginning.”

Johnson County residents have no shortage of choices when it comes to quality coffee. You’ll routinely find baristas happily talking with customers about the painstaking process of making high-end espresso, lattes and cappuccinos.

Customers can watch as the barista pours just-off-the-boil water over freshly ground coffee, creating a mouth-watering aroma and rewarding the customer’s patience with flavors they didn’t know coffee could hold. The Take Five Coffee Bar, at 5336 W. 151st in Leawood, has one of the more interesting takes in the area, combining the exacting parameters of single-cup pour-over coffee and high-quality espresso with late night music, usually jazz-themed.

“My husband and I have a lifelong love of music and planned from the start to incorporate music into Take Five. In fact the name is derived from Dave Brubeck’s tune,” owner Lori Chandler says. “That said, we did not plan on becoming a prominent jazz venue. We’re glad it has happened, though! The ability for families and fans to gather around a band, not a stage with concert seating, has propelled our success.”

But even when the jazz is jumping, the coffee remains on center stage. Chandler gets her beans from Seattle’s Zoka Coffee Roasters. “They focused on exactly the level of unflinching quality I knew customers in south Johnson County would value. It was in their cafe that I first experienced a pour-over. Let me say up to that time I drank my coffee so doctored up that it was more like chocolate milk. After that first pourover… I have not added anything to my cup,” Chandler says.

Chandler’s experience with coffee proved so good she could stop adding milk and sugar. For roasters and specialty shops, that’s the goal—coaxing out the bean’s natural flavors. Of course the milk and sugar are there if you need it.

Beans sourced from Latin America often have floral or citrus notes, while Brazilian and Sumatran coffees carry deeper, more cocoa nuances. Ethiopian coffees, considered by some to be the most prized in the world, can, in the right hands, produce notes of berries that dance bright and juicy on the palate.

Those are the kinds of coffee that have helped Revocup, 11030 Quivira Road in Overland Park, earn a reputation among local quality advocates. The cafe specializes in what it calls “authentic, single-origin coffees” sourced from across the coffee planet. The owners are native Ethiopians

who seem most proud of the beans sourced from their homeland, varieties such as Yirgacheffe, Harrar and Sidamo. (Tip: Go for their Sidamo variety, whose blueberry and chocolate notes could kick your Maxwell House habit for good.)

Perhaps Kansas City’s most popular roaster, The Roasterie recently opened one of its two cafes in Leawood, a sleek but welcoming shop that also puts a premium on single-origin pour-over coffees and high-quality espressos, lattes and cappuccinos. But the company has made its bones as a nationally respected roaster, producing pound after pound of single-origin coffees and espresso blends from its Kansas City production facility for cafes, restaurants and home baristas across the country.

Leawood is also home to Joe Paris, whose Parisi Artisan Coffee roasting facility in Kansas City has earned him plenty of buzz in local circles. Parisi recently opened a shop in the increasingly busy Union Station near downtown, where
affable baristas make everything from press-pot coffee to single-cup pour-over to espresso.

Oddly enough, most of these same shops are helping customers replicate the quality-coffee experience at home. Many shops sell beans in 12-ounce bags, often just days off the roast when coffee is at its freshest. With practice and patience, would-be baristas at home can make terrific coffee and espresso-based drinks with just a little investment.

In some ways, those advances have helped the commercial scene. “Almost every coffee roaster I have been to in Kansas City is willing to help you make great tasting coffee at home,” says Coffee, whose website is filled with stories and videos about local shops and their outreach with customers. “The coffee shops benefit from this relationship in two ways.

As a consumer gains more knowledge about what it takes to brew good coffee at home, the more money they will pour into this newfound passion. As that consumer flows further and further down the coffee geek funnel they can’t help but share this newfound treasure with their friends.”

The presence of so many quality roasters and cafes in the metro reflects a broader worldwide trend in specialty coffee, Chandler says.

“It isn’t unusual that Kansas City would follow suit. Give credit to Starbucks for raising the visibility and accessibility of high-end coffee beverages. That said, I think having a local coffee shop that offers equal product (better, in my opinion
of course!) and keeps the money in the community is something customers really get behind.”

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