Yellowstone Valley Woman

COMPLIMENTARY

BILLINGS’ MOST READ MAGAZINE | MARCH/APRIL 2020

Names SAY THEIR

The fight against Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women

Be ready for 50 more years with the girls Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, among men and women combined, and can often be prevented through screening.

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YVW MAGAZINE

Letter

FROM THE

Editor

JULIE KOERBER

I don’t know if I will ever forget the feelings I felt as I watched the case of Selena Not Afraid unfold. I remember my pulse quickening every time I read a news story, realizing the sheer terror I would feel if my own 16-year-old daughter vanished without a trace.

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women issue has been making headlines for years. As much as it pains me to say this, I paid closer attention this time. It was hard to ignore. My daughter, who plays basketball, played Hardin High School the day after they found Selena’s body.

The crowd felt somber as their team hit the court warming up in red shirts with the words “Hope 4 Sal” on the back. The halls of Hardin high were full of notes that the students wrote to Selena, sharing the hope they had that she’d come home alive.

They traced their hands as a sign of solidarity and inside, wrote messages like “Hope for Sal,” “Hope for Freda,” “Hope for Henny,” “Hope for Kaysera” and “Find Our Stolen Sisters.” I had to choke back tears several times.

Not long after the case made headlines, I remember scrolling through my Instagram feed and stumbling upon Nicole O’Shea’s Instagram story. It’s long gone now so I can’t share her exact words, but she shared how compelled she was to drive to Hardin to help in Selena’s search. You could tell watching her that she might crawl out of her skin if she didn’t. She didn’t know Selena. She lived more than 100 miles away. Yet, she felt determined to help. I felt that too. So, out of the blue, I called Nicole and asked a simple question: “How can I help?”

What started as a story about a podcaster looking to shine the light on the MMIW issue blew up into a full-fledged series of stories looking at the issue from a handful of angles. I can honestly say, it’s been maybe more than a decade since I spent this much time on a piece. Every new fact, every new person I chatted with, every new meeting I attended just pulled me in deeper.

I was shocked to learn that a majority of violent crimes on reservations go unpunished. I was heartbroken to learn that many Native mothers prepare their daughters for a time not “if” they will be sexually assaulted, but “when.” I was terrified to learn of the abandoned Crow tribal lands that serve as human trafficking hot spots for young women.

Within all of the darkness, however, I did see light. I saw a passion in many to try to stem the violent tide. I saw tribal leaders from more than one reservation taking a stand. I saw the fierce spirits of women bound and determined not to let this keep happening to their Native sisters.

While there are no easy answers, I see something that I haven’t before — traction. Thanks to the Missing Indigenous Person Task Force within the state and with its federal counterpart, a framework is being developed to give tribes the resources necessary to prevent and respond to the MMIW crisis.

Nicole is another one of the bright spots that I encountered. Within days of our chat, she put together a website and home for the Missing and Murdered Podcast and promises to share the story of every MMIW family until there are no more. I remember telling her early on when she shared how exhausted she was that maybe she needed to take a step back and not let her heart get tied so tightly around these stories. She responded that’s the only way she knows how to tell this story — to sit in a family’s space, listen to their heartache and feel it right alongside them.

It’s her thought that if you know these stories, you’ll care. If you care, you’ll remember. If you remember, there will be an awareness and if there’s awareness, there will come change. What a beautiful thought.

For the sake of those affected by the MMIW issue, I pray she’s right.

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YVW MAGAZINE

Julie

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March/April

2020

ON THE COVER 50 SAY THEIR NAMES

The fight against Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

F E AT U R E S 10 TAKING LIFE BY THE HANDLEBARS

Suzidee Hansen’s advice on life is to just keep moving

14

THE LADIES OF LAUGHTER

18

CREATING HAPPINESS

Watch out - a ‘Comedy Tsunami’ is rolling in

Face Painter Amy Schad sparks smiles

20 SHE'S GOT PERSONALITY

What personality assessments can tell you about life

28

PAYING IT FORWARD

34

WRITING HER OWN STORY

50

Billings woman’s story moves full circle

46

52

Dana Pulis’s journey to a marketing powerhouse

COULD BREAST IMPLANTS BE MAKING YOU SICK?

Trisha Kalfell is on a quiet crusade to raise awareness

FILLING THE CRACKS IN LIFE

Melanie Tripp brings awareness to human trafficking

72 RENEWING TEN AND THE NORTHERN HOTEL

Three women aiming to refresh the iconic establishment

84 A CALL TO DESIGN

Rebecca Langman’s multi-faceted approach to style

94 DESIGNING IN ANNAFELD

Carolee McCall Smith's modern farmhouse-style

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72

IN EVERY ISSUE 26

KAREN GROSZ: Life is Knocking

40

FASHION: Who, What, Wear?

64

BIG SKY WOMEN: Creating A New Money Mindset

66

NUTRITION: Feeling Lost with Meal Planning?

68

TASTE OF THE VALLEY: Easy Peasy Mac and Cheese

78 FITNESS: Ramp Up the Intensity 80

HEART GALLERY: 10-Year-Old Evan is Seeking a Forever Family

82

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Yellowstone Valley Happenings

90

LOOK WHAT WE FOUND: Pillow Talk

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PUBLISHER & EDITOR JULIE KOERBER julie@yellowstonevalleywoman.com

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COPY EDITOR ED KEMMICK SPECIAL SECTION EDITOR LAURA BAILEY ADVERTISING TERRY PERKINS: 406-860-3951 terry@yellowstonevalleywoman.com TRISH SCOZZARI: 406-690-9528 trish@yellowstonevalleywoman.com LYNN LANGELIERS: 406-671-2325 lynn@yellowstonevalleywoman.com C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R MELANIE FABRIZIUS ads@yellowstonevalleywoman.com DISTRIBUTION NICOLE BURTELL CONTACT Yellowstone Valley Woman PO Box 23204 Billings, MT 59104 Phone: 406-254-1394 www.yellowstonevalleywoman.com

vvvsvvv YELLOWST ONE

BILLINGS’ MOST READ

VALLEY WOMAN

COMPLIMENTARY

RIL 2020 MAGAZINE | MARCH/AP

M A R C H /A P R I L 2020

Names SAY THEIR

The fight against Missing

& Murdered Indigenous

Women

SPECIAL THANKS TO Shania Russell for being the face of our cover story. A member of the Crow Tribe, Shania has promoted her cultural identity within her modeling career. Shania's little sister LeFaye was one of Selena Not Afraid's closest friends.

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TAKING LIFE by the

HANDLEBARS SUZIDEE HANSEN’S ADVICE ON LIFE IS TO JUST KEEP MOVING written by KAREN KINSER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

For most of us, a 60th birthday celebration might consist of a Viking River Cruise or a sojourn through Sicily. Roberts residents Suzidee Hansen and her husband, Allen, took a different turn. They celebrated their milestone birthdays in 2011 with a bicycle trip — a 3,540mile odyssey that dipped into Yellowstone National Park, circled up into Glacier National Park, and then wound through parts of Canada.

Leaving their home above Cooney Dam on a bright June day, they arrived at their destination of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, 89 days later, fueled solely by muscle power on their purple tandem bicycle.

Throughout the trip, they experienced daily gifts of wildlife and beauty.

“Every day was new,” says Suzidee, as she recounts seeing a spider web one morning. It sparkled with dewdrops that lit up like crystals as the morning sun hit the web. Another day, they pedaled up and over a mountain pass — overshadowed by 12-foot snowdrifts — and came out the other side into a field of stunning yellow flowers.

“It was winter to spring all in one day,” says Suzidee, and they stopped

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and sat in the flowers, taking it all in.

In addition to enjoying the natural world, they also received many acts of kindness from people along the way. Suzidee tells how one small-town mayor offered to let them use the city's shower — after he unloaded the boxes stored there. Another stranger gave her a bicycle inner tube when theirs broke down. When she offered to pay him, the anonymous road angel simply told her to "pay it forward."

This unforgettable journey was a highlight of their life and the culmination of years of riding a tandem bike. “They’re often called ‘divorce bikes,’” says Suzidee. “It takes two to tandem, and you have to learn to work with each other.” They’ve accomplished this with Allen

riding in the front as captain and Suzidee in the back as the stoker, or “rear admiral” as she calls herself.

the whole body, with benefits that include lowered blood pressure, increased mental focus and muscle building.

Whether it’s taking life by the handlebars on amazing journeys or teaching therapeutic Qi Gong, Suzidee’s joyful and guiding life advice is to “keep moving.” She feels that on-going movement is so crucial to successful aging that when they built their home, they purposely included two sets of stairs. Their stunning log home also has large windows with scenic views that enhance their love of the outdoors.

Suzidee says the practice helped her recover from neck surgery and credits it with keeping her healthy and her immune system robust. "It encompasses mind, body, and spirit," she says. The 36 postures take a long time to learn, but that's OK, she says, because "it's all about moving and taking the journey.”

"IT'S ALL ABOUT MOVING AND TAKING THE JOURNEY.”

Suzidee grew up in Minnesota, graduated — with an arts degree, married Allen and lived in Massachusetts, raising two sons. As Allen made a career in the Navy, Suzidee took on the position of activities director for the local Council on Aging. She started quilting and knitting groups, two walking clubs (intent on keeping everyone moving), and became certified to teach therapeutic Qi Gong. It's a deep-breathing practice that works

When Suzidee isn't tandem bicycling or teaching Qi Gong at the Joliet Community Center, she has plenty of other interests, SUZIDEE HANSEN including embroidery, rug hooking, stained glass, sculpture, silk screening and quilting.

Using her art degree background, she designs quilts that reflect her creativity and love of the outdoors. A favorite quilt is one of tandem bicyclers in front of a lake.

Allen built a frame for it and enhanced the frame with an inlaid bicycle chain.

MARCH/APRIL 2020

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One more thing you might be surprised to know about Suzidee is that her clowning background led to embrace reverse Grinchhood. One Massachusetts Christmas morning, she and Allen dressed as Grinches and delivered gifts instead of stealing them. They delivered wine and rolls — via tandem bicycle — with "You've Been Grinched" notes to neighbors that year.

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The next year, they did the Jingle Ride in Boston and won the prize for the best costume.

"We just had the best time," she says.

"Behind makeup, you can do all sorts of things and not get in trouble." Moving to this area, though, she discovered that neighbors were too far away for winter bicycling, so they decided to participate in the Red Lodge Blade Parade. That first year, however, it was minus 15 degrees, and their bicycle had frozen to the rack. Not to be discouraged, the two walked the route dressed as Grinches, pushing a shovel as their blade. They've been invited back every year since.

So how does 69-year-old Suzidee accomplish so much? And what makes her so happy? She says not watching television gives her time to pursue her interests.

"I want to use my time in a different way," she says. ✻

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Ladies Ladies e

OF LAUGHTER

WATCH OUT - A ‘COMEDY TSUNAMI’ IS ROLLING IN written by JULIE KOERBER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

Soon-to-be 77-year-old Diane Kylander looks like she’s been ripped right out of a 1960s sitcom. She’s got the funky black-rimmed glasses and the quick wit that goes with the look. As we sit at her kitchen table in her historic home near the heart of downtown, she sees the look I’m giving her.

“Tell me a joke!” she says, knowing just what I was thinking. “I have to tell you, comics hate that.”

Even so, she jumps up from her seat and scurries into her neighboring guest room where every inch of every wall is covered in framed movie posters. In the corner sits a small writing desk with her computer. This is where, she says, the comedic magic happens. As she pulls a few papers from a stack, she starts right in without skipping a beat.

magic,” Diane says, gesturing with her hands as she gets into character.

“Twenty minutes later, I had beads of sweat running down my brow, hands shaking. I had one eyelash stuck on my left eyebrow and who knows where the hell the other one was. Then, I started crying and yelling for my husband. ‘Ted! Ted! I need help!’ He comes running down the stairs, rushes over to my vanity and all of a sudden, starts stomping on the floor. ‘What the hell are you doing?’ He says, ‘Killing that damn spider!’ ‘That’s my eyelash you idiot!’ That was the end of my attempt at magic.”

Diane has spent most of her life in front of an audience. She did local theater for decades and, no surprise, was often cast in comedies. It wasn’t until a few years ago, after she turned 72, that she went to — DIANE KYLANDER a local comedy club to catch Billings’ own Lucas Seeley. She sat back and told herself, “‘Gee, that would be kind of fun.’ Lucas really encouraged me.”

"IT JUST MADE ME FEEL SO GOOD TO MAKE SOMEONE ELSE LAUGH. PEOPLE NEED THAT RELIEF."

“I am obsessed with the ‘Real Housewives.’ Do you ever watch that show?” she asks, trying out her latest set she wrote for an upcoming comedy night. She goes into a rant about the Housewives’ fake eyelashes and how some of them “are so long and thick you could probably peel them off and rake your yard.” She goes on to share how she was destined to give her own pair of Katy Perry lashes a try.

“I worked up the courage, got my dressing room table all set up with my mirror and tweezers, the glue and the lashes and I started the

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YVW MAGAZINE

While some raise their eyebrows at her age, Diane says her age creates comedy gold. “When you’ve lived this long — you’ve been divorced and remarried — you have a lot of material to pull from.” And, she’s quick to say, “I could drop dead at any minute!”

While her first gig came more than four years ago at a supper club in Cody, Wyoming, she’d do regular shows before taking a break in 2015 to

PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: SASKIA BOOGMAN, DIANE KYLANDER, VICTORIA WOLFF AND MORGAN DITTO-KIRKWOOD

undergo what’s called Gamma Knife surgery to calm a benign tremor that started years before with a shake in her hands.

“That kind of put me out of function,” she says. While she thought about getting back in the comedy game, “Last February, I fell and broke my femur,” she says with a shrug. “I did physical therapy and during one session, I tore my rotator cuff and then needed surgery on that. I realized during all of this how important comedy was.” She lived for a bit at a rehabilitation facility in Billings and remembers helping to lift the spirits of those around her.

“I had people sitting at the table with me and I would make some jokes and it just made me feel so good to make someone else laugh,” she says.

“People need that relief.”

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These days, you’ll often find Diane writing fresh material for upcoming acts. Comedy Tsunami, an all-female troop she formed before her comedy break, is back up and running. They’ve already booked a few shows in town.

In January, Diane’s “Ladies of Laughter” joined together for a comedy fundraiser. Diane, who will tell you she has a knack for seeing talent, was joined by Morgan Ditto-Kirkwood, who has only been doing comedy for a year after breaking into improv with Projectile Comedy.

Victoria Wolff also had a set. It was her first five-minute act. “I know Diane because I’ve worked the door for the past four years for Lucas’ comedy shows.”

“She’s funny as heck, and she’s a natural,” Diane says about Victoria.

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Morgan “I’m still terrified,” Victoria says, “but once I get over the fear, it is just a rush.”

So, what prompts a 30-something who works as an operational director for a marketing firm to burn the midnight oil writing bits of comedy?

Diane

“I took a drama class in high school and thought I might as well do something with that in my 30s,” Morgan says. She goes on to share how she’d been following Projectile Comedy for more than a dozen years. Her first date with her now-husband was at a Projectile Show.

“I started in the improv class and fell in love with it,” she says. “I found out that I’m not too bad at it, and then they invited me to start performing with them on stage.”

After a few killer performances, she says, “It’s the best drug on the planet and it’s legal.

Everyone forgets all their woes and worries for however long you’re on stage and we all walk away feeling a little bit better about ourselves.” She says she’d love to quit her job and do comedy full time, but that’s probably not in the cards right now.

Saskia

“Do you know who Steve Prosinski is?” Morgan asks, talking about her co-worker and former editor of the Billings Gazette. “He told me that I am his retirement plan. He wants to be my bus driver. He wants me to go on tour and he wants to drive the bus.

I love that plan.”

Since Diane has been back on the scene, she’s spread her wings outside of Billings.

With family in both Los Angeles and Seattle, Diane says Lucas helped her book gigs at both The Comedy Store in L.A. and Laughs, near the heart of Seattle. “I said, ‘Oh, you never say no,’ even though you are scared shitless. You never say no.”

“At this last comedy festival, there were some agents there and one was a casting agent for ‘America’s Got Talent,’” Diane says. “One of them asked me to submit a video for the show. I am waiting to hear back from her. She told me if they don’t use me this season, she is pretty sure that they will for a future season.”

Victoria

In the meantime, these ladies of laughter are just content working the Billings scene and honing their comedy craft. When the time is right, Diane says she’d love this group to headline at corporate events or even branch out a bit outside the Magic City.

“I would really like to take these women on the road and do some shows in other towns,” Diane says.

Without skipping a beat, Morgan chimes in. “Hey, I have a bus driver!” ✻

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YVW MAGAZINE

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If you ask Amy Schad, there’s nothing more fun than face painting. She and her brother, Patrick Branger, a professional clown, have made a business out of making people happy. She paints faces and he makes balloon animals, juggles and performs magic tricks. Together, they spread joy at festivals, fairs and other events across the region.

“It’s ridiculously fun,” Amy says.

Indeed, there’s real magic when Amy picks up her mirror and turns it around for children to see their faces, painted like a princess, cheetah or superhero. They light up, and so do their parents.

“There’s a rush when you’re making someone happy,” she says. “If you’re making people happy, you’re happier. It’s contagious.”

The business that Amy and Patrick share is called Montana Premier Entertainment, and it’s a much larger enterprise than just clowning and face painting. Montana Premier Entertainment rents a wide variety of inflatable bounce houses, in addition to carnival games, dance floors, stages and lighting and sound equipment. Patrick handles all the logistics, and they have a gig almost every weekend all summer long. Plenty more birthday parties, corporate events and Christmas parties fill in gaps during the rest of the year.

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Creating Creating Happiness Happiness

FACE PAINTER AMY SCHAD SPARKS SMILES WITH A LITTLE PAINT AND A BRUSH written by LAURA BAILEY photography by LOVELY HITCHCOCK

Patrick roped Amy into the business about 12 years ago when he bought her a face painting kit for Christmas — and a few days later said, “I’ve booked you for a face painting gig in two weeks.”

Amy went to work studying YouTube tutorials on face painting and practicing on herself to get ready. The event went well — and Amy was hooked.

“It all kind of snowballed from there,” she says.

While Patrick lives in Billings, Amy lives in Livingston with her husband and four children, ages 10, 8, 4 and 6 months. She is a naturally social person, with positive energy to spare. She owns a salon and is surrounded by people all day every day.

She is also a rep for a hair color company and travels around to teach coloring techniques to other stylists. Even though she spends many weekends and some evenings painting faces, she thrives on the interaction, especially with children.

“She’s busy, but she’s always willing to do more,” Patrick says.

Amy’s kit is about a $5,000 investment in a professional line of highly pigmented body paint like Hollywood special effects artists use. It’s safe for even the most sensitive skin. It won’t easily wipe off, but it’s also easy to remove with a washcloth and mild cleanser. Her work is so amazing that even adults will sometimes stand in line to have their faces painted.

Unlike other face painters on the circuit, Amy doesn’t travel with a display of options or flipbook of designs, so when a child asks for a princess-tiger or a make-believe superhero, Amy is happy to give it a try.

“It’s fun to come up with something new and creative,” she says.

Amy has always had an innate artistic ability and painted and sketched all through childhood and high school. Patrick and Amy’s parents always encouraged them to pursue their passions and supported them in their various endeavors — Patrick in his clowning and Amy in her salon. They all pitch in to keep Montana Premier Entertainment on the road, and their mother provides childcare while Amy is painting faces.

“What’s fun about these events is when we get done, we all get to spend time together,” Patrick says.

While Patrick has always encouraged Amy to try clowning, she’s adamantly refused. He’s starting to wear her down, however, and has talked her into dressing like an elf for Christmas parties. She made her own costume — a huge, fluffy skirt and top in bright Christmas colors.

They play Santa’s helpers, and Amy will paint faces while Patrick makes balloon animals.

“Christmas events are a lot of fun, and elfing is a ton of fun,” Amy says.

These days, Patrick is busy booking events for the summer, and so long as Amy’s up for it, he’ll pack their calendar. She’s always game, but has to ask, “Did you talk to mom? Is she available?” If she is, they’ll be there with balloons, face paint and an entourage of family members.

“It’s fun doing what we do, making people happy,” Patrick says. “It helps people forget about what’s going on in their lives for a little while.

It’s amazing.” ✻

MARCH/APRIL 2020

19

SHE'S GOT

Personality WHAT PERSONALITY ASSESSMENTS CAN TELL YOU ABOUT LIFE written by LAURA BAILEY photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

Jodi Bryant has taken five personality assessments over the years, and one thing is conclusive. They’ve all said she’s impatient. It’s a negative trait she’s embracing with humor.

“I like to call it a sense of urgency,” she says.

Bryant is a team leader in healthcare management, so a little sense of urgency can be motivating, but she’s also learning to slow down by adding downtime to her daily to-do list. She’s taking these assessments to heart, striving for positive change.

Insightful and affirming, personality assessments seem to be all the buzz these days, from the workplace to churches, to therapists’ offices and on our social media feeds. The goal is, the more you understand yourself, the more effective and happier you can be.

Are they worth the hype? YVW put three women to the test, including Bryant, to find out. They clicked through the Enneagram, one that identifies nine unique personality types; Myers and Briggs, an assessment that offers 16 types based on a combination of four preferences; and CliftonStrengths, which rates a person’s strengths out of 34 possible talents.

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The r e k a m e c a e P

MEET

Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown is an at-home mother of five children. She says she was never a big fan of personality assessments since they rarely aligned with how she saw herself, and every time she took them, the results were different. Instead of empowering her, they only led to more questions.

“I even worried that there wasn’t anything unique about me,” she says.

Then, Brown discovered the Enneagram, which identified her as a Nine – The Peacemaker – and it explained why personality assessments were always so vague for her. Peacemakers are a kind and agreeable group that focus on bringing people together. Nine’s easygoing attitude tends to reflect the personality traits of those around them, which explains why many of the personality tests Brown took came up flat.

“I realized that I’m not broken, this is just the way I’ve been created,” she says.

Over time and with study, Brown has brought her awareness of herself as a Nine into her friendships and even her marriage. Knowing herself better has deepened her relationships, and understanding her tendencies has helped her to recognize and change those negative thoughts.

Brown also found CliftonStrengths to be insightful. Her top strength was Belief, and people with belief as a top strength have unchanging core values that give their lives purpose.

“That resonated with me,” she says, “because my faith is important to me.”

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t e s h i T eg t a r t S

MEET

Jennifer Sayler

Jennifer Sayler has a fun habit of collecting inspirational quotes and passing them along to friends and coworkers. Her encouragement comes at what they’ve often told her was “just the right time.”

Sayler, who works as a marketing director, didn’t think much of her little pastime until recently, when she took the CliftonStrengths assessment.

“It was jaw-dropping how specific it was,” Sayler says.

Sayler’s top strength was Strategic — an out-of-the-box thinker who can quickly spot relevant patterns and issues and come up with alternatives for every situation. It’s a leadership quality that serves her well at work. She also has Input as a strength, which is a craving to know more and collect information, which probably explains why she likes to collect quotes. Positivity and Empathy are also in her top five strengths and underscore why she loves to encourage those around her.

“It’s the affirmation that these are good traits that I needed,” Sayler says.

On the Myers and Briggs, Sayler was an ENFJ, which also affirmed her as a leader. The assessment suggested Jennifer follows her feelings before her head, which has led to some stinging criticism at a previous job.

“Now that I understand myself better,” she says, “I know that that is not always negative.”

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MORE FROM

Jodi Bryant

The ACTIVATOR

Aside from helping Bryant become a better leader, personality assessments helped her to see where her team members fit in the overall goals she has for them.

“I’m able to identify common ground, and recognize the strengths of others,” she says.

Bryant took the CliftonStrengths assessment and her top strength was Activator, someone who can make things happen by turning thoughts into action, followed by Communication and Woo — the ability to make authentic connections with people and win them over.

In her personal life, Bryant found the Enneagram to be the most insightful. She’s an Enneagram Seven, The Enthusiast, known for their energy, spontaneity and curiosity. The Enneagram, which proposes that a person’s personality is shaped in very early childhood, has provided her with a more intimate picture of who she is in her relationships.

“It gives you an awareness that can definitely create some peace in your soul,” Bryant says.

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AN EXPERT’S TAKE Susan Shald, who lives in Billings, is the director of talent acquisition for Gallup, a human capital consulting firm that relies heavily on the CliftonStrengths assessment to help organizations improve workplace culture and productivity. Shald works with the CliftonStrengths assessment every day and sees how it can help organizations develop the strengths of their employees.

The CliftonStrengths is unique because it doesn’t highlight an individual’s weaknesses. Instead, it places all its focus on strengths, particularly the top five. While she favors the CliftonStrengths assessment, Shald believes all personality assessments have the power to help us improve our lives, so long as people are willing to dig in and find ways to make the most of their natural abilities.

“We are at our best, happiest and most productive when we know ourselves well and get to do what we’re naturally good at,” Shald says.

WORTH THE HYPE? HECK YEAH! When you can peel back the layers, Brown, Sayler and Bryant all agree, personality assessments helped them see themselves in a new way.

“Without awareness, you have no ability to change,” Bryant says.

The best approach is to think of them not as something that defines you, but something that gives you insight for living. They’re not boxes, but wings.

"Hands down, you will be so grateful for the affirmation and insight you’ll receive.”

“It’s our catapult to go to the next level,” Shald says.

Shald believes that one of the best ways to develop your strengths is to talk about them, share the insight you gained with others and allow them to support you as you develop your strengths and put them to use.

— JENNIFER SAYLER

“They’re great tools. Seeing myself clearly means I can be a more effective person,” Brown says.

Sayler wholeheartedly recommends taking personality assessments, not just for what you may learn about yourself, but also to confirm what you might already know.

“If you have any reservations about it, take that off the table,” Sayler says. “Hands down, you will be so grateful for the affirmation and insight you’ll receive.” ✻

Strengths are like a muscle, Shald says, and the more you exercise that muscle, the more developed that ability will be. And like anyone looking to build muscle, a trainer or coach can help. She advises people to lean on an accountability partner if they can’t find a coach.

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A LOOK at the ASSESSMENTS THE ENNEAGRAM

CLIFTONSTRENGTHS

The Enneagram has ancient origins, providing people with insight into the unique, inborn ways they perceive the world and how they manage their emotions. In this test, there are nine identified personalities: 1-The Perfectionist, 2-The Giver, 3-The Achiever, 4-The Individualist, 5-The Investigator, 6-The Loyalist, 7-The Enthusiast, 8-The Challenger, and 9-The Peacemaker. Users typically identify by number, and each number comes with both positive and negative traits to examine. With further study, people can apply what they know about their types to the workplace, teams, interpersonal relationships and social situations. To learn more and take the assessment, go to enneagraminstitute.com

Don Clifton spent more than 30 years studying the world’s most successful and productive people to identify 34 unique talents. The CliftonStrengths assessment identifies a person’s top strengths in order and intensity, and the odds of anyone sharing her top five strengths with anyone else in the same order is about one in 33 million. Unlike other assessments, it focuses entirely on identifying and building people’s talents with almost no focus on weaknesses. CliftonStrengths is a popular workforce development tool with powerful implications for personal growth as well. To learn more about CliftonStrengths, go to gallup.com/cliftonstrengths

MYERS AND BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI)

Take the ASSESSMENTS for Yourself

Developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, the Myers and Briggs assessment measures people’s likelihood to think or act a particular way based on four tendencies: extraversion vs. introversion, sensing vs. intuition, thinking vs. feeling, judging vs. perceiving. This assessment measures where a person falls in each one and to what degree. The results are provided in a series of four letters that map the tendencies into 16 distinct and equal personality types.

It’s in common use among psychotherapists and has been adopted in business as well. To learn more and take the assessment, go to myersbriggs.org

Our participants took a free version of the Myers and Briggs called the TypeFinder Personality Test at www.truity.com. A free version of the Enneagram can be found there as well. The CliftonStrengths assessment can only be found at gallup.com, but a free access code is included in every copy of the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath, Available on Amazon.com for $14.49.

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LIFE IS KNOCKING WHY YOU HAVE TO ANSWER written by KAREN GROSZ

I’m going to tell you a little something that took me a long time to tell. I am living WAY above my destiny. I was not designed, coached, or even encouraged to move beyond the small town where I was raised. My teachers, coaches, Girl Scout Troop leaders and early employers expected me to settle into a life of working as a caregiver or clerk, and, if I was lucky, marrying the boy down the street and keeping him out of the bars while raising several children.

Fate had a different idea.

Fate, the universe, God, or perhaps the bluebird of happiness sent me a messenger in the form of a college boy from the next town (the one with a movie theater that was even open in the winter mind you), who showed me I could be more.

It wasn’t a rapid unveiling, and it was not always smooth, but slowly life rolled out a carpet of opportunities and choices that helped me to grow into what I always wanted to be, even if that goal was a little fuzzy. I wanted to be a Rubenesque brunette, which was my idea of what a successful businesswoman looked like.

Pretty amazing, isn’t it? I also wanted to be married to a man who worked in a tall building and wore a suit every day. You can see that my imagination held no bounds, and once a year, during the Miss America Pageant. I considered that title as a possibility, but I had no idea where they got the tiaras.

So here I am, closer to Rubenesque than I ever dreamed possible, with hair that is no longer brunette, married to that same boy, now a sought-after trim carpenter (who will not wear a suit, even to my funeral), fully engaged in living the best, fastest, most impactful life that I can. I want to inspire, equip and support others to live their Nexts, to find their desires, chase their goals, and to settle into who they are meant to be, especially if, like me, it doesn’t look like their original destiny.

IN EVERY ISSUE 26

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Many of the people I work with, both

individuals and groups, come to me searching for their Next. Their Next career move. Their Next goal. Their Next big life change. Their Next community change. Sometimes they want to settle into themselves a little bit more, discover who they are, and their best way to engage with the world. Sometimes they know what they want, they can feel their destiny, but they can’t quite reach out to grasp it. Seldom do they want to remain in exactly the same chair, doing exactly the same work, with exactly the same outcomes. Are you feeling like that?

So, how do you move forward? How can you tap into the possibilities and chase them with abandon? Here are a few of the things I tell people when they are ready for their Next.

DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT. Take a long drive. Sit by a lake and watch the day go by. Paint, even if you don’t know how to paint. Go for a walk in the woods. Buy a drum and beat a rhythm that makes sense only to you. This is as true for a group of people who work together as it is a single person trying to figure out who they are. You must still the noise, turn down the cacophony, stop the scroll, eliminate the mindnumbing nonsense and listen, really listen, to who you are and what you know. It is in the stillness, if you are brave enough to listen, that you will hear the whisper of not just possibility, but probability. That’s when you’ll know that if you take the first step, the others will unfold in front of you. Listen, you already know, and if you don’t point three is for you.

BE BRAVER THAN YOU ARE. There is something that scares the living daylights out of you. It might be being alone, it might be speaking in public, or fighting for a cause because it represents a pain you have not shown the world. That fear is right at the edge of your destiny. You might fail, others might laugh, or — and this is what happened the first time I stepped onto a stage to speak, and again when I published my first book, both things that absolutely terrified me — you might just soar. Your team might win, your name might be in lights, your gift to the world may have an impact beyond measure. Reach down to the little voice inside of you, take its hand and show it the world, my brave friend.

ANSWER THE KNOCK.

It as cliché as it gets, that opportunity knocks, but I promise you it does, and when you answer the knock your Next often reveals itself to you. It’s seldom the opportunity you were praying for, it is seldom written in neon outside your window, but day after day, time after time, there are knocks that you are ignoring.

Knocks that could change everything for you. For years I ignored the

knock to be a foster parent. It just did not fit my lifestyle, which sounds cold and selfish, but then there was a knock. Did I understand what was happening with children in our community? Could I help? The result of answering that knock, not ignoring it, no matter how busy my calendar, led to the formation of the Facebook Group “I’ll Help” — Billings. That community fills needs for foster children, and many others, in a matter of minutes, and my impact is greater than what I could have done for one child. I answered a knock I wasn’t expecting and engaged in a new way. You can too.

As you look out at the world, as you look inward to your skills and desires, there are many opportunities to engage with life, to make a difference for yourself and others. I am here to tell you that you simply cannot make the wrong choice and that you absolutely, beyond the shadow of a doubt, deserve to live a life that is fully engaged in moving forward. Not only are you waiting, but so is the world.

Go on, engage and have the time of your life! ✻

KAREN GROSZ, writer Growing up in the shadow of Mount Rushmore gave Karen Grosz an appreciation of high ideals. Living in Alaska, for 25 years, gave her a frontier spirit, and life in Montana finds her building community and laughing at life. She’s a self-described “multipotentialite” who has been a sales leader, studio owner and business coach. She is currently the owner of Canvas Creek Team Building and serves on the boards of 100 Strong, Boys and Girls Club, and is a RYLA Director.

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issues, staying on track by taking medication for her diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Chica, her beloved 6-year-old mixed-breed therapy dog, provides an anchor in her life.

“It hurts not to be able to be with them and live my life with them,” she says, as tears fill her eyes. “But I love them all and I know everything about them.”

In a conversation, the 52-year-old Billings woman often has a smile on her face, especially when she talks about her dog or her faith. But some memories bring tears, especially when she shares stories about the daughters that her previous drug-infused lifestyle forced her to give up.

A crisis in Herme’s life also became a turning point. In early 2014, she lost custody of her youngest daughter. Still heavy into drugs, she contemplated suicide and in a moment of despair, doused her small Billings home with gasoline and lit it on fire.

Herme grew up in Billings. A learning disability led her to drop out of school in 10th grade. She got pregnant with her first daughter at age 16, got married, then managed to earn her GED and work a series of full-time jobs.

"It’s been a journey, but I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t done the things I’ve done.”

During that time, in the mid-1990s, she was diagnosed with mental illness. That’s also time she started doing the illegal drug now known as meth. The drug dominated her life for years.

“If I could tell people, I’d say you don’t even want to try it,” Herme says.

“I lost children, jobs and cars to it.”

All five of her daughters are doing well today, Herme says, though she only has contact with the oldest one.

Arrested and charged with arson, Herme was sentenced to three years of probation. The judge also issued a stern warning: If Herme violated her probation, he told her, she would go to prison.

“When he said ‘prison,’ I got scared,” Herme says. “It stuck in my head.”

She took the judge’s admonishment to heart, seeking help to overcome her addiction and joining Alcoholics Anonymous. Herme found strength in her faith, joining Hope Center, a South Side church.

— HERMELINDA RAMIREZ

She learned to walk in sobriety one day at a time, a battle that never gets easier. “I pray every day and ask God to keep me sober,” she says. And Herme realized she needed to stay on her schizophrenia medication, regardless of how she was feeling, to keep herself on an even keel.

This past fall, Herme started volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul. She

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remembers as a child, her father liked to shop at the ministry’s thrift shop and she would accompany him. Then, in darker times, she turned to it for food and temporary shelter to help her get by. Now Herme spends her time at the center, helping to make it a welcoming place for others.

“I love it,” Herme says. “It’s like a second home for me.”

She leads prayer before breakfast and lunch. Then she washes dishes afterward, serving however she can.

The center is a short walk from her rental. That makes it easy for her to run home and check on Chica, whom she describes as “a little like Tramp from the animated movie ‘Lady and the Tramp.’”

On days when life gets to be a little too much for Herme, she finds comfort spending time at home with her furry companion. At St. Vincent de Paul, she enjoys chatting with employees and the community volunteers who also donate their time. She sits down with the homeless diners, listens to their stories and encourages them.

“I try to talk to them, to tell them if I could get out of it, I feel they could, too,” she says.

Even though pain and loss have been her frequent companions over the years, she acknowledges where it has brought her.

It’s been a journey,” Herme says. “But I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t done the things I’ve done.” ✻

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• A CALL TO •

SERVE

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL, A LIFELINE TO THOSE IN NEED

Weekday mornings and afternoons, St. Vincent de Paul provides free breakfast and lunch to all comers, many of them homeless, at its center at 3005 First Ave. S.

St. Vincent de Paul helps people in other ways, as well. Last year alone, nearly $60,000 in merchandise was given out through the center’s second-floor thrift store.

But hunger doesn’t stop on weekends, says Craig Barthel, executive director of the lay Catholic ministry. So, the Billings organization resurrected a tradition from the past, offering a two-hour Saturday brunch that relies on volunteer help.

Laundry facilities provide a place for clients to wash their clothes.

More than 2,000 loads of laundry were done in 2019.

“We’re looking for groups, families and individuals to step up and serve,” Barthel says. “We ask people to bring down food they prepare at home, to come down and serve it on Saturday morning.”

Breakfast casseroles, breakfast burritos and breakfast sandwiches all have been big hits, he says. People who aren’t able to provide food but want to help serve the brunch are welcome as well, Barthel says.

St. Vincent de Paul relaunched the Saturday brunch in October. Anywhere from 80 to 120 people show up to eat “and lately it’s been hovering around the 100 mark,” he says.

And every week, 40 families from St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Billings donate 27 gallons of soup they’ve made from a recipe provided to them.

“That’s enough to feed 500 people, which is what we’ve been averaging per week,” Barthel says. “Every day of every week we have hot soup thanks to that ministry.”

In 2019, 17,651 lunches were served at St. Vincent de Paul, and 49,162 pounds of bread were distributed. Local grocery stores donate bread and other food items to the center.

YVW MAGAZINE

“We spend the lion’s share of our budget keeping people in their homes through rental assistance and utility assistance,” he says.

“We’re looking for groups, families and individuals to step up and serve.”

The brunch is only one way that volunteers and organizations provide food to the center. Most weekdays, the Fortin Culinary Center at Billings Food Bank provides scrambled eggs for breakfast and Family Service in Billings donates milk and deli products for lunch.

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While helping the homeless population is important, Barthel says, St. Vincent de Paul’s primary goal is preventing people from becoming homeless.

The organization also manages the checking accounts of nearly 200 people, most of whom live independently but are unable to manage their finances by themselves.

The center’s fastest growing service focuses on sober living, where people coming out of addiction treatment and moving into a sober living house can receive up to $400 to pay the first month’s rent. The clients must adhere to the program’s requirements to get the financial help, Barthel says, but it’s a way “of getting them into sober living so they don’t go back to homes where the addiction was.”

— CRAIG BARTHEL

St. Vincent de Paul relies on five area Catholic parishes to do its work.

Volunteers, however, come from all over the community.

“We do not discriminate against anyone we serve or anyone we allow to serve,” Barthel says. ✻

TO SIGN UP TO HELP WITH THE SATURDAY BRUNCH, send an email to brunch coordinator Nick Lewison at nick@svdpmt.org.

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Writing Her Her Own Own Writing

Story

DANA PULIS’S JOURNEY TO A MARKETING POWERHOUSE written by ED KEMMICK photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

Dana Pulis learned early on how to recover from a setback.

In 1985, the summer before her junior year at Billings Senior High School, she was cut from the girls’ basketball team. Basketball meant everything to her at the time, and she asked the junior varsity coach why she’d been cut, since she always gave it 110 percent.

“And his exact quote was, ‘Your 110 percent equals other people’s 80.

And so I’m going to cut you.’ I remember thinking, my life is over. I have nothing.”

A short time later, fortunately, at the beginning of her junior year, she signed up for a class in journalism and discovered a new passion.

“I could not get enough of it,” she says. “I ate it up and loved every minute of it. … I would say probably two to three months in, I knew that this was what my life was going to be about.”

Mike Gast, vice president of communications for Billings-based Kampgrounds of America, a company Dana did work for even before starting Kinetic, says Dana is successful partly because she leads by example. “Dana burns hot,” Gast says. “She’s all in.”

Another distinction, Gast says, is that “she is — especially for Billings, Montana, a conduit for young talent. She really develops people.”

But even with her skills and determination, the road to success was not an easy one. Dana attended BYU-Idaho on a full-ride scholarship, graduating in 1990 with a degree in journalism. She also got married that year, and she and her husband, David, settled in his home state, Colorado. They had two sons there, and Dana was committed to working from home. She had worked on the college newspaper and still loved journalism, but she hadn’t figured out how to be a free-lancer yet, so she settled — DANA PULIS on providing foster care for adults with disabilities.

“I wanted control of my life, and I knew if I could be a writer, I had options, and that my willingness to give all would pay off.”

She also decided that she didn’t ever want anyone else telling her that her 110 percent wasn’t good enough. “I wanted control of my life, and I knew if I could be a writer, I had options, and that my willingness to give all would pay off.”

It certainly has. Dana is the now the owner of Kinetic Marketing and Creative in downtown Billings, a 17-person agency that has won numerous awards and last year was named one of the top 50 companies to watch in the United States by The Silicon Review, a business and high-tech magazine.

She got burnt out on that after 10 years, when she talked David into moving to Montana. The only hitch was that neither of them had a job waiting there.

“I’m a huge risk taker, and so I convinced him we’d figure it out,” she says.

They did. David found a job and Dana set herself a goal of making $500 a month as a free-lance writer. Two things happened quickly. Dana met Chris Jorgensen, an editor at the Billings Gazette, and Tracy Neary, with St. Vincent Healthcare, now known as SCL Health.

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KINETIC MARKETING OWNER DANA PULIS, CENTER, CONFERS WITH MORGAN DITTOKIRKWOOD, TRAFFIC DIRECTOR, LEFT, AND ERIKA CROWE, PROJECT MANAGER.

she earned $89,000 as a free-lancer. Along the way, she branched off in an unexpected direction. Some of the clients she was writing for, including CTA Architects Engineers and Rocky Mountain College, asked her to do some marketing as well, helping them refine their image and publicize their services. That became an increasingly large part of her work.

Dana says she had to fight against imposter syndrome, often asking herself how she could possibly pretend to have any marketing expertise. Then she came to a realization

Dana did a lot of freelancing for both organizations and soon landed another steady job — writing speeches for Jim Rogers, then CEO at KOA. Gast, who had been at the Gazette before moving to KOA, helped her land that gig. Dana also began writing for national magazines.

In 2005, five years after setting that goal of making $500 a month,

“This is what gave me the right to do it,” she says: “I just totally got it. It was like second nature to me. I knew it as if I had been born into it, and if I had a past life, I was probably a marketer.”

She credits her background in journalism, saying it taught her to listen well and to ask the right questions. Just let people talk and eventually

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they’ll tell you everything you need to know, she says. Her job was to recognize key revelations, and to boil those messages down into short, effective concepts.

Then, one day in 2006, she says, “I looked up and said, ‘I need to start a company.’” In January 2007, Kinetic was officially launched.

The first year, she ran the business out of her house, on a 10-seat table in the front room.

The company consisted of five people before she decided it was time to move out.

In those early days, Dana says, she and her crew worked with the same audacity she’d shown as a self-taught marketer. “None of us had ever worked in an agency before,” she says. “But the answer, 100 percent of the time, was ‘Yes.’ Kinetic has had this spirit of ‘We can do anything.’”

Another big challenge was launching the business just as the Great Recession of 200709 hit. Dana says she had to learn to overcome her fears and doubts and to level with her employees about the threats they faced. As a result, she says, they all pulled together and told themselves, “We’re scrappy, we’re agile, we’re nimble; we’ll figure this thing out. And nobody’s job got cut.”

The business moved down the block on Montana Avenue after two years, and three years later moved into its current location at 117 N. Broadway. It has been there six years and expanded into an unused portion of the leased building a couple of years ago.

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In September 2008, on the day her third and last child, another son, started kindergarten, Kinetic moved into new digs on the 2500 block of Montana Avenue. By then, Kinetic had a sizable number of clients, including St. Vincent, KOA, City Brew, CTA and Grains of Montana.

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What sets Kinetic apart, Dana says, is that it is a “long-term agency” that enters into partnerships with its clients. At the moment, she says, Kinetic has 35 active clients, for whom they are working on 500 to 600 projects.

She figures they have room for one more employee, after which they’ll have to find a new building. She wants to stay near where they are now. “We are absolutely committed to downtown,” she says. “I am an adoring fan of downtown.”

Kelsea Schreiner has been with Kinetic for 11 years, hired while doing undergraduate work at Montana State University Billings, and she is now the firm’s strategic director. She says working there can be unusual, from having workers’ kids hanging out if no childcare is available, working from home if need be or having dogs greet you at the door.

"I just totally got it. It was like second nature to me. I knew it as if I had been born into it and, if I had a past life, I was probably a marketer."

Another key part of the Kinetic mindset is fostering an office culture that promotes team spirit and individual growth. Dana is famously big on bringing in coaches and going on retreats, including an annual summer retreat that involves renting one large house for the whole crew.

When new people join the company, Dana says, she tells them, “at the bare minimum, they’d better be danged good friends. Even better is that you love them.” She also demands honesty and open communication, or “no monkey business,” as she puts it.

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— DANA PULIS

“I’ve wireframed web pages with a baby on my hip and taken meetings from northern Italy during my study-abroad during my MBA,” she says. “We have a unique culture that doesn’t fit for everyone. It takes a huge level of personal responsibility to enjoy that much flexibility.”

Whatever the future has in store for Kinetic, Dana plans to stay true to her roots.

“I will never give up writing,” she says. “It is my absolute respect for the written word.” ✻

WE RAIDED THE CLOSETS OF A FEW OF BILLINGS’ STYLE ICONS

FASHI ON

written by VICKI-LYNN TERPSTRA photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

WHO, WHAT, WEAR? Fashion. It’s a platform of self-expression that some women just maneuver with style and grace. Who are some of our community’s style icons? And, how do they best describe their daily looks? We set a trio of fashion-forward women loose in some of our city’s clothing hot spots as they showed us their closet staples, their must-have items and where they like to best flaunt their most fashionable looks.

IN EVERY ISSUE 40

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Paige Elletson

STYLE PHILOSOPHY: FUNKY Q. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING IN YOUR CLOSET? A. This is a hard one! My favorite article of clothing I own has to be the Spanx moto leggings I got this season. They are literally so comfy and look so cute. I can wear them to work and then straight to whatever sports games my kids have going on.

Q. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR FASHION CHOICES? A. My fashion inspiration would be anything bold. I love bold colors, bold prints — just something that stands out a little.

Q. WHOSE FASHION DO YOU ADMIRE AND WHY? A. I would have to say this could be anyone who just loves rocking their own personal style. If it’s an 80-year-old with a furry jacket and fun glasses, or someone young and hip, pretty much anyone who is true to their own style.

I love seeing uniqueness, someone who isn’t afraid to go against the grain.

I just love a funky, fun and bold style.

Q. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE COLOR TO WEAR? A. I don’t know if I would say I have a favorite color to wear. I love wearing colors that complement my skin tone and hair color. I find myself loving dark green and black; however, this orangish-red coat was a pop of color I couldn’t pass up!

Q. WHERE WOULD YOU WEAR THIS OUTFIT YOU PICKED? A. I would wear my outfit to work, out with friends, or pretty much anywhere! I love that it could be styled up or down for most occasions.

PAIGE’S LOOK FROM DILLARD’S Purse: Dooney & Bourke $438 Shoes: Steve Madden Jenn Leopard $142 Belt: Patricia Nash $59 Jacket: Gianni Bini $95.40 Jeans: Free People $78 Tank: Free People $30 Jewelry: Lucky Brand ranging from $35 to $69

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Cassie Lagreca

STYLE PHILOSOPHY: RETRO-CASUAL Q. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING YOU OWN AND WHY? A. I had a glorious pair of vintage bell-bottoms that had leather inserts near the pockets and fit me so perfectly that I felt like they'd been made just for me. I could always put them on and feel secure and sassy. They were the wardrobe version of a gateway drug and they've led me to continue searching for flattering lines and well-made high-waisted pants. That first pair made me realize the power of just having one well-made thing that you truly loved to put on.

Q. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR FASHION CHOICES? A. I think as a younger woman, I sought out fashion inspiration more. My first stop was Montana Vintage which has been around here in Billings for decades. There I met a local woman (Hiya Sherry!), and she really helped me to dress MY body and not the body I wished I had.

I found joy in first and foremost finding items that fit me perfectly and then trying to work those into outfits.

My style icons were and are the Hepburns (Audrey and Katherine), always and forever. In the ’90s, when I was discovering my own style, I wanted to be playful, expressive and challenged in all aspects of life, including how I was learning and choosing to present myself to the world. Fashion just happened to be one of the easiest ways to deploy that on a daily basis.

Q. WHOSE FASHION DO YOU ADMIRE AND WHY? A. I admire the beauty of the woman in the clothes first.

We are all captivated by BEAUTY FULL women. My advice would be, learn to wear confidence while you are learning to wear clothes. Learn to adorn yourself with items you love, clothing that tells your stories, pieces you've borrowed or inherited paired with new pieces that fit you well or make you feel something. I can remember looking through my mom's yearbook as a young girl (she was a graduate in the '70s) and I saw her radiant smile and felt a glow at knowing my mom had been that girl. She was, you guessed it, rocking a pair of faded blue denim bell bottoms and a tight knitted cotton striped blouse with Frye boots. I will usually reach towards items that remind me of my mom's style as a way of connecting my heart with hers and remembering her when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

Q. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR TO WEAR? A. Currently, I seem to be drawn to clothing in the terracotta/mauve tonal family which seems to be complementary with my complexion. I love muted tones because they play so well off of darker, moodier contrasting colors in the jewel palette, which I have always loved to wear.

Q. WHERE WOULD YOU WEAR THE OUTFIT YOU’VE CHOSEN? A. To work, running around Billings or meeting up with girlfriends. It is an everyday look.

CASSIE’S LOOK FROM BANYAN TREE Shoes: Refresh boots in Taupe $43.99 Purse: Urban Expression $79.99 Top: Banyan Tree Ribbed Sweater in Clay $32.99 Jacket: Banyan Tree Sherpa $34.99 Jeans: Flying Monkey Platinum $73.99

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experience

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Carrie Kinna

STYLE PHILOSOPHY: EVERYDAY CHIC Q. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING YOU OWN AND WHY? A. Black, distressed, high-waisted jeans. I wear them with EVERYTHING because they go with any top and are so easy to dress up or dress down. Black denim has made a comeback and is here to stay. With the distressing, they are casual enough to throw on with sneakers or edgy enough to pair with a romantic blouse.

Q. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR FASHION CHOICES? A. I like affordable, versatile pieces that you can style multiple ways. This is important for women on the go. Whether you are chasing kiddos or chasing your career, we are all busier than ever and finding pieces that can be dressed up or down is key to the modern wardrobe.

Q. WHOSE FASHION DO YOU ADMIRE AND WHY? A. Laura Beverlin. She’s an influencer on Instagram and she always finds super cute clothes from Amazon and finds tons of designer dupes. Her style is simplistic but elegant and affordable. Finding a good deal makes shopping that much more exciting.

Q. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR TO WEAR? A. Mustard-yellow is my color because it makes my hair pop and goes well with my skin tone. Finding what works best for your features will change how you feel about dressing every day. The right color and the right shapes = a girl who conquers the world.

Q. WHERE WOULD YOU WEAR THIS OUTFIT? A. I can see myself wearing my outfit for date night or dinner with my girlfriends.

CARRIE KINNA’S LOOK FROM SOMETHING CHIC Jeans: Eunina Tobi super high-rise mom jean $52 Sweater: Jack by BB Dakota Like a Rainbow $79 Belt: West Meets East black $42 Shoes: Caty White Snake boots $195 Jacket: Band of Gypsies Je T’Adore Faux Fur bomber $126 Jewelry: Soko ring $72, Soko earrings $68

VICKI-LYNN TERPSTRA, writer With nearly a decade long career in retail, VickiLynn has cultivated a true passion for fashion.

She’s always got her finger on the pulse of evolving trends within the industry. Even though her day job involves event planning and social media for the largest insurance agency in the Northwest, she uses her style and industry know-how to help keep women in the Yellowstone Valley looking their best.

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Could Breast Implants be Making You Sick?

TRISHA KALFELL IS ON A QUIET CRUSADE TO RAISE AWARENESS written by LAURA BAILEY photography by TRACY MOORE

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Behind a fringe of jet-black hair, Trisha Kalfell’s eyes sparkle with life and vitality. She’s a devoted wife and a mother of three boys, a creative hairstylist and a small-business owner, and her passion for life creates an all-over glow that no one could miss — even underneath her sprawling collection of tattoos. Meeting her today, you would never know that less than a year ago she was fighting for her health and fighting for her sanity.

Trisha was experiencing a host of serious symptoms including joint pain and inflammation, fatigue, skin sensitivity, weight gain, hair loss, severe gastrointestinal issues, vertigo, dry eyes, insomnia, numbness in her hands and feet, ringing in her ears, brain fog and anxiety. Her symptoms pointed to an autoimmune disorder or perhaps a thyroid issue, but all the standard tests came up negative.

While every specialist she saw was willing to treat her symptoms, not one could account for their cause. Even a complete workup at a naturopathic clinic produced a “clean bill of health.”

In an effort to improve her health on her own, Trisha adopted a clean lifestyle and plant-based diet and began taking supplements. She hit the gym regularly and cut out every unhealthy thing she could think of.

She was doing everything she could to get well, but the mysterious symptoms continued to worsen.

When Trisha had all but given up, she came across a Breast Implant Illness support group on KHAN DR. SHAHER TRISHA AND Facebook. There, women were experiencing all the same symptoms and being met with the same “nothing’s wrong with you,” response from their doctors. Suddenly, everything clicked.

“It hit me in the face,” she says. “This is what I have.”

Trisha is one of the millions of women with breast implants, and one of a growing number of women who experienced adverse reactions to them, known informally as Breast Implant Illness.

Trisha had her first set of implants put in in 2014, and shortly after that, her hormones started to fall out of balance. She had her second set of implants — a size larger — put in two years later, and that’s when the rest of her symptoms started to show up. At first, the changes in her health weren’t drastic, but within three years she could hardly move without pain, couldn’t eat without severe diarrhea and could barely get

through a day without being overcome with fatigue and anxiety.

“No one said it could be my implants,” Trisha says.

Breast Implant Illness is not recognized by the medical community in the United States, and as such, there are no diagnostic criteria for it.

What Trisha later discovered was that her body mounted an immune response against the implants, which had leached toxins into her breast tissue.

Trisha knew right away she wanted to have her implants removed but realized in her research that there was more to an explant surgery than reversing the simple implant surgery. Only a handful of plastic surgeons in the United States believe in Breast Implant Illness and understand the complexities of the explant surgery. One is Dr. Shaher Khan in Detroit, Michigan.

Khan is a board-certified plastic surgeon who only does breast explant surgeries, and he is a wholehearted believer in Breast Implant Illness. Khan believes that all implants can cause Breast Implant Illness because the silicone they’re made from is toxic. Silicone at body temperature breaks down into 40 different toxins and heavy metals, including silica.

“Implants are a foreign body and when you put them into the body, they create an immune response and a shell or capsule forms around them as the body’s defense,” he says. “The body tries to wall them off.”

Khan is careful to remove not only the breast implant but the surrounding capsule of contaminated scar tissue as well. It’s a delicate procedure that requires experience. If left behind, the capsule, which contains the toxins, will continue to cause the body’s immune system to react. Khan has had numerous post-op analysis done of breast tissue where it surrounded the implants and the tissue has all been contaminated with silica.

“Breast Implant Illness is very real,” he says. “This is very convincing data when you look at just my patients alone.”

Khan successfully performed an explant surgery on Trisha in September, and, as he does for all his patients, removed the contaminated capsules around the implants as well.

“The next day, I woke up and I was completely better,” Trisha says. “My joints didn’t hurt, and I was able to eat anything I wanted without any MARCH/APRIL 2020

47

problems. The ringing in my ears stopped, and I finally had energy.”

Six months later, all the symptoms she had experienced for years are gone and Trisha feels better than she’s felt in years.

She believes her plant-based, clean-eating routine and high-quality supplements aided in a speedy recovery.

the list of symptoms, almost exactly as she experienced, as potential side effects of breast implants.

“They didn’t tell me anything about any side effects,” Trisha says. “I wish I would have put as much research into getting them as I did after I got them.”

Now, she’s on a quiet Trisha’s implants crusade to share her were a silicone gel, story in hopes that it or “gummy bear” will help other women implant, the latest in who might be suffering implant technology. from Breast Implant According to Khan, Illness.

Breast Implant Illness — TRISHA KALFELL “I think a lot of women can happen with with implants have any kind of implant, some symptoms, but because they all they chalk it up to something else and contain silicone — even the saline implants they’re willing to live with those symptoms come in a silicone shell. because they don’t want to look at the “The silicone is the culprit,” Khan says. implants as a possible cause,” she says. “I tell my story, and people are connecting the dots After the explant surgery, Trisha returned for themselves.” ✻ home and dug through her medical records and found the original brochure from when she got her first set of breast implants. She discovered, in the fine print,

“I wish I would have put as much research into getting them as I did after I got them.”

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Saturday May 9, 2020 2 mile & 5 mile Courses Downtown • Billings, Montana Run It, Walk It, Bring a Friend!

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Major Sponsors:

Supporting Sponsor:

ROLYNN RIDES HORSE 28, Murdered Crow Reservation 4/17/16

ROSELLA WOODENTHIGH 32, Murdered Northern Cheyenne Reservation 5/5/08

BONNIE THREE IRONS 35, Murdered Crow Reservation 4/10/17

SELENA NOT AFRAID 16, Found Deceased Hardin 1/20/20

KAYSERA STOPS PRETTY PLACES 18, Found Deceased Hardin 8/29/19

HENNY SCOTT 14, Found Deceased Northern Cheyenne Reservation 12/28/18

DIANA MEDICINE HORSE RONDEAU 26, Missing Crow Reservation, 9/21/81 HANNA HARRIS 21, Murdered Northern Cheyenne Reservation 7/8/13

FREDA KNOWSHISGUN 34, Missing Crow Reservation 10/18/16

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TOY PARKER 21, Murdered Northern Cheyenne Reservation 1/9/02

TONI FISHER 36, Murdered Northern Cheyenne Reservation 2/4/18

SHACAIAH BLUE HARDING 18, Missing Billings 7/23/18

ALLISON HIGHWOLF 26, Found Deceased Hardin 2/23/15

Names SAY THEIR

THE WOMEN RAISING THE VOLUME IN THE FIGHT AGAINST MISSING & MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN written by JULIE KOERBER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

It’s being called an epidemic of violence. Native American Women are 10 times more likely to be murdered than the rest of the nation’s population. Some are killed. Some vanish. Some return to their

THE7

FACTS

❭❭ Native Americans make up 26 percent of the missing in Montana but only 6.7 percent of the state’s population.

Source: Centers for Disease Control

reservations shell shocked, unable to talk about the abuse they endured after being sex trafficked. Four out of five criminal MMIW cases go unsolved.

❭❭ 84 percent of native women experience physical, sexual or emotional violence in their lives. 34 percent experienced violence in the last year.

Source: National Institute of Justice

❭❭ Murder is the third-leading cause of death among Native American Women.

Source: Department of Justice

MARCH/APRIL 2020

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Family2 THE

SELENA’S LOVED ONES WORK TO KEEP THE MMIW ISSUE ALIVE

When Cheryl Horn got the news on Jan. 1 that her best friend’s 16-year-old daughter was missing, she felt like her heart just might beat out of her chest. She remembers shaking, pacing the floor.

The family put out urgent pleas for help in the search via Facebook. Dozens responded.

Drones were on site on day one.

A helicopter joined the search as well. Eight days in, there was a sharp turn in the weather, moving from balmy 40- to 50-degree days to temps below 30 with a biting wind.

“When I found out Selena was gone, I said, ‘No, she’s not,’” Horn says. “I had just talked to her a few hours before.”

“We did not leave and we looked and looked. Do you know how hard that was for me?”

Horn says. “We didn’t expect Jackie to look. But for me to get up and out of my pickup with my jacket and snow pants on. I would think, ‘Pray we find her but pray I don’t find her.’”

This was the girl Horn helped raise. Selena called her “Auntie.”

Horn calls Selena’s mom, Jackie Big Hair, her “blood sister,” her life-long best friend.

“We are both from Fort Belknap,” Horn says. “We grew up together. We always say we are blood sisters because, you know, we cut our fingers when we were little girls.”

So, when news broke that Selena was left at an I-90 rest area between Billings and Hardin, Horn grabbed freshly washed clothes from the dryer, threw them in a bag without thinking and made the 350-mile trek from Fort Belknap to help in the search.

“I thought that they would find her within the hour,” Horn says. When day turned to night, she was stunned that the search had proved fruitless. “I said, ‘What the hell do you guys mean that you haven’t found her?’”

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Selena

With each passing day, Horn says the search grew more frantic.

“We were searching, literally following every clue, and putting ourselves in dangerous situations for eight days,” she says. “When the FBI dogs came, we backed off a little bit. But, how do you tell your volunteer

search crews to quit?”

On the morning of Jan. 20, after 19 days, Horn says she knew something wasn’t right.

“I woke up and I didn’t feel good and come to find out, none of us felt good,” she says. “Selena has a little niece, she’s 9 years old. She called me that morning and told me ‘Selena came to me in a dream and said,

I am going to come home now. I’m cold.’”

By mid-morning, she got a call from a Billings TV station.

“On my way, before I even left, I got a call. It’s KULR-8, saying, ‘Do you know they found a body in Hardin?’” Horn says it wasn’t law enforcement sharing the news. It was the media.

Selena’s body was found a little more than a mile from the rest stop where she was last seen.

Authorities announced that Selena had died of hypothermia. They reported there were no wounds on Selena’s body and no evidence of foul play, but later they called the state medical examiner for a secondary autopsy. The Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation was also brought in to review the case, a review that was continuing at print time.

What we do know is that on Jan. 1, Selena was with five adults when the van they were in broke down and stopped at the rest stop between Billings and Hardin. When the men fixing the van got the vehicle started, they told police they left without Selena and another woman. Law enforcement authorities believe Selena walked off into a nearby field, the field where they discovered her body.

Share that theory with Selena’s family and they get visibly angry.

“She wasn’t there,” Horn says. “No one believes she was there — not the volunteers who were on foot or on horseback. We had helicopters. The pilot told me he could reprogram his helicopter to fly the exact route he flew that day. He would have seen her. She wasn’t in the brush. She was found out in the open.”

Selena’s body was found without her jacket or purse, and her rings, which she always wore, were discovered 15 to 20 yards from her body.

“She had to cross three fences. One was a barbed wire fence and she climbed that and then fell when it wasn’t even freezing outside?” Horn says the family believes Selena was alive for a while and that her body was later dumped where she was found.

“There’s this road that runs through this whole piece of land,” Horn says. “It’s an old farm road that is well used. It goes all the way through to the back of the rest area. They found her 30 yards off that road.”

A.J. Not Afraid, the Crow tribal chairman, is Selena’s second cousin.

He was at the search site on day one along with other tribal leaders. “I believe her,” he says when asked about Cheryl’s theory.

WHY WEAR

RED? s

Cheryl “Those areas were checked and out of nowhere a body appears. That actually upsets me,” Not Afraid says. “The days we searched, there was no snow cover. We also had search dogs — for them to not pick up that scent or not to find the body as soon as we anticipated? If she was there, I think they would have caught that early on. I am not convinced of hypothermia. I am not convinced at all.”

Big Horn County Undersheriff Eric Winburn says the fact that Selena wasn’t found immediately baffles him as well.

“The first night they had thermal drones but they didn’t go out a little over a mile where she was. Part of it was the weather. They had gusting winds and rain. There are also power lines close to where she was

In Native American culture, red is believed to be the only color spirits can see.

Wearing red helps call back the missing spirits so they can be laid to rest.

MARCH/APRIL 2020

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found. They were trying to stay away from the power lines,” Winburn says. “That’s what bothered me. Why didn’t they find her the first night with the thermal drone? It sounds like they didn’t go out far enough to find her.”

ranches. “I told him, ‘You need to destroy these places because they are holding your own tribal members hostage out there.’” Not Afraid turned over the information to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which, in turn, promised to patrol the area.

When asked if there was any evidence that could support the theory that the body wasn’t there, he simply says, “No, absolutely none.” He also says the department is trying to be completely transparent on the case. “You can’t go on assumption. You have to follow the evidence.

That’s what we did in this case. And now, a second agency is going to look at everything we’ve done and see if they find holes — things we didn’t do or should have done.”

As Horn talks about all the heartbreak, she shakes her head and says, “I can’t believe my friend lost four kids. When I say it, it still shocks me because I raised these kids with her.”

“We don’t want to have to fight for justice,” Horn says. It’s why the family hired its own criminal lawyer and private investigator.

“There are things that people miss. There are angles people miss. Law enforcement is short on manpower. So, we have to pay for manpower as a family. It’s sad but it’s reality.”

Selena had a twin sister, Zoe, who committed suicide at age 11. In 2017, Jackie Big Hair’s 24-year-old son, Preston, was shot by Billings police after leading officers on a high-speed chase. In 2018, Jackie’s 18-yearold daughter, Tristen, was walking along Highway 3 near Billings Logan International Airport when she was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver.

“WE DON’T WANT TO HAVE TO FIGHT FOR JUSTICE."

“We are heartbroken but our prayers for Selena were answered,” Horn says. “We only waited 20 days. That was long to us but there are people who have waited 2,020 days or 3,020 days with no closure. She adds, “Yes, Selena was found but when Selena moves out of the way, there is another girl standing right behind her.”

— CHERYL HORN

While Horn was digging for information during the search, several women came to the rest stop and openly shared stories of their own disappearances.

“They were drugged up and assaulted,” she says. The women led Horn to a few spots on the reservation where women have been taken. “They escaped. They had to walk between 15 to 20 miles from where they were being held to safety.” She’s since shared the information with Chairman Not Afraid, showing him the photos of the abandoned tribal

She makes sure to share that message with anyone passionate and involved in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women awareness effort.

“Don’t ever forget all of those girls behind her. Continue to pray.

Continue everything we started,” Horn says. “We just have to keep saying their names.” ✻

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PODCASTER RAISING AWARENESS WITH A MIC AND A MISSION

le o c i N It was New Year’s Day. Nicole O’Shea was curled up on the couch with her two youngest kids, who were watching a movie. Her husband had just come in from chopping wood and Nicole was scrolling through Facebook, catching up, when a post about a missing girl from Hardin landed on her feed. The post was shared by a friend and it was the family’s first public call for help in their search for their loved one, 16-year-old Selena Not Afraid.

The post simply read:

ANYONE AVAILABLE TO SEARCH FOR SELENA BELL PLEASE GO TO THE REST AREA BETWEEN HARDIN AND BILLINGS. PICKUPS AND SPOTLIGHTS NEEDED. FAMILY ONLY ONES SEARCHING. “It took a few days for Selena’s case to catch my attention, I am embarrassed to say that, but I think it was the family asking for help,” Nicole says. “That’s what stopped me. I just assumed if there was something wrong with our kids, there would be people to help us.”

The post hit close to home. Nicole and her husband, Josh, have three kids between the ages of 7 and 16.

She joined the private Facebook page dedicated to Selena’s search, which started with a few hundred followers before quickly ballooning to more than 6,200.

“When I joined the Facebook group and I saw posts from Selena’s family begging for help, it got real really fast,” she says. The next day, Nicole felt pulled to pack up her podcast gear and make the more than 100-mile trek from her home near Red Lodge to the stretch of I-90 and

the rest area that became home base for Selena’s search.

“I was pulling off the freeway,” Nicole says. “It was dark and I couldn’t actually see anyone. Tears were running down my face because I was nervous. I didn’t know if I was intruding. I forced myself to get out of the car and I walked up to a circle of people and no one flinched.” As she sat in a camp chair next to a makeshift fire, Nicole says, “I told them, if you don’t mind, I’d like to just sit with you tonight.”

Over the course of the night, she met Selena’s mom, Jackie Big Hair, and Jackie’s life-long best friend, Cheryl Horn.

“They talked about Selena and told me how she was really into horses,” Nicole says. “They just told me story after story. They talked about the search and aired some frustrations about resources they thought they would have access to but didn’t.” Nicole stayed until about 11 that night, promising to come back the next day to record some of their stories, which would be the first of many podcasts aimed at shining a light on Montana’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.

“That was the day my purpose in all of this changed,” Nicole says.

By that time, the national media was starting to pay attention. HBO arrived. So did the New York Times. The Billings media were at the search camp, as was the online show “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.”

While they were all there to share up-to-the-minute news, Nicole felt a deeper story brewing.

“Let’s do something that introduces people to Selena in a way that they can picture her sitting across from them at the table,” Nicole told the MARCH/APRIL 2020

55

family. By week’s end, she had 14 hours’ worth of interviews. “I wanted people to connect to her emotionally.”

For more than a week, Nicole would make the trip back and forth between Red Lodge and Hardin, logging hundreds of miles on her family mini-van. She still can’t smell a wood-burning fire without thinking of those cold and windy, cut-at-your-bone nights sitting with a worried and desperate family.

“We heat our home with a wood stove, so every night, that is what goes through my head — Selena’s face, her mother’s voice, the way her grandmother’s hand felt as she held mine,” Nicole says.

On Jan. 20, Selena’s body was found a little more than a mile southwest of the rest stop where she was last seen.

A preliminary autopsy report ruled that Selena died of hypothermia.

The case, however, isn’t closed. The Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office called in the Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation to help with the investigation.

Selena’s episode on “The Missing and Murdered Podcast” aired Monday, Jan. 20, the same day her body was discovered. At last check, the episode has logged more than 14,000 downloads.

YVW MAGAZINE

While Van and Teresa felt Josia’s case began as a runaway, as the days progressed to weeks, they knew the daughter they had adopted 10 years earlier was in extreme danger.

“The only way I can help is by telling their stories. The more we talk about it, the more people are going to be moved to help make a change. No, this is not the end.”

“The narrative doesn’t change,” Nicole says. “A healthy and vibrant 16-year-old girl is still dead. A child was left at a rest stop by a group of adults. Things weren’t handled right. Maybe they were all honest mistakes and it was the perfect trifecta of bad circumstances, but it doesn’t matter. That girl was still failed by systems that I truly think need to be re-evaluated.”

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Less than 48 hours after Selena was found, Nicole sat at the kitchen table in the home of Van and Teresa Hagestad. It was just after dinner.

Her laptop was open and a boom podcast mic was rolling as a handful of the Hagestads’ 11 children played in the next room. Van and Teresa began to share their emotional journey surrounding their missing daughter. On Dec. 20, 16-year-old Josia Hagestad vanished after making a trip to a Billings coffee shop to meet a friend.

— NICOLE O’SHEA

In an interview on Jan. 22, Van told Nicole, “We got a text from her (biological) mom. Josia sent her a text through Facebook Messenger that said she was being trafficked for drugs — sex for drugs,” Van says.

The text read, “but get me outa this town plz. They tryna sell me plz.

Mom rn.”

As Nicole listened, she already knew the statistics that one in three runaways are trafficked within 48 hours of leaving home.

“The Billings Police Department told me they wouldn’t issue an amber alert for her because she was over 14 years old and it doesn’t appear to be life-threatening,” Van says. “The biggest thing I am feeling is fear,” Van shared, “fear that she is being taken advantage of and being preyed upon by men. She has a ton of trauma in her past and she doesn’t believe she is worthy of love, despite what we have told her for the past 10 years.”

While Nicole plans to air Josia’s story in a future podcast to break down what she calls “the terrifying realities runaways face,” the case has

Josia taken a dramatic turn. Forty-nine days after Josia went missing, Child Protective Services in Washington found her after being tipped off by the Hagestads. Less than a week later, she and two other teen girls ran from a state-run group home in Seattle. On February 13, a 41-yearold California man was arrested in Oregon on suspicion of trafficking not only Josia but the two other missing girls. The man had seized the girls’ cells phones and was caught taking suggestive photos of them, claiming they would make him a fortune. The Hagestads’ patience is all but gone.

“No one takes us seriously. They won’t press second-degree kidnapping charges against those who took Josia from Montana but they are charging the guy who took her from Tacoma to Oregon?,” Hagestad says. “How is that different?” He and his wife continue in their fight to get their daughter back home.

“It is easy to get wrapped up in a case and connected to one that has garnered as much attention as Selena’s. But, there are 135 missing and murdered indigenous women in the state of Montana and most of those since 2010? That’s a lot of families with no answers,” Nicole says. “You hear these news stories and the vast majority of us can say our lives have not been touched by something as tragic as this.”

But when she went to Selena’s search camp, she says, “Most of them knew someone who was either missing or murdered. That was visionshifting for me.”

Right now, Nicole is digging into the case of Hub Williamson, a 34-yearold Hardin man who left home April 9, 2019 never to be seen again.

And, she’s been talking with the grandmother of Kaysera Stops Pretty Places, the 18-year-old who disappeared Aug. 24, 2019. Kaysera’s body was found five days later near a woodpile in the backyard of a Hardin home. While the cause of her death remains a mystery, her family believes she was murdered and has since taken up interviewing their own witnesses, looking for their own evidence.

“If you pull up the Montana Missing Persons Registry, go through it,” Nicole says. “If the families don’t take the initiative to create their own search parties, or if the families don’t start screaming and standing up and demand that people pay attention to them, no one is going to do it because there are just too many.

“The only way I can help is by telling their stories. The more we talk about it, the more people are going to be moved to help make a change.

No, this is not the end.” ✻

SAY THEIR NAMES

THE MISSING AND MURDERED PODCAST If you are someone with a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person story, you can contact Nicole O’Shea through her Facebook page or via email at themissingandmurdered406@gmail.com.

TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST, visit themissingandmurdered.org

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MARCH/APRIL 2020

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ACTIVIST ANNITA LUCCHESI IS LEADING A GRASSROOTS EFFORT TO PREVENT MMIW CASES

Not a day goes by that Annita Lucchesi doesn’t talk about, think about, or look into the cases of missing and murdered indigenous women. As the executive director of Sovereign Bodies Institute, a nonprofit research center, she keeps a close eye on the ever-shifting numbers. She does it because it’s an issue that hits close to home.

ita. n n A

“I am indigenous,” Lucchesi says. “I am Northern Cheyenne. I am also a survivor of violence.” She started a database tracking the cases of missing and murdered indigenous women a few months after surviving the domestic violence and sex trafficking that she says nearly killed her. “I was trying to make sense out of what happened to me. At the same time, I was learning more about the issue and realized it wasn’t just my experience.”

That was five years ago. Today, the data has grown to fuel a grassroots effort, helping to spark MMIW awareness. A year ago, she formed a board and put a name on her work – the Sovereign Bodies Institute.

The board and staff are made up of survivors of violence or family members of someone who is missing or murdered. Its mission is to address, prevent and heal gender and sexual violence against indigenous people.

While SBI is based in California, Lucchesi, who used to call Browning, Montana, home, is gathering the pieces for a major project in southeastern Montana, more specifically, Yellowstone, Big Horn and Rosebud counties.

Six months ago, when 18-year-old Kaysera Stops Pretty Places’ body was found in Hardin, SBI issued a public statement in support of the

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To date, Lucchesi has been in contact with 30 families in the area, helping them not only with support services but walking alongside them to fight for justice. She says. “We are building a collective of families from those three counties. We feel their voices

are stronger together.”

As SBI unites families, behind the scenes, Lucchesi says her nonprofit is diving deep into each one of its cases. “We need to see where things went wrong in the investigation and how we can push forward to get that case reopened and reviewed,” she says. When asked what might prompt her to look into a case, she says, “We have seen there are a large number of cases that are misclassified as hypothermia or accidental or undetermined. Cases aren’t really getting their due diligence.”

"WE ARE BUILDING A COLLECTIVE OF FAMILIES FROM THOSE THREE COUNTIES. WE FEEL THEIR VOICES ARE STRONGER TOGETHER.”

“It was just something I did as a passion project and a labor of love,” she says.

family. “We saw how much they were grieving,” Lucchesi says. Kaysera’s cause of death was never determined and Lucchesi says her family wants answers. It didn’t take long for other families to reach out to SBI, asking if they could help with their investigations as well.

In late February, SBI held a vigil for Allison High Wolf on the fifth anniversary of her death.

“Allison was a beautiful Northern Cheyenne mother who was murdered at the age of 26,” Lucchesi says. “Her perpetrator was never held accountable and her family is still fighting for justice” The next day, SBI held a rally on the steps of the Big Horn County Courthouse, giving more than 20 families a chance to share their stories.

— ANNITA LUCCHESI

“That was our first big step forward in mobilizing this collective of families to have a stronger voice together,” Lucchesi says.

In the six months that SBI has been gathering data in the area, Lucchesi

says she already has a long paper trail to follow. “It’s scary to think that we have more than 100 cases that we’ve documented in the area and most of the perpetrators are still walking around the community.” Lucchesi says only 13 of those cases date prior to the year 2000.

While she speaks to Native American women who regularly share their fears about feeling unsafe, Lucchesi is encouraged by how much the movement has grown over the past few years. She says policymakers are starting to listen.

“I know there’s a sense of urgency with the issue. I feel that too,” she says. “But we will do our best work when we give ourselves the time and space to create something really intentional. We have a great opportunity to build on this momentum.” ✻

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SOVEREIGN BODIES INSTITUTE, visit the organization at sovereign-bodies.org

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JOIN IN ON THE CONVERSATION BY CALLING 294-0970 Download our Newstalk 955 app or check out www.newstalk955.com MARCH/APRIL 2020

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MIP TASK FORCE WORKING TOGETHER TO FACE THE PROBLEM

Ask anyone playing a role in the Montana Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force, and they’ll tell you time is of the essence. If you ask victims’ families waiting for answers, time can’t move quickly enough. If you ask law enforcement, there’s no time like the present to shore up critical resources and training needed to fill the investigative gaps in missing-persons cases. And, if you ask those in the legal realm, the clock is ticking to get recommendations together so legislation can be drafted before the 2021 Montana legislative session.

logistics. We need boots on the ground. We don’t need someone to hand us a flier and to tell us ‘beware.’ These families need help. Let’s stop talking and let’s start to do something about this epidemic.”

“It’s important that we step up our timeline,” Deputy Attorney General Melissa Schlicting told a crowd of about 40 gathered for a twoday meeting in Billings in mid-February spotlighting the state’s missing indigenous people.

It’s the task force’s job to create the framework to help beat back each one of those problems.

Insufficient resources seemed to be just one issue that Native American families present had with the system. Many cite racism, poor reporting of missing persons, jurisdictional gaps between local, tribal and federal agencies and a lack of manpower altogether.

“WE CAN’T JUST LOOK THE OTHER WAY.”

The Looping in Native Communities Act, passed by the 2019 Legislature, helped form the task force. Members from each Montana tribe have a voice at the table along with those within the Department of Justice tasked with stemming the number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous cases.

“What some people may not recognize is that if it is not reauthorized by the next legislature, this task force will not go past June of 2021,” Schlicting said.

That was not welcome news for Lorna KnowsHisGun, a self-described MMIW activist, sitting in the front row. She listened to Bureau Chief Gary Seder with the Department of Justice Crime Information Bureau talk about how law enforcement pushes information about missing persons cases in Indian country. Lorna jumped in, saying, “We need

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— A.J. NOT AFRAID

“I know a lot of you are frustrated,” Seder told the crowd. “I understand your concern. We are there. We do have resources available. Our biggest thing is, we just need to get a request from law enforcement agencies. Some of them do request it and some of them don’t.”

Crow Tribal Chairman A.J. Not Afraid was standing at President Trump’s side in the oval office last November when the president signed an executive order creating a national MMIW Task Force and response plan. When Not Afraid got news of the state’s task force meeting, he cleared his schedule to be there. (See sidebar on Operation Lady Justice) “The crazy thing is, Indian nations have always been trying to make headway with BIA, and the other entities that have authority on the reservation,” Not Afraid said. “A lot of the tribes have become disgruntled because they felt that when there have been missing or murdered person cases, it hasn’t been sought after or there wasn’t much communication back to families. It seemed like no one really

THE LEGISLATIVE WORK THE WAYS LAWMAKERS ARE WORKING TO STOP MMIW

t OPERATION LADY JUSTICE t

OFFICIAL WHITE HOUSE PHOTO

CROW TRIBAL CHAIR A.J. NOT AFRAID, PICTURED FAR RIGHT, STANDS NEXT TO PRESIDENT TRUMP AS HE SIGNS THE EXECUTIVE ORDER OPERATION LADY JUSTICE LAST NOVEMBER. cared when these issues came up with law enforcement in the past.”

During the meeting, a statewide list of missing indigenous people was circulated. There were 38 active cases on the list.

“I am very passionate about this,” Not Afraid said, citing the roughly 20 names he realized were missing from the list. “A lot of those members who are not on the list are closely related to me. I’m not doing this from a political standpoint. I am doing it from a family standpoint.”

While the task force is looking to form an inter-jurisdictional response, Not Afraid talked about his desire to seek training for the Crow Tribe’s search and rescue team that, to date, has only gotten on the job training.

He’s also hoping to hire at least 40 additional tribal police officers in the near future “We can’t just look the other way,” Not Afraid said.

Former FBI Agent Ernie Weyand spent many years investigating crime in Indian Country. After retiring, he jumped into the role of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Missing Indigenous Person coordinator, working as the first coordinator in the nation to address the issue.

He’s already met with tribal leadership, law enforcement and victims’ family members on every reservation in Montana.

“This is a community problem that law enforcement alone isn’t going to solve,” Weyand said. “It needs to start on the prevention side when there is a response. The most effective response is a community response that includes law enforcement as being part of the solution.”

He said he can’t provide manpower but he can help with training and capacity building so that communities can be ready to move when an emergency arises.

After listening to all the concerns and comments, Schlicting said the meeting just reaffirms what she already knew. There needs to be a better understanding of what resources exist and what resources don’t.

So far, the task force has completed six community meetings with six more on the calendar.

“We have a long way to go,” Schlicting said. “It’s touching and humbling work and I’m honored to be a part of this task force. Any amount of comfort and clarity we can provide families helps.” ✻

Last November, President Donald Trump signed an executive order paving the way for MMIP (Missing and Murdered Indigenous People) coordinators in 11 Western states including Montana.

The coordinators will work closely with federal, tribal, state and local agencies to develop protocols for a more coordinated law enforcement response to missing-person cases. The plan calls for the deployment of the FBI’s most advanced response teams when needed, improved data collection and analysis, and training to support local response efforts.

t SAVANNA’S ACT t This bill, which passed out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, would require every state’s U.S. attorney to implement a guideline to follow when a Native woman is reported murdered or missing. It requires collaboration with tribal law enforcement, tribal government, and state and local law enforcement. The act also calls for improved law enforcement training and access to an inter-jurisdictional database. The bill sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has 29 co-sponsors, including Montana Sens.

Steve Daines and Jon Tester. It’s currently on hold, waiting to be put on the Senate’s calendar for a vote.

t NOT INVISIBLE ACT t This act requires the Department of the Interior to coordinate violent crime prevention efforts across federal agencies. It also calls for a commission made up of federal agencies, tribal leaders, tribal law enforcement, mental health providers, survivors and state and local law enforcement. The commission would come up with recommendations to improve the response to MMIW, human trafficking and violent crime in Indian Country. Both of Montana’s senators are listed as co-sponsors of the bill that’s currently waiting to be put up for a vote in the senate.

t MAY 5, 2020 t NATIONAL DAY OF AWARENESS FOR MISSING & MURDERED NATIVE WOMEN AND GIRLS A day designated by the U.S. Senate to shine a light on the high rate of homicides of Native American women. Sens. Daines and Tester co-sponsored the resolution last year in memory of Hanna Harris, a Lame Deer woman murdered on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation seven years ago. Both senators plan to introduce the resolution again this year.

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FILLING THE CRACKS IN LIFE MELANIE TRIPP PROMOTES POWERFUL CAMPAIGN TO BRING AWARENESS TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING written by STELLA FONG photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN 62

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Melanie Tripp fills the cracks in life. Three years ago, she introduced Billings to the Red Sand Project, a program started in New York City six years ago by artist Molly Gochman, spotlighting victims of human trafficking. The pouring of red sand into sidewalk crevices stands as a visual reminder of the missing. It’s a global project that Tripp says has spread to more than 70 countries with more than 1 million people playing a part.

In her personal life, she’s mother to Mikaela, Zoee and Ayva. She works with her husband, Oli, at their business, Comtech Audio Theater Security.

When Tripp’s friend Kim Dudik asked her to think about organizing an event in our community, she reached out to the Zonta Club of Billings to help pull the pieces together. The first Red Sand Project in April of 2018 was launched with less than a month’s planning. The day brought speakers on the state and local level together with victims and survivors at the Peaks to Plains Park at MSU Billings to educate the community.

She encourages others by saying, “Commit to things that are difficult for you. If you say you are going to do something — never quit until you’ve accomplished what you’ve set out to do.” This thinking has helped her finish half marathons and to earn a second-degree black belt in martial arts.

Tripp’s interest in helping victims of trafficking was sparked after participating in a Ragnar race, a 200-mile relay, with old high school friends.

The team chose F.R.E.E. International, which works to abolish sex and labor trafficking, as its charity.

— MELANIE TRIPP

“Another teen with a troubled past befriended her,” Tripp says. “And, like so many teenagers growing up, they decided to run away and see what they could find. They were approached by a trafficker within 48 hours of leaving home.” The man earned their trust, later “selling them to be raped.” Fortunately, the two were found in Las Vegas and rescued.

When Tripp returned home, she searched for organizations working on the human trafficking issue. Joining the Zonta Club of Billings in 2015, she volunteered in public relations and marketing, served two years on the board of directors, and this year works as the group’s vice president.

She usually shows up at meetings with a guest or daughter in tow.

She helps lead the Yellowstone Country Area Human Trafficking Task Force as the chair of its Prevention and Awareness Committee. At the women's prison Passages program, she has mentored women in the pre-release program.

RED SAND BILLINGS EVENT PLANNED TO BRING AWARENESS

When trying to raise awareness against human trafficking, the message comes from her heart. “My adult life began as a young single mom escaping a bad relationship. It would take another 15 years or so to admit that what my oldest daughter and I went through was actually domestic violence.”

“My hope is to teach my girls to be self-aware.”

While chatting with a team member, Tripp says, she was “curious and still a bit naïve” when she heard the story of a young Billings girl from a good family who fell into the human trafficking trap.

Spreading

“My job title is what I make of it — co-owner, director of marketing, outreach specialist, or something less important sounding but super fun,” she says.

Tripp eventually put herself through college, earning a degree in graphic design. She says, “I met the love of my life, and started a career, and began on my own to learn how to heal.”

“Human trafficking,” she continues, “particularly commercial sex trafficking, really hits home when you have young daughters. When you find out more about your vulnerabilities, and those in our society that lead to human trafficking, you understand how it can and does happen in any town.

“We can help open the eyes of our city and state legislators. Ask them to create programs and to fund organizations that help families. As an individual, you can volunteer for your local task force, the YWCA, Tumbleweed, your church, Zonta or CASA to help continue efforts and reach out to at-risk youth.”

As Tripp works hard to help fill the cracks of life with symbolic red sand, she doesn’t have to look far for inspiration to keep her on her journey.

“My hope is to teach my girls to be self-aware,” she says, “and to understand how to use the gifts they are given to bring joy to themselves and others.” ✻

Join the Zonta Club of Billings at MSU Billings’ Peaks to Plains Park on

THURSDAY, APRIL 16, FROM 11:30 TO 2:30 and hear from the experts fighting human trafficking, along with those who have survived it.

Join the crowd as they spread red sand around the MSU Billings campus as a statement to bring awareness to this form of modern-day slavery. More than 20 nonprofit and service organizations will be on hand to talk about efforts in our community to fight human trafficking.

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s

CREATING A r

New Money Mindset WHAT YOU NEED TO SHIFT YOUR FOCUS TO ONE OF ABUNDANCE written by SHERIDAN COTRELL photography by ALEXIA LELAND

IN EVERY ISSUE 64

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Money. It’s a topic that holds a ton of emotion. Do you feel guilt when you buy something you really don’t need? Do you let greed rear its ugly head from time to time? Do you feel unworthy when you don’t reach a goal with monetary benefits? All of these emotions get in the way — especially when you’re trying to build a life you love. That’s why we’re going to target ways to create a better money mindset and shift our focus to one of abundance.

The simple truth is your financial situation is a direct result of your own thoughts and actions. We can’t always control our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them. First things first: We need to realize that, when you break it down, money is just an exchange of something of value for something else of value. So, it’s time to kick out any ugly thoughts and fears that leave us feeling deflated.

Instead, if you believe you have the strength, power and wit to financially figure it out, you more than likely will.

SIX STEPS TO SWITCHING UP YOUR MONEY MINDSET 1. Be aware of your financial situation. This is where a spreadsheet can come in handy. Type in all of the categories of monthly spending. Write down your living expenses like your rent or mortgage payment, utilities, insurance, credit card payments, monthly grocery bill, auto expenses including gas, entertainment expenses, cell phone bill, etc. Review your list. What’s right and what’s not right with the numbers?

2. Take the next step and make some goals based on your expenses.

What can you cut back on or better control in order to make meaningful changes to help you reach your financial goals? Do you want to beef up your savings? Do you want to create a little extra for that family vacation you haven’t taken in years? Make these goals matter!

3. Take

time to brainstorm new ways to open up the gates to receiving more abundance — what could you do that would allow more money to flow to you? Do you need a side hustle? Or, could you shift the work you do in order to open up new opportunities?

own your own home? Do you have a retirement account? How about investments? What does your savings account look like? Once you add up the value of your assets, then subtract your debts. That’s your real debt number, not the number you might see staring at you from your credit card bill.

Once you see that you have made some positive moves on your financial path, you’ll most likely have the confidence to realize that the possibilities to attract this kind of abundance are infinite. If you feel like you could be doing a bit better, it’s easy to look at the numbers you’ve gathered in step 1 above and tell yourself, “I’m going to choose to make my money story different.”

All that’s left is taking action. Know your numbers and put some value to them. Kick your fears to the curb. Practice gratitude for what you do have in life and remove all of those mental blocks that stand in your way of making your money goals realities.

The beautiful thing about addressing your money mindset is that each small or big success creates confidence that can spill into other areas of your life. And that, my friends, is what a life of abundance is all about. ✻

4. Now, create a money plan that factors in savings, giving, income and dealing with debt.

5. Put your money plan in action by creating a budget that factors all of these categories into real-life circumstances.

6. Reinforce your plan by taking out all of those limiting beliefs that replace “I can’t” with “I will and here’s how.” Tell yourself meaningful things like, “No matter how much money I make, I am making positive choices about what I do with it.” Come up with your own affirmations to help keep you on track. Visualize success.

Another step to creating a successful “money story,” is to look at your debt, really look at it, by first looking at your assets in life. Do you

TOOLS & RESOURCES FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

As entrepreneurs and big dreamers, you continually search for ways to connect with other professionals and tap into those efficient ways to make your dreams a reality. Big Sky Women has created an online platform to connect, network and ask questions that will help you build the life you dream of with a community of fellow boss women. To learn more about becoming a member, visit BigSkyWomen.com.

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Feeling Lost with

Meal Planning?

LET’S TAKE THE GUESSWORK OUT OF IT written by KARLI BIES, R.N. photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

Each and every day we need to fuel our bodies. Many feel the only way to be successful and consistent with nutrition is to have some sort of weekly meal plan. If you’re overwhelmed at the thought, don’t worry. There are easy ways to shop and plan where you can keep your nutritional needs in mind, you can cater to your cravings and never leave out your preferences when it comes to meals.

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Let’s start out with grocery shopping. You may feel dazed and confused walking into a store without a list. Or, do you like walking around the store to get ideas for your weekly menu?

That might not be easy if you’re not used to meal planning.

What if I told you there was a super easy formula you could turn to in order to keep you organized, while still allowing you to enjoy some treats and meals that sound good to you?

Well, there is.

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL SHOP FOR: ✔ Five snack options ✔ Four proteins, carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables ✔ Three drinks ✔ Two sauces and cheeses ✔ One frozen meal It sounds super basic, right? It is because it allows you to personalize these categories based on your taste buds. This formula also assumes you have some staple items at home in your pantry and fridge, i.e., beans, pasta, spices, oils, etc. For those who don’t like to plan specific meals, this will set you to create some wholesome and well-balanced meals throughout the week.

If you are someone who likes to have a little bit more structure, pick at least two recipes before you go shopping to ensure you’ll have the ingredients you’ll need. You can look over those recipes and see they probably include one of each of the main parts of your grocery list, so you should be able to add those items onto the list of proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables that you buy.

Using this rough outline allows you to be flexible based on your desires for the day. You will have a variety of options that will prevent you from having to make a last-minute run to the store or opt for another night of eating out. Try making a new dish each day of the week. If you want to try to meal prep for the week, make two to three main dishes on Sunday and portion them into breakfast, lunch or dinner for easy eating during the week. It doesn’t have to be strict or rigid, it’s just a plan for success with a little bit of planning.

SO, HOW DID OUR FRAMEWORK GET PUT TO USE WITH A WEEK OF MEALS? LET’S TAKE A LOOK! FIVE SNACKS: Greek yogurt, nuts/seeds mix, granola/protein bars, cheese and meat snack packs, hard boiled eggs

FOUR PROTEINS: Chicken breast, ground turkey, eggs, lunch meat

These

items

were

created into this weekly menu:

BREAKFAST: ✔ Eggs and toast ✔ Smoothie (frozen berries, banana, yogurt, OJ)

LUNCH/DINNER: ✔ BBQ chicken with sweet potatoes and a veggie side ✔ Frozen Pizza with a side salad ✔S paghetti sauce with ground turkey and pasta with salad or side of veggies ✔ Sandwiches with lunch meat and cheese w/ carrots, broccoli and ranch/hummus Meal prepping and planning doesn’t mean you have to eat bland chicken and asparagus, or drink a $15 meal replacement shake in place of a balanced meal. As you can see, using this framework can help make life easier, all while allowing you to enjoy the process of cooking and planning for delicious meals every week in 2020. ✻

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS on what you’d like to see here for our in-house dietitian? Feel free to email Karli at karlimsullivan@gmail.com.

FOUR CARBOHYDRATES: sweet potatoes, pasta, loaf of bread, brown rice FOUR FRUITS: Apples, bananas, strawberries, frozen berry mix FOUR VEGETABLES: Green beans, salad mix, broccoli, carrots THREE DRINKS: Milk, sparking water, orange juice TWO SAUCES: Red Pasta sauce and hummus TWO CHEESES: Cheddar cheese and Parmesan ONE FROZEN MEAL: Pizza

KARLI BIES, writer Karli is a registered dietitian whose passion is not only food and nutrition but working with clients on their overall health. She loves helping make changes that are sustainable and helping to create healthy relationships with all foods.

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written by KAY ERIKSON

TA ST E OF THE VALL EY

There’s baseball, apple pie and — wait for it — mac and cheese.

Yes, macaroni and cheese. It’s been an American favorite for decades.

Take one look in the grocery aisle where mac and cheese is stocked and you’ll see shelves upon shelves of brands and shapes and cheese varieties of this pantry staple. You’ll even find it’s made a migration to the frozen food section.

I wasn’t raised with mac and cheese. My mom didn’t make it or buy it, but I made up for that when I became a mom. It was just so easy to make with a pot of cooked elbow noodles and a little American cheese. That was the genesis of my Easy Peasy Cheesy Mac. As we matured, so did our taste for this comfort food. I am fond of “playing with my food,” so experimenting with the basics created Mac and 3 Cheese Bake. And a desire for indulgence became the muse for Seafood Mac and Cheese.

The beauty of homemade mac and cheese, however one makes

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it, is its flexibility. Change the shape and type of pasta. Try fun shapes or give a nod to chickpea or whole-grain elbows or shells.

Mix it up by throwing in a different type of cheese or blend. Add in seafood or try to sneak in some diced broccoli.

I truly appreciate the place mac and cheese occupies in our food culture, especially when I heard how many families regularly serve up macaroni and cheese on their Thanksgiving tables. If you ask me, there’s nothing more American.

Enjoy!

KAY ERICKSON, writer Kay has spent her professional career in public relations and broadcast news, currently at Yellowstone Public Radio. Her journalism degree is from Northern Illinois University.

Her passions include her family, sports and food. Her mom and an aunt taught her the finer points of cooking and instilled a love of good food and family mealtime.

EasyP easyX

Mac Cheese SO MANY TWISTS TO THIS AMERICAN CLASSIC

easy peasy cheesy mac 2 c. (8 ounces) uncooked elbow macaroni* 2 T. unsalted butter 2 T. flour ¼ t. fresh ground black pepper ¼ t. garlic salt ¾ c. milk ½ c. (8 ounces) cubed processed American cheese (Velveeta) DIRECTIONS Cook the macaroni until al dente according to package directions in salted water.

Drain and set aside. Using the same pot used to cook the macaroni, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and the black pepper and garlic salt.

Cook the flour-butter mixture for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk and whisk until smooth. Add cubed American cheese and mix until cheese is melted and smooth.

Switch to a wooden spoon when mixing in the cheese. Mix in the macaroni and stir until blended and all the mac is coated with cheese. For a little extra flavor, top with crumbled bacon.

*NOTE: Switch up the type of pasta. I often use small shells, radiatore or rotini.

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mac and 3 cheese bake 2 c. uncooked elbow macaroni (8 ounces) 5 T. unsalted butter (divided) 2 T. flour 1 c. hot milk

¼ t. kosher salt 1/8 t. fresh ground pepper 4 ounces goat cheese, cut into pieces

4 ounces sharp, grated cheddar cheese 4 ounces Gruyere cheese (grated) ¾ c. Panko bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the macaroni in salted boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over mediumlow heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking for 2 minutes. Gradually add the hot milk, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens. Add the salt and pepper. Switching to a spoon, add the goat cheese, sharp cheddar and Gruyere. Cook until the cheeses are melted. Add the macaroni to the cheese mixture and spoon into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the mixture. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 3 minutes, until the mac and cheese is browned and bubbling.

seafood mac and cheese Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper 2 T. olive oil 1 clove of garlic, grated ½ of a small yellow onion, finely diced 1 lb. chopped cooked crab meat or chopped cooked lobster 4 T. unsalted butter, divided 1 T. flour 2 c. cream

2 c. milk 1 T. chopped fresh parsley 1 t. smoked paprika 2 t. dry mustard 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 1½ c.)

6 ounces Parmesan, shredded (about 1½ c.)

8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar (about 2 c.)

1 lb. elbow or small shell macaroni 1½ c. bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water, drain, and set pasta aside in a large bowl. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is softened. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mix to pasta and set aside. Wipe out the skillet and return to the stovetop. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, melt, add flour and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the cream, milk, parsley, mustard, paprika, then add the Gruyere, Parmesan and cheddar cheeses. Bring to a simmer then lower heat to simmer on low for 8-10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Add the seafood and cheese sauce to the bowl of pasta, onion and garlic and mix well. (If the mixture is too thick, add the reserved pasta water, about ¼ cup at a time.) Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish sitting on top of a baking sheet to protect your oven if the dish bubbles over. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine with the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the macaroni is browned on top. Let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.

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At Albertsons we go above and beyond to provide quality products and services you can’t find anywhere else in Billings. We have organic and natural fruits and vegetables, quality meat and seafood, and we even have a full-service pharmacy and Starbucks.

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MARCH/APRIL 2020

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THREE WOMEN AIMING TO

ENEW r R s

TEN NORTHERN HOTEL AND THE

written by STELLA FONG photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

A new posse has ridden into the Northern Hotel. Three women, Lisa Rembold, Samantha Dyba and Alexandra Mann, are rounding up new memories at the iconic establishment. Family ties may have beckoned them back to these parts, but is it possible the spirit of the Golden Belle herself called them back to help renew and refresh the hotel and restaurant? Did she invite a new executive chef, front of the house restaurant manager, and special events and sales manager to join forces for change?

P.B. Moss and Henry W. Rowley opened the hotel in 1904 and it quickly became the crown jewel of Billings. In 1940, unfortunately, flames from a dress store located below the hotel burned the building down. Within weeks, Chicago architects Holabird and Root were hired to design a new 10-story building. Two years later, the hotel resumed business.

The Golden Belle Restaurant opened in 1959 with a Victorian parlor-like décor with red velvet and paintings of scantily clad women. Drama surrounded the dining experience, with gongs announcing flaming kebabs arriving at diners’ tables. Shrimp sizzled in the dining room with tableside service while flambe desserts satisfied any sweet tooth.

Executive and Special Events Chef Lisa Rembold was the first of the gang of three to ride into the Northern. She remembers as a child going to the Northern from Wyoming when her father was in town to sell his cows.

Restaurants have always been in Rembold’s blood. She started busing tables and cutting French fries at her sister’s restaurant when she was young. After completing her B.S. at the Culinary Institute of America in the mid-70s, she cooked around the world, most recently Café Melange in Yakima, Washington, in 2010, and a few years later Sweetie Pie Baby YVW MAGAZINE

“When I moved here,” she says, “I was really going to stay retired. That lasted six months.”

She found herself at Stacked, A Montana Grill as the executive chef for two years. Realizing she wanted to make sweets, she joined the Northern Hotel kitchen as the pastry chef in 2014. Then, after the departure of another chef almost two years ago, Rembold became executive chef No. 7 since reopening in 2009. She confidently declares, “I am aiming to be the longest-lived chef here at the Northern Hotel.”

Samantha “Sam” Dyba graduated from Billings West High in 2010. Off and on over six years she worked at The Windmill in several positions. After that, she worked briefly as the assistant manager of a Renaissance Hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma, overseeing breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Upon returning to Billings, she made a job change.

“It has been really interesting working with an all women.

We learn a lot from each other. It is respectful.”

The famed restaurant and hotel were shuttered in 2006, only to rise again on Jan. 9, 2009, after being bought for $2,475,090 by Mike and Chris Nelson, outbidding the next highest bidder by $1. The new Northern Hotel opened its state-of-the-art facility and two restaurants: Bernie’s Diner, named after Mike and Chris’ mother, and TEN, honoring their father, Thomas Edgar Nelson, in March of 2013.

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Cakes. In 2012, she retired and moved to be near her son and his family, who had settled in Billings.

— LEXI MANN

“For two years I tried something different,” she says: “working for a bank. I worked in a cubicle and didn’t have anyone to talk to.” That prompted her to return to the restaurant scene. After working as a server at the Northern, the front of the house restaurant manager position opened up and Sam jumped at it.

Alexandra “Lexie” Mann, the newest member, moved to Billings to be with her father. She came to the Northern Hotel as the special events and sales manager for TEN. Before coming here, she earned a degree in art, specializing in museum and public history. She worked at the HermannGrima and Gallier Historic House Museums and then managed the office at Crescent City Brewhouse, both in New Orleans. Her dream is to open her own business — a bookstore restaurant serving coffee and cocktails. Working at the Northern will teach her valuable skills.

Besides having diverse backgrounds and skills, the three women differ in terms of where they are in life, and in their own expectations and those

of their families. While Lisa’s family was familiar with her restaurant lifestyle, Sam recently got married, and Lexie was adjusting to the long, irregular hours.

Lisa jokingly says, “When I retired, nobody knew what to do with me. I really like working. Restaurants make me happy.”

“I balance the best that I can,” Sam says. “There are certain times that are not as busy as others. It’s rewarding at the end of the day to see what you have made TEN become.” She enjoys making memorable experiences for guests. She once impressed a couple so much that they flew down to Mexico to her wedding.

Transitioning from a job with regular hours has been a challenge for Lexie. “I am still trying to find the balance. It’s been good because I get to meet a lot of new people.”

The learning experience includes the intricacies of working with an all-women squad. Lisa admits, “I have always been in the boss position.

My dad raised me to be able to do what a man can do.” For Sam, “I have always worked with women leadership.”

While in New Orleans, Lexie was immersed in the #MeToo movement when chef and restaurateur John Besh was toppled by sexual harassment allegations. “At the last restaurant I worked at, I was the only female on the team.”

When she joined the group, she says, “It took adjustment on everyone’s part to be able to work together — a huge effort.”

Now, Lexie believes, “It has been really interesting working with an all women. We learn a lot from each other. It is respectful.”

“It is unusual to have three women in leadership positions,” Lisa says. “Mike (Nelson) gives us a lot of leeway. He’s got a strong wife, strong daughter. He’s very upbeat about where TEN is

going. He’s very encouraging with high hopes for Lexie and Sam.” With a solid force in place, Lisa is looking forward to continuing her culinary creativity in the kitchen while Sam hopes guests think of TEN as their fine-dining destination. “I want them to come here for two to three hours to enjoy the evening.” Lexie wants to bring “some modernity and continuity” to TEN. “I want to bring in a younger crowd for an interesting dining experience they cannot have at home.”

At the Northern Hotel, the gang of Lisa Rembold, Sam Dyba and Lexie Mann are determined to carry on the legacy of the Northern Hotel and the Golden Belle, now in TEN, creating new culinary experiences and delicious memories. ✻

Craft Cocktails • Exceptional Wines • Live Music on Weekends

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EXPECT G R E AT FOOD

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MARCH/APRIL 2020

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A TASTE

TEN

chicken & sausage gumbo Recipe from Lexie Mann, special events and sales manager

serves 6 to 8 1 c. oil (vegetable or olive) 1 c. flour 2 large onions, chopped 2 bell peppers, chopped 4 to 6 ribs celery, chopped 4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced 4 quarts chicken stock 2 bay leaves 2 t. Creole seasoning, or to taste 1 t. dried thyme leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

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1 large chicken cut into pieces (3 to 4 pounds) 2 pounds andouille or smoked sausage, cut into 1/2" pieces 1 bunch scallions (green onions), tops only, chopped 2/3 c. fresh chopped parsley FilĂŠ powder to taste

DIRECTIONS

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning and brown quickly.

Brown the sausage, pour off fat and reserve meats. In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil and cook the flour in the oil over medium to high heat (depending on your roux-making skill), stirring constantly, until the roux reaches a dark reddish-brown color, almost the color of coffee or milk chocolate for a Cajunstyle roux. If you want to save time, or prefer more a New Orleans-style roux, cook it to a medium, peanut-butter color, over lower heat if you're nervous about burning it. Add the onions, peppers, celery and garlic and stir quickly.

This cooks the vegetables and also stops the roux from cooking further.

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes. Add the stock, Creole seasoning, thyme, salt and pepper, chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for about one hour, skimming fat off the top as needed. Add the chopped scallion tops and parsley, and heat for 5 minutes.

Serve over rice in large shallow bowls. Accompany with a good beer and lots of hot, crispy French bread.

rosemary lemon meringue Recipe from Samantha Dyba, TEN front of the restaurant manager

1 sprig muddled rosemary 1.5 ounces vanilla vodka .75 lemon juice .75 ounce lemonade .75 ounce Caravello limoncello Topped with vanilla-lemon egg white Sprig of rosemary and lemon zest for garnish

VANILLA LEMON EGG WHITE TOPPING 5 egg whites 1 T vanilla paste 1 T lemon juice 1/2 c. sugar

DIRECTIONS Add rosemary to the bottom of a shaker and muddle. Fill partway with ice. Add vodka, lemon juice, lemonade and limoncello. Shake and pour into a martini glass. Put topping ingredients into a whipped cream canister with carbon dioxide chargers. Shake and then dispense gas.

Squirt a tiny bit from the can. Repeat with another charger and then another, using a total of three chargers. Squirt topping onto top of drink.

Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and lemon zest.

DISTRIBUTED BY THE PEPSI-COLA BOTTLING CO. | BILLINGS, MT

MARCH/APRIL 2020

75

spring pea pesto pasta with scallops From Executive Chef Lisa Rembold

serves 2 FOR THE PESTO: 1 c. fresh spring peas ½ c. packed fresh basil leaves ½ c. almonds, roughly chopped Juice of 1 lemon ½ c. olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 3 c. penne, cooked, drained, and set aside (I also like Radiatori) FOR THE SCALLOPS: 12 ounces diver scallops Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 2 t. olive oil FOR VEGETABLES: 1 t. olive oil 2 t. fresh minced garlic 1 c. fresh spring peas 8 to 10 asparagus spears, trimmed and chopped into bite size pieces 3 to 4 green onions, both white and green parts, sliced thinly Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade cut, and freshly grated Parmegiano Reggiano 76

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DIRECTIONS Combine the peas, basil, almonds and lemon juice in food processor bowl, pulse to almost a puree. Slowly add olive oil until you have a paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss pesto with warm pasta. Keep warm and set aside.

Dry divers scallops between paper towels, and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil blend in small sauté pan until it shimmers, then add scallops, being careful to not overcrowd them. Sear them on the first side until golden brown, about 4 minutes, then flip them over with a fish spatula. Sear second side as well, until golden brown, then remove to a paper towel while you finish the pasta.

In a separate sauté pan, heat the 1 teaspoon olive oil, add the fresh garlic and cook until soft but not brown. Add peas and asparagus, heat just until soft, about 4 minutes, then add the green onions just to warm. Season with salt and pepper, toss with the pasta and cook to reheat pasta.

Sprinkle with basil and Parmegiano Reggiano. Top with the seared scallops. (Also good with prawns.)

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MARCH/APRIL 2020

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IN EVERY ISSUE

Ramp Up the Intensity WHY A 7-MINUTE WORKOUT MIGHT JUST DO THE TRICK written by SHARA KAY OVERSTREET

Let’s face it, so many of us lead crazy busy lives, which can make getting to the gym downright hard. Many of us think that unless we have an hour to work out, it’s not worth it. But here’s some real talk for you. When it comes to exercise, it’s not how long you exercise, but what you do in that time that counts the most. In some cases, working out for a shorter period of time may actually be more beneficial than cranking out an hour-long workout every single day.

✔ You can exercise at a higher intensity ✔ You decrease the chances of burnout during your workout ✔ Y ou improve your focus (you can’t waste time when you only have a little) ✔ Y ou’ll get a better overall workout because you’ll be using more muscles simultaneously rather than concentrating on only one muscle at a time

SHORT & FOCUSED WORKOUTS

SO , WHY ARE SHORTER EXERCISES SO POPULAR?

Not too long ago, the belief was that longer workouts were optimal for getting in shape and losing weight. A typical workout might add up to 45-60 minutes of cardio followed by another 45-60 minutes of strength training. While there’s nothing wrong with that, that’s a mighty long time to exercise. And frankly, doing that much doesn’t guarantee greater results unless fatigue is your goal.

The answer is simple. If both of these options below burn the same number of calories, which one would you choose?

A: 45 minutes of jogging B: 10 minutes of interval training

Today, scientists are flipping the script and telling those in pursuit of fitness to think purpose and intensity instead of length of time.

Research shows workouts that are 30 minutes or less can be extremely effective, as long as you are doing the right exercises and are pushing yourself to the max.

THE BENEFITS You might wonder how a workout that takes half the time can be effective. Wouldn’t working out longer burn more calories, make you stronger, get you into better shape? Not necessarily. Here are a few benefits you might not expect from cutting your workout time in half:

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Unless you’re a really big fan of jogging, I’m guessing you’d choose the shorter workout. The truth is, shorter bursts of high-intensity exercise can burn more calories than your traditional long, moderately-intense cardio sessions. It’s ideal for losing weight and getting lean, and it offers cardiovascular benefits equal to that of longer, steady-state exercise. Keep in mind, choosing the quick option comes at a cost. The price is intensity, which requires willpower and mental strength.

SETTING UP YOUR ROUTINE Recently, what’s called the 7-minute workout has grabbed headlines.

The workout is composed of 12 exercises done in 30-second blocks with 10 seconds of rest in between. Finish one move, take your 10 seconds of recovery and move right on to the next exercise. The idea is to press through each move as hard as you can. On a discomfort scale of 1 to 10, your intensity should be at least an 8.

The goal is to choose moves that will give you the most bang for your buck while hitting the major muscle groups. Here’s what I would suggest: ❏ Thruster

❏ Push up

❏ Side Plank

❏ Deadlift

❏ Step up onto a Stair

❏ Wall Sit

❏ Plank

❏ Triceps Dip

❏ Jumping Jacks

❏ Squat

❏ High Knees

❏ Around the World Lunges

A few minutes of

high-intensity training intermingled

with brief periods of recovery where you approach your maximum heart rate produces molecular changes comparable to those of several hours of running or bike riding.

TAKE AWAY When you only have a short amount of time, make it count. Research shows that working out in short, sharp bursts has the same, if not greater, benefits than working out over a long period of time. The result is an effective way to get in a workout that helps you burn fat and build strength in a matter of minutes, not hours. ✻

SHARA KAY OVERSTREET, writer Shara Kay Overstreet managing partner Granite Health and Fitness. Her passion is to help people change their lives in the simplest and most realistic way possible. She has been involved with the fitness industry since 1992. She believes everyone deserves the right to good health and to be happy with themselves inside and out. She lives by the motto Embrace the Now...

— McMaster University Research

The 7-minute workout alternates

exercising large muscles in the upper body with moves focusing on large muscles in the lower body, allowing muscle groups to rest in between exercises.

MARCH/APRIL 2020

79

HOOPIN’ IT UP

T HE H EA RT GA LLERY

written by JULIE KOERBER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

10-YEAR-OLD EVAN IS A GOOD-NATURED KID HOPING FOR A FOREVER FAMILY

Before our camera started to click, capturing a portrait of 10-year-old Evan, he was in his room, laying out clothes carefully, wondering what might be the best look. His foster mom, Isabella Del Carpio, stood by reassuring him.

“It’s extremely difficult to find a family who will take two kids, 10 and 12,” Ketchum says. “However, that would be the perfect circumstance. He deserves to be a part of a loving and supportive family, one with patience and understanding.”

“He knew I wanted a few good photos of him,” she says with a warm smile. Evan also wanted to pick out just the right clothes that matched his new red and black Nike Airmax basketball shoes. “I love shoes,” he confides, flashing a huge smile. He also loves basketball, saying, “I like making the shots.”

His foster mom says Evan has a ton to offer a family. “Evan has a great sense of humor,” she says. “He’s a good communicator. He likes to be a part of what’s going on. He’ll even help with dinner if you ask him to. He is probably going to be a good cook one day!”

Last fall, Evan moved in with the Del Carpios. It was supposed to be a short stay while social workers got a space for him at one of the area’s group homes. Seeing just how easygoing this kid was, Isabella told social workers Evan could stay for as long as he needed.

“Evan really likes to be a part of a family,” Isabella says. “He helps with chores. He is always respectful and he’s a great communicator. He is just so easygoing. He’s been a blessing to have in our home.”

As Evan sits down to chat, he shares a little bit about his fifthgrade days. “I am starting to like school, yeah,” he says with a grin. “I like history. I like learning about wars and how people survived.” And, like most 10-year-old boys, “I like video games like every other kid. Actually, there is a girl in my class who doesn’t like video games. It breaks my heart.”

Evan’s social worker, Lori Ketchum, underscores that Evan is a kind-hearted kid who has moved around a lot in the last three years. The Del Carpio home was his eighth placement. Ketchum says it had nothing to do with Evan and everything to do with the fact he wanted to be placed with his 12-year-old sister.

If you ask Evan to share a little bit about his personality, he doesn’t skip a beat. “I have the qualities of a gentleman,” he says with a smile. His foster mom jumps in to add, “Evan is not a complainer. That is probably one of my favorite things about him. He is always positive. Evan always has a good attitude.”

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As Evan poses for the camera nearby, Isabella stops and says, “I hope I get a couple smiles out of him. He has a great smile.”

Evan, of course, was busy trying out his serious athlete pose with basketball in hand.

YVW MAGAZINE

As Evan looks to a forever family, he knows he wants to stay in touch with his grandparents, and if he’s unable to live with his older sister, he would love to be able to see her. His social worker says that’s an absolute must.

While the Del Carpios love Evan and want the best for him, they know his forever family is out there somewhere, just waiting to meet him.

Isabella says, “Anyone who wants to have a kid who wants to be there? He is going to be a great addition to that family.” ✻

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EVAN OR THE FOSTER-ADOPTION SYSTEM...

Call Lori Ketchum at (406) 657-3120 While Evan is in need of an adoptive home, many times the primary goal for children in the system is to have a temporary placement while social workers strive to reunify them with their biological family. Each family wanting to become a licensed foster-adoptive home must undergo 18 hours of mandatory training to learn what it takes to become a successful foster family.

CAN’T FOSTER? YOU CAN STILL HELP! If you can’t foster a child, there are other ways you can help. Donate one of these things and brighten a child’s day! Call 406-657-3120 to find out more.

• Gift cards for birthday or holiday gifts • Gift cards for haircuts • Gift cards for activities like bowling, roller skating, or movies • Thinking of you cards to lift a child’s spirit

Get the beautiful smile you’ve always wanted. before

after

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YELLOWSTONE VALLEY

CALENDAR y EVENTS

MARCH/APRIL

2020

written by CALLIE KECK // BILLINGS365.COM

march 14

Head to downtown Billings for the traditional St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Celtic Fair, Saturday, March 14..

A 38-year tradition in Billings, this parade features more than 60 floats plus a Celtic fair and street party in the streets below Skypoint. Look for street food, the sound of Irish dance music, cloggers and, of course, bagpipers. For more, visit:

downtownbillings.com

14

Billings Symphony and Orchestra presents “West Side Story in Concert” March 14 at the Lincoln Center. Witness the forbidden love, feuding families and rival gangs in this modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.” For more, visit: billingssymphony.org

15

Lace up your tennies and join the Yellowstone Rim Runners for their annual Shamrock Run on Sunday, March 15, 2020, at 1 p.m. at Pioneer Park. Run or walk the 5K, 10K or Kids Fun Run. For more, visit: runsignup.com/Race/MT/Billings/

TheShamrockRun

16

PAW Patrol Live! It’s Pirate Day in Adventure Bay and Ryder will need all paws on deck as he and the PAW Patrol discover a secret treasure map while on a mission to rescue Cap’n Turbot from a mysterious cavern. Enjoy this show at MetraPark, Tuesday March 10. For more visit: metrapark.com

20

One of the largest RV and boat shows in Montana, Montana RV Boat & Powersports Show, comes to MetraPark, March 20-22. Enjoy top inventory and activities throughout the weekend. For more, visit: metrapark.com

27

Enjoy a terrific evening and help women in need with YWCA’s Salute 2020. This year’s event takes place on Friday, March 27, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Local women are honored each year for their service to our community. Show your support by attending this year’s dinner and banquet. For more, visit: ywcabillings.org

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APRIL 2

“Finding Neverland” hits First Interstate Arena at MetraPark, Thursday, April 2. Originally directed by visionary Tony-winner Diane Paulus and based on the critically acclaimed Academy Award-winning film, “Finding Neverland” tells the incredible story behind one of the world's most beloved characters, Peter Pan. For more visit: metrapark.com

3

Get ready for Rescued and Reclaimed! Antique and Salvage Market at MetraPark, April 3 and 4. Shop from dealers from all over Montana and Wyoming presenting for sale their finest repurposed, shabby chic, vintage and antique items. For more, visit: metrapark.com

17

PBR comes back to Billings at the First Interstate Arena, April 17-19. The PBR has rapidly transformed one of the fastestgrowing sports in America into a worldwide phenomenon. In just two decades, the dream of 20 bull riders has grown into a global sports sensation that has awarded more than $140 million in prize money. For more, visit: metrapark.com

24

ZooMontana’s A Wild Affair 2020 takes place Friday, April 24, at ZooMontana. This elegant and enjoyable event, which is ZooMontana’s largest fundraiser, includes a strolling cocktail hour through the Zoo, dinner, silent and live auctions, and memorable animal encounters. For more, visit: zoomontana. org

25

Alberta Bair Theater presents “Joe Alterman Trio” Saturday, April 25, at Petro Theatre on the campus of MSU Billings.

Alterman has performed at world-renowned venues including the Kennedy Center, Birdland and New York's Blue Note. Dick Cavett referred to Alterman as "one fine, first-class entertainer" and Ramsey Lewis called his piano playing "a joy to behold."

For more visit: albertabairtheater.org

26

See Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe Awardwinning Goddess of Pop, Cher, live at First Interstate Arena for the “Cher: Here We Go Again Tour,” Thursday, April 26. For more, visit: metrapark.com

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Loan approval is subject to credit approval and program guidelines. Not all loan programs are available in all states for all loan amounts. Interest rates and program terms are subject to change without notice. Visit usbank.com to learn more about U.S. Bank products and services. Mortgage and Home Equity Products are offered through U.S. Bank National Association. Deposit Products are offered through U.S. Bank National Association. Member FDIC. ©2019 U.S. Bank 61701c 12/19 MARCH/APRIL 2020

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design2 A CALL TO

REBECCA LANGMAN’S BUSINESS IS A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH TO STYLE written by TRISH ERBE SCOZZARI photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

When it comes to interior design, Rebecca Langman says, “If you love it, it will work.” With an innovative sense of design, she followed her childhood dreams to design school and created a name for herself in the business world. After designing the gift shop at Cobb Field and putting her touch on designing custom home floor plans, she put herself on a path to open her own design studio a couple of years ago, knowing her company, Revision Custom Home Design, would fit a need in the area. It’s one that weaves an a la carte menu of services into all aspects of home design.

“The industry has lots to offer. You can have a designer with so much available to you at different price points but it’s learning the basics,” she says, adding how she enjoys taking the basics to help a homeowner pull a look together. “I provide the professional polish and experience.”

She loves helping others to marry design with function.

Within Revision Custom Home Design, Rebecca not only designs the functionality of a space, but also stages homes for sale and creates custom home plans that homeowners can use to construct on their own or hire the job to be done. In this high-tech world, she developed a system to e-design, allowing her to work with clients anywhere in the country. The system also helps those who may be too busy for sit-down consultations.

As she pores over design concepts, she traces her zeal for the craft back to middle school in Minnesota where, she explains, “I took some drafting classes.”

Later in life, when she and her sister, who wanted to be an architect, designed an entire home, her creative light was switched on. “We created everything,” she says. “That’s when I realized design was my calling.”

The call to design fits with the family narrative. Her mom is artistic and her dad’s an engineer. Rebecca inherited a little bit of both. “My parents make camping gear,” says Rebecca. “Cooke Custom Sewing is a 39-year-old company they started in Minnesota with their own designs and sewing.”

In her younger years, Rebecca dabbled in some design and art classes in high school before leaving for the Harrington Institute of Interior Design in Chicago, where she received her bachelor’s degree. Along the way, there happened to be one jaunt to Montana.

“Before finishing my last year in Chicago, I spent my third year at MSU

You don’t have to be a client to learn to love Rebecca’s style. She recently created an e-book with more than a dozen inspirational boards dedicated to ways to you can pull off a particular style in your own home. There’s the bohemian look, the maximalist design (think opposite of minimalist) and even “granny chic,” which comes together by layering art and houseplants with a little bit of leopard print thrown in. “Who doesn’t need some leopard and hanging houseplants?” she asks. Each look shares the key features, materials and even suggested furniture pieces.

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aTb “A staged home sells for 3 to 7 percent more and it takes less time to sell. It’s an investment that pays.”

— REBECCA LANGMAN

aTb Bozeman. My sister went to Bozeman, so I did, too. I went from a place of 6 million people to 40,000 people. I liked the area.” Rebecca also found she liked a certain young man from Billings by the name of Matt Langman.

“I met my husband in Bozeman that year,” Rebecca says, smiling at the memory. “We lived on the same floor in the dorm. We connected!”

Almost two decades later, they share the joy of having two boys, ages 11 and 3, two cats and a dog named Edna. The family lives in a quaint 1950s home close to downtown. “It’s a full house,” she says with a laugh.

Inquiring about her family’s space, Rebecca says she’s been bringing

the brushed gold and brass back in. “It complements the navy color in our living and dining area. Oh, there’s a layer of toddler toys on top,” she adds.

Rebecca is a testament to one of her beliefs, that “people love their things.” That’s one reason she teaches a local and very popular styleboard workshop on the second Tuesday of the month through most of the year except for summers.

Using magazine photos, class attendees choose an image they really like. “This gives you a reference to create a plan for yourself,” she says.

“It helps organize your thoughts and you learn to mix and match to create a pieced-together look.”

This informal class helps with color theory, furniture arrangement, hanging artwork and even craft projects like making seasonal farmhouse-style wreaths. Noting that the younger generation gravitates to a modern glam style, she mentions that the charming yet savvy farmhouse look continues to be popular.

“In Montana, I see a lot of actual farmhouse pieces handed down from grandparents,” Rebecca says. “This creates a mix of old and new, so farmhouse rustic is more prevalent here.”

Rebecca also offers to homeowners what she

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dubs her “signature service,” aptly called Wine & Dine. “It’s a two-hour consult in the home, a relaxed environment where I bring the wine and cookies. I tour the home and see what’s been gathered over the years, what collections they may have and what their color palette is.

This gives people a chance to meet a designer.”

From kitchen remodels and home additions to staging homes for resale, Rebecca’s work pops up all over town. Area Realtors are taking notice, too, inviting her to speak regarding the rewards of home staging.

“It’s a lot easier to sell a property if it’s staged,” Rebecca says. “It’s not that hard to help people see the need to declutter and depersonalize their space. “A staged home sells for 3 to 7 percent more and it takes less time to sell. It’s an investment that pays.”

Every day’s a design day for Rebecca, whether she’s coming up with the next custom home plan or getting her clients to feel “knowledgeable and confident to tackle their next home decorating project.” And, as she passes along her flair and passion for design, one message never changes. She always helps to answer the call by saying, “if you love it, it will work!” ✻

FOR MORE ON REVISION CUSTOM HOME DESIGN, check out Rebecca’s Facebook page or go to www.rchomedesign. com where you can download her free e-book.

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Bank Local

REDEFINING CHECKING

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when you open a new Free Checking with eStatement consumer checking account by April 30, 2020.1

Open online at RMBank.com/250

1 $250 bonus offer is not available to existing Rocky Mountain Bank consumer checking customers or those who have been paid a new account opening bonus since January 1, 2018. The Consumer checking account product type eligible for this promotion is 117-Free Checking with eStatement. Bonuses only apply when opening a new consumer checking account at Rocky Mountain Bank or RMBank.com during the promotional bonus period. The promotional bonus period is 3/3/2020-4/30/2020. If the account is closed by the customer or bank within 90 business days after opening, we may deduct bonuses earned and received at closing and a $25 account closing fee may be assessed. Closing the account will negate any unearned bonuses. All bonus dollars will be paid to the newly opened checking account. If multiple checking accounts are opened during the promotional bonus period under the same primary owner name, the bonuses will be paid to the account that was opened first. Limit one bonus per new consumer account relationship. To receive $100 bonus, two (2) minimum direct deposit of $500 or more each must be posted to your new checking account within 60 calendar days of account opening. Direct Deposit examples include payroll, pension, Social Security or other government benefits. A $150 bonus will be paid if the account has at least $4,500 balance 60 calendar days after account opening. If 60th calendar day falls on a weekend or holiday, balance on the following business day will be used to qualify for the promotion. Bonuses will be paid within 90 business days after the promotional period has ended. An IRS 1099 form may be issued. Health Savings Accounts and Fiduciary accounts are not eligible for the promotion. Geographic restrictions may apply. Account opening is subject to approval. Minimum $25 to open. EStatement enrollment required to avoid $3.00 paper statement fee. Free Checking with eStatement is a Consumer Checking account.

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LOOK WH AT W E FOU ND

written by RACHEL JENNINGS photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

c ACCENT YOUR COUCH WITH THIS TRENDY KNIT POUF d

Looking for a fluffy and fun way to add a little pizazz to your couch? Try a yarn pouf.

What’s a yarn pouf, you ask? It’s a soft decorative and round pillow, typically made using bulky yarn. These on-trend pillows are typically crafted from 100 percent Merino wool, which can drive the cost of the pouf way up. I found this exact style and size pouf being sold on Etsy using Merino wool for $63 per pillow. Thanks to acrylic yarn and a coupon from our local craft store, we found a way to bring this trend to life in an affordable way. Our project cost roughly $11. The best thing about these poufs is the fact that you only need a handful of items to make this project.

arnBee Showstopper Fiberfill stuffing, • Yacrylic • $4 wool blend yarn, for a large bag

IN EVERY ISSUE 90

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

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$6.99 with a coupon from Hobby Lobby

• Scissors • Your fingers!

THE CREATIVE STEPS

1.

First, make a simple slip knot leaving a 15-inch tail.

2. Chain 10 times by pulling a loop through the previous loop with your working yarn.

3. When you’ve completed your chain, place your slip knot over the tail

4. Start the second row by pulling a loop through the first loop on your

of the chain to close the loop.

initial chain with your working yarn. If you know how to knit or crochet, this should be super easy for you. Continue doing this all the way around the circle, finishing with 10 new loops. Keep going around the pouf, always working with 10 loops. It's important to keep the tension of the loops consistent.

5. Now that you have that first row done, it should be easy to see how

6. Keep making loops until about row 6. On this row, fold the pouf in

you will continue looping your working yarn until you have enough rows to complete your pillow. This pillow will be small in size, the perfect accent. But if you want a larger pouf, start with 20 loops on your chain.

half lengthwise so that you can keep looping the yarn and spinning your pillow as you go. This step is really important since it keeps the stitches uniform.

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THE CREATIVE STEPS CONT...

7. Once you have about 12 to 14 rows (or about 15 to 20 inches of yarn left), it’s time to stuff your pillow. While we purchased fiberfill, you can repurpose the stuffing from an old pillow as well. How much fiberfill you use will depend on the shape of your pouf. Mine is a little less packed because I wanted my pouf to sit on my couch more like a round pillow instead of a ball.

8. To tie off, weave the tail inward through the loops on the top and pull to tighten. Tie the end in a knot and stuff the end of the yarn through the top and into the center of the pillow. Now flip to the bottom where you left the tail. Weave the tail inward toward the center through your very first loops all the way around the circle. Pull to tighten, tie off and stuff remaining tail inside the pouf. Fluff the pillow to shape it however you like. Ta-da! Boutique-quality pouf.

I’ll admit, this may take you a few tries to get the hang of it. You might find your tension isn’t quite right or you might skip a loop by accident or drop one as well. Don’t worry! This yarn is very forgiving and easy to work with. In the end, with a little practice along the way, you’ll have a fun and unique DIY that will look exactly like its spendy Merino sister. ✻

RACHEL JENNINGS, writer Rachel is a self described "Junker," who not only loves all things old, but LOVES the challenge of trying to make something new out of each find. While she is a Hair Stylist by day, in her off time you can often find her covered in paint, trying to repurpose something she's found.

NEED A VISUAL LESSON? Visit www.yellowstonevalleywoman.com/pillow-talk/ for a video tutorial.

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Annafeld DESIGNING IN

written by TRISH ERBE SCOZZARI photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

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Carolee McCall Smith knows what goes into building a home from the ground up. She’s a vital link in one of Billings’ home builder families.

Drafting a floor plan certainly isn’t anything out of her wheelhouse. She’s designed hundreds of interiors for the homes in Josephine Crossing and in its sister neighborhood, Annafeld.

“I do all interior design — working on and designing the floor plans,” says Carolee, co-owner of McCall Homes. “I designed this one,” referring to the home she and her family moved into just days before last Thanksgiving.

The stately modern farmhouse-style home sits at the end of Anna’s Garden Lane in Annafeld.

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The property lies near the Yellowstone River with vistas of the Beartooth Mountains. Breathing in this panoramic scene off the front porch or from the second-floor balcony, it’s truly a country feel.

Carolee and her husband, Chris, creative director for Faith Chapel, chose a lot in Annafeld to build their forever home after growing out of their previous house in Josephine Crossing. The couple was expecting their third child, making the decision to upsize a snap.

Carolee created the first of two floor plans for their new home, mindful of everything they deemed important.

"...everything was based on making sure the house accommodated the kids and that it was as durable as possible. We wanted it to be a house they grow up in.”

— CAROLEE MCCALL

“As a family with three small children,” Carolee says, “everything was based on making sure the house accommodated the kids and that it was as durable as possible. We wanted it to be a house they grow up in.”

The 4,000-square-foot two-story home features six bedrooms and four bathrooms. Everyone lays claim to individual space. Six-year-old Tristan enjoys his bedroom with a window bed covered with stuffed

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animals. Glow-in-the dark stars and fluffy clouds hang from the blue-hued ceiling. An art easel displays the work of this upcoming “artist and astronomer” while a secret “hiding spot” allows him privacy away from his little brother.

One-year-old Skylar’s bedroom, with a bright orange and white tepee in one corner, is just across the hall. The boys share a bathroom. A trough sink sporting two separate faucets with two built-in medicine cabinets overhead gives them plenty of elbow room. Two step-stools slide beneath. Free-standing cabinets grace each side.

Three-year-old Aurora has her own bathroom. “She’ll need it as she grows older,” her mom says. Her bedroom communicates “all girl” with pink comforter and princess netting over the bed. However, Carolee says, pulling a costume from the closet, “My girl is a Superhero. She’s going to come home today and put on her Superhero cape.”

The kids love their bedrooms, but the family gathering spot takes center stage.

The family room features a lighted, open beam shiplap ceiling. This space is intentionally positioned between the kids’ bedrooms and mom and dad’s retreat.

They play games, read or “cuddle” while watching movies. “Upstairs is all about comfort,” Carolee says.

The family area is bright and happy. Natural light flows in through five large black-framed Andersen windows from Win-Dor Industries. They line up with four windows and a patio door directly below on the main floor.

“I love big windows and the symmetry of these windows,” Carolee says.

“Architecturally, the outside of the house needs them.” The plethora of blackframed windows gives this white farmhouse an exceptional “pop” outside and in.

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Carolee says the windows were the catalyst for this lovely home — specifically, two big windows framing a glass door leading onto the second-floor balcony.

“The main idea for this home was having the view,” Carolee notes.

“We can see the geese.” She and Chris benefit as well, with a birds’ eye view over the neighborhood park where their three little ones will play this spring.

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The couple originally planned to build on a different lot. The influence of the windows led Carolee to redesign her initial floor plan compensating for windows and the new location. “Chris saw a model home that I was decorating,” Carolee explains. “It had the two big windows like this. He said, ‘I want this view,’ so I redesigned and we got this lot.”

Even the elegant en suite with white sliding barn doors offers a bountiful view of the outdoors. The spa-like bath sparkles with white quartz countertops; built-in medicine cabinets; floating vanity and soaker tub. Shiplap embellishes the space.

The shiplap Carolee creatively employs throughout the home creates an upscale farmhouse ambience. “You first get the texture of shiplap coming into the house from the vestibule,” Carolee says.

From this quaint antechamber, the main floor opens to the kitchen on the left. The comfy living room sits to the right where dreams are made.

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“My dream,” adds Carolee, “is the see-through fireplace. My husband plays the piano and I sit by the fireplace and read a book. We hide here

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RAISING THE ROOF

Western Security Bank congratulates Carolee (McCall) and Chris Smith on their new home located in Annafield, McCall Homes' most recent neighborhood development.

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windows

after the kids are in bed!” The painted white brick custom hearth offers a subtle divide in the space.

Neutral gray sofas play well with dark bluegray “Peppercorn” paint. Gray, this designer’s favorite color, lends warmth to the home’s color palette. Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) flooring covers the first floor and gray carpeting on the

The Andersen Logo

second floor supplies another layer of texture.

nfigurations. The primary logo should be used in most instances. But we recognize that o that require more readability at smaller sizes. For this we have the secondary logo.

Carolee points out the gloss quartz countertops

In the open concept kitchen/dining area, and the smooth texture of large pendant lights.

All of the quartz countertops in the home come

ary Logo

Secondary Logo

e logo should appear in the w, with the words “Windows • bove the Andersen name.

from Fabricators Unlimited and all of the lighting from One Source Lighting, including

a rope-wrapped geometric-shaped chandelier This logo configuration with the words “Windows • Doors” hanging above the dining table. positioned below the Andersen name, can be used to maintain legibility in situations where the small size The makes 10-foot island demands its own recognition. using the primary logo difficult to read. “The inspiration in the kitchen is that everyone gathers in the kitchen, right?” Carolee says.

“A counter doesn’t foster conversation when people sit in a row so we made half the island

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The workspace in this functional kitchen boasts stainless steel JennAir appliances from Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery.

“They’re Wi-Fi,” Carolee says. “I can preheat the oven with my phone, pick up the kids and grab a frozen pizza.”

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Open shelving on either side of the gas stove introduces a pragmatic approach to dish storage. Carolee admits that at first she was nervous about open shelves. “Now, I love it! It’s easy. When unloading the dishwasher, I pick it up and set it down.” Brass adjustable arm sconces over each alder shelf cast a warm glow.

"The Walter family farmed this land for over 100 years... the name ‘Anna’ was given to many of the Walter family daughters and ‘feld’ is German for field. Hence, Annafeld translates to Anna’s field.”

— CAROLEE MCCALL

Floor-to-ceiling white draperies in the dining area enhance the beauty of this energy-efficient ComfortBuilt home by McCall Homes.

As with all other homes in Annafeld, it has an exterior one-inch continuous foam layer that “wraps” the house like an insulating blanket. This extra layer prevents heat loss in the winter and keeps the house cooler in the summer.

Another unique virtue about Annafeld is that the name honors one of this area’s oldest farming families. “The Walter family farmed this land for over 100 years,” Carolee says. “They were Volga Germans from Russia. The name ‘Anna’ was given to many of the Walter family daughters and ‘feld’ is German for field. Hence, Annafeld translates to Anna’s field.”

For more information on Annafeld or on ComfortBuilt Homes, please go to: www.mccallhomes.com ✻

YOUR

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and Tom are experts in all aspects of the local real estate market, including market analysis of your home, preparation for sale, and advertising across multiple media. Consideration of your personal needs/wishes is first and foremost, and their level of customer service is superb. In addition to sales, they can find you the home of your dreams. Robin and Tom work with the most talented professionals in Billings to present your home at its very best.

Team Hanel ROCKS!

— Vickie & Scott

TOM HANEL ROBIN HANEL 406-860-6181 406-690-4448 Robin@RobinHanel.com Tom@TomHanel.com www.berkshirehathawayhs.com 106

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