The Medl in News
NOVEMBER 2020
one. It’s just something they learned while growing up, including a lot about cattle and sheep, despite not pursuing ranching in their professional lives. My father gave my sister and I a horse when we were young, so we grew up riding horses and taking care of them. As civilians, my father became an electrical engineer for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, which was part of AT&T (and back then, the only phone company in town), while my uncle became an American Airlines pilot until he retired. They weren’t only successful within their careers but also active and involved in their church. They believed it was important to do volunteer work (whether for faith or for other social service organizations) and to support proper causes. One of the greatest lessons they taught was to live by example. They always “walked” their “talk.” Generous and caring for others, their lives were always consistent with their beliefs. Although they didn’t talk much about their war experiences, seeing how good they were as fathers, husbands, and brothers was more than enough to inspire strength in myself and our family. I still think about the career advice my father gave me: “Do anything you want in life as long as it’s legal and helps people.” My father passed away over 10 years ago, but on what would have been his 100th birthday this year ( just two weeks prior to writing this) my uncle passed away, as well. They led long lives, as my father died at 89, and my uncle died at 97. Our family is very proud of them both, and it’s understandable that my uncle just wanted to go celebrate the special centennial birthday with his brother. Not everyone is lucky enough to know their veteran family members very well or for very long. Whether due to bodily injuries, invisible injuries (such as PTSD), or giving the ultimate
THE LIVES OF TWO WORLD WAR II VETERAN BROTHERS
Our military has always had a profound importance to me and my family. In honor of Veterans Day this year, I thought I’d talk a little bit about my father and uncle (my father’s brother), who served in World War II in the Navy. I’m incredibly grateful that they were healthy upon their return and led amazing lives thereafter. I find their successes in civilian life particularly impressive because they didn’t have it easy before the war, either. My father’s family grew up on a ranch in west Texas, raising sheep and a few cattle in a dry and dusty area during the Great Depression. They used to say that they felt very fortunate in life, although they had humble beginnings. Their high school had only 50 students total, so when they played football, they could only play with six- player teams! However, my uncle was so skilled at football that Odessa High School offered their father (my grandfather) a job at the local railroad so that my uncle could play for the Odessa team. For the uninitiated, Odessa is one of the most famous high schools for football nationwide. My grandfather didn’t end up taking the offer, however. Eventually, when my father was 23 and my uncle was 21, both of them joined the Navy to aid in World War II. Although the two brothers were in the same branch, they had considerably different jobs. My father served on a ship in the Pacific, while my uncle was a pilot for carrier planes. (This was a dream come true for my uncle, as he wanted to be a pilot ever since a pilot stopped by their town and gave him a ride when my uncle was 10 years old.) I learned much from them over the years, like how tremendously independent they were. Both my father and uncle were jacks-of- all-trades. If anything was broken, they could fix it or build a new A Tribute to the Wonderful Lives That My Father and Uncle Led
sacrifice for their country, I think it’s highly important to support our veterans and active duty members of the military whenever we can. We can’t see everything our military members suffer through, and we can always do more to help support their mental and physical health, which they lend to our country.
– Gary L. Medlin, Esq.
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Top 5 Healthy Life Hacks
To Have an Awesome Morning Getting your day started with coffee isn’t always enough. Sometimes, you need to give yourself an extra boost, especially when you have little energy or trouble focusing. For an awesome start to your day, here are five tips to get you going right off the bat. Wake up 5 minutes early. What’s the power of five minutes? It can be more than you think. Spend this time doing simple breathing exercises or a quick meditation so you can get focused for the rest of the day. If that’s not your style, you can prepare a quick to-do list for your day ahead. Either way, it’s always nice to have a little extra time for yourself without losing too much sleep. Start with green tea, then coffee. A cup of coffee at 7 a.m. can leave you burned out by 10 a.m. Try swapping it with green tea for a more gentle wake-up call. After that, you can brew your favorite coffee to keep you going strong. This practice also might help you consume less caffeine overall! Take a quick morning walk— and have your meetings on the go. Morning meetings can make us want to fall asleep again. Don’t spend all of them sitting down if you don’t have to! Not only will
morning walks help you wake up, but they can also add some extra physical activity to your day.
Write in your journal. Who says you have to journal at the end of the day when you’re tired and ready to sleep? You can journal in the morning about what happened yesterday and the things you’re looking forward to that day. Journaling can remind you of your daily goals and motivate you to stick to your commitments. Pack your lunch (or snacks!). Staying on track with your goals starts with having the energy to do them. Plan a healthy balance of fats, vegetables, carbohydrates, and proteins. This can be as simple as assembling dips, carrots, wraps, and salads each morning.
It’s time to try these tactics to jump-start your day!
5 MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S
Later in life, Gary Medlin’s father (mentioned on the cover article) developed Alzheimer’s disease. Coincidentally, November is National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, so at Medlin Law Firm, we thought we’d share the simple lifestyle changes you can make to slow or prevent this common, heartbreaking, and presently incurable disease. No. 1: Be physically active. Every week, you should aim to have at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, such as briskwalking, riding a bike, or pushing a lawnmower. You could also aim for 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, such as jogging, fast swimming, or riding a bike up a hill! Try to mix it up between activities that require strength and endurance. No. 2: Eat well! Not only can a healthy diet reduce your risk of memory loss, but it’ll also fight other conditions like cancer, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, stroke, and heart disease. Eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and proteins (fish, beans, eggs, meat) twice a week should keep you in tiptop shape. No. 3: Don’t smoke. Smoking harms the circulation of blood in your body, including those that lead to the brain, heart, and lungs, causing significant damage to your health.
No. 4: Take care of your heart and oral health. Because of your blood circulation, your heart, oral, and brain health are a lot more connected than you might think. According to recent studies, the same bacteria that’s associated with Alzheimer’s are often found in patients with gum disease. Similarly, some autopsy studies show that almost 80% of individuals with Alzheimer’s also have cardiovascular disease. No. 5: Stay connected and mentally active. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, numerous studies show that “maintaining strong social connections” and “keeping mentally active as we age” may lower the risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s. Although the medical reason isn’t yet clear, some experts suspect it’s due to the direct mechanisms between social and mental stimulation. We hope these tips may help you or a loved one. If you’d like to make a donation to support Alzheimer’s disease research, you can do so at Philantropy.MayoClinic.org/ Alzheimers. Thank you so much for reading this, and have a happy, healthy November!
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could become legal citizens. Her life goal is now to help anyone she can by utilizing her skills in the legal field.
MEET SUZY VANEGAS!
And for the past six years, she has done just that — but not in the area of law that many might assume. After taking a public defender clinic in law school, she fell in love with criminal defense law. When our firm first met Suzy, it was through sheer luck. Matt Peacock was standing in line in the Johnson County court, and Suzy asked Matt if she was in the right place, since she’d never been to Johnson County before. Over time, our firm grew familiar with her, and, as soon as we needed a bilingual attorney, we offered her a job. The rest is history. “The staff here are amazing,” Suzy was proud to tell us, “from the way they talk to clients to the way they handle things right away.” She explained that there are never false promises, which is especially comforting for those who are distrusting of lawyers in the beginning. When Suzy isn’t in court, she’s often watching American college football (go Oklahoma Sooners!). Her boyfriend also has a run club, and they frequently run together.
The True Story of Our New Bilingual Attorney
Growing up, Suzy believed that she was born and raised as an American citizen. Then, when she was 13 years old, her family went to the immigration office to have their yearly fingerprints taken. Suzy’s mother was detained — apparently there had been a deportation order for her for a long time. And that’s when Suzy found out the truth: She was born in Nicaragua and came to the States when she was two years old.
Luckily, she was put under her stepfather’s custody, and he immediately got attorneys, which helped Suzy’s mother remain in the States until they could figure out a solution. Her stepfather not only helped stop the deportation, but he also helped Suzy and her mother go through the process so they
Welcome to the Medlin Law Firm, Suzy! We’re so glad to have you.
Zesty Orange Cranberry Sauce Skip the can-shaped cranberry sauce this year and bring a jar of homemade sauce to Thanksgiving instead. This easy recipe can be made ahead of the big event and keeps for 10 days in the fridge.
PUZZLE TIME
Ingredients
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1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
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1/2 cup water
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3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
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12 oz fresh cranberries
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2 tsp orange zest
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Salt to taste
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, heat the orange juice, water, and sugar to a boil. Add other ingredients, then bring mixture back to boiling.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and cook gently for 10–12 minutes, until the cranberries burst.
3. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or jar, cover, and refrigerate until serving.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE 1. The Lives of TwoWorldWar II Veteran Brothers
2. Top 5 Healthy Life Hacks to Have an Awesome Morning
5 Most EffectiveWays to Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s
3. Meet Suzy Vanegas!
Zesty Orange Cranberry Sauce
4. The Stories Behind 2 Iconic Animal Heroes in Video Games
THE STORIES BEHIND 2 ICONIC ANIMAL HEROES IN VIDEO GAMES
Your family might have had the chance to play more video games lately and interact with some of the most famous animal heroes in video game history, like Yoshi or Sonic. But have you ever wondered about their real-world backstories? Yoshi Or should we say, T. Yoshisaur Munchakoopas? That’s Yoshi’s full name according to Nintendo’s official character guide published in 1993. Ever since the first release of Super Mario Bros, Nintendo wanted Mario to have a dinosaur companion. However, the limitations of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) stalled that idea until Nintendo released Super Mario World for the
A few fun facts: Yoshi is often referred to as male, but its gender remains unconfirmed. Also, Yoshi and K.K. Slider (from Animal Crossing) have the same voice actor! Sonic You could say that random New Yorkers chose Sonic’s ultimate design. When Sega sought to create a flagship series to rival Nintendo’s Mario, Naoto Ohshima took character designs with him on a trip to NewYork. He asked random passersby in Central Park to choose a design, and the spiky blue hedgehog won. That wasn’t the end of Sonic’s design alterations, though. He had a rock band phase! Initially, Sonic had fangs, was in a band, and had a human girlfriend named Madonna. The team at Sega of America, led by Madeline Schroeder (who calls herself “Sonic’s mother”), removed those elements to “soften” the character for American audiences. While this led to heated internal debates, Sonic game designer Yuji Naka admitted it was for the best.
Super NES. The inspiration for Yoshi traces back to the 1984 video game Devil World, which featured green lizards that hatch from eggs, eat enemies with large mouths, and emit the very same signature Yoshi giggle when they hatch. Yoshi has received a positive reception since its introduction, making it Japan’s third-favorite video game character in 2008.
These famous characters make our video games more energetic and fun, and their origin stories are just as unique!
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