406 Woman Business Vol. 7 No. 6 by 406 Woman

406 contents featured 10. Halladay Quist

16. Junior Golf Programs 22. Katie Bisbee Donorschoose.org

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18...

24. Dr John Miller

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Health

Giving Back 30.Give Local America

46. Ask the Skin Coach Are You Exfoliating Too Much?

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18. Brianne Burrowes I Want Her Job Girl

14. Columbia Falls Community Market

48. Choosing the Right Birth Control

28. Who’s Your Farmer Economics

50. Chiropractic Myth Crackers

34. Women’s Foundation of Montana The $100,000 for Women Initiative

52. Dental Getting Money’s Worth

20. Dr Michael Hromadka Glacier View Plastic Surgery

38. Student Loans Understanding Your Payment Options

56. The Many Facets of Public Health

40. Susan B Clarke Relational Resilience 44. 5 Secrets to a Great Website

Legal

42. Estate Planning for Baby Boomers

Wellness 58. CrisMarie Campbell Step Into The New You!

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Non-Profit 26. An Ace of Hearts Cathy Gaiser Hay 62. Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center The Eagle

View current and past issues of 406 Woman at w w w . 4 0 6 W o m a n . c o m

The magical voice of

Halladay

Quist

“A voice is an instrument that changes with life changes. It’s a tool to your soul.” ~Halladay Quist By Naomi Morrison Photos by Brenda Ahearn Photography

Within Halladay Quist’s sultry, angelic voice lies a lion’s roar of love, compassion, earthliness and storytelling. Halladay is no stranger to the stage, neither is her last name, and her heart guides her to play music as much as possible. Halladay is an old soul who draws her inspiration from the likes of Neil Young’s simplicity, Bonnie Raitt’s raw and emotional depth, and the harmonies and rhythmic tempos of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. She’s also a fan of Pink Floyd, The Who, Sabbath, Grace Slick, Led Zeppelin and America. Within this realm of musical mentors, Halladay has developed a voice of her own, extending her passion for environmental stewardship, love, family and the depth of living in Montana.

“All I truly want is a life that sustains me through my art,” she said humbly. “If along the way people get to know me for my music and passion, I joyously accept that. I’m excited to share my journey in that sense. If my music touches them, that makes me happy. I feel alive with my music, and I still want to go out and play night after night.” Daughter of Rob Quist, who’s known for his jamming bluegrass and rock tunes of the Mission Mountain Band, Halladay has been performing since she was a young child. She and her brother, Guthrie,

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grew up on a Montana ranch with constant musical entertainment. Without a television to keep them occupied, they picked up playing instruments at a young age, were surrounded by music, and inspired by the environment that surrounded them. “My path leads to spreading love, spreading joy, bettering our situation, protecting the earth and living in harmony,” she said. “I think this was passed down to me by both of my families.”

In college at the University of Montana, Missoula, she studied journalism but continued to perform with the University Jubilees and later the rock band House of Quist with her brother and father. She recalled how difficult it was when House of Quist, her first band, broke up a few years ago stating that’s it’s hard because her and her brother had so many dreams and hopes. Now her brother is in California studying acting, and she is establishing her solo career as a musician with a name of her own.

“What has been wonderful about this past year for me is that I am finally letting go of my fears and that part time job, and giving in to the fact that I

can make my living playing music,” she said. “A big part of why I feel this way is the love and support I have received from the people of Montana. I can’t tell you how many times I have rolled into a small town thinking I was going to be background noise in a café, only to find the place packed with standing room only, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, while I was playing. I feel so lucky to be a part of this community. Montana feels like a small town stretched over miles and miles of mountain peaks and rolling hills of farmland.” Family is of the upmost importance to 29-year-old Halladay. Her first name was even passed down to her from her great, great grandparent’s last name. She gives immense credit to her father for giving her the gift of confidence and experience to do show after show. She plays with him almost every time he takes the stage except when he’s with the Mission Mountain Band. “It’s been a long process trying different groups and different people,” she said. “My dad has helped me so much with just getting me out there. I feel pretty lucky that I have the step with my dad’s name. He

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Halladay Quist

“My path leads to spreading love, spreading joy, bettering our situation, protecting the earth and living in harmony,” she said. “I think this was passed down to me by both of my families.” forged through it and did a great job. He spoke of the farm land, Native American people and tried to really join us as people together.”

During her years of touring with her father, listening to the voice of the rumbling bus engine as they traveled, her family developed a unique closeness. Her and Guthrie were always put together to work on artistic ways, and she said it was the most powerful times in her life. “Our voices together, the vibrations of our sound, our family harmony is just so powerful,” she said.

Another voice captured her soul when she spent a year in South Africa studying gender rights and equality during college. She was able to visit an animal reserve where some of the animals were the last of their

kind. While there, she could hear the lions roaring and the depth of their kind speaking to her. It offered her a pretty harsh reality of what humans are doing to the earth. “It’s great to have started to think about that at a young age,” Halladay said reminiscing on the strength and beauty of what she witnessed there.

This last year, Halladay spent a lot of time in Nashville creating her self-titled CD. She worked with songwriters Tim Ryan and Phil Vassar getting hands-on experience learning the elements of writing a good song. She will probably always record in Nashville. “The level of musicianship in Nashville is unbelievable,” she said. “Things get done quickly, and they’re at the level they need to be. There’s easy camaraderie between musicians without much competition. We’re all in the same ‘tribe’.”

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Halladay Quist

CD Release

at The Red Willow Lodge in Bigfork, Mt on Friday, May 22. Stay tuned to www.halladayquist.com for details.

Upcoming shows:

April 23 at 7:30pm The Ronan Performing Arts Center raising funds for The Cantlon Youth Home April 30 - Crush Lounge, Halladay's Birthday Celebration Every Tuesday June – September at the Izaak Walton Inn Every Wednesday during the busy summer months - Tupelo Grill For more information and Halladay’s full schedule visit www.halladayquist.com

Halladay’s CD release is scheduled for May 22 at Red Willow Lodge in Bigfork. It’s a compilation of sweet girlie songs about love, sultry songs about being let down and bluegrass rock with banjo. Only one cover song Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” made its way on the CD. The rest are songs written by her or professional songwriters from Nashville.

“I didn’t mean to, but as I was making the album, I realized I was creating it for Montana,” she said. “There’s nothing like living here and seeing all the peaks and valleys.”

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Halladay continues to keep her mind open for any creative potential. She’s hoping to have an experience that keeps her closer to her roots and is oman.com

looking to live in a teepee; a place where she can appreciate the intimacy of her surroundings. Having grown up close to the environment and always with a guitar in her hand, this kind of living is personal to who she is. There are stories to be told when living in nature in its most primitive form, and she wishes to capture this in her songs.

“The future generation is very important to me,” Halladay said. “That is why I am a representative for the Red Road Foundation working to build orphanages that provide education and therapy for homeless children. I’ve also been in talks with Share Your Voice Foundation about getting involved with their program in some capacity.”

Montana is where she wants to live, raise children and be near her family. When she’s not writing music or playing, she’s focused on working with or supporting children to lead their best lives possible.

In Halladay’s case, it’s apparent she used it for the good and shares her wisdom through her songs.

“There’s something attractive about putting my hands to work and becoming creative,” she said. “It appears to be a magical experience just being out in it all.”

With closing words, Halladay said, “It all boils down to how you chose to use [what you’ve been dealt]. Are you going to let it discourage you or use it to help you accomplish the things you set out for yourself?”

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SOMETHING COOL IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN IN COLUMBIA FALLS

By Mary Wallace Renderings by Cassie Guy

Trust me when I say that you are going to want to make it a priority to get to Columbia Falls on Thursday nights this summer! The all new Columbia Falls Community Market is opening on May 21st and there are some surprises in store for the Flathead Valley.

A integrated mix of old and new, farmers & crafters, food & beer, music & artisans, and family & kids activities - this new Columbia Falls Community Market promises to be the Flathead Valley’s most festive weekly event this summer.

Market hosts, O’Brien and Melanie Byrd, recall the local farmers market of their childhood as a weekly family outing every summer. They looked forward to seeing their school friends during the summer break. The whole town turned out to eat, drink, shop for fresh produce, and socialize. When the couple moved their business, O’Brien’s Liquor Store, to their new site at the corner of Hwy 2 and First Avenue

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West last fall, the idea of using the surrounding lot and huge shed for a community purpose just naturally presented itself, according to Byrd. Since the announcement of the new market format and location, the community has rallied round with enthusiasm, fun & festive ideas, farmers & crafters vendor registrations, and offers of support. Glacier Bank has offered free parking on their lot and city officials have agreed to close 1st Avenue West for the evening to allow for safe foot traffic in the area. Xanterra’s Sustainability Manager, Matt Folz, is designing recycling and composting containers that will virtually allow the market to be a ‘zero waste’ operation. This whirlwind of planning activity has the market is evolving into something this valley has never seen, according to organizer O’Brien Byrd.

A variety of food booths will be offering fresh hot food to enjoy at the market and a local brewery will be featured each week at the Beer Garden. Local musicians will provide entertainment under the cover of the shed, which will also feature a dance floor.

CSA Shares are an integral part of any farmers market and the Columbia Falls Community Market is proud to be a CSA drop location, even extending the service to allow those who cannot make it on Thursday night to stop by a day or two later to pick up their fresh produce shares from one of the five local participating farms. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and locals can subscribe for their share of the fresh produce by paying prior to the growing season and collecting their weekly share throughout the growing season at the market. Two Bear Farm, Over half of the vendor spaces are already Snow Country Gardens, Walking Bear Ranch, Dannik Gardens, and The Wicked Good Farm are all offering spoken for, boasting handmade crafts, CSA Shares at the Columbia Falls Community Market artwork, pottery, jewelry, and of course, a in 2015. Contact & subscription deadline info for wealth of local plants, honey, and produce. each farm is available on the market website.

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Byrd is also working with a handful of volunteers to coordinate the Market Kid’s Corner. Children can partake in fun activities (the usual games & face painting), but they will also find a craft project table to make & eventually sell their very own handmade projects at the Kid’s Market Booth. A local baker has proposed inviting children to her certified kitchen a day or two prior to each week’s market to learn culinary skills and make baked goods, which can also be sold at the Kid’s Market Booth. The Columbia Falls Community Market is truly shaping up to be a family affair.

Even though focused on families and community, this homegrown market will also allow many of the two million visitors who pass through Columbia Falls on their way to Glacier National Park to rub shoulders with the locals and capture some hometown Flathead flavor and culture. One might wonder if the Columbia Falls Community Market site could be used for other community activi-

ties or events – say a class reunion or fundraiser or even during Heritage Days. Byrd says the answer to that is a resounding ‘yes’. The Gateway to Glacier Trail project already has a fundraising event planned and the Byrd’s are open to having other events (as long as they aren’t on a Thursday during the summer months, of course). The long time Market Master Cindy Shaw, will be joined by Market Coordinator Amanda Person, and Farmer Coordinator Francisco Rivera to assure each weekly market runs safely and smoothly. Byrd says volunteers are needed and welcome to help with set up and break down and parking management. Youth Groups, 4-H, and scouts are all encouraged to get involved. For more information visit www.cfcommunitymarket.com. For updates and to watch the transformation of the market shed, follow the Columbia Falls Community Market page on Facebook. May 21st 2015 – Can’t wait to see you at the Market!

Since the announcement of the new market format and location, the community has rallied round with enthusiasm, fun & festive ideas, farmers & crafters vendor registrations, and offers of support. Glacier Bank has offered free parking on their lot and city officials have agreed to close 1st Avenue West for the evening to allow for safe foot traffic in the area.

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Junior Golf Programs Tea ch the G ame and Life Skills By Naomi Morrison

For the love of golf! That’s why so many programs across the country dedicate hours of time toward educating youth to play golf through junior golf programs. Buffalo Hills Golf Course in Kalispell and Whitefish Lake Golf Course in Whitefish have exceptional programs that have turned dozens of juniors into professional adult players.

and getting through life’s challenges as growing youths.

“This is a place where juniors can learn the respect of the game of golf and also respect for those around them,” said Marlin Hanson, golf professional and junior program educator at Buffalo Hills Golf Course.

Hanson was intrigued by golf at an early age because it wasn’t a team game, and he said he liked being able to play without the need of others. “It’s you against the golf course.” His experience as a youth was as a caddy for a Kalispell man But the programs aren’t designed only to mentor who he learned the rules and etiquette from just future champions, it’s also a game that teaches watching him and his companions play. These life skills. Playing golf embodies values in sports- lessons helped him to develop a better self even manship, confidence of each player’s level of off the course. He’s happy to be a part of coachability, and responsibility for players’ actions ing the next generations. on the course. The etiquette of golf encourages courtesy, honesty and integrity. The game also “We just try to pass it on now,” he said. “The juprovides critical thinking when developing strat- niors are the life blood of the game and the fuegies to do well on the selected course. Golf is ture of those who will be running golf courses.” physical, mental, an individual sport, brings kids outside, and most of all, it teaches conduct, rules Golf is a mental game with immediate results. and tools that are important for learning respect Players have to prepare for hitting the balls

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with their bodies through technique that incorporates the course challenges. In every game, whether it’s nine-hole or 18, all that’s needed is one exceptional hit because the gratification draws players to want to do it again and again. And here in Flathead Valley, the courses are designed so that spectacular scenery is a part of each hole.

The primary golf education at Buffalo Hills is the five-day golf camp for all ages in June that costs $30. About 125 children attend the camp and includes two hours of training each day with a half-day of competitive games on the last day. The minimal fee covers lunch and instruction. In July, free Friday junior instruction for ages six to 12 is available to further hone skills learned in the June camp. “We figured this was a way to get juniors involved,” Hanson said. “Some take it on competitively and others just do it for the fun.” The junior golf camp at Whitefish Lake Golf Course is three to six days of two-hour instruction time for ages five to 17*. The program is free

Above Photo: The Glacier High School Boys Golf Team took 3rd place in the AA Montana State championship in the fall of 2014. Junior golf programs taught them the skills to succeed. From left to right: Tom Mann, Scott Larson, Cody Sherrill, Sam Stern, Riley Nelson. Photo by Kristen Hamilton

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Buffalo Hills

Golf is a mental game with immediate results. Players have to prepare for hitting the balls with their bodies through technique that incorporates the course challenges. In every game, whether it’s ninehole or 18, all that’s needed is one exceptional hit because the gratification draws players to want to do it again and again. And here in Flathead Valley, the courses are designed so that spectacular scenery is a part of each hole.

for the 100-plus youth who participate thanks to the Gary Norby Foundation. This Foundation supports Whitefish Lake’s junior golf program and the high school golf program as well as provides two golf scholarships annually to Whitefish High School seniors.

“The kids are the fertilizer of the future of golf,” said Terry Nelson, general manager for Whitefish Lake Golf Course and board member of the Gary Norby Foundation. “We’re just trying to get them excited about it and keep kids involved.” Nelson began golfing through Whitefish Lake’s junior program in the 1980s. Whitefish Lake’s junior program was developed in 1977 by golf professional Mike Dowaliby. Even in his 80s, he still volunteers for the program. While the instruction is taught by the pro golfers of the club, many volunteers assist with the success of the program. A couple years ago, notable PGA professional David Graham volunteered with the high school program. PGA professional and Whitefish native Christine Newton was one of the first members to participate in the club’s junior program and is still involved. Hanson, Nelson and other junior educators are dedicated to the programs because these kids who are involved will continue supporting golf for future generations. They both started playing

Above picture of the practice facility that juniors utilize every day of the season. Below photo of Par 3 on the Championship 18. A favorite hole of the juniors because they have a chance to land an elevated tee shot down to a 105 yard green!

golf in junior the programs at their respective courses and fell in love with the game. Much of the staff at the two courses started out in junior programs as well and have returned as adults as staff members. Buffalo Hill’s junior program started in the 1950s and was conducted solely through volunteer instructors. Nationally, these programs have evolved because of the PGA’s dedication to educating youth as a way to give back to the community. Now most junior programs have a professional golf instructor involved in the teaching.

“Many years ago, when I was going through the program, it may not have been as organized as it is today, but many of us went on and are eager to teach to juniors,” said Hanson.

Many notable professionals started their career in Buffalo Hill’s junior program including Casee Keyser, who’s the assistant at Buffalo Hill and Hanson himself. Of all the professionals who work in the area clubs, eight of them came up through a junior golf program at either Buffalo Hills or Whitefish Lake Golf Course.

“We’ve had a lot of success over the years,” Hanson said regarding turning out professionals through their program. “The more kids we can get involved and excited about golf, the better for everybody because the kids are our future.” *Camp schedule was not determined at time of print.

For more information or to register for the junior golf program: Buffalo Hills Golf Course

www.golfbuffalohill.com 406-756-4547 Pro shop: 1176 N. Main St., Kalispell

Whitefish Lake Golf Course

www.golfwhitefish.com 406-862-5960 Pro shop: 1200 Hwy 93, Whitefish

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Brianne Burrowes

All About That

I Want HerJob Girl By Mary Wallace Photos by Ben Garcia

For those of us who STILL don’t know what they want to be when they grow up, this new 406 WOMAN feature, I Want Her Job, is fast becoming a favorite read! Brianne Burrowes, who is the creator and Editor-in-Chief of iwantherjob.com, is one of the lucky ones. She has always known that she wanted to write for magazines; she even began publishing her very own magazine for her classmates in the 6th grade at Polson Middle School in Polson, MT. But, how did she get from publishing her magazine, LIMITED, for her middle school peers to becoming the Editor of this award-winning website that empowers women in their career search? And how in the world did she simultaneously happen upon an additional career as a Senior Consumer Marketing Manager for NASCAR track Phoenix International Raceway?

The journey has been wide and varied and, if you are like me, you’d probably say that you would have wanted ANY of her jobs that she has had along the way. As soon as Brianne realized she could CHOOSE what she wanted to do when she grew up, she knew that she wanted to be a journalist. Encouraged by her amazing middle school teacher, Tamara Fisher, she not only started LIMITED magazine in the 6th grade, but with Miss Fisher’s further continued support, she created her second magazine called UNLIMTED, published throughout

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her high school years. (The magazine’s title changed to UNLIMITED, she says, to show that a girl’s potential is without limits).

Meanwhile, she developed a love of auto racing as she spent many happy hours with family and friends at Mission Valley Speedway keeping track of laps and pole positions, and, of course, reported on the races in the local newspaper, the Lake County Leader. After graduating from Polson High School, Brianne attended The University of Montana, majoring in Journalism (of course). It was during college that she landed her first dream job – an internship at Seventeen (her all-time favorite magazine) in New York City. She had always dreamed of walking into the offices of a major magazine and landing a job. So, fresh-faced and passionate, she walked in and told the interviewer that the magazine had always been like the older sister she never had, and she is pretty sure her understanding of Seventeen’s positioning for its reader is why she was hired for the internship. After graduating from UM, she was offered a position as the Editor of the Montanan – the alumni magazine for the university. At 21 years old, she was the youngest person who had ever landed such a job at UM. Nonplussed, she quickly learned the ropes and set big goals for her tenure in the job. They included launching a new design, adding new columns, increasing advertising and the size of the magazine, and making the magazine more relevant to younger readers. She also launched several new media initiatives on campus, including the first-

of-its-type YouTube exclusive series with a university president among other things. It was during this time that she became fascinated with the social media aspect of publishing and the satisfaction of its immediate feedback. Her next step became clear: finding someone who could teach her more about this next evolution of communication. Next stop? A new career on the digital strategy team at WONGDOODY, an advertising agency in Los Angeles. Her position there brought the knowledge she was thirsty for – creating and implementing social media strategies, web optimization, and adding ghostwriting and pitching content to websites we all know and read often. It was a Montana connection of hers who introduced her to the director of marketing at Phoenix International Raceway via Twitter in 2012. Brianne and her now-boss met fall of 2011 in Gatorade Victory Lane and when Brianne heard a marketing job was opening, she jumped at the chance to combine her love of marketing, content creation and NASCAR all into one dream job as Senior Consumer Marketing Manager! While she thoroughly enjoys all the marketing aspects of her job – from creating commercials to leading the track’s website efforts, one of her favorite things is watching a marketing idea they have dreamed up come to fruition. Just this past spring when four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Jeff Gordon’s last spring weekend race was eminent at Phoenix International Raceway, the team was tasked with coming up with a way to impart some fan recognition of this milestone. Her team developed

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Brianne Burrowes

To see an idea turn from a seed into a real-life experience is my favorite part of my job

the idea of painting a series of 24’s (Jeff Gordon’s iconic number) on the Start/Finish Line of the track. Fans were then invited to leave their well wishes for Jeff in his final season.

“To see an idea turn from a seed into a real-life experience is my favorite part of my job,” Brianne says. “After I left the Gatorade Victory Lane celebration post-race on Sunday, I walked over to the Start/Finish Line by myself, took a photo to commemorate our idea coming to life for my Instagram and just took a few minutes read all the fan comments left for Jeff. That night I watched the race broadcast on my DVR and was so excited to see FOX’s coverage of our team’s idea and then a tweet about how cool it was from Jeff Gordon himself!” Her second favorite part of her NASCAR job is thinking about the memories that are made at the races . . . memories fans will keep forever, much like the memories she cherishes of the times she spent at the races before working at the track with her late-grandfather. But all those other dream jobs aside, what IS the story behind I Want Her Job? Ah – that is where Brianne shares her passion! She feels lucky to have had (and still have) so many mentors. That paired with her firm belief that if you have a certain level of fearlessness and something to say, you can walk up to anyone and introduce yourself.

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wheels behind the website, which profiles dynamic women in different careers. You simply must visit the website at www.iwantherjob.com and check it out! There you will find more than 400 fascinating stories about women and their jobs.

“I created the website out of a need,” Brianne says. “At the time it was founded in 2010, I was looking to make a career change myself. After each informational interview, I’d go back to my apartment and wonder why there wasn’t a site dedicated to these meetings that anyone could read – like a virtual coffee date with women changing the face of business. So, I created it! The site launched with five interviews and has grown exponentially from there. We now post three-to-five stories a week.” It might interest you to know that all these talented and creative women working on this award-winning website really aren’t in it for the money – actually, none of them currently get paid for their work, including Brianne who says the site’s revenue is just enough to cover costs like website hosting and domain renewals. They all contribute to the success of the website because they truly want to have an impact on women and their potential.

anne says. “And that includes the relationships we have as a team. We’re a group of women who’s never had a catty moment with one another. If all women put judgments and competition amongst themselves aside, we’d all be unstoppable.” So, why is I Want Her Job so popular among readers craving career content? Brianne says that there seems to have been a cultural shift, and people are no longer stuck plodding down a single career path. “Millennials tend to be ‘job hoppers’,” Brianne says. “I’m case in point! From editing an alumni magazine, to working as a digital strategist to marketing NASCAR to sports fans, I’m proof. I feel lucky to have had all of my dream jobs so far, so creating a site that helps other women do the same is simply my way of giving back in the way I’m best equipped to.” Brianne currently lives in Phoenix and she has added planning a winter wedding with her fiancé, Bryan, to her busy schedule. She makes it back to Montana to her parent’s home on Flathead Lake as often as she can and enjoys visits with her family, which also includes two sisters, a nephew and a brother-in-law scattered around the state.

Her advice for other women, particularly Montanans? “No matter what, go where your heart is,” she says. “Never give into that feeling of being stuck! It’s always possible to Brianne, along with her base team of six other dynamic make a change. And it is actually easier “Each woman who works on the site can tell you she’s women, (five of which currently live or were born in Montana) make up a sisterhood who are the creative created relationships because of I Want Her Job,” Bri- than you think once you take that first step.”

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Dr. Michael Hromadka

The Valley Welcomes A New Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Michael Hromadka By Nancy Dewar Photos by Amanda Wilson Photography

Dr. Michael (Mike) Hromadka opened Glacier View Plastic Surgery in Kalispell and Whitefish on January 2, 2015. With the growing need for reconstructive surgery and the growing demand for cosmetic surgery, the Valley is very fortunate to have another highly qualified plastic surgeon (one of four in our market) to consider for procedures. Welcome to the Flathead, Dr. Hromadka! When I met with Mike recently, the first question I asked him was, “How DO you pronounce your last name?” With a chuckle, he replied with a phonetic, “Rah-mad’-ka! It’s Czech.” Mike opened his new practice after working with Northwest Plastic Surgery Associates in Missoula for 1 ½ years. He chose to move to Whitefish based on the medical opportunities here as well as the fact that he finds the area amazing in so many ways. “It’s a very welcoming place. The people here are great, and I have access to everything I love outside of work. It’s hard to think of a prettier setting. I’ve never really felt like this about a place before!” Mike was born in Dothan, Alabama, and spent most of his growing up years in North Carolina. A faint hint of a nice Southern drawl was still apparent as we chatted! He knew that he wanted to be a doctor ever since high school following an injury he sustained in baseball. The orthopedic surgeon that helped him with this injury was the inspiration behind his quest for a career in medicine. After receiving his undergraduate degree in biology at Elon University in North Carolina, Mike received his M.D. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Originally thinking he would be an orthopedic surgeon, he switched to plastic surgery during his second year of medical school.

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Doctors have to have a strong and true passion for their profession, based on the extensive and grueling training they go through. Dr. Hromadka completed his General Surgery residency at the University of Oklahoma Health and Sciences Center. His Plastic Surgery residency at the same teaching hospital followed this. When asked about his residencies, Mike stated, “This was

profile} Other popular procedures among his clients are breast lifts and “Mommy Make-Overs,” which includes a combo breast lift and tummy tuck. It’s not only women who are interested in their appearance, as about 15% of his patients are men!

the most intense period of my life. We worked rigorous hours…around 80 hours a week for the first three years.” Mike was inducted into the medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha for his academic excellence and has published a number of articles in medical journals. Dr. Hromadka does both reconstructive and cosmetic surgery. His reconstructive work with breast cancer patients is very near and dear to his heart, as long-term relationships are established with these patients. He works closely with the Bass Breast Center in Kalispell and performs surgery at Kalispell Regional Hospital. “Working with breast cancer patients is very rewarding. There are some really significant issues and challenges. I start working with patients immediately upon diagnoses, meeting with them to begin to talk about their options for down the road.” He plans to get extensively involved with “Relay for Life,” an annual national fundraising event sponsored by the American Cancer Society and supported via local team walking events. This year’s local Relay for Life events will be held in Kalispell on June 19th and on August 14th.

ies were performed in the US in 2013, up 3% from 2012. New products and advanced technology are paving the way for plastic surgery’s growth. Regarding this growth, ASPS President Robert X. Murphy, MD, stated, “Facial rejuvenation procedures were especially robust last year, with more Americans opting for facelifts, forehead lifts and eyelid surgery.” Being a baby boomer myself, I was especially interested in learning more from Mike about how to best erase years from one’s face; i.e. those crazy crow’s eyes, the “Charlie McCarthy” laugh lines and forehead “scrunch” lines! He explained that a full face lift offers the best longterm results. “A full face lift will last about 15 years, and the incisions are the same for a limited or full facelift. It just makes more sense to do a full one.”

ume by body type by using specific breast tissue measurements to determine that volume which is measured in CCs. My goal is to give women a very natural looking result.” Other popular procedures among his clients are breast lifts and “Mommy Make-Overs,” which includes a combo breast lift and tummy tuck. It’s not only women who are interested in their appearance, as about 15% of his patients are men!

Mike’s fiancé Lindsey will be moving to Whitefish permanently next December when she receives her law degree from the University of Montana in Missoula. She will spend the summer here doing an internship in the Flathead. The couple is planning to build a home and is currently looking for some acreage close to town. Both are avid sports fans and love snowboarding, backcountry skiing, mountain biking and hiking. Mike also competes in regular and off-road Triathlons. He is hoping to gather And of course I had to ask about boob jobs! some interest among other local competitors to Though many of my friends have had them, I work together to bring an Xterra off-road triathdidn’t really know that much about them. Dr. lon to the Valley (www.Xterraplanet.com). Dr. Hromadka said that Silicon is used in about Hromadka’s office is located in Kalispell at 245 75% of all breast augmentation procedures and Windward Way, Suite 109 and downstairs in With the large number of baby boomers, the de- is very safe. When asked who is getting them the Glacier Medical Associates building at 1111 mand for cosmetic surgery continues to grow. and how does one figure out the best size (!), he Baker Avenue in Whitefish. You may learn more According to the American Society of Plastic replied, “Most of my patients are between the about Mike’s practice by visiting their website at Surgeons (ASPS), 15.1 million cosmetic surger- ages of 25-45. We determine the correct vol- www.glacierviewplasticsurgery.com.

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Katie Bisbee

I W ant H e r J ob :

Katie Bisbee D ono r s C hoose . o r g By Brianne Burrowes This article originally appeared on IWantHerJob.com.

Ask Katie Bisbee about work-life balance, and she’ll tell you she loves her job, which makes it hard to feel like there’s much lacking in the balance department. As the chief marketing officer of DonorsChoose.org, an online charity where teachers post requests for classroom supplies and donors choose (get it?) which projects to support. “I feel I’m one of those lucky people in this world who loves what I do every day. If I didn’t love my job, I’d probably complain about all the travel and events I do in my off-time, but I enjoy what I do so much that a business trip and a couple of work events a month is something I love to do," she says.

How did you decide social service was your calling?

My passion always has been around social service. My parents had me volunteering before I probably understood what volunteering was! I’ve always been very interested in societal impact and social change. That led me to study sociology in college. In my first job out of college I was doing market research for a lot of for-profit companies. We were advising these companies on big marketing decisions they were making and were making recommendations on what they should be putting into practice. It involved a lot of public and political polling. But, deep down I knew I wanted to go back and obtain a Master’s degree of some sort. Here I was advising Fortune 500 companies out of college, and I had never even taken business classes! That said, I heard from many friends and advisers that it would be helpful to have a second job under my belt before attending grad school. So, I went to a direct-service nonprofit. This was, ultimately, what I wanted to do. Spending time in that environment helped me figure out what type of grad school I wanted to go back to. It showed me I really needed a business background to make an impact.

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What was your next step after obtaining your MBA?

After grad school I assumed I’d go back into a nonprofit, but then was told by many that I needed to go work with a for-profit. That was probably my hardest point ever. I’m someone who likes to be energized by the subject matter I work on every day, and that’s harder for me when I’m working for a for-profit, but ultimately I ended up going back to work for a direct marketing company. It’s the farthest thing from doing good in the world. But I’m so glad I did it and for what I learned in that job. It was a very entrepreneurial company. Everybody was great, engaged, willing to look at things with a fresh eye and test out businesses, even if they failed. I found through this experience that the actual work environment I’m in and who I’m with is the most important part of my career. Social good is a bonus, but it’s secondary to working with who I love each day. I joined DonorsChoose.org seven years ago, which is where I still am today. I think I’ve found the right job in this company, and it merges well with my background. It’s really business-minded and entrepreneurial, and I have the opportunity to do be at an intersection of everything I’ve done. I couldn’t find a better fit.

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Katie Bisbee

What responsibilities do you have in your role?

During the last school year we had about 250,000 individuals participate. The number of large companies that give millions of dollars to classrooms through our website has supported about 60,000 teachers across the country. My two main responsibilities are to make sure teachers are aware of DonorsChoose. org and that we are growing our donor base as needed to support those teachers with available funding. My tertiary responsibility is branding and awareness of our organizations among teachers and donors. One of the hardest parts of my job, and I would imagine this is true for most business women, is staying focused on primary business goals. Every morning when I get to my desk I repeat what my main responsibilities are. It helps me focus on the bigger picture.

Is work/life balance ever a problem with you? If so, what is one no-fail tactic you use to create balance?

I have a really big caveat in answering that question. It’s that I love my job. I feel I’m one of those lucky people in this world who loves what I do every day. If I didn’t love my job, I’d probably complain about all the travel and events I do in my off-time, but I enjoy what I do so much that a business trip and a couple of work events a month is something I love to do. When I’m not representing the organization, I make sure I do everything I can that I want to get accomplished. One of my favorite things in life is to do yoga and go swimming, so I make sure I do that every day during the week when I’m in town. I also make plans with family and friends. One of the main things I focus on is to be really efficient when I’m at work. I think there’s a tendency for people to chat amongst one another or check the morning blogs, but I try to be as efficient as possible when I’m at work so I can do things I want to do when I’m out of the office.

What is the personal code you live by?

No. 1 is that I like to spend as much time with my family and friends as possible. No. 2 is I really love to be inspired by my job. Those two are non-negotiable for me.

How can Montana teachers get involved in DonorsChoose.org?

All public school teachers can request supplies and experiences for their students at: www.donorschoose.org/teachers

Brianne Burrowes,

a born-and-raised Montanan, is the founder of I Want Her Job, an award-winning website empowering women in their career search. She also is senior consumer marketing manager at NASCAR track Phoenix International Raceway. You can follow her on Twitter @iwantherjob and read more interviews like this on iwantherjob.com.

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Dr. John Miller

Dr. John Miller Absolutely Not Your Ordinary Dentist!

Photo by Amanda Wilson Photography

By Nancy Dewar

Dr. John Miller certainly is not your ordinary dentist! In addition to his passion for dentistry, his other great passion revolves around music, the guitar and everything rock ‘n roll! His practice, located in Columbia Falls, serves patients from all over the Flathead Valley. John purchased the practice, Columbia Falls Family Dental Center, in June of 2011 from Dr. Dean Calderwood who started it in 1981. They are a General Dentistry practice for every age that also offers implants and orthodontics. It was fun to meet John and sit down to chat with him. He is an engaging, vivacious and forward-thinking man…not to mention pretty damn good looking with great twinkling eyes and a winning smile! John’s passion for music began when he and his two best friends started a band in the eighth grade named Paradox, for which he played the bass. “We started the band as we had to figure out a way to get the girls to like us!” He got his first guitar as present for his 14th birthday. He told me that his Mother thought his interest in the guitar was simply a passing fancy. “She thought she was throwing money away and the guitar would soon end up unused in a corner. But I was hooked, though learning to play was pretty hard and frustrating.” By their sophomore year they were playing lots of gigs including “Pomp & Circumstance” for high school graduations, graduation parties and for other local events. John’s love of music continued, and he joined another band while in college at Arizona State. Eventually he had to leave this band, as it got too popular and had so many bookings that is was interfering with his studies. However, John never stopped playing, and recently he and some dental school buddies who were visiting him played a Saturday night gig at Crush in Whitefish. Based on his huge love of music, be on the lookout for more to come from Dr. John Miller! I don’t think he’s done yet with the world of music. John grew up in the small town of Joseph City near Flagstaff, Arizona. He is the second youngest of five children, and his parents still reside there. His interest in dentistry was nudged along by his Mother’s three brothers, all dentists in Alberta, Canada. Exposed to this profession indirectly by his uncles, John decided to become a dentist after his first year at Arizona State. He stated, “Once I got focused and knew what I wanted to do, school became very, very easy!” After his undergraduate studies, John attended dental school

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in San Francisco at the University of the Pacific, one of the best clinical schools in the country. In addition to its high academic standings, the school appealed to him as it offers an accelerated 3-year program versus normal 4-year dental school programs. Dr. Miller knew that he wanted to open his own practice upon graduation. He also knew that he wanted to move to the Flathead Valley. His love for Northwest Montana stemmed from the numerous summers he spent here at his uncle’s cabin on Echo Lake while growing up. After his sophomore year he began investigating opportunities by hand delivering pamphlets to dental practices throughout the Valley stating his interest in purchasing a practice. “I wanted to personally introduce myself, make it known that I’m moving here and truly make it known that I wanted to buy a practice.” He was contacted by Dr. Calderwood about purchasing his practice while still in dental school. John’s wife Juli is a dental hygienist, though now works even harder as a full-time Mom raising their four children. They married while John was at Arizona State though had met as teenagers…a fun story of a meant-to-be connection! Juli is from Alberta, and the two met in Edmonton while attending a church camp during high school. John told me, “I thought she was the greatest thing on earth, but she didn’t pay much attention to me as I was 90 pounds with braces!” They didn’t stay in touch, but seven years later John ran into a gal from Edmonton and asked her if she happened to know Juli. She did…and John went on and on about how great he thought Juli was! This girl then tracked Juli down at a dental hygiene school in Boise and told her about meeting John. Juli gave

John a call, numerous calls and emails ensued, they got together again at Bear Lake, Idaho…and the rest is history! When I asked Dr. Miller what appeals to him about his profession, he responded, “I love the creative part and the social aspects of dentistry. It can be a very emotional experience for patients. My job is to explain, reassure and calm them. It’s the perfect mix, as I’m the technician and also get to run the business. There are different challenges every day, as every mouth is different.” John is definitely an exuberant entrepreneur with a passion for customer service, innovation and community service. He is in the process of developing a strong and socially responsible brand with great and interesting initiatives to come…which, sorry to say, I can’t share with you at this time! John and Julie live in Whitefish with their children, two boys and two girls ages 9, 6, 3 and a newborn! The family spends time snowboarding together and the older kids are all in ski school. John told me that he is truly an “adrenaline junky!” In addition to jumping off of 100’+ rock cliffs into streams in Arizona, he also takes an annual “extreme snowboarding” guy-trip. Last year’s adventure was to Garmisch, Germany and a trip to Japan is next on the agenda. The Miller family is planning to build a new home on 10 acres in the near future just outside of Whitefish. John’s practice has 14 employees including Dr. Calderwood and 4 hygienists. It is located at 105 Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls. They can be reached at (406) 892-2104 or visit their website at www.smilemontana.com.

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“I love the creative part and the social aspects of dentistry. It can be a very

emotional experience for patients. My job is to explain, reassure and calm them. It’s the perfect mix, as I’m the technician and also get to run the business. There are different challenges every day, as every mouth is different.”

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An Ace of Hearts Cathy Gaiser Hay By Kay Burt Photos by Lucy Williams

In a world of two-income families and latchkey kids, the greatest challenge for school-aged children lies not on the pathway home, but when the door closes behind them. Recent studies are sobering: Fourteen million school-aged children go home to empty, unsupervised homes. Dovetail that with statistics showing peak hours for juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol and sex are between 3 and 6 p.m., and there you have a recipe for disaster. Cathy Gaiser Hay, executive director of Bigfork A.C.E.S., has made it her goal to see that that needn’t happen in Bigfork. Cathy’s family moved to Bigfork in 1978, the year she was a high-school senior. “I could hardly wait to leave and get back to the city,” Cathy laughs. “But somehow, I’ve always ended up back in Bigfork.” She’s had a heart for children for as long as she can remember, and she credits her father, an elementary teacher, as a source of inspiration. “He was so intuitive in the way he taught,” she remembers. “He really cared about each child.”

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Cathy’s earliest aspiration had been to serve in foreign missions, which ultimately led to an outreach to Haiti in 1980. “Haiti was the poorest nation in the world then,” she recalls. “Children lay in the ditches like cast-off clothes. Sometimes you couldn’t tell if they were dead or alive.” That experience solidified her calling, and from there, Cathy went on to pursue a teaching degree at Western Montana College. Midway through college, she and her husband were invited to fill a temporary internship at an Australian gymnastics academy. The internship turned out not to be so temporary, and the couple stayed on for 13 years, welcoming a son and a daughter during that time. Through her work, Cathy found herself drawn more and more to the young gymnasts. “Those young girls just needed someone to listen,” she recalls. It affirmed her conviction that children need advocates, adults who are truly present for them. The family returned to Bigfork in 1994. Cathy quickly involved herself in community activities, helping cofound Bigfork Gymnastics in 1994. The club centered on children 4-14, and through her work with them, Cathy began to see the need for safe, nurturing afterschool care. With others, she helped organize Bigfork’s first after-school program (LEAP). Later, in 2012, when federal funds became available through 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Cathy organized the nonprofit, Bigfork ACES. (Bigfork ACES is Cathy’s only “hands-on ACE program; however, she administers

ACES programs at Swan River, Kila, Marion and Deer Park schools.) The Bigfork ACES program is impressive in scope, fully embodying the mission statement, “Enriching today, impacting tomorrow.” It occupies a stand-alone facility adjoining Bigfork ‘s middle school, which shares space with partnering nonprofit, Bigfork Playhouse Children’s Theater (BPCT). As prescribed by grant guidelines, ACES provides affordable after-school care and offers academic and cultural enrichment while engaging family/community resources in the process. Children K-8 automatically qualify for care through the federal school lunch program, and for others, the cost is nominal. As part of the program, a nutritious meal is served each day. “The thinking is that working parents will have more time for their children if they don’t have to rush home to fix dinner,” Cathy explains. Recently, ACES has added another dimension with the Fit Kids Montana program. Twice a week, students climb to the high school stadium for a workout. “They just love going to the ‘big kids’ field,” Cathy laughs, “They run, we time them, and it’s pretty big medicine.” The academic aspect of ACES is comprehensive, providing everything from homework help to handson learning.“There are no tests,” Cathy emphasizes. “We try to make learning fun.” She describes a current

non-profit}

ACES

From Haiti to Australia and back to Bigfork, Cathy Hay has had a remarkable tour of duty. Her goal of serving on a mission field has been realized a bit differently than imagined, but she feels what she’s doing is as important as anything she might have done overseas.“Someone needs to remember what it’s like to be a 10-year-old,” she states emphatically. “I like to think of it as ‘reaching kids before they need to be ‘fixed.’”

project that utilizes—of all things—a donated Vitamix. Students create their own smoothie recipes, incorporating ingredients from kale to kiwi. The concoction is whirled in the Vitamix, shared with the group, and voted upon. Students then tabulate results and organize that data into in charts and graphs. Voila! Science made painless! Another project involves dissembling donated appliances and electronics. Kids learn how things are built, and the components can be “harvested” for later use in art projects. “One child even managed to make a face mask out of toaster parts,” Cathy laughs. In addition to academic support, ACES offers enrichment through the music, drama and dance of BCPT. Cathy holds BPCT director, Brach Thomson, in highest regard: “We’re so lucky to have Brach. He’s absolutely gifted with kids. My son says were just alike-- stuck in the fifth grade,” she smiles, “which we take as a compliment.” Though ACES emphasis is on the school year, it also has a summer component. Eight summer camps are slated for 2015, with offerings in sports, academics, drama, leadership and more. During the summer, ACES students also produce a newsletter, participate in the 4th of July parade and sponsor a booth at Bigfork’s art festival. But even with grant monies, supplemental support has been crucial for Bigfork ACES. “We simply couldn’t do it

without the generosity of the Bigfork community, ” Cathy stresses. She is thankful for program volunteers, especially high school students who serve as mentors, tutors and role models. A pivotal role is also played by “Cowabunga!” which just happens to be another of Cathy’s passions. Cowabunga! This year’s theme is (AmeriCOW’s got Talent) and has been annual Bigfork production for years. It draws upon locals for an evening of fun and laughter, and includes music, dance, drama, comedy and other acts. The event was organized in 2003 by Diana Rahdert and Mary Knoll to help fund children’s activities, and has easily generated over $100,000 during its tenure. “The intent of Cowabunga is that no child be left out of Bigfork activities,” Cathy states. When Diana and Mary retired this past year, Cathy and Brach were selected to replace them, and they will partner with executive producers, Walter and Nancy Kuhn, for this year’s April 17-19 production at the Bigfork Center for the Arts. For ACES and BPCT, they are hoping part of the funds will help update their facility. The two nonprofits recently learned that their building has been selected as an AmeriCorps project, with volunteers arriving in April to give the facility a facelift. Though labor is provided by AmeriCorps volunteers, the materials—paint, shingles, landscaping supplies—are up to the ACES and BPCT to provide. “That’s where we’re hoping Cowabunga can help this year,” Cathy concludes.

On a personal note, Cathy feels very blessed to share her life with her best friend and husband, Jon. As luck would have it, they met at the Loud at the Library fundraiser that of course supports kids and families through programs at all of the ImagineIf Library branches. Although her two children are grown now, she couldn’t be prouder of raising terrific kids and looks forward to seeing all they will accomplish in the future. From Haiti to Australia and back to Bigfork, Cathy Hay has had a remarkable tour of duty. Her goal of serving on a mission field has been realized a bit differently than imagined, but she feels what she’s doing is as important as anything she might have done overseas. “Someone needs to remember what it’s like to be a 10-year-old,” she states emphatically. “I like to think of it as ‘reaching kids before they need to be ‘fixed.’”

“Enriching today, impacting tomorrow.” There is little doubt that Cathy’s vision for Bigfork ACES will touch lives—and hearts—well into the future. Tickets for the Cowabunga production are available at Electric Avenue Books, Bigfork Drug, Bigfork ACES and online at bigforksummerplayhouse.com. Show time - April 17 - 18 at 7:30pm and Sunday April 19 at 2pm. Its major sponsor is Glacier Bank.

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economics}

Who’s Your Farmer? Economics

By Todd Ulizio, Two Bear Farm

I am a member of the one percent. No, not that one. The one percent of Americans who can claim farming as a fulltime occupation. Does that make you want to Occupy the Farm? I sure hope so, we could use the help. Our country has undergone a massive demographic shift since World War II, and presently over 85% percent of Americans now live in an urban setting. We live in the age of interconnectivity, yet we are increasingly disconnected from the natural landscape and our dependence on it. Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes. The offshoot of so few of us being farmers is that most of us do not grow our own food. And without our hands in the soil, most of what we know about food production we have been told, rather than learned through experience. Unfortunately, the words we hear often originate from marketing and advertising efforts that are, let’s just say, not completely accurate.

community in the Tobacco and Flathead Valleys. We are what would be termed a “small farm”, yet 13 acres of vegetables can seem rather overwhelming when you’ve been tasked with weeding. We do all the work ourselves with the help of a handful of apprentices. We sell our products directly to our customers. We accomplish this through a CSA farm share program, as well as by selling at Whitefish, Columbia Falls, and Kalispell farmers markets, plus to a few select restaurants. Our primary goal of farming is to provide healthy, nutrient dense food for our neighbors, and ourselves while at the same time being good stewards of the land. While that may sound like a simple and responsible goal, it is unfortunately not a common one in today’s agricultural world. But nothing is ever simple.

As farmers who interact directly with our customers, we see first hand the misunderstanding, concern, or disillusionment that exists regarding food and what’s in it. I am excited that 406 Woman has offered me the opportunity, over the course of the next year, to address some of the concerns we most frequently hear. Whether it’s the cost of food, My name is Todd Ulizio, and my wife Rebecca and organic versus conventional, nutrition, health, or I operate Two Bear Farm in Whitefish, Montana. genetically modified organisms (GMO’s), I will use For the past 8 years we have been providing future editions to focus on these topics with the organically grown vegetables to our surrounding hope of cutting through the misinformation to pro-

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vide a fresh perspective. But to fully understand the condition of our food system requires going back 75 years and looking at all the complex social, political, and economic factors that have shaped it. That is not a task well suited to 1000 words or less. So I’m going to kick off the conversation by boiling it down to two highly generalized statements.

First, we as a society are focused on a cheap, easy and convenient lifestyle...whether it’s food or manufactured products. Quality is out; low cost and quantity are in. Second, our primary agricultural system has shifted away from a decentralized one made up of many small farmers to a centralized one controlled by a few large multi-national companies. What many people fail to realize is that the second point is a direct result of the first point. Large business entities excel at using economies of scale to provide massive quantities at low cost. We as consumers asked for it, and the industry shaped itself to respond. But this has had consequences far beyond what I believe people expected, or should be willing to accept. And I think we are at a stage where we are waking up to this fact and recognizing just how far the impacts of the food system extend. The business world is designed to focus on profit margins and externalizing costs, and it is very

Where we have made our mistake as citizens and

economics}

consumers is we have trusted in regulatory agencies to work in our best interests to ensure the food industry produces safe, healthy, and nutritious food. good at achieving those goals. What this corporate industrial model has not been designed or adequately regulated to do is account for true costs in its business model. True costs such as human health; workers rights; long-term resilience; and soil, water and air degradation. As we see food production volume and corporate profits continue to set new records, we at the same time see rates of obesity, autism, nitrogen runoff, and herbicide use also reach new highs. So how do we re-work this equation to find a better balance? Where we have made our mistake as citizens and consumers is we have trusted in regulatory agencies to work in our best interests to ensure the food industry produces safe, healthy, and nutritious food. Unfortunately, government agencies have not been up to the task. Despite what the Supreme Court may believe, influence

does follow money. And global food is a trillion dollar industry. What we as citizens need to learn to do better is to stop outsourcing responsibility, and begin taking it ourselves. We need to understand that our spending habits directly affect what happens in this world. Too often we think the voting booth is where we yield our power to affect change, but in today’s world your dollar holds far more sway. Every time you pull out your wallet, you are making a direct statement as to what type of food production you support. As I mentioned, nothing is ever simple. Our communities, our jobs, our health, and our landscape are all shaped by how we as a nation grow our food. And the decline of the middle class, loss of rural communities, increased exposure to chemicals, and deteriorating human nutrition are not positive trends. So

the question is: Are we willing, as producers and consumers, to engage in this process, or will we continue to surrender the responsibility to the industry and the agencies that do their bidding? Fortunately, the answer is already starting to take shape. For the first time in 75 years, the number of young farmers is increasing rather than decreasing. Young people, many of whom are seeking more meaningful work, personal fulfillment, and a better connection to the natural world, are returning to the landscape. Consumers are beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together and organic food is the fastest growing segment of the food industry. Every day, farmers and ranchers are becoming more educated about the impacts of their practices and making changes to how they work soil, graze livestock, use chemicals, and choose seed. We are learning that we must better account for other factors than simply the

monetary ones, and we must be proactive about it. We are seeing a local food model emerge that not only revitalizes food production, but revitalizes our connectivity as people.

Do you want to feel engaged? Do you want to know your Farmer? Do you want to smell and taste fresh, high-quality food? Do you want to experience the joy and sounds of real community? Try going to a farmers market. Nationally, there has been a 364% growth in farmer’s markets since 1994. There is a reason for this. Live vibrant community is not something that Facebook can ever replace. I encourage you to look and ask around. I think you’ll be surprised at just how many options there are in your community for nutritious and responsibly-grown food, whether it’s dairy, meat, vegetables or fruit. There is a new food revolution happening in America. It is happening here, and it is happening now. And you are a part of it.

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giving}

When Communities"Click” By Lucy Smith, Executive Director Flathead Community Foundation

Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the first Community Foundation in the United States, and in the world for that matter. To celebrate 100 years of local philanthropy, many community foundations participated in Give Local America, a 24-hour, online giving challenge that empowered citizens to give back to their communities by supporting charities in their own backyards. A national crowd-funding event with local impact, the Give Local campaign is driven by the belief that every individual and every company has the ability to contribute to the wellbeing of the community, and that every contribution makes a difference.

Missoula Community Foundation was Montana’s pioneer for Give Local America 2014, exceeding all expectations by raising over $135,000 in 24 hours. The Missoula community really “clicked” that day, as 1,900 donors and sponsors went online to support 90 nonprofits in a celebration of collective giving. Encouraged by Missoula’s success and inspired by our own communities’ generosity, this year on May 5, Give Local Flathead, Give Big Gallatin, and Give Local Helena will join Give Local Missoula as Montana’s giving day sites.

Among the goals for Give Local America 2014, work through local community foundations to:

Community foundations in Montana are notably collaborative, recognizing our shared mission to grow resources and build philanthropic relationships that ensure the health and vitality of our communities. Last year, CF colleagues across Montana “clicked” their donation support for Give Local Missoula, and this year all four sites are cheering for one other’s success. Montana Community Foundation is supporting the efforts of all four giving sites, through sponsorship contributions, information sessions and technical assistance.

lShowcase the good work of nonprofits lEncourage donations outside

of the normal giving season

lInspire large numbers of new donors

Among the results:

l120+ participating communities l7,000+ benefiting nonprofits l300,000+ donors lUp to 66% first-time donors per organization

l52% of donors under age 55 l$53.7 million raised

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The Flathead Community Foundation is partnering with nonprofit organizations (NPO’s) that enrich our community cul-

ture, keep us safe and healthy, preserve our quality of life, and address the Valley’s critical challenges. Their involvement with the event will allow community members to identify and support charitable causes whose missions matter most to them. The Leader Board at Give Local Flathead lists and provides profiles for all participating nonprofit organizations. One look at the list brings home the vital role NPO’s play in all aspects of community life – emergency shelter, adoptive care, childhood education, adult literacy, wilderness preservation, community history, parks and trails, food and nutrition, youth mentoring, senior services, scholarship programs – the nonprofit network runs wide and deep. FCF and local sponsors will donate funds for incentive prizes to add excitement during the 24 hour giving marathon, and to make every hour a great time to give. Among Give Local Flathead’s early sponsors: Women Who Wine of Kalispell (WWWK), 406 Woman Magazine, Montana Community Foundation and West One Bank in Kalispell. WWWK is adding essential volunteer power to its financial contribution, helping FCF promote the event and

The

Leader Board at Give Local Flathead lists and provides profiles for all participating nonprofit organizations. One look at the list brings home the vital role NPO’s play in all aspects of community life – emergency shelter, adoptive care, childhood education, adult literacy, wilderness preservation, community history, parks and trails, food and nutrition, youth mentoring, senior services, scholarship programs – the nonprofit network runs wide and deep. co-host a Cinco de Mayo themed “Fiesta for Philanthropy” to assist donors and celebrate local giving throughout May 5. Fiesta site and festivities will be posted on the Give Local Flathead website. The Foundation is encouraging everyone in the community to be a Flathead Philanthropist on May 5, reminding us that “Our local nonprofits are there for us 24 hours, 7 days a week. For 24 hours, 1 day - let’s be there generously for them!” And while it may seem that only those with considerable wealth can have an impact, even the smallest donation can make a big difference, especially when it is paired with other donations. When it comes to community need, every single dollar counts.” To become a sponsor, register your nonprofit (deadline April 10), or learn how to be a Flathead Philanthropist on May 5, please visit www.givelocalflathead.org or email info@flatheadcommunityfoundation.org

Community Foundations: A Brief History Local community foundations trace their origin to the City of Cleveland, Ohio and Frederick H. Goff, an elite professional and former mayor who hatched the idea of a “community trust.” Goff’s vision was to pool the charitable resources of Cleveland’s philanthropists, living and dead, into one permanent endowment for the betterment of the city. Community leaders would then forever distribute the interest that the trust’s resources would accrue to fund “such charitable purposes as will best make for the mental, moral, and physical improvement of the inhabitants of Cleveland.” From that revolutionary idea, the Cleveland Foundation was born on Jan. 2, 1914. Within weeks, the foundation began reshaping the way community members care for one another not just in Greater Cleveland, but around the nation and the world. Congress has long supported the community foundation vision by granting special tax advantages for individual and business investments in the well-being of one’s home town. Montana’s Legislature further encourages local philanthropy with the Montana Endowment Tax Credit, which allows donors to pay less in Montana state income taxes when they give a qualifying planned gift to a qualified Montana charitable endowment. The incentive is 40% of the gift's federal charitable deduction, up to a maximum $10,000 tax credit, per year, per individual, and a credit of 20% of a direct gift by a qualified business, up to a maximum of $10,000 per year.

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D r. Sarah N a r gi

whitefish plastic surgery & med spa board certified

Whitefish Plastic Surgery & Med Spa Menu of Services Cosmetic surgery - Injectables including Botox, Juvederm, Voluma - Sclerotherapy Facials & chemical Peels Laser Hair Remover - Laser Skin tightening Laser skin resurfacing - Tattoo Removal - waxing (all types)

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Call now for same day appointments. 406-862-6808. Conveniently located by Montana Coffee Traders off Hwy 93.

Women’s Foundation

The $100,000 for Women Initiative Written by Jennifer Euell

2014 was a breakout year for the Women’s Foundation of Montana. As we marked 100 years of Montana women voting, we launched a $100,000 for Women Initiative and surpassed $500,000 of strategic grantmaking. We invested more in Montana women last year than ever before and increased our impact exponentially.

Photo courtesy of the Bain Collection, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress, LC-USZ62-23622

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The Challenge In 2014, the Women’s Foundation of Montana (WFM) committed to invest $100,000 in Montana women and girls in celebration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage. We recognize that we stand on the shoulders of strong Montana women through the ages. We celebrate the victories we have achieved, but we also recognize we have far to go to reach equity and economic security. $100,000 was a bold goal considering the average amount of WFM’s annual investment throughout our history has been about $35,000. To meet this challenge we recruited partners and sought funding from like-minded foundations and programs, as well as generous donors. We would like to thank the following partners for investing with us to make our $100,000 for Women Initiative a success.

The Arguelles Family Blackstone LaunchPad The Doll Family Foundation Mary Fay The First Interstate BancSystem Foundation The Red Ants Pants Foundation The Serious Nonsense Fund

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The Investment The WFM Advisory Committee strategically focused our investments in innovative best practices, pilots and programs that are working to reduce the gender pay gap in Montana, as well as strategies that are working to make systemic change. The largest portion of the funds were invested in programs and strategies working toward economic security for Montana women such as the AAUW $tart $mart programs, which are working to educate young women about how best to negotiate for the salary and benefits they deserve. This area also includes our investments in supporting women in entrepreneurship, including

our new Startup Women Montana program. Our second largest area of investment was STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Programs for girls. We believe these programs are one of the best ways we can prepare our girls for financially successful careers in the future. Our next investment was in growing philanthropy and women and girl’s leadership in the state. We also invested significant funds in continued research into the economic status of women in Montana and in continuing advocacy work, such as registering women in Montana to vote.

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Women’s Foundation

The Impact

Montana Women's Mural Thrive - Girls For a Change Sponsorship Montana Women Vote - Leadership Institute Sponsorship Lilly Ledbetter Sponsorship – Equal Pay Summit Institute for Women's Policy Research CodeMontana Hopa Mountain AAUW - Start Smart Dillon Women's Resource Center Girl Scouts of Montana MSU Women's Economic Research Butte GEMS GUTS! Girls Leadership Project BREDD Women's Economic Gardening Montana Women Vote - Advocacy Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Montana Budget and Policy Center Sponsorship Montana Financial Education Coalition Sponsorship

One girl who exemplifies why the Women’s Foundation exists is an 11-year-old girl growing up in Butte named Megan. She has loved science for as long as she can remember. From cells to circuits, Megan absorbs each science class at school, but most of all, she loves computers. Even though Butte is hardly rural by Montana standards, opportunities to learn computer science have historically been few and far between. Factor in that Megan is from a single parent household with little extra money for things like science camps. When Megan turned 11, she began to realize her peers didn’t think science was cool and they teased her about trying to be too smart. Megan, who didn’t know anyone who actually had a job as a scientist, had almost decided to stop pursing her passion. Then a teacher stepped in, connecting her with a new, free science program called GEMS (Girls Excelling in Math and Science) led by women scientists working at Montana Tech, one of 17 grants funded by the Women’s Foundation of Montana this year.

We’re proud that our investments through the $100,000 for Women Initiative are providing new skills and opportunities for hundreds of Montana women and girls across the state!

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At first Megan was a little shy and unsure of herself. She didn’t want to look dumb or too smart. When the teacher asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she hesitated, then confessed: “A computer coder.” The teacher said in a couple weeks, a female coder would be coming in to teach a class. Megan couldn’t believe she was finally going to get to learn coding, best of all, in a supportive community of girls and women where she could fit in.

Girls like Megan are one of Montana’s greatest untapped resources. Despite their intelligence, ideas and potential, by age 10, many of them start opting out of math and science programs. They start realizing that STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) aren’t cool and they mistakenly believe that if they want to get a job in Montana when they grow up, they should pursue something more “practical.” That’s where the Women’s Foundation steps in. We can connect girls like Megan with the STEM skills they need to compete in these fields, which represent the largest sector of job opportunity in Montana, with 25,000 new jobs projected for next year alone. The Women’s Foundation of Montana provides STEM opportunities to keep girls learning about their passions and pursuing careers that will provide a financially secure adulthood.

The Women’s Foundation and You

If you are inspired by the work of the Women’s Foundation and want to get involved, or would like to learn more about upcoming events for women and girls in the state, like us on Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/WomensFoundationMT or find us on the web at www.wfmontana.org. Together we are advancing the economic security of Montana women and creating a brighter future for Montana girls! Onward!

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Loans

Student Loans:

Understanding Your Payment Options Written by Tiffany Starkel, CPA

All too often these days the celebration of college graduation is dampened by the realization of having thousands of dollars in student loan debt. According to TransUnion, in 2005 student loans accounted for less than 13% of the total debt load for adults age 20-29, while today it is currently 37% of that group’s outstanding debt. The average balance for that age group is up as well from $15,900 in 2005 to $25,500 today. As a result, this higher debt load has led to an ever-increasing state of delinquency. Currently there is more than $1.2 trillion of student loan debt in which 6.7 million borrowers in repayment mode are delinquent. When it comes right down to it, there is no easy way out of student loan debt. What many student borrowers forget is that while most other forms of debt can be discharged in bankruptcy, student loan debt cannot. This reflects the fact that student loan debt is secured debt on the borrower’s future earnings, much like a mortgage where the house is collateral. You essentially have four options: pay it off, participate in a repayment program that offers student loan forgiveness, work in a qualifying program to receive student loan forgiveness, or see if you qualify for deferment or forbearance.

Pay it Off

If you have multiple student loans, you may want to consider loan consolidation. Not only could this potentially save you money on interest payments, but it also greatly simplifies your loan repayment by centralizing all of your loans to one monthly bill. Obtaining a Direct Consolidation Loan through the federal government combines your multiple federal student loans into one new federal loan using an interest rate that is a weighted average of your existing rates. Most federal student loans can be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan, but you can only consolidate federal, not private student loans, through this program. The program also offers some flexibility by allowing you up to 30 years to

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repay your loans, which could result in lower monthly payments. However, be aware that if you extend your repayment period, you will make more payments and end up paying more interest over the life of your loan.

If you choose to consolidate with a private lender, you can often choose from multiple options that allow you access to varying loan terms as well as fixed, variable, and hybrid interest rates. Consolidating with a private lender also allows you to refinance, which means you may be able to get a better interest rate than you did when you first took out your student loans. In addition, with many private lenders, you can consolidate both private and federal student loans either separately or together. It should be noted that consolidating federal loans through a private lender means giving up the benefit of income-based repayment, which private lenders don’t offer.

Participate in a Repayment Plan

When you receive your first federal student loan statement, your loan defaults into the standard repayment plan, which is 10 years of fixed monthly payments. If you have a significant amount of student loan debt, this monthly payment amount can seem daunting. Luckily, the federal government offers a wide variety of payment options. So if you are faced with a payment that just does not seem possible, call your lender to discuss your available options, which include the following as well as others. Also, make sure to visit Studentloans.gov for a calculator that can help you estimate your payments for each type of repayment plan.

Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR)

Under this payment plan, your maximum monthly payments will be a percentage of your discretionary income, which is calculated using a formula based on your family size and income tax returns. Effectively your payments change each year as your income changes and in order to qualify, your calculated monthly payments must be lower than your payments under the 10-year standard plan. If you have loans from before July 1, 2014, your monthly payments will not be higher than 15 percent of your discretionary income; whereas, if you have loans from after July 1, 2014, your monthly payments will not exceed 10 percent of your discretionary income. On this plan, if you have not paid your loan in full after making qualifying monthly payments for 25 years, any outstanding loan balance is forgiven.

Income-Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR)

The Income-Contingent Repayment Plan is slightly different from IBR in that there are no initial income eligibility requirements and any borrower with eligible federal loans may participate in this plan. Under this plan, your payment will be the lesser of either 20 percent of your discretionary income or what you would pay on a repayment plan with a fixed payment over the course of 12 years, adjusted to your income. The remaining balance of your loan will be forgiven after 25 years of making qualifying monthly payments. It is important to note that under the ICR plan, your payment is always based on your income and could end up being higher than the amount you would pay under the 10-year standard plan.

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Loans

When it comes right down to it, there is no easy way out of student loan debt. What many student borrowers forget is that while most other forms of debt can be discharged in bankruptcy, student loan debt cannot. With all of these student loan forgiveness options, you should also understand the potential tax consequences. If you have a remaining balance at the end of your repayment plan that is forgiven, current IRS regulations require you to add the forgiven amount to your taxable income for the year. So, if you made $50,000 during the year from working and $10,000 of your student loan debt was forgiven, your total taxable income for the year would be $60,000. However, in most cases the additional tax bill is much more manageable than paying the $10,000 plus interest. Overall, these plans are designed to help borrowers stay current on their federal student loan debt with manageable monthly payments while offering the incentive of student loan forgiveness in the end. So if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having trouble making your monthly payment, make sure to talk to your lender to see if you qualify for any of these repayment plans.

Work for a Qualifying Program

The federal government also offers loan forgiveness if you work as a teacher or in certain public service jobs for a period of time.

Teacher Loan Forgiveness

If you are a teacher and have loans from after October 1, 1998, you may qualify for loan forgiveness of as much as $17,500 if you have been teaching full-time in a lowincome elementary or secondary school or educational service agency for five consecutive years.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

In order to encourage individuals to work for public service organizations, the federal government also offers loan forgiveness of the remaining balance of loans after making 120 qualifying payments while employed full time by certain public service employers. Visit Studentaid.ed.gov for more information on which schools and public organizations qualify under these programs.

Deferment and Forbearance

If none of the previous options work, you should consider applying for deferment or forbearance to see if you qualify. Deferment and forbearance allow you to reduce or postpone your federal student loan payments in order to help you avoid becoming delinquent and defaulting on your loan.

Deferment

Deferment is a period of time in which your student loans payments are temporarily postponed. You may qualify for deferment if you are enrolled at least half time in college, are unemployed, have an inability to find full-time employment, or are serving in the active duty military among other situations. Many deferments are not automatically granted, so you must submit a request to your lender.

This article is intended for educational and informational purposes only; it is not intended to act as professional advice. If you have additional questions, contact JCCS, PC in Whitefish at (406) 862-2597 or Kalispell at (406) 755-3681.

Forbearance

If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t qualify for deferment, your lender may be able to grant you forbearance in which you may be able to stop making payments or reduce your monthly payments for 12 months. Be aware that with this option, interest continues to accrue on your loans while they are in forbearance. Situations in which you may qualify for forbearance include financial hardship, illness, or when the total amount you owe each month for all the student loans you received exceeds 20 percent or more of your total monthly gross income among other situations.

Make sure to continue making payments on your loans until you receive notification that your request for deferment or forbearance has been approved. While it is always best to select a repayment plan, deferment and forbearance are available as a last resort to help avoid default. Overall, the key to paying off your student loan debt is understanding the repayment process and all the available options to help you do so. Communication with your lender is also important, so if your student loan payment just seems too high or you simply want to discuss your available options, reach out to your lender to see if there might be a better option out there for you.

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Relational

resilience Written by Susan B. Clarke Relational resilience is critical to business success. Business isn’t only about numbers. It’s more about building relationships with customers and employees than creating the best products or getting the “right” answers. Many great ideas and gadgets never made it, for the simple reason that the people involved couldn’t move from a great vision through the relational gauntlet required to bring something intangible into existence and get it into the hands of customers. Let me give you an example from our work with leaders and teams. We worked with a company that had a brilliant product: a small, implantable chip that made it possible for people with diabetes to go without shots or external meters. A prototype was tested and everything was going well, but when faced with the step of working with a big medical supplier, the team stalled and the CFO, Tom, reached out to us for help. Without supplier backing, this brilliant product wouldn’t make it far. In working with the team and the company’s founder, we discovered that the founder was unbendable, unable to take feedback from his team about his style making it impossible to attract and land the necessary supply partner. He remained arrogant and determined to do it his way. The result was that the product didn’t make it beyond a first small circle of customers. Another company designed a similar product, one not quite as ingenious, but with backing from a major medical supplier, their product became mainstream. The problem was not the product, the FDA, or the medical suppliers. The problem was the leader and the team’s lack of relational resilience.

The founder is the easy target to blame, but when we look deeper, it becomes clear that although the founder did play

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a big part in the downfall, the team contributed up, this time in technology, with a brilliant foundby not giving feedback earlier or speaking up to er, Barry. This time, Tom contacted us much earlier in the team’s development. He wanted to make demand that the founder step aside. sure the founder wasn’t going to create roadblocks This type of relationship gauntlet is messy, un- as the company progressed. comfortable, and filled with uncertainty. It deEarly on, we introduced Tom and his team to mands humility and resilience. VOMP and they used it effectively through In other words, it ain’t easy. the course of the company’s development, right through to a successful IPO.

What is Relational Resilience?

Let’s look at how VOMP works as a tool for Here’s how I define relational resilience: The individuals and teams in disagreement. ability of a person or team to return to original form V-Vent after being bent, compressed, or stretched, having been Venting is an opportunity for each person to say influenced by learning new information. how and why he or she is upset or disagrees. Granted, this sounds messy and painful, but what growth process isn’t? We aren’t wired to willingly step into messy! However, we are innately capable. We just need to drop the façade and become curious.

Often, people want to by-pass this step, believing they can transcend the messy. In our experience, more times than not, people who don’t do this step wind up “accidently” squirting somewhere inappropriately.

Building and Sustaining Yes, venting can be messy, and usually is when Relational Resilience There’s a simple process useful for fostering there’s a logjam of energy that hasn’t been exteam resilience when differences arise. We call it pressed. VOMP. It’s valuable and effective to include This great team tool provides a structure for each these three areas in your vent: person to go through to clear the air and reach · what happened for you — what you heard or saw; solid ground while other team members provide a container for staying on track. · your story — how you put the pieces together, your theory, your opinion; Tom, the CFO in the example above, called us · your feelings. again on his next job, working on another start-

business} relational resilience: The ability of a person or team to return to original form after being bent, compressed, or stretched, having been influenced by learning new information.

They key is to not go on and on. If you vent more than two minutes, you’re probably only escalating and becoming more upset. About a minute of being frank regarding how you see the situation is enough.

I knew you’d been through a difficult start-up that failed in part because of an overly controlling founder. I hired you so I wouldn’t be that guy. I also know I say ‘it’s my baby’ a lot and that can sound dismissive of anyone else invested in this company.”

Supportive Tip: When listening during the vent, it’s helpful to reflect back the gist of P-Plan what the venting person said, to be sure It’s important that each person closely involved has a turn in the different roles of you understand. the VOMP process: venting, owning what Here’s an example from Tom’s early vent fits, and walking in the others’ moccasins. on his new team with Barry: Once those steps have occurred, making Tom’s Vent: “Yes, you started this company, a plan together becomes much easier and your ‘baby,’ but I’m tired of you always having faster. the last word and treating the rest of us as less important. I’ve been on this ship before and it For Tom and Barry, the plan involved a “time out” signal that could be used by any didn’t sail well. I don’t want that again!” team member to initiate an outside review Barry’s Reflection: “You think I’m not going if they believed Barry was too invested and to let go of any control. You think this team is taking to much control in a voting situadoing important work. You’ve worked with tion. Barry asked Tom to be the person to make those presentations to an outside other founders like me and it didn’t go well.” consultant. Each person involved gets their own chance to vent. Summary and Follow-Up Relational resilience is critical to team and O-Own business success. Your team needs to be When you hear someone vent, it’s helpful willing to get messy and they need tools to acknowledge the grains of truth that fit for cleaning up. for you.

For example: “I agree that I can be a control VOMP is a simple set of steps to apply in freak when it comes to my ‘baby,’ and, yes, I any conflict situation. think of this company like that.” Tom shared with us that using VOMP early on with Barry was one of the hardM-Moccasins It’s important to walk in the other person’s est and most rewarding times in his career. On two occasions over a seven-year period, shoes. the company could have been destroyed if When I take time to walk in others’ shoes, it hadn’t been for that early VOMP conI’m not necessarily agreeing, but I am will- versation. ing to consider that if I were putting the pieces together the way they do, then I Don’t let your great idea fail or let your team down due to being brittle. When could understand their reaction. problems come up, give VOMP a try, and Let’s use Barry as an example. remember that relational resilience imBarry: “Tom, when I asked you to take this job, proves the bottom-line! Susan Clarke is a coach and consultant at thrive! inc. She works with business teams that are stuck in unhealthy conflict, and helps them get real, get clear, get aligned, and produce great business results. She also helps women in leadership confidently find their voice, create relationships that work, and do what matters most. Contact her at susan@thriveinc.com.

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Estate Planning

for Baby Boomers By Kelly Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, Attorney at Law

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Baby Boomers,â&#x20AC;? it is a term that we all use and understand to represent the largest, and perhaps the most widely discussed and speculated about generation in America. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that there are over 78 million Baby Boomers living in America today. That is about 26% of our total population. It is also a demographic that is aging rapidly, with one individual from this generation turning 65 every 10 seconds. In addition to its sheer size, the Baby Boomer Generation also has unique concerns regarding aging, and especially estate and incapacity planning. Many Baby Boomers are concerned about paying for their own retirement, while still bearing financial responsibility for their children, and possibly also caring for their aging parents. Moreover, many are also worried about how they will pay for their own health care and long-term care needs as they age. Whatever the main concern, it is important for all Baby Boomers to consider their unique family situation in estate and incapacity planning.

The life expectancy of a Baby Boomer is significantly increased as compared to earlier generations. In fact more Baby Boomers are likely to experience a period of long-term incapacity than any other generation. The increased life expectancy and chances of incapacity, along with the increased costs for long-term care, create additional considerations for this generation in planning for incapacity and long-term care.

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Incapacity Planning

Appoint a Financial & Health Care Power of Attorney Perhaps the best step a Baby Boomer can take to plan for incapacity is to appoint another individual that can make health care or financial decisions during incapacity. This is done by executing a Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Decisions and a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions. By executing a Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Decisions you appoint another individual to make financial decisions on your behalf, and deal with financial matters such as paying bills or banking, in the event of an incapacity or disability. A Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Decisions appoints another individual to make medical and personal care decisions on your behalf, including decisions regarding medical consents and life support decisions, in the event you are unable to make, or communicate these decisions yourself.

Through the execution of these two power of attorney documents, it may be possible to avoid a guardianship or conservatorship proceeding through the court system. Not only does a power of attorney appointment allow more control in designating who makes these important decisions on your behalf, it allows these decisions to be made in a private setting without the need to report to a court. If you are a Baby Boomer with concerns about incapacity, executing powers of attorney can provide significant peace of mind for incapacity planning. Long-Term Care Planning One of the most common concerns I hear from my Baby Boomer clients is that they will need long-term medical care that will require them to have to utilize all of their assets, leaving them with nothing left to pass on to their spouse or children. First, I always advise my clients to create an estate plan that fits their current needs and to try not to speculate too much about what could or could not

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Estate Planning

I always advise my clients to create an estate plan that fits their current needs and to try not to speculate too much about what could or could not happen in the future. Sometimes individuals are so concerned about a potential medical issue that it distracts them from their overall estate planning goals. happen in the future. Sometimes individuals are so concerned about a potential medical issue that it distracts them from their overall estate planning goals. Regardless, long-term care is a concern. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has estimated that almost 70% of the U.S. population turning age 65 will need long-term care at some point in their lives. With this in mind there are some options to consider when planning for long-term care, including long-term care insurance and the utilization of certain trusts for long-term care planning. Long-term Care Insurance Long-term care insurance is a separate type of insurance to cover the cost of long-term health and personal care services, such as home care providers or care facilities. These policies can provide significant benefits assisting with the cost of long-term care, but they do have limitations. Perhaps the most significant issue is the cost and eligibility for long-term care insurance. The cost of a long-term care policy is based on how old you are when you buy the policy. Often you may not consider long-term care insurance until a point in your life when the rates are too high to afford. Moreover, if you already have existing health issues, you may not qualify for long-term care insurance. If you are a Baby Boomer with concerns about long-term care, speak with your insurance advisor to determine your eligibility and rates to determine if long-term care insurance is a good option for you. Trusts for Long-term Care Planning While a basic revocable living trust will not protect your assets in the event of a long-term medical issue, irrevocable trusts may be utilized to protect assets in the event of a long-term medical care need. The individual creating this type of irrevocable trust will place assets into the trust. Once the assets are placed in the trust the assets will be exempt from consideration as personal assets for purposes of receiving certain medical benefits. The trust creator can receive income from the assets placed in trust, but may not remove the principal. This preserves assets for future generations while still providing a regular stream of income. While this type of trust can be a helpful tool in long-term care planning, it is critical to understand that these types of trusts are irrevocable and cannot be amended or terminated. Once the assets are transferred to the irrevocable trust the trust creator no longer retains control of those

assets. Moreover, for an irrevocable trust to be effective for long-term care planning it must be created long before there is a health issue. With that in mind, the use of an irrevocable trust for long-term care planning require thorough consideration of how the trust will impact the individual trust creator and how the trust will impact that individual’s ability access funds in the future. Create or Review Your Overall Estate Plan If you are a Baby Boomer without an estate plan in place now is the time to finally create an estate plan. Keep in mind that estate planning is not only about how your assets are distributed, it also means appointing the individuals responsible for carrying out your wishes for your family and health care decisions. By taking the time to execute a will or trust and power of attorney appointments, you take control of what happens to your assets and personal care, upon your death or incapacity. Many Baby Boomers already have an estate plan in place. However, most Baby Boomers have lived long enough to have experienced several major life changes, such as divorce, the death of a spouse, or a move to a new state. Those with estate plans already in place should look at their existing estate plan to determine if it still reflects their current life situation. An estate plan will only be effective in carrying out your personal planning goals if they reflect your life as it is today. Discuss with Your Family & Professional Advisors If you are a Baby Boomer considering how to balance your estate planning concerns with your family’s unique needs take some time to visit with your professional advisors and family members to discuss your plans. It is important to consider your family situation, assets, long-term care needs and personal preferences in creating an estate plan. By taking some time to discuss these issues you can create a plan that fits the unique concerns of you and your family, and provides you with peace of mind for the future. DisclaimerThis article is intended for educational and information purposes only, it is not intended to act as legal or tax advice.

If you have additional questions regarding estate planning or incapacity planning contact Kelly O’Brien, Measure, Sampsel, Sullivan & O’Brien, P.C. at (406) 752-6373/ www.measurelaw.com

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design}

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design}

Secrets to a Great Website By Lisa Slagle

It might seem like that paragraph is about meeting someone special, but really, those five sentences are the five secrets to a great website. Just like meeting people for the first

WheelieCreative

A design & creative agency

time, your website needs to be approachable, relatable, and a great communicator of ideas.

Hey Good Lookin’

Yep, you guessed it— your website needs to be attractive to your customer. The second someone sees your website, they should enjoy looking at it— this can be accomplished with colors, composition, modern design, and a clean layout.

I know what you’re all about.

This might seem obvious, but when your customers visit your website, they should immediately be able to understand what your company does. They should quickly be able to identify what kind of company you are, what products you sell, or what kind of information they will find on your site.

You’re original and interesting, and I love spending time with you.

Having great content is crucial to keeping visitors on your page, spending time on your website, and feeling engaged with and interested in your website. You want your customers to spend time on your site, click around, and really explore your company and its offerings. This builds customer loyalty and knowledge about your products.

You look friendly all the time, and you’re so easy to understand.

Your website needs to be user-friendly on every kind of device out there. From smart phones to 27” screens, your site should be easy to navigate no matter what. You want to create a positive experience for your customers, whether they are viewing your site from office with a giant desktop or sitting on the ski bus, navigating with their iPhone.

I’m so glad I found you.

Lastly, you can have the best website in the world, but it does you no good if people can’t find it. Your website needs to be easy to find online, which means it needs great Search Engine Optimization and needs to appear in web searches. This way your customers will find you and enjoy everything you just built. You love talking nerdy, don’t you? Thinking about a new website for your business? Set up a free consultation appointment with Wheelie Creative, at www.wheeliecreative.com 406-862-1440 or stop by the office at 144 E. 2nd Street, #302 Whitefish, MT 59937.

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144 2nd Street E. #302 Whitefish, MT 59937 (406)862-1440

health}

Ask the Skin Coach

Are You Exfoliating Too Much?

By Erin Blair, Licensed Esthetician + Certified Health Coach

I’m wondering how much is too much when it comes to scrubbing my skin. I’ve heard conflicting advice. Can it be over-done? What’s the correct way to go about this?

You’re right to think your skin can be exfoliated too much! Of course, as with most things skin related, each individual’s needs are unique. But there are some guidelines to keep in mind. It helps to think of the purpose your skin serves. It’s a protective covering, and is designed to function as such. The outermost layer of cells may be dead (there is some new thinking to suggest it may not be dead after all) but it serves to protect you from the elements, including the sun, temperature extremes, and irritants. This can be thought of as your ‘barrier function’, and you want to keep it healthy. But some people shed more skin cells than others. This is part of the problem with acne: too many skin cells being sloughed off, and becoming stuck in the pores. It can be the case with rough, thick build up, too. Each needs to be treated differently, depending on skin type and condition.

Many people should NOT scrub

For example, if you have skin with inflammation…whether it’s due to acne lesions, rosacea, or general diffused redness, then scrubbing off the dead skin is not recommended. That would only aggravate your inflammation. This is also true if you have visible broken blood vessels. Don’t scrub! Not with a scrub product, washcloth, spinning brush, loofah, or any other method of ‘manual exfoliation’ you can think of. Microdermabrasion should not be performed on you, either!

Skin color is a major factor

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If you have olive or darker skin, follow the advice above, whether you have inflammation or not. People with medium to dark skin color are at a much

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Ask the Skin Coach

higher risk of hyperpigmenting (developing dark spots) from scrubbing and microdermabrasion. These dark spots or patches may not show up right away. The body produces more pigment in response to the perceived ‘wounding’ from exfoliation, and the dark patches will become evident later on. This is very difficult, if not impossible, to correct. So if this describes you, it pays to avoid manual exfoliation altogether. If you have lighter skin tone and are free from inflammation, then light to moderate scrubbing is generally OK. By this I mean either a scrub product or spinning brush, applied without any pressure, could be fine two or three times per week. If you notice that your skin is sensitive to products applied afterwards, you experience stinging or burning (from water too), you continue to look pink, or you’re overly sensitive to the sun, then you’ll want to cut back or stop entirely.

Skin ‘peeling’ is good for most

Another option for exfoliation, that’s generally more appropriate for all skin types, is a gentle alpha-hydroxy acid skin peel applied topically. Lactic acid is the least irritating of all the acids, and easily tolerated by most. My favorite is a cocktail of lactic and mandelic acids, because it combines exfoliation, hydration, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties all in one product.

Erin Blair, LE CHC owns Skin Therapy Studio, where she embraces a creative method of treatments, products and coaching to get skin clear... and keep it that way. It's a 'whole person' approach to difficult skin concerns. Visit SkinTherapyStudio.com for more info, and to submit questions for Ask the Skin Coach.

Non-manual (also referred to as ‘chemical’) skin peeling is the only responsible choice for those with inflamed, reddened, or darker skin tones. Used properly and with strong sun protection from a mineral zinc/titanium dioxide sunblock, this is my favorite form of skin renewal.

When peeling goes bad…

If you overdo it, you risk sun damage because without a good barrier, your skin is more susceptible to UV rays. Mineral sunblock of at least 40 SPF, reapplied every hour, is required. Wear a big shade hat or avoid the sun altogether if possible.

You’ll also be more likely to experience stinging, burning, and itching due to an impaired barrier which needs time to heal. A heavy moisturizing cream free of fragrance and dyes will help things recover faster. Aquaphor, available in drug stores, is an alternative. You’ll lose moisture through an impaired barrier, so drinking more water, running a humidifier, and lowering the heat are all good ideas. Don’t pick at any peeling or flaking skin. Don’t try to scrub it off, just moisturize and baby it. Remember, ‘all things in moderation’ applies to skin care too! Wait until your skin is completely healed before attempting to exfoliate again…and when you do? Less is more.

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Choosing the Right Birth Control By Kasey Patton, NP Kalispell OB/GYN

Q: How do I choose the birth control method that is right for me?

Excellent question! There are so many options available to choose from today that picking which method is best for you may seem a bit overwhelming. Let me help by breaking down the options based on how often each method requires your attention.

Daily

Oral Contraceptive Pills (OCP’s) or “The Pill”

Combined Oral Contraceptive Pills (COCP)

COCP’s contain a dosage of both progestin and estrogen to prevent ovulation and thus prevent pregnancy. The hormones also work by thickening the cervical mucus and making it difficult for semen to get past the cervix and into the uterus. COCP’s generally have three weeks of an active pill and one week of placebo or “sugar” pills. Some COCP have three months of active pills and one week of placebo pills which allows the user to have a period every three months. COCP’s come in many different formulations and dosages which mean that a woman can usually find a pill that works well with her body. The most common side effects of COCP’s are slight nausea or headache in the first few weeks, mood changes, irregular bleeding for the first few months, and weight gain. If you are over 35 and smoke, have a history of cardiovas-

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cular disease or high blood pressure, this medication may not be available to you. Effectiveness is anywhere from 93-99% depending on actual usage. Progestin Only Pills (POP).

POP’s contain a single dose of progestin for each day of the pill package with no placebo days. A woman may experience a light period during her normal, expected time, or she may have no period at all. The most common side effect with POP’s is irregular bleeding or “spotting”. A woman with pre-existing depression may also find that POP’s may worsen this so it is important to discuss any concerns with your provider prior to starting this method. Effectiveness is anywhere from 93-99% depending on actual usage. This method is safe to use when breastfeeding.

Weekly

Ortho Evra Patch.

This patch has the same type of ingredients as the COCP’s, but instead of daily usage, you apply a patch that is changed once per week to the skin on your hip for three weeks. The fourth week a patch is not used which allows the user to have a period at a predictable time during that week. There is only one available dosage with this product and its effectiveness is anywhere from 93-99% depending

on actual usage. There has been some evidence that the patch may not be as effective in women weighing more than 198 pounds and so an alternative method may be needed in these cases.

Monthly

Nuva Ring

The Nuva Ring is a small plastic ring-shaped device that is inserted into the vagina once per month. It is removed after three weeks and thrown away. The woman does not use anything for one week and it is during this week that she should have a predictable period. The device works the same way as the COCP and patch, using progestin and estrogen to prevent ovulation and increase cervical mucus. The Nuva Ring is able to use a lower dose of estrogen than either the patch or most COCP’s and so estrogen-based side effects such as nausea, breast tenderness and headache are reduced. Effectiveness is anywhere from 93-99% depending on actual usage.

Every 3 months

Depo Provera Injection

Depo Provera is a single dosage of progestin given every 3 months through a shot in the muscle. It boasts 97-99% effectiveness with minimal effort

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on the part of the woman using it. Some women experience irregular bleeding in the first 3 months, but the majority of women will go on to have an overall decrease or complete absence of periods. This is considered healthy and is no cause for concern. A drawback of using Depo Provera is a loss in bone density that is noted in women who use this product for more than two years although this loss is reversible once the medication is stopped. It may also take a user of Depo Provera up to 18 months to return to fertility after the last injection given so this choice may not be the best for those seeking a very short-term form of birth control. This method is considered safe for breastfeeding mothers.

Every 3 years

Nexplanon Implant

The Nexplanon is a single rod the size of a matchstick that is inserted into a woman’s upper arm. The device releases progestin over a three year period preventing ovulation and pregnancy. There is minimal risk with usage of this device and the pregnancy prevention rate is above 99%. The most common side effect was irregular bleeding that can last the life of the device. Return to fertility is within one to two weeks after removal of device.

Skyla

The Skyla is an intrauterine device (IUD) that was approved for women who have never been pregnant. It contains a very small dosage of progestin that helps to make periods lighter as well as providing excellent birth control that is more than 99% effective. The device is inserted in the doctor’s office and most women experience some cramping after the procedure that is similar to menstrual cramps. Irregular bleeding is seen in the first few months with Skyla usage but it often regulates or disappears over time. Return to fertility is immediate upon removal of the device and it is safe to use in breastfeeding mothers.

Every 5 years Mirena IUD

The Mirena IUD (MIUD) is a device that is similar to the Skyla. The MIUD is slightly larger and recommended for women who have already been pregnant. MIUD has over 99% effectiveness and can be used by most women who need birth control. The most common side effect is irregular spotting, especially in the first few months after insertion. The device only needs to be replaced every 5 years and offers the same immediate return to fertility, decrease in flow of period and safety during breastfeeding that the Skyla offers.

Every 10 years Paragard IUD

The Paragard IUD (PIUD) contains no hormones and works by interfering with sperm and egg motility which is thought to be a result of the copper that is wrapped around the outside of the device, as well as the presence of the device itself inside the uterus. It is also over 99% effective and can also be used as a form of emergency contraception if inserted within three to five days of unprotected sex. The PIUD does not change a women’s menstrual cycle, but she may notice an increase in flow and cramping during the first few months after insertion. This effect may or may not continue for the duration that the device is in place. The PIUD is replaced every 10 years and offers an immediate return to fertility after removal, as well as safety during breastfeeding.

There are a lot of choices out there, right? Please be sure to speak with your provider about all of your medical conditions and family history so that she can help you choose the very best birth control for your unique situation.

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nerves

Chiropractic Myth Crackers By Dr. C. Claude Basler, DC Carlson Chiropractic Office

101

To avoid some of the hearsay about what chiropractic is and what it is not I will configure some of the common myths. In this article we will talk about cooking frogs, nerves, optimal potential, and what chiropractic has to do with all of this.

“ I only go to the chiropractor when I have neck or back pain.”

A: About 90% of people go through life not realizing that nerve dysfunction is present. Physical pain is the last symptom to present itself. Other signs and symptoms that impart prior to physical pain are those things that we have learned to “live with” for example, things such as constipation, headaches, and lethargy. In contrast, those are signals that your nerves are not communicating the messages to the rest of your body effectively (nerve dysfunction specifically, a vertebral subluxation complex or in short, “subluxated”).

Think about it this way, most of us have never cooked a frog or ever even thought about it until reading this. Myth has it, that when you cook a frog in a huge pot of water, you should turn the heat up nice and slow. If the water is too hot when you put the frog in, it will just jump out. Let’s relate cooking frogs to how your body responds to nerve

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dysfunction and the sensation of pain (if you can bear with the thought for just a moment!). Just like the frog gets comfy in the water, we go about our day-to-day life. Just as the water gets hotter, our lives are “turned up” with increased traumas, toxins, and emotions. The frog, he shuts down (maybe screams!). Our body, slowly ceases to function at optimum. This presents as things we have just learned to ‘live with’ (say, irregular menses, thyroid dysfunction, and bloating to name a few). The longer you sit the more you think it is “normal” for you to function that way. When the pot of water is finally turned all the way up you notice that pain! When you should have jumped out a long time ago!

Since I have introduced you to the word, “nerve”. Now to further your thinking, simply put: You live your life through your nervous system. Hear me out, every human experience you have whether it is good or bad has to be processed via your nerve system. Your nerves control and process all external and internal communication. As

a chiropractor I access, check and if necessary, adjust your nerve system by removing interference (vertebrae off nerve). At Carlson Chiropractic Office, we want you to live your life to the fullest. This is accomplished through a clear and healthy functioning nerve system.

To crack the myth: Don’t wait for the pain. It could be five years of “putting up” with lethargy before you begin to “Feel” the sensation of pain. Use those signs and symptoms just like a “burnt out light bulb or a watch battery” to prompt you to have your nerves checked by a chiropractor. The other 10% are those who walk outside and are struck by an airplane, impaled by a great white buffalo, jump off a roof; some sort of acute accident or injury that was so significant, the body bypassed the signs and symptoms that are typical prior to pain and directly amplified the sensation of pain (Please note: I wish none of those things to ever bring you into my office!). Remember, pain is and only is a sensation that you feel. Nerves have nine primary functions, only

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nerves

Don’t wait for the pain. It could be five years of “putting up” with lethargy before you begin to “Feel” the sensation of pain. Use those signs and symptoms just like a “burnt out light bulb or a watch battery” to prompt you to have your nerves checked by a chiropractor.

one being sensory. Again, don’t wait for the pain.

Now, that I have cracked the first of many myths please allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. C. Claude Basler, a chiropractor. Health Care is what we offer at my office, Carlson Chiropractic. Health Care in the form of allowing your own body to heal with specific based chiropractic adjustments, not in the form of a pill. Reduced drug use, an increase in the quality of life, and elevated mood are a few of the signs and symptoms we allow your body to express with specific chiropractic care. My philosophy and technique, the Gonstead method takes the guesswork out of the equation because well, to see is to know, not to see is to guess. And we don’t guess about your health. Therefore, X-rays are utilized, neurological scanning is utilized, to make sure the care you receive is different from everyone else. Why? Because, everyone’s spine is different. Always remember, have your nerves checked. Please write me your questions so that I may crack the myths in future episodes, dr.basler@kalispellchiropractic.com

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teeth

Getting Your Money’s Worth by Dr. John F. Miller DDS

I have a couple quirks I want to share with you. The first one is that I get huge satisfaction from items in my possession that I feel have given me their money’s worth. So much pride and satisfaction actually, that I fight the urge to photograph and catalog these items along with a small history as my own non-interesting coffee table book.

to play you would think I’m scrubbing in for surgery. Others guitars I have are probably face down in one of my children’s bedrooms acting as a makeshift tea party table.

it’s food most of the time. These folks likely know someone (mom and/or dad) who has transitioned to dentures and know the functional frustrations and adaptations that are necessary.

It’s not so much that these guitars are any more or less expensive, it’s that one is shiny and new and the other has given me well beyond it’s money’s worth. I also have a terrible time with new shoes. Now, let’s try and relate this to the field of dentistry.

Someone who values Comfort has probably experienced, or is presently experiencing dental discomfort and wants to do what is necessary to avoid it from persisting or recurring.

A few items come to mind right away: 1) Four of my Thirteen guitars, especially my very first one which I refer to as Excalibur. And yes, the others are still paying off their debts and some don’t look to be working out. 2) My 1994 chrome GT Mach One BMX bike that I rode up until Dental School and that my children still ride to this day. 3) My 2003 Kia Sorento. “It takes a strong man to drive a Kia, but it takes a stronger man to laugh at that man,” my laughing friend informs me. I’ll sell it someday and upgrade, but I won’t care what I get for it because it has served its term. I’m driving in the black if you know what I mean.

Upon meeting a patient for the first time I initially ask them the following question: In order to better serve your dental needs, which of the following is most important to you?

The other quirk that I have is fear of using new and shiny items. The fear is that I will scratch or deface these items in some way. I have two guitars (...is he still talking about guitars? ...we get it.) that when I go

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● Function ● Comfort ● Cosmetic ● Longevity I don’t let them off easy either. I realize that it is a mix of all four, but I want to know the one they value most. There is no wrong answer. The patient that places the highest value on Function just wants to be able to bite efficiently, and hopefully

Cosmetically driven patients will prioritize treatment options based on the aesthetic outcome. They will fix the more visible teeth with more urgency than nonvisible yet very functional teeth. Fortunately, almost all dental procedures improve the look of our teeth. Tooth colored fillings and crowns often replace dark cavities or old silver fillings, and teeth cleanings remove plaque and stain while preventing inflamed and puffy gums. Lastly, those interested in the Longevity of their teeth are concerned with whatever will strengthen their overall oral condition. These are the folks that have lost a tooth or two in the past and are resolute in preventing the loss of any more precious teeth. Now, regardless of what you value most, the treatment needed is always the same. Cavities are cavities, plaque

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teeth

Now, regardless of what you value most, the treatment needed is always the same. Cavities are cavities, plaque is plaque, and pain is pain. They have to be dealt with. In knowing what you value most, my staff and me can present treatment in a way that harmonizes with your values. is plaque, and pain is pain. They have to be dealt with. In knowing what you value most, my staff and me can present treatment in a way that harmonizes with your values. Let’s take regular teeth cleanings for example, because everyone reading right now needs one within the next six months or sooner:

Mister Function: Gum inflammation caused by plaque will

Madam Comfort: Gum inflammation caused by plaque will eventually become Gum Disease if left untreated. Gum Disease is characterized by the irreversible loss of the jawbone that supports your teeth. Advanced Gum Disease can often include painful swellings known as periodontal abscesses. This is why it is so valuable to have your hygienist clean your teeth and gums on a regular basis. Miss Cosmetic: Gum inflammation caused by plaque will

eventually become Gum Disease if left untreated. Gum Disease is characterized by the irreversible loss of the jawbone that supports your teeth in addition to the recession of your gum tissue attached to this bone. Healthy, firm, and pink gums are just as important to great smile as nice white teeth. This is why it is so valuable to have your hygienist clean your teeth and gums on a regular basis.

Sir Longevity: Gum inflammation caused by plaque will

eventually become Gum Disease if left untreated. Gum Disease is characterized by the irreversible loss of the jawbone that supports your teeth. Advanced Gum Disease is characterized by the loosening and eventual loss of teeth. This is why it is so valuable to have your hygienist clean your teeth and gums on a regular basis. (Yeah, Yeah. Function and Longevity are the same.) These four values are used in every decision we make. Can you imagine if the above cast of imaginary characters had to work together to accomplish some reality television home decorating challenge? Comfort wants beanbags, Longevity wants Oak and Iron, and Function and Cosmetic are constantly at each other’s throats. Fortunately for our overall oral health the pillars of oral hygiene will satisfy all four values. So Brush and Floss for Function’s sake, for the sake of Cosmetics, for Comfort’s sake, and for the sake of Longevity. Doggone it! If you gathered from the intro I’m a Function guy with a pinch of Longevity for good measure. I take pleasure when something fulfills the measure of its creation and realizes it’s full potential, and this typically takes a “long” time. I feel responsible for all of “my” Montana Smiles and hope to brighten through education and motivation. So I thank you once again for making it to the end of another Dental rant. Until next time...

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The many facets of

Public Health

By Flathead City-County Health Department Every April, for one week, the Flathead City-County Health Department gets an opportunity to reflect on everything public health related, but does anyone else really understand what public health means?? A general definition (public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play) doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really paint the full picture. While a doctor treats people who are sick, those of us working in public health try to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place. We also promote wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors.

From conducting scientific research to educating about health, people in the field of public health work to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy. That can mean vaccinating children and adults to prevent the spread of disease. Or it can include educating people about the risks of alcohol and tobacco. Public health sets safety standards to protect workers and develops school nutrition programs to ensure kids have access to healthy food.Â Public health works to track disease outbreaks, prevent injuries and shed light on why some of us are more likely to suffer from poor health than others. The many facets of public health include speaking out for laws that promote smoke-free indoor air and

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seatbelts, spreading the word about ways to stay healthy and giving science-based solutions to problems. Maybe an alternate definition for public health is that is saves money, improves our quality of life, helps children thrive and reduces human suffering. Public Health is... First responders Restaurant inspectors Health educators Scientists and researchers Nutritionists Community planners Social workers Epidemiologists Public health physicians Public health nurses Occupational health and safety professionals Public policymakers Sanitarians

One last note about public health: It exists to serve the entire community.

If you have questions, or want to know more about services provided at the Flathead CityCounty Health Department, visit our new website at flatheadhealth.org, follow us on Facebook, or give us a call at 751-8100.

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Step into the New You! By CrisMarie Campbell

Avoid the Snapback to Your Comfort Zone

Last week, I was sitting in Reecia’s Salon in Whitefish getting my hair colored when Angie, a cosmetologist teaching makeup to another gal asked me, “Hey, can we use you as a make-up model?” With my head a mess of goo and nothing to do for the next forty-minutes, I said, “Sure!” Plus, that night I’d be acting in the play Radium Girls, as Marie Curie, at O'Shaughnessy Center. Makeup help was welcome.

Comfort Zone

port and dive back into the privacy of our known We each have a comfort zone we hang out in. world. Picture me swiping off orange-red lipstick in Our comfort zone may be our appearance, such as hair, the privacy of my car. makeup, weight, or style. We all know that gal who still sports a mullet and wears shoulder pads and mom Mary and Diane jeans, unable to let go of who she was back in the 80s. This kind of snapback happened to Mary and Diane, clients of mine. They each took a risk, made a change, Our comfort zone may be the type of relationship we then snapped back, winding up frustrated and disapkeep winding up in. We also all know that gal who pointed in themselves. keeps picking bad boys then being surprised when they treats her poorly and run off with younger women. Mary’s promotion put her in her first leadership role at her computer software company. She knew how to (Hopefully, this isn’t you.) program computers, but felt completely inadequate Our comfort zone may be around career or money. We leading a team. Because we tend to feel better doing struggle financially, finally get that raise, but within what we know, she stopped calling team meetings and a matter of months, after a new car and some new spent most of her time alone in her office programclothes, we have the same amount of debt we can’t ming. She felt embarrassed but didn’t know what else to do. seem to pay off.

With my back to the mirror, Angie and her student smoothed my complexion with foundation and defined my cheekbones and eyebrows. Red-orange lipstick was their final touch. They “Ooohed!” over their My theory is that if we gave the woman with the mulwork, but when I swiveled around I was shocked. let a complete makeover, she’d soon be putting back OMG! What I saw looked horrible to me. All I said on shoulder-padded jackets and growing out her hair. was, “Are you sure?”

Diane left the guy she loved because he wasn’t treating her well. It was a healthy decision, but after a week or two she started texting him “Just to say hi,” taking his calls, and meeting him for dinner, even though he was already involved with another woman. Diane always Snapback: Jumping Too Far Too Fast I continued to get compliments from clients and styl- In my work with people who make career and life felt high when he texted back or when she saw him at ists during the rest of my time at the salon (I was too changes, I often see that when a jump is too big or fast, dinner, until he started talking about his new woman, chicken to take off the makeup while I was still there). there’s a boomerang response and people snap back which left Diane feeling crushed. I kept thinking, “Really? What are they seeing? This into their old comfort zone. Often, when we do something healthy or step toward does not fit my image of what looks good on me!” If we’re lucky, those around us provide feedback and what we say we want, we can’t hold onto it and we snap In my car, I wiped off the orange-red gloss, reapplied support as we continue moving forward, but when a back to what we know best: mom jeans, our favorite change is too big or fast, we’re likely to discount sup- lipstick, that bad boy, or our favorite task in our job. my old standby, and thought, Whew, that feels better!

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Growing into the New You

What helps sustainable changes stick is breaking the process into baby steps and getting feedback from a trusted source. While fantasizing about radical changes and being happier, identify a path that gets you there more slowly and a support system that helps you grow into the new you. That day at Reecia’s Salon, I accepted my newly defined eyebrows and cheekbones because I’ve spent the last six years in theater with cast mates who put makeup on dramatically and gave me lessons. Before my involvement in theater, it took me until my mid-thirties to regularly wear foundation, blush, and lipstick. These past six years have given me the time and support I needed to grow into wearing makeup that accentuates my features.

How to Step into the New You

These keys can help you grow sustainably into the new you:

2. 3.

Narrow down the problem by answering these questions: What do you know? What don’t you know? What fits? What doesn’t fit? Get feedback. Figure out who can give you straight, supportive feedback. Take baby steps. Map out smaller steps that will make you feel successful.

For Mary, the shift came from breaking down her new role into what she knew and didn’t know. She knew programing but didn’t know leadership or people management. We worked on her beliefs about what that meant to her, and she investigated leadership training. We also set up a schedule where she could safely return to her comfort zone of programming during her day. The training and new schedule helped Mary make a gradual shift to leadership. For Diane, the shift came from realizing contact with her ex wasn’t working. She set a boundary of no contact, but still had a strong desire to reach out to her ex and realized she couldn’t handle it alone. Like an alcoholic in AA who calls her sponsor when she wants to drink, Diane lined up three friends who she’d text, call, or meet with instead of reaching out to her ex. It took time, but Diane finally began to believe she could survive without him and deserved to be treated better. For me, the shift meant keeping the dramatic brows and cheekbones and even wearing a lipstick, but of a different color. Maybe next time I’m at the salon I’ll try new color and, if I don’t like it, I’ll risk speaking up to ask for a less-radical color change before I head out the door. Thanks, Angie! CrisMarie Campbell is a coach and consultant at thrive! inc. She works with business teams that are stuck in unhealthy conflict, and helps them get real, get clear, get aligned, and produce great business results. She also helps women in leadership confidently find their voice, create relationships that work, and do what matters most. Contact her at crismarie@thriveinc.com.

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M o n ta na

Wild Wings Recovery Center

Written by Kari Gabriel, (with help from John Brecht, Lakota Spiritual Helper)

In writing for this issue, I thought it would be appropriate to ask for help from John Brecht, Lakota Spiritual Helper. John was present when we recently released an ornery young female Bald Eagle (BE 15-02) that had been hit by a semi truck, and was kind enough to help me with the accuracy in telling the story of the importance of Byron Crow, MWWRC volunteer watching the release of a Bald Eagle BE 15-02 was hit by a semi truck in February near Marion, MT, right near mile marker 99 on US Highway 2, while feeding on a deer carcass. We refer to our raptor admits by species (BE = Bald Eagle), the year (15 = 2015), and a number (02 = the 2nd Bald Eagle admitted in 2015). George Brennan, from Kalispell, was driving from Libby to Kalispell with a friend, and was following the truck that hit the eagle. George pulled over when he saw the injured bird get thrown over the top of the truck and land on the road, and was shocked to find it was even still alive. He “herded” the large raptor off to the side of the road into the ditch, and called for help. The eagle was obviously hurt and had a concussion, as it was quite docile, and a healthy female eagle is anything but docile! When George was able to reach us, and described what happened, we knew time was of the essence and asked if he thought he could pick her up and transport her to Kalispell. He wrapped her in a blanket and held onto her feet, while his friend drove to Kalispell. We asked him to go directly to Central Valley Animal Hospital, where Dr. Dennis Dugger was able to assess her and take x-rays. The second miracle came when Dr. Dugger read the x-rays, and couldn’t find a single broken bone! This fortunate young eagle was released just a few days later, after recovering from her bruises and concussion. When releasing rehabilitated birds of prey, there is no bigger honor than actually being the one to release the bird. We thought that due to George’s bravery and kindness in rescuing this eagle, as well as the significance of the eagle to George and his people, that it was very appropriate to have him release her. George and his two children, Virgil Lee and Meadow Spring, as well as his friend and Lakota Spiritual Helper, John Brecht, were all on hand for the release. John and George smoked a Sacred Pipe, burned braided sweet grass, and had us hold the eagle over

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the Eagle to the Lakota people.

the Sacred Bundle, as we prepared to release her. With the eagle hooded and restrained in a wing wrap, we handed the eagle to George and instructed him how to properly hold her and throw her into the wind to begin her flight back to freedom. Once free, she did not look back…. She flew beautifully into an open meadow area and kept going until she disappeared. A perfect release….. In talking with George about what had happened to this eagle, I learned he was an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, from SD. Growing up in SD myself and being somewhat familiar with Lakota culture and traditions, I did know that the eagle is sacred to the Sioux people. George told me just how significant the eagle is in his culture, and John was able to expand on it even further. The story of the Lakota and the Eagle follows, as told to me by John Brecht, Lakota Spiritual Helper. I was deeply honored that George and John allowed us to witness their beautiful and sacred ceremony prior to releasing the eagle. The Sacred Bundle used in the ceremony contains sacred items from carriers of the past, and some of the pieces are over 200 years old. It was humbling and moving to be a part of this process. To the Lakota "Sioux" the Eagle is one of the seven most sacred beings (four are winged). Without the eagle or the rest of the seven sacred beings, there would be no ceremony or ritual which is the foundation of Lakota spirituality. Each plays a significant role in our connection with creation, therefore without them, there would be no Lakota Nation. The Lakota people have come to follow a variety of spiritual

ways of life over the years, due to reservation influence. In prereservation days, the people lived with one basic understanding of creation. This changed with the reservation period. With the introduction of religion, came many changes in spiritual belief, yet with some Lakota, pre-reservation spirituality survived. There are groups among the Lakota people today, who continue to believe and practice the traditional Lakota spiritual way of prereservation and early reservation days. Wakan Kin "Creation" often represented in symbol as the "Sioux Star" depicts the sixteen components or "Spirits" of the creation story. Each of the sixteen components of the creation story has additional sacred beings associated with them. All sixteen components combined with the associated spirits give us our understanding of creation. Associated spirits are many and consist of beings that have once known life on earth as well as spirits that have not. The Eagle is one of the associates that have known life on earth, where as the Thunder Beings, have not. It is not uncommon for a spirit that has known life on earth and one that has not, to work together or join together to help the Lakota people. Lakota understanding of creation explains to us, that all elements of creation have life. As all in existence comes from creation, we are all directly related. Lakota people that live by pre-reservation spiritual beliefs live as indicated through the creation story. Many years ago, a spirit took human form and appeared to the Lakota people. Over time the human form of this spirit became known as the White Buffalo Calf Woman. She stayed with the people for a period of time reminding the people of our connection to creation and the importance of staying connected to the spirit world. She brought with her instructions as to how we are to live

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mwwrc

as Lakota people and brought seven ceremonies that are tied together through the use of the Sacred Pipe of the People. The ceremonies remind us how to live as Lakota people and strengthen our connection to Wakan Kin. To understand the concept of relationship between the traditional Lakota people, Wakan Kin, animals and all other beings of creation, a basic understanding of traditional Lakota spirituality is helpful. The Eagle is a winged being, as it is a part of creation, and all things of creation have the same origin, so we are related. Very similar to the concept held by Christians of Adam and Eve, the Lakota understanding of this form of relationship is not limited to human life. A flower, a tree, or an animal all maintain life that we understand without much difficulty. It can be more difficult to grasp the concept of living things without a limited life span. With all living things two spirits are present, the spirit which gives the being life and a spirit that helps the being. For example, Lakota people believe that a human is often referred to as a soul or life force that separates from the body and becomes what some call a ghost, upon death. The second spirit, in which many Christians term or call Guardian Angels, is a protector or helper of the being during their life span. There is no difference in this understanding of any part of creation, as all are considered living and have two spirits. Wakan Kin oversees all ceremony and ritual with the assistance of the spirits of the associated beings. The Eagle was chosen by the Thunder Beings to help the Lakota people, and was given the responsibility to communicate with Wakan Kin on behalf of the Lakota people. The Eagles’ spirit would carry the words of the Lakota people upon its wings. When the Lakota people smoke the Sacred Pipe, the Eagle carries the words of the people to Wakan Kin. The Sacred Pipe connects mankind directly to Wakan Kin with the help of the Eagles’ spirit. Without the Sacred Pipe or the Eagles’ spirit, the connection between the Lakota and Wakan Kin is lost. Seeing a living eagle fly reminds us that Wakan Kin is still there for us when we need help or answers. Sacred Bundles are a collection of pieces that are kept together for use in ceremony. There are many different types

of Sacred Bundles. A bundle associated with a specific pipe or group contains items unique to the particular group and their rituals or ceremonies. These pieces are shown by one of the components of Wakan Kin, as necessary for the conducting of the individual ceremony or ritual. Some bundles never change and some over time, through generations, have sacred pieces added as they are shown by Wakan Kin. There is much protocol pertaining to a Sacred Bundle and nothing is added without verification of the holy men through ceremony. A bundle that expands over time may have originally come with the instructions that as each carrier of that Sacred Bundle passes over, something that was given by the spirits to help the deceased bundle carrier is added to the bundle. There are bundles that go back one-thousand years or more that started as a small bundle with a few sacred pieces and over time have grown and now consist of hundreds of pieces. Other Sacred Bundles may be only a couple of hundred years old and only have a dozen pieces in them. Each piece in a Sacred Bundle is directly connected with the spirit of that individual piece. To explain this, a buffalo hide used to wrap a Sacred Bundle still possesses some of the essence of the buffalo from which the hide was obtained. When taken in a sacred manner, the spirit of that buffalo remains in all parts of all things that came from that buffalo. So wrapping a Sacred Bundle in a buffalo hide adds the spirit of that buffalo to the Sacred Bundle. All bundles are connected to a Sacred Pipe; therefore all bundles require the help of the spirit of an eagle for them to work. The Sacred Pipe is the foundation of the spirituality of the Lakota people that continue to follow the traditional way of life. As is the same as the Sacred Bundle, without the eagle, the Sacred Pipes will not function. When originally brought to the Lakota people by the White Buffalo Calf Woman, she explained that without the Sacred Pipe, we lose our

connection with Wakan Kin. The Sacred Pipe is necessary for the survival and health of the Lakota people now and in the future. Our gratitude to the Eagle for its dedication to helping the Lakota people is reflected through our respect and honoring of the Sacred Eagle. The eagle is seen as one of our closest non mankind relations.

Above photo of Kari Gabriel, MWWRC, and George Brennan during Sacred Bundle Ceremony to prepare Bald Eagle for release. Photo by Sue Haugan

M W W R C V o l u n t e e r P r o f i l e : Na n c y R i va nity Medical Services, in Kalispell. She is also a certified health coach, and spent several years working as a pediatric nurse in Nebraska, before moving here.

Nancy Riva & Louie the Long Earred Owl. Photo by Sue Haugan Nancy Riva left the plains of Nebraska for the Flathead Valley in 2006, with her husband Keith Kratzer. Keith was raised in the Swan Valley, and both are nature lovers. They avidly hike, snowshoe, cross country ski & mountaineer whenever they can. She especially enjoys being a part of the Glacier Mountaineering Society, and getting up on top of the big peaks in Glacier National Park! Nancy is a registered nurse with a pediatric background, and currently works as an RN at Commu-

Nancy and Keith live in Columbia Falls with their 5 small dogs, and dream of living in the country with more animals and a big garden! Nancy has always had a great love for all animals, trying to save every creature that she could as a child. She would like to have a place where children could come and spend time with animals, so they could also know how much joy animals bring into our lives. She seems to gravitate towards trying to help all living beings who are unable to help themselves or are at the mercy of others. Spending time each summer in Northern Minnesota with her family is one of the highlights of her life, since they all live so far away from each other now. She shares a family lake home there with her parents, siblings, children and grand-

child. They still gather there each summer to swim, kayak, and watch and listen to the geese and loons on the water. “This is my first experience in learning about and helping take care of wild birds. I have grown to have great respect for these highly intelligent and magnificent raptors, and I really feel fortunate to be a volunteer at MWWRC . It is an honor to help care for them. I have learned so much about these beautiful birds and enjoy the time I get to work with them. Teaching others about the importance and value of these raptors is very important and fulfilling, and I learn more each time I get to present. Having had no background in working with wild birds, I really have appreciated all the experienced volunteers, and Beth Watne, who have taken time to teach me how to care for and handle birds properly. If we create an awareness of how important these raptors are in nature, it is my hope that we will understand that their habitat and way of life needs our attention and protection.”

For more information on MWWRC, contact Kari Gabriel at 406-249-7800 or montanabirdlady@outlook.com. You may also visit their page on Facebook, or on the web at www.wildwingsrecovery.org

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www.McGoughandCo.com

131 Central Avenue Whitefish, MT 59937 406-862-9199

M c G o u g h & C o ... W h e r e M o n ta na G e t s E n g ag e d

406 contents featured

14. A Miracle in the NICU at KRMC Cade McDermott

...68

fitness

50. Start at the Bottom

family 54. The New SAT

406

love

...32

60. Carlos Cascante y su Tumbao 64. John Zoltek Jazz Guitarist

32. Sarah & Carson

66. Off Key Notes

38. Wandee & Brian

Cover Songs

68. My Summer Blessing

food & flavor

A Short Story

16. Bestow & Tablescaping 42. Recipe for Success Anitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seafood Gumbo 44. In the Pantry Ramps 46. Salty Oat Cookie 48. Blind Wine Tasting

Design 22. Floral Crown Workshop 26. Trends Hunter & Company

Music~Arts

58...

publisher

Cindy Gerrity

cindy@montanasky.net

Cover Girls

business manager Daley McDaniel

daley@montanasky.net

executive editor

Kristen Hamilton

montanakristen@hotmail.com

director & design Sara Joy Pinnell

sara@mrsandmrpublishing.com

Nia Breslin

photographers

Nia moved here from Minnesota with her family in 2001. She attended MSU Bozeman to pursue a degree in surgical technology and medical assisting. She now resides in Lakeside with her two beautiful daughters. Nia spends her time with her family enjoying everything the Flathead area has to offer and supporting the community she is proud to call home. photo by: Amanda Wilson Photography ( www . a ma n d awi l s o n p h o t o s . c o m ) clothing supplied by Sappari. hair by Autumn Santa with Soucie Soucie Salon & Spa. makeup by Kiersta Ellingson with MontanaMakeup.

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Amanda Wilson Photography Hope Kauffman Photography Daley McDaniel Photography Carrie Ann Photography Brenda Ahearn Photography Taylor Brooke Photography Lucy Williams Camp-n-Cottage Ben Garcia, BenEGFoto.com Khorus Eye Imaging David Clumpner

Published by Skirts Publishing six times a year 704 C East 13th St. #138 Â Whitefish, MT 59937 info@406woman.com CopyrightÂŠ2015 Skirts Publishing

View current and past issues of 406 Woman at w w w . 4 0 6 W o m a n . c o m

Halladay Quist

Halladay is a Montana musician following her dream of creating and playing music for a living. Read her inspirational story in our business and health section. photo by:

Brenda Ahearn Photography ( www . b r e n d aah e a r n . c o m )

Want to know about great events, open houses, and more? Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/406 Woman 406 Woman is distributed in Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Missoula, Whitefish and every point in between. Check out www.406woman.com for our full distribution list. Have a great story idea or know someone that we should feature? Email us with your comments & suggestions. Interested in increasing your business and partnering with 406 Woman? Check out www.406woman.com.

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Checking In

Wow! Where does the time go! With graduation season upon us, it’s hard not to look back and reflect on how quickly time really does fly. Whether you are graduating, your child or a friend’s child, graduation is a really special (and sometimes overwhelming) time of reflections on the past, present and future. We found some great advice from some of the best commencement speeches in the Business Insider that we thought were worth sharing as the next chapter unfolds. “Live your life like it’s your second chance.” Salman Khan “…do the stuff that only you can do.” Neil Gaiman “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on.” Sheryl Sandberg “The way you perceive and react to the world is a choice.” David Foster Wallace “Everything you are comes from your choices.” Jeff Bezos “Don’t just send out resumes and wait for things to happen.” Robert Krulwich “Don’t settle.” Steve Jobs “The world is more malleable than you think.” Bono “Failure is not fun. It can be awful. But living so cautiously that you never fail is worse.” JK Rowling “You don’t get many chances to pay back what’s been done for you. Take them.” Woody Hayes “The biggest difficulties in life come from not being present, from ignoring what life and others are trying to tell you.” Oprah Winfrey “Your greatest fears are created by your imagination. Don’t give in to them.” Winston Churchill Regardless of what the next step is, we wish you success in your personal and professional endeavors.

Enjoy spring!

{

What did we learn after reading this issue?

{

Columbia Falls (and the entire Flathead Valley) is in for a treat with O’Brien & Melanie Byrd’s new Columbia Falls Community Market. Opening on May 21st, read Mary Wallace’s story on page 14 in our Business & Health section.

Cathy Gaiser Hay, the Executive Director with Bigfork Aces, found her calling for helping kids early on with a foreign mission to Haiti in 1980. Read her story by Kay Burt on page 26 in our Business & Health section. John Zoltek, Musical Director and Conductor with Glacier Symphony and Chorale, is an accomplished and talented jazz guitarist. Read his story and information on an upcoming concert with some of the areas best musicians on page 64.

contributors

406 Erin Blair

Our Talented

Contributor’s Corner

What is your favorite thing about

Licensed esthetician and owner of Skin Therapy Studio

Delia Buckmaster

Certified in pilates and an active health coach, owner of Exhale Pilates Studio

spring in the Flathead?

Leslie Budewitz

Lawyer and national best selling writer of 'The Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries'

Brianne Burrowes

Cris Marie Campbell

Master certified Martha Beck coach and consultant, co-owner of Thrive! Inc.

Kristan Clark

Owner of Bestow Heart & Home; Extraordinary Event Decorator

Susan B Clarke

Faculty at The Haven Institute for 20 years and co-owner of Thrive! Inc.

Brian D’Ambrosio

Accomplished writer and newly published author of “Reservation Champ’

Nancy Dewar

Freelance marketing, public relations & events specialist

Kay B ur t

Founder of I Want Her Job and Senior Consumer Marketing Manager at NASCAR track Phoenix International Raceway

I think my favorite thing about spring is that the bluebirds come back (as well as all the other birdies). I literally brake for bluebirds!

Jen Euell

Program Director for the Women’s Foundation of Montana

Kari Gabriel

Exec Dir or Flathead CARE plus wildlife rehabilitator and educator Music aficionado, former English teacher, and all around good guy

Kalispell OB/GYN Doctors & Practitioners

Board certified OB/GYN professional offering expert advice

Junkermier, Clark, Campanella, Stevens, P.C. Certified Public Accountants and Business Advisors

Nancy Kimball

Marketing communications specialist at Kalispell Regional Healthcare, and career journalist

Marti Kurth

Public relations and marketing expert for organizations in the arts and music

Kristen Ledyard

Executive Chef and Owner of John’s Angels Catering

Mar y Wal l ace

Bob Hamilton

Her favorite thing about spring in the Flathead are those sunny days when the sky is so blue against the snow capped mountains.

Jessica Manly

Montana FoodCorps leader connecting kids to real food to grow up healthy

John Miller, DDS

Specializing in general dentistry, Dr Miller provides expert advice

Naomi Morrison

Kelly O’Brien, Esq.

Business law specialist with Measure Law Office, P.C.

Kristen Pulsifer

Writer, editor and owner of Whitefish Study Center

Karen Sanderson

Wine expert and owner of Brix Bottleshop in Kalispell

Lisa Slagle

Designer, writer, and owner of Wheelie Creative, design agency

Miriam Singer

Talented writer and songstress, promoting music as Singer & Simpson Productions

Lucy Smith

Executive Director of the Flathead Community Foundation, believes that everyday philanthropy is changing the world

Gwen Sutherland

Owner of Marketing Bits, writing and design business

Mary Wallace

Mother of three and grandmother to two, is still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up.

For full bios for our contributors, please visit www.406woman.com.

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Kr i stan C l ar k

Professional journalist, freelance writer and committed to the community

Spring in the Flathead carries so much promise. I love the hub-bub of activity that is filled with anticipation. Rivers swell, filling lakes for summer fun. Won’t be long before we’re watching the hilarious antics of fawns, once carefully hidden in the brush. Gosling will soon be paddling madly to keep up with their parents. Cherry blossoms will fill fruit stands with a juicy summer treat. Oh, there’s a long list of spring's faithfulness and doesn’t it just make you smile?

featured}

Cade’s Story

miracle

When only a will do

By Nancy Kimball Photos by Alisia Dawn

Cade McDermott’s toys are arrayed on the couch and living room floor, but right now he’s absorbed in a favorite video. When it’s over, he runs out to the front room for Mom’s permission to hit the snack shelf. This afternoon, he’ll run for the hugs when big sister Sophie gets home from kindergarten. Like most 3-year-olds, Cade can steal your heart with one shy smile. Everything about him is energetic, happy, normal. But unlike most 3-year-olds, the circumstances that brought Cade to his third birthday at all are astounding. “All these doctors kept coming into my room the next day telling me it was a miracle that he lived,” Ashley McDermott recalls of the terrifying hours that began on March 22, 2012, the day her son was born. “Too many things could have gone wrong, they said – but they didn’t.”

It’s the miracles, combined with the faith in God she and her husband Carl embrace, that assure her both Cade and his big sister are destined for greatness. That sense of destiny is hard to shake when you hear the McDermotts’ story.

ASHLEY AWOKE feeling sick that day. She attributed it

to a flu bug from Sophie, but then the contractions started. Because Ashley’s prior kidney transplant had prompted Sophie’s birth six weeks prematurely, she hadn’t expected to go full-term with her son. But this was only 28 weeks into her pregnancy. Ashley’s mom happened to be visiting from out of town to help the family move to their new home in Whitefish that weekend. Carl, a certified public accountant, was in Shelby on business, so her mother drove Ashley to North Valley Hospital and called Carl with a message to return immediately. In the emergency room, Ashley’s fear percolated to the surface as things went from bad to worse.

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“I knew something was not right, because all the doctors got quiet,” Ashley says. Saying the baby needed to be born that day, obstetrician Randall Beach, MD, told her a helicopter oman.com

would fly her to Missoula for the birth. Then, within minutes after he ruled out that option, Ashley experienced whitehot pain as her uterus ripped open and sent her baby free-floating into her upper abdomen.

She later learned Cade had formed in the smaller lobe of her heart-shaped, or bicornate, uterus, an abnormality seen in only 0.1 to 0.5 percent of women in the United States. Sophie had formed in the larger half, where she had room to grow nearer to full term. Cade simply had run out of space.

Now, not only was Ashley bleeding to death but, detached from what had been his life support the past six months, Cade’s survival was very much in doubt. “I was terrified. You want the best for your baby,” she says, still feeling the tsunami of pain and fear that had washed over her three years earlier. “But you don’t hear a lot of good about babies born three months early.”

AT KALISPELL REGIONAL Medical Center (KRMC), Mindy Fuzesy, RN-C, took the direct call in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). A mother and baby in Whitefish needed ambulance transport – now.

“North Valley made a good call,” the NICU specialist says. “For Dr. Beach to call us even before they went to the OR – the timing was absolutely critical.”

Mindy ran to neonatologist Marshall Dressel’s desk and within moments they were pulling away from the hospital in Dr. Dressel’s pickup. They knew the statistics all too well: a baby born at 28 weeks, floating outside his mother’s ruptured uterus with no blood supply has close to a zero percent chance of living. If Cade had any hope at all, it was in the hands of Dr. Dressel, Mindy and the supplies they carried.

featured}

Cade’s Story

ow, not only was

Ashley bleeding to death

but, detached from what had been his life support the past six months, Cade’s survival was very much in doubt.

“We walked into the operating room to hear Dr. “I just worked to establish me as his mom,” AshBeach say the baby is in the abdomen,” Mindy ley said. “I was afraid he’d attach to the nurses. I had to learn side-lying feeding and watch his recalls. oxygen, help him learn to breathe and feed at “Dr. Beach gets the baby, turns around to hand the same time.” Kalispell Regional’s NICU nurses him to Dr. Dressel, I have the intubation supplies worked closely with her on these intricacies as out and the surfactant drawn up,” ready for the both mother and son progressed. doctor to inject in the baby’s lungs and provide the slipperiness his alveoli lacked but needed in Ashley and Carl developed a pattern of being order to draw in oxygen. “While he was doing there for the 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. feedings, cradling that, I was getting the sterile line into the umbili- him as they could, and then leaving for nights at cal cord and starting the IV fluids necessary for home with Sophie. They were comforted to be survival. All of this was completed before he was leaving Cade in loving hands. 13 minutes old,” she says. Over time, the 2-pound, 15-ounce, 14-inch newborn would be fitted with an infant-sized CPAP SPEEDING FROM SHELBY to Whitefish, that pushed oxygen into his lungs. Lacking the Carl arrived 20 minutes before Cade was born body fat to keep him warm, Cade would spend via Caesarean section. He was able to touch his the next weeks in a warming bed. He would son and get a condition report before Cade was spend a week in Seattle ensuring that his bowel loaded into the ambulance, but then he stayed by was not twisted. Kalispell ophthalmologist Aaron his wife’s side through her own life-saving sur- Alme, MD, saved Cade’s vision by repeatedly regery. When she was out of surgery and stable, moving ridges on Cade’s retinas caused by blood Carl began the back-and-forth drives between vessels forming too fast as they fed off the oxygen the two hospitals over the next three days, taking needed to sustain his brain and heart. Speech papictures of Cade and sharing them with Ashley as thologists worked to help him suck, swallow and a way to connect her with their baby. breathe at the same time. Physical therapists guided his motor skills. Dietitians monitored his Upon discharge, Ashley went by ambulance to head circumference and body length to develop KRMC for two more days of recovery and her first the right nutrition mix for proper growth. glimpse of Cade in the flesh. His eyes, tightly shut when Mom arrived, opened at her familiar voice “That level of skill is truly unheard of,” Mindy says, gently saying, “Hi, Cade.” It was the encourage- showing her pride in KRMC’s level 3 NICU and the ment Ashley needed. When she first held him at staff making it possible. “You can’t heal, you can’t one week, the bonding truly began. get well if you don’t have good nutrition.”

AFTER 75 DAYS in the NICU, Cade came home.

“It was pretty exciting to have him home and meet his sister,” Ashley says. For the first month, he continued on oxygen and monitors tracked him minute-by-minute in his crib near his parents’ bed. A year later, he moved upstairs to sleep in his own room next to Sophie’s.

Every six months for the first couple years, the NICU’s follow-up clinic tracked his fine motor and gross motor skills, and made sure he was meeting developmental milestones. Factoring in his three-month early start, he’s right on track – although pneumonia and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) have proven that his lungs remain his Achilles’ heel. Ashley admits she’s a bit sad the six-month visits are over. “I love those people,” she says, recalling how returning from just the one week in Seattle felt like “a great homecoming, to come back to our family of Kalispell NICU nurses.” In her 34-year obstetrics nursing career, Mindy has seen only one other baby survive a birth that occurred completely outside the uterus. That baby, too, was cared for at KRMC.

“I am proud to say we did a really good job with Cade, and we do even better now,” Mindy says. “Instead of each person thinking of their own little piece, they all come together as a multidisciplinary team. You’ve heard people say it takes a village. But in the NICU, it takes a team.”

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Bestow & Tablescaping Written by Kristan Clark of Bestow Heart and Home Photographed by Camp-n-Cottage

When the robins begin to herald spring in Montana, rain and snow may still be in the forecast, but spring is quietly gathering all around us. Our outdoor strolls become a treasure hunt as we thrill at the sight of green buds and crocus bravely poking their heads above the soil, bursting in happiness at the sunshine. Though the weather may be fickle, your home can reflect spring’s promise. The ladies of Bestow; Megan, Julie and Kris invite you to enjoy the sunny days of spring by gathering her treasures into your home and on to your table. While spring is the theme, layering is the technique and we’ve used it extensively on this issue’s tablescape. Let’s take a closer look at a table that’s as fresh as a spring day,

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food}tablescaping

Nature

herself is the finishing touch on

our centerpiece. We’ve used both purchased and found natural elements; branches, pussy willows, flowers, moss, bird nests and eggs are scattered

along the full length of the table so each guest has a view of spring’s eclectic splendor. fabric is the foundation of this table. Textiles

come in a wide range of textures and prints that can be used as inexpensive table clothes or table runners and are especially useful for oversized tables. We’ve used a length of linen yardage topped with a beautiful French translucent fabric runner. The subtle floral print of the runner compliments our theme and picks up the creamy stripe in the linen. Both fabrics are topped by the unexpected – vibrant green window shutters!

Collections always make a statement when displayed together and can also create a big impact on your table. Here we have a collection of vintage white pitchers of all shapes and sizes, marching along the shutters. The table could also be lined with pottery, mason jars, bud vases, garden statuary or other favorites. Items that may seem unremarkable on their own are elevated to center stage when grouped together.

A common color will keep your collection from becoming chaotic.

along the edges. A simple white dinner plate and a green salad plate, are commonplace, but framed by the charger their simplicity can truly Nature herself is the finishing touch on our be appreciated. centerpiece. We’ve used both purchased and found natural elements; branches, pussy wil- Napkins are another opportunity to add color lows, flowers, moss, bird nests and eggs are scat- or interest. We folded ours to create a pocket for tered along the full length of the table so each our silverware and placed them as the final layer guest has a view of spring’s eclectic splendor. to our place setting. Create the pocket by folding your napkin in half, fold one layer back on Chargers were used in the 1800’s and have itself and then tuck the sides underneath to crereturned in popularity. A charger is basically a ate the pocket and tuck your silverware inside. large platter to hold your place setting. While table etiquette dictates chargers should only ap- The finishing touch at each place setting pear until the main course, we believe in break- is a beautiful vintage image. We simply Googled ing the rules! Chargers frame a place setting so “vintage botanicals” and chose those that fit our nicely; let’s keep them on the table throughout scheme; eggs, butterflies, nests and vines. While the meal. Chargers can be purchased and range this makes each setting unique, it also gives widely in price, but you can use anything that guests a memento they can take with them as strikes your fancy. Our tablescape features a a remembrance of your time together and your pressed tin tray with a beautiful design running celebration of spring.

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food}tablescaping

Be Inspired

It often happens to children- and sometimes to gardeners- that they are given gifts of value of which they do not perceive until much later.

- Wayne Winterrowd As I contemplate my love of botanicals and the spring garden, I realize it’s the special women of my childhood that passed on this appreciation of nature and so much more.

Growing up in a dysfunctional home, these women brought strength and calm. It’s only recently that I truly realized what a deep impact they had on my life. Were they purposefully trying to sow into my life as we wandered along their garden paths or in the fields of central Montana? Perhaps. More likely they were simply bringing their true selves to the moments we shared; jumping along stepping stones strategically placed in their gardens filled with perennial flowers held captive by white picket soldiers. Secretly watching baby robins nestled in the grass, resting from the excitement of their first flight. Cupped in my tiny hands, nests made of bits of grass and fluff, once cradles for little chicks. Is there any color as pretty as robin egg blue? Lifting my freckled face to the warm sun, as blustery breezes sprinkled me with the confetti petals of trees in bloom. Oh that sweet fragrance! My love of nature, and especially springtime, is intermingled and tethered to time spent with these amazing women who, with sim-

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plicity, imparted wisdom, beauty and joy into my life. As the seasons of our lives have marched on, I am forever changed and forever grateful for these 406 Women who loved nature…and a little girl. I hope this issue’s Bestow and Tablescaping inspires you to bring the outside indoors and as you do, I urge you to include loved ones in the process. The time spent discovering nature’s treasures in the garden, woods and fields, or gathering tender blooms from flower stands will result in more than a pretty table. I promise you, you’ll be sowing seeds in the lives around you that will blossom into deep appreciation, as truly as spring blossoms each year.

Bestow Heart and Home 217 Main Street Kalispell, MT 406-890-2000 www.bestowheartandhome.com

Written by: CARA FINCH LARD, OWNER, MUM’S FLOWERS Photographed by: TYLER NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY

As spring rolls around the corner, there is nothing more refreshing or inspiring than spending an afternoon in a flower shop. We at Mum’s Flowers wanted to create that very same experience for our clients. After many requests from our loyal customers, we decided to launch monthly design workshops to be led by the creative team at Mum’s Flowers. We have had so much fun with our past workshops: designing wreaths for the holidays, and succulent terrariums in the spring, that we wanted to offer hands-on tutorials to allow our customers the opportunity to learn and create together.

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During a typical workshop, the designers at Mum’s Flowers lead a small group through the creative process of a specific design topic using flowers and other botanicals. All materials are provided as well as one on one and small group instruction and refreshments. This is such a fun outing to share a glass of wine with friends and spend the afternoon or evening exploring your creativity! Our first class, the Floral Crown Workshop, was a huge success. We hosted 2 classes; teaching participants the basics on how to engineer and design several different styles of flower crowns for various occasions. We were so impressed and inspired by our student’s creativity and color combinations. Make sure to check out the Spring Workshop schedule for a full list of classes, dates, and pricing (on the next page) and stay tuned for our Fall/Winter Series.

Incorporating a new trend that fits your style

oman.com

By Sara Kirshner, Hunter & Company

Trends w

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When we think about trends in interior design it can

be everything from accessories on your living room coffee table to a tile pattern for your master bathroom. It can be furniture pieces that work in any room or it can be a new paint color. Staying in the know will allow you to pick and choose which trend might be right for you at the time of making a small to large update at home. Incorporating a new trend here or there that fits your style and lifestyle will keep your home updated and unique to you. Here are some of the top trends that we at Hunter & Company love right now…

Have you heard of the color ‘Marsala’? Start looking for it and you’ll see it incorporated everywhere; magazine covers, spring runway, and LOTS of decorative fabrics. It is a warm color that is a neutral pop to just about any room. Past Color of the Year’s include Radiant Orchid and Emerald Green.

If your bookshelves haven’t been getting a lot of love lately, try adding some colorful sculptural items! Geode bookends are the most chic way to bring the outdoors in.

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In case you haven’t noticed, for the rest of the country ‘Montana’ and ‘rustic’ are trending right now. There are a lot of companies who are integrating Montana flare into their product lines. These resin antler pendants would look incredible in a bar or entertainment room! Come in and see them at Hunter and Company.

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Trends

Driftwood grey paint colors are a great way to go if you want to give your rustic home an update. Colors such as ‘Driftwood Grey’ and ‘Winter Gates’ by Benjamin Moore, feature taupe and brown base notes within their modern grey pallet that coordinate well with many shades and types of wood.

Look for fabric with simplistic large-scale florals on a neutral background. This is sure to be a timeless look in the bedroom or living room.

Fabric wall hangings are my personal favorite trend that is coming back in a big way. They create a sculptural element on a wall while being soft with a nice texture. Wall hangings are a sure way to add interest into a room or gallery wall. Check out Miakoda at Stumptown Marketplace, located in downtown Whitefish. Aside from her beautiful handcrafted jewelry and leather goods, Miakoda has wall hangings such as oversized dreamcatchers. She has extraordinary pieces and she can create something custom for your home.

Looking to update your bedding or window treatments? Look for fabric with simplistic large-scale florals on a neutral background. This is sure to be a timeless look in the bedroom or living room. We have various fabric options just like this stunning collection from Poetica. My favorite facet of interior design is fabric. When you find a fabric that you love it reflects something in your personality and it has the ability to transform your home.

Lastly, if you are ready for an update in your kitchen and bathrooms, plumbing fixture companies such as Kohler and Brizo are finding new and exciting finishes to choose from. This faucet is designed by fashion icon Jason Wu for Brizo that features a new matte black finish. Sara Kirshner is an Interior Designer and has been with Hunter & Company since fall of 2012. Visit Hunter & Company and the rest of the talented staff Monday through Saturday at 200 Wisconsin Avenue.

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love} stories

Sarah & Carson Photographed by David Clumpner

www.davidclumpner.com The location was set. I was going to be mar-

ried at Sky Ridge Ranch on a grassy hill next to a winding creek with the backdrop of the Mission mountains. During the rehearsal our close friends and family from out of state stood in awe as the sun went down and a pink alpine glow danced along the snow capped mountains. This was exactly why I had chosen this location. This was the view I had seen almost every day of my life, and it never got old. However, even with that amazing rehearsal stetting a fear continued to loom in my mind. Montana, in the middle of June, is absolutely unpredictable. It’s either a big blue sky with crystal clear views of the surrounding mountains, or rain. We had prayed for 5 months for no rain.

Two weeks leading up to the wedding every evening we said “if the night could be just like this we would have the best wedding.” When the day came I woke up to the sound of rain hitting my window. Clouds surrounded the area and the beautiful mountains that I grew up looking at were socked in with rain. My heart sank but I held on to hope of it clearing before the afternoon hours arrived.

As the bridesmaids and I immersed ourselves in the morning festivities we enjoyed coffee and treats during hair and makeup. Hours later as we stepped outside we reached for local newspapers to hold over our heads. It was now raining harder, and as I drove to the ranch my hope for any kind of a clear day was quickly dwindling. Everything I had envisioned was suddenly gone. No time to wallow in the reality before me, so I quickly moved to the next portion of the day.

Time for us ladies to put on the most planned out attire of our lives. The windows were covered and we began opening presents and throwing articles of clothing all around our small dressing room. Once the five girls were dressed we paused and locked hands to pray. As each friend spoke I felt an overwhelming peace come over me. By the time it was over the fear that I once had was melted away and the only thing left was pure joy.

This day was not about rain or clouds or even sun for that matter. It was about starting my life with the best man I had ever known. Carson had truly bought out a steadfast confidence and unconditional love, which I had never experienced before. He had built our relationship on a rock and I now realized rain was not going to wash it away.

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love} stories

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Everything

that we had

feared about the weather that day had happened and it was

absolutely perfect

Now it was time for the wedding dress. I had looked at that dress for several months, but never had it looked as it did that day. After the full lace back with its 40 buttons from top, and yes all the way to my bottom, were secured I saw a reflection in the mirror that I had only ever imagined. My mouth dropped, my mom cried, and my closest girlfriends screamed with excitement, and best of all there would be a picture to help me re-live that moment forever.

As the ladies helped me slip on my Montana influenced cowboy boots we headed out to the property to take pictures. Before we knew it our time was up and we hurried back inside as the groomsmen arrived. We peeked through our door as one-by-one the groomsmen hauled the white folding chairs into the barn. I had no idea what the ceremony lay out was going to be, but I sat back in my white wicker chair surrounded the women I loved and embraced the day. As the people arrived and the anticipation intensified, I continued to read my vows and imagine what Carson’s face was going to look like when he saw me for the first time. My father knocked on my dressing room door and told me it was time. He wrapped my arm around his and told me to walk slow and take in the moment. I could re-live that 45 second walk for the rest of my life and never wish it differently.

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As we made our way through the doorway the strung globe lights made an angelic hue atop all our friends and family, and right in the center was Carson. When I picture him standing there I begin to cry as I remember the sweet tears that streamed down his flush face, and the way his soft eyes said more than his words ever could. He was so excited to take my hand that he didn’t even give the minister a chance to say the line “who gives this women away.” The placed burst into laughter. After the ceremony we spent an hour taking pictures trying to make a face other than smiling from ear to ear. Everything that we had feared about the weather that day had happened and it was absolutely perfect.

The night continued as we ate our favorite huckleberry cheesecake desserts and drank our delicious local IPA. We danced all night until we drove away unable to talk about anything except how amazing the wedding was. It was comical that we had spent so much time worrying about the weather, because in the end the rain allowed us to have the most intimate, exciting, and truly unforgettable day.

I wanted to give a special thank you to our photographer David Clumpner. When I met David at a bridal fair I ultimately chose him because he had an amazing personality, and although he hadn’t photographed many weddings his prints were so unique and eye catching. He turned out to be more than I could have ever asked for. He is unbelievably talented and he’s just hitting the wedding scene. Anyone who gets him as a photographer will not be disappointed.

I feel so blessed to say there is not a vender that I would have changed at my wedding. The food was delicious and very reasonably priced. The Hog Boss was so great to work with, and he came out to the site in advance to make sure he set up where I wanted on the big day. Cakes in the Zoo made three different cakes along with mini cupcakes and huckleberry cheesecakes, and everyone is still talking about how good they were! Tracy, who is the owner of Sky Ridge Ranch, has truly created the picture perfect Montana scene. Her upscale barn is full of collectable antiques and mismatched china. She owns most things you would need to rent, which decreases the stress of bringing items in from other places. She was so helpful on the big day and without her I know the wedding wouldn’t have turned out as beautiful as it did. Bees Floral stayed so consistent with the rustic theme, and without much guidance they created beautiful centerpieces and bouquets that worked perfectly within my budget. Lastly a huge thank you to Sam Dasios, RJ Lavalley and RMF entertainment. Sam ran the entire wedding flawlessly and made whatever we were doing so much fun. The music was so spot on for our crowd and everyone from young to old was on the dance floor. RMF made the wedding unforgettable. They were worth every penny. Other contributors include: Great Northern Brewery, J Scott Couture Bridal, St. Charlo Rentals, and Mountain View Productions.

Thoughtfully, Sarah Cramer

love} stories

Wandee & Brian September 20, 2014

Photographed by Kameron and Emily Barge of Khorus Eye Imagery

Who are you?

What is love?

Wandee Milstead, born and raised in Ham- Wandee - Love to me is finding someone to navigate all the ups and downs of life, and knowing they will ilton, MT. I’m the owner of Lili Blue clothing always be there to love and support you. boutique in downtown Whitefish. Brian RufBrian - Caring so deeply for someone that you would fatto, father, husband, skier, fisherman, biker, stop at nothing to protect them. Caring to the point that their happiness is as much of a priority as your and railroad conductor/engineer. own.

wearing a long sundress that really took my breath away. I knew I had to give it a shot.

The Proposal?

Wedding details

How did you meet?

Fun fact

When I first met Brian my friend and I called him "grumpy coffee guy!” He never smiled and never remembered my order, which was the same thing every morning. Come to find out he was just being shy. Honeymoon plans

Brian and I met at Coffee Traders. He was working What do you love most about each other? We are planning a trip to Europe for our honeythere at the time, and I grabbed a tea every morning. Wandee - I appreciate Brian's kindness and gener- moon…Italy for sure and maybe France. osity. He is a thoughtful husband and a loving father. Brian proposed to me by tying ribbons on our 6-month-old baby girl, and one of the ribbons had a ring on it. I didn't see the ring at first and just thought it was kind of funny if that's what he did with her while I was gone! He then said she wanted to know if I would marry her daddy. He had the ring for a while and all of my friends knew it was coming. He also called to ask my father for my hand. I love that he did that.

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Brian - Wandee is very easy going. She’s an incred- We were fortunate to have a fabulous backyard ible mother and willing to put up with me. to use for our wedding. It was a lovely fall day, 74 degrees and sunny. One of my closest friends flew When did you know you were in love? in from San Francisco to marry us. Another of my Wandee - I knew we had something when our rela- friends came up from Hamilton where she owns tionship survived a period of long distance. Flower Happy Floral, and transformed our yard into a beautiful wedding venue. The ceremony Brian - It’s hard to think of a specific moment. But I was at 1:00pm and had a brunch followed by dancdo remember her walking into Coffee Traders ing until well into the night. It was perfect!

love}

When

I first met Brian my

friend and I called him "grumpy coffee guy!” He never smiled and never remembered my order, which was the same thing every morning. Come to find out he was just being shy.

About the

Magical Day Photographer: Kameron and Emily Barge of Khorus Eye Imagery Florist: Happy Floral, Hamilton Caterer: Great North West Catering Liquor, O’Brien's Liquor and Wine

Décor, Celebrate Party rentals

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food}

Anita Cole

Anita’s Seafood

Gumbo Cooking with

Anita Cole By Denise Lang Photos by Lucy Williams.

My clients never cease to surprise me with their cooking prowess! I met Anita and her husband, Stuart, a retired ophthalmologist, 12 years ago. We were all new to Bigfork with quite a bit in common. We had both owned homes in the Southeast United States and had a Colorado connection before we moved to Bigfork, a place we discovered through an exhaustive search looking for a little town on the water that had summer and winter recreation, a lively arts scene and a community feel. Anita was born in New York but her parents moved to New Orleans when she was four and that is where Cajun cooking got into her blood.

“I met Stuart when I was in college at LSU. Stuart was in med school at Tulane and a very receptive eater! From there we moved to New York where he did his residency. I think there were more people living in our apartment building on East 86th Street than live in all of Bigfork!” Anita reminisces. It’s a beautiful Bigfork day when I arrive at Anita’s home and she meets me at the door with her short, curly hair still wet from swimming, which she does daily. I call her my “energizer bunny” because from their Harbor Village home, she and Stuart take full advantage of all the recreation that the Flathead Valley offers. “Hiking is an important part of our Montana experience, both winter and summer. We snowshoe, cross country ski and I play tennis five days a week. We both golf at Eagle Bend, as well as fly fish and kayak. Stuart is an eye man which makes him a great amateur photographer and together, we enjoy capturing the beautiful Montana scenery from the mountains and rivers to the canola fields and rolls of hay,” Anita adds. But this article is about cooking, which as you know, I love to do with my friends and clients!

As we enter her spacious kitchen, my senses are met with delight. A freshly baked loaf of crusty

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bread is waiting on the counter and all the colorful ingredients for her seafood gumbo are ready and waiting for us to begin.

“It’s all in the roux,” she explains. “Roux is the backbone of gumbo. I make a dark roux with bacon fat and flour and cook it until it is a chocolate brown color with a nutty flavor. The scent of a good roux is wonderful.”

Methodically, Anita builds her gumbo, adding depth and richness as she goes, explaining to me, “For the ingredients, I often improvise and use what I have. It’s different every time I make it. Crawfish is difficult to get in Montana, so I substitute crab. During the summer months, I am able to use all fresh ingredients that I find at the many local farmer’s markets throughout the Flathead Valley.” From Anita, I learn that gumbo originally meant okra, a word brought from western Africa. Okra is used as the principal ingredient in gumbo recipes as a thickening agent. I also see that we are not just making gumbo. Anita has prepared an entire Mardi Gras spread that begins with Stuartstyle Ramos Gin Fizzes, one of New Orleans most famous cocktails, Anita’s Seafood Gumbo paired with a frosty glass of beer and followed by Bananas Foster, also from New Orleans. This is a woman who knows me too well!

As I am the master of mixing real estate with food, I ask Anita and Stuart how they found this perfect property at Harbor Village.

“Well,” Stuart begins, “we had a home in Snowmass, Colorado but we were looking for a more connected community, a place to recreate. I saw an ad for the Harbor Village development in a national newspaper. We looked at several lots and really liked this one for its views and proximity to the water but we still weren’t sure. The afternoon we were scheduled to leave Montana, we took a hike up to the microwave station at Jewel Basin. The view was spectacular and from there we could visualize our future Montana home. I called the Realtor and told her to meet us at the airport with a contract. We built our home, probably the first custom built home in the new Harbor Village development. Our kitchen window frames that Jewel Basin spot that brought us here. I am now fully retired and I blame Montana for it!”

We finish our meal and Stuart who is always appreciative of Anita’s cooking (and she is a master cook of all kinds of cuisine), looks at his wife, smiles and says, “That was a good one, Anita.” I completely agree!

For an authentic Mardi Gras menu, start with Ramos Gin Fizz – Stuart Style, then enjoy Anita’s Seafood Gumbo with freshly baked crusty bread. Pair the gumbo with a frosty glass of beer and finish the feast with Bananas Foster. Priceless!

food}

Anita Cole

Add file powder, stir and cook briefly and serve over a small mound of white rice with fresh crusty bread and butter. P.S. For some reason the gumbo tastes even better the next day as “leftovers” which I always enjoy more than the day before. To accompany the Gumbo, serve a frosty glass of Dixie Beer or Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Serves 6

d o o f a Se bo Gum

2 lbs peeled raw shrimp 2 cups small raw oysters

Ramos Gin Fiz z- Stuart’s Style 5 oz Gin

1 oz lime juice 1 oz lemon juice 3 oz simple syrup 2 oz heavy cream 2 egg whites 8 squirts orange flower water

1 cup cooked crabmeat or 2 crabs broken into segments w/ cracked claws

Blend/shake all of above ingredients without ice.

1 cup cut up okra

Pour over ice and top with club soda to taste.

1 large fresh tomato, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 2 tablespoons butter 1 cajun andouille sausage (3 ounces), sliced into thin circles 3 tablespoons of bacon drippings or shortening 2 tablespoons of flour for roux 1 tablespoon salt (may start with teaspoon and add more later if needed)

Bananas Foster

Serves 2 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced lengthwise and halved into quarters 1/8 teaspoon of vanilla powder or extract 1 tablespoon banana liqueur

1 six ounce can of tomato paste

2 tablespoons white rum

1 tablespoon of crushed garlic

Melt butter in a frying pan. Add brown sugar and blend well. Add banana slices and sauté a few minutes until soft and brown. Sprinkle with vanilla powder or add dash of vanilla extract. Pour banana liqueur and rum over bananas and ignite with gas flame by tilting pan to flame. Baste banana slices with flaming liquid.

1 tablespoon of Louisiana hot sauce 4 bay leaves 2 sprigs thyme, cut up 2 sprigs fresh parsley, cut up 2 quarts of water (fish stock or chicken broth) 2 teaspoons file gumbo powder Heat bacon fat and butter in a heavy skillet and slowly add flour stirring constantly until roux turns brown. To the roux add sausage slices and the tomato, onion, and okra and sauté for about 5 minutes. Then add the raw shrimp and sauté a few minutes until shrimp turn pink. Then add all the other ingredients (salt, tomato paste, garlic, Worcestshire sauce, hot sauce, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, water, oysters, and crabmeat or pieces of cracked crab) except for the file powder. Bring to a boil. Then reduce flame and cook for about 2 to 3 hours on low flame stirring frequently.

Pour mixture over scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Denise Lang Your Recipe for Success Photo by John Stalowy

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

Denise Lang, Broker National Parks Realty 8270 MT. Hwy 35 Suite 5 Bigfork, MT 59911 DeniseLang@nationalparksrealty.com. Cell 406-249-1758

Denise Lang is licensed in the State of Montana

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In the Pantry

It is Time to Run For Ramps By Kristen Ledyard Owner/Executive Chef of John’s Angels Catering LLC It is spring, so get your running shoes on. Literally, ramps are one of the most sought after ingredients, but they are not available for long. If you see them in a local store, be sure to stock up. What is a ramp you ask? They are also known as a wild leek with a taste that is a mixture of a wild onion and garlic. Ramps can be used in similar ways to leeks although they are much easier to clean. You can use every part of your ramps except the roots, which makes them very versatile. Be it raw, grilled, sautéed, pureed, baked, fried, ramps will become your favorite addition to your pantry. Typically, the mild ramp is grown only from South Carolina to Canada. If you cannot find them in your local grocery or specialty store, they are available seasonally from Earthly Delights. The benefit from ordering a larger quantity is how well they freeze. They are not cultivated the same way that leeks are, so you can simply rinse them off and begin cooking. Now that you know their secrets, let’s cook!

Fried Ramps with Potatoes and Eggs 4 cups young or mature ramps (mature have a stronger flavor) 3 tablespoons bacon drippings

3 med potatoes sliced with skin on or off 3 large eggs

In a sauté pan, add your bacon drippings (I prefer to set the bacon aside to add later). Add your sliced potatoes and cook until almost tender. Drop in the ramps chopped in one inch pieces, to include the tops. Cook until tender add crack the eggs on top. Season to taste. My favorite twist is to add the bacon and scramble the eggs for even more flavor. It is your choice and taste that is important. Trust me when I say, this simple recipe with bold flavor will blow your family’s breakfast over the top.

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Potato and Ramp Hearty Soup (can be made spicy)

4 pieces bacon

Grilled Ramps with Chef Kris’s Truffle Twist

4 cups diced ramps (younger preferably)

As many ramps as you need (make sure to clean and cut the roots off )

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Salt and Pepper

Heavy cream (will add later)

Grill pan or baking sheet

2 cups red potatoes with a small dice

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cups Chicken broth

Truffle salt (optional)

Salt and pepper

Simply use a light cooking spray for your grill pan or baking sheet, if using your backyard grill. Lay out and drizzle with evoo. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Grill until tender. My favorite is putting them directly on our smoker. Just roll them in a little olive oil first and be ready for the best side you have ever had. Sprinkle with truffle salt to bring out an earthly flavor. Although simple, it really is the best side dish with the best ingredients.

Chef Kris’s favorite additions: hot sauce and cream sherry Start with a soup pot and your bacon on medium heat. Remove the bacon and set aside. Add your potatoes until semi tender and then the ramps. Check for tenderness, add the flour, and stir adding your chicken stock. Stir until it becomes thick. Check seasoning, adding my favorite ingredient of hot sauce to taste. Remember the flavors with continue to grow. Add your heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of cream sherry at the end (cream sherry is optional or serve on the side for your guests to add to flavor). Top with diced bacon and serve. This takes about 40 minutes, but the reward is flavor heaven. Also, the next day is even better as the flavors truly combine. Enjoy! I think you are seeing how versatile the simple ramp truly is with most recipes. You can even add them to cornbread, biscuits, risotto, or simply grilled as a side. Speaking of which, this is my favorite application especially early in their season.

Not many people realize the health benefits of the ramp. They are a member of the garlic family and can help to reduce cholesterol. Plus they are high in iron and antioxidants. Ramps are actually higher in antioxidants than tomatoes or red bell peppers. So combined with a monster flavor addition to a dish, you are serving your body well. Who knew? We are going to have fun this year exploring new ingredients, vegetables, proteins, and cooking methods to enhance the great year you are already having. From starting at your pantry, to making dishes your friends have not experienced, get ready to cook. Summer is coming!

food}

Leslie Budewitz

the mystery of the

Salty Oat Cookie-

Solved! By Leslie Budewitz, Author/Lawyer

People sometimes ask me why I write mysteries focused on food. (Okay, obsessed with food.) Truth is, I love to eat. And it’s a lot of fun to recreate some of the food I’ve met in my travels at home. In May 2012, I attended the Malice Domestic Mystery Convention in Bethesda, Maryland for the first time. Sunday afternoon, I took the Metro down to the National Mall and met an old friend and her partner. After touring an exhibit at the National Gallery, we popped into a local restaurant called Teaism for a bite and catch-up time. I can’t tell you everything we ordered, but I can remember the fabulous moment of discovery: Salty Oat Cookies and Ginger Ice Cream. Thus began a kitchen journey of trial and error. The café does not share recipes. Numerous home bakers and a handful of professionals posted their attempts online, but none were entirely successful. And then, in the tradition of investigative journalism for which the paper is famous, a food reporter from the Washington Post followed the trail of the recipe to a restaurant consultant in Boston, who had once served a similar cookie in another restaurant, long-closed, and thus not sharing. The likely originator also does not share. So our reporter created her own version, and by golly, I think she’s got it. In Assault and Pepper, the first book in my new Seattle Spice Shop Mysteries, my main character, Pepper Reece, runs the Seattle Spice Shop in the city’s famed Pike Place Market. Every Tuesday, she gathers for Movie Night with her three best friends, who call themselves the Flick Chicks. “At Flick Chicks, no one minds watching a movie we’ve already seen. Plus, some nights, the movie is beside the point. We’d been inspired to start the group by the Senior Señoras, a group my mother belonged to before the move south. But we didn’t care about improving our Spanish, or improving ourselves at all. We just wanted to hang out with good friends, and talk and eat.”

warm September evening, after Pepper’s discovered a homeless man dead on the doorstep of her shop, and her trusted employee Tory Finch has been arrested and charged with murder, Laurel serves up a comforting combination, inspired by my afternoon with old friends in the Other Washington. I hope it inspires you, too, to take a foodinspired trip with me, Pepper, and the Flick Chicks.

sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon, and beat until well blended, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Reduce speed to medium and add the eggs and vanilla, mixing thoroughly. Add the flour and oats, mixing on low and scraping sides of bowl just until incorporated. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 1 hour; this allows the oats to absorb the eggs and vanilla and to soften, which is important for the texture of these cookies.

Salty Oat Cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

(adapted from a recipe by Leigh Lambert, in the Washington Post) ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 cup light brown sugar ½ cup granulated white sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1¾ cups all-purpose flour 2 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking) Sea salt, for sprinkling (small crystals are best)

One of the gang, Laurel Halloran, runs a In mixer bowl, beat the butter on medideli and catering company. And on this um-high until light and fluffy. Add the 110 406

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Roll the dough into large balls, about the size of a golf ball. Place about two inches apart on the baking sheet and flatten slightly. Sprinkle tops of balls generously with sea salt. Bake about 15 minutes, until cookies are puffed and beginning to turn golden. Cool on a wire rack.

maker. Crystallized ginger may be found packaged or in bulk at your natural grocer’s, with other dried fruits or in the herb and spice section. 2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1¾ cups milk 2 cups cream

½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup (roughly) fresh gingerroot, finely grated, plus any liquid left by grating ½ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped

Beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until thick and cream-colored. Add the milk, cream, vanilla, and fresh ginger, along with any liquid left by the grating. Mix well. If your grated ginger Makes 18 to 20 cookies about the size has any stringy fibers, pour the mixture of hockey pucks, with a chewy exterior through a strainer at this stage. Stir in the and a soft interior. They pair beautifully crystallized ginger. with ginger ice cream. If you plan to eat more than one, protect your stash from Freeze according to your ice cream makteenage boys. er’s directions. As with many homemade ice creams, it will be soft at first, but will harden if stored in an airtight container in the freezer. Keeps about 1 week. Ginger ice cream is fabulous by itself, or with Salty Oat Cookies. This recipe makes a quart, using a Donvier ice cream (Recipes excerpted from Assault and Pepper, maker. You may need to adjust amounts by Leslie Budewitz, published by Berkley and method for your own ice cream Prime Crime)

Ginger Ice Cream

food} Just a pinch of murder... After the year from you-know-what, Pepper Reece finds a new zest for life running a busy spice shop in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Her aromatic creations are a hit, and everyone loves her refreshing spice tea. Pepper is convinced she can handle any kind of salty customer—until a murderer ends up in the mix… ASSAULT AND PEPPER, first in the Seattle Spice Shop Mysteries (Berkley Prime Crime, March 2015) Leslie Budewitz writes the nationally-bestselling Food Lovers' Village Mysteries, set in fictional Jewel Bay, Montana, and the Seattle Spice Shop Mysteries, debuting in March 2015 with ASSAULT AND PEPPER (published by Berkley Prime Crime, a division of Penguin Random House). The only author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction, she lives in Bigfork, Montana with her husband, Don Beans, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their Burmese cat, Ruff, an avid birdwatcher. Visit her at www.LeslieBudewitz. com or on Facebook as LeslieBudewitzAuthor

Leslie Budewitz writes the nationally-bestselling Food Lovers' Village Mysteries, set in fictional Jewel Bay, Montana, and the Seattle Spice Shop Mysteries, debuting in March 2015 with ASSAULT AND PEPPER (published by Berkley Prime Crime, a division of Penguin Random House). The only author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction, she lives in Bigfork, Montana with her husband, Don Beans, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their Burmese cat, Ruff, an avid birdwatcher. Visit her at www.LeslieBudewitz. com or on Facebook as LeslieBudewitzAuthor

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wine

How to Taste Wine Like a

BOSS

Blind Wine Tasting By Karen Sanderson, Brix Bottleshop

What the heck is a “blind tast-

The wines were:

ing?!” You ask?

California Pinot Noir ($10)

Don’t worry, it

doesn’t mean that we put blindfolds over your eyes and make you guess the wine that you’re sipping. In a blind tastings, all the labels of the bottles are hidden by foil or brown bagged. Why do it? Professionals often taste wines blindly in order to sample them without prejudice. They also do this as part of their wine education. Even the pros like to constantly test themselves, and this is a perfect way to keep their palates well trained. When trainees of the Court of Master Sommeliers take their final exam, candidates must correctly identify at least four of six grape varieties to pass the test. Typically, fewer than 10% of the students pass on their first attempt. Last year, Brix hosted a blind “World of Pinot Noir” seminar to teach the many styles of the elegant varietal. We poured the 6 wines one by one, and didn’t reveal until the very end. The goal was to determine where the wines came from, and which were over and under $25.

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Oregon Pinot Noir ($62)

New Zealand Pinot Noir ($24)

So, how can you blind taste like a pro?

Learning by deduction is one of the best ways to understand wine. The process of elimination will knock out at least one of the wines you are trying to guess.

California Pinot Noir ($42)

Try these steps:

Oregon Pinot Noir ($34)

Wines that are lighter bodied are more likely to be pinot noir, barbera, zin, grenache, gamay, or a nebbiolo. Wines that are usually heavier are cabs, syrah, petit sirah, and blends. The viscosity is also a factor. When you swirl the wine in the glass you’ll notice the “legs” cascading down the sides of the glass. Higher alcohol wines have higher viscosity, and will most likely come from warmer climates.

Chilean Pinot Noir ($18)

Throughout the tasting, we all talked about the different styles of pinots from their regions. Tasters definitely had their favorites and had firm opinions which were over $20 and which were under. When we revealed at the very end, everyone was in total amazement. More than half of everyone’s guesses were wrong. Since the $62 pinot was young, had higher acidity and was much lighter, it was mistaken for being less expensive. The medium weight $18 Chilean was a hit, and everyone guessed that it was well over $25. One of the lessons learned was that weight does not correlate to price. Guess what? Some of the most expensive wines in the world are light bodied reds! One of my favorite blind tastings was held at IPNC, the International Pinot Noir Celebration, in Oregon. The seminar was a tasting of 6 Pinot Noirs from the same French winery, from 6 different vintages. Our goal was simply to determine the order of the vintages. But simple, it was not! It was an excellent exercise to help understand how pinots age. Some were obviously older, but some were much harder to distinguish. We learned that the wines differed greatly partially because of their ripeness variations from their growing season.

1. Visual

2. Nose/Aromas

Wines with a peppery aroma could easily be a cab or syrah. Does it have slightly green pepper notes? Definitely a cab. A little meaty? Probably syrah.

3. Taste

When you taste the wine, can you taste sweetness? Does it have high acidity or tannins? Is it simple or complex? Can you tell if it is a lower or higher quality? A wine that has just one flavor or aroma is called simple, while wines with many flavors and aromas are considered to be complex, and complexity is a sign of quality. The more wines you taste throughout the year, the savvier your palate will be to differentiate different varietals. You may think you don’t know the difference between syrah and cab right now, but if you tasted 20-50 of each this year, you’re taste buds will be all the wiser! Karen Sanderson is the proprietor of Brix Bottleshop at 101 E Center St #102 in Kalispell.(406) 393-2202, www.brixbottleshop.com

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wine

Great

Blind Tasting Themes Guess the Varietals Guess the Price Oregon Pinots Around the world in 1 varietal Rhone Style Blends Chardonnays $20-$30 1 varietal, 1 vintage, 1 region Bordeaux Style Blends California cabs over $30 WA/CA Showdown California Blends Washington Syrahs Wines of Tuscany Malbecs under $20

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health}

fitness

START AT THE BOTTOM By Delia Buckmaster Photos by Lindsey Jane Photography

When clients enter a Pilates or fitness studio for the first time they usually have a specific goal in mind. Most of the time they grab a hold of their abs with two hands exaggerating its size and show you how their glutes flab around by slapping the bottom of it, all while pleading with you in desperation to fix it. I get it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like these body parts have a mind of their own and want to use the lowest part of your hips as their final resting place. Before you can shape them you have to understand them. What exactly are your glutes? The gluteal muscles are the three muscles that make up the buttocks: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. The buttocks are comprised primarily of muscles, although many would argue that their rear ends are completely loaded with just fat. This becomes a main issue for many women since the body chooses

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to store fat in the area of the buttocks. Eventually, your body can store so much fat in that area it would appear to look like cottage cheese (cellulite). This type of fat can be very resistant to diet and exercise, but over a period of time, it is possible to reduce cellulite from the body. It is also very important to recognize that the body does not "spot reduce."

the body when you use it. To some, reformer equipment might resemble a torture apparatus, looking like a single bed frame but with a sliding carriage and adjustable springs to regulate tension and resistance. Cables, bars, straps and pulleys allow exercises to be done from a variety of positions, even standing. A great place to work your bottom.

The gluteus maximus is the largest of this muscle group and one of the strongest muscles in the human body. As much as we esthetically want to improve our backsides, weak glutes wreak havoc on your lower body alignment, and impede efficient sports technique. Just as the wheels of your car must align for optimal performance, so must your body. Plus, because your glutes are such a big muscle group, they're also one of your body's top calorie burners.

Here's the greatest thing about Pilates butt

There is probably no piece of Pilates equipment more famous than the Pilates reformer and for good reason. The reformer makes a dramatic impression when you first see one, and an even more dramatic change in

exercises: We almost never do anything that affects just one part of the body. Therefore, Pilates moves will work the backs of your legs, abdominal muscles, and back too! Understandably, most of us donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t own a Pilates reformer. The following are exercises similar to reformer exercises you can do at home. They will tone and tighten the muscles, but you will have to lose body fat all over, including your gluteal area, to achieve your butt-tightening, backside-toning goals.

fitness

Do 10-12 repetitions for each exercise.

Tips- Avoid extending through your lower back, keeping your spine in a neutral position. Lower the spine slowly one vertebrae at a time before starting next repetition.

Leg Lift

Bridge (floor) – Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet angled on the stability ball, approximately fist distance apart. Engage your abs first, then your glutes as you lift your back off the floor.

Bridge

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Leg Lift (box)– Kneeling on mat and resting elbows on low box. Align your hips over your knees and shoulders over your elbows. Extend the leg back with your knee at 90 degrees.

Skater (sliding disc)– Standing with one foot on disc, slide leg out to the side while keeping supporting leg bent and stable.

Skater

Tips – Avoid lifting your leg past the height of your hip. Keep your back in a table top position and imagine you are balancing a cup of water between your shoulder blades and lower back. Repeat on other side.

Tips – Keep your abs tucked in and your head lined up with your spine. Hands on the hips will help keep your hip stability in check. Repeat on other side.

Tips – Keep abs tucked in and avoid lifting from your lower back. You can add a more explosive movement as you learn to stabilize your forward knee. Repeat on other side.

Forward Step

Forward Step up with Leg Lift (BOSU) Place one foot on the center of the BOSU ball. Balance on that leg as you lift the back leg to extend at the hip. This exercise will work your bottom to balance on the standing leg, and extend on the gesture leg. 2 for 1!

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the new SAT family}

By Kristen Pulsifer

Editor’s Note: Although we spoke about the New SAT tests in the April/May 2014 issue, parents have asked us for a refresher on the subject! It’s coming. The new SAT Test. All of the SAT preparatory companies are gearing up and are busy putting together new SAT materials. Everything from books to online courses to SAT Apps – they’re all out there. So many companies are trying to help make the daunting test more manageable and comprehendible. Unfortunately, most high school students, across the nation, cringe when they hear those letters said aloud. To a high school student it means, ‘test – a very long test… vocabulary- very difficult vocabulary’. And, worst of all, half of a Saturday spent in a classroom somewhere taking that excruciatingly long test. The SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardized test that is required for a majority of college admissions across the United States. It is owned and Published by the College Board. The test is in fact long and challenging. The SAT takes 3 hours and 45 minutes, is timed by section, and includes a variety of different sections that test a student’s basic skills. These ‘skills’ should have been a part of a student’s schooling, from seventh grade through high school.

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The test currently is broken down into three partsCritical Reading, Writing and Math. The Critical Reading section is broken down into two sections. One is the Reading Comprehension section, which consists of several tedious reading passages that students are instructed to read and then answer several multiple choice questions. The questions range in type from main point questions to more specific questions about what particular lines in the passage are trying to say. The other part of the critical reading section is called Sentence Completions. In this section the student is asked to complete a sentence with one or two of the words listed as multiple-choice options below the sentence. This section proves challenging, I believe, because the vocabulary is quite rigorous and not commonly used in curriculums taught in most schools. Another section is the Writing Section. This section tests students on their grammar and composition skills. This part is broken down into a multiplechoice section that consists of three different ways to test a student’s understanding of basic grammar and composition organization skills. The other part of the Writing section is the essay. The Writing section is the newest section of the SAT, introduced to the SAT format in 2005. There has been a great deal of controversy over this section, because many colleges and students do not believe the essay to be a fair way to test a student’s true writing skills. A student is given twenty-five minutes to construct an essay on generic questions about every day values and/or concepts…. Honesty, technology, communication… The grading of the essay is based primarily

on a student’s ability to organize their thoughts and stay on task enough to insightfully respond to the given ‘prompt’ or question. Students truly struggle with this section; but, not because of a lack of skills or intelligence, but because of the pressure of time and space to express and write their response. The math section is fairly straight forward, and it has not changed significantly over the past twenty to thirty years. The Math section tests students on basic math skills covering Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry. While challenging, this section is a bit easier to prepare for before the test is taken. Each of the sections is worth 800 points. The total would then be 2400 points. If students are scoring in the mid to high 600’s and 700’s, per section, they are achieving scores required by many top colleges and universities in the country. The average score ranges from 515 to 550 points per section. Now that I have you all up to speed on the current SAT, I can tell you that the SAT format is changing! Yes, changing. By 2016, there will be a new SAT. By 2015, students will be able to view the new SAT format through their PSATs. The SAT format is changing because of consistent criticism. The frustration from parents, students and colleges, with the current SAT, is that it only tests a student’s ability to take the test and does not accurately represent a student’s true understanding of solid challenging curriculums presented and taught to them throughout their academic years. Because

family} education

of this, not all universities and colleges require the SAT. So, the College Board has gone back to the drawing board to figure out how to better represent what students know. “The redesigned SAT will focus on the knowledge and skills that current research shows are most essential for college and career readiness and success.” The new SAT format is working towards reflecting work done in the schools and classrooms. The new SAT will revert back to a 1600 point scale, and the essay will be optional. “Overall, this SAT reflects an emphasis on problem-solving instead of rote memorization, as well as a closer alignment to the type of material and instruction seen in high school courses.” The sections will consist of Math, Evidence-Based reading, Writing and the Essay. The math section will have math problems that apply to real-world scenarios, and mathematical logic that will apply to the sciences and social studies. The SAT will add trigonometry, which is not part of the current SAT format. Overall, the math will be more challenging but more relative to real life situations and what many students are currently studying in their math classes. Critical reading and Writing will be tied together and therefore scored together. The sentence completion questions will no longer be a part of the test. Students will be asked to decide the meanings of words based off of context and how they are being used in the context given. And, the reading passages will be more realistic to what students encounter every day and what students have studied in school. For example, one passage in each SAT will be a significant historical text such as Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, or Founding documents such as the “Declaration of Independence”. It is refreshing to see the relevance of the

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material that will be on the new SAT, to the material that is consistently taught in so many school systems. Lastly, the Essay section will truly evaluate a student’s ability to write about a passage given and ask the student to provide evidence from the document to support their opinions about the passage. For example, a student might be given a question after reading a an article such as the one adapted from David Epstein, called, “Sports Should Be Child’s Play” (article taken from the New York Times Company, June 10, 2014). The question would read, “ Write an essay in which you explain how David Epstein builds an argument to persuade his audience that kids should avoid specializing in a specific sport too early. In your essay analyze how Epstein uses one of more of the Features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic that persuasiveness of his argument” (Example taken from Ivy Global, The New SAT Guide: First Edition, 933). Their reasoning skills while writing, and stylistic elements of their writing, are what will be scored. And, again, this time the essay is optional. So, those students that may not be strong writers or those that are intimidated by pressured writing situations can show their strengths in other areas and simply opt out of the writing section. I have taught SAT prep courses for the past 12 years. I am not a huge fan of standardized tests, so I work very hard to diminish the fear of the SAT. I teach students the skills they need to better understand the SAT, which therefore alleviates their anxiety over these standardized tests. I have hope that this new SAT format will work to better test students on their true intelligences and what they have worked to accomplish academically. Please check out Whitefish Study Center’s new website, due to post in May, for SAT prep summer courses and private tutoring or call 406-270-0900. *Information on new test formats gathered from The Summit Educational Group, Ivy Global and the College Board website.

music}

Carlos Cascante y su Tumbao

will perform on the following dates: Thursday, June 25th, Lakeside (venue to be determined) $25 Friday, June 26th 8pm O'Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center, Whitefish $25 Saturday, June 27th 8pm Kalispell Eagles Club, Kalispell $20 Sunday, June 28th, 8pm BruMar Estate, Bigfork $25 Tickets sold at SingerandSimpson.com or call 406-730-2817 Sponsored by Don “K” Subaru and brought to you by Singer & Simpson Productions. Thanks to The Daily Interlake, The Lodge at Whitef ish Lake and Joel Pemberton, Edward Jones, Whitef ish.

Future Don “K” Subaru/Singer & Simpson Production events include: Peter Nero, September 12th, Whitefish Performing Arts Center The Ray Brown Tribute Trio Friday, October 9th, Whitefish Performing Arts Center Saturday, October 10th, Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts Sunday, October 12th, Whitefish Lake Restaurant Judy Collins Saturday, November 14th, Whitefish Performing Arts Center Sunday, November 15th, Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts

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It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Tumbao By Miriam Singer

What food and dance have the same name?

Salsa of course. Why do they have the same name? Maybe because they’re both saucy, spicy and full of flavor. Tito Puente was famous for combining AfroCuban and Latin-Jazz music which came to be called salsa. But he thought the name was tasteless applied to his music. He used to say “Salsa goes on food!” Same problem with calling Carlos Cascante y su Tumbao a salsa band; it completely underestimates the groove power of this thrilling Latin sextet from Seattle. You can be sure the music is going to be great with this lineup. Featured vocalist Carlos Cascante also sings with the Grammy winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Maynard Ferguson said of trumpeter Thomas Marriott, “Thomas Marriott is a truly great jazz trumpet player.” Havana born Pedro Vargas (congas) grew up in Cuba and brings a rich Cuban influence to Tumbao. Before pianist Julio Jáuregui developed his tasteful and perfectly suited piano skills, he studied percussion. Jeff Busch is an exuberant drummer/percussionist, vocalist, and composer. Dean Schmidt is one of the most sought after bassists in the Northwest and has performed with singers Jane Powell and Pat Boone. But listen, you can call them a salsa band if it makes you feel good. Because feeling good is what Tumbao is about; feeling good and dancing

to express it. Lucky for us because Tumbao is coming to Flathead Valley in June. Jim McElroy of JazzReview.com said of Tumbao’s CD Recuerdos, “ There are several things you need to do before you start to listen to this CD. First move all the furniture against the walls, you'll need dance room, second invite the neighbors (joy such as this should be spread around), third turn up the volume (those that don't fit in the house still need to hear this) and lastly put the disc on repeat mode (once is definitely not enough).” Tumbao is more than a short name for Carlos Cascante y su Tumbao. According to Mark Holston, music journalist and leader of the band Cocinando, “Technically, Tumbao primarily relates to the figure that the bass plays. It can also refer to what the conga drummer does. But “tiene tumbao” (he or she has “tumbao”) can relate to how a dancer moves. If they have tumbao, they are keying in on the rhythm.” Trumpeter Tom Marriott takes it a step further, ”Tumba is the name of the low pitched large conga, and Tumbao is the bass-line that underlies the rhythm. In that sense, we also use the word to describe the feeling of the music. Sort of like the word "swing " in jazz, it's a style of groove, but when all the components are locked-in, we say it's swinging, regardless of what kind of groove is actually being played. So we refer to "The Groove" as "Tumbao." It's the foundation, the thing that is fundamental to music and life.”

When you invite art into your home, beauty, creativity, and passion follow. Brent Flory

A Hands on Life

Frank Hagel

The Far-Seeing Glass

Lance Johnson

Rochelle Lombardi

Leap of Faith

Ready to Strike

Joe Kronenberg

Karen Leigh

Carol Lee Thompson

Tim Wold

Diane Whitehead

Laurie Stevens

Through theAspens

Glacier Lilies Blooming

Sunset Mt. Reynolds

Huckleberry Bear

The New Day

Picnic

For the month of May Going To The sun Gallery will donate a portion of all proceeds to the flathead county animal shelter.

music}

From jazz guitarist to classical maestro...

. .who is this guy anyway? By Marti Ebbert Kurth

Glacier Symphony Music Director and Conductor, John Zoltek leads a double life. His day job as artistic leader of the Glacier Symphony and Chorale consists of setting the concert repertoire for the entire season, rehearsing and conducting the orchestra and overseeing a mountain of details for the 30-plus classical musical performances held each year. He is also an adjunct music teacher at Flathead Valley Community College. But there is another side of maestro Zoltek, that of a jazz guitarist, and it is at the root of his love for music. “I started playing guitar and piano at the age of eight. My father insisted that if he was going to pay $19.95 for a new Harmony guitar (hanging on the wall of our local music store in 1968), that a serious commitment to lessons was expected,” he recalls. “My first and only significant teacher for 11 years was jazz guitarist Alvin Pulley (a local Rhode Island legend). Dad would NEVER let me quit lessons and in fact for the first years would sit and listen to daily to my practice session (30 minutes a day minimum no exceptions!). This, even though dad was not musically inclined. He later would say jokingly that he didn’t want me to waste the $3 weekly lesson cost.” While in high school Zoltek followed a serious flirtation with rock music playing in numerous bands for weddings, dances and night clubs. During this time jazz fusion music and progressive rock were his main influences as a guitarist. Simultaneously he was studying classical theory and composition and he wrote his first Piano Sonata in his senior year. John was accepted to Berklee College of Music and continued to play guitar but was slowly being drawn into the classical composition and conducting field. After completing his composition degree his interest in guitar performance waned and was gradually abandoned as a serious pursuit. This continued for decades, guitar taking a distant back seat to his orchestra composing and more importantly, his pursuit of a conducting career. Even so, the guitar had always been lurking in the shadows, like a forgotten lover! In recent years, John has experienced a rekindling of interest in developing his technique and performing as a guitarist. This has led to numerous local collaborations and occasional gigs, ranging from subbing in with Latin Jazz ensemble Cocinando, to forming Liquid Jazz a standard jazz group, to last year’s Trio performance with bassist Ron Reeves and drummer Don Caverly. More recently, John has been exploring eclectic modern jazz fusion idioms, writing for a new Quintet. Even though Zoltek’s time is largely taken up by his commitment to the Symphony and his symphonic composition, he plans on continuing his journey back to the guitar.

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Jazz Night with the Maestro John Zoltek will don his other musical hat as a jazz fusion guitarist/composer in this season’s offering of Jazz Night with the Maestro, May 15 and 16 at 7:30 pm at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Zoltek’s quintet for this special evening will consist of long time jazz bassist Paul Faessel, saxophonist Daniel Rose – a recent arrival to the valley, and trumpeter and drummer Dodd Johnson from Whitefish via Seattle. The band draws from a vast collection of musical experiences ranging from jazz to rock to classical. These influences will come into play as they improvise individually and collectively on Zoltek’s music, much of which has been specially written for this event. “I am really looking forward to playing this show with all these talented musicians who have worked hard to bring my music to life and infuse their own individuality into our extended music explorations,” comments Zoltek.

He explains that a large part of the experience will consist of “in the moment” musical explorations improvised on the spot using the set tunes as launching pads for atmosphere, moods and textural interactions. Zoltek’s guitar influences range from John McLaughlin, Jeff Beck, Pat Metheny, to Steve Howe from Yes. Stylistically his music is influenced by modern jazz, funk, free jazz, rock and classical music.

Seating for Jazz Night with the Maestro will be arranged cabaret style with tables on the main floor and wine and beer available to purchase. Balcony seating is also available. Tickets are $25 for cabaret seating and $20 for balcony seating. Purchase online at www.gscmusic.org, or call 407-7000.

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Glacier Symphony will perform “Evocations” the finale concert of its 32nd season on May 1 and 2, bring-

Meet pianist Claire Huangci at the Symphony Soloist Spotlight

An opportunity to meet this prolific musician informally and hear her play solo piano works, will be on Thursday, April 30 at 7:30 pm at the Glacier Symphony and Chorale music recital room, 69 N. Main. Street, Kalispell. Seating is limited; reserve tickets at 407-7000.

ing together classical works by two composers experiencing life events; one who was working to establish his career and one whose career was at its end. Bela Bartok’s Piano Concerto No. 3 featuring American pianist Claire Huangci will be followed by Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 1 in E. The concert will open with Theme from Jurassic Park, by composer John Williams written for the 1993 blockbuster movie. Hungarian composer Bartok wrote the concerto in 1945 in the final year of his life, as a gift to his wife, a pianist, for her birthday. Unfortunately, he died before he could finish the piece and his good friend, Tebor Serly finished the orchestration of the last 17 bars. Since Bartok had emigrated to the United States after World War II, the piece premiered in Philadelphia under the baton of Eugene Ormandy in 1946. Music Director of the GSC, John Zoltek, describes the Bartok work as very approachable with a refined musical style. “It is rhythmically active, with complex harmonies and melodies. Bartok was an amateur entomologist and the bare elements of nature seem to dance–insect like–over a webbing of orchestral counterpoint.” Sibelius was just beginning his career seeking recognition outside of his native Finland when he wrote his Symphony No. 1. At age 23 the young composer was greatly influenced by Tchaikovsky and the German Romantics but this piece shows many original touches including an evocative solo clarinet melody. The piece premiered in Helsinki in 1899 and was the ‘first time out’ for this soon-to-become-legendary composer. Claire Huangci began her international career at the age of nine and was billed as a prodigy and played a concert for President Bill Clinton at the age of ten. Since then, Claire has been awarded many grants, performed numerous concerts and won several prizes, long out-growing the image of a prodigy and coming into artistic maturity. With her technical brilliance, deep musical expression, playful virtuosity and her keen sensibility, she captures her audiences all over the world. The “Evocations” concerts will be held on Saturday, May 1 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 2, at 3 pm at Flathead High Performance Hall in Kalispell. As with all GSC Masterworks concerts, all youth through grade 12 are admitted free to this concert when accompanied by an adult. Tickets must be reserved in advance by calling 407-7000 or on the web at www.gscmusic.com

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art} music

Off Key Notes By Bob Hamilton

So what exactly makes for a great “cover” song-----by definition the performance or recording of music other than one’s own material. I asked myself this question as I enjoyed a marvelous and very springlike March afternoon outdoors at the annual Bigfork Brewfest. The musical entertainment was being provided by Bigfork’s own Fetveit Brothers. The Fetveits are a high energy acoustic duo who have the uncanny ability to take nearly any popular song from the 1960’s through to current material, make it fresh, alive ,and in the case of older material, completely relevant once again. In essence, the boys were, in effect, turning these songs into “original” material and often making me, and seemingly others in the audience, nearly forget that these tunes were in fact created by someone else. I was watching the ultimate cover band! It was fascinating to hear these young musicians, who have an obvious and deep appreciation of popular music history, engage a crowd and breathe new life into the songs, the creations, of others. Congratulations boys on a job well done! After some careful thought as well as decades of attendance at perhaps thousands of musical performances ranging from local bar bands to concerts put on by superstars of the industry, I attempted to solve the great mystery I posed to myself on that afternoon in Bigfork---what makes a great cover song? Upon careful examination of my own music collection, I was stunned to see just how much of the music that I owned was actually “Cover” material performed by otherwise creative “original” artists. I didn’t know, for example, that “Love Hurts” by Nazareth was originally performed by The Everly Brothers, or that “Red Red Wine” by UB40 was written and performed first by Neil Diamond. In short, cover music is everywhere. The list of cover songs from my own collection seemed endless.

What conclusions did I finally draw about the making of great cover music?

First and foremost, the cover artist must bring something fresh to the original song whether it be by supplanting the song into another genre (ex. from reggae to rock as Eric Clapton did with Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff ”) or by, at the very least, casting it in a different light by changing the arrangement or tempo. Why should I listen if the song is to be performed as a note for note carbon copy of the original? Secondly, at the same time the cover artist must walk a fine line and “respect” the original. Removing a song too far from its’ roots and original essence can backfire on the cover artist and result in a backlash from an audience, but a good rendition of a cover song can save an artist staggering through a show in front of an indiffer-

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ent or hostile crowd. A poorly conceived cover song can actually hurt a performer’s career and legacy. Did Michael Bolton’s version of “When a man Loves a Woman” really aid his career in any way? Usually, a cover artist is covering a song that is wellknown and was once popular to some extent. The cover artist must show some degree of respect for the fact that the original songwriter knew what they were doing. It is certainly a tightrope that must be walked by the cover artist. You cannot be a carbon copy, yet you must in some way be “original” without hurting the original’s essence. Wow! Sounds a little bit like a comment a talent judge might make on the very popular “American Idol” or “The Voice” television programs whose very premise is how a contestant performs using the music others. PS. Where have you gone Judge Simon Cowell? You are missed! Great cover songs have launched careers of otherwise original artists (Van Halen’s version of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me” comes to mind). They have sustained the careers of many others both in the record-

ing studio and in live performance. Covers of classics by Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry remained staples of the Grateful Dead’s live shows for decades while no one was better than folk guitarist Richie Havens at reinterpreting and making the songs of The Beatles and Bob Dylan literally his own. These are just a couple of examples of the significant impact of the “cover song” on popular music. Besides the Fetveit Brothers mentioned earlier, we are indeed very fortunate to have many talented musicians in the Flathead Valley who perform great cover material (and often as well as their own great original tunes). The very talented Halladay Quist performs some fantastic acoustic versions of classic Neil Young. Brent Jameson provides superb covers of Paul Simon material. If you have not heard the reggae style version of Steve Miller’s “The Joker” performed by God Fearing Women, you are in for a musical treat. Too numerous to mention, there are many great straight cover bands (no original material) in the Flathead playing classic rock, blues and jazz standards—all putting their own spin to great music. Check them out!

Great Cover Songs…

An extremely incomplete list! “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix (original recording: Bob Dylan) “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles (original recording: The Isley Brothers) “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (previous recordings: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and Marvin Gaye) “Stop Your Sobbing” by The Pretenders (original recording: The Kinks) “Baby, Now That I Found You” by Allison Kraus (original recording: The Foundations) “Take Me to the River” by The Talking Heads (original recording; Al Green) “I Fought the Law” by The Clash (original recording: The Bobby Fuller Four) “Summertime Blues” by Brian Setzer

(previous recordings; Eddie Cochran and The Who)

“Hard to Handle” by The Black Crowes (original recording: Otis Redding) “I’m Losing You” by Rod Stewart (original recording: The Temptations) “I Love Rock and Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (original recording: The Arrows) “Walkin’ the Dog” by Aerosmith (original recording: Rufus Thomas) “Superstar” by The Carpenters (original recording; Delaney & Bonnie) “Try A little Tenderness’ by Otis Redding (original recording: Ray Noble/Bing Crosby) “Mustang Sally’ by Wilson Pickett (original recording: Mack Rice) “Pretty Woman” by Van Halen (original recording: Roy Orbison) “Jersey Girl” by Bruce Springsteen (original recording: Tom Waits) “Wild Night” by John Mellencamp (original recording; Van Morrison) “Hallejah” by Jeff Buckley (original recording; Leonard Cohen) “Mr. Tambourine Man” by The Byrds (original recording: Bob Dylan) “La Bamba” by Los Lobos (original recording; Ritchie Valens) “Mad World” by Donnie Darko (original recording: Tears for Fears) “Proud Mary” by Ike & Tina Turner

(original recording; Creedence Clearwater Revival)

“With a Little Help from my Friends” by Joe Cocker (original recording; The Beatles)

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story}

My Summer BlessingArrived with a Scream…. By Stewart E Adams

The summer of my tenth year was lonely and so boring, really boring, until that misty morning I ventured to the far corner of our farmland property in Ohio. There, under the walnut tree was a strangely arranged ball of feathers. Probably, I surmised, it was the aftermath of one of our local foxy or bobcat predators.

avoid painful encounters with razor sharp beak and talons? Answer: Always wear thick leather gloves… pad any area he might touch. Where do I keep him safe and uninjured? Answer: In a small chicken coop (without chickens in residence.) What to feed and how? Trial and many errors later, I found he loved strings of hamburger which were found to be enticing only when served on a wiggling toothpick. His favorite treat, however, was bread and milk… even better than worms or big bugs.

Poking the fluff with my bare big toe produced an instantaneous and quite unpleasant response from the feathered wad. Tiny talons sank into the flesh of my foot. I screamed and the feather ball screamed back. I jerked, and the talons gripped tighter. It was a screaming standoff until my shaking fingers overpowered those needle talons and pried my throbbing toe to freedom. That’s how I met Jasper, the fledgling, abandoned sparrow hawk who was to become my summertime ward, my constant companion, my ‘child’ to raise and train.

As the summer progressed, outings became a treasured bonding time. The daily routine consisted of Jasper’s riding proudly on my padded shoulder, keen eyes observing every moving bug, bird, or leaf. Just to keep me moving, he’d gently “beak me” on the ear. Thankfully, he never thought it necessary to bite. That August he began to open and stretch his wings, especially during fast walks. How does a pudgy ten year old teach a raptor to fly? Answer: Run as fast as you can with the bird clinging to your shoulder, wings spread and wide eyed, screaming for more speed. After many days of high velocity speed runs, Jasper began to flap his graceful wings, tentatively at first and, later, with forceful sweeps.

Curiosity gradually replaced the throbbing sensation and I was finally able to view the trembling tyke for the vulnerable baby he was. His stare was both curious and challenging; frankly, it was a bit intimidating. My heart went out to him when I realized that the remains of a destroyed nest at the base of the tree told the story of the violent end of his natural childhood and the beginning of a new , maturing chapter for both of us.

My new “Motherhood” role brought a barrage of questions and few easy answers. How do I pick him up and yet

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His first off–the-shoulder flight looked like the antique movies of the Wright Brothers’ earliest attempts; unstable and barely able to render him stable aloft. It amazed me that he could gamely shake off the effects of feather bending crashes and pop back enthusiastically begging for more. Third attempt put him on a crash course for the walnut tree where he deposited a few feathers during final approach and landing. Gradually, his forays extended into beautiful circles, each day flown higher and more confidently than the prior day’s efforts.

Every day we both looked forward to these “freedom” times. He communicated his enthusiasm by screeching and jumping up and down in his cage, pleading anxiously to alight on my shoulder. One morning, about a week into our flight lessons, without warning, he rolled mid-air like an F-15 fighter and streaked away not to return that day. Frantic for word of his well being, I kept a parental vigil all that night and into the following day, when, mid-day as a speck from afar, he casually swooped onto my shoulder acting as if he’d been gone only minutes. The next two weeks he’d head off on some far mission, reappearing every other day or so, coming in high and fast, screaming as usual, and at the last second of a swoop, deciding whether to perch on my shoulder or hit the highest branches of the walnut tree. To my chagrin, he disappeared for a full two weeks, re-appearing (screaming), accompanied by a beautiful mate! I felt as if he’d brought her “home” for my approval. When they flew away that afternoon, the tears rolled down my face…somehow I knew I’d never see Jasper again, even though I’d spend the rest of my childhood searching the skies for him. The next few summers there appeared a localized sparrow hawk who resided nearby, but I could never say for sure it was Jasper. His life in the wild had abruptly begun just as it should have. No more bread and milk… no more human hitch hikes needed. It has been six decades since that special summer with my beloved friend Jasper. To this day, whenever I hear an eagle or hawk screech, I get that special heart tug (and toe throb reaction) and my spirit screams with delight as I soar with him once again.