Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb 2020

17 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.ReadMPM.com Meet some of the winners as voted on by our readers! Best of Mount Pleasant 2020 models, left to right : B.J. Guido , Coastal Living Consultants; Jay Forino , Saltwater Cowboys, Michele Hensel , Lowcountry Beauty and Wellness Spa; Susie Molony , Southern Belles; Dr. Susan Knoche , East Cooper Medical Group; Richard Todd , The Bridge 105.5; Anja Stief , Dish & Design; Josh Marthers , News 2 Weather; Kim Powell , Woodhouse Day Spa; Craig Ascue , Ascue’s Auto Body and Paint; Stephanie Kelley , ECCO; Cliff Hudson , Hudson’s Import Services; and Dr. Ted Strauss , Charleston Oral and Facial Surgery. Formalwear provided by Jean’s Bridal . Hair and makeup by Vanity Salon . Location: Butcher and The Boar . Photography by Jenn Cady . W elcome to 2020! It’s a new year. It’s our Best of Mount Pleasant award season. It’s our bridal issue. There’s excitement in the air with so much to look forward to, and to reflect on. I think the best part of producing this issue was that it prompted me to look back on so! From my favorite restaurants, to my wedding proposal and my horrible allergies (Thanks Charleston Allergy & Asthma, who our readers voted Best Allergist, for changing my life!). But looking back should often come with a caution sign. Look how happy we were! Look how young and skinny we looked! Look at the fun we had before we had so many responsibilities! I worry that sometimes we get so caught up on what was that we forget to be present and appreciate where we’ve come now. Sure, my 20s were exhilarating and magical, and I’m thankful for every experience. But now that I’m near 40, I’m a wife with an amazing husband, a mom to the sassiest 2-year-old girl and a boss rather than an intern. My Saturday nights may be spent rocking out to “Frozen” rather than live bands downtown, but you can’t compare. And if you do, you miss out on really being present in the moment, like when that glowing face dances around you squealing, “Mama, Elsa built a snowman!” Happiness isn’t gone because the past is. It simply takes on new forms as we grow. One of those new forms for me is as editor of Mount Pleasant Magazine . I come from a long career in the publishing industry from New York to South Carolina and couldn’t be more excited to lead this magazine into 2020. Anne Shuler Toole was exceptional, and her writing shows her true passion for her hometown. I only hope to live up to the editors of the past and find a home and a family here. As 2020 opens for you, I hope you don’t make too many resolutions to change and “get back to who I was,” but rather take the time to be present in the moments that make you happy today and celebrate who you are now. As for me, I look forward to a new year as your editor! Teri Errico Griffis Managing Editor • editor@mountpleasantmagazine.com Photo by Jenn Cady. from the editor