By AML Publisher
Photos by Jubilee Photography

“My life is full; full of interests, friends, and family. But, I hope to add a special someone to share the laughter and experiences of life with,” said Bowersox.

Toni Bowersox is a self-proclaimed tomboy. And, for the 53-year-old, Wilmington native she would not have it any other way. The AML sensational single, with an adorable pixie cut and personality to match, always found playing with the neighborhood boys growing up more intriguing than hanging with the girls. And, that playfulness and outgoing part of her rings true today. “I’ve always been on the periphery – not a follower, nor a trendsetter, but someone who is comfortable in her own skin being unique, following my own style. As a young girl, I climbed trees with the neighborhood boys—pretty much a tomboy, but yet held on to my feminine charm and character. To this day I am very at ease with men and attribute this to being a part of their play from an early age,” explained Bowersox.

The mother of one whose daughter, Taylor, is a nineteen-year old with special needs and whom Bowersox calls her “greatest teacher,” Toni was married for over twenty years before divorcing in 2008. Bowersox comes from a childhood where her own parents divorced when she was eight-but family ties remained important. “As a young girl, many of my weekends were spent at the homes of my Italian relatives playing with my many cousins. I have fond memories of Saturday dinners followed by games with cousins, aunts, and uncles. And on the Polish side, we gathered as a family on Sundays at my maternal grandmother’s home. This was a much more sedate gathering, but none the less fostered that love of family, tradition, and closeness,” said Toni.
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By AML Publisher
Photos courtesy of Belle Vie Photography
All photos taken at The Strasburg Railroad

Santa’s Paradise Express will be pulling into Lancaster’s Strasburg Rail Road, bringing Santa on his journey to spread the magic of the season to thousands of families who believe.

The Strasburg Railroad
Strasburg, PA
www.strasburgrailroad.com
“Santa Paradise Express”
Dec 11th 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th & 20th
$16 Adults, $10 Children
717-687-7522

The Strasburg Railroad’s ‘Santa Paradise Express’ has been a family tradition for thousands across the Delaware Valley for fifty-one years. “I think riding with Santa on the train is just a different experience then seeing Santa in a traditional atmosphere-like the mall where the children sit on his lap for a minute or two and pose for a picture. On the Paradise Express, Santa comes to the kids and the family-and that is something very special,” explained Strasburg’s Event Manager Ric Gochenauer. Many families visit Strasburg every holiday season, some returning for decades bringing back generations of family members for the ride. This year Strasburg added a third weekend for the annual adventure (starting with Thanksgiving weekend) and expects over 10,000 riders for the ’09 Express.
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By AML Publisher
Chestnut Hill photos courtesy of Vida Carson
Narberth Photos (including homepage featured shot) courtesy of Donald Groff
Photo of Finer Things courtesy of Mary Kate Burgess

Looking for a fun holiday guide for the next few weekends? We have got you covered with six super towns that are pulling out all the stops to entertain and delight the young and old.

The most cherished holiday tradition in Chestnut Hill is its Stag & Doe Nights which will be held on Wednesdays: December 9th, 16th and 23rd. Pictured is a holiday display in Robertson’s Florist.

Chestnut Hill
Holidays on the Hill
December 2nd through December 24th
www.chestnuthill.org

Discover wonderful holiday design ideas this weekend at the Chestnut Hill Holiday House Tour on Saturday, December 5th. Five magnificent homes, each with unique design and architectural styles, will be professionally decorated for the holidays and open from 10 am to 4 pm.

The most cherished holiday tradition in Chestnut Hill is its Stag & Doe Nights which will be held on Wednesdays, December 9th, 16th and 23rd, from 6 to 9 pm. Shops offer evening hours with wine and cheese or cocoa and cookies. Live music, roasting chestnuts, carolers and merriment make the nights come alive with joy and holiday spirit. And everyone looks forward to greeting Santa as he, too, enjoys the fun of Stag & Doe. New this year is Girls Night Out on Wednesday evening, December 2nd from 6 to 9 pm. Participating shops will offer lots of goodies and the ladies can get a head-start on their holiday revelry (and shopping, too).
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By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of El Lohse

Lohse was discovered on Etsy by a writer for NBC’s hit show, The Office, who came across her illustration of the character ‘Dwight.’ Lohse was commissioned to do work for their wrap party last season and now has strong ties with the show’s producers and cast.

The four pack of Golden Girls fridge magnets did it for me. Working through some late night leads on Etsy for the AML Phavorites series, I stopped dead in my (online) tracks. Before me was a mesmerizing collection from West Chester artist extraordinaire El Lohse and her kitschy, interpretation of pop culture icons entitled ‘elloh’. Her endless array of work, acrylic paintings, brought me instantly back to some of my fondest childhood memories and the TV shows, movies and characters that were a part of it. El’s art includes odes to Sixteen Candles, Mr. T, John Cougar Mellencamp’s hit song Little Pink Houses, Willy Wonka, The Golden Girls, Mr. Rogers, The Sound of Music and more. I found myself entranced with each piece on her Etsy site as my mind went into memory overdrive!

My delight in elloh is shared by many a fan, and customer. Lohse is one of the Delaware Valley’s most successful Etsy artists, having sold over 2,700 pieces of her fine work in less than two years. Even a call up to my corporate Etsy connections (mind you they manage a database of over 250,000 vendors) garnered an immediate, “Oh, sure, El Lohse is a great Etsian!” That’s when I knew Lohse’s line of art, entitled elloh (purposefully spelled with a lowercase ‘e’) was a fantastic pick for our Etsy Phavorites series.
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By AML Publisher
Photos Courtesy of the West Chester Rotary Chili Cookoff

AML Fans: Mark your calendars for the 7th Annual West Chester Rotary Chili Cookoff, Sunday October 11th from Noon to 3pm! We will be there with a table to meet and great all of our loyal supporters.

Chili lovers across the Delaware Valley-rejoice! There’s a whole lotta cookin’ going on for the upcoming West Chester Rotary Chili Cookoff. The 7th annual event, hosted by the town’s Rotary Club, is a food and chili aficionados dream. The Cookoff returns to downtown West Chester on Sunday, October 11th from noon to 3pm.

Comcast Spotlight is one of the major corporate sponsors who have supported the community event from its inception.Their tented area will keep ‘hungry’ Eagles fans satisfied as they are bringing in large big screen televisions and a makeshift sports lounge to accommodate the crowd. Those attendees whose snag a lucky seat, and some delicious chili, can sit back and capture the Birds 1pm kickoff as they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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By AML Publisher
Photography provided by April Ziegler Photography, Bernadette Uzcategui and Stacey Granger/Life Art Imaging

My beautiful mother, Lisa Lockard, at a recent family wedding, dancing the night away. Photo courtesy of Joe Craig Photography www.joecraigphoto.com

It is one of the best holidays and a personal favorite—Mother’s Day! This year, the city and suburbs abound with so many great selections—classic and new—to consider for your special family celebration. Whether you are headed downtown, eyeing up the Main Line, or venturing out to the countryside, AML has done our due diligence to highlight thirteen terrific selections to choose from for Mother’s Day 2009. These are in no particular order…so sit back, grab your favorite beverage, and enjoy our suggestions for your important and fun celebration of the great women in your life. Whether you will be toasting with your own mom, an aunt, sister or dear friend, we wish you a meaningful and wonderful day filled with great memories and a whole lotta love.

Love You Mom!
Sarah Lockard
AML Publisher
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By AML Publisher
Portrait photos courtesy of Kevin E. McPherson

I’m with you because I choose to be with you. I don’t want to live someone else’s idea of how to live. Don’t ask me to do that. I don’t want to find out one day that I’m at the end of someone else’s life.
– Denys Fynch Hatton as portrayed by Robert Redford, Out of Africa, 1985

57 and Fabulous, Kathy Levine’s star is still shining brightly.

Kathy Levine stood me up…or so I thought. I had booked an interview with the famously former QVC host this past fall, and one rainy November night headed down 202 to West Chester to her beautiful home in a private development. I was prepared for a formal sit down with the renowned Philadelphia personality, sales aficionado and national home shopping celebrity. Five minutes after I arrived and three doorbell rings later I still stood on a dark doorstep with no cars in the driveway, and things weren’t looking so great. Just as I believed I either had the wrong address or date or some combination of both…a porch light turned on and out of nowhere Kathy Levine swung open the front door.

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By AML Staff Writer

In store photos courtesy of Kevin E. McPherson

Breast Cancer Survivor and Entrepreneur Barb Gunselman

Two years ago West Chester’s Barb Gunselman was the consummate Main Line housewife. The mother of four to Taylor, 18, and Morgan, 17, and stepdaughters Cory and Casey, 19 and 20, respectively, the Gunselmans flourished as a happy, active blended family. Gunselman’s days comprised of socializing with an exclusive network of women who filled their time with tennis matches, dining at the most prestigious restaurants and shopping at the finest stores in the area. “I shopped every day with a core group of women, we talked about how big our rings were and how big each other houses were—whose house had more square footage believe it or not. That was the thing to do and that’s what I thought I kind of wanted, running the charity balls, belonging to ‘the club’ and it seemed like so much fun. It was for a little while, all the people and parties. I thought it was important, what would fill up my life. Then I had a routine doctor’s appointment and everything changed,” Gunselman reflects. In June of 2006, her physician did what Gunselman calls a ‘ridiculous breast exam’ despite telling her doctor that for months she had felt a sharp pain in her left breast that had become more intense. “I went home and was very upset. I told my husband it was not right. My doctor had not done a thorough exam in my opinion and had even refused to schedule a mammography. I did not feel good about it,” she adds.

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