406 Woman Business Vol. 9 No. 3

406 contents featured 8. Leslie Yancey

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Man

14. Shannon Smith Faith, Family & Football

profile 18. Angie D at 33 Baker Your Beauty Expert

Legal

business non-profit 36. Beneficiary Deeds in Montana

22. Krysti Murphy I Want Her Job

32. Reignite the Passion in Your Relationship

28. Child Bridge Changed Lives

58. Flathead Care October is a Busy Month!

health

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38. Health Tips

40. Louise Roberts Stronger + Happier = Healed 42. Antibiotics Aren’t Always the Answer 46. Ask the Skin Coach The Danger of Antibiotics for Acne 48. Pap Smear Guidelines 50. Posture Check 52. Worried About Celiac Disease & Gluten 54. Six Pack Abs, Tight Butts, and Perspective from Dr. Miller

Published by Skirts Publishing six times a year 704 C East 13th St. #138 Whitefish, MT 59937 info@406woman.com Copyright©2016 Skirts Publishing

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Leslie Yancey

NYC transplant brings the joy and spirit of African dance to Montana

By Marti Ebbert Kurth Photos by Alisia Dawn Photography

How did Leslie Yancey, a vivacious red headed woman of Scottish descent become a teacher of African Dance? Even more curious is how did this Brooklyn-born and raised New Yorker end up in Whitefish, Montana, teaching a weekly Afrofusion dance class accompanied by live drummers playing traditional African rhythms?

Leslie’s journey to Montana is even more remarkable when you learn that she spent her early years performing in and choreographing shows with modern dance companies in New York City, Europe and South America and later formed her own dance company whose shows received favorable reviews by the New York Times!

Let’s start at the beginning. “My parents were both born in eastern Washington and went to the same college. As young graduates they took jobs in NYC and met coincidentally at an alumni meeting in New York City. They fell in love and settled in Brooklyn where I was born,” she explains. “The reason I don’t have a Brooklyn accent is because we would travel to Washington for summer vacations and hang out on my grandparents farm or stay in the family cabin on Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho. I had the best of two worlds – the east coast and the west coast.”

“Dance takes many different forms: The dance of the wind blowing leaves in the trees, dancing on the mountain with

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skis, dance with your horse, the dance of cooking and gardening. Dance gives you a joyfulness of life. –Leslie Yancey

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Leslie says that she came to dance rather late in life.

“In third grade my parents put me in an experimental school called St. Ann’s that Stanley Bosworth started in the 1960s. Its emphasis was on education in the arts.

I took piano and participated in school and church musicals. When I was 14, a friend who was a choreographer recommended to my parents that I should consider taking dance classes. So I decided to go to the Joffrey School of Ballet in Manhattan.”

The biggest challenge for her was that most of the students had been studying since age five and she was just beginning the dance form. “It was frustrating because I could understand the form yet I didn’t have the physicality the other dancers had. I knew right away that I wasn’t going to be a ballerina, yet it

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Leslie teaches students of all abilities in her weekly classes that are accompanied

by Dr. Bob Sherrick (and others) performing authentic African rhythms.

was important to have a basic understanding of classical movement and the ballet vocabulary.”

She stayed with the classes through high school.

“As a child I was very shy and wore thick glasses and dance became a way to express myself.”

Upon graduation from St. Ann’s, her parents, though supportive of her dancing, were insistent that she must get a college education. She was accepted at Oberlin, a prestigious liberal arts college in Ohio. “In college I thought I was going to do Art History but the introductory class was so boring that when the lights went out for the slide shows I’d fall asleep,” she laughs.

Her life path came into focus when she and a classmate auditioned for the Oberlin modern dance company and were accepted. “We did modern dance performances and collaborated with musicians in the Conservatory of Music. By my junior year of college I was asked by my teachers to join them and go to Paris as part of their Calck Hook Dance Theatre company.”

So in 1978 and ‘79 she began two nonstop years as a professional dancer, teaching dance to teenagers in Paris at the studio, performing in shows and touring across Europe with the company, all while attending the University of Paris - La Sorbonne studying French and French literature. To appease her parents she finally made a deal with them to return to Oberlin and finish her course work in one semester.

But the dance bug had bitten and after she finished her degree she moved back to NYC to follow her passion. “I worked many different jobs – waitressing, catering and as assistant elementary

teacher. I have tried so many times not doing it (dance). Trying to hold a 9 to 5 job. Trying to be a full time teacher. It just wasn’t a calling. So I had two lives–my day job and my night job of classes, rehearsals and performing. I finally decided I had to marry the two.”

She began making her living as a dance educator, teaching classes at various schools. Eventually she was hired by her alma mater, St. Ann’s School, teaching creative movement to younger students, as well as choreography to high school students, and as a music administrator. “We’d go see productions all over the city and the kids would come back and choreograph their own work.”

Meantime she continued to study and perform with prominent choreographers of the New York dance scene: Meredith Monk, Kathy Duncan and Blondell Cummings eventually touring with Cummings’ dance company in the U.S. and South America. “But in the 1990s I decided I wanted to do my own work and form my own dance company and Yancey Dance Theatre was born.”

Her performances drew upon her love of many disciplines integrating film, dance, voice and music weaving together abstract stories through dance. “I like working with the imagery of archetypes. One work Bath it in the River of Sand used masks to represent passing of tradition from the elders to the youngers. People sometimes described my work as anthropological.”

She had three successful seasons and Jack Anderson from The New York Times wrote that her piece Window of Time “was fascinatingly enigmatic.”

But the dancing life wasn’t always easy. “We were fundraising all the time...barely paying for the dance space. The dancers were doing it out of love. We were all skimping to get to dance. It was great that the Times came and reviewed us as I had friends who were great artists but they weren’t being reviewed at that time.”

In her early 40s she retired from the stage and performing. “I thought ‘I’m getting older now. I had lived to perform. I’d had my own company.’”

So she moved into the healing arts of Reiki and Polarity Therapy starting her own business that combined massage, counseling, nutrition, cranial sacral work and Reiki.

In 2001 she came to another crossroad when she and her husband divorced and she moved to Seattle WA. After one rainy winter her sister in Taos, New Mexico invited her to housesit for a month and she jumped at the chance. She decided to stay when she was hired to teach creative movement in a school. “I was kind of dying inside because I hadn’t been performing and everyone in New Mexico was a healer or massage person of some sort so my healing business was out.” She began teaching in after school programs eventually moving to Santa Fe to work for the National Dance Institute of New Mexico in a program founded

by Jacques d’Amboise of NYC to inspire children through the arts.

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Her love of African dance was first kindled when a friend invited her to attend a class in Taos. “There is a big community of West African teachers and musicians who travel through the Albuquerque area and would come up to Taos. Some of the classes would be big, with 20 dancers and a minimum of eight drummers.”

When she moved to Santa Fe she kept hearing about a dance teacher named Elise Smith-Gent.

When they finally met it was kismet. “We had attended school together in Brooklyn! She had moved to Santa Fe years earlier and opened her own studio The Railyard teaching African and Haitian dance. Elise would bring in some of the best known African dancers including Youssef Koumbassa of Guinea who is considered to be the ‘Baryshnikov’ of African dance.”

Leslie immersed herself in the dance form learning the complex rhythms and reveling in how the form could be a healing art as much as Reiki or Polarity Therapy. “It combines the two for me. It’s very spiritual. African culture and dance is so beautiful as you are going to the source, the roots, the beginning. There are dances for everything: weddings, full moon, initiation, harvest, healing, joy etc.

The dance is part of life, not separate. There is no timeline of age and there is no separation between dancing and living.”

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She arrived in Whitefish in 2009 on a fluke. “I was ready to ‘get out of dodge.’ I broke up with my boy-

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friend and I had done my thing working for Youth Heartline, a child abuse hotline. I knew one friend here. So I came to spend a winter as a ski bum.”

She found she loved the community and began exploring ways she might stay and work here, eventually doing some choreography with the Whitefish Theater Company and getting a grant to teach creative movement in some of the schools. More recently she has taught Teacher Training workshops in using Creative Movement-Dance and Academics in the Classroom and Creative Movement and Literacy programs in the public schools.

Then she discovered the Drum Brothers, an African drumming and dancing group from Missoula and took a class with them. “I asked them if it would be okay to do something up here (in Flathead valley) because I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. They said yes immediately, but I didn’t know any drummers here. I put out a prayer saying that ‘if this is supposed to happen then we need a master drummer here. Someone who knows the rhythms.’”

Her prayer was answered when she met Dr. Bob Sherrick and Bill Kint. “Bob is an amazing master drummer. I am so grateful and blessed to work with such talented drummers, He knows all the

rhythms and he has been able to teach Bill and now others too when we do our monthly drum classes.”

She found studio space and began weekly classes, calling it Afrofusion Dance. Currently her classes are held at the Imagine Health studio in Columbia Falls on Saturday mornings at 10:30 am. Women, men and teenagers are welcome and the classes present a diverse range of ages, skill levels and enthusiasm. “I think dance is a universal language.

For women I see dance as liberating. The beauty of African dance is its interpretive. I really encourage people to listen to their bodies when they dance.

You can make the movements as big or as small as you want.”

Leslie finishes with a couple of thoughts. “I hope to share the love of dance, the love of African dance and culture, to encourage and inspire others to remember the joy of their own dance of life. I see myself dancing throughout life. Life is a dance. In our culture we tend to compartmentalize dance where as in many other cultures, dance is a part of life. This is the reason why I dance and teach.

Dancing is living!”

To learn more about the Afrofusion Dance classes and the African Drumming Classes contact Leslie Yancey at contact@yanceydancetheatre.com or call 406 748-6778.

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Shannon Smith Faith, Family & Football Glacier High School Math Teacher and Defensive FB Coach

By Mary Wallace

It is likely that the current students and athletes of this Glacier High math teacher and football coach already know many of the things about to be revealed about this issue’s 406 MAN, Shannon Smith. He is that real and that genuine – there is probably not a lot of wondering what his expectations are or what they can expect from him. He’s truly a “What You See Is What You Get” kind of guy.

Because he is a coach and yells a lot, people might not realize that is really a little more quiet and introverted than he may appear on the field. And he may not like to admit to being humble, but he was somewhat convinced that the editors had made a mistake in choosing him and rather reluctantly agreed to our 406 Man interview.

Did he always want to coach sports or be a teacher when he grew up? Hmmm . . . No. He thought about becoming an engineer, a soldier, maybe a doctor. However, his dad was a teacher & coach (some may remember Burly Smith) and their family moved a lot when he was young. Each time they were getting ready to move and looking at new homes, a pre-requisite was that the yard HAD to be big enough to play football, because he & his siblings played a LOT of backyard football

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growing up. Football and teaching became a clear choice when he went to college.

Shannon Smith grew up in Kalispell and graduated from Flathead High School in 1985. He earned a mathematics degree, along with a minor in athletic coaching, from the University of Arizona; then went on to gain a Master of Education from Northern Arizona University. He played rugby in college and has subsequently coached high school baseball, track, swimming, basketball, virtually every position in football.

Now in his 26th year of coaching football, and Shannon coached and taught several years in both Arizona and Colorado. When Shannon & his wife, Lauren, started their family, there was no question that they wanted to raise their family in the best place in the world, the

place they had grown up in – Montana! They moved back to the Flathead Valley in 2005.

Previous to joining Glacier High School, he was the Activities Director at Bigfork High School.

Shannon and Lauren shared how they first met, in what they both refer to as a rather ‘seedy establishment’ in Tucson. He was reluctantly dragged along by some friends for a birthday celebration and she had just moved to town to coach a local track team. His friends were taking great pleasure in embarrassing him about his birthday, and a voice behind him said, “Well hey! It’s my birthday, too!” He turned around and there she was. A fun evening ensued, but Shannon was so smitten (or so shy), he neglected to ask how he could see her again, and he had to do some major sleuthing to track her down later. He DID track her down, and the rest (as they say) is history.

406 man} Shannon Smith

When asked who has been his inspiration, his first response is his father, Burly Smith.

Shannon and Lauren have four children – Bailey, who is a senior, Jake, who is a sophomore, Derek, who is in middle school, and Morgan, who is a fifth grader. Lauren is the principal of St. Matthew’s School in Kalispell and all of the kids are involved in sports and other activities, so as one can imagine, their life is pretty busy. When they are not teaching, playing, coaching, or cheering on sports, their family likes to go hiking, fly fishing, camping, backpacking, and rafting. Shannon says his favorite time of year is the fall (football!) … and the summer, because of the luxury of time for family leisure activities.

Shannon’s schedule of classes at Glacier High this year include consumer math, intermediate algebra and geometry. He has also taught Life Skills, Business Classes, Physical Education, and Success Lab (a program for at-risk

kids). How did he come to be a math teacher?

Mostly because he was really good at math.

Having a math teacher in the hot seat, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to ask that age-old question. . . When do we EVER REALLY use all this algebra stuff in real life? His answer (and I quote) was, “We use "algebra reasoning" everyday! The logical processes are how we problem-solve on a sometimes moment to moment basis.”

Okay. Not sure that was the satisfying answer I was looking for because I cannot remember ever saying to myself, “Oh look at me - using some of my fun fun algebra skills that I always KNEW would come in handy someday!”

Perhaps it means that, if we learned it properly, we use algebraic concepts in our day to day life without even realizing it. Mr. Smith is nothing if not a math teacher through & through.

Teachers don’t usually become teachers without having some favorite teachers of their own. Shannon’s all-time favorite teachers in-

clude Mr. Gary Carver, who taught him how to use humor in the classroom; Mr. Freebury, Organic Chemistry at Flathead High whom he often measures his interactions with his own students in a ‘What would Mr. Freebury do?’ kind of way; and Mrs. Sue Brown, who always displayed great humility and amazing strength.

When asked who has been his inspiration, his first response is his father, Burly Smith. And his second response is every other coach on every coaching team he has been involved with. He has always learned something from every single coach he has ever worked with.

What does he see as challenges for students these days? Shannon feels like technology can be a big challenge. Everything is so readily available – some good and some bad. Kids need to be more grounded, they have to have faith, and many need more of a moral compass.

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How about school athlete’s challenges? He sees some of his student athletes struggle with

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406 man} Shannon Smith

How about school athlete’s challenges? He sees some of his student athletes struggle with two things - being courageous when facing adversity, and being humble when things are going great. Good athletes have to also love the process and the grind! It takes the work to get to the great. two things - being courageous when facing adversity, and being humble when things are going great. Good athletes have to also love the process and the grind! It takes the work to get to the great.

And what are some challenges for teachers today? As a teacher, his strong faith is a challenge - sometimes it is tough to live it. Further, the family unit is attacked so much these days (fractured families, economic issues, not enough support), many kids don’t have a solid family foundation.

For some students, their teachers are, by necessity, the closest thing they have to extended family.

Regardless of the challenges, Shannon is also very clear that his life & career are not without rewards! He shares that the most rewarding things that have ever happened to him are

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his wife & kids, being able to coach and teach his own children, and lastly, when is former students come back and just want to hang out and share their challenges and successes with him.

In the future, Shannon would like to continue helping kids and helping other coaches. A man of strong faith, he would sure like to get to heaven and help others do the same.

On his bucket list, he would someday like to live & coach football in Europe (football, not soccer), he’d like to buy a Winnebago (along with the requisite mopeds) and enjoy visiting as many college and pro stadiums as possible with Lauren. He would also like the luxury of enough time to volunteer more in their church and community.

When asked, Shannon didn’t feel like there is much that people don’t know about him, but here are a few.

1. He is fully aware that some of the kids refer to him behind his back as “Smitty”, but until they graduate & the tassel is turned, they address him as Mr. Smith.

2. This is his 6th high school teaching position, and as far as he’s concerned it’s the best one he’s ever had.

3. His priorities are Faith first, Family second, and Football.

4. As far as his teaching & coaching career is concerned: It is always, always, always ALL about the kids.

Well said Mr. Smith!

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Angie D at 33 Baker

Your Beauty Expert

By Kristen Hamilton Photo By Alisia Dawn Photography

Angie Dowda is in the business to help you look your best and put a smile on your face. As a matter of fact it is her passion!

As a licensed cosmetologist, she specializes in bridal styling and make up, gel nails and nail art. Plus she offers full nail spa services. I was impressed that Angie chooses the healthier products with all her services. For example, with nail polish removal she’ll file verses using acetone. It takes longer but she wants to protect you, your skin and nails.

“I love to meet people and hear their story. I am a great listener and it’s a must to possess this talent in the beauty industry.” She also, of course, loves to meet her clients beauty needs.

After working with a customer, her favorite things to hear are, “that foot massage was amazing or my nails are fantastic.” She wants everyone to feel great about the services she’s provided.

Angie raised five boys and when her youngest turned 16 in 2012, she enrolled in beauty school. It seemed natural as she said, “I have always cut my own hair, my boys hair, plus family and friends. I also love doing makeovers.” She added, “It gives me such a deep satisfaction to help bring out the physical beauty in a person and to see the smile on their face.”

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This is my second time living in Montana and I love it. I have lived all over the northwest as an adult and the state of Montana is by far my favorite.

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She graduated from Crevier’s Academy of Cosmetology Arts in Kalispell in 2014 then opened her business. She is thrilled to be at the 33 Baker location in Whitefish as it has great foot traffic and parking (which is a big bonus in Whitefish).

Angie grew up in Spokane Valley, WA where her family raised, trained and showed Arabian horses.

She has called Whitefish her home for eight years now. “This is my second time living in Montana and I love it. I have lived all over the northwest as an adult and the state of Montana is by far my favorite.”

When Angie isn’t making us look great, you’ll find her camping, hunting and fishing. When I visit with her during an appointment, I love to hear about her bass fishing adventures with Leroy (her long-time boyfriend). This year she earned a spot on the Montana State B.A.S.S. fishing team and will be competing next year at the Western Regionals. It’s fun to hear the excitement in her voice when she talks about fishing and the fun she has out on the water.

In the future, Angie would like to continue to grow her business to it’s fullest potential and expand fully into the wedding/bridal/ pampering service industry.

As a customer myself, I can attest to her talents and encourage you to give her a call when you’d like to be spoiled next!

Angie D. at 33 Baker Salon, Nail & Spa 33 Baker, Whitef ish 406-862-9633 www.facebook.com/SalonAngieD

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Krysti Murphy

I Want Her Job:

Raise your hand if the last time you bought your car, color was a factor. Well, as much as we wish we could, we can’t see you, but our hands are definitely raised.

Krysti Murphy is one of the faces behind the methodical creation of a car's hue. An employee at GM for six years, Krysti got her start in design by working in toys at Hasbro in a role that brings out our inner 7-year-old: designing the bright, vibrantly saturated colors of My Little Pony. After her time there, Krysti worked for a Cleveland-based consumer goods company designing everything from vacuum cleaners to furniture. That role, and a lot of networking, was a steppingstone that led her to GM where she is now the lead Buick designer, working alongside a design team of more than 40 others in Detroit.

“Going from toys to cars was a shift,” Krysti says.

“The life cycle of the product is so different. With My Little Pony, I would create a hot pink and know that it had a shelf life of 6 months. But when I work

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Lead Buick Designer at GM

By Brianne B. Perleberg

This article originally appeared on IWantHerJob.com.

on a car, I know that color is going to be around for 10 years. At the end of the day, I’m still working on a product. But with the Buick Avista, it’s a much bigger product, which is pretty remarkable for me to think about.”

When you wake up every morning, what do you most look forward to in your workday?

When I wake up, what I’m really excited about is developing colors. In my job I get to do a lot of trend research. I work with my global counterparts and try to develop the next latest and greatest colors. I do my trend research by looking at everything from fashion magazines and furniture design, to nature and nail polish. Nail polish actually is one of my favorites to look to for color. I’m always wondering, “What is that next cool color we can create?”

To break down that process a bit, what is your day-to-day like? How do you organize your day?

Every day is different, and no day is the same. It’s another great aspect of my job. In this role you’re not on a typical schedule, and I like that. Aside from

trend research, our work begins digitally. I will take all of the research I’ve done, and then I will create a mood board that features the images and words that describe a specific floor space. I then take that mood board to our artisan paint shop team, and at that point, we really get to work on the color. We can take any shade out of any image. So, any photo can provide a bit of a formula for us to start with.

Then, we get to play around with the color. We look at things like adding more metallic or pearl, or asking ourselves if the color should be solid or maybe a tint coat. Then once we think a color is ready, we get to paint that shade on small panels, and then on larger forms. That’s a really cool part of the process.

When you go through that process – like you did recently for the jewel-tone reds and blues of the Buick Avista – about how many iterations of color do you create for one vehicle?

I wouldn’t say we created hundreds of iterations, but it was somewhere up there, specifically with the blue tone. We even had different colors prior

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“Going from toys to cars was a shift,” Krysti says. “The life cycle of the product is so different. With My Little Pony, I would create a hot pink and know that it had a shelf life of 6 months. But when I work on a car, I know that color is going to be around for 10 years. to developing the blue. The blue space is such a wide bandwidth of colors – from the lightest lights to the darkest, inkiest navy. The inspiration from the blue shade came from water. When you look at water, you look to see how deep it really goes, and the beautiful highlight of the sun hitting the waves. And when I thought about the flow of the car, it made sense.

The deep, deep red – almost like a precious jewel – was really interesting to work with. I love how deep and rich a ruby can be, with such intense color. For the red shade, I tried to take that look and translate it into a paint.

While working on the exterior color of the car, how much of your mind was focused on the car’s interior?

Half of the work is with the interior colors, and that’s the space where I really get to work with my counterparts. It’s a huge team effort to make the whole look of a vehicle come together.

What is the typical amount of time spent creating the color of a car from start to finish?

It’s a little bit different depending on the type of car. For a concept car, it can take months – to even a year or longer. For production cars, I work on developing a color for three to five years.

Are there any unspoken rules when you go to determine a color for a car? For example, we don't see a lot of Barbie doll pink cars out there!

It all depends on the scale of a car. This will lead you to knowing what we should be designing for, and also what will fit that car’s particular brand.

For example, with the sculptural feel of Buick, the brand tends to include beautiful, rich jewel tones.

And if you look at our business and scale a vehicle up to a bigger SUV, then you’ll need to work with a color that is a bit more mainstream.

How much of a role does the customer play when you’re designing a color?

We’re always interested in what the consumer has to say about color. We want to make sure we're listening to consumers, and you know, they want these rich jewel tones. With that in mind, we're trying to make sure each color is done right and works with the brand.

What are some insights you've discovered while working in color design?

Color is very emotional. When I’m looking at research there’s a certain “ah-ha” moment that will hopefully lead to the final color created. Going back to the Buick Avista blue, the “ah-ha” moment for me came when, after 14 coats of paint, all of a sudden the entire color worked with the whole vehicle. The sculptural feel and the interiors played off this shade and just came together.

Those are the ultimate “ah-ha” moments; when you’ve worked for months on a color, you scale it up, and then all of a sudden the color is painted on the car. Watching the color scale to full-size creates a “wow” feeling.

How has technology changed your job over the past 5-to-10 years?

Technology is changing so much, all of the time.

We use it every day. I use my iPhone to help me take pictures quickly. I’ll find myself walking out to my car, seeing a cool color of a rock, and then taking a photo of it. I love being able to do something in an instant. That has changed how I work. I love that on-demand feeling.

Do you subscribe to the concept of work/life balance, or do you find your job is more about work/life integration?

I think they work in tandem. During the weekend I’m not at work, but I do like to take a lot of photos of nature and design. Sometimes that can really inspire me to get in on Monday and say, “Hey, check out this color I found. We should really look at it.” I especially feel this way at this time of year when everything is blooming. The colors are so vibrant right now. I like to tell people to never close their eyes. Always keep them open. You never know what you’re going to see outside – or any place you’re at.

What is your favorite part of the work you do?

I love designing the color for these awesome vehicles at GM. I also get the option to go to Fashion Week and do some other traveling for trend research, which I also really enjoy. I love getting out of Michigan to find inspiration on the East or West Coasts.

What is a mistake you’ve made on the job, and what did you learn from it?

Everyone makes a mistake at some point in his or her career. One of my mistakes was made here at GM. There was a particular color that I was really emotional about. I became very personal saying, “We need to have this color,” but my superiors were saying, “No, we don’t need this color.” I kept pushing, but it was a big mistake, because aside from my attachment, I had nothing to back up my argument.

I learned through this situation to always have the research to back up a point of view. Don’t just simply say, “I like this color,” like I did. Now, if the color was pink for example, I would explain why a certain pink is so good and needs to be on a vehicle.

What advice do you have for a reader who's really excited about getting a job just like yours?

Make sure you’re passionate about this role.

Whether you’re excited about color or the auto industry, just make sure you have a passion for what you want to do. Other than that, college will help you get here, so focus on getting a well-rounded design background.

Brianne B. Perleberg

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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By Kristen Hamilton

Over the last five issues of 406 Woman, you’ve been treated to a series called “Changed Lives.”

These special stories provided a glimpse into the world of five Montana families who have adopted children through foster care. These families became interested in fostering, and ultimately adopting the children in their care, through their relationship with Child Bridge.

While not an adoption or child placing agency, Child Bridge offers a service that is desperately needed across the state and is of significant value to therapeutic-level placing agencies, the State of Montana and other child welfare partners. Their mission is simple and focused: to find and support foster and adoptive families for Montana children in need.

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Launched in the Flathead Valley in 2011, Child Bridge now has offices in the Flathead, Missoula and Billings, and provides foster family recruiting services and ongoing supports to families who are caring for foster children in over 20 Montana cities.

There are a record number of children coming into foster care, removed from their biological families due to abuse or neglect. Over time, some of these children become in need of permanent families.

Whether a child’s need for a family is temporary or permanent, the journey always begins with foster care as the first step. Its here that the simple mission of Child Bridge changes lives; the lives of children, families and the community members surrounding them. But this unique organization isn’t just changing the lives of others; the staff of 12 says that their lives are being changed too.

Two-thirds of this team are foster or adoptive parents themselves. Here’s a snapshot of what it looks like for the Child Bridge team to be “Changing Lives” both at work and at home.

Trisha Kinsey is a Family Outreach and Support Coordinator at Child Bridge in the Flathead Valley. She provides ongoing supports to over 70 Flathead, Lake and Lincoln county foster/adoptive families and manages monthly Resource Groups for these families in Kalispell, Libby and Polson. When frazzled moms are at the end of their rope, Trisha’s listening ear, encouragement and support brings strength and assurance for the days ahead.

“I love working for an organization where families who are in different stages of the foster or adoptive journey are strengthened and receive resources to continue on. My husband and I have seven children… five biological, one adopted internationally and one foster to adopt. I can’t imagine any one of my kids homeless, scared, or not feeling safe for a moment, let alone days, months, years. What some of these kids that we help support have been through in their short lives is astounding, tragic. Trying to parent them is rough, beyond the most difficult thing you could ever imagine. So having this outlet, this

nonprofit} Child bridge

The Kinsey Family

“I love working for an organization where families who are in different stages of the foster or adoptive journey are strengthened and receive resources to continue on. foundation to help support these families is not only incredibly needed, but so relevant and applicable to where they are in their struggles.

The fact that I get to come alongside and surround these families with support, encouragement and training is humbling. They change me, and I’m blessed.”

us can do anything about, yet they continue to trust that God is in control, and that His will is being accomplished. I have seen Him work in incredibly miraculous ways - helping kids to have forever families, watching families and children bond and attach, and seeing lives forever changed.

Erin Thom, is Trisha’s counterpart in Billings.

While not a foster or adoptive mom herself, Erin worked as a case manager with challenged kids and the families who care for them for years. Her heart is similarly touched. “Hearing about people doing ‘foster care’ used to make me think ‘wow, that is amazing, I could never do that.’ Working at Child Bridge and getting to connect with real families who face real problems, yet who are committed to take children with desperate needs into their homes, has awakened me to the realities, trials and joys they face. It has also helped me to understand this is not a mission that one can accomplish purely in one’s own effort or because one has ‘extra love to give, or a spare bedroom.’ This is a mission successful only through the work and power of the God who created each of these children and knows them by name before we ever meet them. I have been astounded to see how, on a daily basis, each of these families and children face situations that none of

One of the things I am most passionate about is the idea that everyone can do something to help these kids. I love the idea that we can creatively use our gifts and our family’s passions to help… whether getting to know a foster family to provide them a date night out by caring for their kids, giving them a gift card, helping a child with homework, or just being someone a mom can call when she needs to cry… there is a place for everyone in this mission, and I am so thankful to be able to work with Child Bridge to be a part of it!”

Val Young works with Erin at the Child Bridge Billings office, managing community outreach and the monthly Foster/Adoptive Family Resource Group there. Both in her work and her volunteer time, she is drawn to foster children who have not been placed in homes and may “age out” …alone and unprepared for the world that lies ahead. Val shares the words that have propelled her into the lives of so

The Scansen Family many teens who have been through unthinkable abuse and neglect, and who are now living day to day without consistent support or love.

“I just couldn’t imagine it. When I started looking into the plight of children in foster care I couldn’t ignore the fact that there are teens in my community who will “age out” of the foster care system at 18, with nowhere to call home, and no one to help them navigate life. These are the children that became wards of the state and never found a forever family. Many times this happened simply because there were not families available to care for them. I felt called into a place where I could mentor these teens in my community, get to know them, and start to understand their lives. Over the past year, I have been blessed to meet about 20 teens that are likely to age out and have been able to work with them weekly on life skills. My eyes have been opened to a world, their world, that I could have never imagined before, and I am working hard at developing relationships with them so that if they need someone to call, they can call me. I don’t want them to ever feel alone. It’s why our work at Child Bridge is so important. We’re finding families to care for kids in need of families so that they don’t launch into the world alone on their 18th birthday.”

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nonprofit}

The Partain Family A Child Bridge Community Director is the leader of the organization in a specific community.

The Community Directors in both Billings and Missoula are also foster and adoptive parents.

Steve Scansen of Billings shares, “Bringing a teenage foster son into our lives has been a positive life changing event for my wife and I. Having raised four biological children, we thought that since we had room in our hearts and in our home we should open ours to a foster child. We initially thought we would parent him as we did our own, but fortunately we were introduced to “trauma informed care” before we brought him into our home. We learned how traumatized kids tend to process life through a shame and fear-based worldview. Seeing the profound results of playful, loving, accepting, curious and empathetic parenting, we were convinced that others needed the opportunity to learn this style of parenting for the health and healing of foster kids. Had we parented him as we did our attached biological children, we would not have had the beautiful outcome we have had with our precious son nor the chance to bring relational and emotional healing to him. This life changing experience is what compelled me to accept the position at Child Bridge as the Community Director of Billings. Child Bridge is committed to bringing this healing paradigm to the foster families we support. It is a privilege to bring hope and healing to foster kids and to the families who bring them home. I can’t think of anything more meaningful.”

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JD Partain, Community Director in Missoula is an adoptive dad as well. “As a former pastor, I hold a special sensitivity and high regard for those who put their faith into action. Working as a Child Bridge Community Director allows me a front row seat to the active faith lived out through foster/adoptive parents. These are tough, love-saturated people who have faithfully followed the call to provide loving homes to children who have emerged from traumatic situations. What a blessing, to be surrounded by “such a cloud of witnesses”!

Working with Child Bridge is a very personal thing. As an adoptive parent of two children, the issue of children without families is near to my heart. It is difficult to describe the feelings of watching a child helplessly maneuver through difficult circumstances - situations that are the result of another person’s poor decisions. However, I am continually amazed by those who step forward to offer an unconditional love. We are surrounded by selfless heroes.

My continual prayer is that God will guide me and open my eyes to two things: the needs of the children waiting for homes and the people waiting to be asked to become foster/adoptive parents. Missoula is filled with the brokenness of

the former, but also primed with an abundance of the latter. What a privilege to be working to connect the two. That’s a life changing thing.”

Amanda Creamer is based in the Flathead, but serves all Child Bridge offices around the state as the Community Outreach Coordinator. She too, has gone all in for fostering and adopting.

“We have five kids that joined our family in very different ways. We’ve adopted internationally, domestically, privately and out of foster care.

Adoption has changed my life, and both broken my heart and healed it. Their stories are hard and messy but my kids are filled with joy and love. They are fighters with resilient spirits. I knew, in my heart, from the age of eight that I would not birth children but would build my family through adoption. What I didn’t know, and what I learned the most from our foster care journey, is that I would also love their bio families fiercely. Although their birth parents could not raise their children they all loved them so much and wanted the best for them.

Seeing them put their children first and hand them to me to care for and raise, both broke my heart and filled it with so much honor and love.

This is why I love working at Child Bridge.

We find and support families that can care for children that need to be loved. Then, we equip families with the support they need to be successful in very difficult situations. Foster care has my heart and I cannot believe I get to work in an amazing organization that allows me to be a bridge builder for these children and families.”

nonprofit} Child bridge While both foster/adoptive families and the outstanding team who serve the families sing the praises of Child Bridge, others are taking notice too. Recently, Senator Jon Tester and Representative Ryan Zinke nominated Child Bridge for the “Angels in Adoption” award, bestowed by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute in Washington D.C. This esteemed honor goes to individuals and organizations making extraordinary contributions in adoption, permanency and child welfare. Senator Tester said, “I can’t think of an organization more deserving of this award than Child Bridge.

Their mission is to connect children in need with new families, and there’s not a more noble pursuit than that.”

Governor Bullock has a strong focus and commitment to improved child welfare and commented, “Protecting Montana’s most vulnerable citizens – our children – is a responsibility we all share. As governor, I see every day how public-private partnerships between the state and committed Montana advocates like Child Bridge make a world of difference in the lives of kids across our state. They truly are ‘Angels in Adoption.’”

Child Bridge Founders, Steve and Mary Bryan, are themselves past foster parents who have an ongoing relationship with their foster son, his biological parents and, now, his wife and child.

“Child Bridge is all about building bridges for children who have been the victims of abuse and neglect, and the families who care for them,” said Steve Bryan, Executive Director of the program. “Bridges to a family, whether the child’s need is temporary or permanent. Bridges to services, supports and community. Bridges to healing and transformation. While we’re greatly honored to receive this recognition, we’re hopeful that the real value of it will be to shine new light on the needs of the most vulnerable in our state, and that the impact created changes lives - both here and now, and generationally as well."

For more information on Child Bridge, visit www.childbridgemontana.org.

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business}

Reignite the Passion in Your Relationship

Learn how Business Wisdom Can Help Your Relationship

Written by Susan Clarke and CrisMarie Campbell One of the recent 406 articles we both really enjoyed putting together was, Making Money With Your Honey. It spoke directly to what we are quickly discovering is a sweet spot for us; working with couples in business.

For years we have focused on helping leaders and teams discover the competitive advantage of using conflict. We are passionate about helping teams come to the table to have the right conversations. We help them value their differences and use them to improve team engagement and come up with creative, innovative solutions.

In our spare time, we co-designed, and have spent the last six years, delivering a Couples Alive series at The Haven. This program is for couples at all stages of their relationship who are wanting to more effectively work with their differences, stay engaged and enliven their relationships.

You might not realize it, but we find there is a whole lot of overlap between these two groups of people we spend hours working with. So this month we wanted to talk a bit about what we think are two key lessons from teams that really do help when applied and practiced with a couple.

The Big Why

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inspired. When we work with businesses, we suggest they answer the question: “Why do we exist beyond making money?” Their why needs to inspire passion and rally people emotionally to stay the course doing the day-to-day grind.

It's the same in a couple, only with couples, it’s more commonly referred to as the romance stage. Often by the time we are working with couples, the romance has gone background. Instead of, “Why do we exist?”

We suggest couples ask, “What attracted me to you?” and continue with, “What were my hopes, dreams and imaginings of what we would be like together?”

Sometimes couples have never really even talked about what was that spark that attracted each of them to the other. We find when they do start to talk about it, couples discover some surprises and very different storylines than they imagined. Of course over time, these early attractions have likely shifted, but the conversation often rekindles some of that romantic juice.

It is important to reconnect to what first attracted you to your partner, and also move into what you hope for your future together. Romance for a couple is like the vision for a company. A couple needs to keep talking, sharing and finding that spark that will ignite and inspire them as time goes by.

Sometimes it's long-range vision, like starting a family, building a business, or supporting a career path for one partner. It is important to continue to talk about it so that you each stay aligned and clear.

We worked with a couple where one had taken the path to become a physician, the other had once been on the same path but stepped off to become a mas-

sage therapist to support the start of a family. They had met in medical school. So some of their original romance was around being doctors together.

As they revisited their early hopes and dreams, it was clear leaving medicine for one partner was a choice that had happened without enough dialogue. He was clear, though, that it wasn't about going back to medical school now. Time had passed, and they had children. What was needed though, was a discussion about what had been given up back then, and what might now be a new way to have a shared purpose.

After we worked with them, this couple started a small-town holistic health clinic, which allows them to work together as a physician and massage therapist. They found a way to support both of their career passions while also sharing parenting responsibilities.

Plus they are raising their family in an environment that fits well for them.

It's not always about the long-term vision and big changes. However, couples, like companies, need to stay connected and engaged with each other. There needs to be a shared purpose and time spent together talking about hopes, dreams and possibilities.

We have found that couples that engage in discovering new things together and try activities outside of their respective comfort zones are more likely able to keep the romantic spark alive. It may be taking up dancing, starting a home project, planning a unique family vacation or deciding to race together in a fun run!

What helps get to some new ideas is going back and looking at the early roots of the attractions for each

business} It can be used at the end of a day to catch up on what type of day you each had. It also can be used to talk about a potentially hot topic, like money or some area of dissatisfaction for the other in the relationship.

5-5-5 makes room for each person to be heard and has a boundary of fifteen minutes. Too often a major issue in communication has to do with one person never feeling heard, that they don’t have time to talk freely, and/or they are fearful that if the topic is opened up for discussion it will not come to an end!

5-5-5

Decide who talks first.

1. That person talks for 5 minutes. No interruptions and when 5 minutes is up, they stop talking (even if not complete!)

2. The other person then has 5 minutes to talk.

No interruptions and stops right at 5 minutes 3. The final 5 minutes is for dialogue, clarifying questions or reflections on what was heard. of you and then decide how might that still be a path to aliveness.

Conflict as the Secret Sauce

The second important lesson from business that helps any couple enrich their coupledom is rooted in using conflict!

That's right, conflict is really a secret sauce in couples - just as it is on teams. Truth is, it may be even more important for a couple to recognize that conflict is a natural and healthy part of any relationship. Knowing that two people are going to think differently, feel differently and want different things seems obvious really. But, we aren’t good at dealing with the tension it creates. We want the romantic love stage to last.

Really, it's just like a start-up company that loves that all-in 24/7 rush of getting a cool idea out to the world!

But that isn't sustainable, and people are uniquely different. Stuff happens, and that person who you imagined was going to be a perfect fit into your life - isn't! Little things start to show up. Maybe it's not putting the toothpaste top back on, or it's never doing the dishes - the 'right way' - meaning my way. But of course, these are little things and you let them slide, but when those things don't even get talked about, the bigger things become even harder to talk about.

For example, money. You thought you were on the same page in terms of creating a long-term savings plan that would ensure you both could retire. But your spouse is not quite as conservative as you, and actually has a pretty high tolerance for investing in wild and crazy companies. But how do you talk about that?

Let’s go back to looking at this through a business lens. One of the biggest challenges in working with leaders is getting them to really appreciate and value meetings! Yes, meetings.

We get tons of kick back when we encourage business leaders to have MORE meetings! Truth is, meetings are really where business happens. It's game time and, frankly, the playing field for teams. The reason executives don't like meetings isn't because meetings are a problem. It's because they are settling for lousy, boring and ineffective meetings!

Meetings should be where debate, conflict and stuff gets surfaced and worked out. There should be meetings that have time and space for deep dives, and there should be meetings that are tactical and just cover day-to-day issues. In meetings, there needs to be space for differences and a willingness to get messy with each other and clean it up!

When teams don't spend the right amount of time together talking about what is most important - short term and long term - businesses fail.

After that final 5, you stop. This is very important.

Take a break even if things are still hot, or unresolved.

Recognize, appreciate and agree that this was one step toward building better communication.

Too often couples want to rush to a solution. Yes, this happens on teams as well. When you rush to a solution though, you are often solving the wrong problem. Using a 5-5-5 provides some time, space and dialogue for each partner to get underneath why this is so important to them.

This can be done daily, or could be done ad -hoc if a hot topic comes up!

Take a few tips from business, and apply them at home. Your relationship is worth it!!

Same with couples! Couples that don't block off time, and make sure they are talking about the hot topics in real-time suffer. Issues build up, and problems along with the distance between you two grows, making it even harder to talk about!

Yes, it's uncomfortable to talk about finances, sex, inlaws or annoying habits that eat away at good will. But not talking about them is even worse!

You get that in a business. Maybe you don't like meetings. And maybe you don't do those meetings particularly well. But you know you have to have meetings!

Couples need to as well.

A Couples Mini-Meeting

The best tool we know that seems to support connecting and developing trust and good will is what we call, the mini-meeting. The 5-5-5.

Susan Clarke and CrisMarie Campbell are Life Coaches and Business Consultants. They work with leaders and teams, couples in business and professional women. Their focus is to help people speak up, be heard and deal with conflict effectively. Watch their TEDx Talk: Conflict – Use It, Don’t Defuse It! on YouTube. Find them on Facebook @thriveincmt.

Check out their next Be BRAVE program or Mojo Coaching at www.thriveinc.com under Services.

Contact them to consult with your business, coach you, or speak at your next event at thrive@thriveinc.com.

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Beneficiary Deeds in Montana

What are Beneficiary Deeds and How Do I Effectively Use Them?

By Kelly O’Brien, Attorney at Law

Michelle was an only child and the sole heir named in her mother’s Last Will & Testament.

Her mother had a relatively simple estate including her home in Montana and her modest financial investment and bank accounts. When her mother passed, away Michelle thought that it would be a simple and quick process to transfer assets from her mother’s name into Michelle’s name.

However, while Michelle’s mother had a Last Will & Testament in place at the time of her death, her mother held title to her home and accounts individually without any beneficiary or right of survivorship designations. Due to the way in which Michelle’s mother’s titled her assets, Michelle had to open a probate proceeding with the district court. While the process was administrative in nature and somewhat straightforward, it cost several thousand dollars and took over six months before Michelle could transfer title of her mother’s assets.

Ann was also an only child and the sole heir named in her mother’s Last Will & Testament. Ann’s mother also had a relatively simple estate that included her home in Montana and some small investment accounts. However, prior to her death, Ann’s mother

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had executed a Beneficiary Deed listing Ann as the beneficiary of her real property. Upon her mother’s death, instead of having to open a probate, Ann simply updated the financial accounts and recorded an Affidavit of Death with the county Clerk and Recorder and the property was transferred to her name.

The process was simple and she obtained title quickly and easily without significant expense.

The difference between these two scenarios was a matter of how assets were titled and specifically the use of a Beneficiary Deed. For Ann, the transfer of real estate upon her mother’s death was simple due to the fact her mother executed and recorded a Beneficiary Deed prior to her death. For Michelle, it was more expensive and time consuming because her mother did not name beneficiaries on her accounts and did not utilize a Beneficiary Deed.

What is a Beneficiary Deed?

A Beneficiary Deed is a type of ownership interest where an individual holds title to real property but conveys his or her interest in the property to another individual, called a “grantee beneficiary,” to become effective upon the owner’s death. A grantee beneficiary might be a child or other family member but it could also be a friend or charity. The grantee beneficiary’s interest in the real property is not effective until the death of the original owner. This means that an

owner can revoke a Beneficiary Deed or change the beneficiaries at any time.

A Beneficiary Deed is a separate type of deed which requires all the formalities of a deed to be effective.

This means that the deed must contain a full, accurate legal description of the property, contain the addresses for both the grantor and the grantee beneficiary, and it be signed, notarized, and recorded with the Clerk and Recorder in the county in which the real property is located. It also requires the filing of a Montana Realty Transfer Certificate with the Montana Department of Revenue.

Essentially a Beneficiary Deed is a way to transfer interest in real estate to heirs and beneficiaries upon death without the need for a probate. While a Beneficiary Deed is not suitable in all situations, it can be an effective tool in transferring interest in real property upon death if executed for the appropriate reasons.

Beneficiary Deeds are most effective for estates that are relatively simple where real estate may be the only asset without an existing beneficiary designation and where the family members or other beneficiaries generally get along with one another. If your estate consists of your home and financial accounts, a Beneficiary Deed can be a simple and effective way to transfer your estate upon your death.

legal} deeds Essentially a Beneficiary Deed is a way to transfer interest in real estate to heirs and beneficiaries upon death without the need for a probate. While a Beneficiary Deed is not suitable in all situations, it can be an effective tool in transferring interest in real property upon death if executed for the appropriate reasons.

When a Beneficiary Deed May Not Be As Effective

If you have a complex estate, especially one with any type of trust in place or with potential estate tax planning issues or property in multiple states, then a Beneficiary Deed may not be the best option.

· If your estate is complex. Complex estates, especially estates that are likely to exceed the federal estate tax exemption amount, require additional planning and consideration. For 2016 the federal estate tax exemption amount is $5,450,000.00 per individual. While a Beneficiary Deed may be a simple way to transfer real estate upon death, it could have other estate tax implications or unintended consequences. If your estate is above or near the current federal exemption limit it may be beneficial for you to consider other estate planning options for avoiding probate such as a revocable living trust.

If your estate falls into the more complex category discuss your overall estate plan with your attorney to determine how a Beneficiary Deed would impact your plan.

· If you own property in multiple states. Every state has a different system for addressing real property and not all states recognize Beneficiary Deeds. Accordingly, if you own property in multiple states, the use of Beneficiary Deeds may not be as effective in accomplishing your estate planning goals. Instead, you may consider other options such as a revocable living trust to pass your real estate to your beneficiaries without the need for a separate, or “ancillary,” probate proceeding in each state where you own property. With a properly funded trust, the trust holds title to your property so no probate is required regardless of the location of your real property. · If family members or other beneficiaries do not always get along. Similarly, if you want to

leave your estate to multiple individuals that may not always get along, a Beneficiary Deed may create more problems. If your heirs are likely to disagree, it does not make sense for them to hold title to real property together. Instead you may decide to create a separate trust or direct your personal representative or trustee to liquate your real property and split the proceeds between your heirs to avoid potential conflict.

Naming Multiple Beneficiaries

An owner of real property can list more than one grantee beneficiary on a Beneficiary Deed. However,

they are most effective when only one or a few beneficiaries are listed (and those beneficiaries get along).

If you decide to list more than one beneficiary on a Beneficiary Deed, it is important to make sure you specify how the beneficiaries will hold title together upon your death. Specifically, state whether they will own the property as tenants in common or as joint tenants with rights of survivorship. If you plan to list more than one beneficiary, make sure you discuss your options with a real estate or estate planning attorney to ensure that you understand the implications of different title designations.

How is Title to Property Updated Upon Death?

If you list an individual as a beneficiary of a financial asset, that individual becomes the legal owner immediately upon your death without the need for probate. The same concept is involved with a Beneficiary Deed. The beneficiary you name on the deed becomes the owner upon death, instead of having to wait to transfer property through a probate proceeding. To update the title, the beneficiary owner must record an affidavit certifying that the original owner has died and naming the grantee beneficiary or beneficiaries entitled to receive the property. This affidavit must be signed by the grantee beneficiaries in the presence of a notary public and recorded with the office of the Clerk and Recorder in the county where the real property is located. If these steps are followed, the beneficiaries will take title without the need for a probate proceeding.

Seek Legal Advice

Beneficiary Deeds can be simple and effective estate planning tools. However, before you proceed to execute a Beneficiary Deed discuss it with your real estate or estate planning attorney. It is important that a Beneficiary Deed is properly executed and meets all the formal requirements for a deed. It is also important for you to consider your assets, family situation, and personal preferences carefully before recording a Beneficiary Deed and to ensure that it fits in with your overall estate plan.

If you have questions or need legal assistance regarding Beneficiary Deeds, estate planning or other real estate matters, contact Kelly O’Brien at Measure, Sampsel, Sullivan & O’Brien, P.C. at (406) 752-6373/ www.measurelaw.com

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Disclaimer- This article is intended for educational and information purposes only, it is not intended to act as legal advice.

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By Flathead City-County Health Department

School is in session, fall is upon us and you are relaxed, right? Nope. We all know that fall brings a busy season (or should we call it a stressful season) as family activities ramp up and holiday planning begins. Making your health a priority is important to ward off illness and boost your immune system. Here are some important tips to keep you healthy through the busy season:

Get your flu shot – During the last flu season, Montana reported 4,734 cases, 433

hospitalizations and 33 deaths. Symptoms of the flu can include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and fatigue. Anyone can get the flu, and vaccinations are the best way to protect yourself. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that everyone six months of age and older get vaccinated against influenza (therefore, taking your whole family for flu vaccines is recommended).

Wear sunscreen every day - Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the

United States. Even as other cancer rates are declining, melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is on the rise. The cool weather and slightly cloudy days don’t diminish the need for sunscreen. Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 before you go outside. Make sure to check the sunscreen’s expiration date. Sunscreen without an expiration date has a shelf life of no more than three years, but sunscreen has a shorter shelf life if exposed to high temperatures.

Sleep – While this may seem like a simple suggestion, The Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention report over one-quarter of the U.S. population receives minimal amounts of sleep and insufficient sleep is associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression. While individual sleep needs vary, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute generally recommends 7-8 hours each night for adults. Some ways to improve your sleep include: going to bed at the same time each night, removing all electronic gadgets (e.g. computers, televisions) from the bedroom and avoiding large meals before bedtime.

Be active - Regular physical activity improves your health, fitness, and reduces your risk for many chronic diseases. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) every week and muscle strengthening activities on two or more days a week (working the major muscle groups, including legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms). Sound overwhelming? The good news is that you can spread your activity out during the week and break it into smaller intervals (no less than 10 minutes for aerobic activity). Walk around the field while you watch your next soccer game or extend that walk with Fido for one extra block. You will be amazed how quickly this time adds up.

Remember, now more than ever, your family needs you to be healthy!

Flathead City-County Health Department 1035 1st Ave West Kalispell MT, 59901 406-751-8113 / www.flatheadhealth.org

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Tips

Stronger + Happier = Healed

How Louise Roberts took the reins in her recovery from breast cancer

By Nancy Kimball

Louise Roberts has a lot to say about fighting back after a diagnosis of breast cancer.

But you’ll have to catch her on the trail and walk along at a pretty good clip to hear it.

Louise, a 55-year-old fifth-grade teacher at W.F. Morrison Elementary in Troy, got the report in October 2014 that nobody wants to hear. A routine screening mammogram at the Libby hospital showed an anomaly; a biopsy confirmed it was cancer. But if a person is to get a cancer diagnosis at all, Bass Breast Center Surgical Oncologist Melissa Hulvat, MD, told Louise, hers was the best possible – a slow-growing “garden variety” early stage 1 ductal carcinoma.

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tion treatments, a couple more weeks off, a week of part-time teaching – and then Louise was back at it full-time in the classroom.

“The community, our staff and my boss were a great support,” Louise recalled this fall before heading into her new assignment in the sixthgrade classroom. “And my students! They were wonderful and caring throughout the year.”

WINGS, the grass-roots northwest Montana cancer support organization, bolstered Louise throughout her cancer ordeal. It is a favorite fundraising cause for Troy high school students, and served as a natural connection in her journey.

That kind of support was critical for her as she and Kalispell Regional Healthcare Cancer Nurse Navigator Kim Grindrod wove their way through treatment and a whole new phase in Louise’s life.

But she had a triple-play solution in reserve.

First, positivity.

“I am surrounded by positive people,” Louise said, referring to the many friends and loved ones who encourage her and speak strength into her while joining in on the activities she needed to pursue.

“With breast cancer or anything that shakes up your world,” Dr. Hulvat said, “if you have a positive attitude you can use it as a chance to reassess your lifestyle and priorities.”

She cited a 2009 study that showed most cancers are not caused by genetics; rather 80 percent come from a mix of “darn bad luck and environmental factors.”

“And within that group of cancers 30% are preventable,” she said. “If you can reduce your risk of getting cancer by 30 percent, that’s a good thing. That’s better than many medical therapies.”

health} Louise Roberts

“Patients like Louise say, ‘I know I can’t prevent everything but I’m not waiting for the other shoe to drop,’” she said. “That’s a good feeling for people to have; it’s just a better place to be. Louise knows she can’t make her risk zero, but she feels better being active.”

Next, activity.

“I’ve always been physically active, but I continued that,” Louise said. Throughout her radiation treatments, she could be found at The Summit Medical Fitness Center walking the track, joining small-group training sessions, doing whatever her energy level allowed that day.

In the summer of 2015 she and a niece made a series of five- and six-mile hikes in the Yaak, in Idaho, in the Cabinets, around Noxon and across other jewels of northwest Montana. This summer, most of her days found her on the hiking trail along the Kootenai River with her husband, Mark, or a close friend, logging about 4 ½ miles on the round-trip track. The fire-lookout trail is well-worn from her hiker treads. Come winter, she and Mark cross-country ski and she snowshoes.

At home, she does free weights and, as a member of the Sparks People online group, she found a 15-minute balance ball routine as well as a handy method for tracking her food and exercise.

Finally, food.

Garden produce is a godsend, fruit is a daily staple, ground turkey replaces hamburger, and fat-free Greek yogurt packs a protein punch for her homemade granola.

“I’m really careful. I watch my weight, but I never say to my kids that I’m dieting,” she said as she’s coming up on two years of being cancerfree. “I just want to eat right and stay healthy.

It’s part of staying cancer free. That’s my motivation. After you get cancer, it’s always in the back of your mind, ‘Is it going to come back?’

I have only a six percent chance of recurrence, but it’s there so I try to stay healthy.”

Louise is a year into her five-year regimen of taking the hormone-blocking pill Letrozole; she takes calcium, vitamin D and fish oil; she goes in for a bone density scan yearly. And she is deliberate about her food.

“Sure, I have great self-discipline, but it’s not from denying myself,” Louise said. “It’s from a positive goal.”

“I see a lot of people sitting around in that fear spot and just waiting for something to happen,” Dr. Hulvat said. “But Louise can be an example to other people, to help them take the reins and know that they’re doing everything they can do.

That’s coming at cancer, and coming at uncertainty, from a position of strength.”

Dr. Hulvat loves to see proactive patients such as Louise.

Your body’s inflammatory mechanisms have a lot to do with all kinds of disease. So to cut your risk, get active, reduce stress, control your weight, get enough sleep, stay positive and cut the saturated fat in your diet. “All these things decrease your cancer risk,” Dr. Hulvat said.

“There’s real science behind it – these boost your immune system and decrease inflammation.”

It’s all about giving yourself a leg up.

“Patients like Louise say, ‘I know I can’t prevent everything but I’m not waiting for the other shoe to drop,’” she said. “That’s a good feeling for people to have; it’s just a better place to be.

Louise knows she can’t make her risk zero, but she feels better being active.”

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Photo of Dr. Hulvat by Trevon Baker Photography

She tapped into the rich resource of Naturopath Lynn Troy, ND, at Kalispell Regional Healthcare, who helped her cut down on red meat and replace it with more fish and turkey. “Red meat is considered anything with four legs,” Louise said. But her activity level and the effects of radiation demanded she get plenty of protein. Dr. Hulvat recommended if she were going to add red meat back in, that she stick with hormonefree homegrown meat or wild game in order to get all the protein with more good omega 3 fatty acids.

“I’m kind of recipe addicted,” Louise confessed.

She found a healthful hot wings sauce instead of the fat-packed frozen version Mark so loved.

She makes her own chemical-free salad dressings. But she allows herself the occasional treat – a glass of wine, the crunch of chips. The Sparks People website allows her to plug in a recipe to easily add it to her daily count. “My best advice is tracking your food. If you get off, then you can go back to the website and retool.”

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Antibiotics

Aren’t Always

the Answer

By Allison Linville

Every year, 2 million Americans become infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria. Of those, about 23,000 people die from the infection. Dr. Jason Cohen, Chief Medical Officer at North Valley Hospital, explains that antibiotic stewardship – the practice of reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics – is an essential strategy for promoting the health of our community. North Valley Hospital is working with local healthcare providers to fight the rise of antibiotic resistance by raising awareness of the appropriate role of antibiotics.

“We’re just coming out of a 50-year heyday of sorts when it comes to antibiotic usage,” says Dr. Cohen. “After witnessing the dramatic benefits that antibiotics have brought to our patients, physicians are now realizing that antibiotics are not the answer for every medical problem, and that inappropriate use of antibiotics can have a negative impact on both individual patients and the greater community.”

Dr. Cohen states that there are three general ways that overuse of antibiotics can be harmful to people.

One way is that people can have adverse reactions to antibiotics, some of which can be fatal. The second harmful impact can be the development of resistant bacteria in the body of the individual patient, and the third way is that antibiotic resistance can develop within the community, which is a larger scale concern.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has launched an antibiotic stewardship campaign that North Valley Hospital is promoting in our community. The “Get Smart” campaign outlines six simple facts about antibiotics to help promote appropriate use: 1) Antibiotics are life-saving drugs; 2) Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections; 3) Some ear infections do not require an antibiotic; 4) Most sore throats do not require an antibiotic; 5) Green colored mucus is not a sign that an antibiotic is needed; and 6) There are potential risks when taking any prescription drug.

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The “Get Smart” campaign emphasizes that antibiotics cannot treat illnesses like colds, influenza, runny noses, most coughs, bronchitis, sore throats, or sinus infections. It is helpful to ask your child’s doctor for specific answers, and to learn what you can use as an alternative to relieve symptoms.

Sometimes, people think that technology is behind antibiotics and all that has to be done to fight antibiotic resistance is to create a new drug, but that’s not the case, says Dr. Cohen. “Antibiotic resistance is outpacing antibiotic development.

There is no ‘pipeline’ of new antibiotics that we can rely on. It’s been decades since we discovered a new class of drugs, and most of the new antibiotics released in the last several years are similar to ones that we already had. The result is that we have fewer weapons to fight stronger enemies.”

Dr. Cohen highlights another downside to the overuse of antibiotics, which is that antibiotics can disrupt the healthy balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria that the body typically maintains. This balance is important for mood, nutrition, digestion, and overall health. However, antibiotics kill both the good and the bad bacteria, throwing off this essential balance. Sometimes this just causes stomach upset or a yeast infection; other times, it can be life-threatening. For this reason, using antibiotics as a “quick-fix” is inappropriate and can actually end up doing more harm than good.

The best way to do your part for your family and the community is to practice your own antibiotic stewardship. It is critical to understand that there are important reasons your physician may not prescribe antibiotics and that many illnesses cannot be treated with antibiotics. The best approach begins with communication - talk with your doctor about the best way to care for yourself or your child when ill, and only use antibiotics when prescribed by your doctor. By following these guidelines, you can help promote the health of your own family and protect the community from antibacterial resistance.

Jason Cohen, MD, is board certified in internal medicine and is the Chief Medical Officer at North Valley Hospital in Whitefish. For more information about antibiotic resistance, go to: www.cdc.gov/getsmart.

Ask the Skin Coach -

The Danger of Antibiotics for Acne

Q:

By Erin Blair, Licensed Esthetician + Certified Health Coach

I’ve been taking antibiotics for acne for several months, and while it seemed to help in the beginning, I don’t think it’s working anymore. What’s your opinion of antibiotic therapy for acne?

A: I’m not a doctor, and I can’t tell you to stop

taking a prescription. Only your doctor can do that.

However, I’m not surprised that you’re not seeing results from this unfortunate common practice.

According to many authorities, the overuse and misuse of antibiotics has resulted in a global health crisis. Plus, it doesn’t work.

It’s been my observation that antibiotic therapy does practically nothing for acne. Initially it may be helpful, but those results are short lived. Rebound breakouts are extremely common as the bacteria evolve to become resistant to the drug. This leads to continued use of various antibiotics, with profound consequences. According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal: Antibiotics are one of the main ways to treat moderate to severe acne, and patients often are put on them for months or years. Although dermatologists represent only 1% of the nation’s physicians, they prescribe 5% of antibiotics, pharmaceutical-industry data show. Over time the microorganisms the antibiotics are designed to kill adapt to them, making the drugs less effective.

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In a study in Britain, antibiotic-resistant strains of Propionibacterium acnes, the bacterium involved in acne, were found in 56% of all acne patients in 2000, up from 35% a decade earlier. Many countries now report that more than half of P. acnes strains have developed a resistance to antibiotics.

Concerned dermatologists—in conferences, medical journals and professional newsletters—are urging more judicious use of antibiotics for acne.

The American Academy of Dermatology is expected to issue updated acne guidelines later this year in part to address antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance has hampered treatments for other types of infections, including methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which causes skin infections, pneumonia and meningitis.

The World Health Organization says antibiotic resistance is an increasingly serious threat to global public health.

Many doctors are concerned that taking antibiotics for acne can create resistance among different types of bacteria in the body. Two antibiotics commonly prescribed for acne, clindamycin and doxycycline, are also important treatments for some types of MRSA infections.1

I’m not alone in my observation that this is an ineffective approach. At a British Association of Dermatologists conference, a consultant dermatologist reported that ‘widespread prescription of antibiotics to

treat acne could be contributing to the development of resistant bacteria elsewhere in the human biome.’

Interestingly, it was noted that the use of antibiotics to treat acne is poorly supported by available evidence and should be phased out within ten years.2 It was further noted that less invasive, topical regimens were viable options. Studies have demonstrated that antibiotic limiting regimens, such as a combination of topical retinoids and benzoyl peroxide, can be highly effective for the treatment of acne.3 I spoke with Dr. Joe Holcomb, ND of Bluestone Natural Medicine in Kalispell. He agreed that the potential negative effects of antibiotic therapy for acne far outweigh any benefit. According to Dr. Holcomb, ‘Long term antibiotic use such as doxycycline for the purpose of treating acne has consequences that you should know about. Digestion issues such as bloating, diarrhea, and upset stomach can mostly be controlled if you take a high quality probiotic at the same time as the antibiotic in short term use. But with long-term use yeast infections, both vaginal and intestinal, become common. Also teeth and skin discoloration are common, as well as chronic upper respiratory symptoms. To round out the list of common side effects is joint pain, nausea, headaches, rashes, and painful menstrual periods.

There is a better way. Hormones can be balanced and natural skin treatments can be very effective in controlling and ultimately ridding your skin of unwanted acne.’

health} At the end of the day, I’m surprised that antibiotics are so routinely prescribed for acne. I have a 90% or better success rate clearing acne with gentle topical treatments and lifestyle coaching. And while they still get clear, my clients who’ve previously been on long term antibiotic therapy tend to clear more slowly and have more initial flare ups than those who haven’t. Go figure.

Key facts from the World Health Organization4 ● Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when microorganisms change when they are exposed to antimicrobial drugs used to treat the infections they cause. These are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”. As a result, the medicines become ineffective and infections persist in the body. ● AMR threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. ● New resistance mechanisms are emerging and spreading globally, threatening our ability to treat common infectious diseases, resulting in prolonged illness, disability, or death. ● Without effective antibiotics, routine surgeries and infections become very high risk. ● AMR is an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society.

1

The Wall Street Journal Online Press, January 5 2015

2&3

The Pharmaceutical Journal, 26 July/2 August 2014, Vol 293, No 7820/1, online | DOI: 10.1211/PJ.2014.20065860

4

World Health Organization updated Sept 2016 http://www.who.int/ mediacentre/factsheets/fs194/en/

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.

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Pap Smear

Guidelines

By Kassandra Patton, WHNP

When you schedule your annual wellwoman exam, you may be surprised to find that your visit does not always include a Pap smear. Current recommendations on this once yearly screening have changed much over the past 5 years. But first, let’s start with the basics: What Exactly is a Pap smear?

Pap smear is actually short for “Papanicolaou” smear, which was named after Georgios Papanikolaou, the Greek doctor who invented the test.

This is a method of cervical screening, which is used to detected precancerous or cancerous changes to the cervix. The cervix is the opening to the uterus, or womb. The cervix is seen by inserting a special instrument into the vagina called a speculum that allows the provider to

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visualize the cervix and surrounding tissues. A small sampling of the cervix is then gathered using a soft brush to sweep cells off of the surface of the cervix. This sampling is then sent to the lab to be viewed under a microscope to look for any suspicious changes. The results are then sent back to your provider for review. Your provider may also have this sample tested for presence of a specific virus that causes cervical cancer called the human papilloma virus or HPV

What is HPV and how does this affect me?

Cervical cancer is one of a small handful of cancers that is actually caused by a virus. That virus is called the human papilloma virus or HPV. There are over 200 strains of HPV that have been identified with each having it’s own number. HPV’s 6 and 11 are considered low risk and are responsible for the vast majority of warts that can appear on and around the genitals.

High risk HPV’s are responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer. There are around one dozen high risk strains of HPV, but two of these strains, 16 and 18, are responsible for

approximately 90% of HPV related cancers which include cervical, anal and throat cancers.

HPV is spread through sexual contact. It is estimated that between 80-90% of people who are sexually active would test positive for at least one strain of HPV. Most high-risk HPV infections occur without any symptoms, go away within 1 to 2 years, and do not cause cancer. Some HPV infections, however, can persist for many years. Persistent infections with high-risk HPV types can lead to cell changes that, if untreated, may progress to cancer.

Another risk factor for cervical cancer is smoking. Smoking lowers your natural immune system making it harder for your body to fight off an HPV infection. Obviously it is not recommended to smoke cigarettes, but if you are found to have a high risk HPV strain, it becomes even more urgent to kick the habit. Talk with your doctor about available programs and medications that can help you to stop smoking for good.

health} When should I get a Pap smear?

You should always talk with your doctor to determine the proper timing of your Pap smear. For the general population, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), have guidelines in place for timing of Pap smears and HPV testing:

Many women wonder: “If I don’t need a Pap smear every year, do I need to see my doctor every year?”

The answer is “Absolutely!” The Pap smear is only one small part of a female wellness exam. Your provider is also performing a complete physical exam including a breast exam and pelvic exam. Evaluation of menstrual cycles as well as birth control or fertility plans are also reviewed during an annual exam. Most insurance will also cover this visit with your provider at little to no cost, as it is a preventative and wellness visit. If you do not have insurance and meet certain household income qualifications, Pap smears may be available at no cost through the Health Department.

There are no excuses for missing your annual exam!

If you have been putting off this important screening, contact your provider to schedule your annual wellness screening today!

Kassandra Patton, WHNP joined Kalispell OB/GYN in March of 2013, moving to Montana from Illinois with extensive experience as a women’s health nurse practitioner. Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, she worked for 10 years as a labor & delivery nurse. Kasey has a strong interest in teenage wellness exams, reproductive health and contraception management. She and her husband, Jeremy, have 2 children, 3 dogs and 2 cats. They love the outdoors and moved to Montana looking to enjoy a better lifestyle in our beautiful Big Sky Country.

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Posture Check

The Up’s & Down’s Of Good Posture

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

Very often, or should I say just about every day there is usually some sort of questions regarding proper posture. The basis of this question is typically

Curve 1.

fueled after the patient sees their spinal x-rays for the first time and gains an understanding of the integrity and stability that the spinal column is designed for.

Seeing for the first time on x-ray analysis what a subluxation can do to the spine is somewhat of an eye opening experience (a subluxation being what chiropractors are trained to locate, check, and adjust if necessary). The age old adage seeing

Curve 2.

a.

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b.

Curve 2.

is believing is very true when x-ray analysis is performed. The spinal column is not like your teeth which you can visualize and inspect every day.

So, before we go head over heels with posture let’s understand what poor posture can create and why it wreaks havoc on your central nerve system.

Anatomically when you visualize someone straight on (face to face) their spine should be completely straight figure a. Then when you visualize someone on the lateral side (looking from the side) there should be three distinct curvatures in the spine figure b. These three curvatures individually should be within a certain amount of degrees when measured. Understand that the spine is designed to protect the most important entity within your entire body, the central nerve system. Think of the spine like a tunnel that is properly engineered to protect and harness your most important information highway that regulates, controls, and coordinates every human experience that you have.

health} What about stretches or exercises that can be done to “fix” a subluxation? There is no known stretch or exercise to specifically “fix” a subluxation. The best exercise that you can do every single day of your life is have good posture. If you’re looking to help and assist what chiropractors can do for you, then be diligent about your posture.

When your spinal column begins to deviate off of what is normal, your entire body as a consequence is in a state of dysfunction.

One of the number one reasons why people seek chiropractic care is for some sort of physical stress plaguing the body. Media portrays that this is a result of a sporting injury, birth trauma, climbing accident, or some sort of abrupt physical trauma/incident that directly alters how we feel. Contrary to popular belief, the entire presence of poor posture is the top physical stress of why people seek chiropractic care. Why? Very simple, if you have poor posture likely it is something that you are doing every single day, repetition for disaster. Hopefully, you are not just going to wake up one day and decide you want bad posture. Bad posture is something that develops overtime, usually without knowing.

With this poor posture, it cultivates continual improper stress on your spinal region thus creating subluxations. If you do not give the body a chance to adapt and heal from a physical stressor such as poor posture you are never getting better. Remember, a subluxation is not just about a pinched nerve.

Going back to our tunnel analogy of the spine, a subluxation is a disastrous area of that tunnel which is not safe to be around.

Your body as a result of that weakened area will be under constant construction trying to repair and coordinate messages harder and faster than it should be. Let’s be honest, who likes a 4 lane highway abruptly turning into a 1 lane highway during peak travel time? Nobody! Your central nerve system takes no time off, so it is always rush hour.

Questions usually arise about what can be done with “fixing” a subluxation. Well, first and foremost you need to have a proper xray analysis completed to access the spinal region and how this is affecting your central nerve system. Understanding the x-rays let’s chiropractors know what to do and more specifically, what not to do. This eliminates all guessing when it comes to your health.

Everyone’s health is different and everybody’s spinal health is drastically different.

After x-ray analysis is complete, specific chiropractic adjustments can be administered to restore normal tone of the central nerve system. Remember, that tunnel (spinal column) houses and protects trillions of messages that body needs on a daily basis to survive and thrive. Interfere with the course of one of those messages that your body uses and your entire environment is altered. An adjustment establishes that 4 lane highway again!

What about stretches or exercises that can be done to “fix” a subluxation? There is no known stretch or exercise to specifically “fix” a subluxation. The best exercise that you can do every single day of your life is have good posture. If you’re looking to help and assist what chiropractors can do for you, then be diligent about your posture.

Every single day you are going to be fighting gravity and making sure you are walking around upright. Honestly what is easier to do, to slump over and have bad posture or to course correct and have good posture. Having good posture can be a struggle and the struggle is real! For every inch of forward head posture, it can increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional ten pounds - Dr. Adalbert Kapandji. Let’s not try to overcomplicate healthcare and find the latest and greatest gadget/device that will fix your posture. Get back to the basics that have survived the test of time and will continue to do so, be aware of your posture.

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Worried about celiac disease & gluten?

Photo of the Throckmorton family

They’re not as hard to handle as you might think

By Nancy Kimball

Brian and Erin Throckmorton barely could tolerate seeing their sweet 4-year-old lying there in the hospital bed last July, bristling with needles and tubes.

“We took her to Kalispell for a biopsy of her intestine,” Brian recalled. He and his wife were desperate for some answers as to why their daughter had such severe gastrointestinal issues. Blood testing had returned very high titers indicating celiac disease. That endoscopy confirmed it.

“Bailey was such a trooper. Mom and Dad were the worst; it’s hard to see tubes in your little 4-year-old,” he said. “I just remember her saying, ‘Mom, it’s going to be OK.’”

As it turned out, today it is OK. But the Throckmortons followed a long road – with Bailey and her little brother Grayson – to get to this point of living successfully with celiac disease.

Wheat, barley and rye – which contain a protein called gluten – are wreaking digestive havoc in certain people. This phenomenon can be linked to another evolutionary development in nutrition.

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“There is increasing medical evidence to support the Paleo/Ancestral Health movement,” oman.com

Pediatric Gastroenterologist Tom Flass, MS, MD, said. Boiled down, it means, “we are genetically cavemen living in a modern society and the foods we eat are disconnected from what we are designed to eat,” he said.

Ancestral health advocates point out that including cultivated crops like wheat and barley in the diet didn’t begin until humans became agriculturalists – long after their guts had developed to digest meat, vegetables and the like. Our diets also contain more highly processed foods and chemicals now than at any time in human history. Based on that postulate, no wonder some people’s intestines are rebelling against what they identify as foreign.

Perhaps 20 or 30 years ago, Dr. Flass said, celiac disease was thought to affect one or two in every 1,000 people. “Now there is good evidence it is more like one out of 100,” he added, “but 80 percent of cases are undiagnosed.”

Case in point: Bailey Throckmorton.

She was a thriving toddler until about age 2, when Brian and Erin noticed she was gassy. Her arms, legs and bottom were skinny but her stomach was bloated and in pain.

“We thought maybe it was milk so we went to almond milk and no dairy products,” Brian said.

“That wasn’t it, so we got child probiotics for

what seemed to be gut issues. That worked very well until she was about 4 ½.”

That’s when Bailey’s symptoms started becoming more severe. Erin’s research sent them to the family doctor, who told them she’d likely grow out of it. Erin pressed, and the doctor suggested a screening for celiac disease. When the high titers came back on Bailey’s blood test, the doctor conceded Erin’s point. Brian and Erin sought out Dr. Flass, a pediatric gastroenterologist now practicing with Kalispell Gastroenterology at Kalispell Regional Healthcare. When he did Bailey’s endoscopy, Dr. Flass found a smooth intestinal wall – not the fuzzy wall he would have expected in a healthy child. Combined with the elevated titers, the appearance on endoscopy was fairly classic for celiac disease. All that was needed was to await the biopsy reports. Although it was about 10 days before the diagnosis was confirmed, Brian said they started her gluten-free life that day.

“It’s not tough to do it,” he said, noting that it’s just the way it is for Bailey who already is a mini-advocate for checking everything’s gluten content.

“The hardest part I have to wrap my head around is the forever part of it. She’ll do this all her life.”

Dr. Flass was the perfect specialist for the Throckmortons. After being gluten-free for 20 years himself, his diagnosis and treatment perspective reach beyond medical school and straight into practical life.

health} celiac disease

Gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity can present with gastrointestinal symptoms similar to celiac, but also with chronic fatigue, “brain fog,” joint pains and rashes.

He told Bailey’s family, as he tells many of his patients, Mackenzie River Pizza is a good place to start when looking for celiac-friendly restaurants. Eating out can be difficult, and it is important to ask questions at the restaurant to make sure they are celiac aware and take the necessary precautions. At home, he advises getting a separate toaster because even one crumb can set off a celiac reaction. Use separate butter dishes, peanut butter jars and fryers, where crumbs and cross contamination can linger. Avoid most barbecue sauces unless they are labeled gluten-free, watch your condiments and salad dressing, read the fine print for lunch meats that contain wheat thickeners. Flour-based papier mâché for kids’ art projects, and even some makeup and candies can be trouble.

Gluten-free living became a family affair for the Throckmortons.

“Our whole home went gluten-free; we didn’t make Bailey feel excluded. When we went out to eat, my wife and I went gluten-free with her,” Brian said. “We figured if our 4-year-old can do it, we as adults should be able to do it.”

“If you think you may have a gluten sensitivity and want to try a gluten-free diet, there’s no risk in it from a nutrition standpoint,” Dr. Flass said. “But make sure that celiac disease is properly ruled out before going gluten-free. It is important to know the difference, as people with gluten sensitivity do not have to be as strict.”

Gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity can present with gastrointestinal symptoms similar to celiac, but also with chronic fatigue, “brain fog,” joint pains and rashes.

“The classic celiac case in a toddler will present with a big belly and stick legs and arms,” Dr. Flass said. The smooth intestinal wall prevents foods from being absorbed properly. As malnutrition sets in, limbs start wasting away. Diarrhea becomes chronic. “In the old days, kids could die from stooling out. Even now, stunted growth is a huge risk.”

But celiac increasingly is being diagnosed in 40and 50-year olds, he said. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), abdominal cramps, chronic diarrhea and constipation can be red flags. Unexplained anemia is a prime symptom, but celiac disease is not the only end-game with anemia.

To diagnose, Dr. Flass does a simple blood test to screen for a specific protein. A significantly el-

evated result nearly always means the person has celiac disease. Fortunately, most cases are fairly easy to reverse over the course of a few months.

“A gluten-free diet pretty much cures celiac,” he said.

Brian and Erin have had great success working with the Missoula center where both their children are in daycare. They sat down with the nutritionist to plan breakfasts, snacks and lunches, and have encountered nothing but cooperation.

They’ve already talked with school officials for Bailey’s entry to kindergarten next year, and they are working closely with the family.

“Bailey and Grayson can eat pretty much what all the other kids eat, with small substitutions. That part is big, so they don’t feel weird around their friends,” Brian said.

“The biggest thing for parents to know is it’s not a death sentence,” he added. “I can’t imagine doing this 10 years ago, but the grocery stores are great at labeling now. It seems overwhelming at first, but it’s not as bad as you might think.”

Still have questions about gluten, celiac disease or other issues? Please feel free to call Dr. Thomas Flass at Kalispell Gastroenterology, (406) 752-7441.

They tossed their old spaghetti strainer and toaster, deep-cleaned the oven rack, and still stay vigilant at family dinners and pizza nights to avoid cross-contamination. “Eating a crumb does just as much damage as eating a pizza,” Brian said.

Their dedication bodes well for all four. Early this spring Grayson, their 2-year-old, started the gluten-free life. He had started to develop symptoms similar to his sister, with intestinal issues and a bloated belly. His blood work showed positive for celiac, so they bypassed the endoscopy and cut the gluten.

He’s doing well these days, Brian said, “but his 2-year-old tantrums are really worse if he gets gluten.” He and Erin saw a similar track with Bailey. “The thing I really noticed is her improved attitude. She’s much happier.” For good measure, both Brian and Erin also were tested – with Erin coming out clear but Brian showing positive for celiac. Now, without gluten in his diet, he’s noticed a boost in his own energy.

Photo of Dr. Thomas Flass and family.

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Six-Pack Abs, Tight Butts, &

Perspective

by Dr. John F. Miller DDS

Five years ago my wife and I, along with our two kids at the time, loaded up our U-Haul and headed north over the Golden Gate Bridge to our destination in the Flathead Valley.

While we were sad to leave our very unique

San Francisco experience, we were heading to what we knew was to be our final destination in life. We felt a deep feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment as we were simultaneously realizing two of our major goals as a family: 1) Successfully completing eight years of higher education and obtaining my Doctorate of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree. 2) Making the Flathead Valley the place our children will know as Home.

As we settled and met new neighbors, patients, and friends, a common question was asked of me: “So how do you like this small-town living out in the country?” My reply has always been, “If you could visit the place where I was raised, you would realize that this does not feel like a ‘small town’ to me.” If you are a long-time reader you would know that I grew up in Northeast Arizona in the high desert region of the Colorado Plateau in a town of approximately 1,000 people. My hometown is credited as inspiring the popular Disney movie “Cars.”

In any case I would describe my childhood as “Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn meet the Desert.” I was entrusted with a lot of freedom. I recall many times that my mom would pack my lunch and send me off with a cousin of a similar age to go explore the desert. We had a lot of free time to explore because we were not yet of school age. That’s right, we were 5 years old hunting for snakes and lizards in the desert, fueled by PB&J. With only my little legs for travel my adventure radius was quite small. But as all little boys do. I became bigger and stronger. I became braver if not more daring. I had more efficient means of travel. Legs turned into Pedals, Pedals turned into 4-wheelers, which in turn became a seemingly indestructible blue and white 1977 Chevrolet Scottsdale Pick-up truck. The same levels of freedom carried over from my youth and I explored my little piece of Arizona desert thoroughly.

During the hot summer months my friend’s favorite activity and mine was cliff diving at one of the many water-filled canyons that littered the landscape. A powerful combination of observant females and a lack of common sense had us doing some crazy

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Everyone around has some level of perspective pertaining to different topics. These same people also have some level of ignorance as well. In other words, we all have some combination of “We Know, We Know We Don’t Know, and

We Don’t Know We Don’t Know.”

health} dental stuff to try and claim rights to being the king of the cliffs.

Our high school science teacher performed some physics calculations and determined that each jump was the equivalent of landing on solid ground from 12 feet.

Routinely returning home dusty, scraped, and bruised from the day’s adventures led my Father to offer regular warnings that my body will pay for this lifestyle “down the road.” His tone a mixture of fatherly concern and sentimental envy as he was also raised in that dusty corner of Arizona jumping those same cliffs. His advice was coming from an elevated viewpoint perched up on years of wisdom and PERSPECTIVE. Everyone around has some level of perspective pertaining to different topics. These same people also have some level of ignorance as well. In other words, we all have some combination of “We Know, We Know We Don’t Know, and We Don’t Know We Don’t Know.” For example, as a young adult I wanted to avoid making costly financial mistakes. I knew I didn’t know. So I found someone with perspective to point me in the right direction as far as what books to read, etc.

Because of this I avoided some decisions that could have been costly later on and shoveled a little ignorance over to the perspective side of things.

I would like to offer a little perspective to my readers today. We are all getting older everyday. These days are going to add up and eventually you will look back and wonder where all the time has gone. Some of my readers right now are scoffing at me because I am only 35 years old. I mentioned having goals in the first paragraph and encourage you all to have a vision for yourselves as you age.

Does your vision for yourself involve a healthy smile? I invite you to ask yourself, “Will my current level of oral care and maintenance get me there?” Teeth are like six-pack abs and tight butts, they are harder to keep the older we get and therefore require more work. I see patients of all ages every day and guess who has the most perspective out of all of them? The patients that no longer have their teeth. The patients who can no longer eat some of the foods they love. The patients who cannot laugh and sing without the worry of having a denture fall out.

So what should you do? If this sounds like your situation already come see me and we’ll discuss the amazing benefits of implants. Otherwise, talk to your dentist and your hygienist REGULARLY. Ask them how your gums look. Ask them how your bone levels are looking around your teeth. If you are developing cavities and tooth decay something in your daily routine needs to change. Make a sincere effort to teach your children effective oral hygiene. Don’t let your child be the one sitting in my chair in their mid-twenties blaming their parents for their current dental predicament.

We are all getting older together and I would love nothing more when I’m 70 to be surrounded by a bunch of loud, funloving, steak-chewing, karaoke-singing, big-smiling, ROCKSTAR GRANDMAS! But it needs to start today. See you all in December.

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non profit}

Flathead CARE has a Busy October!

By Kari Gabriel, Executive Director

October is one of Flathead CARE’s busiest times of the year. We do our annual fundraising concerts, coordinate Red Ribbon Week activities, and we are also selling raffle tickets for a ½ Beef to support our youth programming! Kids are just getting into the swing of school and deciding which clubs or groups to be a part of, and our Affinity program is off and running for middle school and high school students.

Since our formation, we have maintained a strong commitment to deepening our programs to meet the needs of youth. Our goal isn’t just to provide a meaningful experience, but to teach them how to move ideas into action, giving them the opportunity to become leaders. Since 1989, CARE has been working with youth first through STAND Club (Students Taking Action Not Drugs), and now called Affinity Club.

Our Affinity Club students will be leading the charge to help promote Red Ribbon Week in the Valley. Since its beginning in 1985, the Red Ribbon has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. In response to the 1985 murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons to honor his memory, and as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction cause by drugs in America.

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Today, the Red Ribbon Celebration brings millions of people together to raise awareness regard58 406

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ing the need for alcohol, tobacco and other drug and violence prevention, early intervention, and treatment services. It is the largest, most visible prevention awareness campaign observed annually in the United States. Flathead CARE spearheads the local celebration each year, and with the help of community partner sponsors, provides 18,000 Red Ribbons to every school-aged child in Flathead County. Red Ribbon Week takes place October 24-29, 2016, with several family friendly activities planned. We hope to have a special guest speaker available to speak to school groups and the community, about first-hand experiences fighting the war on drugs world-wide.

Flathead CARE provides education-based programs that allow kids to discover self-worth, deepen their connection with their peers and community, and ignite a powerful passion to lead a cultural shift against drug and alcohol consumption in the community. We create a safe space for kids to be themselves, and inspire young people to catalyze change in the world around them, while providing drug and alcohol prevention, youth

empowerment, and peer mentoring. Participants in our program help create presentations, community events, and support groups for their peers, reaching over 10,000 families in our community.

Each year we partner with the STOP Underage Drinking in the Flathead Coalition and the STOP Prescription Drug Abuse Coalition, to bring a message of alcohol, tobacco and prescription drug prevention to local schools. We also partner with community organizations to offer free and reduced price activities for kids to participate during the weeklong celebration. A complete Red Ribbon Week schedule is available on the Flathead CARE website: www.flatheadcare.org. Please check the website for the most up to date information.

For 34 years, Flathead CARE has served as an informational resource and support to teens, parents and the community, and in doing so, has proven to be the Valley’s most consistent voice on prevention.

For more information on any of our programs and events, please visit our website or give us a call at 751-3971.

non profit} Each October, Flathead CARE puts on a series of familyfriendly benefit concerts in the Valley. The concerts are our major fundraising event, and helps raise money to support our youth programming.

This year, we are proud to partner with the amazing Kelley Sinclair of the Gladys Friday band along with special guests. Their repertoire includes soul, funk, R&B, blues, jazz, country, reggae and bluegrass, as well as, classic and contemporary rock n' roll.

tKelley Sinclair is the lead vocalist (and occasionally has been known to play harmonica and percussion). She hails from Michigan, but has lived and performed in several regions of the U.S., most recently the Los Angeles area. Kelley is a gifted singer and consummate performer, covering such challenging vocalists as Adele, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Eva Cassidy, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Nikka Costa, Gladys Knight, and Bonnie Raitt with skill and grace. Kelley is also a songwriter, and a talented visual artist. She has been gathering quite a following in Montana and throughout the region, and is fast becoming regarded as one of the most recognized and distinctive vocalists around.

Doug Ruhman has lived in Montana since the early 1980s,

2016 Red Ribbon Week Calendar of Events Please check www.flatheadcare.org for scheduling changes and updates

Mon., Oct. 24 Swim Night @ The Summit from 7 – 8:30 PM, $1 w/Red Ribbon. Limited to first 50 children. (Free for Summit members).

Wed., Oct. 26 Movie Night @ Cinemark Cinemas – Hutton Ranch Plaza Kalispell. 2 Showings of a family friendly first-run movie - TBA @ 4 & 6:30 PM. FREE with Red Ribbon. First-come, first-serve for both showings – Tickets available 30 minutes before show starts. Parents - do not leave kids until they have a ticket.

Fri., Oct. 28 Middle School Halloween Dance @ Linderman Education Center, 7-9 PM. Grades 6-8 welcome - Costumes encouraged (no masks). $3 w/red ribbon.

Kelley Sinclair of the Gladys Friday band and special guests concert benefiting Flathead CARE @ The Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, beginning at 7 PM. Tickets are $29, Kids 14 & under free w/adult ticket holder. Call 393-2581 for tickets.

Sat., Oct. 29 Kelley Sinclair and special guests concert benefiting Flathead CARE @ The FHS Auditorium in Kalispell, beginning at 7 PM. Tickets are $29, Kids 14 & under free w/adult ticket holder.

Call 393-2581 for tickets.

but is originally from the New England area, where he was a solo performer and songwriter. He is the rhythm and lead guitarist, as well as a backing vocalist for Gladys Friday. Doug has worked with several western Montana - based bands over the years, including the Full Moon Prophets and the Ruminators. He also has been known to play the drums from time to time, and has written some original songs for Gladys Friday. Doug also teaches at Salish Kootenai College.

Alex Schwab is on drums, and was born and raised in Montana in a musical family. He has been playing bass and drums since childhood and has collaborated with several local bands in Missoula, Bozeman and Helena. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Archaeology, at the University of Montana.

Karla Gallatin is the keyboardist and backup singer for Gladys Friday. Karla has been

involved in the music scene in the Mission Valley for several years including working with the school choirs and most recently the band Mega Karma. She enjoys arranging, writing music and expanding her knowledge of all things music.

The concerts will be at Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, October 28th, and at the Flathead High School Auditorium on Saturday, October 29th. All shows start at 7 PM. Tickets are $29, with kids 14 & under free with an adult ticket holder. Tickets may be purchased by calling 393-2581, and are also available at the door each night.

Flathead CARE’s Affinity Club is open to any student who wants to promote leading a healthy lifestyle and work to mentor peers and younger kids in drug and alcohol prevention. Club meetings take place at Kalispell Middle School and at the Flathead CARE office. · Mondays @ KMS Cafetorium from 3 – 4 PM. · Tuesdays @ Flathead CARE office in Linderman Education Center from 6:30 – 8 PM.

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Call 751-3970 for more information on any of Flathead CARE’s programs, including Red Ribbon Week, our ½ Beef Raffle, concert fundraiser, or Affinity Club. We look forward to hearing from you!

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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 www.McGoughandCo.com 131 Central Avenue Whitefish, MT 59937 406-862-9199

w w w. M c G o u g h a n d C o . c o m 1 3 1 C e n t r a l Av e n u e W h i t e f i s h 406-862-9199 800-862-9199

406contents

...50

Design 16. Bestow & Tablescaping 20. Fabric & Leather Style that match you

406

love

28. Tyrell & Lacie

Let’s Give This a Whirl

food & flavor 32. How is Wine Made?

34. Brussels Sprout Pasta with Lemon Cream Sauce 36. Chicken Curry 40. Fall Colors in Food 42. Spice Shop Mysteries Lemon Thyme Cookies

Family

46. To Quit or Not to Quit

Music~Arts 50. Cathryn Reitler-Sugg Art as Life 54. Myrna Loy Montana’s First Lady of Film

...34

Build a life

you don’t need a vacation from.

Tanya Gersh, Realtor

Luxury and Vacation home specialist PureWest Christie’s International Real Estate

Sold over 50% of all sales over $1M for 2016 in Whitefish *based on MLS statistics through May 2016

ta n ya gersh

r e a lto r

cell 406.261.4830 email Tanya@PureWestMT.com

401 Baker Ave, Whitefish, MT 59937 WWW.whitefishlakerealty.COM WWW.purewestrealestate.COM

Cover Girl publisher

Cindy Gerrity

cindy@montanasky.net

business manager Daley McDaniel

daley@montanasky.net

executive editor

Kristen Hamilton

kristen@hamitupstrategies.com

director & design Sara Joy Pinnell

sara@mrsandmrpublishing.com

Gabrielle Pelchen

Gabrielle was born and raised in the Flathead Valley. She currently is a student at the University of Montana finishing her Psychology degree with the intent to continue for her masters in counseling.

When she isn't studying, Gabrielle enjoys trail running, dancing and reading a good bookwith an even better cup of coffee!

P h o t o B y : S c o t t W i l s o n P h o t o g r ap h y ( www . s c o t tw i l s o n - p h o t o g r aph y . c o m )

Business Girl

photographers

Daley McDaniel Photography Alisia Dawn Photography Camp-n-Cottage Lisa Marie Images Scott Wilson Photography Sara Joy Photography Kelly Kirksey Photography Jessie Mazur Photography ABCreative Photography Erin Alderson

Published by Skirts Publishing six times a year 704 C East 13th St. #138 Whitefish, MT 59937 info@406woman.com Copyright©2016 Skirts Publishing

View current and past issues of 406 Woman at

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Leslie Yancey

Leslie teaches Afrofusion Dance classes for women, men and teens of all skill levels and enthusiasm in Columbia Falls. Starting out in ballet, it’s a long way from her start in dance in New York City. Read her full fascinating story by Marti Ebbert Kurth in our Business Feature this issue.

P h o t o B y : A l i s i a D a wn P h o t o g r ap h y ( www . a l is i ad a wn p h o t o g r ap h y . 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

w o m a n

My husband has a mini chalkboard in our bedroom that his daughter gave him as a gift. The heading on the top says, “Today I am grateful for” with plenty of space underneath to write your thoughts of the day.

Every time I notice it on the dresser, I can’t help but smile at the blessing he has written down. Just a simple thought that hopefully makes him smile all day – I know it does that for me. It also always reminds me to silently think a few thoughts that I am grateful for daily.

Recently, I found a report that proved being grateful has positive health benefits as well. The report cited 5 Scientific Facts that we can do daily to incorporate gratitude into our lives. They are:

1) Write down what you’re grateful for

2) Even a single act of kindness can go a long way 3) It’s never to early to start practicing gratitude 4) Gratitude can boost a romantic relationship 5) Saying thank you is good for business Read the full report at

www.goodnet.org/articles/5-scientific-factsthat-prove-gratitude-good-for-you

I don’t know about you but I’m always looking for ways to be healthier so I’m going to give it a whirl.

Happy autumn,

{

What you’ll find in this issue Kristen Pulsifer addresses the difficult question “To Quit or Not to Quit” in her column this issue. It’s especially helpful information while your children continue to grow and discover new interests and activities in school. Check in out on page 46.

Susan Clarke and CrisMarie Campbell address Reigniting the Passion in Your Relationship and how that will help your business in this issue’s Thrive! column.

Please check it out on page 32 and learn how to use the 5-5-5 Couples Mini-Meeting.

We have two great stories addressing the concerns of antibiotic use in society today.

Check out Ask the Skin Coach: The Danger of Antibiotics for Acne on page 46.

Plus Antibiotics Aren’t Always the Answer by Allison Linville on page 42.

Both stories are in the Business and Health section.

{

Meet

Kristen Pulsifer…

Our Talented 406 contributors C. Claude Basler, D.C.

Family chiropractor, allowing you to express your true potential

Erin Blair

Licensed esthetician and owner of Skin Therapy Studio

Brianne Burrowes

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

Kay Burt

Mother, Grandmother, native Montanan, legal assistant--a woman whose life is blessed beyond measure

Cris Marie Campbell

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

Kristan Clark

Co-owner of Bestow Heart and Home, designer and writer.

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’

Jen Euell

Program Director for the Women’s Foundation of Montana

Kari Gabriel

Exec Dir or Flathead CARE plus wildlife rehabilitator and educator

Kalispell OB/GYN Doctors & Practitioners

Board certified OB/GYN professional offering expert advice

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

John Miller, DDS

Specializing in general dentistry, Dr Miller provides expert advice

Carole Morris

Instructional Specialist, Author and Adjunct Professor. The proud mom of two perfect children and grammie to three flawless grandchildren.

Naomi Morrison

Professional journalist, freelance writer and committed to the community

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

Lucy Smith

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

Mary Wallace

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

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

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Profession: I currently own and manage the Whitefish Study Center. I work as an academic coach assisting students of all ages with various academic needs and SAT and ACT test preparation. I have three other wonderful tutors that work out of the study center, filling the voids that I myself cannot fill - I could never do what I do alone!

Notable Accomplishments: I feel fortunate to have accomplished many things.

I achieved my master’s degree from Colorado College that helped enhance my teaching abilities and resources. I have started my own business, which has found success in a wonderful community, supporting great families. I have a wonderful family that I could not have done any of this without.

My workweek always includes: My workweek is always different. My schedule var-

ies from day to day, which has its pros and cons. After dropping my daughters at school, I usually try to exercise/ride horses and then head to the office. I work in the mornings to answer emails and try to get the busy work completed, and then I organize materials for the students that I meet with from 3:30-7:00 every day. I do work with a few students during the day, but most of my students meet with me during the after school hours.

My favorite outdoor activity is: There are so many outdoor activities that I love,

but I unfortunately struggle to make time for them - a true flaw. I enjoy hiking and cross country skiing, but most of all I enjoy riding my horses. I try to ride at least three days a week. Unfortunately, that does not always happen, but I do my best and manage to ride SOME every week.

Every weekend you’ll find me trying to: Every weekend you will find me with my

daughters and horses. I try to catch up on the domestic side of my life (chores) also, but most important is spending time with daughters, husband, horses and dogs, in whatever form that may take. My older daughter and I enjoy horseback riding together, and my younger daughter and I enjoy creating stories, reading and then there is always a movie! Friday nights are date nights. My husband and I started this tradition when the girls were first born. Again, it doesn’t always happen, but … it should!

When it comes to food, I can’t live without: There are many foods that I cannot

live without. I love food! Meat (elk), broccoli and peanut butter are probably at the top of the list though. A good martini never hurts either, but I could probably LIVE without it – not happily, but I’d make it.

When it comes to electronics, I can’t live without: Electronics are not a huge part of my life. I would love to ditch it all because they tend to consume way too much of my time. I suppose as far as work goes, my phone makes it all quite easy. I can communicate schedules and information to clients from anywhere; and, I can make myself available to my daughters, no matter what. I suppose I would truly be sad without a way to watch movies. Movies take me away- especially funny ones. I need humor… lots of humor in my day-to-day life; otherwise, I take myself, and life, way too seriously. Laughter is key. Silly, ‘Adam Sandler type’ humor must be present. Whatever piece of electronic equipment brings THAT, I need it.

My bucket list includes doing this in the next year: My bucket list includes travel. I want to travel some place new and exciting at some point in the next year. Africa is at the top of my list, but I would settle for a fun road trip with my husband up the coast of Oregon or California. I am simply in need of a true get away.

Copperleaf Chocolat company 239 Central Ave. Whitefish Mt. 406-862-9659

Things We Love Locally Made Artisan Chocolates, Mary Frances Beaded Purses, Scarves, & Time Tested Books.

design}

Bestow Tablescaping With

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

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We all know that accessories are the key to maximizing your wardrobe. A basic outfit can take on many different looks just by changing shoes, adding a fun bag or a new scarf. The same holds true on the tabletop. You can take a fall tablescape from October all the way through the New Year. And who wouldn’t love that during this busy time of year?

The key is to start with a monochromatic theme that suits the season. We’ve chosen a garland of autumn leaves, acorns, pinecones and antlers. Sounds like fall in Montana! Layering it on a bed of mixed evergreens makes the subtle earth tones pop.

The tablecloth is a length of burlap that’s simple and inexpensive, but full of texture.

Now let’s add some sparkle! Beautiful large glass pinecones are stunning alongside the rustic garland. Sweet little glass bird ornaments peek out from the leaves. A collection of mercury glass candlesticks with creamy candles are strung across the table, much like a jeweled necklace might be strung around your neck.

Chargers for the place settings are grapevine wreaths, perfect to take your table through the season. Taking our cue from the antlers in the garland we have napkins with a deer print encircled with a stag napkin ring. Each guest has a little gift box of wooden matches with a doe or buck printed on the box.

The tablescape is classic and beautiful, now let’s mix it up!

The key is to start with a monochromatic theme that suits the season.

We’ve chosen a garland of autumn leaves, acorns, pinecones and antlers.

Sounds like fall in Montana! design}

Red is the color of Christmas

and tucking beautiful pomegranates and berries along the garland create a stunning look. Lower the lights, pour the wine, and let the party begin.

Unfurl a beautiful teal ribbon along

the length of the table, add a bright charger atop the wreath and surround the buck’s neck with a little ‘jewelry’ for a whole new look.

Let your imagination, the holiday,

and the season inspire more tablescape ‘outfits’. A splash of orange with little pumpkins perhaps? New plates and napkins? The possibilities are endless.

Wine provided by Brix Bottleshop.

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It’s been said that we need to give our children both roots and wings. Perhaps our family traditions, old and new, do just that.

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

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Be Inspired

Autumn through Christmas is filled with more traditions than any other time of year. Family traditions are especially meaningful, honoring those that have gone before us and teaching new generations that experiences and people are more important than things. Many traditions are rooted in our past, others can be created as the family tree grows. Traditions can be very simple, but don’t underestimate how deeply comforting they are in our chaotic world.

Tablescapes may be a tradition in themselves, since the dining table is often the focal point of family gatherings. Homemade pies are a holiday tradition in our home. From the time my daughter Megan was just a tot, she and her dad have made the pumpkin pies for our holiday dinners. It’s such a joy to see the pictures that capture this simple little tradition year after year. It’s not such a messy experience now! The pecan pie that graces our Christmas table is a recipe handed down from my husband’s 102 year old stepmom, who has now passed. We all think of Grandma Marion when we enjoy that delectable dessert.

It’s been said that we need to give our children both roots and wings. Perhaps our family traditions, old and new, do just that.

Photographed in The Venue at Bestow with items from Bestow Heart and Home.

Come visit us in Historic Downtown Kalispell

Vintage – Home Décor – Gifts – Jewelry – Inspiration - Venue

Call 406-890-2000 or visit www.bestowheartandhome.com for more information.

Fabric & Leather The

styles that match you

By Wright’s Furniture

subtle use of the right textures and patterns can unite a room. By choosing the right fabric, individual pieces can stand on their own, but also mix together effortlessly, creating a space that is warm and inviting.

Sectional

The transitional frame of this large fabric sectional allows it to work with many different styles. This piece is featured here as a 4 piece fabric combination with contrasting throw pillows but can be special ordered with fewer or more pieces to create different seating/size options. Also available in leather.

Cocktail Table

This square cocktail table features an inset antiqued mirrored glass top, wrought iron base and stretchers in silver leaf finish.

This eye-catching collection also includes a matching end table, console table and rectangle cocktail table.

Leather Accent Chair

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The rich mocha color of this leather accent chair adds contrast to the room. This chair features a sinuous spring construction, spring down cushion, and antiqued nickel decorative nail heads. Also available in fabric.

Display Curio

This curio features a grey cashmere finish, two wood-framed doors with lightly seeded inset glass and metal grille in hearthstone finish. The inside has three adjustable and removable glass shelves and lights with a dimmer switch. This piece creates both a beautiful display case and extra storage for many spaces.

Ottoman

This burnt orange ottoman adds a pop to the room with its velvet texture, bright color and decorative nailing.

design}

leather

The beauty of leather is that it can be luxurious yet rugged, formal but casual.

With frames of varying styles and a range of leather options, pieces can be created that fit a classic style or one that reflects a more modern aesthetic.

Fabric accent chair

Add an unexpected element to the room with this accent chair.

The soft thick fabric of the inside seat back and cushion in the combination showed here creates a rugged yet cozy texture and comfortable feel. It contrasts nicely to the clean side fabric and bright nickel nail head trim. Also available in leather.

End table

This glass top and metal-based end table adds a clean industrial touch to the space. This collection includes a matching cocktail table and console table.

Leather sofa

This handsome transitional leather sofa features sinuous spring construction, spring down cushions and fabric welted throw pillows. This sofa and matching chair is available in two additional leather/fabric pillow combinations.

-Product featured is available at Wright’s FurnitureWright’s Furniture in Whitefish has many collections available in stock and for special order.

Please visit our 60,000 sq. ft. showroom or view or website at www.wrightsfurniture.com.

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love} stories

Let’s Give This a Whirl August 6th, 2016

Tyrell Scott Antone & Lacie Jo Anvik

Photographed by Alison Binder with ABCreative

Her side of the story:

Who you are going to fall in love with & marry? Is it stranger you meet at a local bar or dance beside while listening to live music? Is it someone who you meet through mutual friends or have known forever? These questions have run through my mind since I was a little girl and secretly wanting life to hurry up so I could meet the man of my dreams.

I was an optimistic country girl who grew up in a small town (Sidney, MT) where you knew pretty much every family along with their extended families. I never had much luck with relationships and was slowing losing hope that my dream of meeting my husband would come true. I moved to Kalispell in 2010 & took a job with Glacier Bank as a real estate loan processor (where I still work today).

I put together a laundry list of how to find “the one.” I went to Casey’s Bar & Grill on weekends, hung out with friends while listening to live music, and tailgated at Griz football games in Missoula. But, I never found “him.” What I didn’t realize then is that “he” was right in front of me all along.

Tyrell & I grew up in the same town, we had been friends since we were juniors in High School, we were roommates in college in Missoula, we hung out every time we were in the same town, we traveled as friends to New Or-

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leans, LA where he spent a week with my close family relatives, and spent many winter days snowboarding & laughing together.

It wasn’t until after five years and someone asking me why we never thought of dating that it finally hit me…the man of my dreams was truly my best friend, Tyrell. We went to Seattle, WA for a weekend where I finally had the guts to ask him why we have never thought of dating each other. He replied, “Well, let’s give this a whirl!”

After that moment I knew this time was going to be different. Since then we found love in taking adventures around the state. We’ve backpacked, hiked and snowshoed over many trails & still counting. He proposed to me with a waterfall in the background during a hike in Oahu, HI. There was a moment before I said “I do” at our wedding where I had flashbacks of all the years

we knew each other. I never imagined when walking down the hallways of high school that in eight years we would be walking together down the wedding aisle.

His side of the story:

For the longest time I thought I would go through life a single man. Every time I would try to get involved it seemed to just not work out. I started working in the oilfield right after high school; it was only going to be for the summer but nine years later I’m still out there.

It was hard to find a woman who was willing to stay around while I was gone for two weeks every month. My job consists of working 12hour shifts, hardly any cell service in middle of nowhere North Dakota & working in an environment that needs your full attention.

Lacie & I were friends and even roommates for a time while in Missoula. I never thought that she would be my wife six years later. We even joke now how long it finally took us to realize

love} stories

this. I went up to Whitefish snowboarding one weekend and let her know we were coming. We met for drinks, sat there for a couple of hours, caught up and found out she wasn’t seeing anyone at the time. After she had left, I told my friend that was there with us that I was going to try to make her mine. Our paths finally met up and I’m going to try my best to be the man she deserves.

About two weeks later she invited me to New Orleans with her family. We were still just friends at the time. I had a blast and loved her family.

I thought she was a woman who had her life together and had a great family. I couldn’t stop thinking about her after this trip when I went back to work and she went back to Kalispell.

Two weeks at work seemed like forever. I was planning on asking her to go to Seattle with me on my next days off. I’m not the type of guy who does this, as a matter a fact I didn’t even know how to ask without sounding like it’s my first time asking someone on a date. She said yes without hesitation. While we were there enjoying the weekend of baseball games and playing tourist she caught me off guard on the second day with her blunt question “why don’t we start seeing each other?” I immediately thought here’s a woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid of waiting to be asked! The only words that I could come up with were “well let’s give this a whirl!”

Since that moment before I asked her to marry me there wasn’t just one moment I knew I was going to ask her to marry me. There were many moments. Moving in together and making it our home together. Watching her doctor her blisters after a long hike knowing she loved the outdoors as much as me. Knowing that she can get dolled up to go to fancy dinners one night and then go out the next day and drink a beer on top of a mountain!!.

Most of all knowing she has a kind heart and we’ll always be there for each other. I never thought I’d find such an amazing woman; she is my dream girl and has made me proud to call her my wife.

Wedding Details: Venue: Glacier Raft Company, West Glacier, MT Catering Company: Great Northern Gourmet, Bigfork, MT Band: Moonshine Mountain Flowers: Mum’s Flowers, Whitefish, MT Tuxedos: Party Central, Sidney, MT Wedding Dress: BHLDN, Seattle, WA Photographer: Alison Binder with ABCreative, Lakeside, MT Bridesmaid Jewelry: Kelsey Chambers, Old Soul (Earrings) CMartini (antler rings) Honeymoon:

We’re planning to go to Torres Del Paine in Patagonia for 10 days next year.

We’ll be hiking, horseback riding, kayaking and camping.

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food} wine

How is Wine Made?

The Basics of Wine from Harvest to Barrel Written by Karen Sanderson, Brix Bottleshop Photos courtesy of Elk Cove Vineyards featuring Associate Winemaker Heather Perkin

When we’re sitting around the table sipping vino, few of us question the process of how that nectar of goodness gets into the bottle. Occasionally, people will say they taste “essence of chocolate, blackberries, and earth.” So wait, does that mean a winemaker is actually putting cocoa in that bottle? Are we exposing our bodies to the dangers of tobacco and cow dung? Not to worry, that is definitely not happening.

There is only one ingredient used to make wine. It’s all grapes, pure and simple.

What’s a “Variety?”

Can wine be made out of any grapes? Think of it this way. Are all apples good for making juice or cider? I don’t know about you, but crabapple juice does not sound very appealing. Table grapes (vitus labrusca) are best for sack lunches and grape juice. Wine grapes (Vitis vinefera) are best for making wine.

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All of the different grape varieties (chardonnay, cabernet, merlot, pinot noir, etc) go through four main stages during the growing season. Each grape variety is sensitive to different climates and will ripen best under particular conditions. For example, the pinot noir grape prefers a cool climate and takes approximately 6-7 months to ripen, whereas merlot prefers warmer climates and ripens in approximately 5-6 months. The climate, soil, and geography of a vineyard is called terroir. Most grape vines are finicky when it comes to terroir and winemakers around the world seek out only the very best for their vines.

ally cut fruit clusters to the ground so that the vines ripen 1-2 tons per acre instead of 3-6 tons per acre.

Growing Season

The Harvest: Once the fruit comes in, it is prepped

Spring: Flowering and fruit set occurs in the spring.

If vineyards see heavy rain, the vineyard risks “shatter” where the rain shatters the petals off the newly formed cluster. If rains shake off some of the potential grapes, clusters will become “hens and chicks” where some grapes will be tiny and some will be larger.

Summer: Grape cluster flowers grow into berries and ripen during the summer. During this time, the vineyard crew makes decisions on the canopy (vine coverage), and the amount of fruit to leave on vines. If the winemaker is going for low yields for an age worthy, extra concentrated (more pricy) wine, they will liter-

Fall: Once the grapes reach their optimum brix

(sugar content), winemakers will begin to “bring in” their fruit. Factors that affect the grape quality during harvest are the brix content, rain, and temperature.

Winter: After harvest, the vineyard crew trims back the vines (prunes) and let the vineyard go dormant through the winter.

Winemaking for fermentation. The difference between the wineries will be these questions: are the grapes hand picked or by machines? Does the fruit get sorted to weed out the undesirable grapes and leaves?

Is the wine whole cluster fermented, or does the fruit go through a destemmer?

Once the winemaker decides these factors, fermentation can begin. Sometimes the grapes will start to ferment on their own. Often times, certain yeast strains are added to the bins or tanks to get the process started.

Fermentation: After fermentation begins, winemakers (and interns, ie: “cellar rats”) routinely punch down the grape skins into the juice a few times a day. This allows the juice to soak up the flavors of the skins. Some wineries punch down by hand, others do machine “pumpovers” and very few go the old fashioned route of stomping with their feet like you see in the classic scene from “I Love Lucy.”

Second Ferment: During fermentation, the brix will go from 22-25 to 0 and the alcohol will go from 0 to 11-14%. Most wines are then transferred to barrels or tanks for aging. Sometimes wines will be put through a second fermentation called, “malo,” or malolactic fermentation. This second round of fermenting softens the wine and turns the high malic acid into a soft lactic acid. The wines will thus become fruitier and less acidic.

Filter: Once in barrel, some wines will get filtered and some will not.

This is a choice by the winemaker. Most white wines are filtered whereas the reds depend on the winemaking preference.

Aging: Some whites will sit in a tank after harvest until they are

bottled a few months later. The red wines not aged in barrels can be bottled early as well. Wines meant for aging will spend more time in newer oak barrels, while ready to drink now wines will be aged in older barrels. The oak provides tannin and flavor to the wines. It also provides a natural preservative that makes the wines last longer.

Does the wine change from year to year? Ie: vintage to vintage?

Yes, it most definitely does. Every season provides its challenges and weather is usually the culprit. Excessive heat, cold, rain, wind, make all the difference from year to year. Insects and animals can wreak havoc in a vineyard as well. Most wineries have year round vineyard workers managing the vines in order to accommodate these changes.

Want to know more about viticulture and winemaking?

We have found several resources in books and online.

Just pop into Brix and ask us!

Cheers, Karen

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Brussels Sprout Pasta Lemon Cream Sauce

with

Recipe and Photography by Naturallyella.com

INGREDIENTS 3/4 pound Brussels sprouts 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 6 ounces pasta 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon lemon juice Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400˚. Quarter Brussels sprouts, and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread into a single layer, and roast until tender and browning (20 to 25 minutes).

2. While Brussels sprouts roast, cook pasta according to directions. Drain, (reserving about 1/2 cup of pasta water) and return to the pot.

3. To make cream sauce, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Measure in heavy cream and lemon zest. Bring the sauce to a boil, and let cook until it thickens slightly, 6 to 8 minutes… Then stir in lemon juice.

4. In the pot (with the pasta) stir in the sauce and the Brussels sprouts. Add enough pasta water for the sauce to coat the pasta and Brussels sprouts.

5. Transfer pasta to a bowl and top with toasted walnuts.

PREP TIME: 10 MINS - COOK TIME: 20 MINS - TOTAL TIME: 30 MINS - SERVES: 2 to 4 servings

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Brussels sprouts are misunderstood - probably because most people don't know how to cook them properly. todd english

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Chicken Curry

By Carole Morris

INGREDIENTS ¼ cup peanut oil 3 onions, chopped 4 tablespoons garlic cloves, chopped

As you breathe in the autumn air, delight in this fall recipe that is full of piquancy and color.

4 teaspoons of curry powder 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes 2 chicken breasts, diced

Sautee all ingredients together until chicken is fully cooked. Then add: 10 cups of chicken broth 6 medium carrots sliced 3 cups of rice

When rice is cooked, add: ½ cup creamy peanut butter 1 tablespoon of sugar ½ cup of sour cream Sprinkle with parsley for color

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By Dr Austine Siomos

Fall colors in food

Above all other seasons, fall is known for colors. Here in Montana, our fall colors are

breathtaking golds, deep reds, dark evergreens and bright orange, to name just a few.

One of my favorite things to do in fall is to come in from the brisk outdoors, throw a squash in the oven and then smell it cooking while I warm up and decide what else to add to make it a meal. There is nothing like the smell of the naturally sweet squash caramelizing in a cozy home.

Whenever I discuss nutrition with a new patient and their family, I acknowledge that most people are frustrated at some point by food and nutrition. Even experts cannot seem to agree on what exactly is the best thing to eat. One general thought that nearly all doctors, dietitians and other experts can support is that whole foods are better than processed foods. The next question, of course, is “what is processed food?”

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A processed food is any food that is altered from its original form. There is a spectrum of processing, and “processed” does not necessarily mean unhealthy. An example of the least processed food is a carrot harvested from your own garden and eaten right there. Freezing and canning are forms of processing, and are not necessarily negative.

It’s wonderful to have the option of fruits and vegetables picked at their peak and frozen or canned soon after. These may not retain all of the micronutrients as that carrot from your garden, but they are still good options.

The best items do not have nutrition labels, because they have one ingredient. For example, an apple, a bunch of spinach, a bag of mushrooms, and a fresh ginger root do not require labels. For food items that have labels, by far the most important part of the label is the list of ingredients. Kids actually enjoy reading labels, and I have my patients read ingredient labels in my office. I then challenge them to go shopping and ask four questions with every item. Here are the questions to ask when reading an ingredient label:

1. Would my great grandmother recognize these ingredients?

2. Could I picture (or draw a picture of) each ingredient?

3. Are all the ingredients pronounceable?

4. Are there five for fewer total ingredients?

Some of the most processed foods are those from fast food restaurants. It’s fun (and a little shocking) to look up online the ingredient lists of different fast food items.

Squash

How does this relate to the star of this article, squash? Squash is a great example of a food that does not require a label and is not processed.

To go briefly back to botany, squash are from the genus Curcubita (Latin for gourd). Most of the common types of squash we eat are

and

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Baked squash

Butternut squash white bean soup

This is a beautiful, hearty soup. It is colorfully packed with vitamins. The fiber and protein will fuel you for another outdoor adventure, before or after a winter nap.

seeds

make a great snack. Season them with pepper, salt, cinnamon or

ginger. One ounce of squash seeds

Ingredients:

has seven grams of protein and

· One butternut squash (or other winter squash)

four milligrams of iron.

· One bunch of cauliflower · One lunch sack full of mushrooms

actually native to the Americas. Squash fruits have been a part of human culture for at least 2,000 years.

squash (especially acorn squash) has ¼ to 1/3 of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of magnesium.

The most popular winter squashes are acorn, butternut, delicate, kabocha, spaghetti, and of course pumpkins!

Control blood pressure: Potassium lowers blood pressure in people who have hypertension and also lowers the risk of developing high blood pressure. Winter squash is a rich source of potassium.

The most well known summer squashes are zucchini (yellow, green and round types), crookneck, yellow squash, pattypan (which is worth looking into not only for the name but for their adorable look).

Health benefits of squash

Vitamin A: Squash is high in beta carotene, which is the precursor to vitamin A also found in carrots and leafy greens. Vitamin A is important for vision, bone growth and reproductive health. Eat enough beta carotene and your skin will likely have a glow to it that people will notice.

Fight cancer: We know that most adults have tiny undetectable amounts of cancer cells in their bodies. While normal cells get signals from other cells around them, cancer cells are known to act independently and ignore signals. Studies at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii show that beta carotene and other carotenoids can turn on a gene in cancer cells that allows communication from surrounding cells and prevents further growth.

Avoid cataracts: Squash is rich in the pigments lutein and zeaxanthin. A 2008 study followed more than 35,000 women for an average of 10 years. Those with the highest amounts of these two pigments in their diet had a lower risk of cataracts.

Avoid gallstones: Triglycerides are the most common form of body fat. Elevated levels of triglycerides and decreased levels of HDL (good) cholesterol increases the risk of gallstones. Magnesium, which is found in all squash, reduces triglycerides and the risk of gallstones. One cup of

Get some healthy protein: Baked squash seeds make a great snack. Season them with pepper, salt, cinnamon or ginger. One ounce of squash seeds has seven grams of protein and four milligrams of iron.

Anti-inflammatory pasta replacement: This is a special shout out to a specific squash, spaghetti squash. This squash is a little tougher to cut (use a sharp knife and be careful), but completely worth it. Bake it at high heat in a little water bath until a fork goes in easily, then have a great time pulling out all the pasta-like strands. And rejoice in the healthy fiber, vitamins and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids!

· 2-3 cups water or broth (or more depending on your preferred consistency of soup) · Two leeks · 3 cups white beans (canned or dried – if dried then 1 cup dry will usually equal about 3 cups cooked) · Two lemons or limes · Salt, pepper, ginger and cinnamon (or any spice that you desire)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees F 2. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a large spoon.

3. Cut the cauliflower in small pieces. I used a purple cauliflower here.

4. Arrange the squash halves and cauliflower on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and roast until a fork goes easily through the squash.

5. While the squash is baking, slice the leeks in ¼ inch slices and sauté them with the mushrooms in a large 4 or 5 quart soup pot.

6. Once the mushrooms and leeks are sautéed, add the cooked beans 7. Add 2-3 cups of water or broth.

8. Zest the lemons or limes into the soup and

squeeze the juice in too.

Dr Austine Siomos I am a pediatric cardiologist. I trained f irst to become a pediatrician and then specialized in the study of pediatric hearts. I see children from before they are born until they are ready to see an adult cardiologist. I am passionate about the health of all children and families. My goal for all children is to promote healthy habits and avoidance of those types of heart disease that are generally considered to be adult problems.

9. Season to taste with salt, pepper, cinnamon

and ginger powder, and/or any other spice that you enjoy

10. Allow the roasted squash to cool until it is easy to handle, then cut into cubes.

11. Add the squash and cauliflower to the soup 12. Cut the Swiss Chard into slices and add just

before serving

13. Serve in steaming bowls!

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Spice Shop Mysteries Lemon Thyme Cookies

By Leslie Budewitz, Author/Lawyer

In writing my Spice Shop Mysteries, set in Seattle’s famed Pike Place Market, I’ve had a great time learning about herbs and spices, and finding ways to incorporate them into my stories and recipes.

What, you might be wondering, is the difference between an herb and a spice? It’s easy. An herb is a fresh or dried leaf. A spice is a dried plant part—a bud (cloves), bark (cinnamon), root (ginger), berry (peppercorns), seeds (fennel), or even stigma (saffron). The same plant may provide both—fresh or dried cilantro leaves are the herb cilantro, while the dried seeds are the spice coriander.

We often think of herbs, like thyme, oregano, or basil, as compliments to savory dishes, such as red sauce for spaghetti, or to spice up sausage. Turns out herbs are also great additions to desserts. Their aromatic qualities can infuse other ingredients, like milk or alcohol, with unexpected flavor. In Guilty as Cinnamon, the second book in the series, my main character, Pepper Reece, adds thyme and orange, along with the more traditional cinnamon, to Crème brulée. Bartenders add thyme and other herbs to cocktails, and in the third in the series, Killing Thyme (out October 2016), caterer Laurel serves up Tequila Thyme Lemonade and Lavender Limeade.

Turns out herbs also add a fresh twist to shortbread or sugar cookies.

This recipe uses fresh thyme. In place of the thyme and lemon, try lavender buds, as flavorful as they are fragrant and beautiful.

I hope you’ll give these cookies a try. Pair them with a good, light-hearted mystery for a heck of a good thyme.

Lemon Thyme Cookies

The herbs give these shortbread squares a light, summery touch that tastes terrific in any season. Serve with lemon sorbet for an elegant pairing. ½ cup butter, softened ¼ cup white sugar

1 tablespoon fresh thyme or lemon thyme leaves 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

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sugar and mix until combined. Add thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cardamom, scraping the sides of the bowl if necessary to get all ingredients combined. Gradually stir in the flour and mix.

Form the dough into a ball. To make it easier to work, divide dough into three equal portions. Roll each out on a floured surface into a 6-by-4½ inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick.

Cut into 1½ inch squares with a knife or a serrated pastry wheel. Sprinkle with coarse or granulated sugar.

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

Place squares on ungreased cookie sheets.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until edges and bottom are golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Coarse white or granulated sugar, for topping

Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup white

Makes 36 small cookies.

food} Leslie Budewitz From the back cover

At Seattle Spice in the Pike Place Market, owner Pepper Reece is savoring her business success, but soon finds her plans disrupted by a killer…

Pepper Reece’s to-do list is longer than the shopping list for a five-course dinner, as she conjures up spice blends bursting with seasonal flavor, soothes nervous brides fretting over the gift registry, and crosses her fingers for a rave review from a sharp-tongued food critic. Add to the mix a welcome visit from her mother, Lena, and she’s got the perfect recipe for a busy summer garnished with a dash of fun.

While browsing in the artists’ stalls, Pepper and Lena drool over stunning pottery made by a Market newcomer. But when Lena recognizes the potter, Bonnie Clay, as an old friend who disappeared years ago, the afternoon turns sour. To Pepper’s surprise, Bonnie seems intimately connected to her family’s past. When Bonnie is murdered only days later, Pepper is determined to uncover the truth. But when Pepper roots out long-buried secrets, will she be digging her own grave?

Excerpt from KILLING THYME

“Oh, Pepper, it’s you.” Kristen piled her hair on top of her head and fastened it with a binder clip. A hank immediately fell loose, but she didn’t take notice. I followed her to the kitchen, where she poured two glasses of lavender limeade.

She set a bowl of water on the floor for Arf and took the seat next to mine at the island.

“I’d add a jigger of tequila if I didn’t have to take Mariah to a birthday party in an hour.” She did a half swivel on her stool, and I glanced down, surprised to see a chip in the polish on one big toe. The Ice Queen was melting.

“So do they think they know who broke in?” I took a sip. Tart, sweet, and—I say this with all honesty, even though I created the recipe myself—surprising.

“That’s just it. There’s no evidence of a break-in.”

I pictured myself peering in the windows of Bonnie’s studio. I’d left fingerprints on the window frame and sill, and footprints in the dew-damp ground below.

But a gloved burglar, someone with a plan, could have left no trace.

Kristen plucked one of Laurel’s lemon thyme cookies off a tray. “Detective Tracy thinks I mislaid it, or that one of the girls took it and doesn’t want to ’fess up. What Spencer thinks, I don’t know. That woman keeps a stone face better than a marble statue.”

“But how could its disappearance possibly be related to Bonnie’s murder?”

She sighed. “I can’t believe she’s dead.”

“Me, neither.” I reached for a cookie.

Investigating always makes me hungry.

Recipe and excerpt from KILLING THYME (Berkley/Penguin Random House, October 2016) Leslie Budewitz writes two nationally-bestselling mystery series, the Spice Shop Mysteries, set in Seattle, and the Food Lovers' Village Mysteries, set in fictional Jewel Bay, Montana, both published by Berkley/Penguin Random House. The first author to win Agatha Awards for both fiction and nonfiction, she lives in NW Montana with her husband, Don Beans, a musician and doctor of natural medicine, and their Burmese cat, Ruff, an avid birdwatcher. She is the 2015-16 president of Sisters in Crime. Visit her at www.LeslieBudewitz.com or on Facebook as LeslieBudewitzAuthor

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“To Quit or Not to Quit”

Many adolescents have extremely

busy schedules. Almost every time a

parent calls me about tutoring for their son or daughter, scheduling always proves to be the trick –“Well, Tuesdays he/she has basketball, and then there is play practice and, shoot! I forgot about piano!”

I sometimes wonder if they actually have time to eat! But, I realize that I am just as guilty, with my own kids, of over scheduling.

The problem comes when kids are in a plethora of activities, and they seem to enjoy them all (or not) and then they have to decide what to pass up or worse…QUIT. The word QUIT unfortunately has many negative connotations wrapped around it. According to Webster, it simply means to “leave, depart from, withdraw from or leave.” But to most parents and children it means ‘give up or fail’. So, when do we decide that ‘quitting’ is Ok? Quitting should be considered ok when children are unhappy and spread too thin. When kids are doing many things and nothing seems to be getting done well -that is a major red flag. And “when handled right, it (quitting) can teach lessons about decision-making and relieve family tension” (Wall Street Journal, Nina Sovich, August 25, 2016). There is truly a valuable lesson to be learned in HOW and WHEN to quit.

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Now, it is not valuable to allow children to quit a sport, team, or activity mid season or when they are emotional after a frustrating performance. We do NOT want to teach our kids to give up when things become a little tough. And, children also have to learn the value of commitment. They may have committed to a team and may be leaving other people in the lurch if they walk away. Assuming that there is nothing detrimental to a child’s health (physical or mental) occurring, a child should be made aware of the importance of finishing what they have started and then simply not returning to that activity or sport next season. A child needs to be made aware of what the appropriate time to quit is.

Parents also have a valuable lesson to learn. As children mature, parents need to learn how to set their own desires aside. Many parents, such as San Francisco based consultant Amy Lee, “takes the parenting philosophy that she is the mother and she decides” (Wall Street Journal, Nina Sovich). Maybe a parent was a star athlete in high school, and personally benefitted from their choice in sports, in many ways; but, their child is miserable playing team sports and finds no satisfaction, only frustration and anxiety in playing team sports. The parent should recognize this and be ok with their child’s decision to try something they feel excited about and interested in.

Jennifer Weaver, “who runs a child therapy practice out of McLean, VA., says the job of the parent isn’t to dictate but to help the child work out a system for making decisions”(Wall Street Journal, Nina Sovich). Children take great satisfaction and gain much confidence in taking ownership over decisions, especially when it comes to activities.

By Kristen Pulsifer

Decision-making is an extremely tough and anxiety-ridden process for many people, especially kids. Much like ‘quitting’, there is a great deal of pressure that we put on ourselves when making decisions – who will we upset, what will someone say, will my parents be mad at me, will my friends not like me anymore? Teaching our children how to do things and make decisions in a healthy manner, for themselves, is a huge and extremely necessary life lesson. As our children continue with their activities and day to day lives, teach them the value of choosing things that will be beneficial to them, not stressful. Teach them the importance of doing things and making decisions for themselves.

There is always a balance to be established, which can be tricky, but take the time to map out a sensible decision making process, especially as your children move into their ‘tween years’. Not only will this decision making ability you are supporting help them in help with their choice in activities, but it will also help them in other choices where peer pressures may be involved. When handled correctly, ‘quitting’ or simply ‘moving on’, can actually teach us all a life lesson in how and when to make appropriate and healthy decisions.

The Wall Street Journal, “When a Child Should Quit”, by Nina Sovich – August 25, 2016.

art} Cathryn Sugg

C athryn R eitler S ugg : &

“Art as Life” Written by Brian D’Ambrosio

“Art as life” with a vengeance.

That is an apt way of describing the flair and character of Glasgow artist and educator Cathyrn Reitler-Sugg.

Indeed, Cathyrn has always been more engrossed in art as a method of living a life; not as a method of making a living.

She has, however, managed to successfully commingle both attitudes.

“Art can work for you if you stay true to yourself,” said Cathryn, who earned her B.F.A from UNLV in 2006 and her M.F.A from UM in 2011.

An artist following their vision may be as clichéd as eating chocolate in Switzerland; yet, there is an intensity in Reitler-Sugg’s biography that screams perseverance. She holds a secondary education teaching license, acts as an independent contractor for school districts, as well as writes and presents continuing education curriculum using contemporary Native American art to teach common

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core content standards. Additionally, she teaches Her “Prairie Oyster” series is rooted in the inherent children's and adult’s fine art classes and work- beauty of the discarded cans she collected in the Northeast Montana landscape. shops.

“Chiefly, I'm interested in these items because of my affinity for metal. I haven't thought of content yet which is explicitly linked to these items. I'm not drawn to any of the conceptual clichés related to ecological issues, love of the land, recycling, and etcetera. So far the only real key thing about this work She chooses objects for their visceral qualities, se- is the metal.” lecting pieces and ingredients intuitively. If an entity reminds her of something “more” than itself, it has Recently divorced, after nearly a decade of a lovea good chance of ending up in one of her pieces. It less, dispassionate marriage, Cathyrn explores the also must be able to be sewn, because that is how nature of divorce, love, sexuality, gender stereoshe often physically connects the elements in her types, and unrequited matrimony in her “Female work. She scrounges materials from garage sales, Chauvinism” series. junk shops, or abandoned rubble yards.

“The people here are genuine, forthright, wholeReitler-Sugg is quite fond of metal, creating small hearted and hardworking,” she said of Glasgow. pieces from items like nuts and bolts or bottle tops “They can be exclusive, but are inclusive once you have shown them that you appreciate their place. or hollowed cans she gathers around the region.

They have a strong sense of allegiance to their lo“This area has a lot of landfills, old factories and cation, their people, and their ideals. Of course, buildings, abandoned places, thrift shops, and there while those qualities are admirable, they exist are lots of sources and places for material,” she said. hand-in-hand with outdated social structures; men Reitler-Sugg switches mediums whimsically, it’s mostly about feeling. When she is working, she completely crosses into another place, tapping into things that are absolutely universal, completely beyond her ego, adrenaline, and her own self-esteem.

art} Cathryn Sugg

Ideas are just ideas if they only stay planted in your head. Art that isn’t shared is simply a missed opportunity.

Indeed, art is Reitler-Sugg’s expression of love, and if it weren’t an illustration of love, it would be nothing.

“The Hi-Line is a honing stone in that while there is enough space here to allow one to think freely and grow, there are very few other free thinkers to foster ones' growth. By leaving this place and going out into the cushy wider world, one can enjoy the lux“Even three years after researching for that series, I ury of intellect, can experience culture and distracfind the conclusions that informed the work remain tion. The return to this place involves a recalibraaccurate. My experiences in the time since have vali- tion; there is very little to distract one from oneself; dated the conviction I felt to cast light on the sexism the lack of distraction sharpens those who live here.” and racism in this area. Time marches on but the ideals of this place remain firmly rooted in the past.” Ultimately, Cathryn believes that people figure their perception of reality with the filters they have constructed over their lifetimes. These strainers are Fresh ideas come slowly to rural parts made up of belief systems like identity, religion, of the state, and, well, sometimes politics, customs, superstitions, fears, dreams and memories. Over time, those filters get so congested and to some places they don’t ever with tiredly low expectations and yawn-inducing familiarity that we lose clarity and objectivity. arrive at all. are male and women are female. My thesis work focused on examining the female and male roles within this region, and romantic western notions of place and identity.

“To a certain extent,” said Cathryn, who operated a well-received art gallery in Glasgow for several years, “the place is influenced by an influx of educated young people who move home to take over the jobs the boomers leave open. They bring their experiences of culture and the wider-world back with them, but they are still moving back to the place that raised them, and the ideals that informed their first understanding of the world. It is interesting to see how many educated young people fall back into the patterns they observed as children.

Her works exist as similes for these filters.

Ideas are just ideas if they only stay planted in your head. Art that isn’t shared is simply a missed opportunity. Indeed, art is Reitler-Sugg’s expression of love, and if it weren’t an illustration of love, it would be nothing.

“Art has always been a rich part of my life since I was a little girl,” she said. “It’s who I am. I crave it, love sharing it, and love seeing others develop it.”

www.cathrynsugg.com

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Myrna Loy Written by Brian D’Ambrosio

stands alone as Montana's First Lady of Film.

Born Myrna Adele Williams, on August 2, 1905, in Radersburg, Montana – 40 miles southeast of Helena – her father, David Franklin Williams, served in the Montana state legislature. In addition to working in banking, ranching and real estate, David was the youngest person ever elected to the Montana state legislature, at 26.

At age seven, Myrna moved with her father, mother, Della Mae Johnson, and brother, David, to Helena, where they lived on 5th Avenue, a few blocks from the Lewis and Clark County jail.

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Myrna Williams made her stage debut at age twelve at Helena's long-since demolished Marlow Theater in a dance she choreographed, based on "The Blue Bird" from the Rose Dream Operatta. At the age of 13, Myrna's father died of Spanish influenza before he had reached his 40th birthday and the rest of the family moved to Los Angeles. She was educated in L.A. at the Westlake School for Girls, where she discovered the joy of acting.

She started at the age of 15 when she appeared in local stage productions in order to help support her family. Some of the stage plays were held in Hollywood’s epic Grauman's Egyptian Theatre. Mrs. Rudolph Valentino happened to be in the audience one night. She managed to pull some strings to secure Myrna small parts in the motion picture industry.

The name “Loy” was adopted as a professional stage name in 1925.

Myrna Loy's witty portrayal of Nora Charles in The Thin Man films of the 1930's and '40's transformed her into a screen legend. Charles stands as one of film’s most treasured and timelessly entertaining characters.

Loy and William Powell appeared in 14 films together, including six sequels to The Thin Man. In 1936, a poll of 20 million fans voted her "Queen of the Movies" and Clark Gable "King," and the two were subsequently paired in a number of films.

She was both hush-hush and in the spotlight, discreet and blunt, polite and sharp-tongued. She was married and divorced four times, yet earned note playing the “perfect wife.” In her personal life, she dedicated her time to progressive causes and was the precursor of the activist celebrity.

On screen, Loy was capable of converting from wife or cohort to mistress, from heiress or ingénue to femme fatale - and indeed it was in the latter role that she made her first 60 films.

Before The Thin Man, she played maids, ladies-in-waiting, showgirls, moving up and down the cast list in almost a dozen films annually at this point.

On the screen, she was a distinctly Caucasian woman playing roles of Asian or Persian descent.

She first played a native girl, amorous and treacherous, in Across the Pacific (1926) and thereafter, whenever they needed

someone of exotic appearance to be mean and nasty they sent for her. She was an unspecified Oriental in A Girl in Every Port (1928), a Spanish girl in Turn Back the Hours, a Chinese villainess in Crimson City, and in her first full-length “Talkie,” The Desert Song (1929), she was Azuri, the native dancer.

She adjusted easily to sound techniques and had a small role in The Jazz Singer (1927), the first “Talkie,” though Warner Bros dropped her in 1931.

She had sufficient reputation to get work steadily, and she began to turn down the roles in which she had been typecast. In 1932, she was an Oriental baddie for the last time in Mask of Fu Manchu.

She garnered headlines with Manhattan Melodrama (1934), when the gangster John Dillinger - who was a fan - was killed after leaving a showing of the film in Chicago. It was primary a vehicle for Clark Gable, with Loy as the woman loved by both him and Powell.

Loy achieved a popularity that exceeded that of the studio's reigning queens. At the zenith of her fame, she and her first husband had a butler, chauffer, cook, several gardeners, and live-in maids at their magnificent Hidden Valley estate, above Coldwater Canyon in Los Angeles.

Always active politically, she found herself called a “Communist” in 1946 by the Hollywood Reporter, and she sued for one million dollars; she settled for a retraction and became one of the most vocal critics of the right-wing activities of Senator Joseph McCarthy.

She was a staunch Democrat and a friend of Mrs. Roosevelt – for that the reason, she thought, McCarthy had tried to malign her. She was one of the observers of the first meetings of the United Nations and during this

period was active working for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization).

In 1950 she was appointed to serve a three-year term on the National Commission for UNESCO, which sent her to Europe with a delegation led by the Assistant Secretary of State, Howland Sargeant, her fourth husband (Loy never had children). As the marriage began to crumble she accepted a star role in Lonelyhearts (1958) and supporting roles in From the Terrace (1960) and Midnight Lace (1960).

Loy was a founding member of the American Place Theatre, a non-profit theatre established in the early 1960s to foster promising new writers. A diagnosis of breast cancer forced Myrna Loy into surgery in 1975 and again in 1979.

She appeared in films until 1981. She was never nominated for an Oscar.

However, in 1991 the Academy mitigated this oversight by giving her a special lifetime award.

In 1987 she published a memoir, “Being and Becoming,” regarded as one of the better books ever written by an actress. In it, Loy reflects upon her life and career - with wit, charm, perception, honesty and a sense of realism.

These qualities were always found in her acting.

On December 14, 1993, Myrna Loy passed away at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City during surgery. By the time Myrna passed away at the age of 88, she had appeared in a staggering 129 motion pictures.

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She was cremated and her ashes interred at Forestvale Cemetery, in Helena.

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