Cindy Hval

For David Garinger, Valentine's Day is unforgettable. That's because on Feb. 14, 1947, he kissed his future wife, for the first time. This is the way he described it: "I had my arm around Zelma, sitting close. I smelled her sweetness. Her dark shining hair and sparkling blue eyes worked their magic on me. Our lips met … it seemed so right." Sixty-one years later, it still seems right. From their South Side living room the couple recalled their courtship. Zelma was just 16 when they met at Los Angeles Pacific College. Garinger was smitten with the young beauty, but Zelma said, "I didn't want to go out with him. He was too old!" He was 23 at the time. In fact she told her father, "Some old Marine wants to date me."

North Side resident Taci VanLeuven calls Craig Thomas "the dream neighbor." When she and her mother, Trista Jordan, moved next door to Thomas, they had no idea how much they'd come to rely on their warmhearted neighbor.

Bjarne Overlie will celebrate his 100th birthday on Saturday. No need to wonder where he'll spend his big day. He'll be at McCarthey Athletic Center watching the Gonzaga Bulldogs play. He hasn't missed a regular season home game since the new center opened. Though he was born in Pasco, Overlie said, "I'm a full-blooded Norwegian Viking." His parents immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s. Born in 1908, Overlie was the first of their six children. With thick hair and an accurate recall of people and places, his age comes as a surprise to many. His father worked for the Northern Pacific Railroad and moved the family to Montana. "My dad had a friend who was a druggist," Overlie recalled. "He talked Dad into quittin' the railroad and going to farming. My gosh, my dad took the bait!" he said, and shook his head.

A faded, peeling sign in the parking lot of Dan's Barbershop on North Monroe Street reads, "Haircuts for the entire family … crew cuts, flat tops, shaves, long hair, short hair, no hair … ." That pretty much sums up the straightforward service generations of loyal customers expect at Dan's. On Christmas Eve the business celebrated its 50th anniversary.

When you live in a rural setting, good neighbors are especially important. Marcy Britt said her neighbors Roy and Gayle Smith have made the 20 families that live on Lindgren Road in northeast Spokane feel more connected. "I met Roy when he started plowing my driveway with his little John Deere," said Britt. The Smiths moved to the area from California five years ago, after Roy Smith retired. "I plow everybody's driveways," he said with a chuckle. "It's fun. I didn't do much driveway plowing in California."

When you live in a rural setting, good neighbors are especially important. Marcy Britt said her neighbors Roy and Gayle Smith have made the 20 families that live on Lindgren Road north of Spokane Valley east of Argonne Road feel more connected. "I met Roy when he started plowing my driveway with his little John Deere," said Britt. The Smiths moved to the area from California five years ago, after Roy Smith retired. "I plow everybody's driveways," he said with a chuckle. "It's fun. I didn't do much driveway plowing in California."

When you live in a rural setting, good neighbors are especially important. Marcy Britt said her neighbors Roy and Gayle Smith have made the 20 families that live on Lindgren Road in northeast Spokane feel more connected. "I met Roy when he started plowing my driveway with his little John Deere," said Britt. The Smiths moved to the area from California five years ago, after Roy Smith retired. "I plow everybody's driveways," he said with a chuckle. "It's fun. I didn't do much driveway plowing in California."

The Rev. John Repsold saw something missing in the midst of Spokane's urban renewal. While restaurants, luxury condos and entertainment venues abounded, places of worship did not. "Downtown churches are closing," he said. "It leaves a huge vacuum in the heart of our city." After 14 years of ministry, Repsold left the senior pastorate of Fourth Memorial Church last February. "I still felt called to minister in Spokane," he said. "My heart has always been for renewal and revival in the city."

Many parents of young children complain about their kids' constant questions or demands. The repeated refrain of "Why do I have to go to bed?" "I want another cookie!" or "It's my turn!" can be wearing. But for some parents, hearing those phrases would be a blessing.

Winter sports enthusiasts are often in a hurry to reach Mount Spokane when they zip along state Highway 206. But sometimes even the most eager skiers and snowboarders slow down when they see a group of unusual horses frolicking along the fence lines on each side of the highway. The dun-colored horses with their two-toned manes groomed into stylish mohawks are Norwegian Fjords. They belong to Warren and Sylvia Riddle, owners of the farm they've christened Teddy Bear Fjords.

The New Year is a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. For Josh and Kristin Seely, 2008 is the first year as a married couple. They wed Sept. 22, and their love story is proof that sometimes father really does know best.

Many parents of young children complain about their kids' constant questions or demands. The repeated refrain of "Why do I have to go to bed?" "I want another cookie!" or "It's my turn!" can be wearing. But for some parents, hearing those phrases would be a blessing.

When Edward Schierberl took a temporary job as a letter carrier in 1966, the price of a first-class postage stamp was 5 cents. That temporary job evolved into a lifelong career with the U.S. Postal Service. Schierberl, Spokane's 26th postmaster, will retire this week. The price of stamps isn't the only thing he's seen change. "When I started, the pony express rider was still our emblem," he said with a smile, from his downtown office. "Then we went to the eagle, and now we have this streamlined, contemporary emblem."

Christmas came early for Rebecca Caballero. It arrived on Nov. 29 when she underwent hip replacement surgery at Holy Family Hospital. The story of how the 41-year-old woman from the Philippine island of Cebu ended up in Spokane is the stuff Christmas miracles are made of. It's the tale of how a concerned cousin, a caring doctor and a medical community came together to provide help for someone in desperate need. In May, Caballero's cousin, Alma Schmidt, of Medical Lake, traveled to the Philippines to visit family. Averly Nelson, a geriatric psychiatrist at Eastern State Hospital, accompanied her.