Full disclosure: I am a recovering caterer. For seven long years I spent every waking moment planning elaborate menus, shopping, prepping, cooking, schlepping, pampering clients, and nursing my aching feet. Admittedly this was a long time ago, but I still experience painful flashbacks—and those flashbacks often include a mother-of-the-bride. Any talk of weddings still activates …

When we experience a rite of passage, in a sense, we are walking across a bridge. In the process, we are leaving a familiar place and transitioning to an unfamiliar place. These important rite of passage “bridges” in our lives serve as platforms to momentarily embrace, honor, and celebrate major life transitions. Rite of passage …

When I first saw this movie in the theater, I thought, “I love this movie but it will never get the acclaim it deserves.” Wow, was I wrong! The Blind Side is an incredibly heartfelt drama based on the life of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), who grew up neglected and impoverished but went on to …

Set in the early 1960′s when the Civil Rights Movement was tearing apart the South, The Help by Kathryn Stockett shows the struggle through the eyes of two black maids. Loving Abilene, who raises 17 white children over the years then watches them grow up to join another class and break her heart, or Mouthy …

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICES IN MAKE-UP WILL SAVE YOU A LOT OF HEADACHES AND PHOTOGRAPHY DISASTERS. Plan as we might, unforeseen wedding day crises pop up, from pesky blemishes to humid hair frizz. Luckily you have a lot of great beauty professionals out there that will assist you in making your day effortless and help …

My objective in writing a real estate Q&A column is that it be relevant to the typical homeowner here in the Diablo Valley. To that end, my goal is to provide informed insight on where the real estate market is going and why. My commitment is to share the best, timely, inside real estate market …

“Bull Markets are born on pessimism, grow on skepticism, mature on optimism and die on euphoria.”- Sir John Templeton Sound familiar? If you think about the turbulent market cycles we have been through the last decade or so I think you will agree that the above quote by legendary investor Sir John Templeton rings very …

Have you ever wondered who might have sweated on the treadmill right before you jumped on for your workout? Or…did they wipe off the equipment? Or…whether or not your self-devised training program was really ideal? If any of that has crossed your mind, or if you are interested in a personalized approach for improving your …

This collection of extraordinary images was submitted by Northgate High School senior, Tyler Hoffman. We suspect we’ll be seeing more from this talented amateur photographer in the months and years ahead—right here in ALIVE!