Ladonna Armstrong

Latest Author Features

Shooting Down Fear

Fear of the unknown can be quite the compelling catalyst. It is easy to put a feeling on the top shelf, pushed as far back as it can go, in that out-of-the-way closet that is never opened. When it does arise, you quickly avert recognition of said feeling and wait for it to pass from your field of view. This is what the thought of holding a firearm was like for me. I was never really exposed to firearms growing up. My father hunted dove with his shotgun when I was younger. Until I moved out to go to college, the shotgun stayed zipped up in a bag, standing upright

Be Self-Confident

“My mother said to me, ‘If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.” Instead I was a painter, and I became Picasso.’” Pablo Picasso Growing up, I was fortunate to have a “cool mom.” She was, and still is, very generous and hospitable. She was always at events and parties, usually with food. We would come home with friends and she would have fresh-baked cookies, and cheese and cracker and fruit platters, all laid out for us. She would go with us to water parks, set up a “home base,” and let us wander the water park and

Beer, Bella: The Beer Making Process

It is spring. The weather is getting warmer and people are spending more time outdoors. What might you find in someone’s hand on the golf course, tailgating at a sporting event, or standing by the grill cooking up dinner? A cold glass or can of beer. Ever wonder how this liquid gold came to be resting in your glass with bubbles of perfection rising to the surface and just the right amount of head retention? Me neither. Quite frankly, I took it for granted until I embarked on my beer journey. Believe it or not, the beer goes from grain to glass in six simple steps; malting, mashing, fermentation, filtration,

Be Conscientious

“Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen … yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.” ~ Bradley Whitford April is the “Action” Issue. It is a little bittersweet for many, as we normally celebrate sports and sporting events in the spring. The weather is warmer, the flowers are in bloom — beauty is unfolding itself everywhere we turn. The outdoors beckons

Beer, Bella: The Aiken Brewing Company | Palmetto Bella

Aiken Brewpub | 24 Years in the Making

Rob Pruiett began his adventure in micro brewing on December 1, 2003, when he and his father, Lannie Pruiett, purchased the Aiken Brewing Company from Dan Beavers. Rob had moved with his wife and 4-year-old twins from Nashville to Aiken to be closer to his parents. The timing was right because after the move his mother Mary was diagnosed with cancer; they were fortunate to spend 8 years together before she passed away. Rob reflects, “Mary Pruiett was everyone’s hero. Her legacy is everything to me. Ensuring family first, my mother was amazing. She started as a secretary at Whirlpool in the 70s, and by the time she left she

Beer, Bella: The Aiken Brewing Company

And so it begins, rightly so, right next door to the Bella Magazine Studio, in downtown Aiken, South Carolina — the first brewery on my beer journey. I moved to Aiken in 2001 from Golden, Colorado. I distinctly remember that The Aiken Brewing Company was one of the first places I stopped into and ate at, well, because it was a brewery. It’s a whole different experience to sit down and drink the beer when you know more about who is making it, how it is made, and how the business came about. Georgia passed the brewpub law right before the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in ’93 — it allowed

Be Lucky

“If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.” John Irving March is The Luck Issue! I always thought of March as a lucky month. It the month of spring’s arrival and rebirth, a week’s vacation for spring break that almost always includes travel, horse racing and hats, St. Patrick’s Day, and the occasional Easter, and it is the month in which I was born. Lots of things to celebrate! This month we completed an entire year of surviving a pandemic. So much has changed, and I feel extremely lucky that Bella and I have both survived

For the Love of Your Dog

It surprised me when I realized I haven’t put a lot of thought into how my dog’s collar and leash fit him. It makes me wonder what else I take for granted… I have a 12-year-old Maltese named Pip (PIP – Pretty Important Puppy). He was supposed to be my daughter’s dog, but ended up mine, and I totally love the little guy. He is usually pretty content to stay right beside me when we walk. He never pulled on the leash, but as he has gotten older, the collar and leash seem a little more challenging. I was introduced to UDogU last month, and I have fallen in love

Beer, Bella: The Adventure Begins

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. Sights and smells and tastes can literally snap you back to a point in time — memory instant replay, no matter how much you might have suppressed it or thought it had faded away. Sometimes it is faint, like the aroma of peaches as you walk through a peach orchard that remind you of the smell of peach cobbler coming from your grandmother’s oven. Or the flavor of strawberry in a clear beverage unexpectedly reminding you of how delightful strawberry jello was in your childhood. One of the most classic examples, and a perfect visual to the experience, is in the Disney movie Ratatouille, when

Be in Love with Life

The “Amore” Issue! I love Love. I drive my daughters crazy with this notion. But it is true. “The Rose” was the very first song I can recall memorizing. I learned it at a church camp in Colorado Springs the summer after completing 7th grade. At the base of the beautiful Rocky Mountains we spent hours singing this song, rehearsing for the performance we would give our families at the end of the camp. Ever since, I have been singing this song to myself when I cannot go to sleep — it has always proven more effective than counting sheep or singing “99 bottles of beer on the wall.” Over