BY COURTNEY MURPHY

HERALD DEMOCRAT

Whether in bubble gum, cotton candy, or pink lemonade, American rap artist Lil Mama captured the teen girl's necessity for lip-gloss with her lyrics: "I said my lip gloss is cool, my lip gloss be poppin'."

Either for healing or appearance purposes, most of my friends carry lip moisturizers at all times: in backpacks, purses, and even the trendy Vera Bradley ID cases. Whether in gloss, balm, or stick form, the true guide to knowing what lip product is right for you requires trying new products until finding the perfect one.

Rushing out the door one morning, I found the time to pull out my quintessential lip balm to put on before I left for work. My mom seemed surprised at the brand in my palm, Rosebud Strawberry Lip Balm and Moisturizer.

Though I didn't think much of it, she asked where I had purchased the lip balm and told me that she had grown up using the brand. My father's grandmother was a firm believer in its healing power on chapped skin. Rosebud Salve, developed by a druggist in 1892, was a family tradition that I had carried on without a hint of acknowledgement.

Truthfully, I do think Rosebud Salve is an excellent long-lasting brand, but I'm not sure if it's the right lip-gloss for me. It was really neat, though, to remind my mother of something she grew up with.

The incident provided as a strong reminder that though new innovations are popping out of nowhere, passed-on traditions remain the strongest links in our culture, from the Baby Boomers to Generation Y.

Happy birthday Friday to Lois Caudill, Marilyn Scott, Karen Howard, Kimberly Wright and Barbara Jackson and her brother, Dennis Lewis, all of Denison; Dominic Duke, Kenneth Perkins, C.E. Shaw, Annie Childs, Cortney Luper and Treylen Mask, all of Sherman; Martha Baze of Southmayd; Brian Roder of Bells; Lois Anderson of Sterling, Okla.; Courtney McCalahan of Denton; Cathy Jill Godwin of Celeste.

Happy anniversary Friday to Jackie and Peggy Means of Denison, 40 years; Jesse W. and Susie Ingram of Van Alstyne, 33 years; Dwayne and Donna Hyepock of Bells, 28 years; Will and Jennifer Tramel of Frisco, 16 years.

Happy birthday Saturday to June Ragsdale, Kolton Mitchell, Carolyn Gray, James Michael Mims and Ja´Nayja Seales, all of Sherman; Chris Roder of Bells; Tracy Ertel of Georgetown; Albert Ellis of Tom Bean; Dana Pasey of Plano; Ed Jones of Gunter.