Today, we introduce the new roster of contributors to Our Lives. When we called for new voices, more than 200 applied. Apparently, this is a community chock full of good stories and good storytellers. We hope you like the five people we've settled on. And we hope you'll join us in bidding a fond farewell to our departing community writers. They've shared their stories in their part of the Triangle beautifully.

Today meet Jennifer Dykes, a single mother from Chapel Hill. Learn more about her and the other new Our Lives columnists through videos at www.newsobserver.com/lifestyles.