Hallelujah, praise the Lord — I’ve survived baptism by fire as editor of my first Readers Choice awards issue. That thanks to my God isn’t given lightly. It’s truly where I draw my strength, both in calm and in chaos — and lately, things have been veering hard toward the latter.
When it comes to magazines, deadlines are a daily struggle. Interviews fall through, photo shoots are delayed, and endless distractions push their way in, hogging up space in your brain that would otherwise be allotted to story-writing. That’s when the insecurities enter stage right, leading you to question every decision you make, if you can make one at all, and mistakes inevitably sneak their way into print, no matter how many times you pore over each detail before sending those pages to press.
If you’re the type who enjoys a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how things work, here’s the truth about magazines: They are an honest-to-goodness labor of love.
This season is arguably the busiest of the year for us at Discovering Bulloch, and while a full production calendar can be exhilarating, the past few weeks have laid bare the fact that I’m still figuring things out when it comes to how to best balance my time among my various responsibilities. Inevitably, a ball gets dropped. Sometimes it’s two or three; sometimes a hailstorm of balls comes falling from the sky.
Case in point: My baby girl lost a tooth last week — that makes three — so before going to bed that night, she excitedly nestled it under her pillow in anticipation of the tooth fairy. The next morning, that darn tooth was still sitting right where my baby left it, not even an IOU from that sorry little sprite. Thankfully the “tooth fairy” remembered to retrieve the goods the following night, leaving an apology note and a little extra cash in its place, which helped make up for some of my girl’s disappointment — but not before the mom-guilt monster had awoken to rear its big, ugly head.
Still, it is in these crazy, demanding seasons that I’m also reminded how badly I need and deeply I love the people in my life, how much I rely on them to shoulder the weight when the balls start dropping.
There were so many nights when dinner wouldn’t have gotten cooked if my husband hadn’t stepped up — but he did. My daughter wouldn’t have made it each week to dance and church (and the sno-cone shop) if my mom hadn’t offered to take her — but she did. And I can say with absolute certainty that without every single one of the members of our Discovering Bulloch team, this magazine would’ve never made it to press — but by golly it did, and what an issue it is!
This one's dedicated in its entirety to shining a spotlight on the best of the best in Bulloch County, as decided by you, our readers. We put the power in your hands to nominate and vote for your favorites across 190 categories, from local heroes and hot bartenders to burgers, beer and BBQ — and with more than 2,200 voters and 41,000 votes, you didn't let us down. Our feature stories highlight just a handful of winners that are making an impact in our community. We're so glad they call Bulloch County home!
Note: In a last-minute, editor-created (and completely non-sanctioned) category, the award for Best Magazine Team goes to Discovering Bulloch, to every single one of our staff members and contributors. You guys are the best. Truly.