406 Woman Lifestyle Vol. 10 No. 1

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Come Discover Southside Consignment II


SouthsideConsignment & antiques


406contents Design 18. Accessorize for Summer Wright’s Furniture 34. Tablescaping Empress Tents and Events

Fashion 26. Rain or Shine The Village Shop

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love

46...

30. Tillery & PJ October 6, 2016

...34

food & flavor 38. Wine Destination Oregon 42. Peachy Keen 46. Mushrooms & Mystery 48. The Wonders of Garlic

Education 50. Pet Corvette

History 52. Evelyn Cameron Montana’s Original Photographer

Music 54. Glacier Symphony Summer Pops & Festival Amadeus





406

Checking In

w o m a n

Cover Girl

publisher

Cindy Gerrity

cindy@montanasky.net

business manager Daley McDaniel

daley@montanasky.net

executive editor

Kristen Hamilton

kristen@hamitupstrategies.com

design

Sara Joy Pinnell

sara@mrsandmrpublishing.com

Stacy Gruber

Stacy is the General Manager at Fuel Fitness in Kalispell. She says, "New transitions and life changes have made me grow as a person. I am so thankful for all the positive things I have in my life. I love my family and friends and feel so blessed to have each and every one of them in my life."

C l o t h i n g : 57 B o u t i q u e P h o t o B y : A m an d a W i l s o n P h o t o g r aph y ( www . a ma n d awi l s o nph o t o s . c o m )

Business Girl

photographers

Daley McDaniel Photography Amanda Wilson Photography Alisia Dawn Photography Scott Wilson Photography Kelly Kirksey Photography Carrie Ann Photography Marianne Wiest Photography Danella Miller Photography Lauren Lipscomb of Laura L Photography Jeff Lendrum Photograph

Published by Skirts Publishing six times a year 704 C East 13th St. #138 Whitefish, MT 59937 info@406woman.com Copyright©2017 Skirts Publishing

View current and past issues of 406 Woman at

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Want to know about great events, open houses, and more? Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/406 Woman

Tress Wambeke

Tress, owner of T Bird Design, creates beautiful leather handbags in her Montana studio. She’s doing what she loves every day…shouldn’t we all be that lucky. Read her full story in our business and health section. Photo By: Lauren Lipscomb of Laura L Photography (L a u r e n l p h o t o g r aph y @ g ma i l . c o m )

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.


How do you say goodbye to someone who is always supposed to be there for you? How to you grieve when you want to be strong for others? Even if it was time, how is it ever the time to say goodbye forever? My mom joined my dad in what I’d like to believe is Heaven on April 30th. Although she had been ill, I personally thought my mom would live forever. She was tough, she was the matriarch, and she always had my back. I didn’t call as often as I should have and certainly didn’t visit as often as I should. When I ask myself why there are numerous excuses: my immediate family obligations, work, money or a combination of all of these things. What I say now is I wish I had made a bigger effort. I know my mom knew I loved her but in looking back now it would have never been a bad thing to tell her more. Thinking of you mom. My mom gave this to me years ago after my grandmother passed away and I hope it’s more true now than ever.

“Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings, where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.” Enjoy the sunshine and call your parents (if you can),

{

What you’ll find in this issue As women, we have a lot on our plates. And, when we add our monthly cycle or premenopausal issues (i.e. hot flashes) to the mix it, it takes its toll. To help cope, a MUST read is CrisMarie Campbell’s story Your Body’s Natural Course Correction in our business and health section on page 30. Who knew that mushrooms not only taste great but they are good for you too! Dr Siomos shares all the benefits of mushrooms along with a delicious recipe on page 46. Kalispell Parks & Recreation is working with area businesses to strengthen recreational offerings for the youth in our community. Mark Freidline outlines these new programs on page 12.

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Meet Karen Sanderson… 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

Delia Buckmaster

Founder of Exhale Pilates Whitefish & delia pilates™, PMA®-CPT, International Educator, bootybarre® master trainer, health coach, mom, Montana obsessed.

Cris Marie Campbell

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

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

Marti Kurth

Owner, Brix Bottleshop, wine educator at FVCC, Board Member of Kalispell BID

Resides:

in Kalispell with a stilton loving 8-year-old daughter and pilot husband who travels internationally. Notable Accomplishments: Running a business and raising a child solo half the year feels like a pretty big accomplishment.

Carole Morris

My workweek always includes: sampling new wine, unpacking boxes of new wine, writing shelf cards on why we love all this new wine, and drinking lots of coffee to sell all this new wine.

Kelly O’Brien, Esq.

Every weekend you’ll find me trying to:

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

Allison Linville

Community Relations Coordinator at North Valley Hospital

John Miller, DDS

Specializing in general dentistry, Dr Miller provides expert advice Instructional Specialist, Author and Adjunct Professor. The proud mom of two perfect children and grammie to three flawless grandchildren. 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:

oman.com

My favorite outdoor activity is:

inhaling that fresh cedar smell while hiking + skiing.

put off house cleaning to do something more fun outside.

When it comes to electronics, I can’t live without these apps on my iPhone:

alarm clock, FaceTime, camera, and calculator. I’m also discovering the magic of Instagram. The best thing I ever did regarding tech was to create a strict, “no phones at the table” rule when our daughter was born. We enjoy 100% family time at the table.

My bucket list includes doing this in the next year:

Visit at least 3 wine regions while we are in Europe this summer. A girl’s gotta have goals.





Summer

design}

Accessorize for By Wright’s Furniture

Accessorize to Tell Your Story

Accessories can make the perfect statement pieces that capture ones individual style. -Share personality - Preserve memories - Complement the theme - Add a pop of color Create drama and dazzle - Achieve balance - Enhance texture

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Trending Accessories For Our Area

Trays, Glazed Pottery, Antiques, Candle Holders, Mirrors, Sculptures and Art often Feature or Pair Nicely with Rustic Elements such as: Antlers, Branches, Fresh Flowers, Feathers, Stone, concrete, rocks , Natural fabrics- animal hides, cotton, linen, Pewter or metals with patina, Wood- rough timbers, or reclaimed barn-wood

Look for accessory pieces that are well made and provide lasting value. Today’s most popular interior design looks use a mingling of materials, from textiles, leathers, and trimmings, to wood, stone, metal, and glass. People want to create rooms that bring to life an interplay of varied textures and surfaces that are diverse. Rooms become eclectic collections of items working together to create comfort with an overall balance of patterns, colors, lines, and shapes. The pictured accessories as well as many other styles are available at Wright's Furniture. Visit our showroom at 6325 Hwy 93 South, Whitefish MT or our website at www.wrightsfurniturestore.com.

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villageshopwhitefish.com


201 Central ave. whitefish Montana 59937 - 406.862.3200 @thevillageshop_mt


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Rain photo clockwise starting top left:

Three Dots tank top, $66 Citizens of Humanity, Liya jeans $258 Wrap bracelets, $28- $58 Ilse Jacobson rain jacket, $180 Pendleton x Kleen Kanteen water bottle, $39.50 Isle Jacobson red rain boots, $172 Isle Jacobson black slip ons, $74

Rain OR Shine

When you are lucky enough to reside in Montana, you quickly learn to dress for sun one minute and RAIN the next! The Village Shop is ready for you with summer dresses, colorful raincoats and fabulous rain boots. In these happy options you will look great and be prepared for the weather at farmers' market, a city beach picnic or your own backyard barbecue. The Village Shop wants you to look and feel good RAIN or SHINE!

The Village Shop, downtown Whitefish. 406-862-3200 @thevillageshop_mt

Shine photo clockwise starting top left:

Pendleton Beach towel, $49.50 Birkenstock Gizeh sandals, $95 Splendid denim open back romper, $138 Simon and Ruby necklace, $68 Velvet white scoop neck tee, $59 Ilse Jacobson slip ons, $74 Latico leather clutch, $75 Isle Jacobson flip flops, $39 Hobo handbag, $238

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Copperleaf Chocolat

company

239 Central Ave. Whitefish Mt. 406-862-9659

Things We Love locally made artisan chocolates, chocolate bars from around the world, time tested books & leather bound journals.

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Tillery &PJ October 6, 2016

Photographed by Marianne Wiest Photography

Who are you? Tillery: I’m a 35-year-old lady who is a tomboy, cop, hunter, marksman, and avid runner. I’m seeking my masters degree and loving life.

PJ: I’m a die-hard Buckeye fan who grew up in the Midwest. I’m an Air Force Airman, waterfowl junkie, passionate and a goofball.

How did you meet?

We met through mutual military friends.

The Proposal?

Christmas Day 2015, PJ and I were spending the holiday alone at our home in New Mexico. PJ was acting a little nervous and demanded I opened a particular gift last. This gift was a medium sized box and when I opened it, inside was a smaller box. I excitedly opened it and retrieved a blue felt jewelry case from within. I asked PJ, “do I need to give this to you before I open it?” PJ took the case in his hands and opened it to display a magnificent diamond ring. He asked me, “Will you be my wife?” Without skipping a beat, I said yes!!!

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What is love? Tillery: I have an undying, unique, and uncompromising connection to PJ. This connection is the truest of all love. Love is the peace I feel when I hug him, the happiness I feel when I think about our future, and the gratitude I feel to call myself his wife. Love has encompassed my whole heart, mind, soul, and has forever changed my world. My heart beats for PJ, and I know that this love will carry us throughout the years. PJ: Something that is too difficult to put into words or describe, but you should reference our wedding photos when Tillery is walking down the aisle, and check out my reaction, that is a pretty good example of “love.”

What do you love most about each other?

Tillery: PJ’s Mother says, “I am the female version of PJ”. I love the passion we both share for hunting. I love that we have a tad bit of crazy in us and keep a remarkably clean house. I love that

we listen to the same type of music, have similar dress styles, stylish hair-dos, and share the same sense of humor. I love the common grounds we walk on. Our similarities make it effortless to share time together, and our parallel views make life a smooth ride. PJ: There are many things to love, however I converted her to a Buckeye fan, and I also turned her into a pretty good huntress. Head-over heals!

When did you know you were in love?

Tillery: How could I not fall in love with this man at first sight, have you seen him? From day one, I knew PJ was different. There has always been something that drew me to PJ. After two weeks of dating, PJ asked me to be his girlfriend. As time transpired and we grew close, I have always been amazed on how everything with us just “fit.” I knew I loved PJ after just a few months of dating. My love originated from the sense of peace I got when I was with him.


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After two weeks of dating, PJ asked me to be his girlfriend. As time transpired and we grew close, I have always been amazed on how everything with us just “fit.” PJ: When the goosebumps kicked in, which was halfway through our first date.

Fun facts

I asked some of our guests to comment about our wedding using only a few words. Here are their responses: · Real love. · A perfect example of unconditional love, I was honored to be invited. · Amazing and emotional. · True love. · Cry fest! · PJ’s soulmate. · Stunning fairytale. · Awesome couple.

Wedding details

The wedding was held at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake. The ceremony took place on the lake pavilion. The weather was a little cold and the rain drizzled; which made for a serene atmosphere. PJ’s emotions during the ceremony brought many to tears and melted hearts. As the wedding party made their official entrance

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into the ballroom, they were introduced and surprised us by forming a tunnel with their arms for us to walk through. The crowd cheered as we entered to a Volbeat song, “I only wanna be with you." The reception began with words from family and a presentation of an American Flag to PJ at the request of PJ’s late grandmother, Rosie. Dinner, bouquet and garter tosses were completed and dancing followed; at one point all guests were on the dance floor celebrating. The event was one of a kind; the flowers, decorations, music, and vibe filled the moments with joy. My father collected all the river rocks from the local Montana river to create the special “guestbook.” My mother and I arranged all wedding details. The speeches, music, flowers, decorations, and interaction with guests were one of a kind. I remember telling PJ at the end of the night; I had the fullest heart. The moments of our wedding have forever changed me. If I can only remember the way I felt the day I married PJ, I will be happy for all the days of my life. I never knew the power of that day could exist. The true intimate emotion, love, and spirit of our wedding are

indescribable. The love, support, and exuberance that flowed from our guest helped make our day out of this world.

Honeymoon plans

Due to the traveling required for our wedding, we chose to save all the monetary presents from our guests to help fund our honeymoon. The funds are safely tucked away in our gun safe, and we plan to use to venture off to Italy.

Wedding Vendors

Photographer: Marianne Wiest Photography Ceremony & Reception Venue plus Catering: The Lodge at Whitefish Lake Flowers: Mums Flowers

Huckleberry Pies: Loula's Cafe Suits/Tuxes: Banana Republic Wedding Dress: Vera Wang

Hair/Make-up Stylist: Soucie Soucie Salon Rings: John Thomas Jewelers

DJ: Luke Dowler with Moose Lake Media LLC Wedding Stationery: Cotton and Grain/Wedding Paper Divas



In the open air‌ Tablescaping

Written by June Jeffries for Empress Tents and Events Photographed by Kelly Kirksey Photography

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If you live design}

north of 60 the end of winter is motivation to get outside. What better way to enjoy a summer day than to have a picnic by the lake. We chose Wayfarers State Park for our location; it’s one of the best spots to watch the sunset over Flathead Lake. It is the perfect spot to launch a boat, swim in the crystal clear water, take a nature walk over the rocky shoreline or spend a lazy afternoon picnicking with your favorite peeps. Mother nature’s kaleidoscope of color and endless blue sky is the perfect backdrop for a photo shoot; she is an artist’s canvas and a child’s playground. Her beauty beckons us to come and play. We happily complied: we are kicking off summer with an alfresco tablescape. We wanted to create a beautiful tablescape outside but in order to do that we needed a solid surface (it’s a challenge standing anything upright on a grassy meadow or a sandy beach). Since we love to reuse and make something old new again we thought, “Why not bring an old wooden pallet back to life?” We stained it dark wallet so it would look like a table minus the legs, who wants wooden legs at the beach? For our color palette we chose blues and grays, white’s not the only color that goes with everything, shades of brown, taupe and gray are just as versatile and equally gorgeous - like the sand against the sky. The striped blanket served as the table linen, table runners are trending once again, and it showcases the rich tones of the wood adding an earthy dimension to the table setting. For the details, we layered a melamine dark blue plate with a gray charger accenting our color scheme of blue and gray; we selected a white vintage napkin (provided by Vintage Whites) for a touch of nostalgia; the flatware was purchased at Pier One, we loved the handle, and we placed the flatware on top of the napkin to keep the wind from carrying it away.

For our color palette we chose blues and grays, white’s not the only color that goes with everything, shades of brown, taupe and gray are just as versatile and equally gorgeous - like the sand against the sky.

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The flowers

were arranged in milk vases. One of our favorite flowers is anemone, it has such character with its delicate petals; the dark center blended perfectly with the alstroemeria and Queen Anne lace but you could use white carnations and chrysanthemums, which are always available, hardy and inexpensive. We love flowers to look whimsical, arranged loosely and a bit unkept as if you picked them in the garden and threw them in a vase. We love to choose several smaller arrangements spread across the length of a table and say goodbye to one large arrangement in the center. This is easily a DIY project, challenge yourself: request a loose bunch of flowers so you can assemble a stunning arrangement of your own, always choose flowers you love and you will never go wrong. The final touches: pillows to sit on, candles for lighting if the day’s event extends into the evening.

Be creative, if you walk with your eyes wide open you will find beauty in the simplest things. If you have an event big or small: wedding, rehearsal dinner, corporate function, quaint lunch, birthday party or any reason to celebrate we’d love to hear from you. Find Lynn Malmberg at (empresstentsevents.com).

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Destination:

Oregon Written by Karen Sanderson, Brix Bottleshop

Hello, 406 friends! Is anyone planning a road trip out west this summer? If you are, and you want to visit a few wineries along the way, we have a perfect destination for you: Willamette Valley, Oregon. Brix customers frequently ask for suggestions on where to stay, which wineries to visit, and favorite restaurants in this beautiful wine region. As summer approaches, this is the perfect month to take a road trip from Montana to Oregon. Map of Willamette Valley courtesy of Willamette Valley Wineries Association.

So, Willamette: how do you say that? As a traveling sales “road warrior” for an Oregon winery, it was common for us to teach newbies how to say Willamette correctly, especially on the east coast. Just remember: “It’s Willamette, dammit,” and you’ll fit right in. Pinot Noir is pronounced “pee-no nwa” and Pinot Gris sounds like “pee-no gree.”

Lodging

Once you make it to Oregon, you’ll need to decide where to stay. If you prefer a quiet tranquil setting in the county, the Willamette Valley is full of B&Bs, hotels, and resorts. Portland is a little over an hour drive to McMinnville, (1.5 on a busy Friday) so keep that in mind if you plan to do much wine tasting.

A Few Recommendations: Dundee/Carlton:

Abbey Road Farm, Dundee Manor

McMinnville:

McMenamins Hotel Oregon, Youngberg Hill Vineyard and Inn

Newberg:

University House, Allison Inn & Spa If you prefer to stay in the city, a hotel in downtown Portland is your best bet. Your choices are plentiful with hipster hotels like the Ace and class acts like the Benson or Heathman Hotel.

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Willamette Valley Wineries

Why is Oregon so famously known for Pinot Noir? The Willamette Valley rests along the 45th parallel, which is the same climate as the Burgundy region of France. Burgundy, of course, is home to some of the best pinot noirs in the world because because these grapes grow best in these cool climates and terrain. Winemakers have discovered a holy grail of climate and soil in the Willamette Valley that rivals Burgundy. Pinot Noir makes up 73% of all wine grapes grown in the Willamette and the rest is a combination of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, and other cool climate grapes. How does one choose which winery to visit? Keep in mind most small wineries don’t have tasting rooms. Others might, but only accept guests by appointment. Some of these properties are over 30-40 minutes away from each other, so we suggest picking a few wineries with regular tasting hours. That way you can pop in without the stress of rushing through the countryside. Most tasting rooms are open from 11-4pm and charge $10-$20. Out of 500 wineries it’s impossible to pick a “best.” Here are our favorites who represent the history, style and passion that has shaped the Willamette Valley.

Eyrie Vineyards, McMinville

Planted in 1965, David Lett is known as the first winemaker in the Willamette Valley. In

1979 he and his wife traveled to France to compete in a prestigious Pinot Noir tasting. The Letts quickly captured the wine world’s attention, and from there, the Willamette was born. Today, son Jason Lett runs the winery.

Elk Cove Vineyards, Gaston

The Campbell family is another one of the first families to pioneer the Willamette. They produce consistently elegant wines and have a gorgeous view of their vineyards on the deck of their tasting room. This is also a secondgeneration operation.

Raptor Ridge Winery, Carlton

Scott and Annie Shull planted their vines in 1995. Their tasting room and patio has mountain views, overlooks lush green vineyards, and their wines are divine.

Domaine Drouhin Vineyards, Dundee

The well known Drouhin family of France was so impressed by the Eyrie wines at the 1979 French wine competition, they came to Oregon to learn more. A few years later, Maison Drouhin invested in a new Oregon facility. The result: a beautiful property and wines as stunning as their Burgundies.

Carlton Winemakers Studio, Carlton

Not every winemaker chooses to own a vineyard. Many buy wines, “negociant” style and make their wines in a shared facility. Sample wines from multiple producers are at this educational winemaking coop.


food}

Oregon

Argyle Winery, Dundee

If you love bubbles, you must stop here. Argyle produces champagne quality sparkling wines in Brut, Blanc de Blancs, and Brut Rosé styles. They also produce beautiful Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays.

Bergstrom Winery, Newberg

Even though pinot is where it’s at, Bergstom excels at classic Burgundy style Chardonnay in addition to their Pinots.

Restaurants in Wine Country

After a long day of tasting, why not dine in one of the local restaurants?

Here are a few of our favorites:

Photo courtesy of Ryan Busse

Dundee Bistro, Dundee Joe Palmer House, McMinville Nick’s Italian Café, McMinville Painted Lady, Newberg Red Hills Market, Dundee

Portland Dining

A trip to Oregon isn’t complete without visiting the hip city of Portland. If you are a “foodie,” visiting Portland restaurants is a must. In this town, good food does not have to be expensive. In fact, Portland boasts some of the best values in the nation. Some of the most popular chefs started their careers selling out of food carts! Here are a few of our favorite places to have exceptional food experiences.

Pearl: Andina Peruvian Restaurant, Irving Street Kitchen, Deschutes Brewery, Piazza Italia

Eastside: Taylor Railworks, Olympic Provisions, Nostrana, Bunk, Noble Rot

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Oregon

North: Toro Bravo, Eat Oyster Bar, Pix Patisserie, Nodo Guro, Beast

Business District: Higgins, Little Bird, Mother’s Bistro, Masu Sushi, Tasty & Alder

SE Division “Restaurant Row": Pok Pok, Bollywood Theater, Cibo, Bar Avignon

NW 23rd: Meriweather’s, St. Honoré Bakery, Paley’s Place, Ataulo Traveling with kiddos? Hopworks Brewery has play areas for kids

set up in several corners of the brewery and are visible from most dining tables. Salt & Straw Ice Cream is a must, and all the McMenamins (historic properties turned brewpub) properties are kid friendly.

Shopping

Want a little retail therapy after all that wining and dining? Check out these favorites below.

Raptor Ridge Winery in Carlton. Photo courtesy of Raptor Ridge.

Summer Events & Attractions

NW 23rd: Take a stroll through the Washington Park rose garden,

Waterfront Blues Festival Zoo Concerts First Thursday art walk in the Pearl Third Thursday art walk NE Alberta Omsi Shows McMenamins Edgefield concerts Hike to Multnomah Falls Mt Hood National Forest

Pioneer Place: Portland city center: movie theater, popular retailers like J.Crew and Gap.

As you can see, you will have no shortage of activities and fun near the Willamette Valley, Oregon. The people are friendly, the food is amazing, and the wine tasting will give you stories for a lifetime. If you go, we would love to hear about your trip!

The Pearl: NW Portland, city center: Anthropologie, boutiques, antique stores, and the famous Powell’s Bookstore.

Cheers, Karen Sanderson, Brix Bottleshop

Woodburn Premium Outlet Mall: (30 minutes North of Portland International Airport) Banana Republic, Gap, Bose, Clarks, Eddie Bauer, Janie & Jack, Le Creuset, Nike, Under Armour, The North Face, and many more. then hit the boutiques, Trader Joes, Pottery Barn, Urban Outfitters, and many restaurants.



Peachy Keen By Carole Morris

Where did Peaches come from?

The poor confused peach has the botanical name Prunus persica which means Persian plum and refers to Persia. Therefore, its roots (literally) were thought to have come from that area. However, genetic studies suggest peaches originated in China around 2000 BC. From there, the peach was brought to America in the 16th century by Spanish explorers. A world without peaches would be a world without peach cobbler, which would be a travesty!

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Peach cobbler, there is nothing better on a summer day‌especially when served with peach ice cream.

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Peach Cobbler

Preheat oven to 4000 (Serves 6)

INGREDIENTS

Topping 1 cup all-purpose flour ¼ c sugar 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ground cinnamon (1 tsp for filling and 1 for topping) ¼ tsp nutmeg (for filling) 3 tbsp. butter 1 egg (beaten) 3 tbsps. milk

Fruit bottom 4 cups fresh or canned peach slices 2/3 c sugar 1 tbsp cornstarch stirred into ¼ cup of water In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup sugar and cornstarch (mixed in water) and 4 cups peach slices. Cook and stir until bubbly. For topping, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg all together. Cut in butter (with fork or pastry blender) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix together egg and milk, then add them to four mixture. Stir just to moisten.

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Spray 8x8x2-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Put hot peach filling in the pan first, then drop flour mixture in mounds on top of the hot filling (approximately 6 mounds). Cook for 20 minutes (or until toothpick, inserted into topping, comes out clean).


food} Peach Tea Popsicles INGREDIENTS 10 black tea bags 2 1/2 cups boiling water 3 peaches, peeled and puréed in blender 2 peach sliced 1/2 cup cane sugar 1/2 cup water Steep tea bags in boiling water for 10-12 minutes. In a saucepan, combine peach purée, cane sugar, water. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Simmer until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove tea bag from the tea. Stir to combine. Add sliced peach pieces to popsicle molds. Pour over peach tea. Insert sticks and freeze. Ahh! refreshing! *for an adult twist replace 1/4 cup of water with peach schnapps, or bourbon

Peach Ice Cream INGREDIENTS 2 cups chopped fresh peaches 1 1/4 cups sugar (divided) 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 egg yolks Combine peaches, 1/2 cup sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight, stir intermittently. Remove peach mixture from refrigerator. Drain juice into a cup and return peaches to refrigerator. In a saucepan mix 3/4 cup sugar, milk, heavy cream and vanilla. Bring to a boil, remove from heat. In a bowl whisk egg yolks, then whisk in about 1/4 of the boiled cream mixture. Continue whisking egg into the cream mixture, until all is mixed in. Return combined mixture to the heat and continue stirring until mixture thickens, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl set over ice. Next, add the reserved peach juice.

Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream begins to thicken and is almost done, add peaches. Continue to freeze until completely solid.

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Mushrooms and Mystery By Dr Austine Siomos

I am fortunate enough to meet babies, children, adolescents and families every day in my clinic. I am always impressed with how many families ask me about nutrition and how to best care for their children. This often transitions into a conversation about lifestyle and activities. Summer seems to be the best time of year to make health changes and talk about nutrition. Why is this? Families spend more time outside together. They have more time to cook together. They enjoy seasonal foods and get excited about outdoor adventures (including hunting for and picking mushrooms). This article is devoted to mushrooms and anti-inflammatory living. Inflammation is a hot topic in the medical world these days. This concept can seem abstract at first. It helps to think of a physical example. We have all seen inflammation before when we have had a cut or scrape, or even a surgical incision. This is seen on the surface of our body as local redness, heat, swelling and pain. This type of local inflammation is a healthy and appropriate inflammatory process. It is the heart of the body’s healing response, bringing more nourishment and more immune activity to a site of injury or infection. Inflammation has a darker side, however. Chronic inflammation that persists throughout the body or serves no purpose causes damage to the body over time and causes illness. It is becoming increasingly clear that chronic inflammation is the root cause of many serious illnesses, including heart disease, coronary artery disease, many cancers and Alzheimer’s disease. Scientific study is focusing more and more on outward causes of chronic inflammation, including diet, sedentary living, smoking, loneliness and emotional stress. Nutrition is a significant factor in both inflammation and anti-inflammation in the body. Foods have been studied as to their effect on a protein in the body called c-reactive protein (CRP), and specifically

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on high-sensitivity CRP, which is a measure of inflammation at the level of the blood vessels (the vascular level). hs-CRP is associated with autoimmune diseases, cancer, obesity, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. Some foods decrease the hs-CRP levels in the blood, and are considered antiinflammatory. Other foods increase the hs-CRP levels in the blood and are considered inflammatory. Some foods are considered relatively neutral. You have probably already guessed some of the obvious anti-inflammatory heroes in the food realm: dark leafy greens, berries, broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, cherries, pineapple, garlic and really most vegetables and fruits. Most nuts, seeds and fatty fish also are anti-inflammation. Some of the most antiinflammatory spices include turmeric, ginger, cloves, sage, cinnamon and cayenne. Green tea is an antiinflammatory substance, and some studies suggest that coffee is also anti-inflammatory. You have also probably guessed some inflammatory culprits. The number one inflammatory food, according to most scientists and researchers, is refined sugar. Refined grains such as white flour and white rice are close behind. Trans fats (man-made partially hydrogenated oils) are seen as foreign in our bodies, as they don’t exist at all in nature. These cause a huge inflammatory response in the body. Some of the more surprising inflammatory foods include processed meats (hot dogs, bologna, jerky), most fast food, grain-fed meats and canola

oil. Most artificial additives, artificial flavors (also called “natural flavors”) and artificial sweeteners, unfortunately, are inflammatory. Mushrooms are the star of this article.This may seem unexpected for a summer topic but mushrooms are incredibly diverse and surprisingly mysterious! Even though mushrooms are often grouped with vegetables in our heads, they are actually as different from plants as plants are from animals! Of the five kingdoms of living things, animals, plants and fungi are the three that we consider as potential food. Mushrooms are in the fungus family, which includes many inedible organisms as well as yeast. Mushrooms and fungi are truly prime examples of “food as medicine.” In fact, this has been the case for over 40,000 years! Scientists studying Neanderthals who lived in Spain in the Paleolithic era recently discovered, by studying the teeth of ancient Neanderthals, that they may have been selftreating for infections with the fungus penicillium. This is the same mold that was discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming in Scotland in 1928. Fleming discovered this by accident, in fact, when he left a plate of staphylococci bacteria uncovered for two weeks while he was on vacation. When he returned he found that mold had grown on the plate. What was remarkable about his moldy mistake was that the mold seemed to stop the staphylococcus from growing! He named this medicine Penicillin, and


food}

Mushroom

& mint fresh rolls

These rolls are ideal for summer, as there is not much cooking involved, and they are fun for the whole family to make. These contain enough anti-inflammatory ingredients to make your body sing. They are not bad to look at, either!

this mistake of his changed the course of medicine. This all goes to show that vacation is important. Back to edible mushrooms.There are about 140,000 species of mushroom forming fungi in the world, although only 10% of these have been named and only about 100 total species have been studied for health benefits and medicinal applications. Mushrooms are delicious, flavorful and diverse. They can be delicate or meaty. They can be easy to find at the grocery store, or in the case of morels and truffles, can be elusive and mysterious. They can also be dangerous, so plan to use a guide when beginning to hunt the rare varieties. The health benefits of mushrooms are extensive and exciting.

Health benefits of mushrooms Avoid anemia: Anemia is defined as low levels

of iron and hemoglobin in the blood, which can result in fatigue, headaches, nervous system abnormalities and digestive problems. Mushrooms are a good source of iron, and the iron found in mushrooms is easily absorbed (about 90% is absorbable by humans!).

Decrease breast and prostate cancer risk:

and heart attacks. Many types of mushrooms, including shitake and maitake mushrooms, are high in potassium and low in sodium. Potassium is a “vasodilator” and relaxes tension in the blood vessels, reducing blood pressure. High blood pressure is connected to a number of deadly conditions, particularly heart attacks and strokes. Potassium relaxes blood vessels everywhere, including those in the brain! Studies have shown that increased levels of potassium improve memory and knowledge retention.

Vitamin D: Just like humans, mushrooms produce vitamin D when they are exposed to sunlight! Many mushrooms available in stores contain vitamin D. Balance the immune system: Mushrooms

are found to increase the rate of immunoglobulin production, and more specifically immunoglobulin A, which is the immunity protein present on your skin, in your intestines and in your saliva.

Reduce inflammation: both common and specialty mushrooms inhibit inflammation both generally in the body and also locally in our arteries.

is correlated with coronary artery disease, strokes

Instructions 1. Wash the mushrooms and marinate in olive oil,

rice vinegar and garlic for about one hour.

3. Shred the carrots in a food processor or with a shredder. 4. Grill the shred carrot in the same pan over

medium heat for 3-5 minutes until soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Prevent and treat diabetes: Mushrooms are

Lower blood pressure: High blood pressure

For the peanut sauce · ½ cup creamy peanut butter · 4 tablespoons rice vinegar · 2 tablespoons soy sauce · 1 tablespoon chopped ginger · 1 teaspoon red pepper · warm water

2. Grill the mushrooms over medium heat in the marinade until soft and fragrant. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove and leave the liquid in the pan.

Mushrooms have a high concentration of BetaGlucans and conjugated Linoleic Acid, which are anti-cancer compounds. Linoleic acid is particularly helpful in suppressing the harmful effects of excess estrogen. An increase in estrogen after menopause is one of the main contributors to breast cancer in women. Beta-Glucans inhibit the growth of cancerous cells in prostate cancer in numerous studies. an ideal food for anyone with diabetes or at risk for diabetes. Mushrooms have no cholesterol, are low in fat and are high in protein, fiber and water. They also contain a wealth of vitamins and minerals. They contain natural insulin and enzymes which help the breaking down of sugar and starch in food. They also contain compounds that promote functioning of the liver, pancreas and other endocrine glands, promoting the formation of insulin and its proper regulation throughout the body.

Ingredients: For the Rolls · 4 portabella mushrooms (or 12-16 shiitake mushrooms, 4-6 large oyster mushrooms, other mushroom of your choice) · 6 large carrots · 10 mint leaves · 10-12 strawberries · 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic · olive oil · rice vinegar · spring roll wrappers (can be found at most stores) · salt · pepper

5. Slice the strawberries into attractive slices. 6. Wash the mint and separate the leaves. Dr Austine Siomos I am a pediatric cardiologist. I trained first 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.

7. Create the fresh rolls by combining the grilled mushrooms, carrots, strawberry slices and mint in the spring roll wraps. These wraps usually come dry and should be dipped in water briefly before wrapping. 8. Whisk together the peanut sauce ingredients and then add warm water to reach a desired consistency.

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food}

The Wonders of Garlic By Kristen Ledyard, John’s Angels Catering LLC

We all know that garlic can add flavor to many dishes but did you realize it has many of health benefits too?

Garlic is not only recognized in its potential to reduce the risk of certain cancers, but is also linked to decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Additionally, the benefits of garlic have been now linked to decreasing the risk of heart attacks (myocardial infarct), coronary artery disease (CAD), high blood pressure (hypertension) and atherosclerosis. As with most beneficial foods, it is best chewed raw to release all of those warrior cells fighting for you. But, even if cooked, as long as it is chopped, you are still gaining in health for your body. Let’s cook!

Garlic and Sausage Stuffed Crimini Mushrooms

pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Fill the mushrooms with the mix and top with the Parmesan cheese. Bake in oven and when the cheese is nicely melted, remove the mushrooms and top with chopped parsley. Serve warm.

John’s Angels Caesar salad

(garlic inspired)

Beautiful local romaine chopped into large pieces

Make sure to taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve anchovies on the side (my favorite) if desired.

Marinated Beef for your Grill Beef cut of your choice (the tougher the cut of meat, the longer the meat should marinade) 2 tablespoons minced garlic

Grape heirloom tomatoes (can use croutons instead)

One bunch of scallions (sprinkle with a bit of oil, grill, and dice)

Peeled Parmesan (use a vegetable peeler for long pieces)

Half of a grilled small onion diced

4-6 cloves garlic

One cup bourbon (can use teriyaki) Two cups soy sauce (do not use if you have replaced bourbon with teriyaki)

3 Crimini mushrooms per person (medium size)

One lemon

Your favorite crumbled cooked sausage (I like to use wild game)

1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire

One can or a quarter of fresh pineapple and the juice

One egg (you can coddle it, but I prefer raw)

Garlic scapes (if available for garnish, but can be grilled)

One garlic clove per six mushrooms minced (try to use fresh) Cream cheese (one cup) Favorite hot sauce (Louisiana is a great pick) Excellent quality Parmesan cheese (shredded) Parsley Green bell pepper (optional) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place your cleaned mushrooms, minus stems on a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper) face down and cook for 10 minutes. This will get the extra moisture out of the mushrooms. Combine in a bowl the garlic, cream cheese, sausage, diced green

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Hot sauce (optional)

Two anchovies (save some to serve on the side) 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard Salt and pepper Extra virgin olive oil Combine into your blender the garlic cloves, juice of one lemon (be careful not to get seeds), hot sauce, Worcestershire, egg, anchovies, Dijon mustard, dash of salt and pepper, then blend and slowly add the oil until smooth. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Toss the lettuce with the dressing, add tomatoes to your liking, and top with the fresh Parmesan.

In a glass casserole dish, combine garlic, onion, bourbon, soy sauce, pineapple, and juice. Place the meat in the marinade (make sure to turn once). When ready to grill, set steaks on a cooling rack to drain extra marinade. Slice your scallion for top garnish. Grill to desired temperature. I like the look of the curly garlic scapes as a final touch. You will find these steaks are so flavorful without using an expensive cut, as the bourbon helps break down the fibers. A suggested side is some sweet corn or asparagus with a little sprinkle of sweet paprika. Both are so flavorful when grilled or smoked. We want to welcome you to a beautiful, tasty, and family gathering summer from all of us at John’s Angels Catering.



e t t e v r o C t e PFeaturing Frisky and Flash

education}

the

When I was 8, and my brother Mike was 12, we had two gerbils named Frisky and Flash. I adored those gerbils. I played with them every day, made sure their cage was in a bright place by the window, checked their food and water and cleaned them regularly – they were a great kid pet that taught responsibility without over-whelming. My brother on the other hand, did not do much regarding their day-to-day care; but he definitely created several hilarious memories. I suppose, you could say, that Mike was responsible for their entertainment. Mike and I had great toys growing up. One of my favorites was Barbie. And of course Barbie had to have a shwanky car! Santa kindly gifted the Barbie Corvette to me (and Barbie) for Christmas one year. This corvette was decked out. It was a bright magenta with pink and white racing stripes (that I was able to apply myself, so they had nice little wrinkles in them where I was unable to adhere the stickers in perfect fashion – not sure Barbie was impressed) on the Corvette’s hood and a huge gold star. That star was there when the car came out of the box. I suppose the Barbie toy makers did not want to risk too much defacing of their product by letting kids apply all of the decals. Anyway, Mike also thought Barbie’s car was pretty cool. G.I. Joe was known to take a ride or two in it when he wasn’t in his Expedition Rover doing insane and crazy missions, such as dragging my stuffed animals into hiding, or crashing into Barbie’s house, devastating Barbie and her little sister Skipper.

The other passengers who were known for joy riding in the Corvette were the gerbils. Yes, Frisky

By Kristen Pulsifer

and Flash liked to motor around. Mike loved to send those gerbils cruising through the halls of our house in that corvette. While there were no seatbelts, which today is a major concern, my brother always fashioned those little fur-balls with helmets – safety first. We grew up outside of Chicago and we were of course huge Chicago Bears football fans. My brother had, in his possession, several small, plastic pencil sharpener football helmets. When the pencil sharpening mechanism was extracted from the helmet, they made great gerbil helmets; and, I have to say, they fit quite nicely. The bar across the front even supplied extra protection for Frisky’s and Flash’s razor sharp, rodent teeth and fragile whiskers.

Every day for months, those gerbils went driving. Flash always drove (I was never sure what Frisky thought about that) and they actually seemed to like it…. Or maybe they were simply frozen with terror… verdict’s still out. But, they never jumped out, which they often did from our hands. They never scrambled under the seats, and always sat, peering from the front of those football helmets, gazing at the scenery as they whisked by floral couches, scenic paintings, and many a tall wooden chair leg. Roads were bumpy in our house – rug corners and tassels, and the occasional doorframe when too much acceleration was applied; yet, even the occasional fender bender did not deter these little guys from staying in the Corvette. I am not sure Barbie appreciated the presents that were left on her car seat after every ride – I was constantly detailing the seats and floor before the car was returned to B’s garage. G.I. Joe was tough- he could have cared less; but, Barbie had some seriously tight, fancy pants and skirts that more than once became smudged with the poo poo of gerbils.

For the animal lovers out there, no harm was ever done to those gerbils while driving. We had several pets growing up, and doted on all of them. To this day I have many pets – dogs, guinea pigs, horses chickens… the list goes on. I do not have that stylish corvette anymore; though, our guinea pigs, Trixie and Princess, have been known to take many a ride in a small red wagon – I believe the vintage, ageless character of the Radio Flyer is more their style. Barbie lived in the big city after all, that Corvette would never hold up on our rough, pothole ridden, Montana dirt road. That’s just how Princes and Trixie roll (they also would never fit in a tiny sports car). Pets are an amazing part of a kid’s life. They teach care and responsibility for another living creature and are great unconditional friends, always happy to see the people that feed them.

If you have any great toy and/or pet stories, please email them to kristen@whitefishstudycenter.com. Whitefish Study Center is hosting a writing contest. The theme is ‘My Funniest Pet’ or ‘My Funniest Toy’ story. Details and a prize list will be posted on our website – www.whitefishstudycenter.com. I can’t wait to read! Appropriate, kind stories only, please.

Pets are an amazing part of a kid’s life. They teach care and responsibility for another living creature and are great

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unconditional friends, always happy to see the people that feed them.



history}

Evelyn Cameron By Brian D’Ambrosio

Montana’s Original Photographer While high society lived the good life in palatial Gilded Age cottages in Lenox, Evelyn Cameron, a refugee from English aristocracy, roughed it in an isolated tworoom log cabin in Montana. Cameron not only found a new life as a homesteader in the West and while her English relatives sipped tea, she recorded pioneer life with thousands of photographs she created with an 1890s camera. Evelyn (Batterseas) was born on August 26, 1868, the youngest child of an English merchant who traded in East Indian items and provided a full Victorian lifestyle for his family. There was a plush house, generous grounds and 15 servants. Women were expected to spend their time at teas and fox hunts and were discouraged from “unladylike” actions such as education and physical exertion. Little of this fit Evelyn, a spunky, observant individual who dismayed her family by marrying a Scot named Ewen Cameron. Ewen shared Evelyn’s hankering to explore new lands. As newlyweds, in 1889, they rejected their disapproving English genteel upbringing and nobility in exchange for a harsh life on the edge of the American Badlands. After traveling approximately 1,800 miles across fierce river currents and then vast

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stretches of barrenness, the couple arrived in eastern Montana with an English cook and one of Custer’s scouts as guide, and settled around Miles City and Terry.

Before long, the cook was gone as the couple struggled to eke out an existence in a sober landscape with “intense solitude.” They hoped to raise polo ponies for the European market, but after many unprofitable years on the Powder River, the British expatriates finally gave it up. They initially lived off Evelyn’s trust fund, but it wasn’t enough. Supporting her husband (and her brother, Alec, who now lived with them), Evelyn planted an acre-large garden and sold vegetables.

Her second business plan (while Ewen foundered at his attempts to raise cattle) was to take in wealthy boarders, hoping they’d invest in the ranch, but none ever did. The couple wouldn’t obtain any financial security until Evelyn discovered photography in 1894 and self-learned the process on a dry-plate glass negative Kodak. Even though the popular camera producer had already progressed to a far simpler, quicker model, Evelyn preferred the more laborious method that used fiveby-seven plates. Her photography developed into a steady business which raised the family finances and enabled the couple to remain on “Eve Ranch” (three different sites in the same vicinity and bearing the same name in her honor).


history}

Evelyn Cameron

She charged “$2 for a family portrait” and traveled the countryside soliciting business. By 1902, she had a photographic “calling card” and regular customers. By September of that year, she’d made $94.40 selling photographs. (She developed them on 5-inch by 7-inch glass-plate negatives and printed them in an improvised darkroom.) Evelyn’s 35 handwritten journals, noted painstakingly for some 40 years, as well as hundreds of letters, give an insight into backbreaking, never-ending and toilsome side of life in those days. The diaries also have constant references to the ever-present rattlesnakes that are the villain in nearly every Western journal. One day, she taunted a snake to “go on the fight” before she “shot its body to smithereens.” Another time, she took pictures of a coiled snake at close range.

While her journals are infinitely noteworthy, her black-and-white images would seminally capture the routines of early western life. From 1894 to1928, Evelyn photographed the evolving nature of Montana horse and cattle drives, sheep herding, the wool trade, the railroad, and the arrival of homesteaders. To take her pictures, Evelyn often rode horseback for fifty miles or more and frequently climbed precipitous mountains on foot with her heavy camera equipment strapped to her back. She mastered sharp, large format photographs of housewives showing off prized poultry, children dressed in their Sunday clothes, truss horses, weddings, river ferries, freight wagons, Skinners, trappers, and brandings. She recorded the picturesque terrain and geology of the eastern Montana badlands and birds of prey, vermin, and domestic pets, such as eagles, coyotes, wolves, and dogs.

Evelyn relished in photographing homesteaders posing proudly in front of their meager shacks and documenting the central moments of their lives: weddings, reunions, Fourth of July celebrations. In addition to families, she examined cowboys and “wolfers”—reclusive hunters who lived off the land and sold or exchanged coyote and wolf skins. As Donna Lucey, a biographer of Cameron, summarized: “Evelyn was fascinated by what

she referred to as the ‘New World type,’ the colorful frontier characters who were drawn to the remote areas, and by the how-to of life in the West—how to ‘thrash’ a field of wheat; how to shear a sheep; how to drive a herd of cattle across the Yellowstone River. She did on-the-scene documentary photography of them all.” The Eve Ranch had three rooms: a kitchen, Alec’s bedroom and the couple’s bedroom and sitting room. The front porch was the major gathering spot and provided a fleeting sense of respite. What little relaxation Evelyn got was on that porch, overlooking the Yellowstone River and catching the breeze. Her diary made it clear that the money earned from her photography had kept the family going and that she also did the greater part of all the gardening, cooking and washing. When the couple embarked on their frequent hunting trips, making camp as they sought out wild game to flesh out their meals, Evelyn also was in charge of camp maintenance and helped with animal slaughtering.

On top of this, she also illustrated the many articles Ewen wrote for naturalist journals—time and again with no photo credit for herself—but she enjoyed these collaborations and called them “our greatest pleasure in life.” She also wrote and illustrated magazine articles about Montana ranch women depicting the sheer physical and emotional will that such life demanded. Women are observed riding, roping cattle, tending animals and gardens, cooking for sheep-shearers and farm crews and working in the wheat fields—and her photos and diaries make obvious that women were not immune to the rigors and hazards of ranching and farming. Defiantly independent, Evelyn immortalized the transformation of Montana (which was granted

statehood on November, 8, 1889), the development of the prairies by the “honyockers”—a pejorative word for homesteaders, similar to “squatters”— while she shared the anxiety of cowboys and ranchers in watching the land cultivated and fenced. As Evelyn wrote a friend in 1911: “The range country that you knew so well is about gone now and the prairie swarms with farmers who plough up the land with steam and gasoline engines.”

According to her contemporary, a traveling Englishwoman, Evelyn was described as “one of the great wonders of Montana.”

Ewen died in 1915, and Evelyn stayed on alone at her ranch, writing a friend that she was “as busy as a one-armed man with hives.” In 1918, she became a citizen and voted in that November’s election. She was 60 when she died on December 26, 1928 after an appendectomy. It seems that she knew the end was nearing as she killed her favorite horse before departing for the hospital. The church spilled over for her funeral, but then her memory slipped away for a long time.

In 1978, the Montana Historical Society received a donation from a farm woman who’d inherited Cameron’s estate. The estate consisted of a pristine trove of plates and pictures and bound diaries that had been in the cellar of Cameron’s long abandoned cabin since her death. In Terry, the Prairie County Museum houses the Evelyn Cameron Gallery, and the Evelyn Cameron Society, which operates the gallery, owns over 900 of her original vintage photographs of the old west.

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Summer with the Symphony! By Marti Ebbert Kurth

Friday, July 7 & Saturday July 8, 2017 Gates open at 5:30 for picnicking, Concerts begin at 7:30 each night

Summer wouldn’t be complete without a picnic so the Glacier Symphony has devised the perfect combination. An evening of music to accompany your picnic held on the rolling lawn of Rebecca Farm Equestrian Center in the heart of the Flathead Valley! This year’s musical theme is “Pops Goes to the Movies” and will feature movie music favorites from “Star Wars,” “ET,” and “Hook” with a special tribute to that carrot-thieving rabbit - Bugs Bunny. Kids of all ages are invited to dress up like their favorite movie character.

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make it simple by purchasing food, beer and wine or beverages from a variety of specially selected vendors. Come early and select your spot on the lawn and set up your chairs or blankets. A limited number of reserved picnic tables seating 8 people are available near the stage for best viewing or under tents and out of the elements. Both concerts will be held rain or shine. Visit the website gscmusic.org to learn more and buy car passes or reserve picnic tables that are $200 close to the stage or $100 further back and include one car pass per table. Buy early as car passes are $30 in advance and $40 at the gate. Call the GSC Box Office, 406-407-7000. Please no dogs, barbecue grills, high back chairs or sun umbrellas will be allowed. Rebecca Farm is located at 385 Farm to Market Rd, Kalispell, MT, 59901.


music}

Celebrating our 10th Season with Mozart's Magic Flute Opera August 8-13, 2017 Music will rise to the mountaintops above Whitefish, when Festival Amadeus celebrates its 10th season on August 8-13, 2017. Founding music director, John Zoltek has programmed some new additions into the week of chamber and orchestra concerts which are dedicated to Wolfgang’s artistry concluding this year with a grand finale featuring Mozart’s last opera The Magic Flute Die Zauberflöte.

The opera will be the icing on the cake as it features a cast of nationally recognized singers from across the US and Montana. It will be staged “concert style” and enhanced with projected photography and

visual environments above the orchestra with English translations of the German libretto. Also new this year will be an opening night orchestra concert on Tuesday, Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. Titled “Lyric and Heroic” the Festival Amadeus orchestra will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G with returning guest pianist, Tanya Gabrielian. It will be followed by Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 in Eb major and conclude with another Mozart piece the Impresario Overture. There will be only two Chamber concerts in Whitefish this year and they will repeat during the week in Bigfork. Chamber Night 1 on Wednesday,

Aug. 9, will be held in the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish at 7:30 p.m. Titled Sonata, Suite and Solos it brings together Ms. Gabrielian with violinist, Yevgeny Kutik, who also returns for his second engagement with the festival. The repertoire includes both solo and duo performances of selections from Beethoven, Chopin, Gandolfi, Stravinsky and Gershwin. The performance will repeat in Bigfork on Friday, Aug. 11, 7:30 pm at Bethany Lutheran Church. Orchestra Night 2 is titled Prokofiev and Mendelssohn after the featured composers for Thursday, Aug. 10. This concert features violinist Yevgeny Kutik with the Festival orchestra in Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor. It will be followed by Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A Major completes the evening of music. Audiences may remember Kutik from his appearance with the Festival in 2015. The Friday, Aug. 11, Chamber Night 2 brings the incomparable Fry Street Quartet back to the Festival Amadeus stage. This will be the popular quartet’s fifth appearance at the Festival, much to the delight of audience goers! Their program will include music of Hayden, Debussy and Beethoven and be held at 7:30 pm at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish. Note: Fry Street will also perform in Bigfork on Wed. August 9, at 7:30 pm at Bethany Lutheran Church. Mozart’s final opera, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) will be presented opera in concert format on both Saturday Aug. 12 and Sunday, Aug. 13 at 7:30 pm in the Whitefish Performing Arts Center. The cast will feature nationally recognized singers and include baritone, Ricardo Herrera, Kirk Dougherty, tenor, sopranos Hanna BrammerDillon and Emily Peragine, bass, Stephen Morscheck and many others to be announced. Tickets for Festival Amadeus are available in two pass options. The Full Pass includes 2 chamber nights, 2 orchestra nights and one opera night and cost is $169. A Pick 3 Pass includes your choice of 2 chamber or orchestra nights and one opera night and the cost is $119. Single concert tickets are priced in two tiers $35/$30 in two tiers for orchestra; $25 for adult and $10 youth for chamber nights; opera tickets are in 3 tiers at $49/$39/$25 Visit gscmusic.org to purchase. Or call the GSC Box Office, 406-407-7000. All concerts, artists and venues are subject to change. For more information about the Glacier Symphony’s music and education programs visit the website www.gscmusic.org or call 406 407-7000.

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Going to the Sun Gallery is pleased to present Gallery Nights in July & August 2017. Artist James Corwin from Kalispell and Bronze Artist Chip Jones from Stevensville, Mt. on Thursday, July 6th. 2017.

​James Corwin

​Chip Jones

Oil Painter Sally Vannoy from Big Fork, Montana and Oil Realist Carol Lee Thompson from Pennsylvania. for August 3rd. Gallery Nights.

​Carol Lee Thompson

​Sally Vannoy​

Come join us for Music, Wine and Cheese, and of course Beautiful Art!​








406 contents featured 8. Tress Wambeke T Bird Design

health

30. Your Body’s Natural Course Correction 32. Female Athlete Triad 34. Skincare Products Discerning the Difference

36. Benefits of Infant Massage 40. De-Mystifying Plastic Surgery

...8

406 men 24. Flathead Fish & Seafood Co.

profiles

12. Kalispell Parks & Recreation 16. Buffalo Hill Golf Club

...50 42. How to Stop the Hump In the Neck 46. You Can’t Resist this Workout

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48. Asthma and Youth 50. Oh, I’ll Never Leave Montana Brother

20. Sarah Broussard Event at Rebecca Farm

Legal

28. Effective Trust Planning

non-profit 54. Changed Lives The Richert Family 58. Women’s Foundation of Montana

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featured}

No Matter What Life Throws at You,

Just Keep Sewing

By Mary Wallace Photos by Laura L Photography

“Lucky girl – that Tress Wambeke!” Not a lot of people know at the young age of 6 or 7 what they really want to do when they grow up. Tress, it seems, has always known – even if her path has not always been straight & smooth. Tbird Leather makes handbags for women from American tanned cow & bison leather with an emphasis on clean classic designs that are meant to be used for many years to come, not just one season. All of T Bird's items are designed, cut, stitched and finished by Tress, in her Montana studio using the highest quality cow and bison hides along with the best findings and hardware. In the beginning, it was all custom orders. As her business has evolved, she has set patterns that she uses seasonally with an ever-changing line up of leathers. Tress creates all of her own patterns in a process that starts in her head, gets transferred to a sketchbook, then transferred to paper, and then put on poster board. Finally, each pattern gets a fully sewn muslin prototype before it is committed to actual leather. Born & raised in Tucson, AZ in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, Tress comes from a close-knit family, lucky enough to have a mom that chose to stay home and be a full-time mom. Her father was an adobe mason & taught her the meaning of hard work with his outdoor, highly physical occupation under the scorching southern Arizona sun. Tress the 2nd youngest of five kids; she has one younger sister and three older brothers. Her mom taught her how to sew with a needle & thread when she was about 6 or 7. Tress can still remember the absolute fascination of sewing two squares of fabric together on three sides and adding a piece of ribbon as a strap and having a really neat little pouch to carry her special rocks and trinkets in. “Turning some scraps of fabric and thread into a useful “thing” really lit me up!” says Tress. From there, her mother taught her how to use her trusty Singer sewing machine. As a teenager, after getting her first job and driver’s license, Tress estimates that half of her paychecks went to the local fabric & sewing shop. She would spend hours studying patterns and picking out the perfect fabrics & notions. She found herself tickled pink to be a “creator...to turn these ideas in her head into something tangible, beautiful and useful. “I felt

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empowered,” says Tress, “I made clothing, curtains, pillows, costumes & handbags, mostly for friends and family as gifts.” After high school, Tress wanted to pursue a career in fashion design, so to “get her feet wet” she took a few design courses at the community college in Tucson. Turned off by the heap of “rules” in mainstream fashion design plus the glitz, glam and high stress of that world, she re-evaluated her 20-yearold self and decided to spontaneously follow a cousin to a tiny ski town in NW Montana.

Knowing only the desert, Montana felt like a different planet. It was love at first sight. She planned on staying for only a year, learning how to snowboard on this magical fluffy stuff called snow and exploring Glacier Park before “getting serious” about a career. That was 16 years ago. Even after shelving her dream of mainstream fashion design, Tress never fully turned her back on her sewing and the art of creating. She always made sure there was a sewing corner set up in every home she rented in Whitefish. “It was my stress

reliever, soul settler and always my happy place…where I went when I needed to let down. Just create,” says Tress. Life went on, and in 2008, Tress married her husband, Chris. Always supportive of her creative endeavors, Chris one day presented her with a tanned elk hide. He simply said, “you should sew something with this, as I probably never will.” It was so buttery soft & special and, suddenly, more than a little daunting! Tress admits to staring at the thing for weeks before having the courage to start cutting it up. She found an online pattern for moccasins & handstitched them each a pair. That old familiar feeling of awe in creating washed over her once again. From there, she dove into leather headfirst and started accumulating some simple hand tools & books. In 2011, she traveled to the Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show in Sheridan, WY and camped in her car during the most intense weeklong rainstorm she had ever experienced. She took courses in leather cutting, stitching & tool sharpening. That Christmas, her husband gifted her with her very own leather sewing machine. “The


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I think some customers still love owning a one-of-a-kind piece and knowing the story of that product before purchasing...Who made it? Where did they make it? Where’s the leather from? Especially Montanans, we’re a tight community who supports each other,” door that I had shut so many years prior, opened again. I realized that I didn’t have to put myself in a box, move to a fashion capital like LA or New York to be a successful designer and maker,” admits Tress. After managing her husband’s chiropractic office for six years, he jokingly “fired” her one day to push her along to have a go at starting her leather handbag business. They slowly started to cut her hours at the office and increase her studio hours. In 2013, Tbird Leather was born. In the first few years, all of her profits went right back to the business…better tools, a rented studio and a second sewing machine. Starting a small business from scratch with only a business credit card has been a challenging road with bouts of tears, self-doubt and some frustration. It’s also been a tremendous opportunity for growth, both personal & financial, that Tress swears she wouldn’t trade for anything. “The rubber really met the road after I took the Profit Mastery course at FVCC,” says Tress. “I can’t recommend this course enough to anyone with a business to better understand the numbers side. Artists and numbers don’t usually mix, but I love both equally. It’s empowering to understand and make healthy business decisions based from facts, not emotion.”

NOTE: The Profit Mastery course is currently being offered on the curriculum of Continuing Education at FVCC and the next session is two full days in August 2017. Tress says she finds her business especially rewarding when she sees that a customer totally loves one of her handbags. A handbag is a special accessory for a woman because she carries it every day. She likes to think that a woman who buys one of her bags is like she is…a little bit of a ‘wild soul’.

“In a time when half of every dollar spent online is to Amazon.com, I think some customers still love owning a one-of-a-kind piece and knowing the story of that product before purchasing...Who made it? Where did they make it? Where’s the leather from? Especially Montanans, we’re a tight community who supports each other,” remarks Tress. Eighty-seven percent of her bags were sold locally last year, only 13% online. Currently, both Toggery stores (Whitefish & Kalispell) are her only retailers. Tress had six retailers last year but because of production limitations, she found she needed to scale back. “Sometimes you need to minimize your offerings today so you can grow tomorrow,” states Tress. You can also shop for her one-of-a-kind items at www.tbirdleather.com. New bags are added every week.

Who are Tress Wambeke’s heroes? “Anyone who is willing to make lofty goals for themselves and live outside of their perceived comfort zone. So many great ideas & passions are never pursued because of fear of the unknown. Isn’t it ALL unknown, no matter what?” wonders Tress. “And, of course, my husband is my hero, because he has believed in me from day one and embodies all of my favorite human traits.” I asked Tress a question that usually takes my victims (oops, I mean subjects) by surprise: “What makes your heart sing?” “That’s easy,” exclaims Tress, “Montana, music, road trips, family, dogs, and new leather designs!” And on her Bucket List? “I’d love to go to Italy to explore the leather districts.” How did the name TBird Leather come about? “Tress is my given name,” says Wambeke. It eventually got shortened to “T” and her favorite uncle started calling her T-Bird. The name stuck and that was that. Find one-of-a-kind Tbird Leather at either the Kalispell and Whitefish Toggery stores, or shop online at www.tbirdleather.com. As for Tress, she is heading off to the San Francisco Bay area to bring home an entire pallet full of leather.

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Kalispell Parks & Recreation Working Together To Enrich Our Youth By Mark Freidline - Photo by Alisia Dawn Photography

Kalispell Parks & Recreation (KPR) understands that communities grow stronger when families use recreation to build relationships and to have fun together. KPR has been committed for over 27 years to providing recreation and educational opportunities in an effort to enrich the lives of our citizens. Our community programs are broken into three main categories: recreational programs, youth sports, and our summer day camp & afterschool programs. Our recreation programs serve approximately 12,000 people annually and include ice skating lessons, Santa’s Calling, and our Picnic in the Park summer concert series. We also offer a variety of athletic activities such as youth basketball and soccer for children throughout the year, focused on children having fun and learning fundamentals while encouraging good sportsmanship. Our afterschool program and summer camps have over 14,000 participations annually and provide a fun and safe environment for kids to play, learn, socialize, and gather new experiences.

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Mark Freidline and Noreen Cady from Park Side hanging out with the kids.

Although our current youth programs are strong, it is important that we reflect periodically on the changing needs within the communities and develop new programs and partnerships to serve the community. I was hired as the Recreation Superintendent for the City of Kalispell in June 2016 and tasked with using my past recreation and youth programming experience to identify new programs that would benefit the needs of children in the Flathead Valley. After surviving the extremely busy summer and tackling the responsibilities of my new position, I began reaching out to different nonprofits and local businesses that serve youth in the Flathead Valley. In

October and November, I interviewed over 50 organizations and individuals in an effort to identify needs and opportunities in which Kalispell Parks and Recreation could make a difference. And while it would be impossible to address every need identified, we were able to establish three areas in which we could potentially spearhead new initiatives to have an impact on the community. In ongoing interactions with the local elementary school principals and teachers, we have recognized the need for more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) funding and educational resources in the schools.


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Parks & Recreation

In ongoing interactions with the local elementary school principals and teachers, we have recognized the need for more STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) funding and educational resources in the schools. STEAM is an initiative in education requiring a shift in the way educational programs and institutions structure teaching and pushes for an educational focus in these areas. With Park Side Credit Union as a partner, Kalispell Parks and Recreation and Elrod Elementary School took a big step forward in creating authentic learning experiences through robotics and technology. We purchased eight LittleBits education kits (http://littlebits. cc/), which is enough for an entire classroom to use effectively at the same time. KPR and our partners believe that it’s not enough for children to know how technology works, but cultivating experiential learning leads to children who are truly ready to join the rest of the world with innovation, creativity, and a love of learning. Another new program idea came from a meeting with Lea Shanks and Karlyn Gibbs from the Child Development Center (CDC). The CDC believes all children deserve the opportunity to develop their potential and provides family-focused support services to youth with developmental delays and disabilities like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the Flathead Valley. In our conversations, I learned that many children with ASD have little understanding of danger and are nearly four times more likely to wander away from safe environments. Consequently, accidental drowning accounted for 91% of the total of deaths subsequent to wandering reported in young children with ASD. Because children with ASD are challenged in areas of language and cognitive function, it can be difficult to teach them about dangers and ways to stay safe. In an effort to address this need, we will be offering new, inclusive swim lessons to help to reduce these risks. The swim lessons will take place at Woodland Water Park this summer. Along with providing the facility, KPR will provide certified swim lesson instruction and educational tools while the CDC will provide trained volunteers/staff to work one-on-one with children with developmental delays and disabilities. Offering this type of new program to special needs children emphasizes skill development and could potentially save a child’s life.

A third new initiative recognizes that due to limited funding in school districts and community nonprofits, many parks & recreation departments across the country are beginning to offer a variety of art programs to their local communities. I reached out to the new Executive Director of the Hockaday Museum of Art, Tracy Johnson, to see if she would be interested in partnering with KPR to provide more art education opportunities for children in our area. With the expertise and involvement of Tracy and Kathy Martin, Education Director at the Hockaday, a new partnership was formed to develop two weeklong art camps in July of 2017 for 2nd-6th graders. And with the financial support from local business like Park Side Credit Union and TeleTech, we will be offering scholarships to organizations serving need-based youth like Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Club of Kalispell. Kalispell Parks & Recreation is so excited to have wonderful and dedicated partners in the community to create and implement these new and important programs. We have seen firsthand how these partnerships can serve to strengthen, support, and transform the children and families they serve. These programs will also increase the visibility of local issues, get individuals and organizations mutually committed, and unleash new talents and resources to address current problems. When these like-minded organizations work together to support learning and safety for children in our community, everyone benefits. If you would like to contribute to the Kalispell Parks and Recreation scholarship fund to help need-based children from our community participate in our youth programs, please contact Mark Freidline at 406-758-7717 or mfreidline@kalispell.com. You can also mail a check payable to Kalispell Parks and Recreation to PO box 1997, Kalispell, MT 59903.

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BUFFALO HILL GOLF CLUB A LOCAL TREASURE - RICH IN TRADITION By Mary Wallace - Photos by Alisia Dawn Photography

"This game was invented a billion years ago---don't you remember?" ~Old Scottish golf saying

From buffalo pasture to destination golf resort - the Buffalo Hill Golf Club is the oldest golf course in Northwest Montana, and has always been an interesting part of Kalispell’s colorful local history. In 1915, the first avid golfers played on sand greens on a course that had been designed where the Charles Conrad buffalo herd had recently roamed. In the 1930’s, the land was officially purchased from the Conrad family by the City of Kalispell, and the Kalispell Golf Association began managing the golf course. The Kalispell Golf Association is a 501(c)(4) tax exempt, non-profit entity. Thanks to the heart, dedication, and vision of the loyal past and current members of the club, the course has seen seven major renovations over the years. Today, this valuable community treasure boasts 27 holes – the popular Cameron 9 and the famous Championship 18.

On August 11, 1978, the legendary Arnold Palmer— accompanied by fellow PGA Tour professional Bob Dickson—was on hand to celebrate the Grand Opening of the "Championship 18 Golf Course" which was designed by landscape & golf course architect, Robert Muir Graves. It was quickly recognized as a monument to the game of golf and rated as one of the best golf courses in the Pacific Northwest.

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Steve Dunfee, the General Manager of the Buffalo Hill Golf Club is part of a team that includes Golf Course Superintendent, Jon Heselwood, Golf Professionals Dave Broeder and Marlin Hanson, and Food & Beverage Manager B.J. Newgard. There are 50 people on staff during the busy summer season and about 10 full-time year-round employees.

Dunfee says that Buffalo Hill Golf Course attracts over 300 players per day during the busy summer season. Opening dates vary according to the weather, but usually from about Mid-March or early April until the end of October, the golf course is in full swing. The golf course operates from dawn to dusk throughout the season. It’s a good idea to call for a tee time if playing the Championship 18, but the Cameron 9 operates on a first come-first served basis. The Golf Club brings over 12,000 outof-the-area visitors to the valley every year. During the off season, local residents enjoy walking, cross country skiing, and stopping in at the Buffalo Hill Clubhouse, which is open year-round. Contrary to popular belief, you do NOT need to be a club member or golfer to enjoy the parklike atmosphere at Buffalo Hill Golf Club. The general public is always welcome to visit the golf course, and enjoy the tasty food & beverages at the historic Buffalo Hill Clubhouse and surrounding grounds.

This summer, the log clubhouse, which was built as a WPA (Works Projects Administration) project in the late 1930’s, will be receiving an exciting outdoor

upgrade that will add to the offerings this historic community treasure brings to the Flathead Valley. A 2700 square foot outdoor patio - complete with three gas fire pits, shade trees, colorful flowers, a countertop bar, and inviting places to enjoy the magical sunsets - is expected to be complete by Labor Day.

The basic construction and furniture budget is being funded entirely from the Buffalo Hill Golf Club Restricted Capital Fund. To help fund additional furniture and other amenities, the BHGC recently launched a paver campaign. Donors can purchase 6x9” pavers and have them engraved to honor a member, past member, family, friend, or local business. These engraved pavers will be randomly placed throughout the patio. To view an artist rendering and learn more about this project, visit the PowerPoint presentation at https://www. golfbuffalohill.com/.

And YES! The new patio will have food & beverage service available on a regular basis! Plans are in place to market this venue to the public and the business community for a variety of functions, such as weddings, rehearsal dinners, receptions, business dinners, luncheons, after work socials, class reunions, family reunions, and other events. Anyone, golfers and non-golfers alike, will be able to enjoy this pleasant new space, just as they have always been welcome relax or dine indoors at the clubhouse.


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BUFFALO HILL

Steve Dunfee grew up playing golf with his family and friends, but his mother and father had the most influence on his love for the game. He is passionate about the lessons he learned and the comradery golf allowed him to share with his family. He credits golf with teaching him life skills like etiquette, integrity, discipline, and respect. He also learned some valuable life lessons that parallel golf - like the fact that sometimes you get a bad break from a good shot, and sometimes you get a good break from a bad shot; but no matter what, you have to play the ball where it lies. Golf is a great way to spend time outdoors, and the perfect excuse to put away cell phones & video games enjoy a true reality in one of the best ways possible in today’s world. Golf is a game that anyone can play. You don’t have to be extra tall, or super fast, or extra strong, or even in top physical condition, but it sure helps to learn from a Golf Professional. The only player you have to worry about besting is your own self and your score from the previous game. Dunfee says that one of the core goals of the Buffalo Hill Golf Club members is a commitment to introduce the game of golf to more people. They offer a variety of camps and clinics for juniors and adults throughout the summer. Buffalo Hill proudly supports several local high school golf teams and booster clubs.

One of the programs that Buffalo Hill is most proud of is its outstanding Flathead Valley Junior Golf Program, offered by Dave Broeder and Marlin Hanson. In addition to the Junior Golf Camps held in the month of June, free instruction is provided to juniors every Friday during the month of July. Buffalo Hill Junior Golf also awards season pass scholarships to at least five Junior Golfers every year.

Buffalo Hill Golf Club hosts the Annual Alice Ritzman Golf Tournament to help raise funds for Junior Golf and to continue to support the mission of the Alice Ritzman Junior Golf Program. Kalispell native and LPGA Tour Golf Professional Alice Ritzman, who played the Buffalo Hill Golf Course in her youth before her successful career on the LPGA Tour, has been an integral part of the Junior Golf program since its inception. This year’s tournament is slated for July 16, 2017. Whether you are a seasoned golfer, a novice wanna-be, or someone who just enjoys delicious food and libations in unique & lovely places, the Buffalo Hill Golf Club should be on your list of places to visit this summer.

“Go play golf. Go to the golf course. Hit the ball. Find the ball. Repeat until the ball is in the hole. Have fun. THE END.” ~Chuck Hogan


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Meeting Super Sarah The woman behind The Event at Rebecca Farm By Kay Burt - Photos by Jeff Lendrum Photography

“My mother’s first mistake,” laughs Sarah Broussard, “was taking me with her to the barn when I was six. From then on, I was just a totally horse crazy kid.” Arguably, it was not a mistake, but the genesis of a remarkable life, one lived with a passion for horses, for eventing and, ultimately, for others. Today, many would recognize Sarah’s name as the organizer and driving force behind The Event at Rebecca Farm. The Event is a boon to the Flathead, drawing spectators and competitors from around the nation. It generates millions in revenue for the local economy, and its corollary charity, Halt Cancer at X, an initiative that raises funds for national breast cancer research and local support services, brings in thousands more. Rebecca Farm, with its acres of graceful hills, obstacles and farm ground is a world-class

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venue, and The Event a crown jewel. In addition to hosting The Event each July, the venue serves the community in other capacities, hosting everything from summer symphonies to the cross-country meets. Sarah credits the farreaching vision of Rebecca Farm to her mother, Rebecca (for whom the farm is named). “This was her dream,” she says, “and the story of how it came to be is remarkable.” Equally remarkable is the story of the woman who now carries forward her mother’s vision.

Sarah began riding at six and show jumping at ten. She entered the world of eventing at 15. Eventing, a series of three events—dressage, show jumping and cross country, requires an enduring partnership between horse and rider. Despite a number of falls (they taught her “grit”), Sarah persisted. She came to live and breathe eventing.

But the sport of eventing was not without its demands. It required the same rigorous commitment of other Olympic sports, the same Spartan existence. At age 15, because only one competition was held in the state at that time, Sarah loaded up her horse and headed toward Spokane, where she trained for the next three years. Once trained in all things eventing, Sarah hit the road on her own at 18 to chase her dreams. “I traveled all over, down to Arizona and on to California,” she remembers. “I lived in a pickup camper for a lot of that.” Sarah finished high school in three years, trading proms and pep rallies for a life on the circuits. She returned only for commencement, graduating with her Columbia Falls classmates. Looking back, she would have it no other way. She made many friends in the eventing circles and they remain close friends today. “We saw each other at each competition,” she recalls, “It was a small, intimate group of us and we became like


Photo courtesy of Sarah Broussard.

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Sarah Broussard

Sarah finds it equally gratifying to partner with the community. “I’m just awed by the support of this community; it’s humbling and it’s heartwarming. We couldn’t do it without our sponsors and our volunteers. Every year I think it can’t get any better, and yet every year it does.” family.” It paid off in other respects, as well, as Sarah joined the ranks of the Top Three Young Riders in the country. Sarah’s time as a competitor stretched through her teen years, ending when she was 23. She went on to college then, graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in biology. “I wanted to be a teacher,” she remarks. “I still would. My high school biology teacher, Dale Wick, was such an inspiration to me that way.” Today, the sport is still front and center in Sarah’s life, though in a somewhat different way. Though she still competes occasionally, it’s the farm, and The Event that are her passions now. “Only my family comes before them,” she emphasizes. And though Sarah is grateful for all The Event brings to the Flathead Valley in tourism and revenue, to her the reward is deeply personal. “I don’t want people to think of it as just ‘that horse thing west of town.’ It’s so much more than that. You watch that horse approach the jump, the straight-ahead, ‘bringit-on’ set to those ears, the majesty when they clear it?” She pauses and her face glows. “It’s awesome, just incredible to be able to share that with the community. Everyone needs a chance to see it.”

Besides the opportunity to share her sport, Sarah finds it equally gratifying to partner with the community. “I’m just awed by the support of this community; it’s humbling and it’s heartwarming. We couldn’t do it without our sponsors and our volunteers. Every year I

think it can’t get any better, and yet every year it does.”

That is the Sarah Broussard most people know—or think they know. But it turns out that it’s just the tip of the iceberg. There is much more to this complex and generous woman.

For instance, Sarah is a paramedic and member of the West Valley Volunteer Fire Department. She has served West Valley for a number of years as an EMT and more recently completed a rigorous, 2-year course of study at Flathead Valley Community College to become a paramedic. Sarah came to her “fire family” by chance, on her way to becoming an “animedic.” While attending a Large Animal Technical Rescue School in Kentucky, she discovered that a number of her classmates were firefighters. Sarah got to be friends and found herself quickly drawn to the rush of empathy and adrenaline. “I’d never want anything bad to happen to anyone,” she stresses, “But if it does, I want to the first to help, to be right in the middle of things.” In addition to her roles of Event promoter and paramedic, Sarah is also—and foremost-a mom. She dovetails the activities of her 13-year-old and 11 year-old into her busy schedule, and the kids come first. This year she faces a conflict: “I only ride in a few events each year,” she explains. “This year, the May event coincides with my daughter’s track meet. Tell you what: I don’t plan to miss that track meet.” She is proud, too, for the way the kids support The Event. They run their own lemonade stand

over the four days of The Event. At the end, they donate their profits to Halt Cancer at X. “You’ve never seen anyone prouder,” she beams. To date, Halt Cancer at X has raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for breast cancer research and support services And what does Super Sarah do for fun, when she hangs up her cape? This past winter, she and her 18-hand Warmblood, Mo, took on skijoring. “I did it with a friend, and it was just a kick,” she says. “We weren’t serious competitors, but it was great just to get out there and be part of the fun.” Also in the name of fun, this last spring, Sarah joined the Flathead Valley Roller Derby, the valley's first and only women's roller derby league.

As she looks forward to The 2017 Event at Rebecca Farm, Sarah stresses her gratitude to her family and the community for their partnership and support. She is particularly excited to be adding the North American Junior/Young Rider Championships, something near and dear to her heart. “We want to make the Event bigger and better each year,” she concludes. “Eventing has something for everyone—for the novice and the experienced rider, for the green horse or the old hand, for the competitor and the spectator. To be able to add to it with something as meaningful as ‘Halt Cancer at X’’ and the Junior/Young Rider competition? It doesn’t get better than that.” And these days, as momentum builds for summer and The Event, you never know where Sarah might turn up. She might be putting Mo over an obstacle, cheering at a grade school meet… Or she might just be saving your life.

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BRINGING THE SEA TO the Flathead Valley

By Mary Wallace Photo by Danella Miller Photography

Rick Adams & Max Pugh, this month’s 406 Men, are truly the stuff that legends are made of. Not only do they know all the best places to take a date for delicious seafood, they both cook, too! The two friends/business partners, without a lot of fanfare, opened the new Flathead Fish and Seafood retail market on Highway 40, between Whitefish and Columbia Falls, in the summer of 2016. With little advertising they have seen a steady increase in business. They’ve already developed quite a following of loyal customers, several stopped in to purchase seafood when I visited one afternoon recently. After 30 years of delivering to mostly wholesale customers at the finer restaurants from Whitefish to Missoula, the two men decided it was time to expand their business to offer a place for the general public to buy the finest quality fresh and frozen fish & seafood ever offered in the Flathead Valley.

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Their new market is an incredibly fun place to shop. Rick credits his mom with most of the inviting design of the retail storefront. When they found a building that would accommodate both the retail storefront and allow them to process and package their fresh seafood, she made several suggestions about the décor and displays. She loved the black & white checkerboard floor. She told Rick & Max that the store must always be kept super clean, that their displays must look nice, and that there should be flowers out front. These two men are dedicated & passionate about their seafood and because of this, they are able to offer the freshest, most natural, and chemical free fish in a variety unmatched anywhere in Montana. Most of their fish is wild caught and flown in from both coasts nearly every day.

Ricks’ father was a geologist and his family moved around quite a bit when he was a kid. He studied Fishery Biology at Colorado State University, and eventually landed in the Whitefish area. He purchased Flathead Fish

and Seafood Co. from the previous owner in 1987. Rick & his wife, Lori, love to mountain bike, camp, fish, and go backpacking. With their two children grown & gone, they enjoy traveling when they can. They like to visit their kids and they make an annual trip to Costa Maya Mexico. Max Pugh grew up in Whitefish and attended Whitefish High School. He was working at a local sushi restaurant as a sous-chef when Rick stole him away to become his partner. Max & his wife, Erin, who is a para-educator at Hedges School in Kalispell, have two children (ages 9 & 11). His main hobby is hanging out with the family. He also likes to hike, fish, and visit Glacier Park as often as possible. Right now, both partners share all of the duties involved in running their business. They both process and package the fresh seafood that is delivered daily – both for local restaurants and for retail sale in their store. Rick does most of the local deliveries and Max makes a run to Missoula every week to deliver to restaurants there.


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Rick enjoys being involved with the Special Olympics. He has been a venue leader for the State Winter Games Intermediate Downhill Skiing event for many years. He also helps with the Track & Field events for the Summer Special Olympics. Max likes to volunteer at the community kitchen which serves weekly dinners to those in need around the valley. One of the things the two partners enjoy is hosting Customer Appreciation parties at the store. Our legendary 406 Men actually do all their own catering for these affairs and were happy to share one of their most popular recipes.

CONCH CEVICHE INGREDIENTS

2 ½ lbs. Squid Tubes and Tent. 2 lbs. Halibut pieces 2 lbs. Conch Meat Two Tomatoes 1 White Onion ½ cup cilantro 5 limes 3 Jalapeno peppers 2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce 1/3 cup Ketchup Garlic to Taste 1 TBSP Salt Rough chop all ingredients. Put in large bowl. Add salt, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and ketchup. Mix well. Squeeze limes and add lime juice one hour before serving. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate. Serve with crackers, pita chips, or toast points. Enjoy!!

When asked “What makes your heart sing?”, both answered without any hesitation at all. Rick’s heart is happy when he comes home and sees his wife with a big smile on her face. Max’s heart sings when people around him are happy. Rick’s bucket list includes a fly fishing trip to New Zealand, and travels in the USA to visit as many national monuments as possible. Max’s bucket list includes paying off his house and traveling to Alaska and other exotic places.

Flathead Fish & Seafood carries a wide variety of fish and seafood from all around the world. They carry Oysters, Mussels, Haddock, King Salmon, Alaska Halibut, Cod, Chilean Sea Bass, Hamachi, Yellowfin Tuna, Tilapia, Rainbow Trout, Walleye, Clams, Crab Legs, Shrimp, Lobster (including live lobster), Scallops, Crawfish, Catfish, Squid, Sushi products, Wagyu Beef and more. The store is open from noon to 6 pm Monday to Friday.

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Stop by and see them. These 406 Men, who are Purveyors of Fine Seafood, are happy to share menu suggestions, recipes, and the freshest seafood around.

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Effective Trust Planning

The Importance of a Fully Funded Trust Rachel and Dan knew they needed an estate plan. They talked to some of their friends and searched the internet and decided that they wanted to set up a revocable living trust to avoid a probate. However, they did not want to spend a lot of money so instead of consulting with an estate planning attorney they found an online “do it yourself” trust program and did it themselves. They followed the instructions for creating the trust and provided a list of assets that they wanted to include in their trust. However, they did not take the step of actually changing the title of their real property or beneficiary designations to their trust. They thought by including the property on the list of trust assets that these assets would be included as a part of their trust and they could avoid probate. Unfortunately, Dan predeceased Rachel. At that time Rachel discovered that simply listing assets on a schedule attached to their trust did not transfer title to their trust. Dan held title to one of their rental properties and several bank accounts in his name alone. Regrettably Rachel had to file to open a probate in Montana to transfer their rental property and bank accounts into her name. While the probate proceeding was not especially complicated, it required

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By Kelly O’Brien, Attorney at Law

additional time and expenses for Rachel to re-title the assets that she had invested in with her spouse. Moreover, Rachel and Dan had spent the money to set up a trust and thought they would avoid probate. After the probate proceeding was completed Rachel decided to meet with an estate planning attorney to review her trust and ensure that her estate would not have not to go through the same type of probate proceeding despite having a trust in place. The attorney advised her that while the trust itself only required a few updates, it still needed to be “funded,” which meant that she still needed to transfer title of her assets to her trust. Once she completed this process her family could avoid a probate proceeding for her estate and reduce time, money and additional stress. Trusts can be highly beneficial estate planning tools, but it is important to understand the basics of trusts and how to effectively fund a trust for maximum estate planning benefits.

What is a Trust?

A trust is written agreement wherein a separate entity, the trust, holds title of property and assets and manages those assets on behalf of an individual. A trust is created by a grantor (also known as the “trustor” or “settlor”) and the assets of the trust are

managed by a trustee for the benefit of the beneficiary. During the lifetime of the grantor of a revocable trust, the grantor retains complete control over the trust and can amend the trust, transfer or sell assets of the trust, or terminate the trust at any point.

How do you “Fund” a Trust?

For a revocable living trust to effectively avoid probate it must be fully funded. “Funding” a trust simply means transferring title of assets to the trust. This means making changes in ownership to change title of your assets from your name as an individual to you as the trustee of your trust. Typically titling an asset in the name of the trust requires the name of the trustee, name of the trust and date of execution of the trust. For example: Kelly R. O’Brien, Trustee of the O’Brien Revocable Living Trust Dated June 1, 2017 and any amendments thereto. To actually transfer title to your trust you will need to execute new documents of title. This includes executing new deeds for your real property. This also requires working with your financial advisor, accountant and attorney to update accounting information or obtain new deeds for real property. If you already have a trust in place review your assets and accounts to make sure that the trust is actually funded.


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Trust Planning

Bank & Investment Accounts

For any significant bank or money market accounts, including certificates of deposit, you need to update the title on the account to include the name of the trust and trustee. This will likely require signing new signature cards or ownership documents directly with the bank.

trust as they correlate to your age, life expectancy and require minimum distributions. Instead, it is generally recommended that you include a spouse, partner or children as the primary and contingent beneficiaries of these types of plans.

However, appointing beneficiaries for retirement plans may involve complex tax planning and For small accounts or checking accounts you may requires individual and specific advice. Therefore simply make beneficiary changes rather than re- it is essential that you discuss your retirement plan titling your accounts. By updating the beneficiaries beneficiary designations with your attorney, tax of your checking account you will ensure that any advisor, financial advisor and plan administrator. remaining funds are distributed either directly to your family members or through your trust upon Other Assets your death. By naming a beneficiary rather than re- The above descriptions include some of the more titling your checking account you avoid having to common assets that may be transferred to a trust. list the name of your trust on all of your checks. However, if you have a trust in place it is important that all of your assets are either titled in the name For stocks and bonds held in an investment account of your trust or that you have appointed the specific you will also need to change title of the account to beneficiary for the asset. Again, work with your the name of your trust. The process is similar to re- advisors to ensure that this is done properly. titling bank accounts, but you may have to fill out new account applications so make sure you work with your investment advisor to transfer title of your Providing Documentation of a Trust Typically you do not need to provide a bank, investments to your trust. financial institution, or title company with a full copy of your trust, but instead provide what is Real Property called a “Certificate of Trust.” A Certificate of Transferring real property to a revocable living trust Trust prevents the disclosure of the private plans requires a conveyance of ownership. In Montana this for distribution of an estate to third parties. A requires the preparation, execution and recording of Certificate of Trust provides documentation and a deed for each property in the county where that proof that a trust exists, lists the trustees of the trust property is located. This also must be filed along and provides documentation of authority and power with the Montana Department of Revenue Realty to transact business on behalf of the trust. Transfer form. If the property has associated water rights you will also need to transfer ownership of the Additionally, you typically do not need to obtain a water rights to the trust. separate tax identification number for your revocable living trust. As long as you are the acting trustee of Prior to recording any deed it is important to review your trust (or for a joint trust if both spouses are and understand the current status of property living) you will use your own social security number ownership and any related financing or tax issues. for accounts held by the trust. Additionally if your real property is encumbered by a mortgage or deed of trust you may need to provide additional notices or obtain consent from your Effective Trusts Require lender. Accordingly, it is important to consult with Complete Funding your attorney and tax advisors before conveying title Revocable living trusts can be highly effective estate of real property to a trust. planning tools. Trusts provide a greater ability to control the distribution of your estate and can provide estate tax planning benefits. Moreover Business Interests Most business ownership interests, such as the use of a revocable living trust can enable your ownership in a partnership, limited liability family to avoid a probate proceeding for your estate. company or corporation, can be assigned to your However trusts are only effective so long as you trust through a written assignment of interest. properly transfer title of your assets to your trust. Typically the assignment must be approved To avoid Rachel’s situation follow the processes and signed by the other owners of the business. described above to ensure that your trust is properly However, it is important to first determine if there funded. By reviewing ownership of your assets and are any restrictions on the transfer of ownership. following the processes outlined above you can You may need to contact corporate counsel for the ensure this is done. Work with your legal, financial business and/or work with your individual attorney and tax advisors to make certain that you have to properly transfer business ownership interests to followed the necessary steps to fully fund your trust. your trust. If you have additional questions regarding revocable living trusts or proper funding of trusts contact Kelly Retirement Accounts & Pension Plans O’Brien, Measure, Sampsel, Sullivan & O’Brien, P.C. Retirement accounts are a unique type of at (406) 752-6373/ www.measurelaw.com investment requiring special planning. Typically it is not advisable to transfer ownership of a qualified This article is intended for educational and information retirement or pension plan to a revocable living purposes only, it is not intended to act as legal advice.

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Your Body’s

Natural Course Correction Written by CrisMarie Campbell

The scene is a business boardroom. I’m in front presenting to a business audience when all of a sudden, rising from the depths of my body, comes a wave of intense heat like a boiling hot inferno. It takes over my entire body, sweat immediately glistens the outer layer of my skin.

Whether it’s your monthly cycle, or your greater transition from menstruating to perimenopause to menopause, what’s happening is a normal and natural part of who you are and how you operate.

I quickly, and as nonchalantly as I can, take off my jacket and pick up my water and take a drink. I walk around a bit to get some air moving around my skin, hoping no one notices. Thank goodness Susan is there. She jumps in to take over as I’m preoccupied and wondering what is happening to my body!

She said that each month, your body gives you two weeks before your period to review your life and to feel and notice where you’re out of alignment with your heart. For those two weeks, it’s like the water is let out of the pond and you’re able to see all the jagged rocks that you’re not happy with, which is why you’re often more emotional before your period.

Lo and behold, I’m having a hot flash. Ever had one? If not, and you’re a woman, you likely will at some point. Back when I worked for a corporation, the VP of HR would have hot flashes in the middle of business meetings. I would think, “Wow, Thank God that’s not me!” Of course, I didn’t say a word. No one did. You just didn’t talk about our “female issues” in business whether it was premenstrual symptoms or hot flashes. As women, we tend to view our monthly cycles and hormone changes as a problem. What if it’s your greatest gift? It’s time we stop pretending we’re like men. Instead, we should start honoring and talking about who we are and what’s happening.

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Opportunity for Course Correction

I once heard Christiane Northrup, author of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom, speak about women’s cycles and menopause. It really clicked with me.

Then the next two weeks, during and after your period, you have the opportunity to take action and make changes that will bring you back into alignment. If you ignore these signals month after month, when you get to menopause you’ll be like an erupting volcano. You won’t be able to ignore what you want and the changes that occur may explode your life. Most of us have considered our period and related issues as a problem, but imagine if our society honored the wisdom of our cycles. I’ve heard in some native communities when the women are menstruating they can’t be around the men … because they’re too powerful. Wow. What a different way to look at hormonal changes!

No matter if you’re having regular periods, skipping periods, or are in full menopause, your emotions are there for some good reason. Rather than making them wrong, imagine that your body is giving you an opportunity for course correction in your life. I want to help you honor and work with your body, emotions and hormones through these monthly or evolutionary changes so you can access its gift. Here are some ways to make changes:

One: Honor Your Dreams

When I first start coaching a client, I begin by helping her identify where she’s unhappy in her life. Then we discover what she’d really want, such as: going back to school, starting her own business, staying home to have kids, attending a workshop, or ending a relationship. Almost always, the very next thing that pops out of her mouth is, “I can’t do that!” I ask, “Why not?” What follows is usually one of the three big dream killers:

· I don’t have enough time. · I don’t have enough money. · My partner will be upset with me. Time, money and the need for approval are the three unconscious ways of stalling, stopping or killing your dreams. I see so many women get clarity about their dreams, but then fall victim to one of these limiting beliefs


health} So many people search for the next magic pill that will solve their problems, be it weight loss or physical problems, relationship issues or career challenges. It’s so easy to fall into the trap that someone outside yourself has the answer and knows best. and, resigned, shove those dreams back into the closet as I’ve discovered that as I age that a certain type of alcohol, they climb back on the hamster wheel of life. which for me is red wine, makes sleeping soundly an issue. Today, I’m aware if I drink too much of any wine I If you’re coaching with me, I won’t let that happen to get more intense hot flashes at night. you! The third food is sugar, which I’m addicted to. I work with you to break free of these dream killers so Apparently, no matter what I read, sugar is bad whether you can make the changes that will help you fall in love you’re dealing with cancer or simply hormone changes. with your life again. There’s no need to wait until you get She suggests eliminating sugar or going to low sugar to menopause to course correct your life. Your feelings options. are telling you something. When will you listen? Now, cutting these foods out “for good” doesn’t work for me. It creates a scarcity reaction, meaning I’ll be good, Two: Trust Your Body So many people search for the next magic pill that then feel deprived, and eventually binge. Instead, what I will solve their problems, be it weight loss or physical suggest you do is think in terms of choice and trade-offs. problems, relationship issues or career challenges. It’s so Knowing the impact to your sleep, do you still want to easy to fall into the trap that someone outside yourself have a glass of wine with your gal pals? Sometimes it’s yes. Other times no. Either way you’re in charge. has the answer and knows best. Sure, experts are helpful, but even if you’re working with one, check in with your own body to see if the solution fits for you. We each have different bodies and sensitivities. What works for one woman may not work for you even if you’re best friends or related.

Summary

Your body, your hormones and your emotions are not the enemy. In fact, they’re always trying to point you in the right direction. Are you listening? Always trust your own inner sense of what’s right for you even if some expert is giving you conflicting advice. You are the only As part of navigating course correction I always help my one who can tell what’s right for you. You’re in charge. clients discover and connect to her own body compass. Too often people make decisions using their head, As women, our body, emotions, and yes hormones are focusing on the “shoulds.” Instead, your body compass is here to give us loud ongoing feedback on whether or your inner gauge that tells you what’s best and right for not we’re going in the right direction both at work and you and what isn’t. Your body lets you know what fits for at home. You can listen now or listen later. I sure hope you by how it feels. you learn to listen this month. We treat our mind like it’s our CEO. It’s not. Our mind If you’re struggling feel free to reach out to me, is a good manager and helps us implement our plans. CrisMarie, and we’ll see if we can’t help you access your Our soul is our true CEO, and how we access our soul’s inner wisdom and start feeling better. inner wisdom is through our bodies and emotions. Your body compass helps you do just that. When you use your body compass to start making decisions, your work and your life turn around. You feel so much better because your decisions are aligned with your heart, for example signing up for that dance class you always wanted to take, getting a pedicure or going to bed an hour earlier.

Three: Look at and Adjust Your Diet

What we eat affects our bodies, especially in our 40’s when our bodies begin fluctuating in hormone production, which causes a whole host of symptoms: insomnia, fatigue, weight gain, and eventually hot flashes. What may make these natural changes worse and confounds your ability to accurately read your body compass and trust what your body is telling you—is your diet. In Sara Gottfried’s book, The Hormone Cure, she talks about a host of foods that upset our hormones. The top three are: red meat, alcohol and sugar. I know, all foods I adore! Red meat is a problem because of all the added hormones which, when ingested, amplifies our own hormones, making symptoms worse. She suggests shifting to organic chicken or wild caught fish for a period of three weeks. Then if you do want red meat, make it organic.

CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke are Life Coaches and Business Consultants. They work with professional women, leaders and teams and couples in business. Their focus is on helping you access your Mojo to transform your life, relationship and business! Check out their programs FIND YOUR MOJO, BUILD YOUR MOJO and IGNITE YOUR RELATIONSHIP MOJO at www.thriveinc.com/programs. Watch their TEDx Talk: Conflict – Use It, Don’t Defuse It! on YouTube. Contact them to coach with you, consult with your business or speak at your next event at thrive@ thriveinc.com or 406.730.2710.

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Female Athlete Triad By Dr. Thomas deHoop

It is hard to imagine that only 50 years ago a woman competed in the Boston Marathon for the first time. Never before have women enjoyed the benefits of regular exercise and competitive sports as they have in the past several decades. A major shift occurred in 1972 with the introduction of Title IX which states that “Any secondary or collegiate school that receives federal assistance must offer equal athletic opportunities to men and women, requiring equity in areas of participation, scholarship, dollars, and athletic benefits.” At that time, only one out of 24 girls played high school sports, now it is approximately one in three. This has lead to significant health benefits and contributed to improved physical fitness and overall wellbeing for women. For some, however, risk exists for the development of one or more of a triad of

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In 1992, the American College of Sports Medicine coined the term to describe a triad of distinct and interrelated medical conditions: disordered eating (including a range of poor nutritional behaviors such as bulimia), amenorrhea (irregular or absent menstrual periods) and osteoporosis (low bone density which can lead to weak bones or fractures). Today, it is recognized that each of the components can express itself on the spectrum from subtle to extreme. The disordered eating seen in the triad has been better described as an energy imbalance and is the key to developing the triad. More calories are utilized than are taken in during the course of a day. All women face societal pressure to be thin, but athletes can feel additional pressure where a lean physique and/or low body mass can confer a competitive advantage such as cross country running, gymnastics or dance. In response to this pressure to lose weight, women and girls may practice unhealthy weight-control methods, including restricted food intake, self-induced vomiting, consumption of appetite suppressants and diet pills, and use of laxatives. Specific eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia are not as common, but all women who practice any disordered eating can progress to this extreme. As many as 75% of competitive gymnasts report a disordered eating pattern at sometime in their career. Perfectionism, compulsiveness and high personal expectations are traits of high level athletes, but also of those with eating disorders. There are psychological reasons for disordered eating. For instance, many of these athletes lead such regimented lives that their control over their diet is the only control they possess. The effects are counterproductive as they lead to impaired

health, decreased performance and loss of muscle mass, often leading to injury. Eating disorders can also cause fatal cardiac complications or electrolyte imbalances. It is the responsibility of coaches, trainers, parents, friends and fellow athletes to be aware of signs of disordered eating in young athletes to avoid the consequences.

Warning signs to look for signs to look for inWarning disordered eating include in disordered eating include

●Excessiveororrapid rapidweight weightloss lossororwide wide ●Excessive fluctuations in weight fluctuations in weight ●Preoccupationwith withweight, weight,food, food, ●Preoccupation mealtimerituals ritualsand andbody bodyimage image mealtime ●Avoidingteam teammeals mealsororsecretive secretiveeating eating ●Avoiding ●Extraworkouts workoutsininaddition additiontototeam team ●Extra practices practices ●Overuseinjuries injuriessuch suchasasstress stressfractures fractures ●Overuse ●Frequentsore sorethroats throatsdespite despitenono ●Frequent infections infections ●Swollencheeks cheeksfrom fromswollen swollenparotid parotid ●Swollen glandsfrom fromself-induced self-inducedvomiting vomiting glands ●Dentalissues issuesororfoul foulbreath breathfrom from ●Dental repeatedself-vomiting self-vomiting repeated ●Depressionororlow lowself-esteem, self-esteem, ●Depression irritabilityorormood moodswings swings irritability ●Yellowingofofthe theskin skin ●Yellowing ●Softbaby babyhair hairononthe theskin skin ●Soft


Amenorrhea (the loss of menstrual cycles) and the less

severe disorders of menstrual function are recognized to occur more frequently in female athletes than in the general population. As opposed to the 2-5% of the general population who has amenorrhea, the incidence is much higher in competitive athletes and has been reported to be as high as 40-50% in elite runners or ballet dancers. It may occur as a milder form of amenorrhea with only a few cycles missed every year. There is controversy as to the exact cause of these menstrual irregularities. The “critical mass theory” claims once a woman’s body fat falls below a certain threshold, the ovaries fail to ovulate. Others claim irregularities are due to the high level of endorphins produced during exercise that inhibit the brain’s ability to stimulate ovulation. Still others claim that the physiologic stress of exercise release stress hormones that prevent ovulation. It is likely a combination of these theories that can prevent the brain’s stimulation of the ovary to ovulate. Any female who has not begun menstruating by age 16, misses three consecutive periods or has periods that occur at an interval greater than 35 days should undergo an evaluation.

The incidence of the last component of the triad, osteoporosis, is difficult to determine since young women do not routinely undergo bone density testing because it is usually not recommended until age 65. Many young women present with stress fractures or other injuries typically seen in women of advanced age. Studies comparing bone density in young athletes found those who maintain regular menstrual cycles have greater bone density than those with irregular cycles. The bone loss is due to the lack of estrogen when there is a failure to ovulate. Since estrogen is the key to achieving and maintaining bone density, the lack of estrogen prohibits young women suffering from the triad from reaching their maximum peak bone density. This is further compounded by poor nutrition. Long-term, these

women will enter menopause with a less than optimal bone density and be at risk of osteoporosis at an earlier age. For instance, a woman at 50 years old may have the bone density of a 70 year-old woman. She will have a risk of hip and spinal fractures greater than her cohorts who had regular cycles. This exponential increased risk of the triad can be minimized or prevented. Prevention and multidisciplinary collaboration are the keys to success. Primary prevention involves providing the education necessary so that parents, teammates, coaches, trainers, medical professionals, communities and the athletes themselves have an awareness of the triad and can avoid practices that encourage potentially harmful behavior and intervene as necessary. Secondary prevention involves recognizing, screening and treating subtle signs and symptoms of the triad in a multidisciplinary approach. Talk to your health care professional. Preventing and reversing bone loss can be as simple as taking an Estrogen replacement oral contraceptive medication. More severe eating disorders may involve counseling or psychiatric intervention. Young athletes should reap the benefits of regular exercise without the risk of harms that may occur as a result of disordered eating or menstrual irregularities. The goal of exercise is to maintain health so avoiding problems associated with the female athlete triad helps achieve that goal. Dr. deHoop is a KRMC physician practicing at Kalispell OB/GYN – In 2011 he moved to Kalispell from Cincinnati, Ohio where he was an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for 16 years. He practices general obstetrics and gynecology, with a special interest in robotic and minimally invasive surgery. He came to Kalispell with more than five years of experience using the daVinci® robotic surgery system.

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All women face societal pressure to be thin, but athletes can feel additional pressure where a lean physique and/or low body mass can confer a competitive advantage such as cross country running, gymnastics or dance.


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skincare products

Discerning the Difference By Erin Blair, Licensed Esthetician + Certified Health Coach

People often wonder whether there’s a difference between skincare products they can buy from the drugstore, department store, or skincare professional. Is it all just the same stuff, doing the same job? If so, why the difference in price tag?

Active ingredients make the difference

Skincare has come a long way in the last few decades. Progress in science and technology has led to the discovery of many ingredients that can actually change the skins’ structure and health. These advanced ingredients increase cellular metabolism, and improve the texture, tone, and youthfulness of the skin. Yet, cheaper products make the same claims as the higher priced professional brands. What gives? Truth be told, cosmetics have very liberal labeling laws. Yes, they are required to list ingredients. However, a cosmetic company can include the tiniest amount of an active ingredient, such as alpha hydroxy acids or peptides, and lay claim to their amazing benefits. The only problem is, there isn’t enough of the active ingredient to really make any difference in your skin.

Active ingredients are dangerous

Well, they can be, if used incorrectly. And cosmetic companies which sell products on the shelves of Target and Walgreen’s, or even health food stores, won’t take the chance of having a lot of consumers come down with adverse reactions.

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The cosmetic company needs the product to be as inert as possible so that a wide range of skin types, including sensitive and allergenic, can use a product without the danger of side effects. They formulate products that would be safe for just about anyone, including those who misuse and over-apply. Therefore, what you buy off the shelf is pretty much guaranteed to have no value in the way of making real changes in your skin. This brings us back to labeling laws.

Estheticians are trained to understand ingredients

Labels can make all sorts of false claims

An informed esthetician will teach the proper use of products, and they will be available should you have a reaction or otherwise unsavory experience. If you get a rash from a drugstore product, what recourse do you have? More often than not, people end up with bottles upon bottles of stuff that didn’t work, piled up under their bathroom sink. I don’t care how cheap it was, if it didn’t work it was a waste of money.

Sad but true. I see it all the time with claims of ‘non-comedogenic’ and ‘won’t clog pores,’ when the product contains the worst pore cloggers known to man. And, while it’s true that peptides can change your skin in dramatic ways, not all peptides are created equal. Another important consideration is the synergistic combination of active ingredients. Cosmetic companies are counting on consumers to not understand ingredients and to trust pretty packaging instead. After all, understanding ingredients takes a lot of work. This is where an esthetician comes in.

An esthetician has advanced training, is licensed with the state she operates in, and carries liability insurance. A licensed professional knows which ingredients will be best suited to your individual skin concern, and will closely supervise your regimen in order to achieve the best results. This is even more true of a professional who pursues advanced education.

Products that are available through a professional are much more potent. A manufacturer invests in research, development, and training the estheticians they entrust with their product line, rather than lining the pockets of Cosmo and Oprah magazines with multi-million dollar ad


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More often than not, people end up with bottles upon bottles of stuff that didn’t work, piled up under their bathroom sink.

campaigns. They can, in turn, rest assured that the consumer who uses their products is in the good hands of a capable guide.

What about higher-end department store brands?

The experience of shopping at a department store comes at a price. In fact, prices for name brands at department stores are often higher than what you would pay at a skin clinic. But, what are you paying for? Advertising, for one. Those super models aren’t cheap! National magazine and television ads cost untold amounts. Free gifts with purchase are not really free. Those costs are all passed onto the consumer. You’re also paying for shelf space. Cosmetic companies pay a premium for product placement. Name brand companies often hire clerks with little or no skincare training, with a strong emphasis on closing the sale rather than educating the consumer, and you are paying their salaries, too. These salespeople are trained to parrot whatever the company tells them to say, and they have not had the privilege of working with a client, one-on-one, long term, to see how a regimen may or may not change the health of the skin. Most aren’t even licensed estheticians. In the end, you also have the same issues with active ingredients as you have with the less expensive drugstore brands. Mass quantities sold to consumers, without extensive product-line training for sales clerks, results in the need for products that aren’t very active. In our litigious society, companies would rather sell watered-down, ineffective products than risk a lawsuit due to adverse reactions. Ultimately, what you decide to use will depend upon your goals. Now you just have a bit more information to help discern between all the pretty packages out there. This column is a reprint from our Autumn 2011 issue.

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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Benefits of Infant Massage By Allison Linville

When North Valley Hospital became an official Planetree affiliated hospital in 2002, there were many small changes that were integrated into the facility to focus on patient-centered care. Infant massage was a change that the hospital welcomed, and through classes and education in the Birth Center at North Valley Hospital, there has been an overwhelmingly positive response to the program. “Infant massage helps connect the parent with the child, and it’s great for either the father or the mother to connect to the baby,” says Cindy Walp, Birth Center Director. “It can ease the child’s pain and stress and helps to bring parents into a deeper physical and emotional bond with the infant. It’s very beneficial for both parent and child.” Infant massage is also a helpful way to ease the stress of parents. Sometimes, anticipating the needs of a child and constantly addressing those needs can become exhausting. It helps to slow down, calm the child through trained infant massage techniques, and find the reciprocal calming that comes with addressing a need successfully while still being very present with the infant. Walp explains, “Infant massage has proved to have stress reduction benefits for both mom or dad and baby. It’s very interesting that there is an increase in endorphins for the child and the parent when following the gentle techniques.” Walp mentioned that it not only relaxes the baby, but offers feedback to the child that it is okay to relax and be comfortable. For the infant, the massage concepts also help release their pain and can assist in muscle control and other developmental abilities. Walp mentioned her own experience as a new mother, stating, “I wish this was around when I had my son. Looking back, I realize he was in some physical discomfort from his birth, and it could have helped some of his pain and my frustration as a new parent with a child that was difficult to soothe.”

She explains that practicing the massage techniques can help to reduce the same stress in parents that sometimes contributes to more extreme reactions to crying infants. When parents are stressed, often infants are stressed as well. Also, the program is tied into other initiatives to help new parents, and has a positive impact on postpartum depression, instances of shaken baby syndrome, and other concerns.

The Birth Center at North Valley Hospital offers infant massage classes that are free and open to the public. Class is held in the Snowghost Conference Room of the Professional Office Building, 711 13th Street East, Whitefish. Parents will learn the art of infant massage and be guided through each step in a cozy, comfortable environment. You will receive a complimentary bottle of massage oil and take-home instructions. Please call the Birth Center for more information and exact dates of the course: (406) 863-3535.

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Benefits for Baby ·Helps baby learn to relax and releases tension ·Promotes bonding and attachment

in parent/infant relationship ·Helps to relieve colic, gas and discomfort from teething and congestion ·Increases self-esteem and sense of love, acceptance, and promotes healthy touch ·Reduces gas and colic and allows the baby to sleep deeper and longer ·Enhances communication ·Improves body awareness, muscle tone coordination, and circulation ·Helps baby cope with physical stress of disabilities

Benefits for Parents & Caregivers ·Helps caregiver to feel more confident in caring for baby with ability to read the baby’s cues.

·Enhances parent-infant communication and builds respect ·Helps ease the stress of working parents who are separated from child during the day ·Provides a nurturing tool for fathers and grandparents of breastfed babies ·Promotes overall parenting skills

For more information about the North Valley Hospital Birth Center, please visit: http://www.nvhosp.org/our-services/the-birth-center/ and for the schedule of free classes and support groups, visit: http:// www.nvhosp.org/patients/classes-events/.





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De-Mystifying

Plastic Surgery By Melisa Goe, CMPE Clinic Operations Manager, Glacier View Plastic Surgery

What is the difference between Plastic Surgery vs. Cosmetic Surgery? This is a question that is commonly misunderstood and tends to cause confusion for those considering taking the steps to improve their appearance for various reasons. Plastic surgery is focused on repairing defects to reconstruct a normal function and appearance. Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty that is dedicated to the reconstruction of facial and body defects due to birth disorders, trauma, burns and disease—such as breast cancer. Most plastic surgery training is reconstructive in nature and intended to correct dysfunctional areas of the body. The plastic surgeons at Glacier View Plastic Surgery (GVPS), Drs. Michelle Spring and Mike Hromadka take this practice very seriously and spend a great deal of their time caring for patients that need this reconstructive approach. Some examples of the most common plastic surgery procedures are: breast cancer reconstruction, facial laceration and fracture repair, burn treatment and reconstruction, cleft lip and palate repair, hand surgery and scar revision surgery. Plastic surgeons also commonly assist other surgeons as a team approach to help treat life-threatening complications such as large chest, abdominal or extremity wounds and infections. Glacier View Plastic Surgery works closely with Dr. Melissa Hulvat at Bass Breast Center, caring for patients that have been diagnosed with breast cancer and have had one or both breasts removed by mastectomy; as well as patients that have undergone radiation and chemotherapy that have altered the appearance of the breast. This is a very emotional time for these patients and GVPS strives to create an environment of caring and understanding. These patients are often making decisions to have reconstructive breast surgery while simultaneously making the decision of how best to treat their cancer. The process is very different from the decision to have a breast augmentation to achieve a larger size breast, or a breast reduction to decrease the size and lift the breasts. Breast reconstruction is achieved through several plastic surgery techniques that attempt to restore a breast to near normal shape, appearance and size following mastectomy. Breast reconstruction results are highly variable. Breast reconstruction can be done immediately following a mastectomy or sometimes the reconstruction is delayed for

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months or years, depending on cancer treatment, team of professionals at KRH that cares for and side effects, skin damage issues or personal reasons. treats babies and children with cleft palates and The entire process for reconstruction can take up to cleft lips. a year, from beginning to end. During medical school at the University of North Glacier View Plastic Surgery also performs many Carolina, Dr. Hromadka performed research breast reduction procedures, or “reduction on tissue engineering and regeneration, using nano-fiber technology to create scaffolding mammoplasty.” Breast reduction removes for cell growth. This research earned him coexcess fat, glandular tissue and skin to achieve authorship on multiple papers published in a breast size in proportion with your body and peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Hromadka provides to alleviate discomfort associated with overly MOHS reconstruction surgery for Flathead Valley large breasts. Part of a breast reduction includes residents, preventing them from having to leave a breast lift, which moves the nipple and areola the area to get this specialized procedure. MOHS up to a more natural place on the chest. There surgery is a precise surgical technique offered by are many side effects caused by overly large a specialized dermatologist to treat certain skin breasts: back, neck and/or shoulder pain, skin cancers. Thin layers of cancer-containing skin irritation beneath the breast crease, limited are progressively removed and examined until only cancer-free tissue remains. The resulting ability to perform physical activities as well as defect often needs reconstruction that is best emotional and self-confidence issues. Many accomplished by a plastic surgeon, particularly in insurance companies cover breast reduction areas such as the nose, ears and eyelids.

surgery if certain criteria are met prior to surgery. If you are considering breast reduction surgery (or any other surgery that may be covered by insurance such as an upper eyelid lift), GVPS has a prior authorization specialist on staff to help you maneuver through this process with your insurance.

As Kalispell Regional Healthcare continues to expand the children’s services offered through the hospital and many of the clinics, Dr. Spring offers a plastic surgery option that is not as familiar as the others discussed thus far. Prior to joining GVPS, Dr. Spring traveled extensively to Bangladesh, Bolivia, China, Ecuador, Nicaragua, India, Peru, Taiwan and Vietnam. During her travels she used her surgical skills and compassion to provide humanitarian relief as an Interplast (now called ReSurge) Webster Fellow and later as both a team leader and a lead surgeon. She provided free reconstructive plastic surgery for children and adults with cleft palates, cleft lips, disfiguring burns and hand deformities. Dr. Spring is on the

The surgeons and staff at Glacier View Plastic Surgery enjoy every aspect of the practice; reconstructive plastic surgery, cosmetic surgery such as facial rejuvenation, breast surgery and body contouring, as well as optimizing healthy skin care with treatments such as lasers, chemical peels, and physician-prescribed skin care products. The practice also specializes in non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as Botox, injectable fillers, CoolSculpting, small vein/blood vessel treatment and lasers. We are advocates for educating the public about the importance of plastic surgery, for each individual’s well-being, whether it by necessity or choice, there should be no shame in seeking to improve something about yourself that you feel is important.

If you have additional questions or would like to discuss your options for plastic or cosmetic surgery, please contact our office at (406) 7562241 and schedule a consult with one of the physicians.


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How To Stop The Hump…

In The Neck By Dr. C. Claude Basler, DC, Basler Family Chiropractic

“Oh my, what is the hump at the base of your neck?” Hopefully those are words that you have never heard before. First of all, because that’s just plain rude and second of all, the hump is becoming more of a trend in our society. So, here we are talking about the ‘Humps’ and what we can do to stop it and “fix” it. The hump that starts at the base of the neck is a growing epidemic. In fact in our current day and age this is even starting at childhood. What is the one contributing factor that is creating the hump in the neck? There are too many variables to consider. We will outline two factors that are attributing to it and a factor how to heal from it. Ultimately the hump is called a dowager’s hump or hunchback. Regardless of what you call it it’s negative for your spinal health, which means bad for your overall health.

“The iHunch”

This should resonate with just about every single person. Cellphones, gadgets or any other hand held device is ruining our spinal health. Text neck is a global epidemic. The simple text message or newest notification has many glued to the screens. When viewing our screens nine times out of ten we will most likely look down at the screen. We bring our eyes and our head down to the screen like we are looking at the floor. Basically we are recreating the caveman look. Imagine the toll it takes on your body when you keep doing it over and over again. Change the position of the phone. Simple. Bring the phone up to your eyes and not the other way around. Look up!

“The Sloucher”

This one really should be the easiest to talk about. Posture. Having good posture is actually hard work. It’s something that you have to work towards every single day. It’s pretty easy to slump over and not manage the little things. It’s the little things that will add up over time. Starting with the basics for having good posture starts with the head. For where the head goes the body follows. Make sure that the head is directly over the body. From a side view if you look at yourself, your ears should be crossing the posterior aspects of your shoulder joint. Every centimeter that your head is forward of that puts more pressure and strain on your nerve system.

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This should resonate with just about every single person. Cellphones, gadgets or any other hand held device is ruining our spinal health. Text neck is a global epidemic. Addressing The Cause

In order to truly see the problem at hand you first need to address the cause. Accumulative lifestyle habits can create a hump in the neck. Most of the time people only recognize it as a cosmetic problem. When in reality it directly affects your overall health and wellbeing. A subluxation is when a spinal bone puts pressure and irritates a nerve fiber. Chiropractors adjust subluxations. When adjusting somebody we have to find the specific subluxation that is causing the hump. You see the hump that the body creates is actually the body trying to protect itself. Start with the basics and look at the spinal bones first. Think of the spinal bones as protective armor. Their sole purpose is to house and protect the most important entity in your entire body, the central nerve system (CNS).

X-ray Time

When looking at the x-ray components we want to visualize what to do specifically for somebody, and what not to do. We want to find those specific subluxations to fix the Hump. Without this instrumentation we are merely guessing on one’s health. Figure A. will be used as our standard. Notice there is a nice curvature to the spine, approximately 43 degrees. The spine in Figure A. allows the CNS to flow smoothly and without dysfunction and remain properly connected to the rest of the body. Figure B. brings about a complete reversal of the cervical curve. This is not proper, and with this the nerves will be working harder and faster to compensate. An easy way to understand the purpose of a curve is to think about construction on the busiest highway ever in the world. When the spine is like Figure B. your CNS is fighting construction on a daily basis every second of your life. With Figure B. the nerves have to send accelerated messages to the surrounding muscles, ligaments, and tendons to perceive that you are actually walking and standing straight. Remember, gravity is always working against us. When tissues are constantly working overtime they begin to EXPAND and build more tissue, thus forming your ‘Hump’. The body attempts to do something constructive by building more tissue. It’s attempting to protect the subluxation, which is stressful to your body. Same thing happens when you start lifting weights on a regular basis. You build tissue. Your body attempts to adapt to the stress placed on it. Get your nerve system checked and adjusted. When the CNS is dysfunctional like Figure B. your body is not adapting correctly. With specific chiropractic care you can restore your curvature within the spine. What does an adjustment do? Well, for starters it restores proper connection with the brain. An adjustment removes the subluxation, which changes the way the brain operates. It goes from fight and protection mode to healing mode. You’re never going to stop healing. So, start looking at health from the inside, where it matters most.

Figure A.

Figure B.

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You can’t RESIST

this at-home workout. By Delia Buckmaster, PMA®-CPT and bootybarre® Master Trainer Photos Danella Miller

Even if you don't have access to Pilates equipment, you can kick up your mat routine by adding a resistance band. These long rubber bands require a little more strength during exercise, engage more muscle fibers and improve your form, making every exercise more challenging and increasing the effectiveness of your workout.

Half Roll Back

5 Benefits of Adding Resistance Bands to Your Workouts. 1. Resistance bands are inexpensive 2. Resistance bands can be used for a comprehensive, full-body workout that challenges every muscle group in your body. 3. Excellent for travel. They are lightweight and easily portable. 4. Adds variety to movements you do often. 5. An effective workout that is simple yet can increase stamina, flexibility, range of motion and more.

Try the following Pilates-based exercises at home. How it works: 3 - 5x a week, 8-12 repetitions of each move in order. You’ll need: a resistance band. (mat is optional)

Start seated, knees bent, place band around both feet keeping feet flexed, holding band. arms reach forward. Curl the lower back down toward the mat using your abs and glutes keeping our shoulders soft and heels on the mat. Return back to start position. Tip: Band should be taught to provide support and resistance.

Side Bend Triceps Press Down

Holding the resistance band, stand tall and reach both arms overhead. Bend to one side and pull the band apart with arm closest to floor. Turn your head towards the working arm and extend at the elbow. Switch sides. Tip: Keep the hips square and shoulders stable

One Leg Press Standing

Place one foot in the middle of the band. Reaching the arms overhead, bend that knee and lift foot off the floor. Stabilize the standing leg while pressing the band leg down. Switch Sides.

Kneeling Side Leg Lift

Tip: Keep your abs connected and shoulders down.

Tip: Keep hips and shoulders square. Only lift leg as high as you can keep good form.

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Place the band under supporting knee and press supporting hand away from the floor. Opposite foot presses into the band and top arm holds band. Keep arem and leg sideline as they lift and lower. Switch sides.


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Kick Backs

Place the band around one foot, hold the ends of the band in your hands, drop down to all fours. Extend your leg straight behind you and return to start postion. Switch sides. Tip: Place hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips. Press the leg using your glute. Keep your abs engaged.

Shoulder Bridge Glute Work

Back Extension T-Pull

Place the band around one foot and get in to shoulder bridge postion by lifting your hips up. Lower the gesture leg and lift. Switch legs.

Lying on your belly extend the arms overhead shoulder width apart, arms hovering. Extend the upper back as you move the arms directly to the side of your shoulders. Return to start postion.

Tip: Keeps the hips square and the shoulders flat not elevated. Don’t lower the leg too low that it hurts the low back.

Tips: Pull the shoulder down and pull your abs in as you extend. Look at the floor not forward to take the pressure off of your neck.

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Asthma & Youth By Jessica McDonald, PhD

Ever experience difficulty breathing or straining for breath after exercise? If so, this is a small fraction of what it feels like for those who cope with asthma on a regular basis. Asthma affects more than 22 million people in the United States. It is not clear why some people get asthma and others don’t, however, it is most likely due to a combination of environmental and genetic (inherited) factors. In Montana, approximately 17,000 children live with asthma and 1 in 3 are estimated to have uncontrolled asthma as reported by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (2017). Asthma affects all age groups, but is more commonly seen in young children, and twice as likely to affect boys than girls. To combat problem asthma, the Montana Asthma Home Visiting Program (MAP) was developed in 2012 to help children and their families learn how to better manage asthma by providing education, ensuring proper use of medication and ways to reduce allergens that can trigger asthma attacks leading to unexpected hospitalizations. The Flathead City-County Health Department offers MAP services to local communities within Flathead County. These efforts include raising asthma awareness and helping those who can benefit from the MAP program. “Asthma is very common, and it needs to be treated, not ignored,” said Helyna Kretske, RN, of the Flathead City-County Health Department. “Education through awareness can empower a person, increase adherence to

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inhaler use, prevent misuse, improve health, and maybe even save their life.”

MAP provides: · Six home visits over the course of a year with an RN · Custom asthma education, including inhaler use · Educational resources and referrals to community services · Home assessment and reduction strategies for environmental triggers and allergens · Asthma friendly mattress and pillow covers for the child’s bed and pillow · High efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifiers for homes with pets and/or smokers To qualify for the MAP program you must meet the following eligibility criteria: · Reside in Flathead County · Age 17 or younger with a current asthma diagnosis · Have had at least one emergency room, urgent care, or hospitalization in the last 12 months The MAP program can help children manage their asthma, experience less asthma symptoms reduce the number of emergency room visits, missed school days, and missed work days for parents. All asthma home visiting services are offered at no cost to children and their families. If you are interested in learning more, call Helyna Kretske at 406-751-8169 at the Flathead City-County Health Department.



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Oh, I’ll Never Leave Montana Brother by Dr. John F. Miller DDS

Effects of Screen Time on Adult Sleep That was the title of the article that appeared before me. I chose not to investigate any further. I was confident that my current habits were contradictory to the author’s recommendations. Just one more thing that’s going to kill me... sooner. So I continued scrolling my Facebook feed in bed as is my nightly routine after tucking in all the kiddos. Then, wedged between the meme’s, hashtags, and emoji’s a lone status rose into view. It was the status of my senior class president announcing that on this day 18 years ago we graduated from high school in 1999 (RIP Prince). Meaning that we were crossing the threshold of time signifying our being out of school longer than we were in school. I threw it back to 1999; let’s keep it there for a minute. I grew up in very close-knit community in Northern Arizona. The type of place that was so small that everyone was considered a neighbor and treated as such. Now, in addition to it being very small, there were a lot of Miller’s there, a lot. In fact, sometimes just for fun my High School Basketball Coach would start 5 Miller boys just to mess around with the announcer. I often joke that I couldn’t date any of the young ladies in town seeing as they were most likely a relative of some kind.

generic title of “Miller Party.” I don’t get home as often as I would like but if I could only make it home for one day I would want it to be Sunday so I could be present for this event. The central activity is the playing of Rook, a team based card game, while the periphery contains pick-up basketball games and the churning of homemade ice cream. It was here that I sat at the feet of my Great Grandparents, slung Rook cards with my Grandma and Grandpa, snickered at my crazy Aunt’s and their deafening laughter, and bonded with my many cousins.

Every Sunday at 4:30 pm there was and still is a gathering of Miller’s. This affair has the

While these parties continue to this day, the majority of Sunday afternoons find me here, in

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Northwest Montana, with my small family. I didn’t stand a chance to be honest. I was exposed to the beauty of the Flathead Valley at a young age and spent time here every summer. I recall Norman Maclean’s description of Montana from A River Runs Through It, “It was a world with dew still on it, more touched by wonder and possibility than any I have since known.” Now, not to be so dramatic but I was also quite taken by Montana and I knew it would one day be "Home." It should be obvious at this point that I’m feeling quite sentimental. We moved here in June six years ago. We were scared as we no


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I was exposed to the beauty of the Flathead Valley at a young age and spent time here every summer. I recall Norman Maclean’s description of Montana from A River Runs Through It, “It was a world with dew still on it, more touched by wonder and possibility than any I have since known.” longer had the security blanket of higher education directing our lives. It was finally now, at 30 years of age, to actually experience the “real world” and start a career. As a provider of dental care I sought out the small community of Columbia Falls and wanted to conduct business in a way that removed barriers between the patient and oral health. I made my mission to welcome patients of all walks of life and treat them as equals. I looked around my community of Columbia Falls and Whitefish and observed our great teachers and educators. I found out what dental insurance provider they had and made sure I was an in-network provider to ease their financial burden when it came to receiving the needed care. I then proceeded to do the same with Plum Creek and then again as Weyerhaeuser took over with a new insurance provider. I work constantly with my amazing team to ensure not just a good experience but also an exceptional dental visit from entry to exit. I want nothing more than our patients to feel like they have been treated fairly and with respect, knowing that their comfort is our top priority. I just love the community I serve and am humbled by what we have been able to create during our time here. Here’s to 35 more years. If what my wife Juli and I are doing in the Flathead is laying down roots, then I was a leaf on a Grand Ole Cottonwood in Northern Arizona. I mentioned that we were scared moving up here. Was our decision selfish to raise our kids away from Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins? I told my wife that now we are going to be the trunk of the tree and every Sunday afternoon we will have a “Miller Party” that will grow and enlarge as we age until it is our Great Grandchildren at our feet. I don’t know what day you might be reading this, but I am writing it on a Saturday. Tomorrow I am leaving with my family on the early flight into Phoenix and we will make our first appearance at a “Miller Party” in quite some time. In fact, it will be the first for my two youngest children. I can’t wait to get my butt kicked at cards and basketball and to share old memories. I imagine we will be somewhat of a spectacle there and will answer lots of questions. One of which will be, “When are you all moving back to Arizona?” My answer will somewhat resemble the other Maclean brother, Paul, when he proclaims, “Oh, I’ll never leave Montana brother.”

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Changed lives

The Richert Family By Kristen Hamilton Photos by Amber Reinhardt

There are a record number of children coming into foster care. While the goal is always reunification with family members, well-trained and supported families are needed to care for children in the interim. Foster care may be short term, longer term or sometimes even permanent. But even when children need permanent families, the journey begins by the family fostering the children first. Here, the simple mission of Child Bridge changes lives...both of the children and the families caring for them. The stories of transformation are powerful and inspiring. Meet the Richert’s …a Billings family who want children in need to have the love and guidance of a family... whether their need is temporary or long term. Foster mom, Megan Richert shared with us about her family and this journey. Tell us about your family

Right now, we’re a family of six! But as foster parents, that can change quickly. My husband, Paxton, is a service manager for an over the road truck shop and I’m a kindergarten teacher. We have been married for 16 years and have four amazing kids. Ethan-14, Sierra-11, and Logan-8 are biologically ours and “Little Man” is our son for this season through foster care and he is 10 weeks old.

What activities do you enjoy as a family?

We love to go hiking and camping in the summer and snowmobiling and snowshoeing in the winter. All three of our big kids are on the local YMCA swim team and in various sports at school. We are a busy and active family.

What intrigued you about adding to your family through fostering or adoption?

I can’t really put a finger on it. About eight years ago I read the book Choosing to SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope by Mary Beth Chapman. It wrecked my heart in the best possible way, and ever since then, adoption has been on my heart... but just mine! It took my husband Paxton, a bit longer to

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get on board, but he is all in now. Our journey to foster care and adoption has been a bit circuitous. Initially we were looking at international adoption, then we moved to domestic. Door after door kept being closed. We kept praying that we would be in the center of God’s will for our family. Four years ago we even went as far as completing half of the training hours to get our license to become foster/ adopt parents through the state. At some point in the training, it became very real that the timing wasn’t going to work for us and we were trying force the issue. We/I set my dreams of adopting aside then. It really was a low point for me. I really prayed hard that God would remove the desire to add to our family through adoption. I worked hard to stuff those desires and it worked for a while. The feeling just would not go away, and then Child Bridge entered into the picture. How were you introduced to Child Bridge? Child Bridge first came on our radar through a presentation at our church. Soon after the presentation we submitted our information to Child Bridge and then went on with our lives not giving much thought to it until we got a call from Child Bridge in late July 2015. They said the need for foster families in Yellowstone County was great. They were working to get families trained and asked if we would be willing to travel to Great Falls for a weekend to receive our foster care licensing training. They even offered to help with the cost of the hotel to make it easier for us. We jumped at the opportunity! I was also thrilled at the idea of having our training hours behind us before the school year started.

When did you decide that you wanted to pursue adopting through the foster care system?

I think it took the eight years for our motivation for adopting to be with a right heart. We knew we wanted to adopt and we also knew financially that international and private domestic weren’t for us. It isn’t an issue of right or wrong, it was knowing what was right for our family. There was a pull towards the foster care system that kept popping up. Everywhere we looked seemed to be telling of the need in our area for foster families and the number of kids in need of a safe place to land until their futures became more clear; either temporary or forever.

How was the transition for your family?

Our transition to sharing our hearts and home with a child in need spans the age gamut. We were officially licensed in April of 2016. We had pretty specific ideas of what we were willing to take on. Even though you always foster first, we really wanted to adopt a child from foster care who had a permanent need. But the summer of 2016 came and went with no placement. Christmas time arrived and we became connected with the CHAFEE program for children who are ages 14-21 and will be aging out of the foster-care system. We wanted to help a collegeminded student with the transition from high school to college and all that season of life brings. In late December/early January were introduced to a sweet young lady through CHAFEE who was 17 years old. She was alone, living in a group home, and just wanted someone to be in her corner and to be her voice in the midst of the loud world she is in. Our


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Child bridge

“Don’t dig your heals in and follow what you are being called to do. After having “Little Man” in our house, I don’t know why we waited.” family was looking into what it would take for her to join our family, but in the meantime, one of her extended family members stepped forward. We were thrilled for her since we understand that a sense of family means everything! Fast forward to February 6th, 2017. It was a Monday morning and the kids and I were hanging out since there was no school that day. At 9 a.m. the phone rang asking if our family would be willing to parent a newborn baby boy with a little-known background. We’d really been focused on caring for teens...but when we got that call for “Little Man” at 9 a.m. he was in our arms at 11 a.m.! Our world was turned upside down in the best possible way. In the weeks since he came to live with us, his presence reminds us to trust God with our future and to live in the here and now. “Little Man” has a complex situation and our future with him is unknown. We have made the daily choice to love him fiercely! Our family motto has become “Love Bravely”. We are willing to be his forever family if that is the best for him.

What is the most positive change that has occurred in your family dynamic?

There were two positive changes that have occurred in our family dynamics, one in our immediate family and one with our extended family/support system. As parents, my husband and I have been much more intentional in checking in emotionally with our kids and in spending one on one time with each of them. We never wanted them to feel as if the new addition was threatening their role in the family or taking

time away from them. Each of our kids is fiercely in love with and clamors for individual time with “Little Man”. They love to lavish love on him and that has been beautiful to see.

Our family and friends are 100% behind us now as they are watching “Little Man’s” story play out. We truly are blessed to have the best family and friends along with us on this journey.

When we entered the foster/adopt arena we were open and honest with our extended family about our plans. We could readily see and feel some of them had huge reservations as to what it would mean and how it would change our family dynamics. I really think it was fear of the unknown, and that’s understandable. All of those fears were extinguished within moments of meeting “Little Man” and seeing how seamlessly he fit into our family circle and activities. There is still the unknown in his story but it isn’t so scary now.

Final thoughts?

Can you describe any struggles that you may have had that would help other families looking to adopt?

This is a quote from my husband, Paxton: “Don’t dig your heals in and follow what you are being called to do. After having “Little Man” in our house, I don’t know why we waited.”

Did you have a strong support system through family and Child Bridge?

We have gleaned so much from the monthly support meetings that Child Bridge hosts! We are grateful that they also count towards our re-licensing hours. I feel we are better prepared to handle issues as they arrive as a result of the training. We also know that we can go to them when we need the help of any kind.

I think people forget that children in the foster care system are part of our future. I feel they are often invisible, forgotten, discarded. All children will either have a positive or a negative impact on our future as a society. Children in the foster care system are at a disadvantage and need someone to step in the gap. They need someone to be their voice, their advocate, to give them a safe place to process, work through the trauma they have experienced, and to find the resources they need to heal. They need someone to fight for them. Everyone in our community can be a part of this healing process. Please search your hearts and ask what is your role in this. Not everyone is called to be a foster parent. There are so many other things you can do; become a CASA volunteer, take a meal to a family who just provided a child a safe place to land, use your voice to advocate in the schools and political arena, provide the basics for a kid who has been removed with nothing but the ragged/stained clothes on their backs, offer respite/babysitting services to the foster parent/parents so that they can get their buckets refilled, provide a safe place for the foster parent to process their emotions because they are in the trenches and get weary too. We, as a society and individuals, have the obligation and responsibility to help the invisible children become visible, to create space for them thrive in spite of the hard places they have come through.

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The Women’s Foundation of Montana is committed to advancing economic independence through multiple paths. We know that no one action will change a historical inequity that is so ingrained in our culture. However, we believe a consistent multi-pronged approach will move us toward our goal. WFM works to (1) encourage girls to consider high paid careers and supports their confidence and independence, (2) support programs such as wage negotiation workshops for women to give them the tools they need to advocate for better pay and benefits for themselves and their families, and (3) join strategic partners across the state to build new resources to support women in leadership.

Three Roads to Equity

that women are less likely to ask for what they are worth in the hiring process. WFM grantee, the Montana Chapter of the American Association of University Women, works to teach young women how to negotiate for their own best salary

This year, a grant from the Women’s Foundation supported their Small Town STEM project, designed to reach Montana towns with populations of 2,500 or less, which often have few STEM resources. Through this project, their goal was to engage a cohort of adults from six of these communities who have the capacity to reach girls of diverse and under-represented backgrounds, in an intensive, year-long training program. The Girls STEM Collaborative recently reported that they greatly exceeded their goals, training educators from more than twenty small Montana towns in Bozeman in October and following up with programming through the winter and spring. Results are still coming in, but we believe they will have served well over 100 kids in rural areas with one small grant!

Wage Negotiation Training for Women: AAUW's Start Smart Salary Negotiation Training

Just one year after graduation, women earn only 82 percent of what their male counterparts earn, and that gender wage gap widens over the next 10 years. One reason for the disparity from the get-go is

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Women’s Leadership: PowerHouse Montana

The Women’s Foundation of Montana hosts a statewide online platform called PowerHouse Montana at www. powerhousemt.org. PowerHouse Montana connects women to the mentors and resources they need to be financially successful. The program started just two years ago and already has nearly 300 members. In June, PowerHouse Montana will launch new functionality that allows users to designate if they are interested in running for office, serving on a corporate board, receiving job offers and more. In this way, PowerHouse Montana will create a statewide pipeline of qualified women ready and willing to serve in a variety of leadership positions, thus increasing the number of women leaders in the state over time.

STEM For Girls: The Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Small Town STEM Project

The Montana Girls STEM Collaborative acts as a statewide connector of organizations and individuals that are working to educate and engage girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). They provide best practice trainings, access to grants and resources and more for these vital efforts.

range," said Kuntz. "People come out of the workshop feeling more confident in their abilities to negotiate and definitely have more knowledge on the subject.”

and benefits. In April they hosted Smart Start/Work Smart workshops across the state. These free workshops targeted women who are about to enter the workforce, graduate college, and take their first jobs, but were open to all women at any stage of their career. The workshops were set up to help women to learn about the gender wage gap, and participants learn how to research an appropriate wage and determine what benefit packages they can negotiate for. "As we know women are underpaid in jobs even when they're doing the same exact work as men, and research has shown that often times one of the contributing factors is that women don't negotiate at the beginning like men do," said AAUWMT Program VP Jesse Kuntz. Women in Montana earn an average of 74 cents to a man's dollar. By negotiating wages, women can help close that gap. "We had a woman here in Kalispell who took the workshop and used the skills to negotiate a wage beyond the posted salary

To join PowerHouse Montana, visit us at www.powerhousemt.org. For more information on events, go to www.powerhousemt.org/resources/ mentormondaymt. Together, we know that our multi-pronged approach to advancing women’s economic independence is moving us closer to our goal by the day!



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