406 Woman Vol. 10 No. 3 Business by 406 Woman

406 contents featured 8. Barbara Schwarz 18. Lisa Zimmer I Want Her Job

health

26. KRMC Every Step of the Way Beverly Day 38. Thrive Lead and Live, Actually 40. Specialty Health Care Access for Children 44. Kalispell OB/GYN Meet the Staff 46. Ask the Skin Coach Back-to-School Breakouts

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48. NVH Integrated Behavioral Health 50. Pop It Like It’s Hot 54. Pilates for Breast Cancer Survivors

profiles

56. Dr John Miller What’s Luck Got To Do With It

22. Vintage Pursuits

Legal

34. Organizing Your Estate

non-profit 14. Giving Back NMAR Foundation 30. Flathead Care Struggles to Keep Afloat 42. Changed Lives Child Bridge Mission

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View current and past issues of 406 Woman at w w w . 4 0 6 W o m a n . c o m

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The Further Adventures of

Barbara Schwarz By Mary Wallace

“Sometimes I scare myself!” admits Barbara Schwarz, who at the tender age of 52, suddenly decided to take on a mission to climb 34 summits in Peru over a 10-year period, with the help of a grant from the American Alpine Club. The “Live Your Dream” grant supports every-day adventurers looking to take their abilities to the next level, regardless of age, experience level, or discipline. “I come up with these crazy ideas,” says Schwarz, “and then I think to myself, ‘Okay, that probably IS crazy, but how can I make it happen?” So far, Barb and her sidekick and climbing partner, Mike Wilson, have attempted 12 and climbed 10 of the 34 summits. With the climbing season in Peru being the shortest in the world at approximately three months (from late June to late August), by the time she is done with this mission, Schwarz will be 62 years old.

Barb & Mike met in Kalispell, at a Spinning class at the Summit. Barb had just changed her work schedule to intensify her training for the 2015 Cho Oyu (the 6th highest peak in the world 26,863 ft., located at the Tibet/Nepal border). “It's interesting how that small change in a daily routine changed our lives,” philosophizes Barb. Sadly, that expedition was eventually canceled due to an earthquake in the Everest region, so they decided to head to South America instead.

They quickly found out that they both enjoy the exhilaration of summiting a mountain at sunrise. When that first pink band shows up, promising that the sun IS going to rise is the best feeling in the world. “With 360-degree views we get to witness the world slowly wake up in the valley below – there is just no way to describe it!” says Schwarz. Standing on the summit of Denali in 2013 was like they were looking/living in the ice age. There were

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glaciers all around and the sense of accomplishment was the most outstanding feeling.

I was narrowly able to catch up with Barbara and Mike in mid-September, as they were coming out of a 25-day trip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, hiking 254 miles and summiting four peaks, including the highest point in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex: Red Mountain (9,411 ft.). None of these peaks required climbing gear – they are all trekking peaks. Curious about the logistics of planning and orchestrating such a trip, I asked how in the world they are possibly able to carry 25 days worth of food. Did you know you could send a cache of food to a ranger station and they will hold onto it until you arrive to pick it up? Barb & Mike began their trip at the Lion Creek trailhead, packing six days worth of food on the first leg of their journey. They had previously sent 12 days worth of food to the Spotted Bear Ranger Station and a further 12 days of food to the Benchmark Wilderness Ranch. From Lion Creek they headed north to Badger Pass, spending a few days and miles on the Continental Divide Trail. Their plan to stay 30 days was cut short by the wildfires in the area, and they ended up coming out of the Scapegoat wilderness at Indian

Meadows trailhead outside of Lincoln, instead of closer to the Rich Ranch near Seeley Lake, where their truck was parked.

Can anyone just up and decide to go mountain climbing in Peru? Doesn’t one have to have a certain level of fitness and skill to undertake such an expedition? “Absolutely,” Schwarz says, “Fitness and skills are a prerequisite for high altitude climbing in general.” The summits on the list of 34 are all in national parks, and just as one would in Glacier National Park, a backcountry permit must be obtained before venturing out. In addition, an affiliation with a climbing club (such as the American Climbing Club) is required.

Barb shared that on some of their climbs they have hired a guide, but in 2016, they managed all of their climbs themselves. They mapped everything out and hired a donkey driver to bring their supplies to the base camp. In 2016, they attempted six and achieved four summits. The last two summits they attempted were at the end of the climbing season in September and weather sometimes moves in very quickly. Three of their 2016 summits could be accessed from the same base camp in the Ishinca Valley. For

“With 360-degree views we get to witness the world slowly wake up in the valley below – there is just no way to describe it!”

one peak, they could leave base camp in the wee hours, get to the summit and get back the same day. The two other peaks required an overnight stay at a high camp before venturing out at 2 a.m. to get to the summit at sunrise and be back at high camp by noon. The beauty of doing these climbs with just the two of them is that they can decide to take an extra night if they want to and they don’t have to adhere to a stricter schedule of a guided trip.

Not all of the climbs are technical climbs, but many are. The Andes has had drought conditions lately and there is not as much snow; thus making glacier travel a bit more tricky, especially on steeper slopes. Additionally, the glaciers are retreating, so it is further to get to them than many current maps show, often requiring the crossing of boulder fields and unstable terrain. Since many summits start a midnight or 1 a.m. (to take advantage of the firm snow/ice conditions), imagine trying to cross a field of boulders in the dark! Climbing with Mike is always an adventure, but they have a standing agreement: If one of them feels like they just shouldn’t go on a given day, they won’t go. “Maybe today is not the day to do this,” is all that needs to be said. If one or the other has a gut feeling that they just shouldn’t go that day, they

simply bag it . . . No questions asked. It's never easy but, “If I learned one single thing growing up,” says Schwarz, “it is that the mountain will always be there. If today is not the day, there is always tomorrow.” Barb said spending their younger years in Switzerland naturally gave her and her two siblings (one older brother and one younger sister), a strong passion for spending time outdoors. Barb’s mother was born to Swiss parents in Medan, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. Barb and her siblings were actually born in Brooklyn, NY, but their family moved to Switzerland when they were all quite young. Their father was an excellent skier and loved any activities that would bring them all together outdoors.

Barb shared that she feels like she would likely have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) as a child, always struggling with sitting still at home or at school. Consequently, her parents signed her up for every single thing they could think of that might help run her batteries low. Barbara started ski racing and mountaineering in the Alps at a very young age. This made for a more peaceful home life and the success she accomplished at school.

Barb always always knew that when she grew up, she wanted to explore and travel. Her parents wisely encouraged this dream, but they also had one rule - and it was that, before she went off on any adventures, she had to get an education. Her answer to this was to attend culinary school in Switzerland. She earned Bachelor of Science degrees in Culinary Arts, Business, and Public Relations, and so besides her mountain climbing prowess, her other Super Power is as a Certified Pastry Chef.

What are the challenges & pitfalls involved in climbing? One of the challenges when climbing is to know your own limits. Barb says that if she suddenly finds that she is asking herself “Why am I doing this?” It is a message that it is time for her to stop and have a cup of tea and a snack and then reassess. “Actually, nutrition is critical to a successful climb,” says Schwarz. Barb & Mike have found that it is helpful to research what the locals eat on their climbing expeditions. Altitude sickness has several symptoms, and lack of appetite is one of them. Barb is fascinated with how nutrition can help

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Barbara Schwarz

It is up to us to make our dreams come true, to create our own adventures no matter how big or small.

staying strong at high altitude and how local foods can be integrated to enhance the calorie count.

Mike has worked as a wilderness guide, horse packer, ski patrol director and small business owner. Mike is also a licensed emergency medical technician (EMT) and has a special interest in wilderness and alpine medicine – certainly an asset to their climbing team if one of them should fall ill or be injured. They do sometimes come across people who are clearly unwell and they find their quandary is whether to approach the person and ask if they are okay. Pushing too hard can put themselves and others in danger. “If you are part of a rope team and one of your party is unwell,” says Barb, “you can’t really count on them to pull their own weight and this puts every other single person on the climb in danger.” Abandoning a climb is never easy especially when the decision is made for you and that's when the ego can bring out the worst in us.

Sometimes people call them flat-out crazy for doing what they are doing. Neither has children and Barb doesn't have elderly parents living overseas that she needs to check on, so they kind of have a unique situation. They can up and decide to head out on whatever impromptu adventure presents itself.

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They live simply and travel lightly so they can be ready to go on a moment’s notice.

People may wonder how they can embark on their own adventures after being inspired by Barb’s exploits. “Sometimes it is as simple as making one small change in your routine,” quips Barb. She also recommends that people start with something small. Perhaps plan and take the kids on a slightly challenging hike in Glacier Park; put away the cell phones and enjoy a day away from electronics and other everyday hassles. It is a privilege to be offgrid for a day or two – make the most of it.

What does Schwarz do when she is not mountain climbing? “Well, we do have to work sometimes, if nothing else, to support our climbing addictions,” she laughs. She also enjoys hiking, languages, reading, cooking and baking. She realized that, that when they lived in South America, she had been 15 months without an oven – what a pleasure to land briefly back in the USA, at a spot that actually had an oven and other appliances.

Scaring herself once again, Barb says her Bucket List includes doing some long-distance hiking, making some treks in the Andes that are off the regular trails, and possibly helping others plan similar treks. Thinking out loud, Barb even mentioned that she would like to someday organize a Women’s Expedition. Barb also thinks of returning to school to study nutrition, researching foods in different countries, and possibly consulting/teaching “Food and Nutrition in the Backcountry.”

Now that their official climbing season is over, and Mike recently completed teaching Wilderness Medicine classes in the Gallatin Valley, they will likely spend a few more days in Montana and then plan to head to Arizona or Utah for the winter. Then again, one never knows when inspiration may strike and they could head out on another adventure.

Barb reiterates that awesome opportunities come along and it is our responsibility to take advantage of them as much as we can. It is up to us to make our dreams come true, to create our own adventures no matter how big or small. Dreams will only remain dreams until and unless we actually realize them. You can follow the further adventures of Barbara Schwarz (including more stunning photos) at www. Alpineroute.com, alpineroute on Instagram, @thealpineroute on Facebook.

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Giving Back

Northwest Montana Association of Realtors Photos by Alisia Dawn Photography

Realtors have a long tradition of giving back to the communities where they work and live. This can be seen in the many acts of kindness that individual Realtors and real estate offices do on a daily and weekly basis. In addition to this, the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors (NMAR) created a Charitable Foundation so that Realtors can continue their generous giving on a larger scale. The Public Relations Committee at NMAR works tirelessly during the year to fundraise for the Charitable Foundation. The Foundation distributes monies to deserving non-profits throughout the Association’s area (which stretches from Eureka to Arlee). The signature fundraising event on behalf of all of the area food banks this year is the “Realtor Cooking Academy.” Realtors and affiliates celebrated the Prohibition’s Speakeasy tradition while eating and drinking in a true 1920’s-style. A fun golf tourney every July is our largest fundraiser for the Charitable Foundation. And when a Realtor pays their annual dues, they are asked if they would like to donate $50, which so many of them do!

Long hours are spent planning and organizing events that will raise money. Applications for consideration for funds are reviewed four times a year by Foundation Trustees. This can be an agonizing process sometimes as there are so many deserving projects in our area! In the past, Realtors have donated funds to food banks, CASA, Christmas for Kids, Ray of Hope’s “Peggy’s House”, Boys and Girls Club, Fire Relief and many more.

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nonprofit}giving back In addition to giving money, Realtors also give generously of their time. Every Wednesday in April is a “Realtor Build Day” for Habitat for Humanity and Realtors don hard hats and hang drywall, cut flooring and rebar for deserving families. In December, Realtors are seen ringing Salvation Army’s bell helping to fill those famous red kettles. Realtors have paddled Dragon Boats, shopped and wrapped Christmas presents as well as collecting and hauling canned food on behalf of those less fortunate. Community involvement is important to Realtors, not just as a networking tool or a way to close a deal, but because they understand the importance of giving back to the community where they work and live. An act of kindness is never wasted!

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Lisa Zimmer

I Want Her Job:

Lisa Zimmer,

Beer Culture Specialist, MillerCoors By Brianne B. Perleberg

This article originally appeared on IWantHerJob.com.

If Lisa Zimmer were to hand you her business card, chances are you’d look at it, see her title and then proceed to pick your jaw up off the floor. While many places now tout kegs on tap as work perks, Lisa’s office is on another level – at MillerCoors as the company’s beer culture specialist. In this role, which she built for herself after starting as a senior assistant in 2009, Lisa works as the face of MillerCoors – providing social media strategy and influencer outreach for the brand. But get this, at the time, Lisa, now a beer connoisseur, didn’t even drink beer. She actually disliked it but was drawn to the company’s culture. And she now she serves as the face of the company at industry events, educates others about the MillerCoors portfolio and how its beers are brewed, and even teaches others how to brew beer in their own homes. Lisa says she works in a “pretty outgoing culture” and says, “A lot of our decisions get made over beer. We have big company meetings where we’ll be at a concert because we’re working with a musician, or at a sporting event. It’s a fun industry.”

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But the personal side of Lisa understands that to have a happy work life, you also need a balanced home life. “While my job is fun, you still have to have your life and your time,” she says. “And I’m grateful to work at a place where that’s 100% fine.”

And while you can catch her tweeting her heart out on all things beer and life, this work-hard/play-hard believer understands the importance in slowing down. When she doesn’t have to be somewhere else, you’ll find her relaxing on her patio on the 51st floor of a high-rise. Not exactly a bad way to celebrate a day well spent, and not a bad setting for a Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale either.

What was your very first job?

Coming out of college, I went to work for the TJX Companies [owners of Marshalls, TJ Maxx and HomeGoods] as an allocations analyst. And, at the same – because, you know, sometimes that first year out of school you’re not making a ton of money – my roommate and I had both had part-time jobs at Barnes & Noble. I worked at the info desk. I was actually reminiscing about it recently -- Man, I loved that job, pre-smartphone days, standing at the info desk. People would come

up and say, “I saw this book with a purple cover on Regis & Kathie Lee. Can you help me find out what it was?” I loved the problem-solving aspect of that Barnes & Noble gig.

What’s something you learned in either job that still sticks with you today? I think it would be the Barnes & Noble job. When you help somebody out with a problem, it can change the whole tone [of the situation] if they have a good experience with you.

It also puts me in a better mood to help somebody -- that’s something that’s stuck with me throughout my career. If I can bite something off and take care of it, and have a good interaction with somebody, maybe the other things that were weighing me down suddenly don’t seem so insurmountable anymore.

That’s an amazing perspective! How did you find that next step on your career path after leaving your first job? I moved to Chicago after working at TJX and worked at a market research company for four years. I found that job through some connections and really liked the group of people I worked with directly. Through that, I got exposure to a lot of CPG (consumer

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packaged goods) companies in Chicago. We were doing a lot of focus group type work, so I had a good idea of the landscape.

From there, I went to work for Wrigley in an assistant role. I worked for a great team of guys at Wrigley who ran marketing projects, and through that, they created a job where I was doing international meeting planning. That gave me the idea that I don’t have to necessarily move into a role that exists, but if I do something really well and there’s a need, then there would be an opportunity to expand on that.

Then, after Mars purchased the company, all of the global roles went away. Working with headhunters, I was very specific about what I wanted in my next job: I wanted to work for somebody at a high level, but do more than type memos and get the coffee. [I wanted to work for] somebody who wanted someone with business acumen and who could make their lives easier. And, I wanted to work in an interesting industry. When the opportunity to work in beer came up, I was all over it. And the funny part was, I was not a beer drinker! My friends were shocked that a beer company would even hire me. Since then, I’ve taught beer education and home brewing classes in Chicago, and hosted beer tastings and other educational events around the company. I tell people I’m more qualified to do this than anybody, because I’ve made that trip from zero to 100. And MillerCoors really gave me the runway and tools to do that.

Once you were in the company, how did you navigate your way into your current position as beer culture specialist? When MillerCoors started forming their craft and import division, Tenth and Blake, one of the gentlemen I supported was part of that process, and I stuck close to him. The nuances of the community around beer were really interesting to me, and he supported my interest. He invited me to meetings and let me help get things organized.

He and I were at an event a couple months later, and I was using social media, primarily Twitter, to communicate with other breweries. I was showing him the different bloggers I was following on Twitter – which, seven years ago, was a newer thing – and he said, “I don’t know what you’re doing or how you found these people, but when we get this new group started, I think we need someone to do what you’re doing.” So I said, “Okay, great!” As they got closer to launching the company, they created a role for me. This role encompassed that personal communication with the beer community, as well as took advantage of the event-planning background I brought from Wrigley. So I had a job helping manage special events, participation in festivals, and monthly beer tastings in Chicago and Milwaukee to help introduce smaller breweries to the general population.

That has morphed over time: I recently made the move into MillerCoors communications in the last six months. Tenth and Blake had

Lisa Zimmer

an established identity and a community, and didn’t need me as much anymore.

I work at a great company and I work with great people. I think if you see a need that needs to be filled and you can make a case for it -- and, even better, suggest yourself for the job – then do it. It goes back to my days of working at the info desk at Barnes & Noble or making a CMO’s life easier because I remembered he likes an aisle seat on the plane – all that stuff adds up.

What’s the culture like at MillerCoors? What about it drew you to the company and kept you there for over seven years?

When I was working as an assistant, [those at the top] said, “We know you’re a cultural fit, so we’re going to match you up with people until there’s a good, mutual match.” And I loved that. It showed me they had a defined culture.

I think it’s a pretty outgoing culture. We do make and sell beer; so even on a bad day, we’re still working in the beer business. It’s also social. A lot of our decisions are made over beer. We have big company meetings where we’ll be at a concert because we’re working with a musician, or at a sporting event. It’s a fun industry in general. Now, you can lean into that as much as you want -- you can also go to work and then go home. There’s balance and flexibility, and not a lot of pressure to participate. It’s the best of both worlds.

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Lisa Zimmer

What is something about your job that others may not realize? It’s fun. I get to travel and I get to do things I enjoy. But, it is still a job.

It’s important to maintain a piece of myself outside of that. For someone like me, or some of our sales folks, a lot of social and personal time can bleed into work. It’s essential to have that separation and say, “You know what? It’s Saturday night, and I’m going to go to this outdoor film with my friends and not going to think about work.” Even if your job’s really fun, I feel it’s important to have something that’s yours. And, you never know what the future will bring. I loved working at Wrigley, and then another company acquired them, and there wasn’t a job there for me anymore. If I had been married to that job, then that could’ve been devastating. So, while my job is fun, you still have to have your life and your time. And I’m grateful to work at a place where that’s 100% fine.

You’ve had a wealth of experience at different companies and, now, MillerCoors. I’m sure you’ve gone through many learning lessons along the way. What is a ‘learning lesson’ you’ve had? I immediately thought of this moment at Wrigley. I was working for the global marketing lead, who was a really busy guy with a lot on his plate.

There was something that I needed from him one day. I followed him into the elevator and started going into what it was. He looked at me and said, “Lisa, not now.” I was probably about 25 at the time, and I kind of slunk away. I went back to my desk and felt wounded by it.

sometimes you need to be able to go home, put your feet up, read a trashy magazine and have a glass of wine. [She laughs.]

Where do you see the beer industry headed in the next five years?

It’s growing gangbusters right now. We are seeing some consolidation though, and I think we’re close to 5,000 breweries. We’re seeing some larger breweries buy smaller breweries, and we’ve been part of that as well. It’s been kind of an emotional time for the beer community to see this big growth. They have a lot of pride for their buddy down the street who used to home brew, who’s now started a brewery that’s doing pretty well ... and then it gets sold. They sort of feel like something’s been taken from them. The conversation that happens around that has been interesting.

I don’t know if we’re going to be looking at the commoditization of craft beer. To a degree, it’s already that. I can’t predict; but I think as people become more educated about the category, we’re going to see those conversations changing.

With a company like ours, reinforcing how many people we employ in the U.S., the measures we take for sustainability, our diverse workforce … I think those things are going to start coming into play. I hope that as drinkers become more educated and comfortable with those larger brewing companies being in their refrigerator, those efforts we’ve made will start to play into their decision-making.

He came back and everything was fine, but it made me reflect on my own working style – I tend to get really wound up. I like to work in immediacy. I don’t like to have any unread emails at the end of the day. Ninetyfive percent of the time this works great for me, but sometimes, it’s important to remind myself to step away for a moment. Can it wait until Monday? So many times when I look at my list, either A. The answer suddenly presents itself to me, or B. I’m a lot calmer about it. For him at that moment, it wasn’t a priority, even though it was “on my list.” It’s important to take a deep breath and remember that not everything is life and death.

[Jumping off that point] Your job is your job. If you’re lucky to do something you enjoy and work with great people, good on you. But

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Brianne B. Perleberg

Brianne B. Perleberg, a born-and-raised Montanan, is the founder of I Want Her Job, an award-winning website featuring curated career conversations with women changing the future of business. She also is a marketing director at NASCAR track Phoenix Raceway. You can follow her on Twitter @iwantherjob and read more interviews like this on iwantherjob.com.

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Vintage Pursuits Vintage Alert! A shop full of treasures has been discovered in South Kalispell! Located in the old Billmayer building at 2191 3rd Ave E, Kalispell, Vintage Pursuits opened its doors in July of 2016; however, it was born years before. By Mary Wallace Photos by Daley McDaniel

Sisters Shelley Borden and Cindy Patterson come by their love for all things vintage naturally. When the two were little, one of their mother’s favorite things to do was go to farm auctions. She would pack a picnic lunch with a cooler and a blanket, round up the kids and off they would go. The first thing she always did was find a spot to set up their blanket & picnic and then she would go and buy a box of something . . . anything – postcards, sewing notions, toys, etc. She would bring the box back to the picnic blanket and the kids would be entertained for hours going through a box of the coolest things! Meanwhile, their mom spent the day bidding on more lovely things to accumulate all day on (or near) the picnic blanket. Growing up, there were never any extra dimes – they had to be frugal. What seems to have started as a hobby for their mother became a source of family income. Their father worked at Plum Creek and he was also the official ‘fixer’. Anything from a damaged frame, to broken furniture, to wood cook stoves, he could repair it all. They’d run an ad in the paper to sell them to earn much

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needed cash to support the family. Their mother eventually had an antique shop in Lakeside, and later display booths at various shops around the valley. When she passed away, they inherited her much loved collections and inventory.

The sisters used to do antique mall booths & local vintage event trade shows, but all the set up & displays got to be too much. Shelley and her husband owned the building they are in and when it needed to be remodeled prior to selling it, Shelley (in true sisterly fashion) roped Cindy into helping. While working there one day they suddenly had an epiphany! “Why don’t we put our OWN junk in here?” When Shelley broached the subject with her husband, Brad, all he had to say was “What took you so long?” Cindy has since bought a half share of the building so it’s ‘sink or swim’.

Shelley and Cindy like to think they are giving the term ‘Vintage Junque’ a whole new meaning. (Also, they might have a bit of a shopping problem.) One of the joys of having the shop is that they get to spend their days with all the lovely things in their shop. But the second someone comes in who also falls in love with a particular piece and buys it, they give each other a high-five and go home happy! Mostly, they have

tried to put together the kind of shop that they (as collectors) love to go to.

Shelley is the one who works with all the photos, paintings, and artwork. She is a framer and she does a lot of the art displays. Cindy is the ‘furniture fixer’ and handles the large projects. At Vintage Pursuits, they are die hard ‘vintage’ – they don’t like to paint their pieces, they like the wood grain. Both sisters are responsible for acquiring and arranging displays. The two sisters are more than siblings and business partners. They are third generation Montana girls who are best friends. They often finish each other’s sentences. They complement each other in their skills and talents. One of the drawbacks is that they both would like to go on inventory shopping junkets together, but they often can’t.

It is hard to pin down exactly who are their customers – it runs the gamut. There is a couple that is building their house and wants a vintage feel. There is a guy who is into collecting toys. There are railroad enthusiasts. There are a couple of 10-year-old boys who ride their bikes over to the store occasionally and shop for things like pocket knives and vintage cap pistols.

Any trends in the vintage world lately? Trends can turn on a dime! Pyrex has had a recent surge in popularity, but that will soon end and another fad will take its place. Looking for something not on display? They have a storeroom with boxes of items that haven’t been put out and larger items in storage and they mostly know where to find it on a moment’s notice. And BTW, they happen to be looking for a 6 ¾” lid for a brown bean pot. Vintage Pursuits is open Tuesday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A friendly yellow lab named Buddy will greet you at the door. He mostly spends his days watching out the window to see when his mistress, Cindy, might return, but he also loves to greet visitors when they come in.

This winter, they plan to close the shop for a bit to travel and their pursuits will involve more than just vintage items – they want to visit the Carlsbad Caverns and the California Redwoods and all points in between. But wait . . . who are they kidding? Their travels will probably take them by some antique shops and vintage fairs along the way. Vintage Pursuits 2191 3rd Ave E, Kalispell (406) 314-1262 vintagepursuits16@gmail.com

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EVERY STEP OF THE WAY By Kay Burt

The process seemed to go routinely enough, and Beverly was soon on her way and ready to check “mammogram” off the list. But then she began to get the “call backs” for additional diagnostic tests. She was asked to return the first time for better, zoomed in-images of her breast tissue; she was then told they’d found something suspicious. She returned a third time for an ultrasound and a fourth for a biopsy where cells are removed and tested to determine if they are benign or cancerous. During those anxiety-filled days, Beverly clung to the hope that the lump might be fibrocystic (non-cancerous lumpy tissue) or something nonthreatening. But, then she got the call from her primary care doctor in early May, the call she’d been dreading. Cancer was confirmed in her left breast. Beverly remembers hanging up the phone in shock and weeping as her husband held her. Then it was time to make the calls to family and friends.

As Beverly looks back on those moments six months ago, she wishes she’d known there would be a silver lining, that her journey forward would be one of the most tenderly guided and positive she would ever undertake. That journey began with a call to Dr. Melissa Hulvat at Kalispell Regional Healthcare’s (KRH’s) Bass Breast Center.

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Beverly Day isn’t sure why she neglected getting mammograms over the years. She had a busy work schedule, for one, and a mammogram was an easy thing to put off. There were financial burdens, too, and the confusion of changing health care plans. As time stretched on—20 years to be exact—Beverly found other reasons to procrastinate. She may have even had a nagging concern that “they’d find something.” So it was with a bit of trepidation that she went for an overdue screening in April of 2017.

Dr. Hulvat met Beverly for an initial consult, walking her carefully through the radiographic images. She explained where the cancer was located, how they’d determined it was cancer, and how a lymph node test would be utilized to stage it out. Dr. Hulvat’s thoroughness and empathy were reassuring, and for Beverly, it reduced the gaping unknown to an identifiable enemy. It was comforting just to understand.

The test indicated the tumor was Stage 1, a very early and treatable stage of cancer. For reference, the most serious stage level of cancer is stage 4. This level usually indicates very aggressive treatment if survivorship is possible and a more risky prognosis overall. Due to its size and location in Beverly’s case, the tumor could be treated with radiation and a lumpectomy (removing just the tumor and a margin around it as opposed to the entire breast). In further good news, a 30-year study had recently shown outcomes for combination lumpectomy and radiation treatments were actually superior to those involving a full mastectomy. And . . .no chemo! There would be no loss of a breast, no loss of hair, no chemo-induced nausea. The news was decidedly optimistic. In considering radiation therapy, Beverly learned that she had two options. The first, and more

traditional approach encompassed three-to-six weeks of radiation, administered daily, five times a week. The other option was accelerated partial breast irradiation (“APBI”), a refined technology reintroduced at KRH which offered a much shorter term of treatment of just five days in total. Beverly learned that she was a candidate for APBI because the tumor fell within certain, specific parameters required for to receive this treatment. Beverly found APBI a relief due to the shorter time needed, less side effects and quicker recovery versus other options like chemotherapy. She learned that powerful doses of radiation are delivered to a very targeted area of the breast via a balloon-catheter apparatus. Two surgeries are required, the first a lumpectomy. After the lumpectomy, the cavity is shaped to accommodate an uninflated balloon and catheter, but left empty. In the second surgery, approximately two weeks later, a small incision is made in the chest and the balloon and catheter are placed into the cavity. The balloon is then inflated and, together with the catheter, serves as a vessel for small, potent units of radiation (“seeds)” which are administered by computer. After each treatment—there are two a day—the seed is removed and no radiation remains in the body. The treatments continue over a five-day term, at the end of which the catheter and balloon are removed; the incision

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Beverly Day

Rather than feeling like just another name on a long list, Beverly came away from her treatment feeling like a family member. “My KRH team was with me every step of the way,” she emphasizes, “They carried me.”

is closed and, with little more than a slim bandage to show for it, the patient returns to normal activities.

During the time Beverly considered her options, Dr. Hulvat introduced her to the rest of the cancer treatment team. Kim Grindrod would be Beverly’s nurse navigator and constant point of contact throughout treatment and follow up. Kim would provide not only education and emotional support, but link Beverly and her family to vital community services to help her navigate this unknown and scary situation. Kim would also coordinate Beverly’s treatment with two other team members, Dr. Jeffrey Eshleman of Northwest Montana Radiation Oncology and Dr. Elise Anderes of Northwest Oncology & Hematology. Dr. Eshleman would administer the radiation, while Dr. Anderes oversaw the estrogen-blocking treatment required. This treatment blocks the estrogen-shaped openings in the cells, preventing estrogen-fueled cancers from growing. With the guidance and support of her team, and after visiting with friends and family, Beverly elected to go forward with APBI.

forward to a family reunion—a trip she knows wouldn’t have been possible without APBI. And though the road stretches ahead with follow ups and further tests, Beverly is grateful for all that’s come her way: the love and support of her family and friends and the faith that helped steady her. She is also profuse in her thanks to Dr. Hulvat, and the Kalispell Regional team. “No one ever wants to learn they have cancer,” she says. “But having a team like that? It was just like being hugged and held. There was so much comfort in having a battle plan, in being lovingly and supportively cared for. Dr. Hulvat was kind, empathetic—completely amazing— as were Dr. Eshleman and Dr. Anderes.”

Beverly has additional praise for Kim Grindrod, her nurse navigator. “Kim is one of the most genuine and loving people I know,” she says. “No matter what I needed or what I was going through, Kim was there for me.” Rather than feeling like just another name on a long list, Beverly came away from her treatment feeling like a family member. “My KRH team was with me every step of the way,” she emphasizes, “They carried me.”

On May 31, 2017, one month after her diagnosis, Dr. Hulvat performed Beverly’s initial surgery. Two weeks later, Beverly returned for placement of the balloon and catheter and prepared for the five-day course of treatment.

To Beverly’s way of thinking, the results were phenomenal. At the end of June, Dr. Eshleman indicated that treatment had been highly effective and that things were “looking great;” in July, the balloon and catheter were removed. It had been a dizzying threemonth gauntlet, but it ended, just like that. It was time to heal and get on with life. Today, Beverly is elated to have her life back. She’s returned to work and is looking

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Struggles to Keep Afloat By Kari Gabriel, Executive Director of Flathead CARE Photos by Gavin Pirrie

In 1982, following several alcohol-related incidents and a car wreck resulting in the deaths of four Flathead High School (FHS) students, parents, school administrators and other concerned community members held a town hall meeting in the FHS auditorium. It was presented that an estimated one-third of the students currently enrolled at FHS were involved at some level with alcohol and other drugs. The impact of that involvement was likened to an epidemic. “If we had one-third of our student body ill because of measles, we would close school. And yet we have an illness going unaddressed, which has the potential to cause death to a significant number of students if we, as a community do not take action,” reported Bill Vogt, then-principal of FHS. In 1982, it was extremely important to parents and the community to create a prevention organization like Flathead CARE as a resource for kids and parents. Is it still important?

Our Affinity Clubs are up and running and we welcome any students to attend! Our middle school group meets on Wednesdays after school at the Kalispell Middle School cafetorium, from 3-4 p.m. This group is led by high school & college aged Affinity students. Their club meets on Tuesday evenings from 6:30–8 p.m., at the

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Flathead CARE office. Affinity is designed specifically by and for each age group, and focuses on youth empowerment, leadership activities, group discussion, leading healthy lifestyles, and community service. This month, our Affinity Club students will be leading the charge to help promote Red Ribbon Week in the Valley. Red Ribbon Week originated as a memorial to Enrique “Kiki” Camerena, a federal agent who was brutally murdered by drug traffickers in 1985. The Red Ribbon came to represent our nations desire to eliminate the demand for drugs and honor his memory. The President, our Governor, and a host of national, state, and local agencies contribute their support to this worthwhile campaign. It is the largest, most visible prevention awareness campaign observed annually in the United States. Flathead CARE spearheads the local celebration each year, and with the help of community partner sponsors, provides 18,000 Red Ribbons to every school-aged child in Flathead County.

Photo by Amanda Wilson Photography

Through many transitions, economic down turns, funding cuts and other major changes, Flathead CARE is still around today, teaching kids that there are healthy alternatives to using illegal substances. Over the years, federal, state and school funding has dried up, and we have turned to fundraising. Last year, the United Way also suffered from a lack of pledges, which meant we were not funded for an entire year. For more than 30 years, Flathead CARE has served as an informational resource and support to teens, parents and the community, and in doing so, has proven to be the Valley’s most consistent voice on prevention. We would like to continue our work, but need your help!

This year, Flathead CARE is partnering with the Kalispell Police Department, to bring a

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“If we had one-third of our student body ill because of measles, we would close school. And yet we have an illness going unaddressed, which has the potential to cause death to a significant number of students if we, as a community do not take action,” message of alcohol, tobacco and prescription drug prevention to local schools. Jason Parce, KPD Officer & K-9 handler, and Cairo, a Belgian Melanois/Dutch Shepherd police dog will present a relevant and interactive message to schools throughout the Valley during Red Ribbon Week. Officer Parce and Cairo have been on the job together since last March. As a fully sworn member of the KPD, Cairo assists in sniffing out marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy in houses, vehicles and other buildings when officers suspect the presence of drugs but do not have enough evidence to get a warrant to search for and seize them. Their presentation schedule, along with a complete schedule of family friendly local Red Ribbon Week activities taking place Oct. 23 – 27, 2017, is our Flathead CARE website: www.flatheadcare.org. How can you help? Our students are selling raffle tickets for a cut & wrapped 4H Hog which will be drawn for before the end of the year. Tickets are $10 each or five for $40. Contact us if you’d like to purchase tickets and we will get them to you. We are also running an appeal campaign, trying to raise $75,000 before the end of the year, to keep our programs up and running. Our longest running program, Kids Camp, is also at risk! Donations may be made online by visiting our website, or by cash or check.

Flathead CARE is committed to reducing the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs by youth in Flathead County, through youth development, education and empowerment. We are the ONLY prevention organization in our area that works directly with youth, parents and the community in reducing drug, alcohol

drug abuse at epidemic levels, we have even more work to do. We hope you think we are a worthwhile cause to support, and hope to be around another 30 years. For more information on any Flathead CARE’s programs and events, please visit our website at www.flatheadcare.org or give us a call at 406-751-3971.

Your support is critical now, and in the future, in meeting the needs of our families, and for the continuation of Flathead CARE. and tobacco use. Your support is critical now, and in the future, in meeting the needs of our families, and for the continuation of Flathead CARE. It costs a lot more to treat drug & alcohol addiction, than to provide prevention and education! Please consider us for your yearend tax deductible gifts. Now with prescription

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legal}

Organizing Your Estate

Practical Tips for Easing the Estate Administration for your Heirs When Janet’s mother passed away, Janet assumed that the administration of her mother’s estate would be fairly straightforward. Prior to her death, her mother often brought up the fact that she had a Last Will & Testament in place to make it “easy” for Janet and her siblings. She informed Janet that she was her personal representative and would be in charge of the administration of her estate. Her mother’s estate was fairly simple, which included her residence, her financial investments, and bank accounts. Therefore it should have been an easy process. However, when Janet began the process she realized that she had no information on where her mother’s investments were located, no information on her advisors, or the location of her will. Janet was unable to obtain any information about her mother’s investment accounts until she was appointed as the personal representative of her mother’s estate by the probate court. However, before Janet could initiate the probate proceeding she needed to locate her mother’s original will. Janet eventually determined her mother’s will was located in her safe deposit box, but then found out her mother did not list Janet on the account. Unfortunately, Janet had to open a formal probate proceeding in District Court and spend unnecessary time and money just to initiate the estate proceeding. While the administration of her mother’s estate was ultimately very simple, the process involved in locating information regarding her mother’s assets was quite complicated.

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By Kelly O’Brien, Attorney at Law

If Janet’s mother would have taken a few simple steps to organize her estate she could have avoided unnecessary time and expense for her family. Often a few basic lists and communication with family members is enough to ease the process. It is good to keep this information current and all in one location. This location should be communicated to family members, key advisors or the individual nominated as personal representative. The following are some helpful tips on how to organize your estate to ease the process for your family.

Make a List of your Advisors & Designated Appointees

Often the first place to go to find out information about the assets and location of assets of an estate is the trusted advisors of the deceased person. Typically we provide our advisors with a significant amount of personal information. Advisors will likely have values for assets, and may even have their own list of asset information or location of said assets. To ease an estate administration process for your heirs make a list of the names and contact information of your trusted advisors. These advisors include:

· Certified Public Account (CPA), bookkeeper or other tax advisors · Estate planning attorney and business attorney · Financial planner and/or stock broker · Insurance agent · Physician and other health care providers · Religious or other personal advisors

It is also important to keep a list of the names and contact information for the individuals you have appointed to administer your estate including your Personal Representative, Trustee, or Guardian for minor children, and any individuals that you want to receive notice of your death.

Create a List of the Location of Important Documents & Passwords

Another simple step to organize your estate is to create a list of the location of your important documents and financial information. This information should include the location and/or access information for the following:

·Last Will & Testament ·Safe deposit box or safe, including keys or combination ·Tax records ·Financial and credit card statements, including any user names or passwords for online accounts ·Insurance information, including any life, home, auto and health insurance ·Retirement account information ·Health Care documents ·Loan documents

Create a Memorandum of Personal Property

Families can often get caught up in the distribution of tangible personal property, including art, jewelry, rugs, firearms, or other keepsakes. There is often high

By taking a bit of time now to organize yourself and prepare your family for the unexpected, you can significantly ease the estate administration for your family. sentimental or family value, and sometimes high monetary value, associated with personal property. This can create unnecessary conflict or family strife. To simplify the distribution of your personal property create “Personal Property Memorandum.” This can simply be a handwritten, signed statement that sets out the list of your valuable personal property and names the individual beneficiary for each item of personal property. This list shall be recognized as part of your Last Will & Testament, but does

Attorney for Health Care Decisions, and a Living Will. If you do not have an estate plan in place already, speak with an estate planning attorney to assist you with this process.

not have to be formal and can be changed at any time. It is also helpful to talk to you family members during your lifetime to determine if there are specific items that may create more controversy than other items and to determine if specific individuals are interested in receiving specific personal property from your estate.

you experience a significant change in your life situation such as a birth, death, divorce, move to a different state or increase in your net worth you should review and update your estate plan.

If you have an estate plan in place already, I recommend reviewing your estate plan with your attorney every two to three years to determine if it still fits your particular situation and the tax laws have not changed in a manner that will impact your estate plan. Moreover, if

Communicate with Your Family, Beneficiaries and Advisors

By taking a bit of time now to organize yourself and prepare your family for the unexpected, you can significantly ease the estate administration for your family. It is essential to keep all of this Perhaps one of the more vital yet simple steps information in one safe place and inform your you can take to organize your estate is to ensure family members or other designated agents that you have designated beneficiaries for all of where this information is located. your financial assets and kept the beneficiaries current. Keep a list of all of your financial If Janet’s mother would have taken the time to assets, along with the specific beneficiary for create a few basic lists and communicate this each account. It is also important to review information to Janet, she could have avoided your beneficiary designations to make sure that unnecessary time and expense for her family. the proper beneficiaries are named, and the Don’t let this situation happen to your family. beneficiary designations fit within your overall Take some time to organize your estate now estate plan. Work with your financial planner, or before the unexpected happens. check with your specific financial institution on how to make and update beneficiary changes. If you have questions regarding how to best organize your estate or questions regarding estate planning in Keep Your Estate Plan Up to Date general contact Kelly O’Brien, Measure, Sampsel, SulKeeping an updated estate plan is perhaps the livan & O’Brien, P.C. at (406) 752-6373/ most important steps towards organizing your www.measurelaw.com estate. At a minimum your estate plan should include a Last Will & Testament, Power of This article is intended for educational and information Attorney for Financial Decisions, Power of purposes only, it is not intended to act as legal advice.

Keep Current Records of Your Beneficiary Designations

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Lead and Live, Actually

You Really Are Good Enough Just the Way You Are Written by Susan Clarke

What do I mean by leading and living actually? Here’s the deal.

You’ll never be your ideal perfect leader, mother, wife, or woman. Even if you reach the mark you set for yourself, you’ll just set another higher goal to attain, or you’ll want to repeat what you just did. It’s never enough. You’re never enough. Think about it. What are you measuring yourself against right now?

· Did you hit your quarterly goals? · Are you making a profit, saving enough money, paying down your debt? · Are you thin enough, pretty enough, stylish enough? · Is your home neat, tidy and beautiful? · Are your kids well behaved, getting good grades, and star athletes?

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Whew! It’s exhausting always trying to measure up! Plus, even if you did hit those goals, what will you do next? This is the path of the ideal perfect leader, mother or business owner. CrisMarie and I see this all of the time with our coaching clients. Women, and especially women business leaders, are always trying to be more, do more, have more. I’ll admit we’re even guilty of that ourselves. Most women leaders I know are pretty conscientious, competitive and are rarely satisfied with one win!

The Perfect Leader

Recently, I was engaged in one of our programs, Come Play with the Horses, which is a two-hour local event we offer where we introduce people to the transformational learning that can come from a relationship with horses. It’s a really fun program.

Come Play with The Horses

Are you curious about how horses can help uncover and shift unconscious patterns in your personal and professional life? If you are, then please join us.

Come see what this thing called "Equus Coaching" is all about. To find out when the next event is happening contact me: susan@thriveinc.com.

health} Two women, both leaders in their own professional worlds, attended this event. One woman, Mary, was a teacher embarking on the new school year, facing the challenges of the goals she had for her students and the reality of the limited time and resources given to her by the school. If Mary wasn’t given enough, she’d use her own heartbeats to make up the difference to become the BEST teacher! The other woman, Jane, was an executive in a large financial firm. She was the voice for wealth management advisors throughout her seven-state region. She was expected to be the expert and people relied heavily on her recommendations. Admittedly, Jane liked being the expert, having the right answers and being the best at her job. Though a pro at advising on wealth, Jane was a bit nervous stepping into the arena with the horses. She, of course, wanted to do this new task, perfectly! Here were two women from very different careers facing the same issues: The desire and drive to be the perfect advisor or best teacher, and the challenges of having to be just that day in and day out. What’s so wonderful about playing with the horses is that horses are not interested in being perfect or best. In fact, horses usually move away from someone with that kind of energy.

While both Mary and Jane wanted to connect to the horses, it wasn’t until they each acknowledged what was really going on inside, that the horses started to trust them. Mary, the teacher, wanted her horse to get over an obstacle the horse was afraid of even approaching. What was amazing was that Mary guided her horse to getting closer, even circling and smelling the obstacle. She may have kept at it forever. Finally, it was the horse who let her know it was enough, and gave her a nudge and push to move away and go find another place to play! Mary laughed when she realized how overly focused she can get. She took a deep breath and celebrated what she and horse had done. Jane, the executive, spoke up and shared that she thought the horses didn’t like her and that she was failing. We offered her an alternative storyline—that she might be so driven and trying so hard, that she wasn’t connected and grounded her own body or even aware of what she was feeling. “So true!” she said, laughing. Then Jane took a breath and talked about how in her career she could rarely let her fear or doubt show. With a little breath and movement, she connected to herself and started to enjoy with curiosity this relationship with the horse. She experimented with leading the horse through breath, presence, grounding and teamwork, versus expertise, which worked wonders for the horse.

Both of these stories highlight how often women and women leaders are working so hard to be perfect, the best, or even ‘authentic.’ And when they do that, they miss leading and living actually!

When You Don’t Succeed

So, what happens when you don’t hit that aggressive mark? When you don’t reach your goal? I’ll bet you double down and just try harder. Of course, that’s after you’ve beaten yourself up and likely anyone else who you thought didn’t put in enough effort.

There’s a real cost to all that drive. Putting your body under stress, even for success, results in fatigue and burn out. Physical symptoms start to show up, such as anxiety, depression, allergies, or old injuries like back pain or shoulder problems. Not to mention addictive behaviors like alcohol, drugs, junk food, or even exercise.

done, even if it didn’t result in a win. It’s the leaders who know how to accept the loss and disappointment, and have compassion for themselves and the team. It’s not easy, especially in a culture that’s all about winning. I believe it takes courage, heart and tenacity to live and lead actually! Knowing that you have an ideal and are willing to strive to achieve it is natural and healthy. Knowing you’ve likely given up a part of your You, your body, become an object and so does everyone authentic self to make it in business is also natural. around you. You are either good object or bad one - Have compassion for yourself. things become black or white. The joy of life drains It takes humility and strength to say, “I’m good enough away. and you’re good enough.” No, we won’t stop aiming for higher goals, but we also won’t kill our heart and The Authentic Leader to get there! Enough about the perfect leader, let’s talk about the connections person who wants to be the authentic leader. That’s living and leading actually. What most people don’t recognize is that to fit in and P.S. Struggling with accepting yourself as you are? succeed in your family, at work, or in society, you repress CrisMarie or I are happy to support you in living your authentic nature. Your decision to conform and and leading actually. Just reach out and we’ll set up a be successful outweighs your desire to be authentic. coaching call! You’ve likely stopped listening to that whisper of your authentic voice a long time ago. Instead, you’ve adopted outer measures of success like good grades, going to the right college, getting married and having kids. There’s a lot of press these days about reconnecting to your authentic self. Unfortunately, the press is just encouraging you to make “being authentic” another ideal. Don’t get me wrong, connecting to your authentic self is valuable, and I do encourage you to listen to your intuitive nudges. But don’t get too attached to having to be authentic. If you do, you’ll be falling into the trap of making authentic leadership an ideal, you’ll starting driving for that perfect authentic leader, and that’s a far Susan Clarke and CrisMarie Campbell are Life cry from being authentic. Coaches and Business Consultants. They work with professional women, leaders and teams, and couples So, lead and live from who you are, actually in business. Their focus is on helping you transform – not your ideal self or your authentic self – your life, relationship and business by accessing your but who you are right here, right now. Just live mojo! Check out their programs GET UNSTUCK, RELATIONSHIP MOJO and their three-day and lead actually, and know that you are good retreat: FIND YOUR MOJO In MONTANA at enough just the way you are. www.thriveinc.com, or purchase their new book: The Beauty of Conflict: Harnessing Your Team’s Yes, you are enough, do enough, and have enough right Competitive Advantage on Amazon. Watch their here and right now…really. TEDx Talk: Conflict – Use It, Don’t Defuse It! on YouTube. Contact them to coach with you, consult The women leaders I remember and admire are the with your business, or speak at your next event at ones who acknowledge when hard work has been thrive@thriveinc.com or 406.730.2710.

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New program increases specialty health care access for Montana’s children It is estimated that thousands of children are forced to leave the state for medical care annually. Currently, the distance from Kalispell to the nearest dedicated children’s health care facilities (Spokane; Seattle; Salt Lake City; and Denver) is 200 – 1000 miles, depending on the medical specialty needed. Traveling such a distance for children’s medical services creates several disadvantages: · Health care fragmentation and disruption of a patient’s continuum of care · Upheaval of family dynamics — siblings are separated from their parents and brother(s)/ sister(s), or forced to miss school, parents miss work, and households are estranged from their support systems, including friends, extended family, church and social circles · Financial burden for families — costly outof-state medical bills for families as well as out-of-pocket expenses for lodging and travel · Economic impacts to local Montana communities — loss of revenue when families leave the state Over the past 18 months, Kalispell Regional Healthcare (KRH) has begun to address these issues by becoming the center of a growing collection of pediatric services. With more than 30 pediatric providers, a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and many other specialized children’s health care services, KRH has made a significant investment in the

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By Mellody Sharpton

state’s children by bringing skilled specialists and pediatric services to the Flathead Valley. Since pediatric specialty services began at KRH in 2015, pediatric sub-specialists in anesthesiology, cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, oncology/hematology, neurology, ophthalmology, pathology, psychiatry, and surgery have been added to the KRH medical staff and more than 5,000 Montana children have received specialty care locally, rather than traveling elsewhere.

With the arrival of Dr. Kelly Schmidt this past July, the most recent addition to the list of pediatric sub-specialties at KRH is neurosurgery.

Dr. Schmidt earned her medical degree at The George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC and subsequently completed her neurological surgery residency and pediatric neurological surgery fellowship trainings at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. She will be a leader in developing the pediatric neurosurgery services program.

Having a pediatric neurosurgeon on staff is an excellent example of why it’s important to provide local access to sub-specialists. According to Dr. Schmidt, many pediatric neurosurgical conditions are congenital – patients are born with these conditions, which become lifelong issues. These children require regular neurosurgical follow-up. Without having pediatric neurosurgery in Montana, these children would have to go out of state to obtain this routine follow-up care. What tends to happen is that parents who feel their child is doing well often don’t go to the expense of keeping those routine follow up appointments. Inevitably a surgical emergency can arise as the child gets

older, which could have been prevented by having regular follow up care closer to home. In the case of trauma, which can’t be predicted, time is brain. If a child who needs emergent life-saving surgery can have a procedure after a short ambulance ride to a local hospital, rather than a three-hour transport to an out-of-state facility, their chances for a better neurologic outcome are greater.

Pediatric health care available locally

“Pediatric neurosurgery is important and different than adult neurosurgery because a child’s nervous system is still growing and developing until the mid-teen years. Surgical intervention for brain trauma, brain tumors, and congenital malformations allow a pediatric brain to continue to develop normally and repair itself much better than an adult brain can,” said Dr. Schmidt. “Children can make miraculous recoveries, and this is one of the most appealing aspects of the specialty for me.”

Children require extra time, monitoring, specialized medications and specially trained health care providers who are compassionate and understand kids of all ages. While all of Kalispell Regional Healthcare’s pediatric clinicians practice according to these tenants, pediatric services at Kalispell Regional Healthcare currently operate within a facility designed for adults.

In August of 2016, Kalispell Regional Healthcare broke ground on a 190,000 square foot facility dedicated to children’s health. Called Montana Children’s Medical Center, the three-story building will house the majority of pediatric services. It is slated to be completed in spring of 2019.

“Consolidating children’s services under one roof offers many advantages to patients, families and clinicians. Pediatric medicine is not simply a miniaturized version of adult care,” said Federico Seifarth, MD, Medical Director for Montana Children’s Medical Center. “Children’s facilities are designed with children in mind. Kids deserve health care focused on their unique needs — family-centered care in healing environments.”

In addition to a 12-bed Pediatric Unit, a 6-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and a 12-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Montana Children’s Medical Center will include: · Patient rooms and family areas conducive to children and families

· An architectural and interior design with which children can identify through color and pattern. · Dedicated spaces for family caregivers · Customizable spaces, to allow children to bring items from home, to make their environment familiar · Specialized equipment on site · Acuity adaptive rooms that are flexible to minimize movement/disruption to the continuum of patient care · Lighting that emphasizes daylight and connects the indoors and outdoors · Design details that engage a child’s imagination, from the moment he/she arrives · Ample space for expanded services, including shelled space for the future expansion of inpatient beds and other services, as needed Montana Children’s Medical Center will be the core of Kalispell Regional Healthcare’s pediatric program, which also includes primary care, specialty care, inpatient acute care, emergency care and transport, patient and family support services, recreation and wellness programs, and school-based programs. “Bringing together the pediatric staff specifically trained in the medical, emotional and developmental needs of children, specialized equipment, supporting services and a treatment environment designed for pediatrics is critical to the future care of Montana’s children,” said Jason Spring, KRH Chief Strategic Officer, who provides executive leadership to the program. “The Flathead Valley and other communities in Montana need a dedicated children’s health care facility that is focused on high quality, familycentered care that invites parent participation and decision-making in the care of their children. Montana Children’s Medical Center will be those things and much more.”

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Pediatric Primary Care Pediatric Specialty Care · Pediatric Anesthesia · Pediatric Cardiology · Pediatric Critical Care · Pediatric Dentistry · Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes · Pediatric Gastroenterology · Pediatric Hematology/Oncology · Pediatric Neurology · Pediatric Neurosurgery · Pediatric Ophthalmology · Pediatric Pathology · Pediatric Psychiatry · Pediatric Radiology · Pediatric Surgery · Perinatology · Neonatology · Montana Children’s Specialists Outreach clinics, satellite offices and telemedicine Pediatric Inpatient Care · Neonatal Intensive Care Unit · Pediatric Acute Care · Pediatric Intensive Care Unit · Pediatric Emergency Care and Pediatric Patient Transport Pediatric Support Services · Pediatric Pharmacists · Pediatric Respiratory Therapists · Pediatric Clinical Social Workers · Pediatric Dietitians · Pediatric Physical and Speech Therapy · Home Health · School-based Behavioral Health and Turtle Bay Resources for Patients and Families · Psychosocial Support · Spiritual Care · Educational Support · Support Groups and Educational Classes · Financial Counseling Recreation and Wellness · The Summit Medical Fitness Center School-Based programs

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Changed lives By Kristen Hamilton

The Erickson family

Photo by James Saylock Photography

Finding and equipping foster families for Montana children in need

A 13-year-old girl and her younger brother are neglected by their addicted, single mom. Grandma takes these children into her home and heart. But not long after, grandma is diagnosed with inoperable cancer and her health falters quickly. Left with no income, the family struggles with rent and hunger. With no other supports, her granddaughter turns to the only thing she can think of to help them all…selling drugs. She does this for years after grandma has passed, and becomes an addict herself. She becomes pregnant and repeats the generational cycle of having her children be cared for by others. Three times. But, thankfully, this story doesn’t have the ending you might expect. This mom has gone through a successful treatment program and has been reunited with her children. She is grateful for well-equipped foster parents who cared for her children in their time of need and provided her the second chance she desperately needed. That’s where the mission of Child Bridge comes in… finding and equipping foster and adoptive families for Montana children, whether the need is temporary or permanent.

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From offices in the Flathead, Billings, Missoula and Bozeman, Child Bridge serves children and the foster/adoptive families who care for them in 19 Montana counties. With the support of the Gianforte Family Foundation and the Washington Foundation Child Bridge

Bozeman launched in January 2017 under the capable and experienced hand of Child Bridge Community Director, Rick Valore. Rick has been a pastor and leader in the Christian orphan care ministry movement for a decade. Rick shares, “The foster care system can be confusing and it can be difficult to understand the ramifications of a family bringing a child with trauma into their home. Typically, foster parents don’t immediately grasp the cost it will exact on their marriage, or how family dynamics might change. It can be difficult to identify helpful community resources or understand just how challenging, but rewarding fostering can be. The same is true for most churches. Many church members don’t know how they can play a helpful and supportive role to fostering families.” Child Bridge finds and educates prospective foster parents on the realities of fostering and helps them get connected to the training and licensing process. Child Bridge also walks alongside new and experienced foster parents helping them to succeed by providing individual support, on-going parent training, classes for friends and family members to help with day

to day support, connections to other community resources, and empowering local churches to engage in caring for foster kids and parents. It was Valore’s classes for family and friends that caught the eye of Tim and Ginger Townsend. Tim and Ginger felt the calling to adopt a child from foster care and were engaged in the licensing process when they heard about a Family Support Team Training hosted by Child Bridge. They invited friends who were willing to help support them during their adoption journey. This training is designed for the friends and family members of fostering/adopting families to better understand the foster care process, the parenting challenges, the possible reasons behind a foster child’s behaviors and practical ways they can help the fostering family. During the training, Valore also shared a variety of resources available to foster/adoptive families, including information about the Royal Family Kids Camp.

Child Bridge actively works with local churches across the state to raise awareness of kids in foster care and hosts short meetings for people to discover ways they can be involved.

Each foster child attending Royal Family Kids Camp is assigned an adult volunteer, who has been vetted and trained to be their Camp Counselor for the week. It is a highly relational environment where the child is the center of attention with activities where the camper and the Camp Counselor participate together. When their daughter returned from camp, Tim and Ginger immediately noticed a change in her demeanor and knew something significant had transpired during the camp. She seemed more relaxed and at peace with her new surroundings. Tim and Ginger were thankful to have been given the information about this life impacting resource and for the training their support team received from Child Bridge. Their daughter is looking forward to next year’s camp where she knows she will be treated “royally!” Being a volunteer at the camp is also an avenue to help kids in the foster care system. “It’s as much a life changing opportunity for the volunteers as it is for the kids they serve. ‘Not everyone can or should foster or adopt, but everyone can do something’ is a motto for us at Child Bridge,” Valore says. Each story of foster care is unique. Reese and Jodeen Erickson of Bozeman are on a different journey and Jodeen shares it in her own words. “We’d thought about doing foster care before but didn’t pursue it because we knew that we’d get attached to the children and it’d break our hearts to let them go. But we’d been married for nine years and didn’t yet have children. We wanted to share hope with a child and kept feeling a nudge inside of us to take steps toward foster care. One door after another opened. A newborn was placed with us, and for two years, her foster case was a roller coaster ride.” “But foster care is about finding families for children, not children for families. It’s not about us as adults or what we want. We continually reminded ourselves to look at the big picture and trust in God. After our foster daughter had lived with us for a few weeks, she not only had us wrapped around her little finger, but she had also revealed to us a place in our hearts that we didn’t know was there. One day I expressed my concern to a social worker over how attached we were becoming to our foster daughter. I wondered if we should somehow try to guard our hearts from getting too attached. But the social worker shared how vital it is to a child’s development to experience attachment from the caregiver. She said, “It will likely

Child bridge

be harder on you than on your foster daughter if and when she moves on.” From that day forward, still new to fostering, we let our hearts love our foster daughter with no limitation.” “We found foster care to be challenging, and it stretched us much further than we imagined possible and gave us opportunity to witness literal miracles. Foster care is the hardest yet most rewarding thing we’ve ever done. And you can imagine how overjoyed we were when given the opportunity to adopt the little girl that we cherished and loved with all our hearts.” “A couple of years later, we were blessed with the privilege of adopting our precious son also from foster care. His case was entirely different than our daughter’s, so we got to learn in a new dimension. No two cases are the same. Each child is unique, and there can be a lot of variety in the situations that they come from. Reunification with their biological family is always the goal, but sometimes that doesn’t work out.” “We were encouraged to learn of the Child Bridge Family Support Team Training. It was easy to invite our friends to the three-hour workshop. In an engaging and interactive setting, a lot of headway was made about how to better understand and truly help foster/adoptive families. We left that workshop feeling even more supported by our friends. And the ways that our friends put feet to their support of us lightened our load and spurred us on. Foster families don’t succeed alone.” One of the Erickson’s support team members is friend Matt and Katie Sonnek. The Sonneks attended the Family Support Team training with the Ericksons. Katie shares, “One of the biggest things I walked away with from the training was a deeper, more complete understanding of why these foster kids, foster families, and the CPS workers need our help. Before, I just wasn't aware of the whole ugly picture in all its heartache and pain. Through a few experiences leading up to the training, and then culminating at the

The Townsend family

Soon after the training, an 8-year-old girl was placed in the care of the Townsends. Ginger remembered the information about the camp and immediately registered their newly placed daughter.

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training, my eyes were opened wide. My heart broke. It broke for the unmet needs and challenges facing kids in foster care and the families. It continues to ache for these children from hard places, for the abuse and the neglect and trauma they are so undeserving of. “ Unfortunately, the number of children entering the foster care system in Montana continues to increase. The use of methamphetamines and alcohol by biological parents is the leading cause of parents neglecting the needs of their children and causing them to enter the child protective services of the state. Child Bridge actively works with local churches across the state to raise awareness of kids in foster care and hosts short meetings for people to discover ways they can be involved. “I work with church members passionate about this issue to create a group of people in local churches who want to be more involved. Foster care and adoption is an issue that has touched many people. I regularly hear stories about how their parents were foster parents and they have an adopted brother or sister, or stories from adults about their experience in foster care and now they are foster parents,” says Valore. If you would like to know more about how you or your church can be involved in helping kids and the foster/ adoptive parents who step up to care for them, contact Child Bridge at info@childbridgemontana.org

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Kalispell OB/GYN

Delivering patient care for a lifetime At Kalispell OB/GYN, we work hard every day to help promote and protect the health, safety and quality of life for all women. All our providers are strong advocates for women’s health care. It is our mission to provide the best care for women in all stages of life through a professional and compassionate health model, a conversational approach with our patients and a supportive team consisting of our outstanding physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistant. Assisting them is our excellent support staff of RNs, LPNs and Medical Assistants, as well as the rest of our helpful, friendly office staff.

t Dr. Kathleen Nelson began practicing with her father, Dr. Van Kirke Nelson, in 1995. Having grown up in Kalispell, she attended undergraduate school at Stanford University, received her medical degree from the University of Washington and completed her residency at the University of Wisconsin.

Established in 1962 by Dr. Van Kirke Nelson and later adding Drs. Heine and Sowell, Kalispell OB/GYN has provided quality OB/GYN care longer than any other OB/GYN practice in the Flathead Valley. We’ve grown and changed with the times and the area we serve has spread outside the Flathead Valley to include many surrounding communities, such as Libby, Eureka, Cut Bank and Shelby. Drs. Nelson, Jonas, Lavin and deHoop took stewardship of Kalispell OB/GYN and enjoy the practice of general obstetrics and gynecology, with a combined total of over 75 years of delivering babies and caring for women’s health. With continued growth of the practice, we have just added a fifth physician, Dr. Jenna Huff, so we are better able to offer our patients the best possible care. All our physicians are board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, are accomplished laparoscopic surgeons, offer minimally invasive and robotic surgery, vaginal surgery and prolapse repair. They participate in teaching the University of Washington medical students during their rotations at Kalispell Regional Medical Center and help train the residents of the Family Medicine Residency Program. Our providers enjoy caring for women who are either pregnant or hoping to become pregnant. They are strong advocates of offering women the option of having a vaginal delivery after a prior cesarean section and along with Kalispell Regional Medical Center, offer this service to their patients. Kalispell OB/GYN is also happy to collaborate with certified nurse midwives for women who desire midwifery care. We look forward to helping women make the best health care decisions for their families and themselves.

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u Dr. Gwenda Jonas moved to the Flathead Valley in 2001 to practice with Kalispell OB/GYN. Prior to that she spent four years in private practice in Phoenix, Arizona and was an Associate Clinical Professor for the University of Arizona School of Medicine. She received her undergraduate degree from University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, her medical degree from the University of Alabama and completed her residency at Good Samaritan in Phoenix.

t Dr. John Lavin started his career in family practice 33 years ago. He received his medical degree from the University of Nevada Medical School and in 1989 he returned to University of Colorado to pursue his OB/GYN specialty training. He was in solo OB/GYN practice in Kalispell before joining Kalispell OB/GYN in 2004. He continues to practice at this location, but is currently employed by Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

u Dr. Thomas deHoop moved to Kalispell from Cincinnati, Ohio in 2011 to join Kalispell Regional Medical Center and practice with Kalispell OB/GYN. He attended medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin, where he also completed his internship. His residency was at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he remained for 16 years as an Associate Professor of OB/GYN before moving to the Flathead Valley.

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p Dr. Jenna Huff, a Montana native, will join the staff at Kalispell Regional Medical Center and practice with Kalispell OB/GYN starting in October 2017. She attended medical school at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and did her residency at Akron General Medical Center in Akron, Ohio. For four years following that, she practiced in Loveland, Colorado.

We are a strong, independent practice and are proud to offer diverse options for women’s health care. The women of the Flathead Valley are our friends and neighbors and we want the best care possible for them.

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ask the skin coach

Back-to-School Breakouts By Erin Blair, Licensed Esthetician + Certified Health Coach

My skin was looking so good over the summer. The sun really cleared it up! But now that I’m back in school, it’s starting to flare up again. Why is this happening? Am I doomed to break out whenever I can’t be in the sun?

A: Oh, the familiar Back-to-School Breakout Blues! Every fall, people see an increase in acne and make the same mistake you’re making: they think it’s due to lack of sunshine. What if I told you this is actually a misconception that’s working against you and the possibility of clear skin?

Sun exposure is part of the problem. A big part.

While it’s true that sunshine temporarily dries up active, inflamed zits... it’s conversely just as true that sun exposure lays the foundation for future breakouts. UV rays cause oxidation of our natural skin oils, turning otherwise benign oils into comedogenic (pore clogging) substances. You won’t see the effects of this right away. In fact, it can take a few months for that clogging to result in the pimples you see today. Broad spectrum sun protection of at least SPF 30, large brimmed hats, and opting for shade during peak sun intensity all help to protect you from this, and other, damage.

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Clogging sunblock is your enemy, too.

Yes, you need sunblock every day, rain or shine. But if your sunblock clogs your pores, you’ll have breakouts to show for it... usually just in time for back to school. How can you tell if it’ll break you out? Sadly, you can’t trust the claims made on the label. Incredibly clogging products are marketed as ‘non-comedogenic’ and ‘acne-safe’ all the time! And since there is often a lag time (of a few days to a few months) before the zits start to show up, it’s nearly impossible to deduce whether your product is acne safe through trial and error.

If you go to SkinTherapyStudio.com, you can sign up to receive my Naughty List, which provides a list of common ingredients to avoid if you’re acne prone. This applies to any products you use directly on your face, back and chest (cleansers, moisturizers, SPF, makeup, etc) as well as ones that come into accidental contact, such as hair products and body lotion.

Don’t underestimate stress.

‘Back-to-school’ equals ‘back-to-stress’ and stress equals breakouts. Less sleep, competitive fall sports, and overall busyness can lead to an increase in androgen hormones that stimulate more oil production, thus acne. If your pores are already clogged due to the reasons we’ve just covered, then stress will initiate what seems like an instant breakout...although it’s truly been brewing for some time. I work with a lot of teens and young adults. What I see is that too many families are running around like crazy people, eating poorly, and flat out exhausted. Ask yourself, ‘Am I treating stress as a status symbol?’ If so, why? Because everyone else is doing it? Try to manage stress by keeping a moderate schedule. Avoid regular late night events that cause you to miss out on valuable sleep. Make time for

down time. Try to literally just sit and breathe every day! Self induced stress via overscheduling is unhealthy, avoidable, and wreaks havoc on your skin.

If you’re acne prone, you have to treat it.

Lastly, if you tend to break out, you have to treat your skin with the right products (used the right way) to clear current problems and prevent future ones. Wishful thinking doesn’t work, although many have tried. Eliminating products with the ingredients you’ll find on my Naughty List is the first step in the right direction.

Erin Blair, LE CHC owns Skin Therapy Studio, where she embraces a creative method of treatments, products and coaching to get skin clear... and keep it that way. It's a 'whole person' approach to difficult skin concerns. Visit SkinTherapyStudio.com for more info, and to submit questions for Ask the Skin Coach.

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North Valley Hospital Pilots the Integrated Behavioral Health Program at North Valley Professional Center By Allison Linville

“The accessibility of Integrated Behavioral Health is one of the greatest benefits of the program,” says Kyle Stansbury, LCSW, describing one of the many benefits of the new Integrated Behavioral Health program in Columbia Falls. As healthcare progresses and modernizes, this new approach to holistic treatment is beginning across the country. Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) focuses on the entire patient— mind and body—and how to intertwine treatment of physical and mental health issues to provide more sustainable, longer lasting wellness. This program is currently in a pilot phase at the North Valley Professional Center in Columbia Falls, and is one of the first integrated approaches to healthcare in the Flathead Valley, operating with funds from a grant provided by the Montana Healthcare Foundation.

treatment outcomes and increase the number of patients served. Primary care providers see far more patients than we see and if we are able to help manage psychiatric issues more effectively and efficiently, it can affect more positive change than a single provider is capable of,” explains Dr. Muir.

Stansbury is one of the providers from North Valley Behavioral Health (NVBH) who is developing the program at the North Valley Professional Center under the medical direction of J. Douglas Muir, MD and director of NVBH. “The goal of Integrated Behavioral Health is to work collaboratively with healthcare providers to disseminate information that can help improve

Stansbury explains how it works in practice, “When a patient is being seen by one of our medical providers for a physical health issue, the provider will consider if IBH is a good fit for them, and talk with the patient before transitioning the patient to meet with me. While the patient is still in the clinic, I will stop by the exam room for a quick visit, which may include some stress

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Integrated Behavioral Health allows providers to approach the issue from multiple angles to treat the whole person. Stansbury says, “For a patient with a physical illness, it’s likely that there are underlying issues of tension or stress that accompany that illness such as migraines, insomnia, anxiety, depression, etc. Providers have found that patients achieve a more lasting recovery when all concerns are treated together through integrating behavioral health treatments with the traditional physical health treatment plan.”

management tips or a brief therapy discussion and establishing some measurable goals and tasks the patient can complete on their own.” The providers recommend this treatment style to patients as a wraparound approach to becoming healthy and well. Stansbury explains that the IBH program hopes to eventually expand the program to more communities in the area. He states, “It’s a work in progress; we are trying to make it relevant for the North Valley Professional Center Clinic and the greater Flathead Valley, and figure out how this practice best addresses the specific concerns of our patient population.” Dr. Muir is glad to offer the expanded access to mental and behavioral health professionals for patients in the Flathead Valley. “If we can help to more effectively treat overall patient conditions and be more successful in treating mental illness, then this program is achieving its purpose,” he said. For more information about Integrated Behavioral Health, contact North Valley Behavioral Health at (406) 862-1030 or the North Valley Professional Center at (406) 892-3208 or visit nvhosp.org.

Ever Pop Your Own Back… Pop It Like It’s Hot?

By Dr. C. Claude Basler, DC, Basler Family Chiropractic

Have you ever witnessed another person twisting their own neck or back in a violent action as to elicit a pop in their spine? You saw somebody playing with fire. What they are attempting to do is to correct a vertebral subluxation. When in reality they are causing more harm to not only their spine, but their overall health. The correction can only be accomplished with an adjustment that is measured, calculated, and specific towards the vertebrae in particular. In my profession, individuals who do this to their bodies are called ‘self-manipulators.’ The first question we should ask ourselves is, “Why Are They Doing This?”

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A subluxation occurs when a nerve in your spine becomes dysfunctional and negatively affects health and your overall wellbeing. This subluxation is silent and will not be painful. When a subluxation exists uncorrected and neglected for a period of time it will become the physical representative of all dysfunction within your body. To put it simply, a subluxation disconnects the brain – body connection. When this happens, symptoms will start to show up that we perceive are “normal” for us. When in truth no symptom should be normal for anybody. This why we strongly recommend that you come get your spine checked. One particular symptom that a subluxation will exhibit will be muscle tension, tightness, knots, and/or sensitivity to touch in a particular part of the back. The irritation on the nerve is manifested in symptoms such as muscle discomfort and restricted movement in your joints. (Hence why chiropractors adjust.) Remember the musculoskeletal system is regulated and controlled via the central nerve system. If you have an unhappy nerve, as a direct result, you will have an unhappy muscle. The subluxation will begin to produce abnormal movement patterns (muscle imbalances) in your back that will protect you.

What people are really popping in their neck/back is the area directly above or below the subluxation. See figure B. will actually be more susceptible to movement because they are compensating for the actual subluxation figure A.. Self-manipulators will often say that they feel their muscles “Just need to pop.” So, they will twist, contort, and manipulate their spine to elicit a popping sound. They will feel some relief that will last for a short time, and then the urge will come back to pop their neck again. So continues the insanity cycle. Each manipulation causes drastic harm to your body. Remember it’s a manipulation which is a gross experiment on one’s body. Each time the manipulation occurs on figure A or figure B the disc will be sheered inappropriately from the bone. The joints themselves that are creating the noise will be subject to micro traumas/tears over and over again due to the instability that is being created. For those of you out there that manipulate your neck, understand that arteries will become compromised as well. Specifically speaking, the vertebral artery. Not only are you causing harm to your discs and joint spaces, your lining of your vertebral artery is also susceptible to trauma.

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POP

Subluxation

POP

To understand the importance of what is happening with somebody contorting their spines. We provided two other examples of do-it-yourself scenarios.

Subluxation Present

Self Manipulation Areas Above And Below Pop

Chiropractic Adjustment Restores Proper Function

The Do It Yourself Orthodontist

The selfie orthodontist. Individuals who have experienced braces understand the fine details it takes with specific adjustments that the orthodontist has to deliver the desired outcome of straightening teeth. Whether it is the teeth, biting, or jaws that need work the orthodontist is the guy for you. The equivalent to “popping” your own back would be to administer your own set of braces. Every single time you are popping your back you are manipulating your braces. Would you consider even attempting to mold for a retainer after all said and done?

I Am A Self-Licensed Optometrist

I prescribed my own Eye Glasses. The selfieoptometrist. How many people wear glasses? Millions of people wear glasses, contacts, lenses, bifocals, etc. Imagine changing your prescription based on your own findings. Better yet, you do this to yourself. After years of prescribing your own contacts you eventually opt for Lasik surgery. You of course will be performing the surgery because you know your eyes best. Remember, you live your life through your nerve system. Every human experience you have is processed through your nerve system. Keep it healthy and intact with specific check-ups.

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Pilates for Breast

Cancer Survivors By Delia Buckmaster, PMA®-CPT and bootybarre® Master Trainer

Traci Stolte Pilates Instructor Survivor Photo by Sonja Burgard

Why Pilates For Breast Cancer? Pilates is a gentle form of exercise that engages the mind, body, and spirit. The exercises develop muscular flexibility and strength while increasing metabolism and promoting lymphatic, respiratory, and circulatory function. They improve balance and coordination and also help you relax and “get centered.” One of Pilates’s first protégés was Eve Gentry, whom he rehabilitated after a radical mastectomy. Eve was able to regain full use of her arm and torso, which is remarkable because all of her lymph nodes and chest muscles, as well as breast tissue, had been removed. Doctors could not believe the success she had obtained with Pilates’s method. He was a man ahead of the times. Research is now being conducted that documents the benefits of the Pilates method for breast cancer recovery.

What Does the Research Say?

The first study on the benefits of Pilates for breast cancer survivors was completed by physical therapists in 2008. It was a pilot study with only four participants, so the conclusions we can draw are limited. The researchers found that Pilates increased the flexibility of the affected arm after a 12-week program during which participants exercised three times a week. Another study, done in 2010, examined the effects of Pilates exercises on functional capacity, flexibility, fatigue, depression, and quality of life in female breast cancer patients. Pilates was performed three times a week for eight weeks. After participation in the exercises, improvements were noted in the subjects’ levels of

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Photos by Alisia Dawn Photography

fatigue, flexibility, quality of life, and performance on a six-minute walking test. This study proved that Pilates was safe and effective for breast cancer survivors. The most recent study, published in 2012, found that after 12 weeks of Pilates 13 participants improved their shoulder and neck flexibility. Improvements were noted in mood, body image, and quality of life. Although volume increased on the affected arm (a sign of lymphedema), one must note that this program did not modify the exercises for the class and that the sessions increased in frequency over the 12-week period. Source - Pilates for Breast Cancer Survivors: A Guide to Recovery, Healing, and Wellness

Benefits of Pilates for Breast Cancer Recovery Include… · Prevent and Reduce Cancer Related Fatigue · Increase in Muscle Mass, Strength, and Endurance · Increase in Daily Functional Activities · Increase in Physical Activities · Increase in Shoulder ROM Following Breast Cancer Surgery · Reduction in Cancer Related Pain, Nausea, and Vomiting · Improves Sleep · Reduces Feelings of Depression

Introduce your body to the benefits of Pilates exercises following breast cancer treatment with a few of these beginner exercises. They help to restore posture, rebuild alignment and minimize muscle discomfort, tightness and weakness. Two pound weights are being used. Exercises can be done with no weights.

Spinal Rotation and Chest Opener

Fold arm under your head. Start by lying on your side with shoulders flexed to 90 degrees. Inhale to start rotation. Exhale as you float arm up to ceiling and reach as far back as you feel comfortable. Inhale, hold and then exhale and return to start. Repeat 3x. Change sides.

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CAT STRETCH

On all fours, line your arms under the shoulders and knees under the hip, relaxing the feet on the mat. Start with your spine in a neutral position. Inhale, prepare. Exhale curve the spine up toward the ceiling allowing head to drop and tailbone to tuck under. Inhale keep abs engaged and expand back of rib cage, keeping head and shoulders relaxed.

SCAPULA PROTRACTION/RETRACTION

To start, lie on your back with knees bent and arms reaching to ceiling with scapula (shoulder blades) at neutral. Inhale and reach fingers toward ceiling as you protract (pull the shoulder blades apart). Exhale through neutral and to retraction (shoulder blades together). Do 6 sets.

Arm Scissors

Breast Stroke

Lying on your back, feet hip width apart and arms at 90 degrees. Inhale and then exhale as one arm goes into flexion (overhead). Inhale and hold. Exhale as you change arms. Raise one arm up and bring the other down. Keep the ribcage down. Repeat 10-12x

Start on your belly with shoulders and elbows flexed and heels of the hands on toning balls. Legs are hip distance apart and externally rotated. Inhale and press your pubic bone gently in to the mat (to protect back). Exhale and press hands into toning balls. Pulling your ribs in and down. Slide your shoulder blades down into a V as you lift the extend spine. Inhale and hold. Exhale and return to start position.

Mermaid

Toning balls can be used for arm down at side. To start, sit cross legged or in a chair. Inhale and reach the arm up. Exhale as you laterally flex to the opposite side. Inhale and hold, and then exhale as you return your arm to the side and sit back up. Change sides. Do 4-6 sets.

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What’s Luck Got To Do, Got To Do With It? by Dr. John F. Miller DDS

Welcome to Autumn. As I have stated in the past I’m not big on Fall, but presently as I type I’m staring out at the Swan Range in full alpenglow at the end of a pleasantly warm late September day. I can get on board with fall days like this. It’s just a gift to lay eyes on our beautiful mountains following this summer’s long fire season. A sincere & heartfelt thank you to the Fire Crews and everyone else involved. I very recently had the opportunity to examine a lovely lady that had not seen a Dentist, or a Hygienist for that matter, in over 12 years. This hiatus was due to a moderate level of dental anxiety. In all aspects of life there are the rules, and then there are the exceptions to those rules. Now in this case, the rule would have presented us with a mouth in dire need of maintenance. At minimum, if this mouth

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was LUCKY, we would anticipate the need for fillings and an advanced cleaning of the gums to address the gum disease caused by over a decade’s worth of plaque build-up. This gal proved to be the exception to the rule. An exam of her X-rays showed healthy enamel between her teeth with no evidence of bone loss. And clinically I was delighted to see bright and clean teeth that deposited absolutely no plaque on my examination instrument. I made an effort not to attribute this oral success to LUCK, instead commending this patient on her close attention to her oral hygiene. You could say her actions proved to me that she indeed had a fear of the dentist, because she took immaculate care of her teeth. There are so many factors that influence the health of your mouths. There are specific micro-organisms that produce acids that erode your enamel. These bacteria are fed and sustained by the carbohydrates in your diet and are protected by the layers of plaque

on your teeth. For information’s sake, most tooth decay is located in between teeth where plaque is not easily removed. Don’t rely on LUCK, and make sure you are brushing twice a day for 2 minutes and flossing once a day. There are specific micro-organisms that produce a destructive inflammatory immune response in the pockets of your gums. This inflammation causes your jaw-bone to recede, in turn causing your gums to recede. Visualize that, saying “gum recession” is just sugar coating the actual culprit, “bone recession.” The progression of gum disease is dependent on the bodies ability to heal, meaning that as we get older this disease is more and more damaging. Don’t rely on LUCK, and know your Hygienist on a first name basis. Also, brush and floss with the intention of not only cleaning your teeth, but also underneath your gums. Does Good LUCK ever factor in you might ask? Yes, if you had parents that taught you the importance of personal oral hygiene. That

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The progression of gum disease is dependent on the bodies ability to

heal, meaning that as we get older this disease is more and more damaging. Don’t rely on LUCK, and know your

Hygienist on a first name basis. Also, brush and floss with the intention of

not only cleaning your teeth, but also underneath your gums.

took you to dentist regularly so you could be educated on the correct brushing and flossing techniques. That knew the importance of a healthy diet that minimized sugary snacks. Notice I said minimized. Then you got LUCKY.

I know the demographic targeted by this magazine. The wonderful Mothers and Grandmothers of the Flathead. Be the source of those children’s good LUCK. Teach them the importance of taking care of their teeth. A healthy mouth and smile provide so many advantages in life. I started visiting northwest Montana when I was 11 years old. It was the summer between 5th & 6th grades. Why would my family drive 22 hours each way from Arizona to Montana? Well you see, my mother is from Edmonton, Alberta and her brother just younger than her had just built a summer cabin on Echo Lake. I know right, Canadians building cabins on Montana lakes...sounds crazy. Anyway, that summer of ‘92 set into motion events that would direct the rest of my life...to this point. As it turned out, my Mother’s family decided that first summer to all return every two years to celebrate my Grandparents Lee & Viv Fairbanks. These reunions were amazing, pardon me, are amazing. They continue to this day. In 1996 at the conclusion of the 3rd biannual Fairbanks reunion, a group of us cousins in the age range of 15 to 18 took a trip up to Edmonton to attend a week long church camp at the University of Alberta. I was 15 at the time and felt pretty stinkin’ cool to be hangin with my older cousins. It was there I happened upon a young Canadian girl named Juli. Long story short through some crazy coincidences we were married eight years later. Now, some 22 years after our initial chance encounter, we have four precious children and get to live in the last best place. It just so happens that she is on the cover of this edition of 406 Woman. So what do you think? Did I get LUCKY? Hell yes I did!! Have a wonderful Fall ladies.

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Come Discover Southside Consignment II

Best place to shop for antiques!

SouthsideConsignment & antiques

406 contents Design 18. Design in Beverly Hills 28. Dining Set of your Dreams 32. Tablescaping Floats like a Butterfly

Fashion 24. Think Pink The Village Shop

Love

36. Caitlin & Dustin

32...

Education 38. Spelling Bossy e

food & flavor 42. A Journey through Bordeaux 46. Stuffed Pumpkin 48. Pretzels 50. German Beer Gouda Soup 52. Eggplants Autumn and Integrative Medicine

...46

History 56. Clara Hodgin Phantom of Grandstreet

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Checking In

Cover Girl

w o m a n publisher

Cindy Gerrity

cindy@montanasky.net

business manager Daley McDaniel

daley@montanasky.net

executive editor

Kristen Hamilton

kristen@hamitupstrategies.com

design

Sara Joy Pinnell

sara@mrsandmrpublishing.com

Juli Miller

Juli is originally from Alberta Canada and moved to the United States to attend college . She married Dr. John Miller then in 2001 they realized their dream to settle in the flathead valley and purchased the

Columbia Falls Family Dental Center which is now Smile Montana. She keeps busy raising four

known as

amazing kids and loves every minute of watching them grow.

She enjoys spending time with her family Big Mountain in the winter and on Echo Lake in the summer . Juli loves the flathead valley and the amazing community of people here and couldn't ask for a better place to raise her family.

up on

Clothing

Sappari

photographers

Daley McDaniel Photography Amanda Wilson Photography Alisia Dawn Photography Scott Wilson Photography Kelly Kirksey Photography Carrie Ann Photography Marianne Wiest Photography Danella Miller Photography

Photo by Amanda Wilson Photography ( www . a m a n d aw i l s o n p h o t os . c o m )

Business Girl

View current and past issues of 406 Woman at

w w w . 4 0 6 W o m a n . c o m

Barbara Schwarz

Barbara Schwarz suddenly decided to take on a 34 summits in Peru over a 10-year period, with the help of a grant from the American Alpine Club. Thankfully she met her perfect climbing partner at the Summit in Kalispell during a Spinning class and together they have worked towards that mission. Read her amazing story in our Business & Health section. mission to climb

Photo of Barbara taken in the Cordillera Huayhuash in Peru by Mike Wilson

Want to know about great events, open houses, and more? Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/406 Woman 406 Woman is distributed in Bigfork, Columbia Falls, Kalispell, Missoula, Whitefish and every point in between. Check out www.406woman.com for our full distribution list. Have a great story idea or know someone that we should feature? Email us with your comments & suggestions. Interested in increasing your business and partnering with 406 Woman? Check out www.406woman.com.

My natural alarm clock gets all messed up with the changing of the seasons. In the summer, I jump out of bed at 5 a.m. feeling completely refreshed (as long as I’ve gone to bed by about 11 p.m.). This time of year as the days continue to get shorter, even if I’m in bed by 10 p.m. my system struggles practically crawling out of bed at 7 a.m. since it’s still dark! Well I found out “there’s a app for that.” Not only an app for those that use their phones as alarms but also an actual bedside alarm clock that wakes you up with natural (well kind of) light for people like me. I’ve decided to give it try – it certainly can’t hurt. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, while the world around us can’t handle any more bad news (concert shootings, wildfires, hurricanes, battles, and hatred), please take the time this Thanksgiving to spread love. Love your family, love your friends and most importantly love your neighbor.

Happy Fall!

What you’ll find in this issue

{

Get ready for Halloween and the story of Clara Hodgin, the Phantom of Grandstreet Theatre in Helena. Brian D’Ambrosio does a great job telling her story and the history behind the haunting. Read it on page 56. Erin Blair, our resident skin coach, offers some informative advice on back-to-school breakouts. She shares ideas on what causes them and what you can do to clear them up. Read her expert advice on page 46 in our Business & Health section. Flathead Care has been helping keep drugs and alcohol out of schools for 35 years. Now it’s our turn to help them keep their doors open to continue their mission. Please read Kari Gabriel’s (Executive Director for Flathead Care) story on page 30.

{

Meet Dr. Austine Siomos… Our Talented 406 Contributors C. Claude Basler, D.C.

Family chiropractor, allowing you to express your true potential

Erin Blair

Licensed esthetician and owner of Skin Therapy Studio

Delia Buckmaster

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

Kay Burt

Mother, grandmother, native Montanan, legal assistant – a woman whose life is blessed beyond measure

Cris Marie Campbell

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

Susan B Clarke

Faculty at The Haven Institute for 20 years and co-owner of Thrive! Inc.

Brian D’Ambrosio

Accomplished writer and newly published author of “Reservation Champ’

Jen Euell

Program Director for the Women’s Foundation of Montana

Kari Gabriel

Exec Dir or Flathead CARE plus wildlife rehabilitator and educator

Kalispell OB/GYN Doctors & Practitioners

Board certified OB/GYN professional offering expert advice

Allison Linville

Community Relations Coordinator at North Valley Hospital

John Miller, DDS

Specializing in general dentistry, Dr Miller provides expert advice

Carole Morris

Profession:

Kelly O’Brien, Esq.

Brianne Perleberg

Whitefish

Kristen Pulsifer

learned to bake bread, joined a CSA, moved to Montana

Instructional Specialist, Author and Adjunct Professor. The proud mom of two perfect children and grammie to three flawless grandchildren. Business law specialist with Measure Law Office, P.C. Founder of I Want Her Job and marketing director at NASCAR track Phoenix Raceway. Writer, editor and owner of Whitefish Study Center

Karen Sanderson

Wine expert and owner of Brix Bottleshop in Kalispell

Dr Austine Siomos

A pediatric cardiologist at Rocky Mountain Heart & Lung plus a wife and mother

Mary Wallace

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

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

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Pediatric Cardiologist

Resides:

Notable Accomplishments:

My workweek always includes:

a lot of really cute babies, kids and teenagers

My favorite outdoor activity is:

walking and riding bikes with our family

When it comes to electronics, I can’t live without these apps on my iPhone: google maps and weather (can you

tell I don’t know how to download apps?)

My bucket list includes doing this in the next year: plant (and weed) a successful garden

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Copperleaf Chocolat

company

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

Holiday Gifts We Love to Give! locally made artisan chocolates, chocolate bars from around the world, time tested books & leather bound journals. Artie Yellowhorse Native American Designer of Collectible Silver, Turquoise & Gems Jewelry Mary Frances Hand Beaded Embellished Handbags and Scarves. Fabulous Cashmere Sweaters, One of a kind Copper and Enamel Pieces by Swan Valley Copper Company and Vintage cowboy boots.

villageshopwhitefish.com

201 Central ave. whitefish Montana 59937 - 406.862.3200 @thevillageshop_mt

fashion}

Think Pink 3.

1. 5.

9. 8. 10.

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1.Michael Stars Hat $68 2.Free People shoes $178 3.Shit that I Knit merino wool hat $125 4.Skull Cashmere sweater $345 5. Liebeskind purse $138 6. Skull Cashmere Infinity scarf $288 7.Principal denim $118 8.Ilse Jacobson rain boots $172 9.Citizens of Humanity jeans $248 10. Velvet cashmere sweater $259 on request. ngs, price up ri h p se Jo ie Jam

The Village Shop,

Downtown Whitefish. 406-862-3200 @thevillageshop_mt

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Design

the dining set of your dreams By Wrightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Furniture

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design}

1. Choose the table shape & size that fits your taste & room.

2. Enhance with

our selection of edges, bases, legs, and solid top material.

3. Let your

imagination choose between 60 colors in three finishes and 250 fabrics.

4. Customize even more

with over 40 chair models available.

5. Complement your Wright's Furniture offers many dining room collections. Visit our showroom and select from stock or special order your own custom design. 6325 Hwy 93 South, Whitefish, Montana. www.wrightsfurniturestore.com

design with one of our display cabinets from five different series.

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Tablescaping

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

Floats like a butterfly

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design}

Some times when hosting a dinner party

an unexpected guest shows up. We would never use the term uninvited because that wouldn’t be hospitable and it is all about being the perfect hostess so we stick with unexpected. While we were setting up our tablescape we welcomed a guest who floated in on a gentle breeze, the Tiger Swallowtail butterfly hitched a ride from one floral arrangement to another. It didn’t matter how many times we moved the floral arrangements, he was bound and determined to become part of the scene. (We identified him as male based on his markings). What a wonderful, unplanned addition to our table! The butterfly’s colors blended perfectly with our color scheme. To the naked eye, the butterfly is yellow with iridescent light blue patches and shiny black details. But it is much more than meets the human eye, some of the color we see is the butterfly’s true pigment and some is structural, or the way the light reflects off a surface. The wings are iridescent, the quality that makes them change color according to the way from which we look at them. It is a lustrous rainbow like play of color caused by differential refraction of light waves that tends to change as the angle of view changes. Nature is truly remarkable: seemly simple yet so complex as changing colors keep predators at bay. The location for our shoot was the Weatherwood farm, a hop, skip, and a jump from Weatherwood LLC; the farm is below the Swan Mountain range. A rustic old barn stands on the property; we were torn between setting the table with the barn as the backdrop or the fields of green with mountains towering overhead. As they say a photo is worth a thousand words.

The deep rich tones of copper accents add warmth to any space. Copper has many firsts: the first metal to be smelted, first metal to be cast into a shape, and the first in a mold. Fun fact: 80% of copper ever mined is still in use today.

The wood tables look great without a tablecloth but a little lace always softens the mood, it is a partial commitment; it served as a great accent for the copper charger plates and copper vessels. Since 2016, copper has become the new gold in design. The deep rich tones of copper accents add warmth to any space. Copper has many firsts: the first metal to be smelted, first metal to be cast into a shape, and the first in a mold. Fun fact: 80% of copper ever mined is still in use today.

We loved the copper charger’s embossed edge, it worked perfectly with the white Cantaria dishware’s hammered texturing and organic shape which offers a traditional look or a feeling of sophisticated modern elegance, a hand applied unique patina on the edge means no two pieces are exactly alike. Change the accessories and the place setting takes on new life. (The dishware is imported from Portugal by Skyros design.) We used gold flatware to compliment

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design}

the copper accents, mismatched amber Depression glass because Depression glass offers a little cheer the same way it did when food manufacturers used to put a piece of glassware in the boxes of food as an incentive to purchase. We selected lush, white flowers for the floral arrangements: hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, snap dragons, lilacs, stock, carnations, and one of my long-standing favorites: ranunculus. We used an iron chicken feeder for the centerpiece; filled the copper coffee pot and other copper pieces with flowers because you can never have enough flowers. The greenery was snipped from the branches of an Aspen tree, when the leaves are clipped they resemble eucalyptus. We saved a few leaves to frame the apricot placed on top of the napkins. We tucked a menu card written on vellum to finish it off but you could use a place card instead.

It was a beautiful day, so happy our unexpected guest decided not to float on by. Once again a special thank you to Kelly Kirksey for her amazing photography: kellykirkseyphotography.com Thank you to the Farm at Weatherwood.

All furniture, accessories (including Bentwood chairs in dark fruitwood), and linens provided and available from Empress Tents and Events and Vintage Whites, tablescape & floral design by Lynn Malmberg & JJ, contact Lynn at www.empresstentsevents.com for your next event.

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love}

Caitlin &Dustin June 17, 2017

Who are you?

Photographed by Lloyd Bondy

Dustin W. Freebury & Caitlin B. Freebury (Smith)

How did you meet?

We met at 4 Corners Gas Station parking lot at 2 a.m.

The Proposal?

I proposed to Dustin. We were in his truck towing a boat heading back from the river. I had had a few beers and I got down on one knee and asked. He thought I was joking. When he realized I was serious, he said yes with smile on his face.

What is love?

Dustin: Love is caring for someone more than yourself, two people coming together to better their lives as one. Caitlin: The feeling that you found someone that completes you. The saying that you have found your other half is what comes to mind when I think about the one I love.

What do you love most about each other?

Dustin: Cate is a wonderful mother, and on occasions can be very sweet. Caitlin: That he stands by my side no matter how much of a handful I can be.

When did you know you were in love?

Dustin: When I realized all differences aside that I needed her in my life. Caitlin: When I stared at him and realized that the reason I was moving forward was because I had him in my life.

Wedding Details:

We were married in Kila on the front lawn of Caitlin’s parents house.

We wanted a party wedding where everyone would be able to let loose and have fun while we celebrated our union. We did our toasts with shots of tequila and danced until midnight. Our wedding colors were black and gray. The flowers were lilies.

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Caitlin walked down the aisle to “Your Guardian Angel” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. We had out first dance to “Hard 2 Love” by Lee Brice.

Fun facts: Cate and I are almost 100% opposite.

love} stories

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education}

“Bossy e” By Kristen Pulsifer

‘I’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’, bossy ‘e’, doubling rules…, ah! There are so many spelling rules and exceptions to spelling rules! It is no wonder so many people, especially children, struggle with spelling. Grapheme sounds are difficult to learn and even more difficult to comprehend and then store into our permanent memory. I see so many children study for spelling tests by simply memorizing words, cramming it all in right before the spelling quiz, only to forgot it all right after the quiz is over. Everyone thinks that they are great spellers if they receive A’s on those spelling quizzes. An A is a great academic achievement, and should be commended, but those fantastic quiz grades do not mean that those students are fantastic spellers. Spelling “is not (simply) a matter of memorization” (“How Words Cast their Spell”, Carreker…). People must truly learn and understand how letters and their sounds work in order to become solid spellers. Phonemic awareness, “awareness of the smallest units of sound in the speech stream, and the ability to isolate or manipulate the individual sounds in words” (Birsh), must be explicitly taught when children are learning the letters of the alphabet, the sounds letters make and how to put those letters together to spell words. It is a process and one that cannot be done in one day or even one week. It must be present in teaching from the beginning, and adhered to throughout a child’s education. The teaching of phonological rules, must occur before a child can truly be set up for success in their spelling and reading. “Spelling is a linguistic task that requires knowledge of sounds and letter patterns… Good spellers develop insights into how words are spelled based on sound-letter correspondences” (Carreker…). The memory system that aids in this essential learning is “orthographic memory.” Some people’s orthographic memory is challenged and therefore problems with spelling may result; but, problems with spelling also result when students are not correctly taught sounds and how to spell correctly. It is vital that phonological rules are taught spelling, writing and reading.

word. If we are constantly stopping and searching for words and the correct way to spell them, our thought processes will be adversely affected. “Poor spelling, in addition to causing the writer frustration and embarrassment, adversely affects composition and transmission of ideas”(Carreker…). Students who struggle with spelling will write fewer words or potentially veer away from writing all together. A young child, shutting down their beautiful imagination is a sad and frustrating thing to watch happen. These children may have brilliant and imaginative ideas that they are dying to write about and share; but, those ideas end up hindered, and the child ends up frustrated and shut down, because of their struggles with spelling and vocabulary. When correct spelling is not easily accessed, attention is taken away from the creation of ideas and loss of “expressive power” occurs.

People who spell well are often stronger readers. Reading comprehension increases with our ability to interpret words that we come across on a page while reading. Now, just because a person cannot spell a certain word, does not mean that we cannot read the word in our favorite books, magazines Spelling is directly connected to writing. Without and newspapers – “spelling is more difficult than knowing how to spell we cannot be effective writers. reading” (Carreker…). But, if we can effectively The stronger our vocabulary, and the ease with which spell AND read words, our comprehension of what we are able to use our vocabulary, will directly affect we are reading can only increase. This increase our ability to express ourselves through the written comes from our ability to increase our fluency in

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what we are reading, and alleviate the possibility of stumbling over challenging words and therefore losing our train of thought (“the ability to transfer print to speech with rapidity that allows the reader to focus on meaning”, Birsh). The connection between reading and spelling is significant because both depend on the same thing – an understanding and command of a language. “The more deeply and thoroughly a student knows a word, the more likely he or she is to recognize it, spell it, define it, and use it appropriately in speech and writing” (Carreker). A true understanding of language and how it is used, is what a person should strive for in their own learning and more importantly, in their own child’s learning. Learning a language, how to read and then spell the words we are learning, is an amazing process. I am NOT shocked by the number of people that struggle with reading and spelling; I am shocked by the number of people who don’t! What our brains seem to just DO when it comes to speaking, reading and writing is fascinating. So many of us take for granted the ease with which reading and writing comes. When I work with kids that truly struggle with spelling, reading and comprehension, I have to slow down and break things down for them. When I do this, I am always amazed at what goes into teaching this process that we are all just expected to DO and know.

education} When studying spelling words with your children/ students, be patient and work to truly learn and understand the sounds that each part of the word is making. Study them, and work to understand each syllable. For example, here are 3 spelling rules that may help you and your kids understand how to spell certain words more easily: BOSSY E - When a vowel makes a long sound, it’s the same sound as its name. Bossy e makes the vowel (in the word it tags onto) have a long sound or shout out its name. WHEN TWO VOWELS GO WALKING, THE FIRST ONE DOES THE TALKING - Here’s a catchy little rhyme that may help your child remember another way of spelling long vowel sounds. When spelling words like seat and coat, your child can go over the ‘when-two-vowels-go-walking-the-first-onedoes-the-talking’ rhyme. “Most long-e sounds fit the two vowels rule. Long e is spelled either with ee, like in meet, seed, and weed, or ea, like in team, seat, and bead. The two vowels come side by side, but the first is the one that makes its long sound. A long-o sound is also often spelled with two vowels. The long o is spelled with oa like in boat, coat, and loan. A long-a sound can be spelled with side-byside vowels, too.” I BEFORE E EXCEPT AFTER C (WHEN YOU HEAR EE) - All sorts of words have the long-e sound in them, and the i-before-e-except-after-c rule gives a person another rule to acknowledge and spell the long e sound. “The question becomes: Should your child write Bossy e like in Pete, or two vowels walking like in meat and meet, y as in happy, or ie as in niece? Whew. Where is that scrap paper?” Have your child work through common words such as piece, niece and receive until he/she understands. There are of course exceptions to many of these rules, but simply start with the basics that spelling rules such as the ones stated above provide, and then gradually move to the exceptions. Language is no different than most things. There are always exceptions, which drag away the consistency and make it challenging… yet fascinating!

Be patient with your children, and yourselves, and make sure you are all working through the same process when studying for that next spelling quiz. Make sure your children understand why words are spelled the way they are. It will ensure stronger comprehension of the words being studied. You would never be expected to play a piece of music before you learned the individual notes, the chords and even the number of beats each type of note receives. It’s a process – be patient. So many of us rely on technology to correct things for us. I’m doing it right now! But…do not always rely on spell check. Challenge yourselves and your children to make corrections on your own. When you see that word highlighted in red on your computer screen, give yourself a minute to see if YOU can correct it. Or, when it is corrected, take note of how it was corrected and work to understand the corrections. Now I must look back through my article, and hope I can successfully correct all of my typos and errors – this would be a terrible article to leave behind spelling errors… or … maybe not!

*Carreker, Malatesha, Moats, Treiman. “How Words Cast Their Spell”, American Educator. Winter 2008-2009 *Birsh. Multisensory Teaching Of Basic Language Skills, 3rd Edition. 2011

*http://www.dummies.com/relationships/raising-children/ setting-down-the-spelling-rules/

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food} 1. Where is Bordeaux?

Did you know the city of Bordeaux is less than 30 miles from the Atlantic Ocean? The second you arrive, you smell the salty sea air and feel the damp humidity. This climate is perfect for growing grapes because of the hot days and cool nights of summer. Fun fact: the land in between the sea and the vineyards had become so marshy and sandy from the coastal dunes, an entire forest was planted in the early 1800’s to make transportation easier and to prevent the shifting dunes from landing on the vineyards.

2. Wine Tasting Guides

A Journey Through

Bordeaux

If you love wine tasting in Napa, you’ll love Bordeaux. Traveling up the Garonne river with these hotel booklets will help you decide where to stop. Appointments are only required at the top tier properties. Otherwise, think of Bordeaux like Napa. Hundreds of tasting rooms are eager to welcome new visitors and many offer complimentary tastings.

Written by Karen Sanderson, Brix Bottleshop Photos Courtesy Karen Sanderson

Have you ever stood in front of a French wine section completely befuddled by the labels? Don’t worry; even those of us in the industry can get stumped from time to time. Some regions are easier to decipher than others and Bordeaux is one of the hardest. When it comes to buying wine from this region of France, reviews offer incredibly helpful descriptions. Take this one, for example:

3. No appointments? No problem:

Chateau Aney is a left bank winery near the town of Medoc. Visiting the tasting room at Aney is like popping into Louis Martini on the Napa wine trail. It’s right off the highway complete with a beautiful vineyard property, chateau, and is full of rich history.

2012 Angludet Bordeaux: “Another truly exceptional wine from the Sichel family, the 2012 d’Angludet has a deep ruby/purple color, a sweet floral, blueberry and blackcurrant-scented nose with a touch of licorice, light tannins, low acidity and a nice, fleshy mouthfeel. This is a sexy, satisfying wine from both a hedonistic and intellectual vantage point. Drink this sleeper of the vintage over the next decade.” -Robert Parker, April, 2015. Wowza, right?! After reading this description, I promised myself I would someday go to Bordeaux to learn what makes these wine so special. My wish finally came true (and my knowledge tripled!) after an amazing summer trip through this esteemed wine region. I was thrilled to be able to meet members of the Sichel family at their estate in Margaux and learn the area more in depth. Sound like a magnifique aventure? Join me on the photographic journey below through this historic province of Aquitaine.

Quick facts about Bordeaux:

The city of Bordeaux is the ninth largest in France. The Bordeaux wine region is situated along the left and right banks of the river. Left bank wines are made with mostly cabernet sauvignon. Right bank wines are made with mostly merlot grapes. French law states that the only grapes allowed to be blended into Bordeaux wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Carmenere.

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4. The beauty of Appointments

One of the youngest family members, Alex Sichel, visited us in Kalispell last spring. In a charming French accent he said those magic words, “If you ever come to France, you must pay us a visit.” Et voila! His cousin, Daisy, gave us a tour of the property and poured wine in the chateau’s tasting room. One of the most unique facts about this estate is that they are one of the few families who still live on the vineyard property.

5. Chateaux at every turn

Hundreds of chateau can be spotted around every corner, over every hill. After awhile, my daughter and I joked to each other, “ooooh… another chateau.” They are so abundant one can quickly forget how truly majestic they are.

6. Tasting Rooms

Tasting rooms of all sizes are frequently found in each village along the Garonne. No matter which village, from Bordeaux to Medoc, you will have plenty of options to taste many wines side by side. This would be the equivalent to a modern wine bar in Napa.

7. Le Cité du Vin Museum

No trip to Bordeaux would be complete without a tour of this newly famed wine museum. Dedicated to the world of wine, this new modern education center boasts some of the most innovative presentations in the world. The interactive spaces were so kid friendly; I had to work very hard to convince my nine year old to leave. After three hours!

8: Classic Bordeaux

The wines of Bordeaux are famous for their terroir (climate and geographic location), history (Napoleon and Thomas Jefferson share this in common), and, of course, the unique flavor composition and aging potential. The Cabernet Merlot blends are typically heavy bodied, brooding, high tannic wines with deep rich dark fruit flavors. Some have an “iron” flavor quality that is rarely found anywhere else in the world.

Interested in learning more about the wines of Bordeaux? Please visit us at Brix and we’ll be happy to guide you through your own personal wine journey. Cheers! Karen

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food}

Stuffed

Pumpkin Recipe by Zina Sheya Designs

One of my favorite recipes, for fall, is stuffed pumpkin. It is not only a beautiful presentation, but delicious. This particular recipe is a family recipe we cook at Thanksgiving; I hope you will try this.

INGREDIENTS 1 Cinderella Pumpkin 1 package sage sausage ½ red onion, diced 6 stalks of celery, diced 1 loaf French bread (cubed and dried) fresh thyme, chopped fresh Rosemary, chopped 1 cup chicken stock 2 eggs 1 apple chopped salt & pepper (to taste) Variation: Add dried or fresh cranberries, oranges, or bacon

INSTRUCTIONS Cook sausage. When sausage is cooked, add chopped vegetables and remove from heat. Pour over cubed bread and mix together. Pour in chicken stock, add eggs, then mix together and add fresh herbs. Scoop stuffing inside of a cleaned out pumpkin. Place on baking sheet and bake at 375⁰ for 30-45 min. (depending on the size of the pumpkin). Stuffing top will be golden brown. Remove from oven, and place on platter. Next, slice pumpkin on ribs… and place a slice of pumpkin and stuffing on plate.

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Pretzels By Carole Morris

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The pretzel, considered a goodluck symbol in Germany, is delicious when paired with our German Beer-Gouda soup. INGREDIENTS

3 quarts boiling water

1 package yeast

1 slightly beaten egg water

4 to 4 ¼ cups bread flour

1 tablespoon water

¼ cup sugar

(2 tablespoons salt, to boil pretzels)

1 ½ cups milk 2 tablespoon cooking oil 1 teaspoon salt

Choose a toppings, coarse salt, parmesan cheese, and sesame seed

Instructions 1. Stir together 1 ½ cups of the flour with the yeast (in a bowl). In a pan, heat and stir sugar, milk, oil, and 1 tsp. salt until warm 120⁰. Add to flour and yeast mixture. Mix with electric mixture on low for approximately 30 seconds, then beat on high for 3 minutes. Add remaining flour, until the dough is moderately stiff.

2. On a lightly floured surface, knead until dough is smooth and elastic

(about 6 minutes). Shape dough into a ball, then put in greased bowl… turn dough so all surface is coated. Cover and rise in a warm place until double in size.

3. Punch down dough, put on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough into a

12x10-inch rectangle. Cut into twenty 12 x ½ inch strips. Pull each strip into a rope about 16 inches long.

4. Shape each pretzel by crossing one end over the other to form a circle

(overlap approximately 4 inches from each end). In each hand, take an end of the dough and twist once at the point where the dough overlaps. Lift each end across to the opposite edge of the circle. Fold ends under edges to make a pretzel shape. Moisten each end (with water), press to seal.

5. Put pretzels on greased baking sheets. Bake at 475⁰ for 4 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of salt to boiling water, put pretzels into water 3 at a time. Boil for 2 minutes (turn one time). Remove and drain on a paper towel. Wait 1 minute, then place ½ inch apart on a greased baking sheet.

6. Combine egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, then brush pretzels

with a small amount of mixture. Sprinkle pretzels with topping of choice and bake at 350⁰ for 25 minutes (until golden brown). Cool and let the October feast begin!

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food}

Oktoberfest revolves around the Bavarians’ preferred drink “beer”. Therefore, we decided that this is the perfect time of year for...

German Beer By Carole Morris

Gouda Soup INGREDIENTS 1 cup chicken broth

1 yellow onion, diced fine 1 cup celery diced fine 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 ¾ cup milk ¾ cup dark German beer 1 teaspoon Dijon 5 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded 5 ounces Gouda, shredded ¼ teaspoon black pepper Green onion chopped fine for garnish Popcorn (buttery) for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a saucepan combine chicken broth, celery, yellow onion, and garlic; bring to a boil reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes.

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2. Combine flour, milk, pepper, Dijon and hot sauce… whisking constantly until combined. Add to broth mixture, stirring frequently, until thickened and bubbly. 3. Add cheese and beer, stir till melted.

food}

Eggplants, Autumn and Integrative Medicine By Dr Austine Siomos

There are some foods that are easy for almost everyone to like right away. Then there are others that take a little more dedication and work. And for kids, a lot more tries! Like most things in life, these more challenging foods are often worth the extra effort. Enter the eggplant, or the aubergine. It is a strikingly beautiful plant, and is celebrated throughout history and throughout cultures. On the trend of history and cultures, another health topic that requires some dedication and work is the understanding of the concept of integrative medicine. This may also be called complementary medicine or alternative medicine. Some definitions are helpful here.

· Complementary medicine – nonmainstream practice used in addition to conventional medicine

· Alternative medicine - non-mainstream practice used in place of conventional medicine ·Integrative medicine – Coordinating conventional and complementary approaches As you can tell from those definitions, true alternative medicine is rare, as most people use conventional medicine (regular checkups, FDA approved medications) every day.

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One thing I like about integrative medicine is the acknowledgement that a significant factor in any illness is stress. Integrative medicine often focuses more on the mind-body connection. Stress is not just an unmeasurable entity that we speak of, like happiness, but is actually highly studied, especially recently. One way to assess the level of stress in an individual is with cortisol levels at different times of the day. Stress is highly linked with inflammation. Stress contributes to a variety of mental and physical health problems including headaches, anxiety, obesity, and heart disease. Stress can worsen any health condition. Stress likely plays a significant role in pain. Of course, telling people not to be stressed is like telling them to sleep more. It’s not as easy as that! This is the basis for the importance of integrative medicine. Most complementary or integrative health approaches fall into one of two groups – natural products or mind and body practices. Natural products is a huge topic, and includes dietary supplements other than vitamins and minerals. Some natural products have been shown in scientific studies to be beneficial, but many have not, so it is important to discuss these with a doctor and look into the scientific research before starting a supplement. In my practice, as I see mostly children, adolescents and young adults, I promote whole, natural foods as the main source of natural products as medicine.

As with natural products, it is also important to be aware of the science involved in mind and

body practices. Some, like cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic low back pain, have been proven in both a medical and a cost efficacy sense in large studies. Some have not, however. Patients often fear asking their medical doctor about complementary or integrative medicine, perhaps because of past experiences with criticism.

Integrative medicine plays a bigger role in the current medical school education and is becoming more prevalent at national medical meetings. Certainly, medical doctors vary widely on their interest in complementary medicine, but it is important to always ask questions that you have. The most common mind and body practices among adults in the United States are Yoga, Chiropractic or Osteopathic Manipulation, Meditation, Massage, Progressive Relaxation, Guided Imagery and Deep Breathing. More medical professionals are becoming interested in and comfortable with integrative medicine. Likewise, more people are becoming comfortable with the beautiful eggplant.

Eggplant

The eggplant (Solanum melongena) or aubergine is a small, round, often purple member of the nightshade family. The original reason for the name “eggplant” was based on the small white varieties that were cultured historically in Europe and looked like goose eggs. Eggplant is thought to have originated in India. There are references to the eggplant in Chinese literature as early as 59 BC. There is a Japanese proverb about eggplant: “If you see Mount Fuji, a

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Grilled eggplant and roasted

hawk and an eggplant on New Years Day, you will be forever blessed!”

Eggplant is more than 90% water, and is quite low in calories. In fact, 100 grams of raw eggplant contains only 24 calories, along with 14% of your daily fiber needs! In comparison, 100 grams of potato chips contains 536 calories.

Health benefits of Eggplant

Promote heart health: Eggplant contains fiber,

potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6, all of which are linked to a lower risk of mortality from heart disease. Several studies have shown that these nutrients lead to lower rates of heart disease. Eggplants are anti-inflammatory and help prevent calcification of the arteries, thus preventing dangerous plaque deposits that may clog the heart.

Treat and avoid high blood pressure: Anthocya-

nins are red-blue flavonoid plant pigments with copious antioxidants. Anthocyanins have been shown in numerous studies to decrease blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure leads to a lower risk of stroke, heart attack, and blood clots.

Avoid and treat depression naturally: Serotonin

the central chemical in mood regulation. Eggplant contains a compound called scopoletin that regulates serotonin levels in the brain. This can help reduce anxiety and depression. Eggplant is also a good source of B vitamins, including thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6) and folate (B9). The vitamin B group improves the body’s ability to withstand stress.

Maintain strong bones: Eggplant is great for anyone who is at high risk for weak bones or osteoporosis. Eggplant contains phenolic compounds that are linked to reduced risk of osteoporosis and increased bone mineral density, which results in stronger bones for longer! Eggplant also contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and manganese, all of which are integral to bone health.

Ingredients: - 1 eggplant - 1-2 red peppers or a jar of roasted red peppers - pesto or basil leaves - 1 avocado - Panini bread, flat bread or any bread that you prefer - Olive oil

Instructions 1. Slice the eggplant in ¼-1/2 inch slices.

3. Halve and core two red peppers. Place the halves cut side down on a baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the peppers in an oven at 450 degree for about 25 minutes; or until the skins are completely wrinkled and the peppers are charred.

polyphenols, which have been shown to fight cancer. The anthocyanins and chlorogenic acid in eggplant are anti-oxidants and fight inflammation and oxidative stress-related damage in the body. These compounds are known to prevent tumor growth and stop the invasion and spread of cancer cells.

naturally occurring fiber. Eggplant is a great source of dietary fiber (100 grams of raw eggplant has 14% of your daily fiber requirements). Fiber is essential for gastrointestinal health as well as regular bowel movements. It stimulates the secretion of gastric juices that help in absorption of nutrients and processing food. Fiber is really like a superhero – it improves gut health, boosts the immune system, and controls blood glucose and serum lipid levels.

A good hot sandwich is welcome this time of year. Eggplant is a beautiful part of a grilled sandwich, with a complex flavor and all those nutritional benefits. If you don’t have pesto, basil leaves are fine. Or if you have no basil, the sandwich is excellent with simply the eggplant, avocado and roasted red pepper.

2. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Pat dry and brush with olive oil.

Decrease cancer risk: Eggplant contains

Be kind to your gut and your gut will be kind to you: I can’t say enough good things about

red pepper Panini

4. Preheat a panini grill or any grill and grill the eggplant slices for 3 minutes.

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

5. Spread pesto or avocado on the bottom slice

of bread. Place a layer of eggplant slices, a layer of roasted red pepper slices and then a layer of avocado. Sprinkle with pepper and top with another slice of bread.

6. Brush the top and bottom of the sandwich with olive oil. Grill the sandwich for 5 minutes in a Panini grill (or 2-3 minutes per side on a grill pan with a weight on it). Remove the sandwich and cut into halves or thirds. Serve hot and enjoy!

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history}

Phantom of Grandstreet

Clara Hodgin By Brian D’Ambrosio Photos Courtesy Montana Historical Society

The strange sensitivity of presence. The prickle of aura. The unexplained specter of a protector – a hovering apparition, an unexplainable form of residual energy. Grandstreet Theatre is one of the most haunted buildings in Montana. Many believe that one of its most enduring and patronizing poltergeists is a woman named Clara Bicknell Hodgin. “Clara was beloved by the people of Helena,” said Kal Poole, managing director of Grandstreet Theatre. “Many think that she is part of the community once again—in the form of a ghost.”

The lovely brick building in which Grandstreet Theatre resides was built in 1901 as the Unitarian Church of Helena. In 1903, the Rev. Hodgin was hired as pastor for the church and settled in Helena with his young wife, Clara. A former kindergarten teacher, secretary and instructor at institutes in Iowa, Clara promptly endeared herself to its youngsters; her Sunday school soon brimmed with more than 100 students.

Clara had no biological children. Her students, however, were treated as her surrogate sons and daughters. One of her students said that she “lit up the room like sunshine.” As an educator, according to Iowa State Education Association materials, she had “the characteristics of genius possessed by few.” Unitarians believed that their spaces should also perform civic functions and that the church should be the focal point of community interaction and expression – not only religious, but artistic and educational. Unitarianism is an “open-minded approach to faith” that encourages individual freedom, equality for all and thought based on reason.

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“Progressive Unitarians designed the church to double as a public space,” said Ellen Baumler, author of Haunted Helena and interpretive historian at the Montana Historical Society. “Because of this, the sanctuary in Helena also functioned as a public auditorium with sloped seating, a beautiful proscenium arch, and fullyfunctioning stage.”

In what can only be described as spookily prescient, one of Clara’s favorite projects involved directing her small students in pageants and plays in the sanctuary’s auditorium. “Club meetings, classes for children, and play rehearsals were held there,” said Poole. “Clara Bicknell Hodgin led many of these activities.”

When Clara died of illness in 1905, she left boxes of ideas on note cards and hundreds of files of future projects.

“She was a person who had this really strong, energetic personality and strong energy,” said Baumler. “If there was ever the kind of person to be hanging around, she would sure be it.”

After Clara died at age 34, members of the congregation commissioned a stained-glass Tiffany window in her memory. Louis Comfort Tiffany was an accomplished New York City decorative artist who lived from 1848 to 1933.

Noted as an atypical example of a Tiffany window commissioned for a church with no religious depictions, this skylight of idyllic illustrations has been the basis of much supposition. The inscription reads: “In loving memory Clara Bicknell Hodgin 1905.”

“After her death,” said Pool, “members of the church wanted to show their gratitude for her wonderful work. So they had a stained-glass window made for the building. It showed a beautiful outdoor scene with hills, lakes, and a golden sunset and a nature scene reminiscent of Helena.”

In 1933 when the building was gifted to the city of Helena for a library, the window was removed and packed up. In 1976, the library was moved and the Grandstreet Theatre company took up residence in the old church. Around this time – another eerie coincidence – someone discovered the window crated up in the Civic Center’s basement, and it was restored and reinstalled in the theater. Within days, staff members started seeing and hearing strange things. Odd creaking noises. Quiet whispers. Movements in the distance. Sounds of footsteps in empty corridors. Lights switched on and off, and doors swung open and slammed seemingly by themselves. Even more inexplicable was that an unusual radiance seemed to outline where the stainedglass window dangled.

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Clara Hodgin

“It’s a very spiritual thing to me, that window,” said Baumler. “Its appearance changes dramatically with each subtle change in lighting. At the bottom, Clara’s name sometimes becomes unreadable while the upper window remains perfectly clear. The words look as if a childish hand has smudged the paint on the glass.”

Baumler said that she has had her own special encounter with the famous phantom of Grandstreet. It happened at a benefit last Halloween while Baumler was on the stage at Grandstreet sharing stories from her book of haunted tales. “When I was up on stage, there was this weird thing on the floor, like a black shadow. It was playing around my feet, and I didn’t want to look down too much because people would have noticed that I was distracted. Afterwards, there had been a number of sensitive (too paranormal activity) people who came to the event, and they were all on Facebook later talking about the event. They had noticed a female figure that came down the aisle and stood behind me the whole time I was telling my story. They had also noticed the black floor.” Many people think that Clara’s spirit watches over the children who participate in activities at the theater. Some have reported seeing a “misty

kind of thing” suspended in the balcony. Others have had more unnerving experiences, like the frightened drama teacher who claimed he was sitting near the stain glass window and spotted a sitting figure of a woman.

“Sometimes, the energy is not real positive,” said Baumler. “But Clara’s energy is so strong that it pervades the whole building, perhaps protecting all the kids that come there. It takes the right kind of person who would keep her energy like she does and keep other energies at bay.” Baumler said that paranormal investigators have visited the building on several occasions but have yet to find “valid proof” of such psychic or telepathic behavior. One longstanding employee said that she had yet to experience any such dealings with Clara or any other lingering spirits.

“My position is that you simply can’t call that stuff up,” said Baumler. “I believe it’s random and that it happens when you least expect it, and that it’s not something you can call up. If you could call it up, then you could explain it. If you could explain it, then it wouldn’t be very fun.” Photos: Clara Hodgin, the ghost of Grandstreet, courtesy of the Montana Historical Society. Photos are circa 1905.

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Going to the Sun Gallery proudly represents Joe Kronenberg and Kristii Melaine.

Kristii Melaine enjoys painting animals and people of the American West with oils on linen in a traditional realist style. She has been featured in numerous museums and 21 are featured permanently.

Joe Kronenberg paints oil paintings that embody standards of the 19th century European academic art world. He uses this style to create works that are timeless beauties. He travels to different locations photographing animals and landscapes in order to use these models for his paintings.