From the Editor

In honor of the new year, I decided to try something that hit all the New Year's resolution checkmarks: it's something new to me, it's healthy, and it's painful. Yes, that's right, I tried yoga. As my downward facing dog slowly morphed into little more than a whimpering puppy, I knew things were headed south. The following morning, after trying unsuccessfully

to climb out of my bed, I realized there was a new, debilitating pain in my hip. It was then that I made another New Year's resolution – never to try yoga again.

Living North also decided to try something new this year and with much

more success than my botched experiment. This issue marks the beginning of

our fifth year in print. That's huge! Five years of gracing the homes, coffee tables and hotel rooms of the Northland. We couldn't be prouder. Naturally, we wanted to do something special to mark the advent of our fifth anniversary, so we planned something big – an entire issue dedicated to makeovers.

We received more than a hundred submissions to our first-ever makeover

giveaway. Unfortunately, we just couldn't make over every person who applied, but we want to thank you all for your submissions and your continued support of Living North.

Two ladies were chosen for the experience, Trish Berger of Esko and Wendy

Newell of Duluth. They spent the evening being pampered and emerged with

fantastic new looks and attitudes to match. To see their complete

transformations, flip to page 16.

But people aren't the only thing a magazine can make over. On page 29

Arlene Coco Buscombe shares her tips on how to make over your leftovers.

She takes boring, old chicken and shares her recipe for Louisiana gumbo,

a favorite staple from her childhood.

For tips on how to cook up some romance this Valentine's Day flip to page

14 where you'll find tips on how to make over your love life. Stuck in a

relationship rut? Don't know what to do for your sweetheart this Valentine's day? Give our ideas some thought, put them into practice and be sure to tell us how it went.

As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, we want to thank our readers and

advertisers who've continued to support us. We are honored to call the

Northland our home.

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