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CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke offer speaking, coaching, team facilitation to small and large organizations in the areas of high performing teams, healthy conflict, and leadership development.
Rocheal Gaston Double R Design
By Mary Wallace
Rocheal Gaston has officially launched her new company, Double R Design Studio, as of December 2024. The company works with builders and homeowners offering design and selection services for new construction and remodels - virtually anything for the kitchen, bath, or office - including (but not limited to) cabinetry, countertops, flooring, plumbing and light fixtures.
Rocheal, who has over 15 years experience, began working in cabinetry design as she was working in sales at an appliance store. The owner said he was thinking about offering cabinets and cabinet design services and Rocheal, raised her hand and said, “I want to do cabinets!” She was instantly drawn in, finding such satisfaction in the creative process and then going back to see the finished projects.
Cabinet design involves considering many factors, including the proposed uses of the space, family lifestyle, storage needs, functionality, and budget. Rocheal will typically consult with the customer and take measurements to help create a series of plans that includes the floor plan of the project, an elevation drawing of the walls where the cabinets will be placed, a perspective view from within the space, and a timeline for the project. Throughout the process, she will help guide you with style choices such as wood, hardware, lighting, flooring etc.
She has three types of customers: Builders, builders who do not have a designer on staff so they rely on Rocheal to do the design process, and homeowners who often come to her with a handful of photos of projects they’ve found that they like, but they are not sure how to proceed. She can help it all come together.
Why hire a cabinet design service? “Measurements are critical,” says Rocheal. Her many years of experience can help the customer improve the flow of the space and help them visualize the logical places to put things in their new kitchen to make their daily cooking, serving, and clean up tasks quicker and more ef-
ficient. Rocheal will help source the materials and coordinate with the delivery and installation.
She can also recommend trusted installers. Installers know how to finesse the installations so the cabinets can function as they should. It starts at the unboxing, they will line it up, check for level, adjust, install, recheck for level and functionality. There are always little nuances to consider. Professional design and installation services need to include matching fillers that offset the doors in a corner cabinet, for example, so they will open fully and close easily - a small but essential piece.
Photos by ACE Photography & Design
Her many years of experience can help the customer improve the flow of the space and help them visualize the logical places to put things in their new kitchen to make their daily cooking, serving, and clean up tasks quicker and more efficient.
Rocheal and the installers will go out and measure the project early during the framing part of construction, and they are also there when the project is installed. Their collective experience allows them to spot potential complications before the project proceeds. “A good installer makes all the difference! Good installers can make an affordable project look like a high-end one, and sadly, a not-so-good installer can make high-end cabinetry look awful.”
Rocheal’s customers have typically come from word-of-mouth recommendations. The project starts with a phone or in-person meeting to consult on the client’s needs. They look at the project plans together, discuss wood and color options, review any photos of favorite projects. Rocheal then takes measurements, does the design work, and presents a quote to the client. When the client gives the go ahead, Rocheal will order the cabinetry and all related materials and schedule the work.
Double R Design’s ideal customers are usually working on mid- to higher-end projects. Many are of a generation that knows what they want, but want they want to partner with a professional that can deliver the precise end product. Rocheal accepts any size project, large or small. Some are looking to remodel the cabinetry and storage in their whole house and some just want to tweak their home office, bathroom, or kitchen nook.
Rocheal is a very active member of the Flathead Building Association. She is the immediate Past President, and she is on the Board of Directors of the MBIA (Montana Building Industry Association). She fully embraces the philosophies of FBA and MBIA, in that the two groups continually advocate for best builder practices, high ethical standards, and public policy reform that promotes both the building industry and home ownership.
Rocheal will be working on her CLIP certification (which stands for Certified Living In Place), and she has worked on projects and remodels of pre-seniors’ and se niors’ homes to make sure they are and will remain age-friendly for their lifestyle. She has also worked on similar projects for as sisted living facilities.
Starting a new or remodel proj ect might feel a bit intimidating and expensive but Rocheal’s approach is relaxed and profes sional. She is there to save time and money in the long run and she just wants to do what she can to make the process easier for her clients. “It is just such a privilege to make things hap pen the way they visualized, or even better than they ever imagined!”
Rocheal grew up in Arizona. She was an only child who spent time tagging along with her dad and grandpa on their construction projects. Her mom would pick her up from school and they would go to the job site to help a bit. She grew accustomed to being around adults, and everyone encouraged her in her rather big personality. She moved to Montana in 2006. “I really just love this place,” she said, “My people are here!”
difficult of all the trials and tribulations of starting her own business ended up being choosing a name. “It was excruciating. It took months!” she lamented. She finally settled on honoring her family name (Rocheal Rivard), hence the ‘Double R’ in the name Double R Design.
She likes to golf; she is learning to trap shoot. She loves anything to do with being on the water (ocean water makes her feel grounded and is her happy place), and she loves to cook. Rocheal is single and does what she wants. She keeps a full schedule and she likes to think she is a lot of fun. “I smoke cigars. I drink whiskey, and I know things,” she quips.
Rocheal’s bucket list includes traveling to places like Japan and Ireland, and she would like to experience a Rhine River cruise. Also, it might be nice to someday own a home abroad somewhere.
Her heart is happy when she is helping others on a human level. She loves to make someone a meal, spend a little time, help them find a calm spot or make them feel happy again.
Any advice for 406 readers? “Tell your fears to calm down,” says Rocheal. “Just go do what you want. Do ALL the things! Do what brings you joy!”
20 2nd Ave E, Kalispell MT. - 406.929.3600 rocheal@doublerdesign.studio
Collaboration Not Competition for Three of Flathead’s Biggest Builders Who Happen To Be Women
How did three women become the leaders at three of the top volume builders in the Flathead Valley? By happenstance and against their better judgement in the high risk, high overhead, low profit homebuilding business. Meet Kisa Davison (Iron Star Construction), Merna Terry (Terry Homes) and Brenda Wilkins (Westcraft Homes). These women came together to problem solve City of Kalispell codes and rules that add unnecessary costs to homeowners. What they found in each other is a friendship built on wisdom, humor, strength, community, and leadership.
None of them planned to be CEO’s/Presidents of construction companies. Merna has a doctorate in Clinical Psychology but took over Terry Homes from husband Ron when he was ready to retire after many years of working together. Kisa, who founded and co-owns SBG Montana martial arts gyms with her husband, stepped into leadership at Iron Star to better tackle the needs of both her family and community. Brenda, whose doctorate is in Leadership and Counseling, downsized her consulting business and joined the family business when her husband and mother’s illnesses progressed.
They have a lot to say about housing in the Flathead Valley, chiseling out a place in a male-dominated industry, and how they lead.
WORKING ON HOUSING PROBLEMS
They are acutely aware that their daily decisions keep many people working and supporting their families in the Flathead where construction is the largest industry. The phrases “affordable,” “workforce,” or “attainable” housing occupy much of their thinking where numerous factors make it
untenable to manage construction costs. Trade and labor shortages in the valley make it hard for contractors and builders to stabilize their businesses, and construction costs have never returned to pre-covid prices with many material costs continuing to rise.
Deeply involved in the facts and reality of local industry challenges, they lament the rampant misconception and political sound bites that outsiders are the key reason for rising home prices - if only it were that simple. Instead, they find themselves constantly negotiating costs, watching subtrades struggle with a stable workforce, or pushing cities and the County to partner more collaboratively with developers and builders to minimize rules or policies that only add to home prices. They worry deeply about buyers whose erroneous belief that lower interest rates will make housing more affordable will not be able to buy a home, not just because they want to sell homes, but because they understand home ownership is usually the biggest wealth building investment people can make – especially in a high-growth area like the Flathead. These women know by watching their communities ebb and flow that homeowners are more likely to speak up, take action, vote, and participate in the betterment of their neighborhoods and cities.
They aren’t daunted by the big challenges in the market or their own entrepreneurial journeys. In fact, while the complexity of challenges can lead builders and developers to turn inward and focus only on their business’ survival, all three of them participate in various groups and committees trying to address the multi-faceted housing crisis in the Flathead.
Recently, Merna spearheaded a group of builders and community leaders seeking greater collaboration and common-sense solutions with the City of Kalispell that don’t add to housing costs and prices. She was inspired to take action when a decade’s dormant rule, suddenly enforced, required builders to jackhammer out city-approved and completed driveways and repour to thicken driveways by less than two inches, adding several thousand dollars to the cost of every new home and dumping heaps of concrete into landfills. “She’s always ready to step into conversations or organize people to find better solutions for homebuyers, because she sees how hard people struggle for their first home,” Wilkins says of Terry. “We all understand the players in the community and how they help or hinder every builder’s ability to stay in business and build homes,” Wilkins emphasized.
Photo by Clint Ekern
Kisa Davison, Brenda Wilkins and Merna Terry
“Generally, first time home buyers are not our customers but we still need to participate in the groups and conversations related to making housing more accessible, because we believe it’s part of our responsibility to support the entire community. We’re also dedicated to actively and consistently supporting those hardest hit by affordability in the Valley like Sparrows Nest for unhoused youth, and Samaritan House and the Warming Center,” Wilkins said.
Davison’s commitment is similar, “I found a calling beyond the tribe in our gym. The valley needs homes. And we need leaders who are willing to face challenges, listen, ask for help, offer collaboration, and are humble enough to try something different.” She too continually seeks out solutions to the cost and labor challenges that negatively impact homeowners. Both Terry & Wilkins echo Davison’s words as they work for solutions, “I can be patient, but I refuse to be complacent.”
WORKING IN A MALE DOMINATED INDUSTRY
In their roles they’ve faced surprise and even misogyny from competitors, trade partners, and community members. They don’t care. They’ve no need to prove themselves -- they’ve all had successful careers before these ones. Instead of dealing with the doubters they focus on the pressures of change and growth in the Valley, strengthening their companies, and ensuring their employees’ work experiences are positive, challenging, and fun.
“I was raised in the industry, at a time where my mother was the only woman at the table and continuously pushing other women to step into leadership roles in construction. It wasn’t easy for her, but she refused to step back. I love living out her legacy,” Wilkins recalls. Today they are thrilled to see the Flathead Building Association co-create and support the new Professional Women in Building, spearheaded by upcoming leaders, Jessica Saylor (Saylor Construction), Phoebe Woods (Direct Source), and Stephanie Watson (Northern Heritage Builders).
One thing they’ve learned in their male dominated industry is they have to speak up to make sure they are not just at the table, but in leadership roles to push new solutions forward. That’s part of what they want other women to see and feel confident doing in any male dominated industry, without being daunted or dissuaded. Holding strong is part of the requirement. “I’ve been called ‘honey’, ‘sweetie’, and more. I swiftly say something like, ‘sure stud muffin’, and keep moving because I don’t have time or space for anything diminishing,” Wilkins grins. “We’re solving problems ev-
Instead of dealing with the doubters they focus on the pressures of change and growth in the Valley, strengthening their companies, and ensuring their employees’ work experiences are positive, challenging, and fun.
ery day that impact people’s everyday lives. It doesn’t matter if there’s only a few powerful women at the table, we know how much influence we can have, and that’s what we focus on.”
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP WORK
Recently Forbes Magazine published a collection of research proving “Women More Effective Than Men in All Leadership Measures”. The Conference Board shows that organizations with at least 30% women in leadership roles are 12x more likely to be in the top 20% for financial performance. None of this surprises Davison, Terry, and Wilkins. “Women often lead differently than men by focusing more on community and cooperation than tasks and achievements,” says Terry.
Davison explains, “Women have a critical role to play in problem-solving the issues that our communities face. We have a slightly different perspective and it’s often more inclusive of people and factors that are neglected. Women are built for leadership. We bring creativity and compassion. We aren’t afraid to show our cards and call it like we see it. We tend to be less hell-bent on getting our way. What’s the point of winning if you’re alone at the top? We are humble because we know what is right for our communities is found in collaboration.”
Wilkins’ experience is consistent and sharp. “I approach leadership as an act of service to people, company, and community. At Westcraft Homes rigor and love play equal roles. We have high standards and work damned hard, we have a lot of fun and love each other, we don’t have a single ‘weak-link’ on our team because each
person shows up as a leader in their own right. This combination leads to tremendous trust between everyone, and nothing speeds and secures business viability like trust - trust in each other to face whatever challenges the business faces. And on a personal level, as their leader, I’m committed to supporting them, both professionally and personally.”
Terry's support of her team is also clear. “Leadership to me is more mentoring and guiding rather than telling. I prefer to focus on the big picture and overall goals, setting expectations and encouraging our team to make their own choices on how to achieve our goals. If our team members understand the overall goals and direction we are heading, I can help them navigate and get out of the way. We have fun together at Terry Homes and really like each other. It is important to care about the people you work with not just as co-workers or employees, but as people. We are a family and really try to help and support each other.”
These three women, mothers, grandmothers, spouses, entrepreneurs, creatives and rebels have found a sacred space with each other. They meet regularly over drinks because they know firsthand that when women collaborate and lead together their businesses are better and they are better leaders. Decades of evidence shows that women in leadership, more than men, invest deeply in their communities, not just their companies, and in doing so can ignite others to act for positive change. Plus they laugh a lot, a great entrepreneur elixir.
“I don’t expect things to be perfect in this world. I do expect us all to show up and do what is right for our community. We will make mistakes, and we will do better.”Kisa
Davison
Complete Restoration Strives for Excellence
A Business Model That Includes Employees and Community
Written by Mary Wallace
Brian Newbury is building a world-class organization in small-town Montana and he is doing it one employee at a time. The company, Complete Restoration, specializes in fire, water, and mold damage. “We hope you never need us, but if something happens in your structure we are here for you," he said. "These kinds of disasters nearly always give a customer a bad day and they are calling in need of immediate help. Our office staff continually strives to provide either a live answer or a 5-minute-or-less return call every time. Most customers who hire Complete Restoration said they did so because we were the first company to respond and the first to arrive on-site ready to begin the remediation process.” In the field, all of their crew members demonstrate a premium level of expertise and professionalism.
How else does Complete Restoration stand out, aside from its immediate response policy? Because a company is only as good as an overall sum of its employees, Brian has set out to create a company culture that incentivizes the employee base - to come, learn, and stay, and to continually stretch to add to their knowledge, skills, and experience. There are currently seven employees and the company is making available professional industry training modules that they can self-explore (an asbestos module for example) and complete on their own. As the employees complete the modules, they are rewarded credits toward the company profit-sharing program. The beauty of it is that the profit sharing is allocated a third to the company, a third to a high-interest yield account to be distributed to local nonprofits, and a third to the employees on an annual basis. It results in a win-win-win situation, where the company ends up with several well-
rounded employees, the employees are rewarded a portion of the annual profit-sharing, and the community benefits as well. To give credit where credit is due, it was Brian’s dad, Richard Newbury, who founded the company nearly two decades ago, and who created the company culture to continually give back - intentionally and systematically.
The remediation and restoration trade, as well as the building industry in Montana, are not really regulated to protect property owners (in the form of certifications and licensing). There are actually more requirements for hunting than there are for the building trades or restoration business. The only oversight, then, is the insurance companies who act as gatekeepers in regard to billable items. The main point is that property owners in Montana run a risk when enlisting these trades in part due to this lack of regulation. Nonetheless, the team at Complete Restoration is not waiting for regulations to enhance building standards for businesses and homeowners in Montana. They are already working to challenge their peers and partners to operate to a higher
standard, regardless of requirements. They are proud to participate and support the mission of great organizations like Flathead Builders Association, which follows a similar philosophy. It really does matter who you hire! Besides investing heavily in their own personnel, they are also holding their subcontractors and referral partners accountable and expect the same from them as well.
Brian's childhood was spent growing up in the Flathead Valley with his parents and three brothers. Playing baseball and fly fishing like an addict are now some of his most cherished memories. He always absolutely loved the outdoors! He was poised to play college baseball on a scholarship when a heart attack (myocarditis) completely derailed his plans. It seemed a tragedy at the time, but it also forced him to take a pause in life and refocus his values. "Having a close call like that gave me the perspective that life is too short to spend on the sidelines," he said. "I realized how important it is to grab hold of the wheel and apply some of my own energy to direction in life."
Photos by ACE Photography & Design
Brian had a realization that life was going by too fast, and he wanted his kids to have a chance to taste the childhood he had and to know their Montana family better.
Service to others had always been a core value, and that's why, once given a clean bill of health, he joined the Marines. He met his wife while serving in Japan (loving every minute of their three years there). Next, as they were both working on their college degrees back in the States, came the excitement of hearing that they were about to become parents to their daughter (McKenzie). Brian earned his undergraduate degree in Entrepreneurship and Financial Markets, and their family grew again with the arrival of their son (Lemuel). After graduating with a BSBSA and an MBA, he spent the next 10 years working as a corporate business improvement consultant in various industries such as aerospace and medical devices [ex. Boeing and Airbus, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic].
Business Improvement Consultants focus on the human element of organizational change, guiding individuals and teams through transitions effectively. This involves strategies to address resistance, build support, and ensure the successful adoption of new processes or tech-
nologies. They also utilize process improvement techniques that focus on identifying and eliminating inefficiencies within existing workflows. Techniques of Lean and Six Sigma are used to analyze processes, identify bottlenecks, and implement data-driven optimization solutions. Successful implementations result in significant organizational transformation, enhanced efficiency, productivity, and overall performance.
Brian never actually set out to work with his dad. But then a couple of life-changing things happened - Brian had a realization that life was going by too fast, and he wanted his kids to have a chance to taste the childhood he had and to know their Montana family better. At the same time, his dad wondered how the Business Process Improvement work Brian was doing in corporate America could be applied to their small Montana business. During his evaluation of Complete Restoration, Brian realized the stars had possibly lined up for him to quit the corporate role to begin working with his family and apply his skills and experience back home with people and a community he still cares deeply about. This led Brian to move his family back to Montana where he is both proud and grateful to have the opportunity to continue to grow his father's legacy at Complete Restoration.
When asked where he would like to see Complete Restoration in five years, Brian replied, “We will
continue our pursuit of excellence and deliver exceptional customer service in the restoration space while also working deliberately with local nonprofits and government agencies to support the health and quality of life in our communities. We will continue to work toward employing more people and out-contributing ourselves year after year."
And personally? When he is not working, Brian says he loves introducing his kids to all that Montana has to offer in the outdoors and with all the family and friends they have here - fly fishing, ice fishing, skiing, sledding, hiking, biking, and so on. Their rescued precious pit/heeler puppy (Birch) is always game to be part of their family adventures and goes almost everywhere with them. “I love exploring! It's always something new. Every day, every year, I am focusing on doing what I can to be sure that when the day comes for my loved ones to throw dirt on my face, I have no regrets and can say I lived life to my fullest and did what I could to make this place a little better.”
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New Year's Resolution Crafting Your Financial Plan with Fischer Investment Strategies
By Jessa Ash
As we usher in the New Year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the past and set our sights on new goals. While common resolutions often focus on health and personal growth, one of the most impactful resolutions you can make is to establish a solid financial plan. At Fischer Investment Strategies, we believe that a well-crafted financial plan is the cornerstone of long-term financial success and peace of mind.
Why Make a Financial Plan Your Top Resolution?
The New Year symbolizes a fresh start, a time to lay the groundwork for your future. Just as you wouldn’t embark on a journey without a map, navigating your financial future without a plan can lead to uncertainty and missed opportunities. A comprehensive financial plan provides a clear picture of your current financial situation, helps you set achievable goals, and outlines the steps needed to reach them.
The Benefits of a Financial Plan
1. Clarity and Control: A financial plan offers a detailed view of your finances, including income, expenses, assets, and liabilities. This clarity allows you to take control of your financial destiny, making informed decisions that align with your goals.
2. Goal Setting: Whether it’s buying a home, funding your children’s education, or planning for retirement, a financial plan helps you set realistic and measurable goals. Fischer Investment Strategies can help you prioritize these goals and develop a strategy to achieve them.
3. Risk Management: Life is full of uncertainties, and a financial plan can help you prepare for the unexpected. By incorporating insurance, emergency savings, and other risk
management strategies, you can protect your financial well-being.
4. Investment Strategy: A key component of any financial plan is a tailored investment strategy. Fischer Investment Strategies offers expert guidance on asset allocation, diversification, and portfolio management to help you build and preserve wealth over time.
5. Tax Efficiency: Proper tax planning can significantly impact your financial health. Our team will help you navigate the complexities of tax laws, ensuring you maximize your aftertax income and achieve your financial objectives.
Fiduciary
Responsibility: Your Interests Come First
One of the most critical aspects of choosing a financial advisor is understanding their fiduciary responsibility. At Fischer Investment Strategies, we take our fiduciary duty very seriously. This means we are legally and ethically obligated to act in your best interests at all times.
Our fiduciary status assures you that we prioritize your financial well-being above all else. We provide advice and make recommendations based solely on what is best for you, free from conflicts of interest. Whether you’re planning for retirement, investing for the future, or managing your assets, you can trust that our guidance is designed to benefit you, not us.
How Fischer Investment Strategies Can Help
At Fischer Investment Strategies, we understand that every individual’s financial situation is unique. Our personalized approach ensures that your financial plan is tailored to your specific needs and goals. Here’s how we can assist you in creating a robust financial plan for the New Year:
1. Initial Consultation: We begin with a comprehensive consultation to understand your financial situation, goals, and concerns. This helps us develop a deep understanding of your needs and aspirations.
2. Customized Financial Plan: Based on our assessment, we create a personalized financial plan that covers all aspects of your financial life, including budgeting, saving, investing, and retirement planning.
3. Regular Reviews: Life is dynamic, and so are your financial needs. We conduct regular reviews to ensure your financial plan remains aligned with your goals and adjust it as needed to reflect any changes in your life or the financial landscape.
4. Ongoing Support: Our commitment to your financial success doesn’t end with the creation of your plan. We provide ongoing support and guidance to help you stay on track and make informed financial decisions.
Fiduciary Responsibility in Action
Our fiduciary duty extends to every aspect of our relationship with you. We believe in full transparency, providing clear and honest information about fees, investment options, and potential risks.
We work diligently to identify the best opportunities for your financial growth and security, ensuring that every decision we make is in your best interest.
By choosing Fischer Investment Strategies, you are partnering with a firm that is dedicated to upholding the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. Our fiduciary responsibility is not just a legal requirement; it is a commitment to serving you with the utmost care and respect.
Start the New Year Right
As you set your New Year’s resolutions, consider making financial planning a priority. With Fischer Investment Strategies by your side, you can approach the future with confidence, knowing you have a wellthought-out plan to achieve your financial goals. Let’s make this year the year you take control of your financial future and build a foundation for lasting success.
According to the Institute for Functional Medicine, functional medicine
“Provides a framework to systematically identify and address the underlying processes and dysfunctions that are causing imbalance and disease in each individual.” It wants to look at the whole patient and any potential root causes and not just treat symptoms with a standard medication. While it’s not a new practice, the desire to push the boundaries on diagnosing and treating patients has been passed over in the public eye for some time now. But in recent years more and more folks, providers and patients alike, are looking at this fusion of holistic and traditional medicine with new eyes and hope.
Enter Brittany Coburn NP-C and Tom Flass MD, the founders of Functional Medicine Associates of Montana in Kalispell and the newest contributors to 406 Woman magazine.
Coburn is a nurse practitioner with her focus in functional medicine geared towards family, women and teen health. Dr. Flass specializes in functional pediatrics as well as integrative and functional gastroenterology for adults and children.
Coburn was born in Wyoming then moved to Idaho in 6th grade. She received her Bachelors of Nursing at Idaho State University. In 2006 she attended the Nurse Practitioner Program at Montana State University and stayed in Montana to work and train. It was here that she focused on family medicine. She’s proud that she helped create five school-based health centers along with two mobile units, which helped facilitate growth across the highline.
Born in New York, Flass went to Cornell University then Colorado State University earning bachelors and masters degrees in Nutrition.
He spent the years between degrees working in several nutrition related fields including corporate wellness and the nutritional supplement industry. While looking into PhD programs, he became increasingly aware of how desperately nutritional knowledge was needed in modern medicine. Because of this, he pivoted and ended up attending medical school and completing pediatric residency and gastroenterology fellowship at University of Colorado. He decided to move to Montana after hearing it was sorely missing specialists in his field of pediatrics.
Despite their different backgrounds, both heard the call to come and help here in the valley. After working in the medical field with Logan Health for a number of years, both discovered a shared interest in functional medicine and saw the potential of how a private practice could be beneficial to the Flathead. As of the time writing this article, their practice had only been open for a few months. But these two are already eager to offer high quality care for their patients and to spread awareness of the common blind spots in modern healthcare, and how functional medicine can help.
by Dianne
Photo
Dotter
Despite their different backgrounds, both heard the call to come and help here in the valley. After working in the medical field with Logan Health for a number of years, both discovered a shared interest in functional medicine and saw the potential of how a private practice could be beneficial to the Flathead.
When it comes to modern day medical structure, Coburn and Flass believe there’s a lot left to be desired. They believe functional medicine can help smooth over the gap between patients and providers when looking for cures.
“With regular medicine,” Coburn states, “You’ll often come to somebody and listen to your story, give you a diagnosis, and give you a standard medical treatment to care for you. For example, if you come in with hypertension, traditional medicine will say ‘oh that’s bad for your body, we’ll give you medication to bring it down.’ Functional medicine will say, ‘yes, your blood pressure is high, but why?’ What is going on in the background of your body? So then we go and do a deep dive and come up with the root cause or reason why your blood pressure, your particular blood pressure, is high… it’s (diagnosing) not a one size fits all approach.”
Traditional medicine can also often be slowed down by other communal factors when new thoughts of treatment are brought up, whereas functional medicine is more willing to explore them.
“It’s much more proactive medicine,” says Flass “Rather than waiting 20 years to implement new discoveries and letting however many patients be damaged in the meantime, functional medicine
embraces medical change as long as there's plausible evidence behind it. We don't wait 20 years for something to get accepted by standard western medicine. You and your family deserve better, so the time to act is now!”
As they grow, their goal is to incorporate other team members including nutritionists, health coaches and physical therapy for health and movement coaching and make sure there’s a fully informed and well-rounded approach. Along with that they are working to create group medical visits, so that several patients with similar health conditions can learn functional medical solutions to take better care of themselves while also having private checkups with their providers later.
The group visit model can be extremely helpful for areas such as pregnancy education, menopause or hormonal issues or those at risk for heart disease and diabetes. For some folks this could be a more affordable way to get started on a healthier path without spending a large out of pocket sum. “It can be something that a patient can use to dip their toe in the water and see if functional medicine is right for them,” says Flass. “It also benefits primary care providers who don’t have the time to do the nutrition and lifestyle education. Primary care providers are getting shellacked because they’re asked to do so much more in a 10-15 minute visit that is just not possible.”
Functional Medicine Associates of Montana also have the ability to safely and legally order lab tests for reduced costs and discuss the results with the patients. Flass continued “Having personalized care, not just algorithms and having time to spend with each person is huge but unfortunately in the current medical system dictated by insurance and drug companies, most providers are getting pushed into giving shorter and shorter visits for complex problems and that’s just not sustainable.”
In hopes of combating this medical epidemic, Coburn and Flass plan to educate the public about the benefits of functional medicine and whole person healthcare. With the plans for the group classes, their new Podcast “The Aware Families Podcast,” as well as the column, they believe in getting the word out and bringing it to the forefront of the conversation; to educate and show others that there are other options than just the standard route. That you are more than just a list of symptoms to fix.
While they understand this is a small step against the grain of a very large and malfunctioning system that’s been active for decades, Coburn and Flass of Functional Medicine Associates of Montana know that their cause is worth the fight. www.functionalmedassociates.com
Brittany Coburn NP-C with her family from L-R: Gabe, husband Tom, and Jake
Dr Tom Flass with his family - Photos by ACE Photography & Design
Looking Forward To Looking Forward Buffalo Hill Golf
By Mary Wallace
Steve Dunfee, who is retiring as General Manager at Buffalo Hill Golf Club, is looking forward to a new chapter. “I’ve had a fantastic run,” he said, reflecting on his 35 years working there, 25 in his current position as General Manager. “My background was in public accounting, and I was originally hired for a temporary position to convert to a new computer system. Next thing I knew, I had taken on a position as Operations Manager, then Club Manager, and finally to my current position as General Manager.”
Steve and his wife, KP, who recently retired from teaching P.E. at Hedges and Rankin Elementary Schools, plan to spend winters in Scottsdale to be near family, and most im-
portantly to their granddaughter, Ellie, who is one and a half and the light of their lives. Summers will find them in Montana, relaxing at the lake. They have plans to travel to places they’ve always meant to get to (places like New York City, the Grand Canyon, and Hawaii again) and yes, there will be golf. Steve doesn’t anticipate being bored with retirement because he would also like to find opportunities to serve others and to give back.
When asked what he hopes his legacy will be, Steve said that the two things he is most proud of are the changes to the golf course (the modified Cameron Nine and the new driving range/practice facility and chipping green), along with the building project for the new patio adjacent to the clubhouse. “Golf carts were dangerously buzzing past the west side doors to the clubhouse, before we built the patio,” said Steve, “The golf cart path was just outside the door, and we thought the patio would greatly improve the both the clubhouse and the safety of its perimeter.” Steve and his team sold bricks to raise the funds to
build the patio, and it made all the difference in getting the members and business community behind the project.
“When I refer to a legacy, please understand that I, in no way, accomplished any of this on my own,” he said. “Full credit must go to the mastermind of both of those major projects, Jon Heselwood, who was the golf course superintendent. Also, one man is only as good as the people who surround him. And there were many others involved - Dave Broeder, Marlin Hanson, Russ Grover, BJ Newgard, and Casey Keyser were all a huge part of the projects and success of BHGC. I will profoundly miss the network of friends, business relationships, Board of Directors, management, and staff that I have had the privilege of working with over the last 35 years!”
Photos by ACE Photography & Design
Steve is also immensely grateful to know that he is leaving Buffalo Hill Golf Club in the excellent hands of the new General Manager, Ken Bush, new Golf Pro, Jess Roper, and current golf course superintendent, Russ Grover, who all have a wealth of experience and vision for the future of Buffalo Hill Golf Club.
Ken Bush, the new General Manager is also looking forward. He has spent the past five months working alongside Steve and learning the ropes. While he is new to the position, he is not new to Buffalo Hill Golf Club. He has been a member here for several years, and many may remember seeing him playing golf, helping Casey with Junior Golf, serving on the Board, and helping coordinate events and golf tournaments. Ken is also taking full advantage of the resources and training provided by Club Management Association of America (CMAA).
When asked what changes might be forthcoming, Ken said that besides their ongoing goal to grow the women’s golf programs, there is no plan to make any immediate changes. For the time being, he means to respect the history of the club along with the entire team’s current philosophy. No need to mess with success! One thing that Ken and all of the staff are looking forward is hosting the 2025 State Championship on September 20, 2025.
Ken grew up in Mississippi and played college golf and football for Delta State University. He is a former golf pro, and he previously helped manage a restaurant in South Carolina.
Ken’s wife grew up here and he always loved this place. They lived here and he always found this course to be a good challenge. When they moved away, they missed the atmosphere, so when an opportunity arose to move back, they jumped at the chance.
Ken lives in Kalispell with his wife, son, his stepdaughter, and two pets. Ken loves to travel and he is an avid hiker. In fact, he once
found himself stuck in Africa, during Covid, after having just summited Mount Kilimanjaro, but that is a story for another time.
The new Buffalo Hill Golf Pro, Jess Roper, is also looking forward to looking forward. He has been working alongside Casey Keyser and says he feels so ready to take over the reins as Golf Pro as of January 1st. Aside from the incredible fun of learning a new computer system, the transition has been seamless. Jess already knows many people who frequent the club. He is looking forward to providing a first class experience at Buffalo Hill Golf Club. Like Ken, he means to respect the past and maintain the status quo, but he is also looking forward to embracing a bit of change - in that he means to step up community engagement. Of course, they will continue the Ritzman Junior Golf tournament and the Special Olympics charity events.
Jess grew up locally and picked up his first golf club when he was in middle school. He got serious about golf as a student at Flathead High School, winning the Junior Club Champion trophy at 16 years old (1996-97). He attended PGA school and has been a golf pro in the valley since 2002.
Jess lives in Kalispell with his wife and two sons, ages 9 and 11. Golf is now a family affair, although they also like to ski and spend time at the lake. One thing that not a lot of people know about Jess is that he holds the local record for the most holes played in one day during a Summer Solstice Golf Challenge in 2018. He played 308 holes of golf from midnight to midnight that day.
Jess feels fortunate to be able to continue to work with Casey Keyser, who is stepping aside after 7 years as the head golf pro, to allow himself more family time. Never fear! He will be staying at BHGC but focusing more on golf instruction.
Casey also grew up in the Flathead Valley, spending nearly every day at Buffalo Hill Golf Club as a kid, soaking up every bit of knowledge and golf wisdom he could. Word in the pro shop that he was always admired by the sage golfers he was interacting with. He was the kind of kid that everyone liked to have around, demonstrating such enthusiasm and respect for the game of golf. Casey was the youngest Labor Day champ in 2001, at age 15.
The BHGC crew agreed that during Casey’s tenure, the club was able to take the junior
program to a higher level, growing it until they were maxing out the head count year after year. Casey credits the perfect mix of high school coaches, helpers, and volunteers for the junior program’s current success. However, Casey’s philosophy of quality versus quantity as far as golf instruction goes, is what has made the program what it has become.
The Keysers live in Kalispell and Casey & his wife are looking forward to enjoying more hiking, camping, fishing, and other summer activities with their new baby as he takes on a more family-friendly work schedule. On his Bucket List? As an avid skier - heli-skiing at Revelstoke!
Rounding out the professional staff on the golf team at BHGC is Tara Liebert whom - as virtually everyone said - is the glue that holds everything together. Tara hails from Cincinnati and she followed her heart (boyfriend) to the Flathead valley about four years ago. She played college golf at the University of Cincinnati, so she naturally gravitated to the golf community here. She is finishing up the online portion of PGA school, and preparing to head to Frisco, Texas for the final exams.
Tara has been instrumental in advancing the women’s golf programs locally and facilitating many of the logistics of the leagues and tournaments. She is looking forward to working with the rest of the team as they blend the past culture and the future expansion of both golf programs and community engagement.
Tara lives in Kalispell and continues to enjoy hanging out with the young man who coaxed her here. She loves live music and attending concerts far and wide. Besides golf, she loves fishing - bass fishing specifically but laughingly admits that she really really REALLY hates to touch a fish.
The clubhouse and pro shop are currently open winter hours, Tuesday through Friday 9 am to 2 pm. Golf memberships for the 2025 season are currently available. Winter course maintenance is ongoing, under the guidance of Russ Glover, and the club is open for breakfast and lunch the same hours listed above. Winter is usually a good time for private parties and gatherings at the clubhouse. Contact Jeff Epperly, Food & Beverage manager, for information about booking winter or summer events. Ken Bush suggests visiting golfbuffalohill.com to subscribe to the weekly newsletter to receive updates. Here’s to looking forward to Spring, which is just around the corner!
4 Steps to Build Strength and Connection in Tumultuous Times Riding the Wave
By Susan Clarke
In late summer, I, Susan, launched a program called Dialoguing for Democracy. My hope was to encourage people to come together and engage in meaningful conversations as the election approached.
I’ve always believed that democracy is rooted in dialogue—not attack ads, fundraising texts, or the hostility that too often emerges when people discuss differing political views.
But what I heard from those who signed up for Dialoguing for Democracy was a deep reluctance to even approach the subject of politics. Most simply wanted the election to be over. Their words stayed with me:
• “It’s just easier not to talk about politics or strong opinions.”
• “My family has been torn apart over the past year.”
• “I’ll vote, but there’s no way I’m sharing who I’m voting for or why.”
This election season seemed to leave many of us feeling drained. No matter who won or lost, it came at a cost—a sense that, in some way, we all lost.
So, where do we go from here?
Like so many others, I read the headlines and feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges we face. The growing divisions make it easy to feel discouraged. Yet, amid the uncertainty, I’ve come to a realization: true change often starts in the quieter, everyday moments where we connect with ourselves and the people around us.
If you’ve ever felt unsure about how to make a difference, know this: you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t need to have all the answers or make grand gestures to help create positive change. Here are some ways we, as women, can channel our energy into meaningful action:
1. Feeling Your Feelings
This past year has been emotionally exhausting for many of us. Whether we got what we wanted or not, there’s grief in the loss of meaningful connection. Most of us did not learn how to process emotions in healthy ways when we were young.
Too often as women we try to be there for others and stuff our own emotions. Again, there’s a cost to this habit. CrisMarie and I are here to tell you: it’s okay not to feel okay, and how you feel matters. It’s empowering to acknowledge and process how you feel.
How To: This can be done simply by pausing, taking a breath, and asking yourself: what do I feel? Notice the sensations you feel in your body: tension, heaviness, tingling? If it fits, you can let your hand go to where you feel the sensations as a form of connection and comfort.
If you feel a lot of emotions you can channel that energy into written form by giving yourself permission to write a “venting” letter. It’s not a letter to send, it’s a letter that is a place to catch and release what you feel. Let it rip in the letter. Don’t hold back. You can burn it after you write it.
2. Listen More
When emotions run high in conversations, it’s tempting to jump into debates or try to “fix” issues. However, real change begins with listening. By making space for others to share their perspectives, you open doors to deeper understanding. When CrisMarie and I work with couples, and even business teams, we often help them slow things down to help people hear each other.
How To: Let’s say a tough topic comes up at home, rather than getting into the ping-pong back and forth that leads nowhere, try what we call a 5-5-5.
For the first 5 minutes person A talks without interruption while person B listens. When the timer hits 5 minutes, switch, B talking with A listening. When the timer strikes again you have 5 minutes to dialogue, ask clarifying questions. Then when the timer hits the end of the last 5 minutes, you both stop talking. It isn’t a 5-5-45. Shift gears, cook dinner, go for a walk or take a break. You’ll be surprised how your experience of the topic will shift.
If a 5-5-5 doesn’t fit, the next time you’re in a conversation, try asking open-ended questions like, “What’s your experience with this?” or “How do you see it?” Instead of planning your response, focus on truly hearing their point of view, even reflect back what you hear to make sure you understand rather than jumping into your point of view.
3. Focus on What You Can Control
In the face of big challenges, it’s easy to feel powerless. When coaching women, I notice they can get stuck in a self-reinforcing pattern of fear, or feeling like a victim, or anger. In this stuck place your survival brain is running the show, and you’re in the least intelligent and accurately observing state. This means you are going to misinterpret incoming information, deleting the positive things and reinforcing the scary ones.
Instead of taking frantic action to fix everything, slow down and recenter, focusing on what you can control, which are your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions.
The key is to reboot your brain and your heart. Instead of taking frantic action to fix everything, slow down and recenter, focusing on what you can control, which are your thoughts, your feelings, and your actions.
How To: A simple way to do this in the moment is stop doing, pause, and sit down. Turn your attention inward. Shut your eyes, taking your focus off what’s around you. Notice your breathing, your feet on the floor, your bum in the chair.
If you have a few more minutes, bring up the memory of something that you deeply love, a pet, a child, or even a beautiful place in nature. Keep breathing and feeling your connection to this innocence. This helps you shift out of survival and back into your heart again.
Overtime you may want to cultivate self-connection habits like daily journaling, meditating, or simply taking a walk. Be kind to yourself as you navigate this journey.
4. Build Bridges in Your Community
We’re stronger when we come together. Too often we get focused on our to-dos: taking care of the kids, getting work done, and cleaning the house. These tasks are necessary, yes, but when they become the sole focus, the meaning drains out of our lives.
We are not alone. We are a part of a community, a fabric that supports us all. Taking the time to create, remember, and revel in those connections is nurturing.
When you see someone you know at the store take a pause and say hello. Look for small ways to give back. Organize a meal train for a new mom. Host a book club to discuss meaningful topics, create a social media group to share resources, reach out to a neighbor who is isolated, or volunteer at a local shelter. These seemingly small acts of connection can have a ripple effect.
Find Strength in the Field Beyond Right and Wrong
As Rumi so beautifully wrote: “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”
That field—the space where we connect as human beings, beyond our differences—is where real change
I’m not out waving a sign or shouting from a podium. Instead, I’m focusing on how I can make a difference in my own corner of the world. I’m processing how I feel, listening more, engaging with the people around me, and striving to live with intention and care.
Whether you’re leading a movement, building a community, or simply lending a hand to someone in need, remember: Every action matters. Every connection counts.
Together, we can navigate these tumultuous times—not by clinging to the idea of being “right,” but by choosing to feel, reach out, listen, and create something better. One step, one moment, one act of kindness at a time.
CrisMarie Campbell and Susan Clarke of thrive! inc. (Www.thriveinc.com)
Co-founders of thrive! Inc., CrisMarie Campbell, MBA an Olympic rower, and Susan Clarke, MA leadership, relationship, and Equus coach, are the authors of The Beauty of Conflict: Harnessing Your Team’s Competitive Advantage and The Beauty of Conflict for Couples. They also have an on-line cultural change program called the Beauty of Conflict
They’ve spent 20 years helping individuals, leaders, and teams to resolve difficult conflicts and create strong, thriving relationships as well as profitable business results through speaking, teamwork facilitation, and leadership coaching. Clients include Fortune 100 companies like Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, AT&T and San Francisco Giants and many others.
Beyond Birth Control Understanding Modern IUDs
Written by Kaycee McIntosh
Intrauterine devices (IUDs) have long battled an unfair reputation. Perhaps you've heard the whispered stories: "My friend's cousins friends moms daughter had an IUD migrate through her uterus," or "I heard they cause permanent infertility." Maybe you've seen the viral social media posts about babies born clutching IUDs in their tiny hands – dramatic stories that make for great headlines but don't reflect medical reality. And then there are the frightening tales of insertion pain, with social media flooded by accounts describing the procedure as "excruciating" or "traumatic." These horror stories, often shared without context or mention of available pain management options, leave many potential candidates too terrified to even consider this highly effective treatment option.
At Kalispell OBGYN, we see firsthand how these misconceptions affect our patients' healthcare decisions. While many associate IUDs solely with pregnancy prevention, our practice regularly utilizes these remarkable devices for managing heavy periods, reducing endometriosis symptoms, and addressing other gynecological concerns. The modern IUD has evolved far beyond its reputation – as have the techniques and comfort measures we use during placement. Our experienced providers prioritize patient comfort and take time to address concerns about pain management before and during the procedure.
In this article, we'll dispel the most common myths surrounding IUDs and walk you through what actually happens during a consultation and insertion at our clinic. Whether you're considering an IUD for contraception or other medical benefits, understanding the facts can help you make an informed decision about your healthcare options.
One of the most prevalent concerns we hear from patients is about pain during insertion. While it's true that some discomfort is normal
during the procedure, the stories of unbearable pain are largely exaggerated. Modern insertion techniques, combined with our comprehensive approach to pain management, make the procedure quite tolerable for most patients. At our clinic, we offer multiple pain management options, including cervical numbing and medication for anxiety if needed.
Another persistent myth that needs debunking is the belief that women who have never had children cannot use IUDs. This outdated notion has prevented many young women from accessing this excellent form of contraception. The truth is that IUDs are safe and appropriate for most people, regardless of whether they've had children. Modern IUDs come in different sizes, making them suitable for women of all ages and circumstances. The medical community, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, fully supports the use of IUDs in women who have never been pregnant.
Many patients express concern about IUDs moving out of place or perforating the uterus. While these complications are possible, they are exceedingly rare when IUDs are placed by experienced providers. The risk of perforation is less than 1 in 1,000 insertions, and most displace-
ments, if they occur, happen within the first few months after insertion. Our careful placement technique and follow-up care ensure proper positioning, and regular check-ups help monitor the IUD's location. Similarly, the fear that IUDs cause infertility is completely unfounded. IUDs are entirely reversible, and your ability to conceive returns to normal immediately upon removal.
Understanding Your IUD Options
At Kalispell OBGYN, we offer several types of IUDs to meet different needs and preferences. The Skyla IUD, our smallest option, is ideal for women who have never had children and lasts for three years. Kyleena, slightly larger, provides five years of contraception while maintaining a compact size suitable for most women. The Mirena IUD, our most versatile option, is now approved for up to eight years of use and offers additional benefits beyond contraception.
We also offer the copper IUD (Paragard), which is completely hormone-free and can provide effective contraception for up to ten years. This
Modern IUDs come in different sizes, making them suitable for women of all ages and circumstances. The medical community, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, fully supports the use of IUDs in women who have never been pregnant.
option is ideal for women who prefer to avoid hormones or can't use hormonal contraception. The copper IUD works differently from hormonal IUDs – instead of releasing hormones, it uses copper's natural sperm-deterring properties to prevent pregnancy. While copper IUDs may cause heavier periods in some women, they provide the longest-lasting reversible contraception available.
Mirena deserves special mention for its ability to significantly reduce menstrual bleeding – a feature that makes it particularly valuable for women who experience heavy periods. Clinical studies show that Mirena reduces menstrual bleeding by 80 percent after three months of use, and by over 90 percent after six months. Many women find their periods become significantly lighter or stop altogether, though this effect is completely reversible when the IUD is removed.
All of these IUD options share impressive effectiveness rates, with success rates of over 99% in preventing pregnancy. This makes them more effective than birth control pills, patches, or rings, and comparable to permanent sterilization methods like tubal ligation.
What You Can Actually Expect at Kalispell OBGYN
The journey to getting an IUD begins with a comprehensive consultation with one of our providers. During this initial visit, we take the time to understand your health history and goals. This isn't just about birth control – we want to understand your complete health picture to ensure an IUD is the right choice for you.
During the consultation, we'll also review important health factors to ensure an IUD is safe for you. While IUDs are appropriate for most women, certain conditions may make other contraceptive options more suitable.
If you decide an IUD is right for you, we typically schedule the insertion for a different day. This gives us time to prepare properly and allows you to plan for the procedure. We understand that many patients feel anxious about the insertion, so we offer several options to make the experience as comfortable as possible.
The insertion procedure itself follows a careful, gentle protocol designed to maximize your
comfort. We begin by inserting a speculum and cleaning the cervix. We then apply topical numbing medication and can perform what's called a cervical block – a technique where we numb the cervix. While this won't completely eliminate all sensation, it significantly improves comfort during the procedure. This numbing process is optional but recommended for many patients. If you experience any discomfort during the insertion, we can provide additional numbing. Our primary goal is your comfort and well-being throughout the entire process.
After the Procedure: What to Expect
Most women experience some cramping and light bleeding or spotting after IUD insertion. This is completely normal and typically subsides within a few days to weeks. You can manage any discomfort with over-thecounter pain medications and heating pads. Sexual activity can typically be resumed whenever you feel comfortable, though using backup contraception for the first week is recommended with hormonal IUDs.
During the first few months with your IUD, you may notice changes in your menstrual pattern. With copper IUDs, periods might initially be heavier but usually return to normal within 3-6 months. With hormonal IUDs, irregular spotting is common at first, but periods typically become lighter over time, with many women experiencing significantly reduced or no menstrual bleeding by six months.
After insertion, we schedule a follow-up appointment for 4-8 weeks later to ensure everything is positioned correctly and that you're adjusting well to your new IUD. During this time, we encourage you to contact our office if you experience any unusual pain, fever, or abnormal discharge.
At Kalispell OBGYN, we understand that choosing birth control is a deeply personal decision. We're committed to providing accurate information and gentle care throughout your IUD journey.
The reality is that IUDs are one of the most effective forms of reversible contraception available today, with success rates comparable to permanent sterilization. When you combine
this exceptional effectiveness with the convenience of long-term birth control and, in many cases, reduced menstrual bleeding, it's clear why IUDs have become increasingly popular among women of all ages.
Contact our office to schedule a consultation and learn more about whether an IUD might be right for you. At Kalispell OBGYN, we're here to support you in making the best decision for your reproductive health.
Kaycee McIntosh is a Physician Assistant at Kalispell OB/GYN and fifth-generation Montanan on both sides of her family. Kaycee earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science/ Health and Human Development from MSU in Bozeman. She received her Master of Physician Assistant at Rocky Mountain College in Billings. She worked in Urgent Care for Logan Health for ten years, where she gained valuable experience in many areas of medicine before transitioning into women's health at Kalispell OB/ GYN at the end of 2021.
Kaycee, along with her husband Toby, an engineer from Vermont, loves raising their three young boys together in Whitefish. Kaycee enjoys spending time outside skiing, biking, playing fetch with their dog, and being with her family. She also loves art, being creative, and enjoys thinking outside of the box.
By Dr. Tom Flass and Brittany Coburn NP-C
A F UNCTIONAL M EDICINE A PPROACH TO H EALTH Pillar #1 Nutrition
In our previous article, we did an overview of functional medicine and its emphasis on supporting upstream, rootcause principles of health. We believe that there are six core pillars of health that we all need to maintain to restore health to our bodies. The Six Pillars
a child’s health decades down the line but is still not being prioritized. Just about every disease or disorder that afflicts us has its roots in nutrition, yet the western medical system is woefully underprepared to tackle this issue.
Libraries could be filled with the number of diet and nutrition books that have been written (these authors contributions included). Let’s take a step back and look at some fundamental principles that cut through the hype and should be the cornerstone of any healthy eating plan.
Nutrition
Sleep
Exercise and Activity
Stress reduction and mental health
Connection and Community 6. Nature, Sunlight and a clean environment
Nutrition is always a controversial topic, with loads of opposing strong opinions and beliefs, disinformation, conflicting information and to be honest, very poor guidance from our regulatory authorities. Despite this controversy, it is still one of the most important things to examine in regard to our health.
Why is nutrition important? Western medicine is finally admitting that the majority of premature death and disease in America is directly related to diet and lifestyle. Type 2 diabetes, which costs the US $350 billion annually is directly related to poor nutrition, as is most heart disease. Alzheimer’s disease (referred to in some circles as Type 3 diabetes) in addition to other brain and mental health disorders are also strongly related to diet and lifestyle. Nutrition during pregnancy and early life can impact
We are not eating REAL food.
The rise in chronic disease in the US directly parallels the explosion of highly processed foods introduced starting in the 1970s and 1980’s. A huge proportion of the “food” on our shelves is not really food at all, but more a “food-like substance” made from ingredients extracted and manipulated from what was once real food. During this manipulation, fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients are removed, and preservatives, thickeners and flavor modifiers are added in. It is being revealed that many of these additives are not legal for use in other countries and may have adverse health effects. Highly processed foods are convenient but deadly when consumed chronically.
Choosing simple whole foods with natural (as opposed to synthetic) ingredients and cooking for yourself pays dividends down the road. Invest in yourself and your kid’s future by cutting way back on highly processed fast foods, snack foods, and convenience foods. Read labels and put back the foods with ingredient lists that read like a chemistry set. Rediscover how delicious Real Food can be- meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, whole grains, herbs and spices!
We are eating WAY too much sugar. Make no mistake, excessive sugar is a killer. Sugar increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes, increases inflammation in your body, messes with your gut bacteria (the microbiome) and may contribute to leaky gut (a root cause of autoimmune and many brain disorders). We are referring to added sugar, not natural sugar in whole fruit. All sugar is not created equal, and the main danger comes from excessive fructose mostly from table sugar (sucrose) or high fructose corn syrup. Americans went from eating a half pound of sugar per year in the early 1900s to eating upwards of 100 pounds per year currently. An interesting fact is that your body cannot use fructose directly for energy, it uses glucose, fat and ketones. Fructose should be considered an energy storage molecule, so it is great if you want to stockpile calories for the winter, which Americans have been excelling at while getting heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s along the way.
Do a Sugar Scan and add up the grams of added sugar you or your child gets daily. Do your best to limit added sugar to 26 grams per day for women and children, 36 grams daily for men. Quick tipDitch all sweetened drinks, including the fancy coffee drinks that can have 70 grams of added sugar!
Many of us are not getting enough protein, or not enough quality protein.
New research has suggested that the old recommendations for daily protein intake were too low and did not consider protein quality. Proteins are made up of 20 building blocks called amino acids, several of which are more rate limiting and important to get in our diets to build and maintain muscle and other tissues includ-
Americans went from eating a half pound of sugar per year in the early 1900s to eating upwards of 100 pounds per year currently.
ing our bones as we age. An important point to remember is that MUSCLE=METABOLISM. Having healthy muscle mass and function as we age has less to do with being buff, and more to do with reducing your risk of diabetes, heart disease, cognitive decline and accidental falls and fractures that pose a major risk to people as they age.
Quick tip- Make all your meals protein based. The average 150 lb woman should try to get 25-30 grams of quality protein with every meal. (e.g. 3 oz of meat, fish or poultry, 4 eggs) For vegetarians/vegans 1 cup of beans or tofu served with rice or quinoa approaches this amount but keep in mind the lower protein quality and digestibility.
We are starving our good gut bacteria. Science continues to demonstrate the importance of a healthy gut microbiome. Almost every aspect of our physiology is impacted by these “belly bugs.” Your digestion, metabolism, hormones, brain function and immune system are all influenced by the types and numbers of bacteria in your gut. The good bacteria don’t run on good intentions, they need fuel in the form of soluble fiber and phytonutrients from vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. Guess what the Standard American Diet is sorely lacking…
If we starve our good belly bugs, things generally don’t go well for us health wise. For adults, getting 8-10 grams of fiber per meal and/or taking a fiber supplement such as psyllium, flax or chia can have a multitude of downstream health benefits. Make fiber a priority in your diet.
If Americans could just start with these basics and stop looking for the “hack” that leads us down the wrong path, we would be a vastly healthier society.
Tom Flass MD and Brittany Coburn NP-C are medical providers at Functional Medicine Associates of Montana and the hosts of “The Aware Families Podcast” available on all major platforms. Flass is also the author of two books on nutrition “Feeding Our Children” and “Eating for Two” both available on Amazon.
Photo by Dianne Dotter at
Q&A wIth Heidi Shors, MD Orthopedic Surgeon
Photos by ACE Photography & Design
Where are you from and what brought you to the Flathead Valley?
I am originally from Bellingham, Washington. As an undergraduate at the University of San Diego I played division I basketball. In medical school at the University of Washington I played pick-up hoops with the guys and met my husband, Andy Shors, who was also in med school. Andy grew up in Cut Bank, Montana. After working for 10 years in Seattle, we decided to move to move to the Flathead in 2016. I started at Logan Health and Andy at Highline Dermatology. Our patients enjoy that we are here as a family.
What is your specialty of practice?
My specialty is orthopedic hand and elbow surgery. I completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Washington and an upper extremity fellowship at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I met some amazing mentors and colleagues. My fellowship director is a wellknown hand surgeon and remains a friend. I recently invited him to Montana to teach a seminar for the Montana Hand society so that all the hand surgeons of Montana could share in his expertise.
Why did you choose orthopedics/hands as a specialty?
Orthopedics fit many of my interests coming out of medical school. I was uncertain in what subspeciality within orthopedics would interest me the most. I was first interested in sports medicine, but over time I developed an affinity for the anatomy and procedures related to the upper extremity. I take care of any injury from the elbow down. It is an orthopedics specialty on a small scale with a wide variety of issues.
What are your professional interests?
I have a strong interest in Dupuytren’s disease. It is a condition where the tissue in the hands thickens making it difficult to straighten your hands. Now there are nonoperative treatments, namely an injection that breaks down the thickened tissue. I have gained a lot of experience with use of this technique and am asked to lecture at a national level to share this experience.
Additionally, I am interested in fractures of the wrist and hand and other injuries such as distal biceps ruptures. This is when a person pulls off their biceps tendon from their elbow. It typically happens when someone is lifting something heavy that causes one to lose strength.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
I think the most rewarding thing is meeting people of all walks of life and the opportunity to play a part in their life in a close way. For a moment, I have a positive effect on someone I otherwise would not have met. I totally enjoy my job. I enjoy performing surgery, but I really enjoy the people I get to meet. Just the other day I was talking to a patient, and he asked me if I liked my job. I told him, “I do like my job, and I am glad you can tell I like it!”
How do you like to spend your free time?
We have three kids, twins who are freshmen in high school and an eighth grader. The Flathead Valley has been a great place to raise our kids, with all the sports and outdoor opportunities.
I love to play tennis and watersports: waterskiing, wake surfing, sailing, and swimming. I love the water. In the winter I love to skin up the mountain. It’s easy on your joints compared to running and gets you outside when the weather is bad. I love the summer, but in the winter, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! I love cross country and downhill skiing.
I also coached youth basketball for 10 years, and started the volleyball club for girls in Whitefish, the Avalanche Volleyball Club.
I am very involved with my kids, and volunteer in the schools. I used to spend time in their elementary classrooms cleaning desks or teaching math. In middle school I did what I could to support the teachers and events. I once volunteered to dissect a frog. Now in high school we volunteer to do things with sports, like hosting team dinners at our house.
Is there anything else you think people should know about you and what you do?
We are all fortunate to live here with the level of medicine here. With all the amenities in the Flathead Valley people want to live here so it brings top-tier clinicians. We have an outstanding group in orthopedics who come from top medical schools like Harvard, Duke, Stanford, Cleveland Clinic and the University of Washington. It is an amazing group that has trained at a high level, but we have a bluecollar attitude. We enjoy working hard and I appreciate that.
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It was a Wednesday, late March 2023, spring break week for many locals and a rare mid-weekday off for Megan. She and coworker went up to Whitefish Mountain Resort for a few runs. As they descended the Toni Matt run, Megan encountered a bump causing her left ski to come off. She slid several yards headfirst with her right ski still attached.
Once she stopped, a group of bystanders immediately came to see if she was okay and offered to call ski patrol. As she collected herself, stunned by the slide, and realized her right knee felt strange. For the first time in her life, Megan needed assistance from ski patrol to get off the mountain. The patroller took her in a toboggan to Logan Health Walk-in Care next to the Base Lodge.
At the clinic Logan Health Nurse Practitioner Judy Smith, a nurse practitioner for 22 years, greeted Megan with her warm southern accent. After examining her knee, Judy ordered an x-ray. To Megan’s relief, it ruled out a fracture, however there was likely to be ligament damage.
Orthopedic injuries are the most common reason skiers and snowboarders go to the walk-in clinic at Whitefish Mountain Resort. Last winter the clinic’s mobile digital x-ray unit was used for nearly 300 exams of knees and other lower body and upper body extremities. The digital images taken at the mountainside clinic can be sent electronically through a secured network to the patient’s next care provider.
A Local Skier’s Knee Story The Inside Track
By Riley Polumbus
For eight years surgical technologist Megan Ellman experiences surgery at Logan Health Whitefish every day assisting surgeons in the operating room. Two years ago, after a fall on the slopes, she saw surgery through a new lens: as a patient.
Judy explained that Megan should schedule an appointment with Logan Health orthopedics in Kalispell for a follow up. At the time, Judy was unaware that Megan was a Logan Health employee, let alone on a first-name basis with many of the orthopedic surgeons and physician assistants at Logan Health.
Fortunately for Megan, Physician Assistant Ross Van Brunt had an opening that afternoon.
“I thought to myself, holy cow I am getting red carpet treatment here,” Megan said. “First by patrol, then everyone at the clinic could not have been more kind, I felt so well cared for. I realized getting into seeing Ross on the same day was fortunate.”
While most skiers or snowboarders injured on the mountain are not friends with orthopedic clinicians, Logan Health now has an Orthopedic Walk-in Care clinic in Kalispell. Like Megan, there is a chance to be seen by an orthopedic specialist on the same day as their injury without a prior appointment.
At Logan Health Orthopedics, Ross scheduled Megan for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exam for the next day. An MRI provides an image of the knee and determine the extent of injury. The image was sent to Ben Ward, MD, one of Logan Health’s orthopedic and sports medicine surgeons.
Dr. Ward, a skier himself, is a specialist in sports injuries. After graduating from Duke University’s School of Medicine, he did his orthopedic residency
at Harvard University. Before arriving in the Flathead Valley, Ward completed a fellowship in sports medicine and arthroscopy at the Taos Orthopedic Institute in Taos, New Mexico.
Having worked with Megan in the operating room, Ward looked at her MRI results almost right away and called her with the news. She had torn her ACL and needed to replace it.
The ACL is a ligament in the knee that connects the thigh bone (femur) to the shin bone (tibia). ACL injuries most commonly occur during sports and recreational activities such as skiing. With the bounty of skiing and other recreation in the region, ACL surgeries are common at Logan Health. There are 45 to 50 performed annually at Whitefish alone.
Once Megan heard the news, she researched online and talked to other friends and colleagues about ACL surgery, including another co-worker who also had just torn her ACL. She learned that “pre-hab” or rehabilitation prior to surgery, would help her. She called the rehabilitation clinic in Whitefish and was able to get in for an appointment.
Megan was welcomed in the clinic by their friendly front desk staff including Clinic Patient Representative Anise Jaffe who helped get her appointments for both before and after her surgery.
Photo by ACE Photography & Design
I thought to myself, holy cow I am getting red carpet treatment here. First by patrol, then everyone at the clinic could not have been more kind, I felt so well cared for.
In surgery, the torn ACL is removed, and a replacement—called a graft—is attached. There are several options for the type of graft. An allograft uses tendon from a donor. An autograft uses tissue from the patient's patellar tendon, hamstring or quadriceps tendon. The surgeon considers what is best for each patient depending on their age and lifestyle.
Ward felt the best option for Megan’s surgery was to use tendon from her quadriceps—a protocol gaining in acceptance as the most successful graft choice for ACL replacement.
“Megan, I want to do the best I can for you,” she remembers Dr. Ward saying to her. Knowing his background and experience, along with the passion for what he does, she trusted his recommendation.
Despite choosing to have her surgery in the familiar surroundings of her workplace, Megan was terrified. Yet her fear and anxiety were quelled by the reassuring staff. She was told things she had heard before with other patients and had a new appreciation for her caring coworkers.
Her anesthesiologist, Bryce Mieczkowski, DO, told her to think of her dream vacation. She fell under anesthesia dreaming of skiing deep powder.
While surgery day was scary, Megan knew the toughest part was yet to come. After an ACL replacement, physical therapy is required to regain strength and range of motion. Rehabilitation can take up to a year, however for others six to nine months therapy can get them back to their normal activities.
Megan’s physical therapists wanted to see her two days after surgery. Although not feeling up to going, her mother encouraged her, “They want to see you for a reason, otherwise they would not have scheduled you.”
After that first appointment at Logan Health Rehabilitation Whitefish (then called Whitefish Therapy) she knew she had to trust their expertise. Although it seemed too soon to get to work on physical therapy because she could not put weight on her right leg, physical therapists know the importance of getting the knee in motion as soon as possible.
After her first session, Megan went to therapy twice a week for the first two months. She developed a strong rapport with Rachel Miles, PT, DPT as well as other therapists and office staff.
“They pushed me to my limits, but I was so grateful,” Megan said. “Even right after surgery, and whenever I was nervous, they told me I could do it. I was motivated to get back to what I wanted to do. I started to look forward to going to therapy.”
Megan returned to the slopes nine months after surgery, and every day at work she sees how patients are treated through a new lens.
“I can’t say enough about the care I received,” Megan said. “Now I see patients and I can relate, that was me! And I see that every patient is treated with the same care I had.”
An ACL injury can happen to anyone, and with access to walk-in care and talented local surgeons and therapists, everyone living and skiing in the Flathead Valley has an inside track to getting the care they need to get back to the activities they love.
I T
’
LL B E H ARD .
By Dr. John F. Miller DDS - SMILE MONTANA
Happy New Year everyone and welcome to 2025. Anytime a year ends with zero or five it seems more significant, more important. And of all the “five” years in a century none are more momentous than the 25 and the 75...which are tied at the top. So, it’s a big deal. A quarter century since Y2K. A quarter century of adulthood for me as I was 18 when the new millennium rolled into town.
It feels terrifyingly fast and punishingly long at the same time. I could remember my Y2K New Year’s Eve party like it was yesterday while ringing in this new year with my wife of 20 years and our four children, one of which is an adult herself attending college. Mind Blown. As I’m sure most of you can relate.
A few months back in this same publication I discussed the amazing advancements that I have seen in my profession during my short 15-year career as a dentist. It would seem I wrote that with little foresight as a 25-year retrospective of the technique and technological advancements of modern dentistry would have had a nice ring to it. Oh well. Go back one or two issues and it will read the same.
I will tell you something that has become more and more obvious to me over the last 25 years, and that is how awesome of a country we live in. The United States of America. The word tossed around the most when talking about what we are all about in the USA is freedom. Isn’t it amazing to be free? Talk to some-
one new to this country and see what they say about it. They love it. I’m married to one.
This freedom is directly responsible for the USA’s most famous product: The Dream y’all! The American Dream simplified says you can become whatever you want. Emphasis on the word can. It’s not, “you will become whatever you want,” it’s “you can.” That little dinky 3 letter word holds within it miles and years and smiles and tears (honestly pretty cool album title...feel free Taylor Swift, take it). Within this little word lies the rub. The “can” is hard.
Speaking of hard, while also considering cool things that I’ve seen in this first quarter of the 21st century, reminds me of this list I've seen many times on social media. This list goes as follows and obviously I needed to google it and copy and paste it:
C HOOS e Y O u R H ARD
Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard.
Obesity is hard. Being fit is hard. Choose your hard.
Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard.
Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard.
Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard. Pick wisely.
-Marcus Taylor
This freedom is directly responsible for the USA’s most famous product: The Dream y’all! The American Dream simplified says you can become whatever you want. Emphasis on the word can.
It’s not, “you will become whatever you want,” it’s “you can.”
I do like its message and feel like it’s mostly true. I will state the obvious that everyone has other factors going on in life that make things harder or easier...this is just a generalization. Folks, I might tie this into dentistry or I might run out of space. Keep reading to find out.
Twenty-five years ago, my life was way easier. That is to say my life is harder right now, but soooo much better. Based on the above this is due to me being able to successfully move my needle further from the negative “hard” things and closer to the “positive” hard things. I do need help in the communication department because I’m terrible at communicating, and it’s indeed hard.
American Dream. Twenty-five years ago, I “wanted” to become a Dentist. Could I? Of course, the “can” is there for all of us. But the “can” I was facing down was long. Eight years at minimum. The “can” was hard. I needed to achieve straight A’s through my undergraduate years, be in the 90th percentile on my dental entrance exam, successfully complete the rigorous requirements of dental school, and then navigate the hardest part of them all, being a successful dentist and business owner.
If you are still with me on this rambling thought parade, think of your “can” in becoming you at this present time. Think of the “can” or “cans” you are facing still to further improve any number of areas in your life. Since I am a Dentist, I’m going to add my two cents to the little poem of hard I shared earlier.
Achieving and maintaining healthy teeth, gums, and function is hard.
Living with cavities, gum disease, and infection is hard.
Choose your hard.
It’s also painful, smelly, and costly to treat. I’m such a downer.
Living in this community exposes me to many successful and inspiring individuals and I know it was a long difficult road to get there. I see you. You are seen because I know that sometimes it feels like you’re not. Keep it up. You’ve got that needle pinned on the hard but awesome side of the spectrum. You’re inspiring those around you. Thank You.
Rocheal Gaston Rocheal has officially launched her new company, Double R Design Studio. Read her story on page 8 of the Business section.
emily D'anna moRRow Emily is the Artistic Director at The Whitefish School of Ballet. Read her story on page 12.
Photo by: ace PhotoGRaPhy & DesiGn
Photo by:
Robby huttinGeR, the aRisto collective
What I learned from this issue…
By Kristen, Managing Editor
is alive and well! On pages 38-42, you’ll experience Gabryella and Brandon’s wedding and not only read about how special their love is but you’ll see it in the photos. This amazing day was witnessed by family (including our publisher Cindy McDaniel) and close friends and captured by photographer Laura Rachelle.
That no matter how you felt after the presidential election and how you are feeling about our country’s future, there are steps that YOU can take to channel your energy into meaningful action. Please read Susan Clarke’s Riding the Wave: 4 Steps to Build Strength and Connection in Tumultuous Times story on
publisher cindy Gerrity cindy@montanasky.net
business manager
Daley mcDaniel daley@montanasky.net
managing editor kristen hamilton montanakristen@gmail.com
creative & social media director
amanda Wilson afwphotography@me.com
Published by Skirts Publishing six times a year
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photographers
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Catching up with Emily D’annaMorrow, Founder of The Whitefish School of Ballet
By Rachael Seymour
Photo by Robby Huttinger, The Aristo Collective
Emily D’anna-Morrow is a woman on the go. When we meet up, she runs into Montana Coffee Traders, fresh from her classes. I’m struck by her warm, kinetic energy as she makes her way to sit down, and with her attention becomes completely focused on me, I felt like I was the only one there in the otherwise busy cafe. That attention must be a wonderful thing to receive when learning to dance from her.
Emily is a professional dancer and has been teaching at the O'Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish several days a week for three years now as the founder, owner and lead teacher at The
She always knew how to move the beat of her own drum, even as a young girl. Growing up in Texas, she was no stranger to the passion of football and became drawn to the legendary Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. “They were just so beautiful and talented!” She reflects. “And sports are really big in Texas, especially football. So there was a sense of pride there as well.”
While her desire to become a cheerleader never expanded beyond elementary school cheer teams, her love of the experience stayed. Stemmed from catching the dancing--and the performing--bug at a dance recital when she was five, Emily knew that, even at such a young age, this was the life she wanted.
Learning all different styles of dance, one that stuck with her the most was a particular form of ballet, called Vaganova. Vaganova, a more athletic form of ballet, requires more strength and patience to perfect than the other forms of ballet. It’s also known to create a stronger foundation and teaches its students stricter boundaries and rules, so that when the time comes to bend or even break them, they can do so with strength and versatility. Although this form can be seen as more intimidating, Emily immediately fell in love with its high standards and pursued it wholeheartedly. To this day, she still uses Vaganova’s influence by making it the foundational style of what her students learn before any other form.
Later Emily went to college on a dance scholarship, and afterwards went on to dance for
While The Whitefish School of Ballet is now actively established with students, setting it up was an unexpected turn of events for her. Whitefish is better known for attracting those hoping to set their roots and settle down, and Emily was no different. While visiting during a ski trip a few years ago, she believed this was the perfect place to start a family and moved here to do just that. But after a series of events Emily found herself leaning into the entrepreneurial aspect of Whitefish. While looking into creating a Pilates studio, friends of hers reached out to see if she was willing to teach basic ballet lessons in the meantime. Then word got out about her classes, and folks began asking her if she was open to teaching children. Before she knew it, requests were flying in, and she knew she needed more help. She brought in and hired professional dancers and close friends Tyrell Rolle, Dan Gordon and Kalpana Subbarao to do just that. Suddenly The Whitefish School of Ballet was born, full of those hoping to learn how to move, groove and express themselves.
While Emily loves Montana and the people within it, more than anything she wants to see its people move. It was a funny moment when this was brought up, as she believes Montana needs to further fund the arts and broaden their horizon on what should be considered entertainment. “People don’t know about dance. There's a lot of pushback on dance. They know live music; everybody loves live music! And the theater,” she laughs out. Ballet is not an easy skill to start, regardless of how old you are, and Emily knows this. It’s why she actively encourages her students to enjoy themselves and tries to bring a sense of unity to the overall atmosphere. “Adults expect to be good at something because they’re an adult, and I think that can be humbling. We’re not gonna be perfect, no one is perfect. So I want this to be a little bit more fun, I want to create this space of confidence for them.”
don’t want happening. But in the eyes of a child, anything is possible and most of it is just goodness. And the way the world should be. And I’d like a life like that!” She also understands the responsibility in working with children, especially in their younger years when it comes to developing their minds and confidence, and takes it seriously.
Even when Montana issued the COVID mandates, she recognized that young children still needed the continuing mental and emotional development through learning and chose to keep her doors open to families who still wanted their kids to dance. She believes they are the future, but we must make sure we’re there for their support.
“America has a lot of healing to do and needs to do a lot of reprioritization in the family and what makes a good family. It’s not money, it’s not status. It really is how you are bringing up your children.”
Even when Emily isn’t teaching, she can still be found dancing. She enjoys creating choreography and bringing it to life with her own performances that she provides for events and venues across Montana. She’s also just finished her master’s in mental health coun-
Emily loves working with her younger students and the joy they bring her."In the eyes of a child, anything is possible and most of it is just goodness. And the way the world should be. And I’d like a life like that!”
seling and is considering movement therapy but still isn’t sure yet. She also loves to spend her quiet time curled up at home, relaxing and watching spaghetti westerns. But even then she still can't stay still, not all the way.
Even with the popularity of her classes and her busy schedule, Emily still has her eye set on the horizon and plans to move forward once the studio becomes more independent and finds its brick and mortar home. But in the meantime, she is loving the moment and soaking in everything she has here. “It's so humbling that I'm able to pass down something so old. I’m a master and I want other people to have that, to receive and to be able to go on and do what I'm doing!”
www.whitefishballet.com
Studio photos provided by The Whitefish School of Ballet, taken by John at Frontier Social
ChowderNordic Fish
By Justin Pinnell
What I appreciate most about this chowder is that it's an anything-goes type recipe. While my wife is a baker who meticulously follows rules, my approach to cooking involves a pinch of this and a dab of that. In short, nothing is ever quite the same with any given dish I make.
To begin, you'll need fish—any kind will do, no rules. In the old days, as winter lingered, two dependable things were fish from the ocean, lake, river, or stream, and cream from your cow, making it a must for this chowder. Choose some stock, be it chicken stock, vegetable stock, or a fish stock made from the bits and pieces of past meals (cooked down and heavily salted). After this, there are no rules—have fun and do as you like. I use bacon to sauté the potatoes, onions, etc., but any oil will work fine. Any vegetable goes well, so clean out the vegetable bin in your refrigerator. Below is how I like the chowder, however, as it's said in the old Nordic tongue, “alt er betra” (anything is better). Have fun and make it your own.
Ingredients
• 4 strips of bacon
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 fennel bulb, quartered, with fronds reserved for topping
• 1 cup chopped shallot
• 3 carrots, sliced into rounds
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (increase if you're battling a cold)
• 1 cup white wine (the cheaper, the better)
• 1/2 cup clam juice
• Juice from a whole lemon
• 1 pound gold potatoes, unpeeled and cut into large chunks
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 pound cod, cut into large pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and plenty of pepper, to taste
Feel free to adjust according to your preferences, and happy cooking!
Cooking Instructions:
• First, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove the crispy bacon and leave the rendered fat in the pan. Crumble up the bacon and set it aside to sprinkle on top of the chowder.
• In the grease, add the fennel bulb, shallot, carrots, and garlic. Sauté until glossy and softened, around 5 minutes.
• Once the shallots are soft, stir in the white wine and reduce by half. After the reduction, add the clam juice and lemon juice.
• Add the potatoes, cayenne pepper, and cover with the broth of your choice. Bring it to a boil until the potatoes are tender, but not completely softened.
• Next add the butter, fish, and heavy cream. Simmer until the fish is opaque and the potatoes are very soft, approximately 10 minutes.
• Remove the chowder from the heat and let it rest. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, garnish with fennel fronds.
Did Someone Say Martini Flights?
By Mary Wallace
There are Wine Flights and there are Beer Flights. Maybe it’s time for cocktails to join the fun!
According to Merriam Webster, “a flight is an order of samplings or tastings of selected beverages or food items that is served on a wooden board or in a specially designed carrier. A cocktail flight offers a selection of three to five mini cocktails, allowing one to try new spirits & flavors, to explore their favorites in one sitting. Want to discover some of your favorite cocktails? Let’s explore Martini Flights!
with a lemon twist.
Place 2 oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin and 1/2 ounce Dolin dry vermouth in a mixing glass. Add cubed ice and stir (or shake) 30 seconds until the martini is chilled. Pare a lemon peel, and rub it around the rim of the martini glasses and drop half into each glass. Strain the chilled drink into the martini glasses for Martini #1.
Shake and strain into two flight-size 2 oz martini glasses. Garnish with coffee beans or dust with instant espresso powder for Martini #3.
Alternatively, offer a sweet martini flight with the trio above.
Martini flights are a sophisticated way to enjoy a handful of different martinis and to sample spirits and flavors you might not have otherwise tried, and to reveal your favorite ones. They are also a fun & interactive experience to share with friends.
When planning a gathering to experiment with martini flights, keep in mind that most martinis are a 4 oz serving, so plan for 2 oz servings when offering a flight of four - making the total for the sampler board the equivalent of approximately two drinks.
Here are some ideas from the folks at the Liquor Barn for offering martini flights at your next gathering of friends:
First of all, it’s all in the presentation! Start with 100 disposable clear plastic martini glasses in a 2 oz size (available online). They are the perfect size for flight samples. Typically, a flight is served on a board, plate, or even in a metal martini tree (also available online).
First up in our martini experience, is a flight of three distinct martinis. Prepare each as a full recipe and split between two flight-size 2oz martini glasses for sharing.
2. Dirty Martini - A twist on the classic martini with a touch of olive brine, garnished instead with a stuffed green olive.
Prepare the same recipe as the classic martini but slide a couple of olives on a cocktail spear and drop one into each Dirty Martini glass. Pour the chilled drink over the olives for Martini #2.
Espresso MartiniA decadent dessert martini made with vodka, Kahlua, and freshly brewed espresso, garnished with a coffee bean.
Prepare a shot of espresso and let it cool off to room temperature (or stick it in the fridge to speed up the process). Place the cooled espresso, 2 oz of Absolut vodka, ½ oz of Kahlua coffee liqueur, ½ oz of simple syrup, and ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake until frosty, then strain into a martini glass.
1. Cosmopolitan Vodka, Triple Sec, and cranberry juice … Not too sweet, not too tart, looks beautiful in a tiny flight-
Pare an orange and run the peel around the rim of Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, then add 2 oz of Tito’s vodka, ½ oz of Cointreau triple sec, ¾ oz of cranberry juice, and ¼ oz of lime juice. Shake the cocktail shaker for about 30 seconds until well chilled. Strain into the two flight-sized martini glasses and garnish with the reserved orange peel.
2. Lemon Drop Martini - This festive drink is tart and delicious, sweet and lemony, and calls for vodka, triple sec, lemon juice, and sugar.
Rub the peel of a lemon around the rims of two flight-sized martini glasses. Dip the glasses into a plate of sugar to coat the rims. Place 1 ½ oz Skyy Citron vodka, ½ oz Cointreau triple sec, ¾ oz fresh lemon juice and a teaspoon of sugar into a cocktail shaker with 4-5 ice cubes and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Pour the strained martini into the two chilled glasses and garnish with the lemon peel.
1. Classic Martini - The original. Made with gin and dry vermouth, garnished
3. Sweet Martini - This easy, sweet martini recipe made with gin, sweet vermouth, and a maraschino cherry.
Place 2 oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin, and 1 oz Cinzano 1757 sweet vermouth in a mixing glass. into to two chilled flight-sized martini glasses and garnish with a maraschino cherry.
4. Chocolate Martini
Rich, creamy, and bursting with flavor.
Drizzle the inside of two flight-size 2 oz martini glass es with chocolate syrup. a shaker, combine 2 oz Tito’s vodka, 1 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream, and ½ oz chocolate syrup. Shake until chilled and strain into prepared glasses. If desired, garnish with shaved chocolate.
With over 25 popular martini cocktail recipes the possibilities for martini flight ideas are nearly endless. But what about the food? Again, the possibilities are nearly endless! But here is a fun one to try:
Dirty Martini Dip Mini Stuffed Potatoes -
Filled potato bites with a tangy, creamy dip with a hit of olive brine for a memorable party snack.
Toss together 2 lbs of baby Yukon gold potatoes, with a tablespoon olive oil, pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt on a small rimmed baking sheet until evenly coated. Bake, stirring once halfway through, until fork tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes. Increase oven temperature to broil.
While potatoes bake, place ¾ cup olives, ¼ cup olive brine, ¼ cup gin, 1 tablespoon vermouth, and 3 lemon peel strips in a small jar or airtight container. Seal container and shake well to combine. Chill in refrigerator until flavors meld, at least 30 minutes. Strain marinated olives over a medium bowl, reserving olives and brine mixture separately. Finely chop 2 tablespoons of the olives; set aside.
Once potatoes are slightly cooled, carefully slice top third horizontally off top of potatoes. Scoop potato flesh into a medium bowl, leaving about 1/8-inch border and potato skins intact. Place scooped potato flesh into bowl with trimmed tops. Place hollowed potato skins in even layer on same small baking sheet; set aside.
To potato flesh in medium bowl, add 6 tablespoons milk, 2 oz cream cheese, 1 oz blue cheese, 1 tablespoon chopped chives, 4 teaspoons of the reserved olive brine, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Mash potato mixture until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and stir in additional brine mixture, if desired. Spoon or pipe potato mixture into potato skins on baking sheet, piling high as needed until filling is all used up. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 tablespoon Parmesan.
Broil until warmed through and cheese is melted and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter and top evenly with finely chopped marinated olives, garnish with chives and serve immediately.
As James Thurber once said, “One martini is all right. Two are too many, and three are not enough.” Please visit Bigfork Liquor Barn for all your cocktail, spirits, and wine needs and as always, please drink responsibly.
Ask the Butcher
So, who is Mama Blanca?
Written by Michael Needleman
Since 2005 Mama Blancas Cocina Latina, “a rustic but chic” restaurant in downtown Whitefish, Montana, has been serving a Latin-fusion fare to local folks and those in and around the flathead valley. This unique restaurant offers well prepared menu items that are appealing to a diverse customer base as well as an ambience comfortable to all. And as Mama Blancas has proven over the last 20 years, it is a wonderful place to come to enjoy great food, great friends, and great fun seeing many family gatherings and even quiet romantic evenings.
Many have been pleasantly surprised in finding such a unique restaurant in a small mountain town such as Whitefish and have often questioned how the restaurant’s name came about, and certainly there are those too who have wondered if in fact there was ever a Mama Blanca at all. Well, that answer is a resounding, YES! Not only is Mama Blanca real, but she is also a frequent visitor to Whitefish and to the restaurant itself. She recently celebrated her 95th birthday there on December 8th, 2024.
Her 95th birthday celebration brought almost 40 family members from over seven different states: Illinois, Kansas, Virginia, California, Maryland, Arizona, Nevada, and the beautiful “Isla de Encanta”—Puerto Rico. The festivities lasted five days, and everyone came together at Mama Blancas Latina Cocina on the last day to eat delicious Puerto Rican cuisine and celebrate the amazing woman that she is!
Blanca Delia Chevere’- Hernandez was born in 1929 in the small mountain town of Jayuya, Puerto Rico, located in the central highlands of the island’s interior. She was the third oldest of eight siblings born to Eusebio and Josefa
Photos by ACE Photography & Design
Not only is Mama Blanca real, but she is also a frequent visitor to Whitefish and to the restaurant itself. She recently celebrated her 95th birthday there.
Her warm smile and welcoming demeanor can be seen in pictures hung on the walls inside Mama Blancas restaurant.
Chevere, who by their humble existence instilled in their children a love of the Lord and the skills necessary to nurture farm life in Puerto Rico: planting, cooking and sewing amongst other necessities. Education held great importance throughout the family and Blanca was able to complete a year of college in 1950 at the age of 20. But her education was cut short due to a political uprising on the island, and she joined her two older siblings Jose and Luz Maria in Chicago where she found employment. The three siblings sent money back home to help support the family in Puerto Rico. It was there where Blanca met Gilberto Hernandez of Moca, Puerto Rico and they fell in love.
At 21 years old Blanca and Gilberto were married and started a family which eventually grew to seven children. In Chicago they were active parishioners at St. Michael’s Parish in the Old Town area of the city, then eventually in the neighborhood of Logan Square. Gilberto and Blanca were extremely involved in their parish as a way of life, instilling right living and strong Christian values as examples for their children to follow. They both sang in the choir and were always present at community events. Blanca served children in many ways; that of a teacher and role model, a leader and an advocate for those in need. She started one of Chicagoland’s first neighborhood watch programs and was even featured on the ABC nightly news for her efforts. Her warm smile and welcoming demeanor can be seen in pictures hung on the walls inside Mama Blancas restaurant.
Whitefish residents David and Susie (Hernandez) Sheeran may not have known the exact location when they thought of opening a restaurant in Whitefish back in 2015, but one thing was sure…it would be called Mama Blancas, a tribute to Susie’s mother - the real Mama Blanca.
Visit mamablancas.com for more information.
profile} m ama Blanca
montmorency cherry Rosé balsamic use as a glaze reduction with port wine for wild game, pork or seared duck breast. use to glaze roasted brussels sprouts. lovely in a lemon poppyseed dressings, over fresh cut-up stone fruit, fruit salads, adorning cheese plates, arugula salad, marinades, and more.
Fused habanero olive oil
our small batch habanero fused olive oil is complex with notes of tropical fruit and citrus. a little bit goes a long way! Use to finish ceviche, with eggs, drizzle over salsa, and for roasting vegetables. made by crushing early harvest Frantoio olives directly with ripe habanero peppers. Pairs perfectly with the montmorency cherry Rosé.
Sweet, Spicy & Sensational Flavors
We Welcome Our New Manager Mckenna Khodyrev
mckenna, shown here with husband christian khodyrev, started at Genesis kitchen over 12 years ago assisting her grandparents Sheri and David Cohen filling bottles for their new store in Whitefish. she later worked at farmers markets for several seasons showing her grandpa a thing or two about customer service and learning almost all she needed to get started in her current role. christian assists at times in the store and at events. ask him for a taste and he will make it his mission to find ones you love.
The Perfect Winter Read
By Leslie Budewitz
“Oh, the weather outside is frightful.”
But I’m on the couch with a cup of tea and a good book, and it’s delightful. We all know about the “beach read,” a book you can quickly get lost in , then slip back into just as quickly after you’ve refereed the kids’ sand fight, taken another dip, and ordered a margarita. A book that doesn’t challenge your brain too much. One that entertains you while it draws you in. The Shell Seekers , not War and Peace. *
I asked some of my readers what makes a good winter read. Call it a couch read or a fireplace read. Some, not surprisingly, said the same things that make a beach read. One said a book with snow in it. Others said cozy mysteries.
I smiled as a I stood in front of my bookshelves, choosing books to hand you for a precious afternoon by the fire. Part of the joy of a book is the pleasure of sharing it with another reader.
The best winter reads warm us with their tales of the human spirit, so it’s no surprise that two of my favorites portray the human ability to find beauty and connection in the midst of war. In The Madonnas of Leningrad (2006) by Debra Dean, Marina, an elderly Russian woman living in Seattle, slips between the present and the past, telling her daughter for the first time about her experiences during the brutal 1941 siege of Leningrad when she took refuge in the famous Hermitage Museum. The paintings and artifacts were gone, carefully packed and shipped out of reach of German bombs. On the advice of an older woman on the museum staff, Marina built a memory palace: a museum in her mind where each painting still hangs on the wall, marked by frames left as reminders. It serves as her anchor and salvation, an exercise of imagination where she pictures a future for
herself and the baby she is carrying. And of all the works in the famed collection, the paintings of Madonnas most inspire her. Like the empty frames on the museum walls, this novel of memory and forgetting glows with love and hope.
Another wartime favorite is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2008), by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows. World War II has just ended. Juliet, a London writer, begins an accidental correspondence with a man living on the isle of Guernsey, and learns about the residents’ experiences during the German occupation. Written entirely in letters, the book is warm and funny, a celebration of books and their power to unite us and give us strength.
Decades ago, I discovered Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart, written between 1909 and 1913. No surprise that the collection is still in print, more than a century after the letters were published in The Atlantic Monthly in 1914. Whenever I write historical fiction, or a contemporary story with a hint of the past, I reread Stewart’s letters for a glimpse of daily life on a Wyoming homestead. Stewart was a delightful storyteller, funny and observant, determined to learn by doing, to make a life for herself and her daughter and “prove up.”
Who wouldn’t love a ski retreat with a private chef and a housekeeper – until a blizzard hits and the bodies begin to drop.
Read these tales when you need a dose of spunk and encouragement, or simply a smile.
If your idea of a good winter read is something that slows you down and turns inward, that uses the power of language to portray the human connection to nature, you’ve got to read Devotions (2017), the collected poems of the wise, down-to-earth American poet Mary Oliver. “Keep some room in your heart,” she wrote, “for the unimaginable.”
If you prefer something more suspenseful, two books by British mystery writer Ruth Ware might be just your cup of spiked cocoa. The spooky blends with the cozy in The Death of Mrs. Westaway (2018), when a young tarot reader receives a letter she’s sure isn’t meant for her, extending an invitation and hinting at an inheritance. Too curious and broke to resist, she goes along and finds herself ensconced in a Cornish mansion amid a strange family with secrets that might threaten her life – or save it.
Ware’s One by One (2020) is a tribute to the great Agatha Christie, a locked-chalet mystery set in the French Alps. Who wouldn’t love a ski retreat with a private chef and a housekeeper – until a blizzard hits and the bodies begin to drop. The final scene will either inspire you to sharpen your skills on the slopes, or prompt you to turn your skis into firewood.
Shall we gather around the fire and wash a cozy mystery down with a pint? Cruel Winter: A County Cork Mystery (2017) by Sheila Connolly features Maura Donovan, a young American who unexpectedly inherits a pub in her grandmother’s Irish village. When a rare snowstorm strands the customers in the pub with a visitor long suspected of a local murder, Maura gives the woman the chance she never had to tell her story. Can those assembled finally solve the crime, without leading to more tragedy? I love how Connolly uses the weather and the impromptu jury to play with our emotions,
soothing and surprising us, comforting and challenging us.
Whatever your tastes in winter reading, I hope you’ll reach for a book of mine as well. For a classic mystery with a happy ending seasoned with trouble and great food, try my Food Lovers’ Village mysteries. Set through the seasons in Jewel Bay, Montana – all resemblance to Bigfork fully intentional – they’ll give you a satisfying smile, and a rumble in your tummy. Visit Seattle’s Pike Place Market in my Spice Shop mysteries, where Pepper Reece, the poster child for life begins at 40, sells spice and solves crime. Let me take you deep into the mysteries of the heart with Bitterroot Lake and Blind Faith, both written as Alicia Beckman – stand-alone suspense set in our magnificent Montana.
Or travel back in time with me in All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, imagining the life and heart of a remarkable real-life Montana figure who stands at the juncture of history and myth.
We live a thousand lives when we read, it’s often said. Whatever makes a good winter read for you, I wish for you the joy of a thousand pages, a thousand days, a thousand chances to live.
*The Shell Seekers, by Rosamund Pilcher; War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy.
Leslie Budewitz writes the Spice Shop mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market and the Food Lovers' Village mysteries, set in a fictional version of Bigfork, Montana, where she lives. Her newest book is historical fiction, All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection . As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody suspense set in Montana. Find her books in print, ebook, and audio across the US and Canada, wherever you buy books.
The Spy That Could Fly
Story by Patricia Osborn - Illustrations by Eric Castleman
The Spy That Could Fly is the latest children’s book from author and veteran pilot Patricia Osborn, taking young readers on an inspiring rescue mission in the wilderness. This captivating picture book combines adventure with real-life insights, shedding light on the vital work of helicopter rescue crews.
In this beautifully illustrated tale, a young girl ventures into the forest with her loyal dog, only to become lost. As her family grows anxious, a Lakota helicopter crew mobilizes to find her. Osborn introduces children to the role of search and rescue teams, creating a tribute to these everyday heroes.
Montana is synonymous with wide open spaces and the great outdoors. We also know that it can be dangerous and we (especially children) need to use caution when venturing out.
Book review Kristen Hamilton
My granddaughter, Mia, is seven and we loved reading The Spy That Could Fly together. Although her house isn’t adjacent to a forest, she spends plenty of time outdoors with her parents hiking and enjoying nature. She was nervous for the young girl in the story as she understood how easily someone could get lost when everything in the woods starts to look the same.
We talked how important it is not to venture off without letting an adult know. But in this case, it happened so we were happy that the Lakota helicopter crew was able to locate the girl and reunite her (and her dog) with her family.
We also loved the illustrations. The depiction of the helicopter itself was very detailed and taught us both something about these amazing machines.
Lastly, we talked about the author Patricia Osborn and the fact that she is an experienced pilot. I’m not sure what Mia will be-
come when she gets older but I know now that “helicopter pilot” is on that list.
The Spy That Could Fly is available in hardcover at various local retailers, as well as online and from Farcountry Press.
Patricia Osborn, the author and veteran pilot, founded Huey’s Books with a mission to share engaging stories that educate and inspire. Drawing from her own experiences, Patricia crafts a story that not only entertains but also provides insight into the vital role of aircraft in emergency situations. The Spy That Could Fly is her third book, following award-winning titles The Fire Truck That Could Fly and The Ambulance That Could Fly, each a heartfelt tribute to the Army National Guard’s critical work stateside.
July 20th, 2023 - Copper Rose Ranch - Pray, MT - Photos by Opal + Ox
Eve&Elijah
Tell us about you...
Eve was born and raised in Cody, WY. She works as an Administrative Specialist at Bozeman Endodontics, where she loves interacting with patients every day. Elijah is originally from Clarksville, TN, and works in finance in Bozeman, MT. His true passion, however, is acting—he’s been pursuing it for nearly a year and has already performed in three different plays. We both graduated from Montana State University (Go Cats!) and now call Bozeman home, where we enjoy spending time in our beautiful mountainous backyard.
eve - What is the trait that you most admire in elijah?
One of my favorite things about Eli is how he always makes those around him feel so seen and valued. He’s incredibly intentional and kind-hearted, always going the extra mile to show that he cares. When he asks someone about their day,
One of my favorite things about Eli is how he always makes those around him feel so seen and valued. He’s incredibly intentional and kind-hearted, always going the extra mile to show that he cares.
As we reached the end of the aisle and I locked eyes with Eli, all my nerves melted away, and I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort and peace.
he truly wants to know, and he listens with genuine interest. He not only does big gestures to make those around him feel loved, but he is also always doing the little things. He makes me coffee in the morning, leaves sweet love notes around the house to brighten my day, and calls me every evening on my way home from work. He has this incredible gift for making people feel loved and appreciated.
elijah - When did you realize you wanted to get married to eve?
I knew I wanted to marry Eve the second time we met, which was only two short days after our first encounter. We stayed up until 7 am talking at the kitchen counter!
Why did you choose the venue where you got married?
We toured several venues before finding “the one.” The minute we drove down the driveway at Copper Rose, we both knew this was the place. The landscape is absolutely breathtaking, and the venue itself has so much natural beauty. We also loved that there were cabins for our family and friends to stay in, especially since so many were traveling from out of town. The venue offered both indoor and outdoor options for the ceremony, which was impor-
tant to us—especially in Montana, where the weather can be unpredictable, even in July!
eve - What did you enjoy most during your wedding day?
One of my favorite moments was walking down the aisle to meet Eli. I was so nervous that I found myself almost speed walking. Luckily, my dad was by my side, talking to me the whole way down and helping me calm my nerves (and slow down!). As we reached the end of the aisle and I locked eyes with Eli, all my nerves melted away, and I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort and peace. During the ceremony, we exchanged traditional vows, but we also wrote our own personal vows. Eli went first, and as he read his, I couldn’t help but giggle because our vows were nearly identical—right down to the word choice! It was such a beautiful moment, and I loved how in sync we were in that way.
elijah - What is your favorite activity to do as a couple?
My favorite activity to do as a couple is to travel. We love to find restaurants, beaches, walks, happy hours - you name it! - that allow us to create new memories and make new discoveries about each other.
WeddingDetails
Photographer opal + ox venue
copper Rose Ranch - pray, mt Rentals
montana photo lounge & montana party Rentals caterer sadie’s catering
Fainting
and tarte
September 7, 2024 - Greenwood Village, Colorado
Gabryella&Brandon
Photos by Laura Rachelle Photography
Tell us about you…
Brandon: Born in the southeast, I took a trip to Telluride, CO, at 12 years old and told myself then that after I finished college (I know), I’d move to the mountains. A mere few months after finishing my master’s in finance, I moved to Denver and started my career in finance and technology. While Gaby and I’s paths technically did cross (we were at the same football game!), it wasn’t until Denver that we met. Our first night together at the Viewhouse in Downtown Littleton to the Walnut Room in Denver was filled with laughter, music and some long rides on the light rail spent talking about everything our minds could think up. I knew then that my move to Denver was meant to be!
Gabryella: I was born and raised in Colorado and also spent some time in the Southeast! Ironically, at one point, I ended up in the same college town as my husband for a short while, but we never crossed paths until we were both living in Denver! Fast forward a few years: we now own a home in Denver, and I work as a paralegal, which I love.
love for his family is something I will about him. It's heartwarming to see how much he values those connections, and it’s one of the reasons I realized we were meant to be together for life.
Finding laughter and sweetness together, no matter the type of day, only affirmed what I already knew - that I had met my wife.
Gabryella – What is the trait that you most admire in Brandon?
Brandon's deep love for his family is something I will always admire about him. It's heartwarming to see how much he values those connections, and it’s one of the reasons I realized we were meant to be together for life. We truly feel fortunate to have such supportive and loving families surrounding us, and it brings us so much joy.
Brandon – When did you realize you wanted to get married to Gabryella?
The moment I met her. It’s been surreal to say it since and it still feels like something from a movie, but I haven’t had a doubt it was her from the very first day! We met right before covid
so we ended up being able to spend a lot of quality time together right in the beginning. Finding laughter and sweetness together, no matter the type of day, only affirmed what I already knew - that I had met my wife. A few hours before my dad first met her several years ago, he asked if I was going to marry her, and I told him then that I would. We had one of our favorite amazing mini-trips where I gave Gaby notes about our love leading up to asking her to marry her in our Washington Park apartment where she said yes!
Why did you choose the venue you did to get married?
Gabryella: We struggled to find a venue for quite some time, even considering the possibility of not hav-
The entire experience was incredibly special and authentic, truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment that we will always cherish.
ing a wedding at all. My Aunt Ashlie's home has been the center of many family gatherings, holidays, birthdays, and significant moments in my life. So when Ashlie offered to host our wedding, it was as if the clouds parted, revealing that this was exactly what was meant to be.
What did you enjoy most during your wedding day?
Gabryella: I often find myself reflecting on the tremendous effort everyone put in to help create our perfect day. It was such an emotional moment for both of us as we realized how deeply our loved ones cared and wanted nothing more than to see us happy. The entire experience was incredibly
special and authentic, truly a once-ina-lifetime moment that we will always cherish.
Brandon – What is your favorite activity to do as a couple?
Sharing a delicious meal over any kind of entertainment, discovering new movies & tv shows / discovering new favorite dishes and slow cooker recipes. This includes times we get to bring our friends (and all their amazing recipes!) together for wonderful nights of fun, food, and laughter! Of course, there is nothing I love more than spending a relaxing evening with the love of my life before giving each other a big hug and kiss before bed and cuddling our two puppies to sleep!
10 AM TO 6 PM MONDAY THROUGH S ATURDAY - C LOSED S UNDAYS
Forage
Wolf Song
Northern Night
Two Hearts Beat As One
FINE ART ~ BRONZE SCULPTURE JEWELRY ~ MONTANA SAPPHIRES
