Date: 2009-01-03

Location: Carroll Senior High School Auditorium

Start Time: 7:00 pm
Description: Talent, interview and swimsuit competition to choose winners to compete in July at the Miss Texas Scholarship Pageant. Proceeds benefit CISD Best Buddies Organization. Tickets $15

Let me push back from the fudge, and tell you about my new year’s resolution.

It’s a shocking thought, but I’m thinking I’ll resolve to lose some weight. I know, I know. Surprising, isn’t it?

And if I were a smoker, I’m sure I’d resolve to quit, but luckily I don’t have to make that promise since I don’t have that nasty little habit.

Both are yawners, not exactly going to raise an eyebrow around the water cooler.

I do have a few more ideas about what I could do to improve myself in 2009. Just a couple of ideas I’ve been mulling over while the bowl games drone on…

One, because there’s no love lost between the year 2008 and myself, I resolve to sign the correct date, with the 9 replacing the number 8, at a much quicker clip than I did last year. There. Goodbye 2008, a year that definitely has NOT been my fave. Good riddance of a bad year.

I think I’ll try to be a better listener. I think I’ll learn at least one new technical skill, such as how to upload photos to Web sites in a more efficient manner or maybe I’ll get really good at self-checkout at the grocery store. Maybe I’ll try to keep my closet a little neater and refrain from kicking off one pair of heels, changing into another and running out the door. You know, actually put them on the shelf before I change into the second pair, something like that.

Maybe you have a good idea. Assume losing weight and stopping smoking are givens…what would be a good new year’s resolution? Dick Clark’s not on TV for a couple of days yet. Still time before resolutions are official…

It was only Dec. 22–three days before Christmas–but Terri Staudt received an early Christmas gift.

Maybe Santa knew it hadn’t been her best year and he wanted to see her smile.

For Terri, 2008 has been a difficult year. She’s just come off major back surgery, and two weeks ago her mother suffered a major heart attack. She recently returned to her job at Charles Schwab in Southlake Town Square, though, and had been tearing up the highway between Southlake and Round Rock, where her mother was hospitalized.

No matter what was happening in her personal life, Terri still wanted to support the Southlake Historical Society, reports Constance Cooley, a major player in the town’s historical society (www.southlakehistory.org). So when the Southlake Historical Society sold raffle tickets for a one-of-a-kind pendant, Terri plopped down a new hundred dollar bill and bought five raffle tickets from Constance.

The raffle prize was certainly an eye-catcher. The necklace, designed by Pieter Andries Hye (www.pieterandries.com), combined 14K gold and sterling silver with 24 diamonds and a ruby. Raffle tickets were sold until 3 p.m. Dec. 22, and the winner was chosen at 3 p.m. that day at Southlake’s public library.

And the winner? Terri Staudt. Wonder if she’s stopped smiling yet?

Date: 2009-02-20

Location: Nokie Theatre at Grand Prairie

Start Time: 8:00 pm
Description: Actor and comedian Robin Williams makes this a stop on his first stand-up tour since 2002. Tickets $59 to $99.

Date: 2009-01-16

Location: Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie

Start Time: 8:00 pm
Description: Grammy winner Glen Campbell brings 40 years of showbiz experience to the Grand Prairie stage. Tickets $49.50 to $65.50.

Date: 2009-01-03

Location: Bass Performance Hall, Fort Worth

Start Time: 7:00 pm
Description: Fundraiser for The Arts Council of Fort Worth featuring the entertainment of Bobby McFerrin. Individual ticket prices $350 to $500. Contact Malinda Cowan at mcown@artscouncilfw.org.

Start Date: 2009-02-20

Location: Bass Performance Hall

End Date: 2009-02-22
Description: Texas Ballet Theater presents the classical ballet, the story of the beautiful princess, Odette.

Date: 2009-02-16

Location: Bass Performance Hall

Start Time: 7:00 pm
Description: The 50-year tradition of daring acrobatic feats comes to Fort Worth.

Start Date: 2009-02-03

Location: Bass Performance Hall

End Date: 2009-02-08
Description: The popular musical presented by Casa Manana.

Date: 2009-01-26

Location: Bass Performance Hall

Start Time: 8:00 pm
Description: A troupe of wildly creative dancers takes the Fort Worth stage.