It wasn’t losing the use of his legs that was the greatest challenge, Chris Waddell said, but retiring from professional sports 16 years later.

Rita Boring, a member of the Chattanooga African Violet Society, said growing the petite plants is not only a "very rewarding hobby," it also has health benefits.

Romance, like beauty, can be in the eye of the beholder. The American Film Institute listed "Casablanca" as the top romantic movie of all time, followed closely by "Gone With the Wind" and "West Side Story."

Valentine's Day, like New Year's Eve, is a holiday predisposed to disappointment.

Each year, the weekend before Feb. 14, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera takes us back in time for "Big Band Fever."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service recommends eating three to five servings of vegetables each day. For those who aren’t familiar with many vegetables, or who have dismissed some from previous bad experiences, that’s a lot of boredom on a plate.

Last weekend, a team of drivers at Daytona International Speedway revved their engines for childhood cancer patients.

I've been doing a good bit of defriending lately.

Rob Kapilow didn't want classical music to be something people listened to because they should.

Sarah Bragg would like to offer a bit of advice: "Don't move to a new town, have a baby, start a new job and renovate a house all at once."

The care of houseplants is mainly dependent on one thing: light.

Sarah Cox doesn’t care who is playing in that NFL championship game on Feb. 5, but she does care who wins trophies on Feb. 26. “The Oscars are the Super Bowl to me,” said Cox, a self-described “major movie dork.”

The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera will take audiences through nearly a century of Russian history through music starting Thursday.

I have recently had a spaceship named after me. Not a real spaceship, mind you, but a computer spaceship on a "Star Trek" game my boyfriend likes playing in his limited spare time.

Duffy Livingstone is the godfather of the go-kart.

Kaye Rose spent years talking about Glops.

"CSO Principals," playing Sunday in the Silver Ballroom of the Sheraton Read House, calls back a Chattanooga Symphony & Opera tradition from days gone by.

I have my father's eyes. Sometimes I wonder if I share his vision as well.

2012 is the year of the dragon, but visitors to the Creative Discovery Museum on Saturday will celebrate Chinese New Year with a traditional lion dance, performed by the Chien Hong Lion Dance Troupe of Atlanta.

There is always an excuse to not go to the gym: There's not enough time. It costs too much money. The gym can be intimidating.

Betsy Grafe got started arranging flowers through her church. They had planned, she said, to use silk flowers on the altar, and that just seemed unacceptable.

On Monday, citizens around the country will step out to volunteer for the 26th annual Martin Luther King Day of Service.

Zach McDonald, 27, makes new things out of old things: a table from an old suitcase, a lamp from a tuba, a sculpture from a telescope.

Call it “something old, something new.”

Baby fever keeps spreading.

For the first Masterworks concert of 2012, the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera presents "Bolero," an evening of works by Maurice Ravel.

Talk of dietary fiber can often lead to a rather indelicate topic.

When Bill Cox moved to Michigan a dozen years ago the cold winter weather kept him inside. To fight cabin fever, Cox took up beer-making, which he had learned from his father.

Despite writing a newspaper column that often touches on my personal life, I place a lot of value on discretion.

Outdoor Chattanooga is hoping to bring in some new blood this winter.

Out with the old. In with the new. What better time is there than the new year for clearing out unwanted items? It’s time for a clean sweep. Below are tips on how to take your year-end clutter and toss it, sell it, store it or give it away.

Brothers Joel and David Ruiz are finding their own ways to contribute to Chattanooga's growing artistic community.

Resolutions are easy to make, but hard to keep. According to a 2010 Psychology Today article, fewer than 10 percent of people keep their resolutions for a full year.

The only time I've kept a New Year's resolution is when I vowed not to resolve. I have to confess, I'm not very good at keeping promises to myself.

The Swahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza" means "first fruits." Kwanzaa, an African-American cultural holiday celebrated each year from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, traces its roots back to the first harvest celebrations of Africa.

Love & Other Indoor Sports

Susan Rapp, a family practice physician at Erlanger Health Centers, balks at the notion of extreme detoxification diets.

In one of Carrie Pendergrass' signature artworks, there are two canvases, each picturing a bird in a tree. Each bird has a tin can with a string attached, like the tin-can telephone toys of childhood.

Winter may be the season for snow, but when it comes to December plants, the most important thing to remember is water.

Linda Friberg, a longtime patron of the arts in Chattanooga, will take on a new role this weekend: symphony conductor.

Each year, Laura Israel visits St. Nicholas School, where her 6-year-old son Zach is a student, to teach the children about Hanukkah.

All girls, said Anna Van Cura, dream of being whisked away to a magical land.

When you write a column in which you divulge certain details of your love life, you can expect strangers to return the favor.

\It's the most wonderful time of the year. It is also, perhaps, the most fattening. "It's amazing how quickly [calories] can add up, especially with party food," said Patricia Partain, a registered dietitian with Erlanger Health Center.

Visitors to the Hunter Museum get an extra treat this month as they wind through the Christmas trees that have been specially designed to correspond with some of the exhibits.

After 24 years, Bob Willie has yet to tire of "The Nutcracker."

Being sick is no fun. I haven't even been sick, really. I've just been feeling ... off. Out of whack. Uncomfortable. Icky, if you will.

When Mary and John Cooper welcome guests, she said, they often hear a similar reaction: "I didn't know contemporary could be so comfortable."

The lush green needles, the smell of pine. A live Christmas tree can help enhance the holiday spirit.

Local literary ladies take the spotlight in Women of Letters Week at the Jewish Cultural Center.