Yellowstone Valley Woman Magazine

MARCH

APRIL

APRIL

APRIL

MAY

MAY

Your Family Can Trust

Dr. Tanya Riddle

Kynzie Oliver, PA-C

Laine Elam, PA-C

Jeani Link-Purcell, Licensed Esthetician

Melanie Lehman, PA-C

Cassidy Kinna, Licensed Esthetician

Kim Harris, Licensed Esthetician

Letter FROM THE Editor

YELLOWSTONE Valley Woman Magazine prides itself on shining the spotlight on the women who are championing change and making a difference. We shine the light on those we know and also those unsung heroes who need to be given an “atta girl” for the work they do.

This issue is full of those unsung heroes. And, they’re sparking change in regard to an age-old problem that, even today, few people are comfortable talking about: domestic violence.

A few months back, a good friend of mine suggested we talk to Billings Police Officer Katie Nash, who has been and remains a catalyst for systemic change in how the city handles this kind of violence. For 10 years she’s been fighting domestic violence, and doing it right alongside victims. She has been changing lives, and doing so rather quietly.

Her work has gotten challenging over the past few years. The pandemic brought isolation and anxiety. Both created the perfect storm for a rise in domestic violence cases in our community. In the last six years, cases have increased by 39 percent. Nearly one out of four women will experience some form of domestic violence in their lives. One in four. What’s worse is that only 25 percent of them will report it.

love to ask their clients but no one in the shelter at that time had interacted with the police. Not one woman had filed a police report. At that moment, Katie knew there was something seriously wrong.

We know domestic violence isn’t a feel-good topic. No one really wants to talk about it in social circles. But, thanks to the tireless work of a few, Billings is paving the way for great change. It’s change we should be talking about.

We hope you read this series of stories and look at the statistics. Read about the Family Justice Center planned for our city. This building will hopefully be a refuge for women affected by domestic violence who are unsure where to turn. Other cities that have adopted these centers saw a reduction in domestic violence, and victims were more apt to participate in the criminal justice system.

Katie Nash was one of the key players in getting this center to our town. We thought her work was worth an “atta girl.”

She is often heard saying, “If you can’t be safe in your own home, then we can’t call this a safe community.”

We agree Katie, and we applaud your efforts — the challenging, gritty, often heart-breaking efforts — to help make our community safer. ✻

Katie shared with me that as she was delving into the issue and trying to improve the way officers dealt with victims, she went to the YWCA’s shelter and asked if she could talk to some of the women there who interacted with police. She wanted to ask, “How did we do?” Erin Lambert, the CEO of the YWCA, told Katie that she would

MARCH/APRIL 2024

on the cover

48 standing the gap

Billings Police Officer spends career fighting for victims of domestic violence creature comforts

14 a place to run when you need to slow down

A look at Oniya Ranch

20 putting pencil to paper

Wildlife artist elevates simple medium to carve out her niche in the art world

24 home on the range with alpacas

Angi Lyngby-Cox loves the calm and curiosity of this social herd

30 paws for thought

The healing pair of a therapist and her dog

36 meet the queen bee of honey

Jodie Drange is abuzz about agriculture

enterprising woman

42 'there's a bag for that' Roscoe entrepreneur hand crafts one-of-a-kind bags for one-of-a-kind clientele

YVW Spotlight on Domestic Violence

54 northern lights family justice center

Offering domestic abuse survivors an array of services under one roof

60 it was all about manipulation and control

Billings woman picks up the pieces after losing her home

64 the dark truth

The hold of domestic violence on our community

66 family violence task force

Providing decades of aid and awareness home and garden

86 montana charisma

The Ban Family equals home building at its finest

102 the ocd girls Organization is a passion for these two

108 restored and

in every issue

68 karen grosz: Fling Help Around Like Glitter

48

70 down to business with brit: Solving Workplace Woes

72 fashion: Spring Layering

78 heart gallery: Meet Athletic Angelo

24

80 taste of the valley: Let's Celebrate with Brunch

100 look what we found: Say Hello to Spring

PUBLISHER & EDITOR

JULIE KOERBER julie@yellowstonevalleywoman.com

COPY EDITOR

ED KEMMICK

SOCIAL MEDIA

LAURA BAILEY

ADVERTISING

TERRY PERKINS: 406-860-3951 terry@yellowstonevalleywoman.com

TRISH SCOZZARI: 406-690-9528 trish@yellowstonevalleywoman.com

MICHELE KONZEN: 406-690-4539 michele@yellowstonevalleywoman.com

GAYLE SMITH: 406-855-8210 gayle@yellowstonevalleywoman.com

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

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

meet the STAFF

we our community partners

Michele Konzen Sales Executive

gayle smith Sales Executive / Writer

melanie Fabrizius Design

daniel sullivan Photography

Terry Perkins Sales Executive

trish scozzari Sales Executive / Writer

casey Page Photography

Nicole Burtell Distribution

LAURA BAILeY Social Media / Writer

ed kemmick Copy Editor / Writer

CREATURE CREATURE COMFORTS COMFORTS

CREATURE COMFORTS

WOMEN WHOSE WORK MIXES WITH A BIT OF THE WILD

IN A WORLD where the hustle and bustle of daily life often drown out the whispers of nature, we found some remarkable women whose work has an animal attraction. There’s the woman who spends time in nature only to turn the animals she encounters into charcoal sketches with an intense lifelike quality. The therapist whose faithful companions are not just pets, but beacons of hope and healing for others. The woman who carved out a sanctuary on her Roberts ranch using horses to help others find their creative spark again. There’s the woman whose world revolves around a different kind of herd —that of gentle alpacas and their much sought after fleece. And, we'll meet a lady who could be dubbed 'The Queen Bee of Honey.' Not only is she abuzz about bees, but she loves talking about everything agriculture. Meet these women whose lives revolve around a bit of the wild.

A PLACE TO RUN WHEN YOU NEED TO

SLOW SLOW DOWN DOWN

A LOOK AT ONIYA RANCH

written by LAURA BAILEY photography by LAURA BAILEY & KRISTI OVERGAARD

FOUR YEARS AGO, Kristi Overgaard left her fast-paced career for 580 acres and a dream. She traded her corner office and crowded airports for solitude and fresh air, and the Las Vegas lights that once lit her window at night have been replaced by a Montana sky, scattered with stars.

Kristi is the founder of Oniya Ranch, a private retreat near Roberts, where she shares the peace she’s found on the prairie with those who need perspective or are seeking balance.

“I needed Oniya,” Kristi says. “That’s why I created it.”

The ranch, located in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, offers accommodations for up to nine individuals or more with double occupancy. Executives and creative professionals who are looking for a reset and renewed inspiration are encouraged to set their work aside and come without an agenda.

“I understand that ‘overwhelm’ that leaders and creative types feel,” Kristi says. “I know how it feels and I have some tools.”

At Oniya, the days are open-ended. Guests can start their morning with a guided stretch session in a sunlit studio or try breathwork exercises led by Kristi. They are encouraged to spend the rest of the day gazing at the sky, walking through the fields, pausing in the aspen grove and listening to the birds. She calls it nature immersion, and Kristi asks her guests to be guided by what their bodies are telling them. Is it to rest, move, stretch or breathe?

“Remember that humans are a part of nature,” Kristi says. “We have to get back to that natural ecosystem.”

Everyone eats together outside at a community table, and Kristi’s sister, Karla Aus, prepares the meals with all-natural

and organic ingredients in the lodge kitchen. Everything she prepares is sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free, and alcohol is not permitted at Oniya. Despite those perceived restrictions, guests always comment how good they feel after a week with no sugar, dairy, gluten or alcohol, Kristi says.

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS PLAY, AND FUN, AND JOY, AND THAT’S WHAT WE AIM FOR HERE.

— Kristi Overgaard

Guests can opt-in for coaching sessions with Kristi or participate in her equine-assisted learning program. But none of those offerings are required.

“What the world needs now is play, and fun, and joy, and that’s what we aim for here.” Kristi says.

Five weeks of each summer season are set aside for Oniya Walks, a Montana version of the Walk to Camino. Two years ago, Kristi did a Walk to Camino in Italy and came home thinking, why not do that here at Oniya?

She established five unique meditation trails covering more than 11 meandering miles throughout the ranch. On the trails, guests will encounter breathtaking views, birds, wildlife and a oneness with nature.

“When you come here and you go out walking on the land, you’re on your own, literally immersed in the land,” Kristi says.

Montana always played a leading role in Kristi’s life, no matter where life took her. She spent her early childhood in Plentywood, later moving to Billings and then to Las Vegas. She says she’s grateful for the learning experiences that both worlds offered.

Kristi’s work has always been in the creative space, and she excelled in brand marketing. She ran her own design and advertising firm, one11, based in Las Vegas, before going to work as the “chief officer of awesomeness” at Switch, a global big tech and infrastructure company. Throughout her career, Kristi was known for her no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach. It became known as her “Montana style.”

“Whatever I was up to, I put everything into it,” Kristi says. “While I loved what I was doing, it was really a lot.”

Whenever she could, she would retreat to Montana for a break from her fast-paced professional obligations. Horses were a common thread throughout her life and Kristi always kept horses, despite her busy schedule.

“I always thought, this is not a real life, and I always had a dream of coming back to Montana and having a ranch with horses,” she says.

Although she loved her work, the intense pace of her career eventually began to erode her wellbeing. On the verge of burnout, Kristi asked to take a sabbatical, knowing there was a good chance she wouldn’t return to her career.

“I knew it was time. This lifestyle was just not sustainable,” she says.

She spent the year traveling. The year was a turning point and, although she didn’t know it, it also became the foundation for Oniya. In Bali, she received training in breathwork, and in New Zealand she was given a book called “The Spirit of the Horse.” It focused on the healing power of horses, and led her to Canada where she became trained in equine-assisted learning.

“During that year of retreat, I was reintroduced to the horse,” Kristi says.

Of course, her time also included stays in her beloved Montana.

When Kristi returned to work, she says, “I don’t know what I’m going to do but I can’t be doing this anymore. I’m going home.”

Oniya, which is Lakota for “breathe,” was already on her mind. Kristi began her search for a ranch and horses for an equine-assisted learning program. She wanted a herd of horses for her project but didn’t know where to start. Out of the blue, she received word that a herd of horses from the renowned Cavalia Odysseo were available.

Cavalia Odysseo is a live, large-scale production that includes up to 70 equine performers and 50 human performers in a Cirque du Soleil-style show. Seven purebred Arabians were retiring from the production and available — but not to just anyone. Kristi gave her pitch in hopes of convincing the producers that the horses would be well cared for in their retirement in Montana. Three

weeks later she got the call. The herd was hers.

“I had to go get a ranch — fast!” Kristi says.

She’d already been looking and had seen the real estate listing for the Roberts property several times, but never gave it a second glance. It came up on her radar again, and this time Kristi asked for a showing. She walked the property and knew instantly that it was the ranch she’s always wanted. Kristi made an offer that day and 30 days later it was hers. The Cavalia horses showed up the day after closing.

Kristi brought her own horses to the ranch as well and began the process of transforming the ranch into a retreat center. The ranch is run entirely by women and is home to 15 horses, two donkeys, a bottle-fed calf, some chickens and one extra-large livestock guardian dog named Tate.

Horses are at the center of the whole operation and equine-assisted learning is Kristi’s specialty — although she will tell you that she doesn’t have much to do with it at all.

All the horse and human encounters happen on the ground, and at its most basic level, equine-assisted learning works like this: Horses have a naturally calming effect on humans, and that sense of calm opens the door to a deeper level of learning.

“When we ask questions, the answers usually drop right into us because were quiet enough and open enough to hear them,” Kristi says.

In the arena, surrounded by the herd of slate-gray Arabians, exhausted executives learn to lead from their heart, and with a horse one-on-one, tapped-out creatives find inspiration.

“Horses to me are with the most wild, magical and mystical domesticated animals. Just to be with them is pure magic,” Kristi says.

Oniya Ranch’s brand is a heart. The single-iron relic dates back to the 1800s. Like the Cavalia horses, it came to Oniya by serendipity.

Not long after Kristi bought the ranch, a nearby ranch was holding a closing auction. When she looked at the sale flyer and saw the brand, she knew it belonged at Oniya.

The sale was intense, and many out-of-state buyers had their eye on the heart brand, but like so many times in Kristi’s life, she had her mind set. She bid with the flick of her chin until it was hers. At the end of the sale, the auctioneer asked where the brand was going and Kristi said, “It’s staying in Montana.” And the crowd of locals cheered.

The long-retired branding iron hangs above the fireplace in the lodge and won’t be used to brand any animals.

“It’s our brand, but it is in our whole operating system as well,” Kristi says.

Hearts are tucked into the décor, and even the cucumbers on the salad are cut into heart shapes. On the hillside near the highway, white rocks are placed in the shape of a heart.

“I’ve always said Montana has my heart,” Kristi says. ✻ TO LEARN MORE about Oniya Ranch, visit oniya.com

Welcome to our Gynecologic Oncology team!

Billings Clinic is proud to welcome Dr. Bradford Whitcomb, MD, FACOG, to our Gynecologic Oncology team. He emphasizes compassionate, personalized care for women with gynecologic cancers, aiming to expand quality programs in the region.

Dr. Whitcomb graduated with a degree in chemistry and attended the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine. He completed an OB/GYN residency in San Antonio and a Gynecologic Oncology fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. During his 22-year military career, he deployed in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. After retiring from the Army, he led the Gynecologic Oncology division at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Whitcomb and his wife are enjoying exploring Montana with their five children.

To make an appointment or for more information please call 406-435-7340 or visit billingsclinic.com/gynonc

PUTTING TO PAPER

WILDLIFE ARTIST ELEVATES SIMPLE MEDIUM TO CARVE OUT HER NICHE IN THE ART WORLD

written & photography by LAURA BAILEY art photography by DALE MULLER

PENCIL

AT 19, Dale Muller packed her duffle bag with hiking boots and a little point-and-shoot camera, and for $69, hopped a Greyhound Bus from Philadelphia to Livingston, Montana. She had just finished her junior year at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and the wildlife of the West called to her. That summer she worked in the pantry at Yellowstone Lake Hotel and spent her free time exploring and observing wildlife.

“My mind was blown, and that’s when my love of animals and art really solidified,” she says.

Life came full circle for Dale last summer when she was invited to show her work in the lobby of Yellowstone Lake Hotel. Her talent as an artist brought her from the pantry to center stage. It took some time, but she’s arrived.

Dale has carved out a niche among wildlife artists by drawing ultra-realistic animals with pencil against sparce, geometric backgrounds.

“It focuses more on the biology of the animal and the detail and texture and accuracy of form and anatomy and leaves it up to the viewer to come up with the background,” she says. “The animal is the whole focus.”

The show in Yellowstone Park offered her an opportunity to talk about her work with a worldwide audience. She brought a work in progress to draw while she chatted with visitors. Many people bought prints, and she sold a few originals as well. Dale has been invited back to show her work during another weekend this summer.

sales right from my website and studio?” Dale says.

Gallery shows have provided plenty of opportunities. In a recent large-scale show at Heist Gallery in Red Lodge, Dale sold all but one of her original drawings.

“It was a tremendous turnout from the community,” Dale says. “It felt so good. When you’re introverted and you’re at home working all the time, you never really know.”

She’s been invited to display her work at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole. The gallery is known worldwide for its outstanding and diverse wildlife art collection. Dale’s work will be included in an annual juried show and sale. The exhibition title is Western Visions.

“It’s just opened doors for me in such a huge way,” she says.

Since her “Inspired by Yellowstone” show last summer, interest in Dale’s work has taken off, with an increase in sales from her website as well as right from her drawing board. In her home studio in Roberts, Dale is working on a drawing of a large bison and another of a wolf. The wolf, although it’s not finished, has already been purchased by a collector.

“I love working with galleries, but how wonderful is it to make

“I went to the event years ago with a friend and just dreamt of my work being shown there,” Dale says.

She’s not sure what she will bring to the show, but she plans on drawing something special just for the exhibition.

Dale spends lots of time outdoors and visits Yellowstone Park often. She goes to observe and photograph the animals there. Bears are her favorite, and they are prominently featured in her portfolio.

“I never depict an animal that I haven’t experienced in real life,” Dale says. “It’s really important to me to have my work represent a personal experience.”

She studies animals with the intensity of a surgeon. Dale wants to know their form, understand how the muscle, bone and fur all take the shape of an animal. She wants to have all of that memorized because working from photos alone doesn’t give her the realistic detail she wants to achieve.

Dale made the shift to understated backgrounds in 2012 with a drawing of a moth with a damaged wing set against a white background. Called “Shattered Strength,” it was chosen by the

THE CHALLENGE IS THE TEXTURES. THAT’S WHAT KEEPS ME ENGAGED. I WANT TO PUSH THE MEDIUM AS FAR AS IT WILL GO.

— Dale Muller

Society of Animal Artists for its Art and the Animal Exhibition. The response was overwhelmingly positive. From then on, the absence of a background has been Dale’s signature style.

“I felt like at that time, galleries were dictating to me that that was the way it was supposed to be done, and it started to put me into that box of wildlife art, and I didn’t want to be put into that box,” she says.

Dale’s work appeals to contemporary art collectors as well as wildlife art aficionados.

She starts every drawing with a thick, soft pencil. The strokes are heavy, spontaneous and loose. She then layers texture over the lines, blending with a stump of rolled paper or a soft chamois. The result is a bright sheen on the darkest parts, while the lightest marks depict the softest textures. The lightest highlights are the white paper showing through.

“The challenge is the textures. That’s what keeps me engaged,” she says. “I want to push the medium as far as it will go.”

Dale aspired to be a painter but made the shift to pencil at the encouragement of a professor during her senior year of college. She still enjoys painting when she can. In her studio, an unfinished oil painting of butterflies sits on an easel with a jar of brushes nearby.

“It will call out to me again, I’m sure,” Dale says.

Dale has called the Red Lodge area home since she graduated from college. She knew she didn’t want to go back to New Jersey, and had already

19th and presents a new era in dance, while pushing the artistic boundaries of street dance. Soul Street concerts consist of a mix of movement that will keep you at the edge of your seat. The music is combined with an electric mix ranging from hip-hop to classical. It’s a show that will make you laugh and keep audiences of all ages entertained.

a Con C e R t F o R the w ho L e Fami Ly

Billings Symphony presents its Family Concert on January 26th at the Alberta Bair Theater. Four time Grammy nominees, “Trout Fishing in America,” will perform along with the Billings Symphony. Trout Fishing in America is a musical duo which performs folk rock and children’s music. billingssymphony.com

fallen in love with Yellowstone. Her boyfriend at the time was up for the adventure too, and now they’re married.

“He dropped everything and neither of us has looked back,” she says.

Dale is grateful for all the support she’s received along the way, from her husband to her friends and fellow artists – and even her landlord who kept her rent affordable for years. Even when she was pulled in different directions to make ends meet, Dale never gave up on her goal to be an artist. She weathered plenty of disappointment over the years.

“You have to be true to yourself,” she says.

From the beginning, Dale has done it all. She frames all her own artwork, maintains her website, and does all her own marketing, sales, packaging and shipping. She’s not giving any of that up for the time being, but she can’t help but think about the day she might.

“I just want to draw,” she says. “I just want to work on my art.” ✻

YOU CAN FIND Dale Muller’s art online at dalemariemuller. com

ALPACAS ALPACAS ALPACAS

ANGI LYNGBY-COX LOVES THE CALM AND CURIOSITY OF THIS SOCIAL HERD

written by STELLA FONG photography by CASEY PAGE

JUST WEST OF BILLINGS sits the Mule Train Alpaca Ranch (MT Alpaca Ranch), where alpacas roam and an occasional antelope and deer may play. Home on the 20-acre range are owners Angi and Udo Lyngby-Cox, who raise alpacas — slender-bodied animals with long necks and legs, small heads and pointed ears. These adorable creatures have fleece that is made into luxuriously soft, warm garments and blankets. The couple breeds the animals to continually improve the conformation and fiber characteristics of this creature’s much-sought-after fleece.

Calm and curiosity reign at MT Alpaca Ranch with the two breeds of Suri and Huacaya alpacas. The Huacaya fleece resembles that of a teddy bear while the Suri fleece looks like “dreadlocks.” Angi says of her raising and being with her alpacas, “This is a quiet place. A place of serenity and reflection when I’m with them.”

The ranch is in Molt, a rural community 17 miles outside Billings with rolling grasslands dotted with pine trees. A visitor can reach the property from the paved Buffalo Trail, which turns to gravel before eventually winding down a driveway onto Mule Train Road. At the gate, Udo and Angi, along with their Great Pyrennees, Duke, greet a guest. This dog, the size of a sheep, wears a thick, gently matted white-colored coat that appears as though it could also be spun into yarn.

Aside from being the greeter, Duke’s job is to guard the alpaca herd, manifesting his genetics as a working dog, deterring invaders such as wolves and other predators on snowy mountaintops. Although he can spring into action when needed he, too, is calm and curious.

After relocating to Montana from an 18-year stint in Germany, Angi acquired a spinning wheel that inspired her to join the lo-

cal spinning guild. At one of the first meet ings, the group asked if anyone was interested in purchasing a small herd of alpacas.

“I had no clue about raising alpacas,” she says. “I started re searching.” She dis covered that alpacas needed less space. They are easier to handle.” Alpacas have padded feet and are gentler on pastures, and they are mostly quiet as they communicate by humming. They do not eat pasture grasses completely down and their dung is less odiferous.

Angi originally travelled to Germany to work as an au pair, then later attended Bielefeld University, where she met Udo. After the two completed their studies, Angi worked as a case manager for a mental health rehabilitation clinic while Udo helped young adults with epilepsy reintegrate back into society. Their skills of nurturing and caring for people carried forth into their current pursuits.

In 2016, the couple acquired one llama and 13 alpacas. The llama, larger in stature, with its elongated face and banana-shaped ears, looked after the herd of their Camelidae family members that were smaller in size with blunt faces and shaggier fleece. These days, the MT Alpaca Ranch is home to 94 alpacas and three llamas.

“They all have distinct personalities and I enjoy getting to know them,” Angi says of her alpacas. Udo’s favorite alpaca is named Bonjour, meaning “Good day” in French. “When we first got him, he tried to challenge me. I had to show him that he was not the boss. From that point on, has been the first behind me ever since,” Udo says.

Angi often travels to Texas, Missouri, California and Wyoming to show her alpacas, finding joy in the breeding process and sharing her animals with others.

“I love the camaraderie,” she says. “I love being with alpaca people. I love seeing what the industry is doing. I get ideas on what to do with the herds.” Mostly, Angi relishes the friendships she has made. These relationships have brought together alpacas for compatible unions. “I can send somebody a herd sire,” she says, or she can receive a sire for her animals.

At MT Alpaca Ranch, Moe, with a white face and grey fleece, stands tall with the posture of a ballerina in the pasture among the other males and is one of the stars in the herd.

“We breed and show for different purposes, for fiber or lawn ornaments,” Angi says. Alpaca fleece has 22 natural colors ranging from white to black, and rose gray to silver gray to beige, fawn, and brown to champagne.

Angi and Udo work as a team. Udo routinely does the morning feeding, checks on the herd’s health and cleans the pastures when he is not out of town selling heavy equipment for road construction, for his business Walk n’ Roll. Angi does the marketing and travels to the shows. During the warm months, they offer prescheduled tours.

Angi, playfully pronouncing Udo as “You do,” says she often has a “Udo list.” For his part, Udo says of Angi, “She’s the energy and motivation, always taking on new challenges,” but she admits, “He went along with it, and I couldn’t have done it without him.”

Her understanding and love of agriculture came from her childhood on a dairy farm in Brandon, South Dakota. Udo grew up on a farm with cattle in Brekerfeld, Germany. He says with a laugh, “I didn’t like doing the work for my family. I did not want to put up fences and buildings. Now look at what I am doing.” On the ranch, fences require regular attention to ensure the animals’ security, while additions and repairs are constantly being made to

the many buildings on the property.

With the closest alpaca veterinarian in Denver, Angi finds she and Udo “do as much ourselves as we can. It’s hard to get a vet out here. We have been blessed to not any problems.” When she knows an alpaca is pregnant, she says, “I have to stay home when they have their babies.” Since the male and female alpacas are brought together to mate Angi, knows the approximate date of birth after the 11-month gestation period.

Angi calmly focuses on the goings-on of her menagerie of animals, which are housed in the numerous pastures and enclo-

sures. The female and male alpacas of breeding age are kept in separate spaces, while the youngsters remain together in another area. There is also a miniature horse, isolated from the larger horses that have been picking on him, three merino sheep named Matilda, Popcorn and Luisa, and a handful of black-faced sheep in their own pasture. Some chickens have their place near the barn.

The alpacas are relentlessly inquisitive, especially in the enclosure with the young ones. Many follow Angi and Udo around, occasionally sneaking in a nuzzle. Others slip away upon approach, yet they watch every move their human caretakers make.

Home on this range at the MT Alpaca Ranch, Angi and Udo Lyngby-Cox have created a place for alpacas to roam where there is not a discouraging word. ✻

MULE TRAIN ALPACA RANCH hosts tours and even sells yarn and goods made from alpaca fleece. To learn more, visit mtalpacas.com

Stella divides her time between Billings and Seattle and is the author of two Billings-centric books, Historic Restaurants of Billings and Billings Food. Her writings have appeared in Big Sky Journal, Western Art and Architecture, the Washington Post as well as online at lastbestplates.com.

STELLA FONG, writer

FOR PAWS PAWS THOUGHT THOUGHT

THE HEALING PAIR OF A THERAPIST AND HER DOG

written by SUE OLP photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

IN THE FALL OF 2022, when Camden Lambert was nearly 6, his grandfather passed away suddenly.

One death is traumatic enough for a young boy, but that was just the start of a difficult time for the Billings youngster, his mother, Jennifer Lambert says.

“We had seven deaths in our family in 10 months, between family members and a coworker,” she says. “It was a nightmare.”

Many of the deaths were a result of old age, but they sparked in Camden severe anxiety that his parents didn’t know how to deal with. He asked to come home early from sleepovers with friends. He was nervous about going to school, and if his parents went out on a date, he became frantic.

“He couldn’t even go down to children’s church,” Jennifer says. “We were in the same building, but he didn’t want to be without us.”

She and her husband, Nick, turned to Karen Boe, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Billings with a unique set of tools, to help their son. Karen, who owns, Kid Counseling Montana, uses play therapy and pet therapy in her practice to help children heal.

Though the IIAAPT doesn’t require therapy pets to be dogs, Karen has teamed up with Theo, a 7-year-old chocolate English Labrador retriever, who has warm brown eyes and a calm disposition. More recently, she acquired 6-month-old Bailey, also a chocolate Lab puppy, she is training to someday be a therapy dog.

Karen is one of just 43 people around the world certified through the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy, and the only one in Montana. She is also a registered play therapist.

Jennifer immediately saw the affect Theo had on her son.

“He would open up as Theo was there and he was petting and playing with him,” she says. “It got him to trust Karen, too. She was an OK adult to talk to.”

Over several months, using a combination of techniques that included pet therapy, play therapy and partnering with Jennifer and Nick, Karen was able to help Camden overcome his fear of losing the people close to him, to get back to his normal self. For Karen, helping kids overcome big problems in their lives brings great joy.

Her office is filled with toys on racks, a tray filled with sand, and the chocolate Labs who greet visitors and then flop down on the carpet to snooze. Like Camden, many of Karen’s young clients deal with anxiety. Some are working through trauma, and a smaller percentage have mood disorders. She adapts the therapy to the individual client.

It’s no surprise that animals play an integral part in Karen’s practice. She grew up on her family’s sheep ranch in McLeod, feeding chickens, retrieving eggs and, as she got older, milking the cows.

In 4-H, she rode in equestrian events on her horse, Zanbar, who gave Karen her first taste of how intuitive animals can be.

“I had such a good relationship with him, I could look a certain way and he’d go that way,” she says, much as Theo does now.

Karen completed a psychology degree in 2000 from George Fox University, then began work on completing a master’s degree

THE IDEA IS THAT YOU PROVIDE ITEMS AND TOYS FOR THE CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO AND WORK OUT THINGS AT THEIR DEVELOPMENT LEVEL.

THE IDEA IS THAT YOU PROVIDE ITEMS AND TOYS FOR THE CHILDREN TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO AND WORK OUT THINGS AT THEIR DEVELOPMENT LEVEL.

— Karen Boe

in marriage and family therapy. While there, Karen got her first exposure to play therapy.

She took a couple of classes from Dr. Daniel Sweeney, one of her professors, who was a certified play therapist, and, she says, “that’s where I fell in love with it.”

“The idea is that you provide items and toys for the children to be able to talk to and work out things at their development level,” Karen explains. “So, the toys actually become words.”

In a safe environment, a child uses the natural urge to play as a tool to freely express what they are feeling, good or bad. It can be the start of a healing process they do at their own pace. The technique can help children wrestling with everything from abuse and neglect to grief and behavioral disorders.

In 2004, a family connection drew Karen to the Sacramento area of California, where she spent 15-plus years working with children and adolescents ages 5 to 18 in schools and, later, in foster care.

During that time, separate from her work, Karen connected with Lyla Tyler, a registered play therapy supervisor. Under Ly-

CAMDEN LAMBERT CHATS WITH KAREN AND THEO DURING ONE OF HIS SESSIONS

la’s guidance, Karen earned her registered play therapy credential in September 2018, fulfilling a long-held dream. She joined Tyler’s practice, Kid Counseling Sacramento, then in 2021 moved to Billings to open her own office and live closer to her immediate family.

How pet therapy became part of her practice is a much more personal story. In 2013, Karen was doing a home visit with a student whose family owned a pit bull, one that had just had a litter of puppies. The dog, protective of her brood, walked up to Karen, and after smelling her proffered hand, lunged at her and bit her in the face and neck, seriously injuring her. The attack didn’t just leave her with physical scars.

“I was really having lots of pretty severe trauma symptoms,” she says, including sleeplessness, nightmares and hypervigilance, constantly checking for potential threats. After dealing with that for 2½ years, “I was at a really low point in my life.”

Karen worked at a high school with a staff that included a school psychologist, Linda Atwater, who happened to be helping a friend raise a golden Lab named Tug as a service animal. Karen visited Linda and Tug at Linda’s house and something clicked inside her wounded soul.

“I just wanted to go there and lay down with the dog all day,” she remembers. “It

felt so amazing.”

Just petting a dog can lower the body’s level of the stress hormone cortisol. “There’s something about having a dog there and being able to pet them that can be very regulating,” she says.

Karen wanted that in her life. Through a series of events, she was paired with Theo, a 10-month-old service dog trainee, in early 2016. The two have been inseparable ever since. “He just made the world safe for me again,” Karen says. “I took him everywhere I went.”

That included to the schools where she worked. As much as he helped Karen, she saw Theo work his magic on the youngsters she counseled who were dealing with their own issues.

He earned his Canine Good Citizen in 2017 and was registered through Pet Partners as a therapy dog from 2017 to 2021 before he earned his Animal Assisted Play Therapy certificate.

“Both Theo and I are certified, which means he had to demonstrate specific qualifications as well as I as his handler,” she says.

The training is rigorous, requiring two 40-hour sessions. And then candidates must practice under supervi-

sion before they receive their certification.

As serious as this all is, there are moments of fun. As part of the training, Karen had to prove she could teach Theo a new skill. During an interview, at her behest he demonstrated, his ability to plunk notes on a Playskool piano with his nose. A moment later, Karen blew up a balloon and let Theo nudge it into the air with his nose before he eventually popped it. He can push buttons with his nose and he loves playing with balls.

“He’ll literally throw the ball back at you,” Karen says.

Whether he takes part in a therapy session is pretty much up to the client, she says. But over and over, in different ways, she has seen Theo help with the same kind of healing she once experienced.

There was the 4-year-old boy who had been severely neglected, then was adopted by his foster parents. When it was time for him to enter preschool, the child sat in the midst of 20 other youngsters, completely overwhelmed.

“Theo would lay on his stomach and he would belly crawl up to him and just put his head in the little guy’s lap,” she says. “And it was just priceless.”

Another little girl, who had suffered severe medical trauma, would use a toy doctor kit to bandage Theo, putting play band-aids all over him, taking his temperature and wrapping up his feet, while he patiently lay down next to her.

“She was reenacting what had happened to her,” Karen says. “What you find is that children will play out and reenact a trauma until they’ve processed it, and then they’ll move on.”

And then there was the boy who had been in and out of foster placements and suffered ongoing trauma. He didn’t have much trust left in humans. Karen started taking him and Theo for walks to a park twice a week, playing and not talking much about the issues he was dealing with.

“And what I found was that he really developed a closeness with Theo and started to be really mindful that Theo was safe,” Karen says.

The boy was attentive to the environment, making sure Theo didn’t wander into any dangerous situations. And along the way, the bond he forged with the dog paved the way for him to reconnect with humans.

“He went from being a child who could barely make it in the classroom to transitioning back into school after that summer, and he was good,” she says. “He didn’t have hardly any behavioral problems after that.”

Witnessing this growth, Karen says, is emotional.

“Watching them not be afraid to connect and to be able to say, ‘I can be OK,’ I don’t even know if I have the words,” she says. “It’s so powerful, so beautiful to see.” ✻

TO LEARN MORE about Karen Boe and the work she does with Theo, visit kidcounselingmontana.com.

SUE OLP, writer

Sue Olp worked for many years as a reporter at the Billings Gazette, covering everything from healthcare and education to county government, tribal issues and religion, not to mention plenty of human-interest stories. Now retired, she is a freelance writer and enjoys gardening, reading and spending time with her family, including her grandchildren.

“Piggy Bank” Pediatric Patient Assistance Fund helps families with costs associated with the diagnosis of life-altering pediatric illness or disease.

The Foundation gives out these funds everyday to help families with:

• Utility bills • Rent • Travel costs • Medical equipment

• Grocery asistance • Other financial needs

Help us reach our fundraising goal of $50,000 throughout the month of March:

• Donate your change at designated local shops and credit unions around town

• Send a check designated to Piggy Bank Fund

• Donate online! For every online donation of $50 or more to the Piggy Bank Fund, your name will be entered to win a 7-night stay at Pueblo Bonito Rose in Mexico!*

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Meet the Queen Queen Queen

Honey Bee Bee Bee

JODIE DRANGE IS ABUZZ ABOUT AGRICULTURE

JODIE DRANGE IS ABUZZ ABOUT AGRICULTURE

STELLA FONG photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

STELLA FONG photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

YOU COULD CALL Jodie

Drange, owner of Drange Apiary, the queen bee of agriculture. Recently crowned as the 2024 Montana Elite Miss Agriculture USA, she’s abuzz with enthusiasm about sharing her passion for the industry. She echoes the spirit of an emerging queen in a hive, who captures the attention of her subjects by tooting sounds that announce her presence and command attention.

“I love the advocacy, educating people on the importance of agriculture, the importance of bees in agriculture,” Jodie says.

In June, Jodie will be competing for the national title. The Miss Agriculture USA organization is a national nonprofit group that celebrates and promotes livestock and crop production, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry for food and nonfood products. Established in 2018, the group honors the work of those who have been strong advocates for agriculture while empowering the winners with programs that build self-esteem, hone public-speaking skills and develop leadership strengths.

is to trust myself and be myself.” The judges rate the candidate on a written essay, an oral interview, a speech, responses to an impromptu interview session, evening dress, and ag wear representing their home state.

Jodie, who has always loved the outdoors, admits, “I was a tomboy. I loved to play outside.” At 13, as a lover of animals, especially rabbits, she joined the 4-H in Ohio.

She mostly raised Rex and Jersey Woolies breeds of rabbits, noting, “I helped the Jersey Woolies to become a recognized breed.” She also raised Standard Chinchilla, Holland Lop, Angora and American rabbits. In 1985, with an American Sable rabbit, she won Best of Breed at the National Rabbit Convention.

Her affection for the West was seeded in 1984 when her 4-H advisers drove a group of participants from their hometown of Akron, Ohio, to Colorado Springs, Colorado, for the National Rabbit Show. On that trip, after witnessing cowboys moving cattle, she says, “I always knew I would be on a farm.”

Jodie admits to having some trepidation about competing for the national title.

“I haven’t done anything like this before,” she says. “My strategy

College took her to Ohio State University, where she met her husband, Andy. Jodie graduated with a degree in agricultural research, although she wanted to pursue a degree in the study of

sheep and goats.

“My parents said that I would never use that degree,” she says, but she now owns Drange’s Meat Goats, where she runs a commercial herd of 40 animals, including breeding lines from Maverick Show Goats from Windy Acres Boers in Texas, and Chase Taylor Show Goats in Wyoming.

During the Christmas holidays in 1987, Andy brought Jodie to his hometown of Big Timber to spend time with his family and introduce her to his old stomping grounds. People teased Jodie about wanting to return to Montana, but she says with a laugh, “I was in love.”

In the late 1980s, after Andy and Jodie settled under the Big Sky, he worked for the state as a bee inspector while she was employed by a genetics lab for bull studs. On the side, he worked with a beekeeper, using his college degree in commercial beekeeping. His skill and love of beekeeping came from his boyhood observation of wild beehives. After working for a commercial beekeeper for 15 years, he decided to buy their current business when Beartooth Apiaries became available for purchase. The Dranges expanded the operation from 1,500 to more than 5,000 hives.

In time, the Dranges expanded their family to four with the births of Spencer and Jasmine. These days, Spencer works for the family business while Jasmine teaches elementary school.

Jodie is currently the president of the Yellowstone County Farm Bureau. Rikki Swant, director of membership and business development at the Montana Farm Bureau Federation says, “She’s

KIDS NEED TO KNOW WHERE THEIR FOOD COMES FROM, WHERE THE CLOTHES ON THEIR BACK COME FROM, AND HOW IMPORTANT AGRICULTURE IS TO THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN, FROM POLLINATION TO FORESTRY PRACTICES.

— Jodie Drange passionate about education, whether it’s personal/professional growth for herself and her business or Agriculture Literacy/Agriculture Education for youth in our community and state.” Serving as president, she “participates in our policy development process, helping craft resolutions to be considered for our annual policy.”

“She has shared our booths at the MontanaFair and NILE, explaining to kids and adults where foods come from,” Rikki says. “She volunteers her time to read our “Ag Accurate” books to elementary students and often brings along an activity to apply what the students just learned.”

“People are three generations away from agriculture,” Jodie says. “Kids need to know where their food comes from, where the clothes on their back come from, and how important agriculture is to the world they live in, from pollination to forestry practices.”

On the Drange Apiary Facebook page, Jodie keeps followers up to date on what’s happening in their business with her “What we are doing Wednesday!” At the beginning of the year, Drange Apiary starts selling nucs or splits, nucleus colonies that are small honeybee colonies for the creation of new hives. The core colonies are put on trucks and shipped to California, where the bees work on pollinating the blooming almond trees. When they return, they go to work to produce honey. The sweet liquid is extracted a couple of times in the summer months. Then, honey is delivered to those farmers, who “rent” space planted with clover or alfalfa where the Dranges keep their bees. The bees are then put into hibernation in a potato cellar in Idaho in the fall before the cycle begins again.

During National Honey Month in September, Jodie reported, “We are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully by next week all the honey will be pulled off the hives and extracted. We’re looking at around a 100-pound average for this year. We are so excited after the last three years.” Montana ranks in the top five states in honey production.

Aside from sharing the cycle of the activity of bees, Jodie touts the purported benefits of this liquid gold that improves digestion, lowers blood sugar and heals wounds while providing relief for coughs and allergies. Lighter color honey is sweeter, while the darker version is stronger in flavor.

Jodie passionately continues to set the record straight, making sure the public knows what the real buzz is about honey. ✻

baking with honey hints baking with honey hints

Replace each cup of sugar with ²/³ to ¾ cup of honey

Reduce liquids by ¼ cup per each cup of honey

Add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda per cup of honey

From the American Honey Producers Association

Lower oven temperature by 25 degrees when substituting to prevent over-browning

honey butter

MAKES ABOUT 1 ¹/³ CUP

1 c. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

c. honey

2 T. confectioner’s sugar

½ t. salt

DIRECTIONS: In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Beat in honey, sugar and salt until smooth. Serve drizzled with honey. Cover butter and store in refrigerator for up to a week.

honey cake

CAKE

1¼ c. unbleached flour

1 t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

¼ t. salt

1 t. cinnamon

¼ t. nutmeg

¼ t. cardamom

2 eggs

½ c. vegetable oil

½ c. honey

½ c. hot black tea

½ c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

SERVES 8

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 t. vanilla extract

¼ t. salt

4 c. powdered sugar

Fresh berries and edible flowers for garnish, if desired

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease sides of 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, honey, tea, sugar and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cake cool. Remove from pan and frost with cream cheese frosting, garnishing with fresh berries and edible flowers, if desired.

In a medium bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until creamy. Mix in salt and vanilla. Add powdered sugar until combined.

Bag for that’ Bag 'There'sBag a

ROSCOE ENTREPRENEUR HAND CRAFTS ONE-OF-A-KIND BAGS FOR ONE-OF-A-KIND CLIENTELE

written by LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

VALERIE “VAL” MARSHALL describes herself as a chameleon. Her adaptable nature, combined with her astute marketing savvy, have served her well as the jack-of-all-trades behind her business, Darlington Custom Leather.

Sparked by her passion for fashion, Val specializes in making oneof-a-kind leather bags for her one-of-a-kind customers. She markets her creations for “trendsetters, leaders and adventurers” and describes her bags and accessories as “functional art for women with discerning tastes.”

From a turquoise tooled clutch to a metallic-gold, hair-on-hide bag that doubles as a backpack, her creative juices are reflected in the varied works that come out of her shop.

“I do best when I’m custom creating for someone based on the style they love,” she says. “I would go crazy if I had to make the same bag over and over.”

✴

Besides the “Build-a-Bag” option on her website, shoppers can browse Val’s ready-to-ship bags and smaller items like key chains and earrings.

“It’s important to offer something everyone can afford, something that’s pretty and lasts,” she says. “Every woman can afford $10.” Val exudes a flair for living life to its fullest. And she’s got a knack for spreading that gusto around. She chooses fanciful materials to line her bags — one depicts scenes from Paris, another captures whimsical dogs in glasses — just because they make her smile. Likewise, she loves adding playful tassels that seem to say “FAB-u-lous!”

ENTERPRISING

A tour through her website — darlingtoncustomleather.com — offers shoppers a taste of their options and a glimpse of Val’s artistry. Montana cowhide, buttery Italian leathers and even tough water buffalo skins from Asia – take your pick. There’s a dimpled lavender leather, leather embossed with roses, and even leather emblazoned with ranch brands. Choose fringe or no fringe, glitzy designs or classic, strap length and even hardware.

“Oh my gosh, this is so fun. To be able to give that something special to someone,” Val says. “I always like to say, ‘There’s a bag for that.’”

“You need things that make you happy,” she says. “Life should be enjoyed, so why not have a really beautiful, one-of-a-kind bag that reflects who you are?”

Val introduced Darlington Custom Leather — Darlington being her maiden name — six years ago in Red Lodge. Before that, she crisscrossed the country training horses at high-end equestrian operations. When she traded horse training for bag making, she saw the latter as a way to keep close to the smells of leather and horses, a world she’d inhabited since the age of 2.

Considering her background, Val’s creations usually — but not always — trend toward a Western look. Some of her ready-made bags, “The Ekalaka Tote” and the “Red Lodge Bag,” for example, are named for Montana locales.

YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION. YOU HAVE TO GO SLOW. T’S GOOD FOR US. IT MAKES US SLOW DOWN.

— Val Marshall

Keeping with that theme, she pulls out a bag made of Brazilian cowhide. “It still suits the cowgirl culture, but it features a few more classic elements,” she says. She also points out that the signature emblem on many of her bags incorporates a heart in place of the “o” in Darlington.

“For me, it’s because they are made with love. That’s my special ingredient.”

Val and husband, TJ, work out of their Roscoe home. TJ, a self-described “artist by birth,” fashions classic leather hats, stunning items of twisted iron and hand-painted holsters that carry names like “Running Free” and “Eye See You.” He and Val met on a trail outside Red Lodge and still — time permitting — enjoy hiking and fishing together. But time is in short supply. No longer do they play with horses. Nor do they watch TV. Instead, they ded-

icate nearly all their waking hours to making their business succeed.

“It’s a lifestyle, and we love it,” she says.

Driven as they both are, their days begin early and often end late.

“Neither one of us can sit still at all,” Val says, smiling. “Sometimes I hear (TJ) hammering out a holster at 3 a.m.”

She typically rises by 4 a.m. and doesn’t quit until evening. Her days are packed with phone calls, texts and crafting bags. On occasion, she admits, she has some “pretty naughty” conversations with her sewing machine. But experience has taught her that leather work requires intense concentration.

“I am extremely detail-oriented,” she says. “If you mess up, if you’re even 1/16 of an inch off, you have to throw it away. We’re not talking about huge mistakes but I’m not going to sell it.”

The same can be said for TJ and his hand-stitched hats and holsters.

“You have to pay attention. You have to go slow,” she says. “It’s good for us. It makes us slow down.”

Val prefers marketing her products to talking about herself. And she’d rather show off her finished bags than invite customers into her workspace.

“There’s a messy cacophony, a craziness that goes into making a

bag,” she says, smiling.

Upstairs, Val has amassed hundreds of rolls of leather, sourced from countries around the globe.

“You can be run of the mill and use typical leather, or you can be exotic. That’s what I like to do,” she says, and then smiles again. “I am a leather snob. I like Italian leather.”

Whether marketing on Facebook, buying leather online, building her own website or stitching with utmost accuracy, Val says it’s all been self-taught.

“And the journey will never end,” she adds. “There are always new styles to learn and always time to perfect the craft.”

As Val hones her own skills, she is just as enthusiastic about sharing what she’s learned. Through Facebook, she offers live tutorials with tips for working with leather (USA Leather Bagmakers Q&A).

“It’s free to join and you can suggest any bag you want to make and we will make it on a live video together. SWEET!” she posts.

She also promotes fellow artisans through a Facebook group where they can post their own products (American Made Artisan Leather Bag Marketplace).

“That’s just to support other bag makers,” she says. “It’s a labor of love.”

Ever exploring new niches, she’s also established a site where she sells leather pieces as small as one square foot (USA Leather Bagmakers Supply). And twice a year – in November and January — she advertises a “scrap sale.”

“Crafters are crazy for this,” she says. “I sold 600 pounds of scraps in three days.”

Darlington Custom Leather caters to a wide swath of clientele, yet the largest share of orders comes from outside Montana. Val’s dream is to change that, to sell her custom line of bags in high-end boutiques across the Big Sky state. With that goal in mind, she has studied the trends and is primed to create whatever her customers crave.

“Bags are the number one item in the fashion world,” she says. “2024 is the year of metallics and I am stocked and ready. I have metallics in every color.”

Val and TJ stress that life as entrepreneurs is not easy. But they share an unwavering belief that their hard work will pay off.

“Surrender is not in our vocabulary,” TJ says. Val adds, “If you have the drive to create something, there’s a reason.” ✻

DARLINGTON

CUSTOM LEATHER products can be found online at darlingtoncustomleather.com, in Billings at the Maker’s Market or The Home Store in Townsend.

LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA, writer

A long-time resident of the Columbus area, Linda Halstead-Acharya enjoys spending time and learning from her rural neighbors. She has a degree in wildlife biology but for the past 25 years has pursued a career sharing other people's stories in print. She loves riding, writing and traveling.

Easter Brunch in the Grand Ballroom

March 31st, 2024 from 10 am to 4 pm

BEEF STEAMSHIP ROUND • HONEY GLAZED HAM

Assorted Pastries, Selection of Brunch Classics, Dessert Display, Candy Bar, and

19 N. Broadway complimentary valet and self parking Reservations Required 406.867.6774 nhten.com

Spotlight

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERIES

Standing gap Standing gap the

BILLINGS POLICE OFFICER SPENDS CAREER FIGHTING FOR VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

written by JULIE KOERBER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

WHEN POLICE GO on a domestic vio lence call, it can quickly turn to chaos. The victim is frightened. The perpetrator is angry. Cuffs come out. Photos are taken. It’s a rush of activity. Officers have a focus — to de-escalate the situation and make any necessary arrests. In the past, a victim would be left alone to pick up the pieces.

Today, victims have a friend in the system. She wears a badge too, but she’s not tied to a police radio. Officer Katie Nash’s sole mission is to listen, lend a hand and make sure justice is served.

“The patrol officers know how to investigate,” Katie says. “They go on scene, arrest the bad guy and then this poor victim and her family are left behind. They have paperwork, but after a trauma, you’re not going to read through five pages trying to figure out what it means.”

For the past 10 years she has been the do mestic violence investigator for the Billings Police Department. “I can fill that gap,” she says. “Even though I am law enforcement and not an advocate, I can sit and listen.”

one roof. (See story on pg. 54 Northern Lights Family Justice Center).

“I’ve been able to dig into things,” she says.

Back in 2013, the department used grant funding from the Montana Board of Crime Control to jumpstart her position. Before that, the city prosecutor’s office used a grant to pay overtime hours so officers could help investigate these cases. The work never seemed to end.

“These cases are so complex and there are so many moving pieces that it’s helpful to have someone who isn’t tied to a patrol radio,” Katie says. “I don’t have to worry about the calls stacking up in my beat. I can get search warrants for phone records. I can listen to jail calls. I can talk to neighbors to try to build a strong case.”

When Katie talks about her job, she’s quick to tell you she’s not a survivor helping survivors. She’s several generations removed from the domestic violence that ran through her own family.

In her role, Katie has not only developed ways to give prosecutor air-tight cases. She has also helped victims get the resources they need to rebuild their lives. She’s helped get new laws to make it easier for victims to find justice, and she’s spearheaded the effort to make Billings the first city in Montana to have a Family Justice Center — a center that puts domestic violence services under

“My great-grandparents had some violence, nothing that personally touched my life,” she says. “I heard stories growing up about how my grandpa would sleep in front of his mom’s bedroom door so his alcoholic dad couldn’t get in.” She has reflected on that from time to time. “I have a 14-year-old son, and to imagine him sleeping in front of my door to protect me blows my mind.”

Her first true brush with domestic violence came in college when she worked at the YWCA shelter in Great Falls. She was an advocate for three years before becoming a police officer. Many nights, the shelter was near or at capacity. She remembers how hard it was to have to let victims walk out the door and potentially go back to their abusers.

“One woman, I think she’d only been in the shelter once,” Katie says. “She came to the shelter with her infant, and when she left and went back to her abuser, he shook the baby and caused brain damage. There was something about that relationship that she couldn’t leave. We couldn’t get her out fast enough for that baby.”

Because of experiences like that, she’s able to better understand the dynamics of domestic violence and why victims make the choices they do.

“That’s what the advocacy role helped me to understand — getting out and staying out maybe isn’t safe right now,” Katie says. “Maybe it is safest to be in and have a game plan. When tensions escalate, you’ll move to this room instead of the kitchen where the knives are. You’ll lock yourself in the bathroom. Having a safety plan — it’s hard to imagine the lesser of two evils to just stay alive.”

Taya Keith knows all about the lesser of two evils. She met Katie in 2016 when she was trying to escape her abusive marriage. After being married for 18 years to her high school sweetheart, she realized how trapped she’d become.

“I had everything in the world that should have made me happy — kids, a house and horses — and instead, I wanted to die,” Taya says. “Even though physical things weren’t done, words were said

like, ‘If I can’t have you, no one can.’ He’d break things and throw things, just because he was angry.”

In time, she confided in friends. She started to stand up for herself. And he started to push back. When her husband suspected she was trying to leave, Taya says, he went to the bank to pull all the money out of their account. When she unknowingly arrived at the bank at the same time, things got heated in the parking lot and he struck her in the face before peeling out in his truck. He was charged with partner or family member assault. A protective order was filed against him.

Ben Halverson, the city attorney who handles domestic violence cases, ended up calling her afterward.

“He said this sounds like it is escalating and getting worse,” Taya says. “It reminded him of a case he helped with where a woman was shot by her ex-boyfriend. I remember saying, ‘Not there yet, Ben. I appreciate you taking it seriously but…’”

Taya says her husband broke the restraining order daily, stalking her and harassing her. He’d smash windows and slash her tires.

“It was overwhelming,” she says. “Things were starting to catch up with him and he was starting to face real jail time.”

It all came to a head when Taya was walking into a downtown grocery store. “He had followed me there from work. He ran through the parking lot with an AR-15 rifle pointed at me. It was the scariest thing to look up and see him running toward me.”

She managed to jump in her vehicle and drove straight to the Sheriff’s Office. Sometime shortly after, Ben called her again and

told her to pick up her kids from the Boys and Girls Club, and under no circum stances was she to go home. He told her to check into a hotel and not tell anyone where she was.

When officers couldn’t find the rifle used, Katie brought recorded jailhouse phone calls for Taya to listen to. One was a cryptic message between her husband and his brother about the gun.

“She played the recording and said, “It sounds like they are talking in code. Do you know where this is?’ I said, ‘I know exactly where that is. That’s un derneath my house,’” Taya says. “She went under the house and he had a bunch of stuff under there with the gun — a candle and a sleeping bag. You can tell he stayed the night at least once.” Taya says she can’t bring her self to really think about what might have happened if she had never talked to Ben and instead had gone home after the incident.

“I don’t think we would be alive. I really don’t,” Taya says. “I think he would have killed us and then himself. For Ben to tell me not to go home, I know that saved us.”

Her husband was sentenced to eight years in prison for a combination of offenses against her. Taya is forever grateful that she had Katie to lean on while the whole case was being prosecuted.

“She was such a good sounding board. She just laid out the facts. She didn’t sugar coat anything but was still soft about it,” Taya says. “Her strength, her compassion — I absolutely adore her in every way.”

Since then, Taya became a voice for survivors in the effort to start the Family Justice Center. In February, she was named coordinator of the new center. Now, instead of being served by both Ben

and Katie, she’s working right alongside them.

“I don’t know how else to describe it other than a beautiful situation that I am going to be part of,” Taya says. “I can work with these people that made such an impact on my life during such a dark time.”

The idea of a Family Justice Center came about when Katie learned about the concept at national conferences and training sessions. She says she tries to stay current because otherwise, “It’s just me doing reactive police work and doing the follow-up investigations.”

If you ask prosecutor Ben Halverson, Katie’s work has been anything but reactive.

“She has an ability to see on the ground what the deficiencies are,” he says. She was the one who came to him asking for a change in state law to make strangulation cases a stand-alone felony. Before the change, the law stated a victim needed to verbalize that she felt her life was in danger before an abuser could be charged with aggravated assault.

I DON’T KNOW HOW ELSE TO DESCRIBE IT OTHER THAN A BEAUTIFUL SITUATION THAT I AM GOING TO BE PART OF. I CAN WORK WITH THESE PEOPLE THAT MADE SUCH AN IMPACT ON MY LIFE DURING SUCH A DARK TIME.

“It’s hard and it’s a unique challenge to come in every day and open your heart and open your mind and have the patience and compassion to work one on one with victims and try to get them out of these abusive relationships,” Ben says. “Katie’s ability to connect with victims and her willingness to thoroughly investigate cases from top to bottom — there’s nobody better in all of BPD.”

He admits he’s learned a lot from watching Katie in action.

— Taya Keith

“It was a constant problem that these cases just weren’t being prosecuted,” Ben says. “It was enraging to me that someone could get away with picking a victim up by the neck, pinning her against a wall and if there were no injuries, that would be a misdemeanor? That’s absurd. It’s a complete failure of justice.”

In addition to the change in the law, Katie is now working with both Billings hospitals to get forensically trained nurses to do strangulation exams. She hopes it will strengthen cases and bring about more convictions. She also fought to arm officers with an assessment they can use on the scene of all domestic violence cases.

“She’s the one who got the ball rolling and showed prosecutors and judges that this works,” Ben says. “It’s indicative of who the worst of the worst abusers are. That wouldn’t have happened without her.”

BEN AND KATIE

“It’s not just what this dude did on this particular day,” Ben explains. “It’s how he is all day, every day. Controlling finances isn’t a crime. Owning a firearm isn’t necessarily a crime. Being jealous isn’t a crime, but the more of these factors that are checked off, the more likely it is that this person is at serious risk of re-assault or even homicide.”

He adds that once those assessments are complete, the officer can offer a direct call to the YWCA emergency line.

One of the biggest challenges with domestic violence cases is that victims are not always willing participants in the criminal justice system.

Sgt. Shane Winden is Katie’s supervisor. It never ceases to amaze him that instead of being burnt out on the work, she thrives on working with victims, even if they want nothing to do with her.

“It takes a special kind of person like Katie to understand psychologically what is going on and to continue to dive in and fight it,” Shane says. While a victim might be eager to put her abuser behind bars the night of an attack, he adds, “Within a couple of days, people’s attitudes start to change and victims don’t want to be victims anymore. This is my marriage. We have kids together. I can’t afford to live on my own. I am not willing to help the prosecution despite the fact that I can’t see out of my left eye.”

Katie remembers one victim in particular who she says when they first met, she was public enemy number one.

“Just last Christmas, it wasn’t the first time she had to call 9-1-1. It was scary, scary abuse,” Katie says. The woman suffered physical beatings often in the middle of the night. “I don’t know what

would trigger him, but he would wake up in a rage and just start beating her.”

When Katie met the woman, she was enraged.

“I let her yell at me, that was fine,” Katie says. Her abuser stayed in jail, and while Katie worked through the case with the woman, she was able to reconnect with her adult children. “They told her, ‘Mom, we stayed away because of him and now that he is out of your life, we will be your support system.’ She stayed in text contact with me. She was able to spend the last holiday with her family. She wanted to know if I had a good holiday.”

When Katie began her role, she was the city’s only domestic violence investigator. Two years ago, the police department moved Detective John Tate over to help her. The city prosecutor’s office has also added two more domestic violence prosecutors and additional victim-witness specialists.

“There are more of us now who are pushing the same message,” Ben Halverson says. “She started that battle and others of us have jumped on the train, but her voice leads the way.”

If Katie had one thing she’d want the community to know, it’s this. There are people here willing to help.

“You don’t have to wait for something horrible to happen,” Katie says. “There are people within the police department that you can just come talk to and say, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ That’s something that I have accomplished.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: If you or someone you love is a victim of domestic violence, please see our list of resources on page 65.

KATIE AND TAYA

family justice center Northern Lights

OFFERING DOMESTIC ABUSE SURVIVORS AN ARRAY OF SERVICES UNDER ONE ROOF

written by ED KEMMICK photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

Taya Keith Ellie Stanton

Katie Nash

OFFICER KATIE NASH, who has been with the Billings Police Department’s Domestic Violence Unit since it was started in 2012, began hearing about Family Justice Centers after a few years on the job, mostly at national conferences she attended.

“Every time we would come back from a training,” Katie says, “myself and the city attorney’s office would have the same conversation: Wouldn’t it be nice if we had that here?”

The first Family Justice Center was established in San Diego in 2002, and there are now 150 of them in 45 states and 25 countries. The concept behind them is simple: they serve as a one-stop location where victims of family violence and abuse can get all the help they need from social service agencies, the courts, law enforcement, legal services and shelter providers.

Ben Halverson

City Hall in another downtown building. Katie was talking with City Attorney Gina Dahl about the possibility of opening a Family Justice Center in the new building when City Administrator Chris Kukulski happened by. “So we grabbed him and had him join the conversation,” Katie says.

WITHOUT HER, NONE OF THIS WOULD BE HAPPENING, BECAUSE IT IS A FULL-TIME JOB. ELLIE HAS WORKED WITH SUCH INITIATIVE THAT SHE HAS TAKEN THIS PROJECT BEYOND THE SCOPE THAT I COULD HAVE IMAGINED.

— Katie Nash

In Billings, a turning point came a few years ago, when city leaders were making plans to create a new

Kukulski and Dahl were both supportive and asked Katie to do more research on the concept, figuring out what such a center would look like, how it would function and how it would be funded. It turned out to be a big order, so big, Katie says, that she could no longer work on the Family Justice Center while doing her police work.

Help came in the form of Ellie Stanton, a recent college graduate in Colorado who applied for an AmeriCorps position charged with helping the city of Billings get its own Family Justice Center. Ellie started her one-year term with the city in mid-February 2023.

“Without her, none of this would be happening, because it is a full-time job,” Katie says. “Ellie has worked with such initiative that she has taken this project beyond the scope that I could have imagined.”

Ellie, who comes “from a long line of survivors of domestic violence and sexual violence” and is passionately interested in the issue, says she began her new job by sending an email to every single person listed in a resource handbook published by the Billings Area Family Violence Task Force. There were at least 100 people, she says, and after two or three weeks of meeting with as many of them as possible, “the answer was yes, everybody wants all these services in one place.”

Ellie says she was warned at the outset that she would face obstacles based on turf wars between agencies, city-county differences, clashing egos, even red-blue divisions. But she operates on the “golden-nugget principle,” believing that everyone has a nugget of experience, resources or ideas that can move a project forward.

As it turned out, she says, everybody wanted was best for domestic violence survivors.

“We may have different opinions on how we support them,” she says, “but it seems like the Family Justice Center is the common answer for everyone.”

of a few weeks in January, the decision was made to open a Family Justice Center in the old Gateway House shelter on the YWCA Billings campus on Wyoming Avenue, and to hire Taya Keith, herself a survivor of family violence, as the FJC coordinator.

Around the same time, a name was also chosen for the new facility. It will be known as Northern Lights: Family Justice Center. By late spring, as part of a “start-small” plan, a key handful of people hope to have the beginnings of Northern Lights up and running in the YWCA’s administration building while renovations begin on the old Gateway building.

WE MAY HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON HOW WE SUPPORT THEM, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THE FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER IS THE COMMON ANSWER FOR EVERYONE.

— Ellie Stanton

The process got another boost when the City Council allocated money that allowed the city to contract with the Family Justice Center Alliance, which came to Billings for a two-day site visit in June 2023, and then a two-day strategic planning conference last September. Leading that conference was Casey Gwinn, the former San Diego city attorney who opened the first FJC in 2002 and later co-founded and now heads the alliance.

Since then, the project has gathered steam so quickly that even the people involved in it are still a little amazed. Within the space

Erin Lambert, CEO of the YWCA, says that if all goes well, the center could be ready to move into the 10,000-square-foot Gateway building in about a year. Some agencies are already cooperating in the effort to help survivors of domestic abuse, Erin says, but a fully functioning FJC will be something else entirely.

“I’m thinking of what it means to bring other partners in that haven’t already been doing this work,” she says. “I think that has an opportunity to be a game changer.”

That view is shared by Taya, the FJC coordinator. When she was subjected to domestic violence in 2016, the ordeal was made worse by the feeling that she was all alone. She’ll never forget going to the Yellowstone County Courthouse in hopes of obtaining a restraining order against her then-husband.

“I went to the courthouse and it was really, really sad,” she says. “I was given paperwork, and it was kind of a dark room and they said, ‘Here, fill out this packet.’ And I sat by myself, balling my eyes out, not knowing how or what or any of it. Just so alone and scared and sad.”

Taya was drawn into the Family Justice Center planning effort early in 2023, when Ellie called and, knowing what Taya had been

CASEY GWINN/FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER ALLIANCE

through, asked her to be on a Voices Committee, a group of survivors who could bring their real-world experiences to the planning process. Taya, already committed to helping people survive abuse, didn’t hesitate.

“I’m at work, and I said, ‘Absolutely. Yep. Whatever I can do.’”

Taya became so involved in the process that Ellie, early this year, encouraged her to apply for the coordinator position. Taya had assumed the coordinator would be a part-time volunteer, but Ellie told her no, it would be a paid, full-time position. After some more discussion, Taya decided to go for it.

“I mean, I’m so passionate about it, I don’t know how I couldn’t,” Taya says, adding that she’s always believed that “as long as you’re passionate about something, you’ll figure the rest out.”

Ben Halverson will be among the first people working at Northern Lights. He has been a city prosecutor for 11 years and the city’s domestic violence prosecutor for nine of them. He was alone in that division until a couple of years ago, when two more prosecutors were hired. They work closely with three victim witness specialists who gather information and interact daily with survivors.

Ben has watched as domestic violence went from a steady stream to a flood. In 2015, the city attorney’s office handled about 600 DV cases. In 2020, the first year of the Covid pandemic, the number doubled. The number has since leveled off to just over 1,000 cases a year. And the city handles only misdemeanors. Felonies are dealt with by the county attorney’s office.

In his profession, Ben says, it is a given that most domestic abusers are going to re-offend. “It’s just a matter of when, and how severe it is,” he says. That’s why putting abusers in prison shouldn’t be the only goal.

“Convicting domestic abusers is not enough, right?” he says. “Because like I said, most of them are going to re-offend. It’s trying to get victims out of those relationships permanently. … It’s geared toward victims and their kids, so they can get out and not experience that same exact thing over and over again.”

THE YWCA’S NEW SHELTER, WITH 25 STUDIO APARTMENTS, OPENED IN APRIL 2023.

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVED THERE, EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF “SHELTER NIGHTS,” IS ON TRACK TO DOUBLE THIS FISCAL YEAR, TO AROUND

16,000

What makes a Family Justice Center so crucial, Ben says, is that “so many victims have a negative experience with law enforcement, for whatever reason, whether it’s a real slight or perceived.” That makes them wary of working with police or prosecutors, even unwilling to report abuse.

Victims are also at or near the limit for what they can tolerate, he says, both in terms of stress and the difficulty of going back and forth between multiple agencies in search of help. You can keep asking survivors to do everything they can to improve their situation, Ben says, “but if it’s one thing too many, they’re going to completely withdraw from the process.”

As part of the “start small” plan, Ben says, he and the other members of his team will work on rotation at the new Northern Lights, as will Katie Nash and John Tate, the police officers assigned to the Domestic Violence Unit. Katie says a county clerk will probably be there as well, to help file for orders of protection and other documents.

Other services will be added as the program slowly grows and then moves into the Gateway building. Other likely partners will be civil legal service providers, the Human Resources Development Council, child services and Native American specialists.

The City Council has already allocated $200,000 a year to run the center, plus $50,000 to help fund the coordinator position. County Attorney Scott Twito has pledged to look for funding through

the county, and a funding sustainability working group will pursue grants and private donations.

Erin, with the YWCA, says the federal Office of Violence Against Women is another big potential funder. That agency could provide a city the size of Billings with $500,000 over four years to operate a Family Justice Center, she says. “It would certainly be a huge boost if we could tap into that funding,” she says.

The Gateway House, which offered dorm-style shelter with individual sleeping areas and shared bathrooms and a kitchen, was closed partly because Covid made shared spaces unsafe and partly because of changes in standards of care, Erin says. The YWCA’s new shelter, with 25 studio apartments, opened in April 2023. The number of people served there, expressed in terms of “shelter nights,” is on track to double this fiscal year, to around 16,000.

Erin says opening Northern Lights “is potentially going to open the floodgates of people who are seeking help, and the YWCA is already at capacity for those we can help.” That means the YWCA will have to undertake its own fundraising to provide enough shelter space and to hire more people.

One of the big hopes for all involved is that having a Family Justice Center, because of its size and the involvement of so many public entities, will greatly increase public awareness, and awareness among survivors of family violence.

We’re Here. We Believe You. You Have Options.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking, YWCA Billings can help. Call 406-245-4472 | Text 406-702-0229

909 Wyoming Ave | 406-252-6303 | ywcabillings.org

“It needs to be something so big and bright,” Taya says. “I just want it to be beautiful, somewhere where someone feels so safe, and at home themselves, that even after they come in as a victim, they want to come back and volunteer and do whatever they can because they know the support is needed.”

Casey Gwinn, head of the Family Justice Center Alliance, says Billings will be the first Montana city to have an FJC, and Missoula has begun the process of starting one there. It’s never simple, he says, given that most agencies, so accustomed to working on their own, are reluctant to pool their resources.

“When it works, it’s magic,” he says. “It’s just hard to get people there.”

When he first proposed a Family Justice Center in 1990, as pres-

ERIN LAMBERT STANDS IN WHAT WILL SOON BE THE FAMILY JUSTICE CENTER

ident of the San Diego Domestic Violence Council, Gwinn says, he was basically laughed at by prosecutors and law enforcement personnel. But then he ran successfully for city attorney by promising to push for such a center, which opened its doors in 2002.

It apparently was an idea whose time had come. Three months after the first FJC opened, Gwinn was invited to be on the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” and in 2003 he was invited to the White House when President George W. Bush proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Bush also directed $20 million toward starting other FJCs, and named Gwinn to head the President’s Family Justice Center Initiative.

In a phone interview from San Diego, Gwinn said he was thrilled to hear that Billings was on the verge of opening a center, and that it would be headed by a survivor of family violence.

“I think that’s great,” he said. “It’s not terribly common, but when it does happen, I’m so supportive.”

Katie says she often repeats something that she heard from Gwinn and his associates, that a Family Justice center offers “a hallway full of practitioners,” rather than “a wall of brochures.”

“I think this will make the system a little less awful,” Katie says. “I don’t know that the criminal justice system will ever by victim-friendly, but at least they’ll find people who can say, ‘We’ll walk you through this. It won’t be fun, but we’ll walk you through to the other side.’ I hope it will be a big deal.”✻

It was all about and manipulation control

BILLINGS WOMAN PICKS UP THE PIECES AFTER LOSING HER HOME

written by JULIE KOERBER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

SLEDGEHAMMER MARKS IN every door and wall. An axe taken to a vintage bike. Blood-soaked floors from spoiled meat thrown all over the garage. Floorboards stained after an entire closet of clothes was soaked in urine.

On the walls of her 20-month-old son’s bedroom, scrawled in black spray paint, were the words, “You Broke My Heart.”

This is what April Deines came home to on May 27, 2023.

If you ask April what prompted the destruction, she says she remembers the words of her now ex-husband: “He said, ‘What is this? You are filing for divorce?’”

April says what happened next felt surreal.

“He said, ‘If you leave right now, I am going to smash every window in your car.’ Something about it — there was no light in his eyes,” she says. “They were black. There was nothing. At that instant, I just knew something was different.”

When she opened the door to their garage, she could hear air coming out of one of her tires.

“I didn’t stop,” April says. “I went around to the back of the car and put my son on my lap. He had already smashed my front windshield. There was glass everywhere.”

She says she slammed her car in reverse and took off down the canyon road leading into town. Her home was so remote that there was no cell service.

“It was a long way from 9-1-1,” April says. “When I fled, all I took was essentially my go-bag, which was a diaper bag which had a few hundred dollars, my gun, and diapers and that was it.” April

says her husband had taken her cell phone wallet, so she had no phone, no driver’s license, and no credit cards.

She managed to make it to a gas station, driving her car with one tire on the rim before calling a friend and 9-1-1.

When she was able to come back to gather some belongings a few days later, she says, she was escorted by a sheriff’s deputy.

“The deputy that accompanied me warned me that the house was destroyed, and it was some of the worst he had seen in an attempt to prepare me,” April said later in a Facebook post.

She posted a handful of pictures showing the damage. That post garnered more than 8,500 comments and 17,000 shares. The images were both powerful and heartbreaking.

“I went through and picked up a box and a half of salvageable stuff, but he pretty much destroyed everything that was mine,” April says. “I was just in shock.”

What was perhaps the biggest shock was the fact that none of it was a crime.

“Nothing he did was illegal,” April says. “He was on the deed and we were married. He can do anything he wants to his property. It was a civil matter.” She adds, “Because I had the foresight to grab my son and run, we were not present for any of that. We weren’t injured, so he didn’t break any laws.”

Four years earlier, April says, the relationship had begun in an almost storybook fashion. After meeting online, the couple got engaged at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It was always a dream of April’s to climb it. She never expected a marriage proposal but, at the time, it felt like the icing on the cake.

The two were married in February of 2020.

“It was the highest of highs to the lowest of lows,” April says.

Over the years, she says, there were red flags in their relationship. First, there was the whitewater rafting trip in Gardiner.

“A kid doored my car and he lost his shit on this kid,” April says. “The police were called, and my husband had said his family had assaulted him and he went for his gun. That was what I was told.” After filing a Freedom of Information Act request, April says, “It turned out he was the one who assaulted the kid. They were a family from out of state and they didn’t want to press charges because they were just on vacation.”

April says what came next was another red flag.

“He started yelling at me, telling me that it was all my fault, and I was just a stupid bitch,” she says. “My friend was like, ‘You will not talk to her like that,’ and he just lost it.”

“It was all about manipulation and control,” April says.

What April describes is known as “coercive control,” a form of abuse that involves the use of threats, humiliation or intimidation to frighten a victim. It’s estimated that 60 to 80 percent of domestic abuse survivors experience some form of coercive control.

THE THING THAT SURPRISED ME WAS HOW MANY OTHER WOMEN THAT I HAVE MET AND INTERACTED WITH THAT HAD SIMILAR STORIES AND MORE SEVERE STORIES THAN EVEN MINE. THAT WAS THE REAL EYE-OPENER FOR ME.

— April Deines

She says he didn’t talk to her for weeks and, instead, locked himself in his gun room for weeks on end.

“He’d be gone when I came home from work. He’d make his presence known though,” April says. “There were dirty clothes in the living room. Pots and pans, just as big of a mess that he could make. I wouldn’t see him, but I’d feel his presence. He’d come home after I went to bed and the cycle would continue for weeks. It was a real mental game.”

It was a game, she says, that happened over and over in their relationship.

“The thing that surprised me was how many other women that I have met and interacted with that had similar stories and more severe stories than even mine,” April says. “That was the real eye-opener for me.”

She’s also come to understand how hard it is to leave.

“I think the devil you know is a lot easier than the unknown,” she says. “Do you go out on your own with no money, no friends, no resources? Or do you go back home where at least you know you have a bed to sleep in?” April adds, “Even if a victim confides in a friend, they might say well, that can’t be, he’s always so nice. They kind of reinforce that you are the crazy one.”

As she looks back to May of 2023, she says, “My saving grace was him destroying the house. When I saw the house, it was crystal clear. You can’t do all that damage to your child’s room and your family’s house and then make an apologetic call and think that everything is going to be OK.”

In the months to come, friends would create a GoFundMe account that ended up raising $25,619 to help her rebuild, since insurance didn’t cover any of the damage. April says a builder helped fix the drywall. Her friends held a painting party. But, perhaps one of the most emotional gifts came in the form of a comforter for her son.

“There is a girl who lives in the YWCA apartments. She was a survivor. She messaged me on Facebook, and she said, ‘Hey, I saw your post. I have a few things for you, a comforter for your son and a teddy bear. When you get a chance, come by and pick it up.’”

She gets emotional even sharing the story today.

“She was living there because her husband or boyfriend had killed their toddler. Talk about putting some things in perspective,” April says as she wipes a tear. “She lost everything, and at the time, I still had my job. I still had friends and family and a house, even though I couldn’t live there. But yet, here is this girl who lost her child because of domestic violence and she’s giving me a comforter? It was pretty awe-inspiring.”

Today, the house has been rehabbed and April put it on the market. While she was cleaning it out, she counted 30 firearms stocked in her husband’s gun room. She never knew he had that many. She currently has a protective order against him and in March he’s set for trial for violating it. She says he’s ordered to keep a distance of 1,500 feet, “because of his gun knowledge.”

April is no longer a commercial banker. She’s looking for a new place to stay and looking at life with a new lens of opportunity. She’s sharing her story in the hope of encouraging even one woman to leave her abuse behind.

“I’ve come a long way,” April says. “I can now say I am a survivor.” Even today, however, she wonders what might have happened if she had stayed.

“Would I have been a news story as opposed to a Facebook post?” she says. “I wrestle with that a lot.” ✻

EDITOR'S NOTE: Because April's husband wasn't charged with any crime other than violating a protective order, YVW used April's maiden name and chose not to name him in the story.

COERCIVE CONTROL

ABUSE HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

Coercive control is an act or a pattern of acts of assault, threats, humiliation and intimidation or other abuse that is used to harm, punish, or frighten their victim.

SOME EXAMPLES INCLUDE:

☛ Isolating the victim from friends or family

☛ Controlling what the victim eats, wears or does

☛ Controlling who the victim can see or spend time with

☛ Preventing the victim from accessing support

☛ Monitoring the victim’s behavior online or tracking their movements through their car or phone

The Dark

The Dark

THE HOLD OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON OUR COMMUNITY Truth

Truth

THE HOLD OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON OUR COMMUNITY

WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE? Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of

WHAT IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE? Domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of

power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats, and emotional abuse. ✻

power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another. It includes physical violence, sexual violence, threats, and emotional abuse. ✻

SINCE 2018, THE NUMBER OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES IN BILLINGS

SINCE 2018, THE NUMBER OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES IN BILLINGS

39% HAVE INCREASED BY

39% HAVE INCREASED BY

1 IN 4 WOMEN and 1 IN 9 MEN

1 IN 4 WOMEN and 1 IN 9 MEN IN THE U.S. HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME FORM OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

IN THE U.S. HAVE EXPERIENCED SOME FORM OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

37 %

37 %

826 CASES IN 2023, THERE WERE

OF VIOLENT CRIME IN BILLINGS

OF VIOLENT CRIME IN BILLINGS

THAT SAME YEAR WITNESSED 1,100 CASES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

THAT SAME YEAR WITNESSED 1,100 CASES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

33%

33%

826 CASES IN 2023, THERE WERE MORE CASES THAN ALL VIOLENT CRIMES COMBINED IN THE CITY

MORE CASES THAN ALL VIOLENT CRIMES COMBINED IN THE CITY

OF MONTANA WOMEN OF MONTANA MEN

35%

35%

OF MONTANA WOMEN OF MONTANA MEN

EXPERIENCE INTIMATE PARTNER PHYSICAL VIOLENCE, SEXUAL VIOLENCE OR STALKING IN THEIR LIFETIMES

EXPERIENCE INTIMATE PARTNER PHYSICAL VIOLENCE, SEXUAL VIOLENCE OR STALKING IN THEIR LIFETIMES

2/3

2/3

OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INCIDENTS GO UNREPORTED

NUMBER OF INTIMATE PARTNER HOMICIDES IN MONTANA FROM 2000-2021:

NUMBER OF INTIMATE PARTNER HOMICIDES IN MONTANA FROM 2000-2021:

OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INCIDENTS GO UNREPORTED 248

248

SOURCE: BILLINGS AREA FAMILY VIOLENCE TASK FORCE

SOURCE: BILLINGS AREA FAMILY VIOLENCE TASK FORCE

ON AVERAGE, NEARLY 20 PEOPLE PER MINUTE ARE PHYSICALLY ABUSED BY AN INTIMATE PARTNER IN THE UNITED STATES

INTIMATE PARTNER IN THE UNITED STATES

THE

OF A

IN A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATION

THE PRESENCE OF A GUN IN A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATION INCREASES THE RISK OF HOMICIDE BY

1 in 15

CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE EACH YEAR

RED FLAGS WHERE TO GO FOR HELP HELP

FOR ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR

Telling you that you never do anything right

Showing extreme jealousy of your friends or time spent away

Discouraging you from spending time with others, isolation

Insulting, demeaning or shaming you, especially in front of other people

Preventing you from making your own decisions

Controlling your finances in the household without discussion, such as taking money or refusing to provide you money for necessary expenses

Pressuring you for sex or to perform acts you are not comfortable with

Pressuring you to use drugs or alcohol

Intimidation with threatening looks or actions

Destroying your belongings or your home

Threatening to harm your children or pets

Intimidating you with weapons like guns, knives, bats or mace

YWCA

909 Wyoming Ave | ywcabillings.org

909 Wyoming Ave | ywcabillings.org

Helpline: (406) 245-4472

Helpline: (406) 245-4472

Textline: (406) 702-0229

Textline: (406) 702-0229

NATIONAL

NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HELPLINE

(800) 799-7233

(800) 799-7233

STRONGHEARTS

STRONGHEARTS

(844) 762-8483 ANGELA’S

420

| (406)

Gabrielle DeNio

Lisa Cetrone

Maria Dinkel

Family Violence Task Force

PROVIDING DECADES OF AID AND AWARENESS

written by ED KEMMICK photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

FOR 35 YEARS, the Billings Area Family Violence Task Force has been committed to reducing family violence, coordinating community services to provide help for victims of that violence, and educating the public about a phenomenon that is difficult to talk about, but all too widespread.

“Our goal with the task force is to remind people that domestic violence is a serious situation, that it does exist, that it’s not what happens behind closed doors,” says task force Chair Lisa Cetrone, who has been with the group since 1995. “It needs to be public.”

The task force was established a year after the 1989 murder of Dr. Isabel McGuire and her two children, Katherine and Jennifer, by Isabel’s second husband, Dr. Chris Dennis, who killed himself two days later. Concerned friends and associates, hoping to draw attention to the seriousness of the subject, organized the first McGuire Memorial Conference on Family Violence in May 1990.

To build on the groundwork laid by the conference, the task force was established later that year. The group continues to organize the annual McGuire conference, as well as providing a speakers bureau and other forms of educational outreach. On its website and through printed materials, the task force provides an exhaustive list of victim-service providers and educational resources.

Task force member Gabrielle DeNio says an important aspect of the group’s work is validating the experiences of survivors of domestic abuse.

“Believing these victims and then empowering them is absolutely imperative,” Gabrielle says. “That’s what I feel the task force does. The information that the task force is able to provide them empowers them to take control of a situation that has been out of control for so long, and to not put themselves back in that situation.”

Gabrielle, who’s been with the Billings Police Department for 11 years, is a patrol officer who works overtime shifts for the department’s Domestic Violence Unit, working for investigating officers Katie Nash and John Tate.

Having lived through domestic violence in her own family and then witnessing it “on virtually every shift as a patrol officer,” Gabrielle says, she was drawn to the task force because she saw that it “offers that glimmer of hope.”

Another task force member, Maria Dinkel, brings an especially wide range of experiences to the group, which she joined in 2005. Herself the survivor of horrifying family violence, Maria has also worked at Passages, a community-based women’s correctional facility, as coordinator of the parenting program at the Women’s

Prison and, for the past six years, as a victim liaison with the state Probation and Parole Division, all in Billings.

What she has learned, she says, is that women who are victims of family violence often become offenders themselves and then are re-victimized, as for instance by being coerced into prostitution and human trafficking.

“I want to hold offenders accountable,” she says, “but I want to help them see that they can turn things around and do something with their lives, be successful.”

The annual McGuire conference aims for a different focus each year, bringing attention to previously neglected facets of family violence. A few years ago, prodded by Maria, the conference focused on human trafficking. Last year, for the first time, three victims of family violence, including a survivor of teen-dating violence, addressed attendees.

This year’s 35th Annual McGuire Conference will focus on the trauma suffered by everyone who comes into contact with family violence, including children, police officers, emergency medical technicians and even neighbors of families affected by domestic violence.

Last year’s conference also featured addresses by Officer Katie Nash and VISTA member Ellie Stanton, two of the main organizers of the Family Justice Center, a one-stop facility for survivors of family violence that could be open as early as this spring on the campus of the Billings YWCA.

Lisa says the task force “supports the Family Justice Center 100 percent.” The only thing standing in the way of the same kind of acceptance from the community at large is a lack of awareness, she says.

“It’s going to take time and there’s going to be a lot of work to it, but once it gets going, I think people will be able to embrace it,” she says.

Gabrielle, for her part, says she’s excited that Billings will be the first city in Montana with a Family Justice Center.

“We have not found something that truly works,” she says. “Our stats are still the same, or getting worse. And maybe in Billings, Montana, we find something that works. … Maybe we can make a difference.” ✻

LEARN

written by KAREN GROSZ

FLING HELP AROUND LIKE

Glitter

GLITTER is not welcome in our house. I don’t like it in my fingernail polish, on birthday cards, or even on Christmas ornaments. It is not because I am a fastidious housekeeper — far from it. Our home looks lived in. I just don’t need glitter to sparkle and shine, lighting the way to dust that is well past its season. (The red glitter on the table at Easter really should have been dealt with in February.) I know some of you fling glitter hither and yon, letting it add gaiety to your everyday occurrences, and pomp to your circumstances.

That’s what I do with help. I find that I am addicted to helping others. I like to open doors, provide meals, give advice — oh, my advice — much of which I get to charge for as a life and business coach. Recently, I went to lunch with a young mom, Kassi Strong, who, as the program director for Rocky Mountain Women’s Business Center, does great things for businesswomen around our state.

We talked, among other things, about potty training her toddler, and offering my helpful advice was a huge treat for me. (Elders love to pass on our wisdom!) I’ve donated time and money to causes right and left, up and down, and have a new goal to set up a scholarship for women who, like me, no one believed were intelligent enough to make a difference. I’m not quite sure how to word that application, but I’ll figure it out.

As I’ve added my glitter-free sparkle to the world, I’ve noticed that most of us don’t know how to help. Most people are just like me, doing what we can, when we can, but always wondering if we did the right thing in the right way. So, I am going to offer you some of my free advice, which, as they say, may be worth what you paid for it, but I am hoping it has a little more value.

My three favorite ways to “help” the world and those around us: money, time, things.

The first is philanthropic, planned giving. It’s all well and good, necessary even, and I am glad you are doing it, if you are. If you aren’t, talk to your CPA or financial adviser, and they will help you get started. That said, if that is all you do, I am going to tell you it’s not enough, which brings me to my second way to help: time.

Nick Enslow gave a powerful TEDx speech in October, titled “Building Generational Wealth in Our Youth,” which discusses how we should think of children, specifically mentoring children, as our greatest investment. I agree, and I hope you will watch his speech because mentoring teens has become my greatest work.

Another example of helping with time happened when my brother committed suicide. We received casseroles, phone

calls and monetary gifts, all of which were appreciated, but what I look back on as the most helpful were the people who simply sat with us. They gave us time and space to remember, to grieve, to heal. Those moments ranged from 10-minute calls to an entire, unplanned afternoon and evening sitting together. The most precious thing we have to give is the thing people value the most, our time. It may be reading a book to children in the park with Kelly McCandless and the Education Foundation or reaching out to a phone buddy through Big Sky Senior Services. Time does not cost anything, but its value is priceless.

MY THREE FAVORITE WAYS TO “ help”THE WORLD AND THOSE AROUND US: MONEY, TIME, THINGS.

KAREN GROSZ

I’ve talked about it before: the I’ll Help Page on Facebook, where thousands of Billings residents ask for and give help. The actions on that page are so beautiful that I end up in tears if I immerse myself in it. The shampoo you didn’t like is the shampoo someone can’t afford to buy, and clean hair might make the difference in landing the job they are interviewing for tomorrow.

I have seen a few stingy givers (do this, and I’ll give you that) and sticky takers (I’ll take everything I can get). There are also do-gooders who only do good with a camera in their hand, which is just sad. Mostly, what I have learned from that page is empathy and that offering help should come with delivery. If you want to help someone with a bottle of shampoo, but they have to drive across town and arrive at a specific time to receive that help, that help costs more than it’s worth. Still, the item you are tired of dusting, possibly because of its glitter content, could change another person’s reality. The other thing the page has taught me to do is make a BIG gesture.

A big gesture for me has meant friends and I pooling our money, our resources, our knowledge, to give an unknown stranger a real and dramatic hand up. This year, as I handed our recipient the first envelope of cash, he cried. The second envelope contained substantially more and he said, “I can get my children into a home now.” And the final envelope was when he said, “Who can I help with this?” Who can I help? Beautiful.

It is in our nature to help, to root for the underdog, to make a difference to our fellow humans. And, really, you can’t do it in a way that is not right. Well. The camera in their face is not very nice. But, giving someone your time, your skills, your love, is never wrong.

Right now, my Canvas Creek team and I are working in high schools with a process called Figure It Out. During a Figure It Out, they develop a Leadership Solution to a problem in their school community. They ask, and I think these will be great questions for you,

Who do we want to help?

Why do we want to help them?

When will we do this?

Do we need permission?

Is there a cost?

Most importantly, who can assist us with this solution?

Students have come up with both simple and complex solutions, which they implement themselves. They are part of the solution, and that is what helping should be about.

Then, we talk to them about empathy. I think that can be built by asking the most overlooked question, “What do you need?” Often, we judge others needs by our standards when our standards are unfair to their situation. Recently, a homeless mom told one of my friends, “My kids would like a bag of oranges.” Oranges. I would not have guessed that, but it was a need easily met. Next, what can WE do? I have never offered someone help that didn’t want to be part of the solution or to help the next person. What can we do, together? It’s a beautiful question.

The best question is: How can I help? You might feel underqualified, time-starved, broke and disillusioned, but I promise you, there is someone out there who would be thrilled to have a moment of your time, your advice, your help, especially if they are already busy helping. Follow their lead, and go spread a little helpful glitter around our amazing hometown. Just don’t send me a glitter bomb to celebrate the joy you feel. Please. ✻

written by BRITTANY COOPER

Business Business Down to

As an employer, I search resumes on the website Indeed for qualified candidates to fill my open roles. Usually, I find people who are currently employed, and if their resume is up to date, I reach out and start a conversation. Last week I came across the resume of my own long-time employee. What do I do? I’ve heard about “quiet quitting,” and my business will sink if people stick around but are disengaged.

That’s an excellent question and the answer requires a bit of context. Let’s assume this person is a good employee or else she wouldn’t have been working for you for so long. I also imagine this person doesn’t complain much or you would already know her grievances. Given those assumptions, there is only one thing you can do: have a conversation.

But more importantly, you must start the dialogue while being open-minded, humble and curious. Above all, don’t get defensive, and ask lots of questions. Keep in mind, their active resume on Indeed may have nothing to do with you as an employer, or it might have everything to do with you, but wouldn’t you rather know? The best action is transparency. Start with: “Hey, you know we’re looking to hire

HELPING SOLVE YOUR WORKPLACE

some new people, and I came across your current resume on Indeed. I would love to hear what has you considering a change.”

You can’t address what you’re not aware of, so truly listen, even if it’s difficult. Maybe they want more pay, a more flexible schedule, or new challenges. Maybe you’re a jerk to work for or they struggle with a colleague. Maybe there is nothing you can do to keep them happy. However, if you ask for their opinion on what the solution looks like, you might be surprised at what you can do. And if you come up with a compromise you might just have yourself a lifelong loyal employee who champions your company. Win-win. ✻

BRITTANY COOPER, writer

Dear Britt,

Business

Summer at the YAM 2024

Summer Art Academy Camp

June 3 – 7 & June 10 – 14 | Ages 7 – 14

Young artists learn from professional artists in small groups on the campus of Rocky Mountain College.

Summer Art Studio Classes

June 20 & 27, July 11 & 18 | 10 am – 12 pm & 1 – 3 pm | Ages 5 – 12

At these Thursday classes, you can tour, explore, and learn to create art. Every week focuses on a different exhibition and technique.

YAM Camp

July 22 – 26 for ages 6 – 8 | July 29 – August 2 for ages 9 – 12

Young artists spend a week at the YAM creating art, exploring the galleries, and making friends.

WORKPLACE WOES Tracy W. Hawbaker AWMA®, CTFA

DO YOU HAVE A WORKPLACE WOE YOU’D LIKE HELP WORKING THOUGH? Ask Britt. You can share your question with us by

401 North 27th Street, Billings, MT 59101

For more information and to register for camps scan the QR code or visit artmuseum.org.

Business SERVICE | EXPERIENCE | COMMITMENT 406-259-4939 | 180 S 32nd St. W., Ste 1, Billings | www.cladisadvisory.com

Contact us for your complimentary consultation to see if we are a fit to help you achieve your financial goals.

71 MARCH/APRIL 2024

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Meet Athletic Meet Athletic

Angelo Angelo Angelo

THIS ADOPTABLE KID HASN’T MET A SPORT

written by JULIE KOERBER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN heart gallery

IF YOU WANT TO TALK SPORTS,

12-year-old Angelo is your guy. Asked about some of his favorite things in life, his eyes light up with one simple word, football.

After playing for his junior high, he not only loves playing the game in real life but also cueing up a little Madden 24 to

play virtually. No matter how he enjoys the game, he loves talking about it.

“I’m a running back,” Angelo says with a smile. “It’s fun and I love to juke people out.”

Dawn Bushard, his social worker, sat close by nodding, and she adds that a running back is the perfect position for Angelo because he’s pretty fast.

“My football team is the Packers,” he says, though he’ll also be the first to tell you that he’ll watch any game, any time. He had a lot of admiration for the Kansas City Chiefs this season. “They have Patrick Mahomes, obviously. Travis Kelce is learning a secret way of communicating with Mahomes and also Rashee Rice. They are using secret signals.”

While football is a love, Angelo also plays baseball — he’s an outfielder — and loves playing point guard in basketball. Dawn says if Angelo had his way, he’d play sports year round.

“He’s also adventurous. He could be a little bit of an adrenaline junkie,” she says.

When it comes to a family, Angelo has had some time to think about what he wants most. He’d love to stay in Billings so he could be close to his two sisters, who are also in foster care.

“I’d love a mom and a dad that I can trust and feel like I’m at home,” he says. “I also like to explore.”

When asked if there was anything else he’d love for a family to know about him, he puts on a big smile and says, “I’m pretty good at art and I also like to dress nice.”

“He’s creative,” Dawn says. “He’s social. He loves animals. I think they are therapeutic for him. He’s a great kid. He was just dealt a bad hand in life. He deserves a family and he’s ready for one.” ✻

Angelo Angelo Angelo

While Angelo needs 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 fosteradoptive home must undergo 18 hours of mandatory training to learn what it takes to become a successful foster family.

written by KAY ERICKSON photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

Brunch Let’s Celebrate Brunch Brunch with

THIS MID-MORNING MEAL IS PERFECT FOR ANY FESTIVITY

A CELEBRATION OF FOOD. That’s my definition for brunch. While Merriam-Webster might define it as a late morning meal sandwiched between breakfast and lunch, I see it as a way to savor a meal with friends or family.

This meal might seem complex, a full spread if you will. For me, it all boils down to basics — eggs, bread, fruit and salad.

Quiche Lorraine is the perfect egg dish, sophisticated and tasty.

For bread, Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins have a lovely, fresh lemony flavor that is elevated with the addition of Fiori di Sicilia.

For fruit I like the rainbow of color from skewers of strawberries, diced pineapple, kiwi, red seedless grapes, melon and blueberries.

A salad? My Aunt Anne’s Nameless Salad is cool and fruity.

For a libation I like a Bellini, which I make with Prosecco and a scoop of a sorbet that can be raspberry, lemon or another flavor that fits the party theme (or what you can find in the cooler of your favorite grocery store). If you’re looking for a non-alcoholic beverage, try Hibiscus Tea Lemonade.

So, plan a celebration, pick a date and develop your grocery list. Time for a food celebration. Let’s meet for brunch!

Enjoy! ✻

lemon poppy seed muffins

½ c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled (1 stick)

1 c. sugar

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

½ c. milk plus 2 Tbs

1½ c. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

¼ t. salt

1 lemon

2 t. poppy seeds

¼ t. Fiori di Sicilia

Turbinado sugar

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Zest the lemon (you should get about 1 Tbs of zest). Juice the lemon and reserve (you should get about 3 Tbs of juice).

Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, poppy seeds and salt in a large bowl and whisk together.

In a separate bowl, mix the butter, milk, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and Fiori di Sicilia.

Make a hole in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula or fork just until blended.

With a standard ice-cream scoop or large spoon, scoop batter into the prepared cups, filling them three-quarters of the way full. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes to get a nice peak on them. Turn the temperature down to 350 degrees and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer until toothpick comes out clean.

NOTE: If you can’t find Fiori de Sicilia you can omit it, but it adds such a subtle floral note to the muffins. Zest in downtown Billings has carried this in the past and you can order it online from King Arthur Baking Company.

To make Lemon Raspberry Muffins, eliminate the poppy seeds and add six ounces of fresh raspberries after blending the wet and dry ingredients.

cinnamon twists

1 can (10 biscuits) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1/3 c. granulated sugar

¾ t. cinnamon

½ stick (4 oz) melted butter

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray parchment paper with cooking spray and set aside.

Mix the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

Separate the biscuit dough into individual biscuits. Roll each into a 12-inch pencil-like strip. Dip in melted butter and roll in cinnamon sugar. Fold each strip in half and twist. Put on the lined cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes until golden. Makes 10. These are best served warm.

aunt anne’s nameless salad

2 pkgs (3 oz. each) lemon Jell-O

2/3 c. cinnamon hearts (Red Hots)

2 c. boiling water

3 c. apple sauce

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese

1/3 c. mayonnaise

½ c. coarsely chopped toasted nuts (I prefer pecans)

½ c. diced celery

DIRECTIONS: Dissolve the cinnamon hearts in the boiling water. Add lemon Jell-O and stir until dissolved. Add the apple sauce and mix well.

quiche lorraine

1 9- or 10-inch deep-dish frozen pie crust

4-5 slices of thick bacon (5-6 slices if bacon is thin)

1 c. shredded Swiss cheese (about 4 oz)

1/2 c. onion, diced

4 large eggs

2 c. heavy cream or half and half

½ t. kosher salt

¼ t. nutmeg

¼ t. cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Defrost pie shell for 10 minutes. Prebake pie shell for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Put ½ (about 3 cups) of the mixture in a square 9 x 9” cake pan — glass or metal — that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray for easier removal. Place in refrigerator until set.

In a small mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and mayo. Mix in the chopped nuts and diced celery. Mix well.

After the Jell-O mixture is firm, spoon the cream cheese mixture over the Jell-O layer, being careful not to disturb the Jell-O layer. Be sure to spread evenly over the bottom layer and to the sides of the pan.

Pour the remaining Jell-O mixture over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight until completely firm.

Loosen sides with wet knife. Cut into squares and serve.

Fry bacon in a skillet until crisp. Drain the bacon well and crumble. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Sauté onion until soft. Sprinkle grated Swiss cheese over the bottom of the pie shell. Add the crumbled bacon and onion.

Beat the eggs and salt, nutmeg and cayenne pepper. Add cream and mix well. Pour into pie shell. (Place pie pan on a cookie sheet to catch any overflow.)

Bake 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 300 degrees and bake 30 to 40 minutes longer or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve in wedges.

NOTE: I recommend grating a block of Swiss cheese, since packaged shredded cheese has additives to keep the cheese from clumping, which can hamper the melting process.

hibiscus tea punch

6 bags hibiscus tea

52 oz. bottle store-bought lemonade

DIRECTIONS: Boil one quart of water. Remove from heat and add the tea bags, cover and steep for an hour. Discard the tea bags and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Combine the chilled tea with half of the bottle (around three cups) of the lemonade in a punch bowl. Lemon slices and raspberries are a nice, colorful garnish.

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.

ZERO SUGAR REHYDRATION

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HARLECH ™

home and2garden7

86 montana charisma

The Ban Family equals home building at its finest

100 look what we found Say Hello to Spring

102 the ocd girls Organization is a passion for these two

108 restored and refreshed Remodel under the rims was a labor of love

MONTANA

charisma6

LOOK AROUND AND THERE’S little doubt the Magic City is in another growth spurt. Construction can be spotted all over the city, from business to new housing developments to expansion of roads. All done to keep pace with the city’s growing population. One prominent home builder is playing a big role in encouraging growth on Billings’ West End.

Ban Construction belongs to Brian and Tana Ban, along with sons Nick and Zeth. The family-owned and -operated business is known for quality custom-built homes with a modern Montana flair.

We take you inside a Ban Parade home located in The Nines subdivision off 64th Street. This one-level 4,300-square-foot “modern Montana rustic” style dream house highlights the family’s

unique perspective on crafting the ideal home.

Here you’ll find high-end style with plenty of personality. An alder coffered ceiling in the dining room sets the table for the sophisticated kitchen while a stately great room takes your breath away. The mix of wood and natural stone with warm gray wall color lends a rustic ambiance.

Meticulous details like the kitchen’s hidden walk-in pantry, a bronze faux wall in the dedicated home office, and the great room’s remote sheer window blinds offer distinctive characteristics for discerning home buyers.

charisma6

THE BAN FAMILY EQUALS HOME BUILDING AT ITS FINEST

written by TRISH ERBE SCOZZARI

photography by VANLEGGALO PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBB VANN

foot ceiling. It’s a masterpiece of nature fashioned by Schwartz Brothers Masonry (formerly known as Harper Masonry).

“There’s seven ton of Deep Creek rock just in the fireplace,” says Kevin Harper, who recently sold Harper Masonry to twin brothers and long-time employees Tanner and Taylor Schwartz.

“We hand-cut all the rock, as it came in random pieces. Tana had shown me a picture and asked if we ‘could make it look like this.’ I said, ‘Uh-huh.’”

The artisans also fashioned a grill/barbecue niche on the back patio. “With the leftover stone,” adds Tana, “Brian built a campfire pit on the patio. The flame is just like a campfire.”

THIS 4,300 SQ FT HOME WAS JUST PUT ON THE MARKET FOR SALE

The home’s U-shape makes for easy access onto the private covered patio, whether through sliding glass doors off the dining room or off the master en suite. “We did this,” says Tana, referring to stepping out onto the patio from the luxurious bath, “thinking we might put a spa out here.”

Tana and Brian share a history of thinking ahead on such matters. It comes from “54 years we’ve been a couple,” Tana says with her ever-present smile. Five decades of marriage fast approaches and these high school sweethearts originally from Terry, Montana, well remember their roots.

“When we were first married,” Tana says, “we were going to be ranchers. We lived down the crick from Brian’s parents.”

Their long-range plan changed when Brian’s dad died a week before their wedding. This eventually led Brian’s mom to sell the ranch. “Brian then took the first open job,” adds Tana.

It was later, actually 16 years ago, that the family relocated to Billings. With individual God-given talent, determination and that renowned Montana work ethic, Ban Construction steadily emerged as a top contender in the homebuilding market.

The family business secured the coveted Parade of Homes’ People’s Choice award their fourth year here. They’ve achieved this honor several times since, along with receiving other prestigious homebuilding recognitions.

Tana humbly acknowledges, “We work with the finest craftsmen in our trade.”

The process begins with Zeth’s initial consultation with clients to ascertain design style and personal preferences. He then takes care of the prep work. From there Tana says, “Nick and Brian are hands-on.”

On your continued success and beautiful home.

You

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All’s well that ends well when “Brian and I come in with the pretty stuff,” she adds.

Tana’s interior design excellence epitomizes each home’s final look. Always keeping an eye on everything from flooring to accessories, she advises, “When you see something different, nab it up, if it’s unique and goes with the flavor of your home.”

Rustic flavor shows up in this house with captivating elegance. The exterior’s two-tone neutral color balances deftly with the peaceful countryside. Sitting on one acre of ground at the end of a cul-de-sac, it creates a sense of pastoral grandeur.

The formal front entrance draws attention to the center of the home. However, tucked in the breezeway is a doorway into the massive attached garage. A non-attached garage mirrors the the main façade while sheltering the breezeway. This entry offers a casual style welcome into the cream-of-thecrop man-cave.

This nifty man-cave provides more than ample room for vehicles. It’s not shy on space for a relaxed hang-out/TV area,

THERE’S SEVEN TON OF DEEP CREEK ROCK JUST IN THE FIREPLACE. WE HAND-CUT ALL THE ROCK, AS IT CAME IN RANDOM PIECES.

— Kevin Harper

either. There’s also plenty of work space. There’s even a golf simulator. The man-cave comes complete with a spacious kitchenette. The only step in the entire house is the step up into this kitchen where Brian cooks on the griddle, provided he isn’t at the outdoor grill.

The home’s principal kitchen sits around the corner from the man-cave kitchenette. Clear alder cabinets crafted by Kosmann Inc. enhance the exceptionalism of this heart-ofthe-home. Lighted glass-front upper cabinets emphasize the richness of the wood that’s crowned in boxed detail.

Luscious white quartzite tops the center island. “It’s the biggest slab you can get,” says Tana about this showstopper from Magic City Granite. Three copper pendants suspended overhead introduce a “hint of copper,” a tantalizing metal element Tana likes mingling into the décor.

The lighting casts a graceful softness. “There’s under-cabinet LED lighting, too,” Tana says. “It’s a soothing atmosphere.” Natural light flows in, as well, augmenting the ambiance.

A classy wet-bar, a desk niche and brick-tile backsplash also used in the kitchenette and in the laundry room, finish this gourmet kitchen to perfection. Modern appliances, including a built-in JennAir coffee system, affirm refinement.

The formal dining area opts for a bit of contemporary flair, while the immense great room breathes deeply the mix of modern rustic influence. Large minimalist artwork rests on the wall behind the impressive custom-made sectional from TimeSquare Furniture.

The great room situated in the center of the home rocks it with the impressive fireplace. Huge Pella windows looking out to the patio and beyond invite the outdoors in. “We planted 50 trees,” says Tana, gesturing toward the open view. “Brian likes to look out. That’s the ‘farm’ in him.”

Durable Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring from Rich’s Modern Flooring caters to the modern Montana rustic look, as well as to today’s lifestyle. Running throughout the main area of the home, it connects effortlessly with the carpeted personal spaces.

Preferring 100 percent nylon carpet, Tana tweaks the lightly textured floor covering to spark slight distinctions among the bedrooms. One of the gorgeous guest suites suggests a bit of black fleck in the carpeting while the other whispers traces of brown.

The TV room off the main entry and Tana’s office (both of which can serve as bedrooms) are carpeted, as well. The office, like the entire home, is uncluttered, drawing your eye to the dramatic bronze faux wall Tana and Brian created. The home office expresses a warm congenial attitude.

“I build around colors,” explains Tana. “You pick a main color and then use different shades of it to work in the artwork or picture frames.” Honed ceiling beams, two leather chairs, and a copper wall hanging pull together the sensational look of this executive office.

The primary suite carries through with a beamed ceiling, a stone fireplace with alder ledge, and at the

BLACK FRAME GLASS SHOWER DOORS FROM ROCKY MOUNTAIN GLASS ADD YET ANOTHER LAYER OF DESIGN INTEREST.

head of the bed a stunning stone art piece sprinkled with a dash of copper.

The en suite features two white quartz islands, one positioned in the well-lit walk-in closet where you’ll also find a stacked washer/dryer for convenience. The other is found in the luxurious bath area.

Dark cabinetry delivers a striking contrast to the white quartz hisand-her sinks on either side of the jetted tub. Each vanity’s sidewall waterfalls into the tub. A locker-style walk-in shower offers privacy from the main area. Details like this abound in the home, capturing the essence of fine home building.

Ban Construction delivers a unique perspective to the growing neighborhoods on the West End. It’s truly Montana charisma combined with the way Ban Construction perceives and builds the ultimate home. ✻

by DANIEL SULLIVAN

written by RACHEL JENNINGS photography

SAY HELLO TO

Spring Spring

THIS DIY WREATH IS READY TO USHER THIS DIY WREATH IS READY TO USHER

THE GROUNDHOG

a taste of spring a wee bit early. I wanted to get ready, and this terra cotta pot wreath definitely did the trick. This project will not only help feed your spring fever, but it could even take your home’s decor right through summer. Better yet? It’s an easy DIY that took just an afternoon to make. ✻

What you will need...

Large roll of brown floral wire

Grapevine wreath

• Green moss

Here’s How To Make It

Set the grapevine wreath on your workspace and look at the wreath as a clock with positions of 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. Figure out what portion will be the top (12:00) of the wreath. Most wreaths are not a perfect circle so play around with the aesthetics of it and where you want to place your pots around the “clock.”

I used approximately 3 yards of wire for each large 4-inch pot. I did the old fingertip to nose measurement with each arm length loosely being one yard. I did that three times then cut. This isn't an exact measurement, but it works in this case since we don't need to be exact.

Once the wire is cut, I fold the wire in half and pass through the drainage hole in the bottom of the 4-inch pot. I then placed the first pot on the wreath at the 12 o’clock position. I wrapped the wire around the wreath tightly several times, going through the drainage hole several times to hold the pot securely on the wreath. I eventually tied and knotted the wire off to the back of the wreath. There will be plenty of extra wire. Don't trim that off. I used the excess wire to help tighten the other pots as I placed them on my grapevine wreath.

The pots may seem a little loose. That's OK. We will secure each of them with hot glue after everything is on the wreath. Continue to do this in the 6:00, 3:00 and 9:00 positions, in that order. Now place more 4-inch pots in between the ones placed on the wreath, close to the 2:00, 4:00, 8:00 and 10:00 positions, if there is room for them. We want to fill the wreath with as many 4-inch pots as possible to try to hide the grapevine wreath base.

Now we will do the same thing with the 2-inch pots. Again, this time I loosely measured the wire at 2 yards. I followed the same technique as I did with the 4-inch pots, wrapping and securing each pot through the drainage holes. I didn’t forget to use the wire in the back of the wreath, if needed. The goal is to cover the wreath with as many pots as possible and as tightly as you can.

It's now time to heat up the hot glue gun. Add a small dab of hot glue to any loose or wiggly pots. I also added bright green dried moss to the wreath in between the clay pots in any spots that need filled in. Doing this breaks up the colors a bit, making the pots pop, and also fills any gaps where the grapevine is visible. If you see any loose wir,e just wrap it around a pen making a cute curlicue. Add your ribbon and it's done!

So, say hello to spring! This wreath is cute, quick and easy. Supplies are also easily found making this a no-brainer project to dress up your home for the season. ✻

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.

OCD Girls The OCD Girls The OCD Girls

TWO

written by LAURA BAILEY photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

The

LIFE IS BUSY, and your time is valuable. So, what are you doing digging through your closet for something to wear or clawing through a drawer for a whisk or walking across the kitchen every time you need a coffee cup?

Disorganization and clutter steal your time and energy, but Jamie Holiday and Rebecca Boyce are ready to come to your rescue. Together, they are the OCD Girls, and organizing is their passion. Rebecca and Jamie work with homeowners to plan their storage spaces in newly built homes and help overhaul storage spaces for people who have lived in their homes for years.

could use our help and it took off from there,” Rebecca adds. Now, they’re working full-time, with most of their jobs coming from referrals from happy clients.

“Jamie and I come in with a fresh set of eyes,” Rebecca says. “We often have our clients say, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’”

Jamie and Rebecca met at church five years ago and discovered they had the same affinity for organizing. On long walks during the pandemic, the two women hatched a plan to become professional organizers.

“We didn’t realize that professional organizing was a thing,” Jamie says. “We came up with a name and found a few friends who

Being a professional organizer is both an art and a science. It requires a logical and analytical approach along with creative problem-solving skills. Working together, Jamie and Rebecca can usually complete a project in a day. It starts with a consultation to discuss with homeowners their needs and habits. Rebecca and Jamie look around the home and see how the space is used and look for more efficient ways of doing things. Then, they arrange storage spaces around those activities.

“We both have different strengths and they’re very complementary,” Jamie says.

Jamie and Rebecca also measure and take photos of the various storage spaces in the house so they can bring in solutions that are ideal. They maintain a storage unit with all kinds of options, so they don’t have to wait on a delivery or shop to find the right bin or container.

STUFF IS HEAVY AND GETTING RID OF THINGS AND ORGANIZING YOUR SPACE IS LIFE-CHANGING. WE’RE TRANSFORMING THE SPACE, AND IT ALLOWS TRANSFORMATION IN THE PERSON AS WELL. — Jamie Holiday

Thrive

Jamie and Rebecca are pros at marrying function with beauty and take care to identify everything with attractive labels. They make sure containers and bins on open shelving match the decor and overall look of the home.

In the past four years, they have discovered that organizing and decluttering can be a difficult process for some homeowners who have become emotionally attached to their belongings. Others are embarrassed by their clutter.

“Stuff is heavy and getting rid of things and organizing your space is life-changing,” Rebecca says. “We’re transforming the space, and it allows transformation in the person as well,” Jamie adds.

When it comes to sentimental objects, like grandma’s china, Jamie and Rebecca encourage their clients to consider ways to preserve the memory without keeping all of the things. Sometimes that means keeping only one teacup and saucer or plate and displaying the treasure with pride. And sometimes, if adequate storage is available, keeping the set might work too by finding just the right place for it.

“We tend to have a lot of emotions tied up in our stuff,” Rebecca says. “Sometimes it takes an extra set of eyes who is unattached to help you get rid of your stuff.”

Providing high qualitycommercial buildings through a hands-on approach.

For many of ODC Girls’ clients, organizing is a process, not a oneand-done project. That’s why Jamie and Rebecca offer lots of instruction on how to maintain a tidy, organized home and use all the solutions after the project is done. When it’s time to reset, a system is in place.

“We’re not just changing the space. We’re transforming the space so you can take it from there,” Jamie says. “The evidence is in maintaining the space.”

While Jamie and Rebecca are professional organizers, they believe that with a few tips, anyone can organize their own space. They encourage people to start with a single cupboard, drawer or a closet and not take on more than can be done in an hour or two. Before long, you’ll be looking for more spaces in your home to organize.

“Organizing has a domino effect, and pretty soon you’ll have organized your whole home,” Rebecca says. ✻

10 Organizing Tips 10 Organizing Tips 10 Organizing Tips

from the OCD Girls

WHEN IT COMES TO ORGANIZING, THE OCD GIRLS ENCOURAGES A LITTLE DIY. NOT SURE WHERE TO BEGIN? TAKE A LOOK AT THEIR TOP 10 TO GET YOU STARTED.

1. Don’t take it all on at once. Start your organizing journey one cupboard, drawer or closet at a time. Once you have some momentum, then it’s time to tackle bigger projects.

2. Start by taking everything out and tossing or donating what you don’t need, then put back what belongs there with a designated place for everything.

3. “Like with like” is the golden rule of organizing. Store all the objects used for one purpose together. This tip works well for everything from a tiny entryway to a massive garage.

4. Measure first, buy second. Don’t give into the temptation to purchase storage solutions until you’ve

measured your space and have taken inventory of what you plan to keep.

5. Decanting is a pantry must-do. Keep pantry staples in clear, labeled containers. That way you always know what you have and how much. Your staples will stay fresher too.

6. Identify the prime real estate inside your home and keep your most-used items there. You don’t want to keep crossing the kitchen while you’re cooking to find what should be kept next to the stove.

7. Consider your lifestyle and create “habit stations.” These are places where everything you need for that task is all in one place. Think coffee bar, or

a designated drop zone for keys and sunglasses in the entryway.

8. Contemplate what’s in your closet. Women, on average, wear only 20 percent of what’s in their closet. A handy trick to figuring out what you need to give away is to turn all your hangers backward. When you wear a garment turn the hanger around. A year later anything on a backward hanger can go.

9. Give yourself grace. Organizing takes time and it is often difficult to do when you’re emotionally attached to your belongings.

10. Don’t hesitate to call a friend or pro for support.

RESTORED AND refreshed7

WHAT YOU’LL FIND AT 1809 MULBERRY DR. is the revival of a landmark house of Billings’ past. It began as an 1980s contemporary home, complete with vaulted ceilings and three levels, with wall-to-wall dark brown carpeting. Previously owned for many years by Arthur DeRosier, past president of Rocky Mountain College, the home remained that way for decades.

New life was breathed into the home by Response Design Architects, of Billings. The husband-and-wife team, Josh and Coral

Sayer, were the architects for the remodel and also played the role of contractor for this massive project.

“This was a huge undertaking for us, but when we saw what could be done to restore and remodel the original home, we jumped in,” Josh says. “We were confident that if we accomplished what we set out to do, this home would live on to be beloved by a new family.”

REMODEL UNDER THE RIMS WAS A LABOR OF LOVE

written by GAYLE SMITH photography by NATHAN SATRAN

refreshed7

And it came to be with Kevin and Angie McPherson, the new and proud owners of this restored treasure. When their search for a new home began, the McPhersons toured many houses in Billings, but none caught their eye until they saw this one-of-a-kind gem.

“We wanted something that had character and lots of trees,” Kevin says. “We also liked the idea of being part of an established neighborhood.”

Nestled under the Rimrocks, this 5,300-square-foot, multilevel house has four bedrooms, three full baths and two half baths. So, the Sayer’s began the monumental task of modernizing it, but doing so in a way that paid homage to the existing space and its

Angie adds, “All of the natural light from the windows and the vaulted ceilings makes our home feel more natural and organic, it’s almost like we’re a part of the outdoors and it’s a part of our interior.”

WE PURCHASED THIS HOME FROM THE HEART. WE MADE DESIGN DECISIONS TOGETHER, RESPECTING AND HONORING THE ORIGINAL HOME, AND CHOOSING MATERIALS AND COLORS THAT COMPLEMENTED OUR VISION.

— Coral Sayer

past. Josh says, “We knew this home was special. We drew our inspiration from the time the home was built and the existing features that made it unique, such as the vaulted ceilings, layered spaces, massive fireplace and abundant light.”

“We purchased this home from the heart,” Coral says. “We made design decisions together, respecting and honoring the original home, and choosing materials and colors that complemented our vision. Even the outside of the home was landscaped in a more natural setting, using existing trees and plants.”

Upon entering, the inside stone flooring of the entryway is new yet speaks to a past era and sets the stage for the rest of the home. The original wooden stairs to the three-level home, once carpeted, were sanded down and remain, along with a new custom railing, giving the entryway and each level a modern industrial look.

Up the stairs to the main level, the original, massive two-story fireplace was left intact and remains a focal point, along with the many expansive windows that make the home feel like it’s a part of its natural setting. The fireplace is in great working condition and is a cozy respite. White six-inch plank engineered oak flooring in a dusk oak also lends itself to nature.

The octagonal-shaped, previous formal dining room, directly off the living area, was remodeled by Josh to be an

eating space or office but has been re-purposed into a study/playroom for the McPhersons’ son. A few steps above sit the kitchen, dining and an additional sitting area. The ceiling above this area is made of original rough-sawn cedar planks, giving the space an especially warm beauty. What formerly was a half wall between the kitchen and living space was replaced with the same custom-made iron railing used on the stairs. Joshed says, “In pure ’80s fashion, the old kitchen even boasted saloon doors, which were very cool during their time, but have been removed.”

Remodeling included removing massive amounts of brown carpeting, taking out giant knockdown heavy drywall finish and popcorn ceilings, a total remodel of the kitchen and baths, refinishing wood and railings, and some entirely new walls and paint. Being below the Rims, there was also a bit of structural engineering that needed to be done as the ground is quite sandy, and houses along that Rimrock corridor have a tendency to slowly shift over time.

“Much of our efforts were concentrated on the kitchen and bathrooms,” says Coral. “The kitchen is modern, of course, with quartz and island countertops, but the kitchen cupboards are a darker stained oak veneer. Josh built the eye-catching hood and the shelves on either side of it himself. The kitchen lighting and lighting throughout the home were chosen with a touch of ’80s vibe in mind. Lauri, from One Source Lighting, helped us decide on lighting fixtures that complemented the home’s style.”

Coral had help with the design of the kitchen, as well as the baths, working with Beyond the Box, in Billings. In keeping with the past era, the baths were specifically designed using small tiles

in a vintage pattern on the floors and new lighting with a retro flair.

“We even kept some of the bath fixtures such as a colored tub and some of the tiling surrounding it,” Coral says. “Modern finishes balance out the look. To accompany this ’80s vibe, the bathroom cabinets are painted in pale retro colors.”

Upstairs there is an open space family room where the new railing overlooks the main floor and kitchen. This floor also includes the master bedroom and a completely remodeled master bath plus his and hers closets. The master boasts two outdoor balconies, both new. One balcony faces the front of the house, and the other looks to the Rims, the perfect space for morning coffee, reflection and relaxation.

“We love the fact that the view outside our bedroom is spectacular,” Angie says. “In the spring with all the blooming trees and different grasses and variations of color, it's just naturally beautiful.”

A convenient mud room is located directly down the stairs from the entryway in the lower basement level. There is also an additional space for family play, and the basement, which has completely been rebuilt, has a light airy feel as well.

RADIANT

• Drain Cleaning

• Jetting

•

The McPhersons brought a custom-made bar and cabinets with them from the basement of their previous home and plan on installing them in their new basement, since its dimensions work perfectly.

Sometimes, things are just meant to be. In this case, the home on Mulberry was restored and refreshed, capturing its past and invigorating its future to the delight of new homeowners. Josh and Coral Sayer succeeded in keeping the spirit of this home alive with unique detailing, the rebirth of original woods and fixtures and a lot of love.

They turned it into a modern, light-filled space, incorporating both old and new, which in turn provided the perfect home for Kevin and Angie McPherson. ✻

I was always proud to still be in my home at 94 years young; but, that ended with a fall where I sustained a broken hip and shoulder. When I could no longer live alone and maintain my home, my family asked Team Hanel to help sell my townhome. They were very patient in explaining the process and answering any questions I had and all of my family’s concerns. Robin visited me several times in my new place to make sure I was comfortable with the sale

Team Hanel are professionals and we trusted them to price and sell Mom’s home quickly. They made the process personal, not just a business transaction. We were pleased that they went the extra mile for her to meet the new owner.