Yellowstone Valley Woman Magazine

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THE MEMORY COMES to me every now and then. I was 6 years old on a family trip to a little place called Fontana Village in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. The familystyle resort had trail rides, and I kept bugging my parents to let me take my first horseback ride. I think I finally wore them down because my dad agreed to take me over to the barn one afternoon.

The horse was a cream-colored fleabitten gelding with a dark gray mane. His name was Sinbad. It was hot and dusty that day and the flies were something else. As I was hoisted up atop Sinbad, my nerves started in as the horse bumped me all over the place trying to swat away the flies. As my dad stood nearby, I called out to him, terrified. He kept reassuring me, and all I said was, “I want to get off, Dad. Please get me off this horse. Dad?” He walked up rather calmly and told me, “If I get you off that horse, you’ll never ride another horse again.”

Now if you know my dad, this is completely uncharacteristic of him. He was a gentle soul. He didn’t really “do” ultimatums. As I looked into his eyes, I realized that if I got off that horse, he’d be disappointed, and disappointing my dad was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

Needless to say, I stayed on. Somewhere in the Adam family memory books, there are photos of me at the end of the ride smiling and waving and — get this — not wanting to get off.

For the next 12 years my dad would cart me all over Michigan for competitive riding events. I was a hunter-jumper, and the friskier the horse, the more I liked him. Who would have guessed?

There are times in life when you just need to “do something scared.” You just need to dive in and give something a try.

Can I tell you a secret? The job I am doing right now, editor of YVW, is something I “did scared.” I remember meeting with then-publisher Jay Hansen in 2005, and he asked if I wanted the job. I was over the moon excited and told him with utmost confidence that I could do the job — only to get in my car with my heart racing, saying to myself, “I have no idea how to do the job.”

Here I am 18 years later, loving every minute of this gig and feeling wholeheartedly blessed for every person I meet while doing it.

Recently, I was scared when we launched the Great Love Project. I had 10 sponsors who believed in the plan to nominate a nonprofit and then sell custom mugs to raise money for the chosen organization. The voices in my head started soon after we launched. What if it’s a failure? What if I can’t even sell one mug? What will I do? Well, folks, thanks to you, we’ve sold more than 500 mugs in the first quarter of this project (yellowstonevalleywoman. com/love). The goal was 400 for the entire year. Thanks to you, we’ll be able to write a check for at least $12,500 to Love & Sonshine Ministries for their home for homeless pregnant teens. Wow. Thank you! I am so glad I did that scared.

Isn’t it funny the things we’re scared of? I wasn’t going to die while on a trail ride. I know I am smart enough to figure out a job. And, why not take a chance on a cool fundraising concept? What aren’t we doing, simply because we are scared? Do you really know if you say “yes” where that bold choice will lead you?

I have to warn you: there are a handful of women in this issue who did something scared and made a big mark on this community because of it. I can’t wait for you to read their stories!

#stayonthehorse

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Women Wellness Women Wellness Women ofWellness of of TheThe The

BREAKING THE RULES, MAKING THEIR OWN WAY

BREAKING THE RULES, MAKING THEIR OWN WAY

PICTURE THIS: a world where the boundaries of medicine are constantly being pushed and where remarkable women are leading the charge and making their mark. We have a physician who tackles the most perplexing illnesses, bringing hope and answers to those who have almost given up. And, would you believe it? A 12-year-old girl fearlessly fighting for a cure for colorectal cancer. We also have a dermatologist who is revolutionizing the beauty industry with her refreshing authenticity. Let's not forget the therapists who are dedicated to easing the deep wounds of trauma. And then there’s the 80-year-old physician's assistant who won't let retirement come between her and her passion. Plus, we meet a woman who is making sure clear sight doesn't depend on your bank account. Get ready to be inspired. Together, these women are rewriting the rules and showing us that anything is possible in the world of medicine.

Trauma Trauma Trauma

SAVANNAH SINQUAH was working as public health cancer prevention specialist when she and her co-workers took the ACES test (Adverse Childhood Experience Study) as part of a workplace seminar on trauma. She was surprised by her high score. She hadn't realized she'd been exposed to so much trauma in her life.

Seeing her score was an “aha” moment for Savannah. “This is it,” she remembers thinking. “This is what I want to do.”

TRAUMA PAST, TRAUMA PRESENT

Savannah grew up in Pryor. An enrolled member of the Crow Tribe, she's also a citizen of the Hopi, Tewa, Mandan and Hidatsa nations. Savannah lived with her mother, a teacher in the Pryor Public Schools. Her father was in the armed services. Her parents divorced when she was young.

At the University of Montana, Savannah earned a B.S. in business administration. She was just a few credits short of a Native American Studies minor. When introduced to the concept of historic trauma, she began to learn how boarding school experiences played out in the lives of generations of indigenous people.

Last year, the U.S. Department of the Interior released a report that identified more than 400 Indian boarding schools that operated from the late 18th century through the late 1960s. The report concluded that hundreds of thousands of Indian children were removed, often forcibly, from their families and tribes to attend these government-backed boarding schools. While the outward mission was education and religious training, many believe the unspoken goal was the annihilation of indigenous cultures.

Over the years, many elders have testified before state and federal lawmakers, sharing their stories of being stripped of their clothing, personal effects and cultural identities. Their braids and long hair were forbidden, as was speaking native languages. There are scores of accounts of physical and sexual abuse. To this day, families wonder what happened to children who never came back. Recent discoveries of unmarked graves on boarding school

WOMEN HELP OTHERS NAVIGATE THEIR WAY TO A MENTALLY HEALTHY FUTURE

written by VIRGINIA BRYAN photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

Past. Past. Present. Present. Past. Present.

grounds have sent renewed shock waves of grief and horror through Indian Country.

Savannah has learned that trauma occurs when we feel intense fear or helplessness. Any event that leaves us emotionally disturbed or physically injured can cause trauma. She says when it comes to those impacted by Indian boarding schools, there was no way for them to acknowledge the trauma, let alone obtain treatment. That is what drew her to trauma-based health care.

These days, trauma-based health care providers ask, “What happened to you?” rather than “What's wrong with you?” Providers are trained to recognize that presenting symptoms may be a residual, lingering response from past events. Fear is a major component of trauma, and there's always a risk that medical intervention might re-traumatize a patient.

“How could we expect that our ancestors, themselves mere children with these boarding school experiences, to become loving, emotionally regulated adults?” Savannah asks. “How could we expect them to know how to make sense of the world, let alone raise emotionally healthy children?”

TRAUMA LEAVES AN IMPRINT

Before seeing her high ACES score, Savannah vowed she'd never go back to school for a master's degree.

“I guess I ate my words,” she says with a ready laugh. She enrolled in the Masters of Social Work program at Walla Walla University's Billings campus. Her goal was to become a licensed clinical social worker and work with trauma survivors.

Savannah's understanding of trauma is guided by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, a Boston-based psychiatrist, leading trauma expert and author of the bestselling book, “The Body Keeps Score.” He explains, “Trauma is not just an event that took place in the past. It is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain and body. … It changes not only how we think but what we think about and our very capacity to think.”

Dr. van der Kolk teaches that severe, untreated trauma and unresolved grief alter genetics and affect the mental and physical

health of successive generations. Studies published by the National Institute of Health support this premise. To compound the problem, untreated emotional trauma has a tendency to lead to addiction, alcoholism, verbal and physical abuse and a host of other physical and psycho-social difficulties.

“My job, whether my client is indigenous or not, male or female, young or old, is to help the person move away from a constant state of fear,” says Savannah. “I help them connect with their feelings and learn how to regulate them.”

CONNECTIONS AT MANY LEVELS

At Walla Walla University-Billings, Savannah was mentored by Julie Wulfkuhle. Julie has master's degrees in social work and health care management and extensive private practice experience as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). She's also a domestic abuse advocate in the Tualip Tribal Courts. Seeing increased trauma among indigenous women and children and domestic abuse survivors, Julie sought to increase the availability of trauma-informed care among mental health practitioners in

Julie offered Savannah a therapist's position at Elysian Mental Health Foundation (EMHF). “Elysian,” derived from the Greek language, means “delight” or “blissful.” Julie's fervent hope is that the clients her foundation counsels reach a blissful state of being. Traumainformed therapy is just one of EMHF’s strengths. Therapists also rely on techniques such as tapping, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) and play therapy. The office has a dedicated art therapy room supplied with paper and other surfaces and a variety of paints, pens and crayons. Its walls are covered with artistic expressions in all sizes, shapes and colors.

TOWARD A HEALTHIER FUTURE

The EMHF therapy team includes Julie, Savannah, Athena Martell and others. Athena, a member of the Fort Peck Tribe, learned about trauma while working with troubled teens at a previous job. Then an addiction counselor, she and former coworkers would ask why a child was acting out. To Athena, the holistic approach made sense. Like Savannah, Athena subsequently obtained a master's degree in mental health counseling from Grand Canyon University-Phoenix so she could address trauma in a therapeutic setting.

“My job now,” says Athena, “is to identify the 'big event' that impacts the life of a child or an adult and how he/she sees the world.”

Athena finds that children and adults respond differently to trauma therapy. Children seek a safe environment. Once the fear factor is removed,

they're more malleable and ready to change. Teens respond well to art therapy. Adults are more guarded, reticent to delve into past events and unwilling to let go of maladaptive behaviors.

Athena and Savannah stay in close contact with each other. They talk out issues and provide support when stories they're privy to are particularly harrowing. Smudging and meditation are among their tools to stay healthy.

Julie and her EMHF team envision opening a second Billings office as current demand for their services exceeds their capacity. According to Julie, trauma-informed mental health counselors are hard to find. They're exploring the idea of a mobile unit that could travel to rural and reservation communities in eastern Montana.

Savannah and Athena, supported by Julie, face the trauma of their pasts as American Indian women and the pasts of their clients every workday. Within this space, where there are no easy answers, and together with those they serve, they bravely navigate a pathway to a healthier future. ✻

VIRGINIA BRYAN, writer

Virginia Bryan is a freelance writer and Director of ArtWalk Downtown Billings. She has written extensively about our region's artists,culture, history and women.

run run on the on

run on the

BEEPER IN HAND, HUNTLEY WOMAN IS ALWAYS READY FOR THE NEXT EMERGENCY RESPONSE

written by LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

WHEN THE BEEPER goes off, Joy Eshlemen is on it. Day or night, she interrupts whatever she’s doing to beeline to the Huntley Fire Station, hop in the ambulance and rush to a neighbor in need.

“Everyone’s got my cell number,” she says. “Right now, if the beeper went off, it’d be me.”

Joy’s quick response comes with her line of work as an EMT (emergency medical technician). What sets her apart is the fact she just celebrated her 80th birthday.

Anyone who knows Joy, however, knows that 80 is just a number. And that that number makes little difference to the woman who has no “quit” in her.

“I don’t handle boring well,” she says. “There’s nothing boring about this job.”

But that’s not her only job. She’s also a physician assistant (PA-C) who fills in at Riverstone’s Healthcare for the Homeless, at two school clinics and at the clinic at Huntley Project. The list goes on: she teaches advanced emergency training, talks to seniors about advanced directives and attends countless meetings related to her many roles. Even when she’s “off the clock,” she’s likely to be tending to her own family’s health needs or the few lonely souls she’s taken under her wing.

“Helping people, that’s what I know how to do,” she says Joy’s pace is a marvel to longtime friend Dr. Mary Gaddy.

“I don’t know many women who work as hard as she does, even in their 30s,” Mary says.

Joy’s trim gray hair, EMT T-shirt and sensible shoes fit her nononsense persona. Yet, her direct approach is softened by her genuine concern – which translates into taking time to care, to

really care.

“She loves to visit,” Mary says. “And she’s got friends all over.”

Joy’s drive may come natural to her, but she credits her father, a fireman, and her childhood neighbor, the fire chief, for her early exposure to emergency response.

“I thought everyone spent Thanksgiving at the fire hall,” she says, smiling.

Joy was only 12 or 13 when she witnessed her first death. She was visiting her grandmother when a next-door neighbor ran to her door, distraught, with an infant in her arms. The tiny baby had been scalded and, despite Joy’s quick call to the fire department for help, did not survive.

“I still see that,” Joy says. “I wish I could extract that from my brain, but it won’t go away.”

Throughout her life, Joy has worked her way up in the medical field. As a high school student in her hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada, she joined Future Nurses. In college, she studied physical therapy, transitioned to lab work and at the age of 36 earned her degree as a registered nurse (RN). With diploma in hand, she took a job running a small emergency room at night. By herself.

“We saw it all,” she says. “I learned a lot quick.”

Her Montana connection happened by chance, in 1980, when her daughter’s soccer team traveled to the Magic City to compete. The previous year had been a tough one for Joy and her family –marked by a bad car wreck and the dissolution of her marriage. When she arrived in Billings, she was struck with its small-town charm.

“I was just taken away by this place,” she says. “It was calm and quiet.”

HELPING PEOPLE, THAT’S WHAT I KNOW HOW TO DO.

— Joy Eshlemen

By late summer, Joy had packed up her three children and moved to Billings. She needed a fresh start.

She hired on at St. Vincent Healthcare as an RN in the intensive care unit and emergency room. A few years later, she jumped at a chance to serve as a flight nurse on Billings Clinic’s (then Deaconess’) fixed-wing ambulance service and ground advance life support unit. The lucrative, high-adrenaline position appealed to her sense of adventure.

Three times she survived near crashes, including a botched landing in the middle of a snowstorm. It was the dead of night. She and her team were approaching Billings when their inexperienced pilot lost his bearings.

“We hit the ground two miles short of the runway,” Joy says.

As luck would have it, a seasoned pilot was also on board. He wrenched the controls away and forced the plane into a nearvertical climb – a move that typically causes the craft to stall. But the plane nosed upward, averting the catastrophe.

“You could hear those engines screaming,” she recalls. “We missed the trees by three inches. He (seasoned pilot) was a magician. He got that plane back into the air.”

Over the years, Joy has seen it all. While a member of search and rescue, she tended to victims who’d fallen from the Rims. As a PA-C – she was in her 50s when she returned to school to earn that degree – she worked geriatrics and kept a frantic pace in same-day care. She has even delivered a baby in a vehicle on the highway. And all the while she raised eight children (her own and those from her second marriage), reffed soccer for decades and poured her soul into helping establish Amend Park.

Though her years on the flight crew are long behind her, today’s emergencies can be just as hair-raising – and often touch close to her heart.

“Ambulance is hard, especially in a small town,” she says. “You see people’s kids die in car wrecks. Recently a neighbor’s dad had a traumatic head injury. On Easter, I coded a friend of mine.”

Mary sees Joy’s faith as the fuel that keeps her going.

“She believes that one’s work is not done until God says so,” Mary says. “She has many talents and puts them to good use. She sees so much work to do, so many

1STANNUAL SENIORADVOCACY AWARDS

Take me IN EMERGENCIES, JUST SAY

to St.V’s”

SINCE THEN SHE’S HELPED IT BECOME MORE ADVANCED AND WIDENED THE SERVICE AND CARE IT PROVIDES.

When it comes to the unthinkable, we’ve thought of everything.

You’re not prepared when an emergency happens. But we are. In fact, according to the most recent State of Montana Trauma Registry data, for two years in a row, more patients trusted St. Vincent with their trauma care than any other trauma center in Montana. So whether it’s a serious accident or a critical health event, if you’re having an emergency, don’t delay care. When the unthinkable happens, just say, “Take me to St. V’s.” Learn more at svh.org/trauma.

JOY JOINED THE HUNTLEY AMBULANCE SERVICE IN 1997.

“

people who need help. There’s no way for her to stop.”

Joy has tried to retire several times, but it just doesn’t suit her. Once, years ago, she left the medical profession to take an assistant manager’s job at K-Mart. She wanted to see how “normal people” lived. But that only lasted a few years.

“My biggest job seemed to be watching out for shoplifters,” she says.

Now back in the medical field, she’s studying for her boards. On the rare occasion that she hands off her beeper, she frequently spends that time attending to family. Or “walking” a loved one through to their end.

Joy admits she’s not as fast as she once was. Nor can she play soccer with the intensity she once had. But she just wrapped up another the Women’s Run with Mary and she’s gearing up to do a remodel of the sheep-shed-turned-cottage behind her home. Yes, she’s even had experience sheet-rocking, wiring and roofing and she expects she’ll be hands-on with the remodel, too.

In the meantime, she has no plans to retire.

“They better nail my coffin shut so I don’t climb out to help somebody,” she says. ✻

LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA, writer

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

Tumbleweed

spring into spring into spring into sight sight sight

BILLINGS WOMAN ON A MISSION TO FIT THE CITY WITH AFFORDABLE EYEGLASSES

written by JULIE LOVELL photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

OPTICIAN SALICIA BORGES is an innovative entrepreneur with a big vision: to fit all her customers, especially those with limited incomes, with high-quality eyeglasses that make them look and feel good. For years, it bothered her when she had to fit some people with inexpensive, unflattering frames because they couldn’t afford the good ones. Her youngest customers tugged at her heart the most.

“I would always have kids who would go for the frames with color on the temple, but they would never fit their face,” says Salicia. “But that’s all you could give them. They’d sit there and cry because they didn’t want to get made fun of.”

It upset Salicia so much that she decided to do something about it. Last year, after opening her own optical shop, 406 Rollin’ Eyes, she asked a number of Billings businesses to donate funds so 15 people with limited means could receive free glasses. That one-time project went so well that she decided to set up a foundation to provide glasses year-round. The Spring into Sight Foundation now provides high-quality, attractive glasses for people who can’t afford them.

Salicia’s shop on Broadwater Avenue in Billings features more than 1,700 colorful, on-trend eyeglasses. But it isn’t your typical optical shop. It’s open by appointment only, so she can spend more time finding the best fit to match her customers’ personal style. Customers bring their prescriptions to Salicia once they get them from an optometrist.

“What I offer is a more personalized eyeglass service,” Salicia says. “You make an appointment so we have one-on-one time. Because there are a bunch of frames in here, but really, only a handful fit a person’s face. That’s the biggest thing: finding someone to help you who isn’t being rushed, isn’t being pulled away to help someone else.”

406 Rollin’ Eyes also offers in-shop parties for groups of people who want to buy glasses. While she’s focusing on her shop now, Salicia eventually wants to repair her RV and get a mobile service rolling. In the meantime, she says she can go to customers at assisted living facilities if needed.

FAILURE WASN’T AN OPTION FOR ME. IT’S LIKE YOU WEREN’T FAILING, YOU WERE JUST FIGURING OUT WHERE YOU WERE PIVOTING.

— Salicia Borges

“I had one boy who had two tiny round frames that were broken and taped,” says Salicia. “When he came to pick up his new ones, he ran and busted through the door, sat down and said, ‘I’ve been dreaming about these.’”

It took years of hard work and determination for Salicia to realize her dream of owning her own optical business. For more than a decade, she gained valuable experience working first for a chain eyeglass store and then for an optometrist. But in the midst of the Covid pandemic, she decided it was time to step out on her own. She cashed in her 401K and made plans with a business partner to open a mobile optical shop in a renovated RV. Those plans stalled, however, when they were unable to rewire the RV. The partnership dissolved, but Salicia forged ahead, and in April of 2022 she opened her brick and mortar shop.

“Failure wasn’t an option for me,” Salicia says. “It’s like you weren’t failing, you were just figuring out where you were pivoting.”

“I want to be your eyeglass lady,” Salicia says. “People have a hairdresser, a mechanic, a nail lady, a person you trust in their profession. Why shouldn’t you have it for eyeglasses?”

Salicia works hard to manage business costs, so she can fit customers with quality glasses that don’t break the bank. “Because my overhead isn’t so high, glasses don’t have to be so dang expensive,” says Salicia.

Over the years, Salicia has bought more than a few pairs of glasses herself. In fact, she may be her own best customer.

“I have 75 pairs,” she says with a laugh.

After years of working for others, Salicia loves being her own boss. “The coolest thing now is I actually get to jump out of bed and be excited about doing what I do in an environment I kind of created,” she says.

It also gives her more control over her work schedule, which means she can spend more time with her husband and two

1,700

1,700

COLORFUL, ON-TREND EYEGLASSES!

children. Family is important to Salicia. She’s the oldest of six, and after her mom died in 2018, two brothers came to live with her.

“Three months before my mom passed away, my husband and I were able to get a five-bedroom house,” Salicia says. “We didn’t know why we needed a five-bedroom, but it was like God was just setting us up.”

Salicia is driven, dynamic and determined to make the community around her better. She says her mom was always helping others, and her death was a turning point for her.

“I remember laying there and being so depressed, and I thought, well shoot, either you lay here and die with her, or you flip it and you take all that power you have and you focus on what would make her the proudest of you,” Salicia says. “Then, in turn, you wouldn’t die with her, right?”

Her aunt, Linda Groskopf, says Salicia has overcome many challenges in life, and doesn’t let anything stop her.

“She comes by it naturally,” Linda says. “There’s a whole long line of independent, quick-to-speak women, all hard-working. Her mother was an extremely loving, tolerant, giving person, and I think Salicia is doing her best to make her proud.”

Salicia is happy using her skills to bless others and says she wouldn’t be where she is today without her faith. “All this is because of God,” she says. “He gave me the talent to do this. I thank Him every day.”

She’s especially passionate about the good she can do through her Spring into Sight Foundation. A generous grant from the 100 Strong Foundation, along with proceeds from a bingo

SALICIA WITH HER MOM, SUSAN INGLE

SALICIA WITH HER SON CAMDEN, DAUGHTER KENADEE AND HUSBAND TOM

SALICIA’S SHOP FEATURES MORE THAN

night fundraiser, helped start the nonprofit. Spring into Sight is getting off the ground now and will rely on other local nonprofits to recommend individuals who need glasses most. Those selected by the foundation’s board will receive a free pair.

Salicia loves serving all customers, but the reaction she gets when she helps customers with limited means is especially sweet. She remembers one woman selected to receive free glasses. She says the woman was surprised and excited when she learned she could choose any frame in the store.

will rely on other local nonprofits to recommend individuals who need glasses most. Those selected by the foundation’s board will receive a free pair!

“When she walked in to pick up her glasses, she was jumping up and down like she’d won the lottery,” Salicia says.

Starting a business and a foundation all at once is a big task, but Salicia says she has great support from her family and friends. She can’t wait for the foundation to help more customers in need, like the boy who raced into her shop to pick up his glasses.

“He puts them on and is like, ‘Hey mom, these glasses are so cool they’re not even going to be able to make fun of me anymore,’” Salicia says. “I told him, ‘You’re right, no one gets to make fun of you, because you rock these glasses.’ He was just beaming. It was the cutest dang thing.” ✻

YOU CAN FIND 406 ROLLIN’ EYES at 928 Broadwater Ave., Suite 103, or visit them on the web at 406rollineyes.com. You'll find more on Spring Into Sight at springintosightfoundation.org

JULIE LOVELL, writer

Julie is a former Billings news anchor who loves sharing positive news stories. After spending a decade in Georgia, her family is happy to back home in Montana. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her volunteering for special needs organizations, stretching her faith and getting reacquainted with the joys of life under the Big Sky!

Stay Safe and Healthy This Summer

Here are some tips to help you enjoy your summer safely:

1. Make sure you drink plenty of water.

2. Apply sunscreen with SPF of at least 30.

3. Wear a hat to protect yourself from the sun.

4. Practice water safety.

We want you to have a safe and healthy summer. Our experienced medical professionals are available 24/7 to provide the care you need.

For more information visit billingsclinic.com.

Education Education Education Em powerment Em powerment Em powerment

powerment powerment

Education Education Empathy Empathy and7 powerment

EARLIER THIS SPRING, a new sign was installed inside Billings Dermatology and Aesthetics. The silver sign, set against a purple wall, may have seemed like a small change in the busy clinic, but when Dr. Tanya Riddle first saw it, it stopped her in her tracks. She put her hand over her mouth and tears welled in her eyes.

“I need to take a minute,” she said, leaning back on her heels, her eyes poring over the sign.

After three years owning the practice and building the business, it hit her. This is real. It’s not a dream.

Tanya took over the busy dermatology clinic and medical spa in 2021, after its founder, Dr. Philip Tallman, retired. She is fellowshiptrained and certified in dermatology, dermatopathology and micrographic dermatologic surgery, also known as Mohs surgery. She works alongside a staff of 23 professionals in both the dermatology side and aesthetics side of the business. Many of her team members have been with the practice for 10 years or more.

“One of my strongest strengths is this staff,” she says.

her day with her first appointments at 7 a.m., and she’s as bighearted, positive and full of energy then as she is at the end of the day. Her patients range in age from teens to seniors, and she loves them all.

“While I’m not a primary care physician, I still value the relationships I have with people while I’m with them,” she says.

Tanya values face-to-face interaction, and there are no computers in her treatment rooms. Her patients come to her with their concerns and are met with empathy, empowerment and education.

MY PHILOSOPHY IS DIFFERENT THAN OTHERS. YOU CAN FIND SOMETHING WRONG WITH EVERYONE’S SKIN – BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO.

— Dr. Tanya Riddle

Each one brings her own talents to the table, and everyone works together to provide a sincere and meaningful experience for all patients and clients.

“As hokey as it sounds, we like to say we put the care in skin care,” Tanya says.

It’s clear that she sets the tone for the entire staff. She starts

One of the changes Tanya made when she took over the practice was to integrate the dermatology clinic with the aesthetics clinic. Patients and clients can find the same quality of care no matter what services they need.

On the aesthetics side, customers can receive facials of all kinds, laser treatments to remove brown spots, red spots, hair, fine lines and wrinkles, microblading, semipermanent tattooing and much more. There’s also a variety of skin care products and sunscreens available for sale.

“My philosophy is different than others,” she says. “You can find something wrong with everyone’s skin – but you don’t have to.”

While some aesthetics providers target their advertising to vulnerable segments of the population, Tanya and her staff take a less-is-more approach and focus on being a resource, educating people and providing them with what they know will work for their skin.

DR. TANYA RIDDLE EXUDES ALL THREE written by LAURA BAILEY photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

— Dr. Tanya Riddle

The business of aesthetics has been impacted by online trends, and she has met with people of all ages who want the “look” they see online. Often the videos and photos they are seeing have been altered, and the models’ skin is photoshopped or filtered.

“People have been so influenced by what they see online,” Tanya says. “Teens have it the hardest. They don’t know what normal is anymore.”

As a doctor, she’s passionate about education, especially for teens. She frequently gives talks in high school health classes, encouraging the use of sunscreens and helping young people find affordable products that will deliver on their promises. Each session ends with an opportunity to ask questions, and Tanya reminds them that perfection is never an attainable goal.

In addition to education in a group setting, Tanya loves having young women job shadow her at the clinic. She’s had girls as young as 10 all the way up through college shadow her on the job. While most are interested in medicine, several were just interested in the opportunity to follow a successful business owner. She also works with physicians in the Riverstone Family Medical Residency Program. Every couple of months a resident will shadow her for a few days to learn the basics of dermatology.

She has another shadow in the office: Her playful labradoodle, Penny. The pup puts people at ease and provides a distraction from a somewhat stressful office visit.

When Tanya was young, a career in medicine seemed to come

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SO INFLUENCED BY WHAT THEY SEE ONLINE. TEENS HAVE IT THE HARDEST. THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT NORMAL IS ANYMORE.

DR. RIDDLE FREQUENTLY GIVES TALKS AT AREA HIGH SCHOOLS, WARNING AND EDUCATING TEENS ON THE DANGERS OF SUN DAMAGE

without question. She excelled in the sciences and liked helping people, and her personality seemed to put everyone at ease no matter the circumstances.

“I was attracted to the Sherlock Holmes part. I wanted to be the problem solver,” she says.

Tanya admitted that she’s moved 27 times in her 37 years. Almost all of those moves were to advance her career through educational opportunities, fellowships, residencies and internships. When the time finally came for her and her husband to put down roots, Montana seemed like the perfect place.

“When we realized we wanted a forever home we decided mountains and family were our only requirements,” she says.

Billings made sense because of the nearby Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. Tanya and her husband are into hiking and ultralight backpacking. And her husband’s parents live in Bozeman.

When she first came to Billings, she joined ENCORE, a women’s networking group sponsored by the Billings Chamber of Commerce. The women in the group taught her the ins and outs of business ownership, and because she’s stayed involved in the group, she’s gone on to help other business owners.

One of the least expected and most satisfying parts of business

ownership has been building and nurturing a team, Tanya says, adding that her goal is to maintain the highest standard for workplace culture. Almost every day they gather to share their “peaches” (those things that went well) and their “pits” (things that didn’t go so well.) And they have a summer tradition of a family camping trip, and holiday parties to look forward to in the winter.

“I honestly go home every day feeling very grateful,” she says.

Tanya’s business philosophy boils down to one word: Perseverance. There will always be obstacles, but she’s learned from experience

that if you don’t give up, you will eventually overcome them. She’s grateful for all that she’s learning and all that she has learned.

“We stand on the shoulders of the women who came before us, who didn’t have this opportunity,” she says, “so we need to pass it on and keep it going.” ✻

BEAU U

A BEAU UL

DR. SARAH STEWART’S OWN TRAUMA IS GIVING OTHERS HEALING & HOPE

written by JULIE KOERBER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

A BEAUTIFUL TIF gift2

DR. SARAH STEWART calls some of her patients her “bendy” people. Since her license to practice medicine is active only in Montana, her patients travel from a six-state region and, every now and then, from even longer distances just to see her.

These patients have often been funneled through a whole host of doctors and specialists in search of answers for their debilitating pain, hypermobile joints, strange allergies, dizzy spells and gastrointestinal issues.

Those are just a few on the long list of potential symptoms. Doctors before her came up empty on a diagnosis. Sarah, however, has come to vividly see the signs of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic connective tissue disorder.

On any given week, she’ll consult with six to eight new Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) patients — adding to her already over-capacity load of family practice patients.

“I think right now I am somewhere around 450 patients at this point, patients with Ehlers Danlos,” she says. And, she adds, “One of the things I absolutely love about what I get to do is helping my patients feel valid. I see what you have and it’s real. Just because other people haven’t understood it. Just because you’ve gotten the message that it’s all in your head. That message won’t come from me here.”

How Sarah got here — as one of the primary EDS caregivers in the Pacific Northwest — is the miraculous part of her story. It

was a tragic twist of fate that left her, her husband and their eldest daughter on the brink of death along a dark and foggy section of Highway 212 near Roberts. It was March 31, 2017. The time was just past 9 p.m. Sarah, her husband Kit and three of their six kids, Miriam then 17 months old, Faith, then 4, and Naomi, then 14, were headed home to Luther.

“I had seen this truck driving crazy,” Sarah says. “He came up on me fast and was trying to pass me. He had gotten all the way up to my driver’s side mirror. I could see there was an oncoming car and I said to myself, ‘Oh, my gosh, what is this guy doing? He’s going to kill someone.’” The man slammed on his truck’s brakes and got behind the Stewart’s SUV. When he tried to pass again, she says, his vehicle hit the driver’s side rear quarter panel while traveling at an estimated 110 mph. Sarah would later learn that the driver was drunk, with a blood alcohol level that was three times the legal limit.

“The force of that put my car into a spin, and while I was being simultaneously hit by the oncoming car, which was a Suburban, we were being hit by him again as he was driving off,” Sarah says. The force ejected her husband out the vehicle’s back window. “He was thrown 70 feet onto the highway in the middle of the northbound lane.”

Naomi, who was sitting on the side of the car that took most of the impact, was crumpled up in the front passenger seat. Sarah believed she was gone. Her two younger daughters were awake and screaming.

“I could tell that I was not physically OK, but I was in shock at that point,” Sarah says, adding that she knew her pelvis was broken. She had a strong feeling she had broken ribs, but as she screamed for help, didn’t realize she was doing so with a collapsed lung.

“Faith unbuckled herself. She was right behind me screaming, ‘Where’s daddy? Where’s daddy?’ She was crawling around the back of the car in the glass looking for him because she had watched him being ejected.” She adds, “As a physician, and anyone who has done any kind of ER work, if he wasn’t in the car, he had to have been dead. That’s just what I thought.”

As ambulances arrived on the scene and medical personnel rushed to the Beartooth Billings Clinic in Red Lodge. The events of the next few days would prove to be something no one would have predicted.

Not only was Naomi alive, she woke up and walked from the scene with a broken first rib. When Sarah heard that news, she knew the impact Naomi sustained had to be incredible. “It takes the most force of anything to break that bone of any bone in the body,” Sarah says.

Kit, who had been tagged by EMTs as “black,” which means unsalvageable, was released from the hospital with a laceration on his neck that missed all major vessels. A scan had shown a small brain bleed, Sarah says, but “48 hours later, they couldn’t see it anymore.” When asked if that fact was miraculous, Sarah says, “Completely. I’ve actually looked back at his images and said, really? There’s not even a bruised organ? Nothing? Nothing in him and he flew from the car? He’s not a small dude – 230 pounds — flying from the car onto the highway.” She adds, “None of us could understand, outside of a miracle, that any of us could have lived through what happened.”

As Sarah spent four months off work healing her broken bones,

Naomi’s health started what would become a four-year downward spiral.

“Her body wasn’t really recovering and all the things we kept doing to help her get better were making her worse,” Sarah says.

What the family didn’t know then was that Naomi was born with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Those with EDS have hypermobile ligaments and joints, and Sarah knows now that if Naomi didn’t have EDS, she would not have survived the crash.

“It’s very common in people’s history with Ehlers Danlos when they’ve been in these really severe wrecks that others around them will die but they won’t,” Sarah says. It was the “bendy” nature of her joints that saved her. “A normal person would have snapped. It would have broken my neck.”

From the fall of 2017 to the early part of 2018, Naomi was losing weight. She had no appetite. She suffered severe migraines. “She would feel like her head weighed a million pounds,” Sarah says. She underwent surgery to remove her first rib, which refused to heal. That caused massive muscle spasms and even more pain.

“She couldn’t get out of bed,” Sarah says. “She was nearly passing out regularly. She couldn’t

DIDN’T KNOW THEN WAS THAT NAOMI WAS BORN

stand in the shower. Her heart was racing all the time.” Naomi began to sink into despair.

“We kept going to doctors and they kept saying it wasn’t working or they’d say nothing was wrong, and I started to think it was all in my head,” Naomi says. “It was very hard to keep going.”

“I remember praying, ‘God, please give me something. I don’t even know what else to do. Everything we’ve done has made it worse,’” Sarah says. Lying awake one night, she had a flash of a memory. “I remembered this thought from medical school about collagen disorders and cervical instability.”

It was the spark of hope she needed.

“I start Googling – cervical instability, adolescent trauma. What came up is all of these articles in PubMed (National Institutes of Health) written by one of the neurosurgeons in the Ehlers Danlos Society,” Sarah says. “I started reading the article and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, I am reading my daughter’s story.’”

From that one article came more research, digging for information on experts in the field. Sarah found them and called each one of them. Surprisingly, she says, they all took her call. One of them was the neurosurgeon whose article started Sarah down this road. He referred her to a physical therapist in Rhode Island, and that therapist was able to see Naomi the following week. In just one session, he helped Naomi adjust her neck with a few simple movements.

“She could feel warm going all down her body and for an hour she didn’t have pain and it was the first time in a year that she had any relief,” Sarah says.

Naomi ended up staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Providence for the next four months, working with Ehlers Danlos-trained physical therapist Michael Healy to continue her rehabilitation. An EDS-trained neurologist worked on calming down her autonomic nervous system disfunction, the part of the body that regulates involuntary processes like heart rate, blood pressure and digestion. In time, Naomi would have surgery to deal with what’s called tethered cord. After the wreck, the end of Naomi’s spinal cord became weighted down and was under constant tension, causing a chain reaction of unbearable symptoms.

“It completely set her on the course of being able to get strong again,” Sarah says.

OWNER OF RDH ONDEMAND

Q: Can you tell us about your background and experience?

I remember meeting someone when I was young who told me that they didn’t smile because they had terrible teeth and didn’t like the way they looked, and that broke my heart. From then on, I knew I wanted to do something that would make people feel good about themselves because our smiles are so unique and beautiful. After shadowing my childhood hygienist, I found my passion and pursued a career as a dental hygienist. I’ve worked in specialty offices like periodontics and helped dental offices establish periodontal protocols. I’ve also been fortunate enough to participate in dental mission trips both in the States and in the Philippines.

Q: How did you decide on the concept of your business?

It’s really two-fold. My clients are dental offices in need of a temporary hygienist, and my employees are hygienists, looking for a flexible work schedule. After working three days a week at my regular dental office, I would fill 2-3 more days a week by temping at other offices for a lot of maternity leaves for other hygienists. After a few years, I was getting a lot of referrals and sometimes was booked 6-8 months out. I loved the spontaneity and adventure of going to new offices all the time and meeting new people. Then it dawned on me, “There is a real need in our community for this.” After

my temping experience, I learned how I wanted to build RDH OnDemand to best serve both our clients and our employees.

Q: What can your clients expect by using your services?

My biggest goal for our dental clients is that they would never have to cancel or reschedule their patients due to staff shortages. If they have an empty chair due to the absence, many times they are forced to reschedule patients which could be months down the road. The standard of care decreases when clients cannot get patients in at their recommended time, and patients find elsewhere to go for dental treatment. I also built the service to work seamlessly for the client so they do not have to take the extra time to add the employee to payroll or worry about employment taxes, we provide this service as well.

Q: What are some of the benefits your employees see working for your company?

I believe the things we love most should come first in our lives and that we can have work-life balance. I created RDH OnDemand with flexibility and freedom in mind for my team, meaning they can work one day a month, four days a week, or anything in between. Additionally, we have been fortunate to offer supplemental health insurance, scrub allowance, continuing education credits and fun employee gatherings.

Today, Naomi isn’t completely free of pain, but she understands her body’s limits and now knows how to reduce the pain and flare-ups.

“I am starting to feel like I can live and do things,” Naomi says. “Now, I always monitor my energy limits of what I can and can’t do in a day.”

“I would never have believed that she was going to be able to go to college,” Sarah says, smiling softly at her daughter. Naomi, now 20, will graduate in the fall with a degree in English from St. Catherine University, a small private women’s college in St. Paul, Minnesota. She’s hoping to go on to earn a master’s in fine arts with an emphasis in creative non-fiction writing. She hopes to one day write a memoir.

“I felt my bones breaking,” Sarah adds. “For months, I had debilitating flashbacks and nightmares.” She doesn’t like chilly, wet nights, emergency lights or the sound of an ambulance. There were times in the months following the crash that driving along that stretch of road would make her physically ill.

HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IMPACTED BY EHLERS DANLOS?

“I had to change my work schedule because I used to start work at 7 in the morning and I’d be driving in the dark. Being in the dark, I would all of a sudden see Naomi crumpled up and I was in that moment again where I thought she was dead,” Sarah says. “I had to do a lot of work in that time period to work through those things,” Sarah adds. “It was totally God’s mercy and therapy.”

There are 14 types of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Hypermobile EDS can impact one in every 3,000 people and accounts for roughly 90 percent of all EDS cases. There are other rarer forms that account for one in every 1 million people.

“Throughout my accident, I’ve been writing this whole time,” Naomi says. “In college, I write a lot about living with chronic illness and it resonates with a lot of people in different ways.” She wants her story to give others hope. “Starting with the accident and the discovery of EDS and how does faith build into that?” Naomi says of her potential book. “How do you live hurting all the time, believing that there is a God who loves you?”

Throughout this journey, Sarah faced her own set of intense battles. “I struggle still with pretty profound post-traumatic stress,” she says.

“She experienced everything,” Kit says. “Saw everything. Heard everything. Felt everything and witnessed everything afterward.”

Meantime, as Sarah was learning about her daughter’s syndrome, she started seeing things in her patients that, up until then, were medical mysteries.

“I was learning and learning and learning and recognizing symptoms associated with Ehlers Danlos. I would be talking with my nurse Katrina and she would say, ‘Oh, that kind of sounds like so-and-so patient we have.’ I said, ‘You know, you’re right,’” Sarah says.

Sarah’s first patient turned out to be right under her nose. Her medical assistant, Monica Todd, had started having inexplicable health issues as a teen.

“I started to notice joint pain. I started having dislocations,” Monica says. “They told me it was growing pains. It was normal. Everything was fine.” In her 30s, she started looking for specialists to help pinpoint her health issues. “I started getting passed from doctor to doctor. They did testing and they could never figure out

(L TO R): JONATHAN, SARAH, MIMI, KIT, NAOMI, FAITH, TEAGAN AND JACOB STEWART

B e

what was wrong. Everything looked normal.”

Four years ago, she started — by complete chance — working as Sarah’s medical assistant at Shiloh Family Medicine. “I started telling her about all my symptoms,” Monica says. “It was so bad I could hardly get through the day at work. There were days I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning.”

Sarah not only started to see her as a patient, she gave Monica a much-longedfor diagnosis. She helped Monica get off narcotic pain medications and helped her seek physical therapy for her joint pain. Today, she says, she’s able to do things she was never able to before.

“God absolutely put me in this place so that I could be with her for her to take care of me,” Monica says, adding that in a small way, she’s now able to help care for others with EDS too.

“She has a lot of patients that when I first sit down with them and tell them that I have EDS as well, that I have been dealing with it and that we can help you get better and manage your symptoms, they just break down and start crying,” Monica says.

When asked about the nearest doctor who specializes in Ehlers Danlos, Sarah says she’s pretty much it in a six-state region. She’s working on getting her license in Colorado and Utah so she can help patients there as well.

“I don’t want anyone else to have to sit longer than is necessary with a feeling of – can somebody help me? I remember that feeling of not knowing who to call or who to even ask,” she says. “I don’t want people to feel that way.”

SARAH AND HER MEDICAL ASSISTANT, MONICA TODD

“It hasn’t been clear cut for her,” Naomi says of her mom. “The fighting isn’t easy. It takes a lot for her emotionally to be able to do this. The stories are heavy.”

There are days of sheer exhaustion. Last fall, just before Sarah and Kit went off on a trip to Ireland, she remembers telling her husband, “I am so tired. I don’t know how to keep doing this with just me. He said, ‘I think you need to go on vacation and have a little time. You aren’t going to stop doing this because you know there is someone else out there like we were who don’t have anybody. If you stop, there isn’t anybody else who is going to step in right now.’” Sarah knew every EDS call or email would go unanswered while she was away. With a reflective look, however, she says, “I don’t have a single patient that I can think about and say, I would be OK walking away from being able to provide care for them. I can’t do that.”

Sarah and Kit have six children - Naomi, 18-yearold Jacob, 16-year-old Jonathan, 13-year-old Teagan, who was adopted from Ethiopia before a medical mission to the area in 2010, (Sarah and Kit have since taken a handful of these missions over the last 13 years), 10-year-old Faith, and 7-year-old Miriam (Mimi). Over the years, Sarah has learned that it's not only Naomi with Ehlers Danlos, Miriam and Jonathan also have the genetic disorder. For now, their symptoms are manageable.

On occasion, when a patient comes in to see Sarah, she’ll be sporting a periwinkle sweater with an embroidered zebra on the front. The animal is the EDS mascot. As the Ehlers Danlos Society so beautifully puts it, “Medical students have been taught for decades that when you hear hoofbeats behind you, don’t expect to see a zebra.” The takeaway? Those with EDS are the zebra. Each animal has its own unique stripes. No two EDS cases are the same. No one expects to see them.

It's why Sarah has learned never to make assumptions.

“I love complicated problems,” she says. Her husband is quick to add, “She’s tenacious. She’s a tenacious bulldog who listens to her patients.”

Sarah says she doesn’t remember a time when she didn’t want to be a doctor. She grew up next door to her grandmother, who was a nurse.

“I remember poring over my grandma’s surgical anatomy books, her surgical nursing books and pharmacology books and just thinking it was the best thing ever,” Sarah says. She has a picture of herself dressed in her grandma’s scrubs checking the heart of her baby doll. “It never stops being fascinating to me.”

Her grandma Bobby not only taught her to read using those books, but she was also Sarah’s biggest cheerleader.

“I started out medical school single. I got married between my third and fourth semester of medical school. I had Naomi my third year of medical school and I had Jacob 10 days after I finished my last rotation in my fourth year of medical school,” Sarah says, acknowledging she didn’t follow the conventional route. “The whole time, my grandma was just cheering me on.” Sadly, her grandma died of metastatic breast cancer shortly before Sarah finished her first year of residency.

During those early years of medical school, Sarah sported license plates which read “DOC 2 B.” Some of her peers would look at her, knowing she was married with kids, and would say things like, “You’re probably not going to want to stick with it.” Sarah remembers saying firmly, “Well, I think I might.” She adds, “I couldn’t think about anything else that I could be as passionate about — ever.”

While Sarah would love help in caring for Ehlers Danlos patients, she knows she’s right where she needs to be. While she’d love to create a clinic exclusively for those with Ehlers Danlos, she realizes that, for the most part, these types of clinics are cashonly and don’t accept Medicaid or insurance. She can’t imagine having to say “no” to a large percentage of those who suffer.

She also knows she’s practicing this type of medicine because of a devastating crash that rocked her family’s foundation. That point is never lost on her.

“If the only reason why I went to medical school was so that my daughter could have a life and live again after what happened to us, then it was worth it. All of it was worth it,” Sarah says.

Asked if she’s thankful for her mother’s fighting spirit, Naomi says simply, “More than I can ever say.”

“God rescued me and he rescued my daughter and he rescued my husband, not just for us but for other people and for His glory,” Sarah says. “I’m not going to stop saying thank you for that. I’m not going to be quiet about that. It’s such a beautiful gift.” ✻

TO LEARN MORE about Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, visit the Ehlers Danlos Society at ehlers-danlos.com

SARAH AT 4-YEARS-OLD

Kambria’s F ght Kambria’s F ght

12-YEAR-OLD RECEIVED NATIONAL HONORS FOR HER COLORECTAL CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

written by JULIE KOERBER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

KAMBRIA THOMPSON was just 6 years old when her “papa” was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. It was too much for her kindergarten self to comprehend. But, as she got older and saw her grandfather’s determined fight, slowly but surely, it became her fight too.

“She’s one of my little angels,” Dan Becker says as he smiles at his now 12-year-old granddaughter.

After undergoing surgery in 2017, Dan’s surgeon gave him six to 12 months to live. He didn’t view the news as a death sentence. Instead, Dan says, it gave him the will to fight.

“It’s been a good fight. We are fighting it and we are winning,” Dan says, noting that his last CAT scan showed his latest course of treatment was chipping away at his tumors, which, before this latest round, had spread to his lungs.

“There is no giving up here,” Day says. “I’ve been a fighter all my life.”

Kambria’s mom, Korry, says her daughter has always been “her papa’s shadow.” Kambria will be the first to tell you her papa is her best friend, adding it’s been that way “ever since I was born.” Two years ago, after her papa’s cancer progressed to stage four, it hit her that what he was fighting was serious.

“I started noticing, seeing my mom going through everything, calling lots of doctors. She told me, it’s a really big deal,” Kambria says.

“When my dad was diagnosed, I tried to learn everything I could about the disease he was fighting and where we could go from here,” Korry says. She sought support and read countless articles about the latest colorectal cancer research. When one doctor gave her dad a course of treatment, Korry sought out a second, third and fourth opinion on that treatment plan. During her research, she found a group called Fight CRC, a colorectal cancer awareness group.

“I noticed they had fundraising campaigns,” Korry says. “I showed Kambria and that led to her say, ‘I want to raise $500 and I want to donate all the money to Fight CRC.’”

Kambria came up with the idea of selling ribbon keychains in dark blue, the color that signifies the fight against colorectal cancer. She chose keychains, she says,

KAMBRIA CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF SELLING RIBBON

— Kambria

KAMBRIA STANDS IN THE NATIONAL MALL IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WHERE SHE HELPED PLANT SOME OF THE 27,400 BLUE FLAGS REPRESENTING THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH COLORECTAL CANCER THIS YEAR.

epoxy to create the base of the keychain. They learned that after the epoxy hardened, it was up to the family to create an “assembly line” to craft each one, adding charms and tassels to spice each keychain up a bit.

“I can put one together in less than a minute,” Dan says with a chuckle.

After crafting their first round of keychains, Korry realized they’d have to ramp up production, and quick. She had set up a Facebook page titled Kambria’s Fight and posted pictures asking folks to message her if they wanted to buy a keychain for $10. They sold 50 the first day. With the flood of orders, Kambria has since opened a shop on Etsy, selling her keychains on the online marketplace for handcrafted items. To date, Kambria has far surpassed her goal of $500. She’s raised more than $10,000 for the cause and has mailed her keychains to 32 states across the country.

After her first year of fundraising, some kids in Kambria’s class, along with her fifth-grade teacher, nominated her for the Patriot Voice Foundation’s Spirit of Service Award. The nonprofit honors those working to make a positive impact on their communities. Kambria won and was presented with the award at the Babcock Theater by Mayor Bill Cole.

Mayor Cole had already met Kambria since she had written a letter, urging him to sign a proclamation to name March Colorectal Cancer Awareness month in Billings. He’s now signed the proclamation two years in a row. Kambria has also successfully urged Gov. Greg Gianforte to sign a state proclamation as well.

In March of this year, Kambria headed to Washington, D.C., to accept yet another honor. The group Fight CRC was so impressed with her fundraising efforts, they named her their 2023 Youth Advocate of the Year.

“They loved everything that she was doing,” Korry says.

Kambria got the chance to represent Montana as she addressed Congress.

“I told them what a big deal it was and that it is the second-biggest cancer killer now,” Kambria says. “I told them how my papa was fighting and a lot of people are getting it younger now.” During her talk, Kambria shared a serious message aimed at reducing colorectal cancer cases. “My fight is for other people to know that this is a pretty big deal and that you should start telling people that they need earlier screenings.”

MY FIGHT IS FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THIS IS A PRETTY BIG DEAL AND THAT YOU SHOULD START TELLING PEOPLE THAT THEY NEED EARLIER SCREENINGS.

Thompson

March is when Kambria’s awareness mission gets the most attention, but she never misses an opportunity to educate others.

“She continues to advocate throughout the year,” Korry says. “She wears her intestine shirt and has an awareness sticker on her water bottle. She makes it a conversation.”

This July, Kambria will ramp up her keychain production line yet again. Relay for Life is giving her a tent to sell ribbon keychains not just for colorectal cancer awareness but for all types of the disease. She’ll make pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness, orange ribbons for leukemia and grey ones for brain cancer awareness, among many, many others.

“You can buy one and it can help spread awareness,” Kambria says. “You can buy one for your friend. You can buy one for someone who survived, or you can buy one for someone who lost somebody.”

Asked how hard she works to promote her cause, she says some weeks it’s upwards of 30 hours. Asked if she ever gets tired, she doesn’t hesitate. “Never!” she says, adding, “I wish more people would get involved.”

As Kambria talks about her efforts, her mom sits nearby and simply smiles.

“I’m happy to see she’s found an area where she can make a difference. It’s unique, especially given how old she is,” Korry says. “You always hope that your kids have this big heart and when they do, you are taken aback.” ✻

Editor’s Note: Olivia Tourtlotte is the winner of YVW’s Empowered Women Scholarship. The scholarship sought out a student who shines scholastically and has character, leadership and community spirit. Olivia qualified on all counts. She received a $1,000 scholarship to start her freshman year at University of Colorado Boulder.

FEW 18-YEAR-OLDS have a laser focus on their future, but most 18-year-olds aren’t Olivia Tourtlotte. Sitting down with this new high school graduate, you see she’s wise beyond her years. It shows when she shares her pastimes. It shows when she talks about her passions. And, it shows by the company she keeps.

As the daughter of Shanna Tourtlotte, a woman who owns a string of senior home health care businesses, Olivia grew up around those in their golden years. She learned how to listen and says she took great joy in hearing the stories of those who’d lived a long and full life.

Colonel Frank Borman, a 94-year-old retired NASA astronaut, veteran, former USAF pilot and airline CEO, is one of them.

“He’s very wise,” Olivia says. “We both love literature.” It’s why Barnes and Noble has been a favorite spot and why they’ve had numerous chats about poetry.

I want to I want to give give scholarship winner

“He actually doesn’t put as much emphasis on his service at NASA or in the military,” Olivia says. “He puts a lot of it on his family and his wife, Susan. His NASA adventures are crazy. He was telling me about all the rigorous training they had to go through and how he wasn’t nervous so much for himself. He was nervous about his wife back on Earth as he was circling the moon.”

HE TOLD ME, ‘YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD IF YOU PURSUE YOUR PASSIONS HUMBLY AND SELFLESSLY. HE ALWAYS TELLS ME, ‘PRESS ON. WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT 100 PERCENT.’

— Olivia Tourtlotte

As Olivia gets ready to venture off into the world, she holds Borman’s words of wisdom close to her heart. “He told me, ‘You can change the world if you pursue your passions humbly and selflessly.” She adds, “He

back back

OLIVIA TOURTLOTTE HAS HER SIGHTS SET ON HELPING OTHERS

photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

Frank & Olivia

always tells me, ‘Press on. Whatever you do, do it 100 percent.’”

If you look at Olivia’s high school career, it’s clear she’s followed that advice for years. From being the goalkeeper for Central High School’s state championship soccer team to helping launch a club for future medical professionals, to the Environmental Club and the group Kids Connecting Kids to being on the Student Council and playing in the pep band, Olivia has lived a life of deep involvement.

Of all her passions, music speaks to her the most.

“I play four instruments proficiently and I play another three on the side,” she says. Viola might be her top instrument, but she also dabbles in guitar, piano and violin. “I think music transports me to a different world. I forget where I am in the moment and I really attach a lot of my emotions to the individual notes and the melodies they create.” She says she’s so in tune, “My heart seems to match the rhythm and I can feel the beat flowing through me. It’s a really cool sensation.”

Over the years, she’s used her love of music to mentor younger musicians, to play for charity events and for those in senior care facilities.

“We would go visit my great-grandma (in senior living) and that’s something that I would do when I was there,” Olivia says. “She really enjoyed that. It was a little while later when I realized she wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it. There were others who were sitting on the outskirts or walking by. Music brings people together.”

If you drive downtown, you’ll have the chance to see another mark of Olivia’s successful high school career. After her senior class voted her to be the artist for the citywide War of the Walls contest put on by Master Lube, Olivia created a larger-than-life mural depicting a contemporary drawing of her school’s mascot – the ram. Bold splashes of green and white stand in high contrast to the black background. Surrounded by friends and family, she spent a night tracing her image onto the brick “canvas” and two full days with the help of three friends painting in all the detail. At the end of it all, Olivia held the trophy as the contest winner.

“I walked in one night after work and my mom and dad were sitting at the kitchen table kind of looking at me funny. I said,

‘What’s going on?’ They said, ‘You won.’ ‘Won what?’ ‘The War of the Walls, and not only that, but you got 50 percent of the vote,’” Olivia says.

Even today, knowing she took the top prize is a bit surreal. She started playing with the design as a junior in high school and was stunned when the senior class picked her art to represent the school. “Even the little mistakes on the mural, I think it just gives it character,” she says. “The memories that we made are what I see when I look back at the painting.”

In the fall, Olivia will head off to the University of Colorado Boulder.

“After four years of undergrad, I am going to dental school,” she says. “After those four years, I am going to do a specialized dental school and hopefully become an endodontist.” Then she laughs and adds, “I’ve always loved going to the dentist. That’s a weird little fact about me.”

She goes on to share that while she hopes to open a family-based dental practice, she’d love to one day use her skills to be a part of Doctors Without Borders, to provide dental care to people in other countries who lack access to basic healthcare.

When she’s told she has a selfless nature, she quickly deflects.

“It all comes back to my mom and what she’s taught me and how she’s helped me become who I am today,” Olivia says. “She lived in Forsyth, Montana, in a single-wide trailer and her family lived from paycheck to paycheck. She put herself through college and she would go back every weekend to help her dad at the grocery store.” Oliva adds, “She always told me that if you commit to something, make sure you follow through with it.”

As she looks at her mom’s work ethic and dedication to her family, Olivia says she wants to leave a similar legacy.

“I want to leave something special behind,” she says, “whether it’s for one person or many. I want to give back.” ✻

OLIVIA WON 'THE WAR OF THE WALLS' RECEIVING 50% OF THE TOTAL VOTES!

sassy sassy sassy sassy&

DON’T ASK 16-YEAR-OLD Rhiannon about the Fleetwood Mac song that bears her name. She doesn’t really like it. In fact, she grimaces if you even bring it up. What she does like is being creative and every now and then being surrounded by a little bit of nature.

“I like mostly reading, coloring and puzzles,” she says. In fact, as we talked, she had just finished a puzzle showing a scene from Arches National Park in Moab, Utah. “We can get some glue and you can glue it together, so you have it as a picture,” Lacie Saylers, her social worker, told her.

She also loves the Warrior Series of books featuring a clan of wild cats known as the ThunderClan. It’s a bit of fantasy and intrigue. Asked if she’s a book worm, Lacie looks at Rhiannon and laughs, saying, “She’s the wormiest.”

“I also love manga, all things manga,” Rhiannon adds, talking about the style of animation found in Japanese comic books.

Rhiannon is going to be a junior at Skyview High School in the fall. While she’s not big on school, she is big on the friendships she’s made there. “I appreciate them,” she says. “We are really close.” It’s why she would love to be able to stay at Skyview to finish her high school career.

written by JULIE KOERBER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN heart gallery

While she’s only been in foster care for a little less than two years, she’s already had some time to think about what she’d love in a family and in a home. For starters, she’d love siblings but is also OK being an only child.

“I have to be able to trust the safety in the house and at least have some good communication,” she says with a serious tone. She giggles as she says, “Not so strict but strict enough that I can handle it.”

She longs for family game nights with some weekend camping trips sprinkled in.

“It’s good to get out and enjoy nature every now and then,” she says.

She also talks about what she might want to do for a career one day. “I want to basically help rehab animals and return them to the wild,” she says. “They really need our help, but some people pass them by as if they are nothing.”

Her social worker, Lacie, asks, “Do you want to help animals because you wish someone would have helped you?” Rhiannon says quietly, “Yes.”

While this teen can be quiet and introspective, Lacie describes her as sassy and a teen who thrives on attention.

“She has a big sense of humor and it’s always funny,” Lacie says.

When it comes to what kind of family Lacie truly hopes Rhiannon finds, she says, “I think Rhiannon would thrive off a positive, loving environment. She told me recently that she dishes out what she gets, so if someone loves her unconditionally, she will love them unconditionally.” ✻

AT 406-657-3120.

While Rhiannon needs an adoptive home, many times the primary goal for children in the system is to have a temporary placement while social workers strive to reunify them with their biological family. Each family wanting to become licensed foster-adoptive home must undergo 18 hours of mandatory training to learn what it takes to become a successful foster family.

by KAREN GROSZ

HERE’S WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW… HERE’S WHAT I WANT YOU TO KNOW…

FRIEND, THERE ARE THREE things I want you to know now.

FIRST. No matter how many times, or how well you dust, vacuum, mop, wipe, scrub, or even pay someone else to do it, you are just going to do it again. I know. This seems patently unfair, and I’ve tried many times and many ways to alter the facts, but it’s a systemic problem that has no solution. For me and my home, I’ve settled into the grace of a layer of dust, a smudge on the mirror, and, in the hobby room a little pile of “that’s yours, not mine” in the “Corner of Ignore.” The pup prints on the floor, outlined by a trail of pup hair, help to guide us to the happiest places of our home, the patio and the guest bedroom, which has the most comfortable chair for cat naps if the door is left ajar for his sneaky entry.

The reason I want you to know this is that we often think

our homes are not enough. I know I’ve had those moments, and you probably have too. No matter how well it’s decorated or neglected, no matter who is coming over, there’s always something that makes us doubt if it’s worthy of our guest.

It is.

It is your home. It smells like you. It has particles of dust, shed mainly by you, scattered amongst the things you spend time and money accumulating, admiring, ignoring, and shifting from spot to spot. Your home is your home and you should be proud of that fact, even if you don’t always feel great about the clutter. I believe the highest compliment I ever received about my humble abode was when my brother said, “This feels like a home.” He didn’t care that the very chic furniture style we’ve adopted is from the “Late Garage, Early Attic” time period. He knows we spend our money on memories and people, and

family in ZooMontana’s 14thzoomontana.org Chase December Finals Montana. Memorial during

that our home is filled with the same. Your home looks like you, and instead of hiding that fact, finding ways to bar the doors, it’s OK to throw them open and announce the love you feel for your guest while standing in a bit of chaos.

SECOND. You can travel without a plan. I mean, sure, there needs to be a little bit of a plan, like which mode of transportation and which direction you’ll be headed, but beyond that, let the winds blow you where they may. The most uplifting, liberating, life-affirming experiences I’ve had while traveling happened because fate, or pure luck, intervened. I turned left instead of right, opened a door that seemed a little scary, and napped in the shade of a palm tree while the world spun without my constant management of its rotation.

Beauty & the Beast

Billings Studio Theatre presents “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Junior,” January 10th-13th. Brainy and beautiful Belle yearns to escape her narrow and restricted life including her brute of a suitor, Gaston. Belle gets adventurous and as a result becomes a captive in the Beast’s enchanted castle! Dancing flatware, menacing wolves and singing furniture fill the stage with thrills during this beloved fairy tale about very different people finding strength in one another as they learn how to love.billingsstudiotheatre.com

F R inge Festiva L

There are people you meet who’ll tell you their stories over a dinner at 9 p.m., which is way past a reasonable bedtime, if you just say yes. Those stories will change your understanding of the world. There are places you might plan to see, like the redwoods in California. But, the real story, the one you didn’t schedule, is in Oregon, and all you need to do is turn left to find it. When you travel without a plan, not caring what time it is, which meal you should be eating, which site you should be seeing, you come home with what you left home to find — stories, adventures, and a deeper understanding of who you are.

Venture Theatre presents its Fringe Festival, January 18th-19th and 25th-26th.The festival features four nights of shows featuring local and regional performing artists of all types including dance, standup comedy, theater improv, one act plays, musicals, performance art, spoken word/poetry, and puppetry.venturetheatre.org

s ou L s t R eet d an C e

You can also do all of this alone.

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

There are people who devote their entire days, entire lives even, to your comfort and your happiness. Sometimes this is hard to believe, hard to understand, and hard to accept, but I promise you, if you look around, especially when life feels heavy, you’ll see them. It might be the barista who wants you happy with your coffee, the employee who goes the extra mile on the project you assigned them. Your spouse, or significant other better be on the list, and if they aren’t you need to have a little talk with yourself about that situation. Your pastor, the policeman on patrol, the boutique owner, the person who designed the chair you are currently sitting in, all want you happy. I make Happy Monday videos each week because I want to give you a little cheer. The staff of this magazine, sports teams, authors, actors and even your first-grade teacher, all want you happy.

It's kind of amazing when you stop and think about it, isn’t it? The number of people, seen and unseen, who are devoted to your comfort and happiness?

They change your diaper when you are a baby, and another set changes it when you are old. They show up on schedule and when you least expect them, but somehow they are always there.

The trick, my friend, is to notice them, to accept their kindness and then, as graciously as you can, pass that bit of happiness on to the next person. When you do this, when you look for those happiness devotees, then you look for the opportunity to share happiness. You’ll find it is everywhere.

It’s in your cluttered house, it’s in the hotel shuttle bus, it’s in the seat next to you at the coffee shop. Without you, the world would be a little less happy, and because of you, the world is a little more happy. It’s really quite a remarkable thing. And… that’s all you need to know in these carefree days of summer. ✻

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

Fami Ly

I know, I know, that’s scary. It’s a big bad world, with monsters and goblins around every corner, but the fact of the matter is — I’ve not seen one of them yet. What I have seen is the beauty of a sunrise over a bay, with no one but myself to talk about it with, and let me tell you, me, myself and I had a damn fine conversation. I’ve been the lonely woman in the corner of the restaurant, who isn’t lonely at all because the wait staff is giving her lessons in local cuisine. I’ll be honest, I’ve not walked down a dark alley, or traipsed through a place I clearly didn’t belong (well, not often) because if you pay attention the world offers signs, placards and shivers up your spine to keep you safe. It’s not a plan to submit to, it’s just travel, and you should go wherever you want to go. Today. Just leave time for the unexpected.

THIRD. More people in the world want you happy than unhappy.

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

Karen Grosz is a local Team and Leadership Development coach and motivational speaker. She owns Canvas Creek Team Building, is the author of “What’s Next” and “Quiet Leadership” and founding voice of the Facebook group “I’ll Help”- Billings. You can find more from Karen at karengrosz.life.

By Karen Grosz

KAREN GROSZ, writer

YOUR HOME IS YOUR HOME AND YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF THAT FACT, EVEN IF YOU DON’T ALWAYS FEEL GREAT ABOUT THE CLUTTER.

— Karen Grosz

MEMORIES OF THE Moss Moss

AS THIS BILLINGS TREASURE TURNS 125, THE LAST REMAINING FAMILY MEMBER HAS MEMORIES OF HER OWN

SET BACK ON MANICURED

grounds and flanked by two enormous evergreen trees, the stately three-story red brick mansion with its large windows has been a landmark on downtown Billings’ Division Street for well over a century.

With traffic rushing by, it’s hard to imagine that the Moss Mansion was built on the far west side of the city, away from any developed property and with an unobstructed view of the Rims, the Beartooth Mountains and the South Hills. One of Billings’ finest treasures, the Moss Mansion, built in 1903, takes visitors back to the turn of the 20th century, where they also learn the history of the Moss family who lived there.

The mansion’s owners played a key role in the development of Billings. The legacy of the man who built the home, Preston Boyd (P.B.) Moss lives on in many ways. P.B. was an astute businessman. His background was in banking, yet he developed a power company to bring electricity to town. He founded the first newspaper and built the Northern Hotel. He was instrumental in developing an irrigation system for farmers in the community and helped start Billings Polytechnic Institute, which later became Rocky Mountain College. He also

MORE THAN 8,000 VISITORS TOUR THE MOSS MANSION EACH YEAR

invested in a couple of ranches and started a meatpacking plant. In his lifetime, P.B. was involved in more than 80 businesses.

His wife, Mattie, a college graduate, accomplished musician, artist, gardener and the mother of six children, was involved in many facets in the community. Beloved by her neighbors and considered a tremendous hostess, she was such a devoted and engaged mother that her children nicknamed her “Fun.” Much of the artistic flair in the mansion can be traced to Mattie.

While this family was looked upon with honor and esteem, to one little girl, they were just “Grampa” and “Gramma.”

Aly Turner

As a child, Marilyn Moss Castleman’s fondest memories of visiting her grandparents’ home were Thanksgiving dinners in the formal dining room. The table was set to perfection with China and glassware. The family around it was just as impeccable, with everyone sitting around the table in their finest.

The conservatory and the parlor were the favorite spaces.

ON PAGE 56 IN THE FAR RIGHT PHOTO, MARILYNN MOSS CASTLEMAN IS SEEN SURROUNDED BY FAMILY, HOLDING HER BELOVED DOG.

Marilyn remembers the sitting room as being the spot where the family shared conversation or enjoyed the sounds coming from the grand piano or from her aunt’s harp.

“I have very fond memories of my grandparents’ home,” Marilyn, 87, says. “It was a lovely place for me to visit. I loved both of my grandparents, but it was my aunts Melville and Kula that I felt the closest to.”

Marilyn’s father was David Moss, the youngest of the six Moss children, and Marilyn is the last surviving descendant of the Moss family. She’s only one of two grandchildren born to P.B. and Mattie.

Now residing in Arizona, Marilyn tries to make it back to visit every few years and is grateful that the mansion is not only a beloved Billings landmark but is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Over the past 120 years, the home has withstood the urban sprawl built around it in all directions. Now located in the center of town, it is open year-round for events and tours.

According to Aly Turner, the director of the Moss Mansion, there are public events almost weekly for most of the year. June starts off with one of the biggest fundraisers, Springfest, and other events dot the calendar every month.

“We have so many things for families to enjoy here,” Aly says. “It’s hard to take it all in with one visit.”

Aly has worked at the mansion for seven years and is proud of

the many ways in which the Moss family contributed to the community of Yellowstone County.

“For example, the sugar beet factory,” she says. “P.B. and a couple of others started it. Immigrants came to work in the factory and ended up staying, some families for generations. The influence P.B. had in the lives of families is so far-reaching, it’s astounding.”

The Moss Mansion is owned jointly by the city of Billings and the state of Montana but is leased to the Billings Preservation Society who helps the mansion be self-sustaining, raising its own money for the $400,000 yearly budget through events and tours.

“We have wonderful community support,” Aly adds. “And our staff and volunteers are extraordinary. We couldn’t do what we do without them.”

Walking around this historic home, it proudly displays all the original wall coverings, light fixtures, window coverings and much of the furniture. Though typical house repairs have been necessary over the decades, a concerted effort has been made to stay as close to original materials as possible.

“Aunt Melville never wanted to update the furnishings,” Marilyn says. “She might have been eccentric but in the end, it was an incredible thing that she did.”

Visitors are invited to experience the beauty, detail and function of the home, and with photos and plaques of the family’s history on display, a clear vision is set of how the occupants lived throughout the massive home. It was luxury at its finest.

THE MOSS MANSION EMPLOYS 12 PEOPLE AND REQUIRES UPWARDS OF 40 VOLUNTEERS ANNUALLY FOR ITS TOURS AND EVENTS.

After the death of Kula’s son at the age of 7, Marilyn became the only living grandchild of P.B. and Mattie. She remembers having to be on her best behavior with each visit.

“Everything was very formal,” she says. “I loved it, but without children my age, I didn’t play there often.”

Her love of gardening, she believes, came from her time spent in the conservatory with her grandmother, and contributed to her lifelong hobby.

“The conservatory was so special,” she remembers. “Gramma had it filled with beautiful, colorful flowers all year round.”

Marilyn remembers the parlor with admiration because of the architecture, furnishings and décor of the stately room.

“My grandfather’s funeral was held there,” she says. “It was such a handsome room, but I was only 11 when he died, and it was really hard for me.”

In 1984, her aunt Melville, who lived in the home most of her life and never married, gifted the mansion to Marilyn and two sisters-in-law. Two years later, it was sold to its current owners, the city of Billings and state of Montana for $450,000.

A beautiful set of China graces the dining room table, a gift from Marilyn, who had inherited the 100-year-old set from Kula and recently gifted it back to the mansion. Though unable to visit often, she still enjoys keeping up with the changes and activities taking place.

“I’m proud that what my grandparents built has been preserved and shared with the public for all these years,” she says. ✻

FOR MORE ON THE MOSS MANSION & ITS HAPPENINGS,

visit mossmansion. com. The mansion is open during the summer daily except Tuesdays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

CYDNEY HOEFLE, writer

A fourth generation Montanan, Cydney was raised on a ranch on the banks of the Yellowstone River where an appreciation of the outdoors was fostered. She and her husband raised three children in Billings and are now the proud grandparents of three. The best part of any of her days is time spent with Jesus, family, friends, a good book or capturing someone’s story in words.

Cognac Sueded Nile Crocodile RWL9012

aPolishing Billings Gem

JAKE’S DOWNTOWN GETS A HOST OF NEW TOUCHES THANKS TO A MOM & DAUGHTER DUO

written by LAURA BAILEY photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

WHEN IT COMES to tried and true downtown Billings institutions, more than a few landmarks come to mind, but Jake’s Downtown, with its consistently good food and great service, has been a beloved favorite for decades. Like the song from the sitcom “Cheers,” Jake’s Downtown has that “Where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came” feel. So, when it was time for an update to the restaurant’s interior, Jake’s Downtown owner Kathy Bolin was understandably cautious.

“I didn’t want to change it so that it didn’t feel like Jake’s anymore,” Kathy says. “I wanted it to still feel comfortable but classier.” She knows Jake’s better than anyone. She’s been working there for almost 35 years. Kathy started at Jake’s fresh out of college in 1988 as a hostess. She worked nearly every possible position in the restaurant over the years and then purchased it in 2006.

Alex Andren is Kathy’s daughter. She started at Jake’s Downtown in 2007, when she was in middle school. She worked as a hostess that first summer and earned enough money for a school trip to Washington, D.C. She’s worked in some capacity for the restaurant ever since – except for her college years at Montana State University in Bozeman. She’s now the operations manager.

The idea of a renovation had been on Kathy and Alex’s minds for several years.

“It was a long time coming,” Alex says. “We kept wondering, when is the right time? Is this the right time? OK, so why not now?”

Kathy and Alex finally decided the time was right and closed the restaurant for renovations on Jan. 1. They reopened at the end of March.

With no hesitation, they called on Luci Wollschlager, owner of A-Line Drafting and Design, for the re-design. Luci had already made her mark on the Grand Building, the building that houses Jake’s. She did a previous renovation of the building’s lobby and bathrooms, and it made sense to Kathy and Alex to maintain a continuity of design.

“It’s a historic building and we tried to keep the style within that era,” Luci says.

One of the first things that many visitors will notice is new lighting in the barrel-vaulted ceiling at the entrance. The gold and glass fixtures gleam with a classic, luxury look. The lighting in the dining room was updated as well, and ceiling tiles in black and gold were added in the dining room.

The original woodwork stayed throughout the renovation to make an elegant complement to the black and gold accents that were added throughout. In the dining room, black wallpaper with delicate gold stars was installed on the panels above the windows, and a similar star-patterned black wallpaper adorns the walls of Jake’s private dining room.

While a Western look wasn’t what Kathy and Alex were looking to achieve, the building and downtown Billings have western roots. The stars on the wallpaper hint at the rowel on a spur and make a slight nod to the Old West, Luci says.

New seating was also added in the dining room to replace the wooden barrel-style chairs they previously used. The comfortable chairs are black upholstered faux leather with brass nail accents.

The bar was redesigned as well, with a new top and a completely

new upper bar, which was custom fabricated by a local metalworker. Brass rings complement the gold tones found in the room.

Function was always front of mind for Kathy, and the upper bar was designed to not only be beautiful, but also provide adequate storage for liquor bottles and glassware.

There were more than a few surprises underneath the paint and wallpaper in the old building. However, general contractor Eric Staples kept the mess and stress to a minimum during the construction phase.

“He already had a solution before he even told us we had a problem,” Alex says.

Overall, the space sparkles with class. The redesign stayed true to the historic feel of the building while keeping the charm and character that is Jake’s Downtown.

“Jakes has always been about good food and good service, and the atmosphere just adds another element to the whole experience,” Kathy says.

As part of the renovations, Jake’s Downtown also went through a re-branding, and Alex designed a new logo. Its bold simplicity matches the restaurant’s new look.

Kathy is a hands-on owner and oversees everything at the restaurant, where she’s known as “Mama Kath” to the 50 or so employees. Staff turnover is very low. In fact, one server has been there 29 years, two bartenders have been there more than 20 years each and the chef has been there 13 years. Their

dedication is due in large part to Kathy’s leadership.

“I just believe in treating people the way you want to be treated,” Kathy says.

MODERN FIXTURES FROM ONE SOURCE LIGHTING CREATE JUST THE RIGHT ACCENT FOR THIS REVAMPED RESTAURANT AND BAR SPACE

LUCI WOLLSCHLAGER

Her philosophy extends to her customers as well, and at Jake’s Downtown, there’s always a fun mix of regulars and new customers who are just traveling through.

“It’s a great location to catch people from all over,” Kathy adds.

Kathy and Alex have different but complementary management styles. They work well together. Although Alex is set to take on more responsibility in the business, Kathy plans to stay involved as long as she can. Between managing the staff and serving customers, there’s always something to look forward to every day.

“You never know what to expect,” Alex says. “Your day is always one adventure after another.” ✻

FRESHFashion

EASY WAYS TO ELEVATE YOUR SUMMER STYLE

THE FULLNESS OF SUMMER, with its longer stretches of sun and packed calendars, has us longing for fresh and carefree fashion that is still high on style. Check out our trend report to freshen up your carefree summer wardrobe. ✻

written by VICKI-LYNN TERPSTRA photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN FASHION

ashion

Sweet details like a ruffle on a sleeve or hem feel so feminine and airy in the summer, and thankfully, 2023 has a lot of this accent. This short sleeve with a ruffled flair looks timeless. Pair with your fave shorts or with these sailorinspired jeans with a wider leg. Add in a pop of color with sandals and you’ll be perfectly on

shorts, dresses, shoes, purses and jewelry. Nothing is off limits!

GET THE LOOK

Magnolia Pearl Ashbury Peace pant, $600; Magnolia Pearl Rosalina top, $400. Both from Neecee’s. Shu Shop Braided Fedora Strap Heel, $70; TopFoxx sunglasses, $89. Both from Something Chic

Zadig & Voltaire Tama Tomboy top in Dolls, $358; Paige Aubrey Utility PKT in Karlyn Wash, $249; Marc Fisher Calynda sandal in pink, $129. All

Daytime Sparkle

Gone are the days when you have to save the shiny things for nights on the town. Let it glow any time of the day with this breezy sequin top. Pair it with classic denim and fashion forward sneakers for a perfect daytime look. You could also sport this in a casual office setting or for lunch on your favorite patio. Plus, this top can pull double duty when dressed up for those more traditional fancy evenings out.

GET THE LOOK

Muche & Muchette top in white, $109; Karen Kane jeans, $128; Voile Blanche Suede Sneaker, $229. All from Cricket Clothing Co.

Put On tHE Pearls

Classic pearls with a contemporary flair are on the hit list for 2023. While we love the strands handed down from loved ones, check out these modern versions. Layer them up with your favorite gold and silver jewelry for the perfect statement piece.

GET THE LOOK

Bracha pearl hoop earring, $48; Tai Pearl Necklace, $55; Pearl and silver medallion necklace, $129. All can be found at Cricket Clothing Co

Cargo Pants

Cargo pants, which hit the scene in the early 2000s, are back — only this time in a more elevated way. This year’s version of the utility look is more fitted. The style of pocket also makes for a more flattering version. Instead of twill or denim, you’ll find the new and improved cargo in light and airy fabrics. Come fall, you’ll see these pants in leather as well.

GET THE LOOK

NIA Drawstring Cargo Pant in Oyster, $78; Gentle Fawn knit button-up vest in white, $98; J/Slides NYC white leather Quinn sandal, $169; TopFoxx CEO sunglasses, $99. All can be found at Something Chic

ONE TOMATO, TWO TOMATO & MANY MORE

written by STELLA FONG photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

inSeason2

SUMMERTIME IS TOMATO TIME, when we pluck them from the vine while screaming “Yum!” The Tomato Corn Crostata is one of the most delicious ways to show off this summer’s bounty, while the Chocolate Tomato Cake is a good way to use

up extra harvest. Beef Tomato Chow Mein is one of my sister’s favorite dishes, one that my father used to make for us as children. With the variety of ways to enjoy them, for me, there’s no such thing as too many summer tomatoes. ✻

tomato corn crostata

SERVES 4 TO 6

During the summer season, when bounty abounds, use this crust as the base for whatever you have growing in your garden and what you find at the farmer’s market. Sliced zucchini with thinly sliced fennel sprinkled with chives as well as cooked sliced potatoes with bacon and sprinkles of fresh thyme are other possibilities for toppings. I use Dubliner cheese because I love the cheese’s flavor of cheddar and Parmesan cheeses.

2½ c. unbleached white flour

½ t. salt

1 c. unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

8 ounces grated Dubliner, cheddar or Swiss cheese

¾ c. ice water

6 c. cherry tomatoes

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

3 ears of corn, kernels removed to make 3 cups

3 stalks green onions, sliced

1 large egg

Fresh basil for garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS:

FOR CRUST: In a food processor, pulse flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. Add water and process until dough comes together. Form dough into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

FOR FILLING: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes and olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Spread

tomatoes onto a baking sheet. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until tomatoes are slightly browned. Cool completely. Drain extra liquid from tomatoes and pat with some paper towels. Set aside. With aluminum foil, assemble sheets to accommodate a 15-inch square crostata. Set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 17-inch round, about ¼ inch thick. Place on foil.

Spread tomatoes onto dough to 2 inches from the edge. Sprinkle on corn and green onions. Dust with salt and ground black pepper to taste. Fold outside edges over the filling. In a small bowl, whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush egg wash around the outside edge of the crust.

Bake until crust is deep golden brown, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

beef tomato chow mein

SERVES 4

Beef Tomato Chow Mein combines Chinese and American, flavors giving the dish a sweet and sour taste. For a stir-fry dish to come out right, meat and vegetables are cooked separately, and then combined at the end. Have a medium bowl ready by your wok or skillet to hold the cooked meat and vegetables.

FOR MEAT

1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced

1 t. sesame oil

2 t. soy sauce

¼ t. baking soda

1 t. cornstarch

1 clove garlic, minced

FOR SAUCE

1 c. beef broth

1½ T. cornstarch

1 T. sugar

1 T. rice vinegar

1 T. dry sherry

½ t. salt

2 T. ketchup

1 pound chow mein or yakatori noodles

2 T. sesame oil

2 T. soy sauce

3 T. vegetable oil, divided

1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced

1 medium red onion, sliced

1 large tomato cut in large chunks

4 stalks green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS: In a medium bowl, mix together beef with sesame oil, soy sauce, baking soda, cornstarch and garlic. Marinate for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour in the refrigerator. In a medium bowl, stir together broth, cornstarch, sugar, vinegar, sherry, salt and ketchup. Set aside.

Follow cooking instructions on chow mein noodle package. Put drained noodles in a large bowl, and mix in sesame oil and soy sauce until noodles are evenly coated. Set aside.

Heat wok or heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, add noodles and brown on bottom, about 4 minutes. Scoop out and set aside on a serving platter. Add 2 tablespoons oil and stir fry beef until just browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Scoop meat out of wok and set aside.

Add onion and stir-fry until browned, about 2 minutes. Then add peppers and stir-fry for 1 minute. Scoop out vegetables. Add tomatoes and let brown, about 2 minutes.

Add beef, onions and peppers back into wok and stir fry beef with tomatoes for 1 minute. Stir up sauce to add to wok. Stir fry

chocolate tomato cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and strawberry tomato coulis

SERVES 8

When tomatoes are ripening fast, I find myself putting them into everything, and why not chocolate cake? Adding the tomatoes gives the cake a slight savoriness to this moist buttery cake.

2 Roma tomatoes, skins and seeds removed

1 c. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1¼ c. sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

3 eggs, separated

1 c. cold water

2½ c. cake flour

½ c. cocoa powder

1½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-½ inch cake pans. Set aside.

Peel tomatoes and squeeze out seeds. Put tomatoes into a food processor and process until pureed. Scoop puree into a small bowl. Set aside.

Cream together butter and sugar. Whip in tomato puree, vanilla extract and egg yolks. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into butter mixture.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, stirring until just mixed.

Divide batter equally into two pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Frost cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and serve with a drizzle of Strawberry Tomato Coulis.

chocolate buttercream frosting

MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS

1 c. butter, softened to room temperature

3¾ c. powdered sugar

½ c. cocoa powder

Pinch salt

1 t. vanilla extract

4 T. milk

DIRECTIONS: With a hand or stand mixer whip softened butter until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix on low speed until ingredients are combined. Add 2 tablespoons milk and mix until frosting is creamy and fluffy. Add more sugar or milk for desired thickness. Use immediately or store in refrigerator, covered, for a couple of days.

strawberry tomato coulis

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

We often forget that a tomato is a fruit so why not blend them with strawberries? Adjust the sweetness depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes and strawberries. I love adding a dash of Grand Marnier or orange juice to the coulis. Add fresh ginger to make it even more interesting.

6 fresh strawberries

2 small tomatoes

2 T. sugar

1 t. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS: Add strawberries, tomatoes, sugar and lemon juice to a blender. Puree until smooth. Serve with Tomato Chocolate Cake.

2nd Annual

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

Evening includes a 5-course meal, live and silent auctions, and keynote speech from Chef Rush. Wear your best red tie, red dress, or anything red to remember everyone deployed. past and current.

US Army Veteran White House Executive Chef 4 Presidential Administrations Veteran Advocate Star of "Kitchen Commando"

Up Up

THE

JULY IS NATIONAL GRILLING MONTH, and what better way to celebrate than to let the aroma of the allAmerican burger waft through the neighborhood? Sure, you can find this classic at a drive-through or fast-food joint near you, but it’s best when that burger meets a grill.

A column about grilling would be the ideal time to include a scratch and sniff card sharing the char-grilled scent. Thankfully, that delightful smell is available all summer long at Dehler Park when the Billings Mustangs hit the baseball field.

At the corner of the ballpark, Curt Prchal’s crew is working the grill, crafting the legendary ’Stang

IT’S BURGER TIME!

Grill Grill Fire Fire

Burger. He shared not one but two recipes for you to enjoy on your own grill. It’s a masterpiece that Curt says you can make at home, but it doesn’t taste quite the same without a baseball game wrapped around it.

Stepping away from the ballpark, the grill does wonderful things to my Asian Burger, topped with grilled pineapple. And you can add some “zhuzh” to a grilled burger with Salad Burger, a recipe from my childhood.

Whether it’s a charcoal or a gas grill or even a campfire, fire up the grill for your family and enjoy the mouth-watering goodness of a flame-grilled burger.

Enjoy! ✻

’STANG BURGER

SERVES ONE

From Curt Prchal, concessions for the Billings Mustangs (recipe circa 1994)

6 ounces Certified Angus ground chuck burger patty

2 ounces, sliced smoked brisket

Slice of cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Toasted hamburger bun

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS: Grill the ground chuck patty to your taste. We use a water bath pan underneath to keep the patty “thick and juicy” throughout. Add salt and pepper to taste. Slightly sizzle the strips of sliced brisket and use to top the patty. Add your choice of cheese and finish by toasting the bun to perfection. Garnish with your favorite sauce and enjoy.

K-ZONE BURGER

SERVES ONE RECIPE FROM CURT PRCHAL

6 ounces Certified Angus ground chuck patty

3 ounces pulled pork

Slice of cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Toasted hamburger bun

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS: Grill the ground chuck patty to your taste. Again, we use a water bath pan underneath. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top the patty with the pulled pork and with your choice of cheese. Finish by toasting the bun to perfection. Top with your favorite sauce. We suggest a smoky barbecue.

ASIAN BURGER

SERVES 6

1.5 pounds ground beef

1½ t. cornstarch

¼ c. pineapple juice

1 t. freshly grated ginger

1/8 t. garlic powder

½ c. soy sauce

1 8-ounce can sliced pineapple

Hamburger buns

DIRECTIONS: Shape beef into six patties. Mix cornstarch with pineapple juice. Add ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Reserve some sauce for after grilling. Brush patties generously with the sauce and grill until desired doneness. Grill the pineapple slices until they show light grill marks. Toast buns if desired. Brush the grilled burgers with remaining sauce and top with grilled pineapple slice.

SALAD BURGER

¼ c. apple cider vinegar

2 T. sugar

1 t. kosher salt

1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper

chopped onions

1 tomato diced, about 1 cup

Half an unpared cucumber, sliced paper thin, about 1 cup

¼ c. chopped sweet pickle or sweet pickle relish

DIRECTIONS: Mix the vinegar, ¼ cup water, sugar, kosher salt, and the ground pepper in a bowl. Add the chopped onion, diced tomato, and sliced cucumber. Cover and refrigerate for one to two hours. Before serving, drain the vegetables and mix in the chopped sweet pickle. This relish like topping is great on top of grilled burgers or in the middle and on top of a double burger. Recipe will keep for three days refrigerated.

Kay has spent her professional career in public relations and broadcast news, currently at Yellowstone Public Radio. Her journalism degree is from Northern Illinois University. Her passions include her family, sports and food. Her mom and an aunt taught her the finer points of cooking and instilled a love of good food and family mealtime.

YVW MAGAZINE 76

KAY ERICKSON, writer

a

a sunroom seasons seasons

OF THE

PARK

written by TRISH ERBE SCOZZARI photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

BASEBALL PLAYS A big part in the lives of Crystal and Darian Kuntz. The highlight is watching their 11-year-old son, Carson, compete in the all-American sport. And they rarely miss a professional game on television.

With the emphasis this family places on sports, it’s no wonder the Kuntz home is where friends and family gather.

“We like to entertain, a lot,” Crystal says. This goes for Carson and their daughter, Emerson, 13, as well. They hang at home with their friends, especially since their parents added a sunroom to their home.

“Crystal came to 406 Window Co. with plans for a new sunroom addition,” says Aaron Reay of 406 Window Co. “Crystal was looking for something energy-efficient, maintenance-free, and beautiful, and she needed guidance in selecting products and configurations. Her husband, Darian, was about to retire and she had a project for him.”

Crystal’s project involved adding a sunroom to their home that they could enjoy year-round. The extra 304 square feet would allow an expanded space for entertaining while providing a spacious spot to relax, and, according to Crystal, “watch whatever sport is on TV.”

“The sunroom addition was beautifully positioned on the east side (of the house) with great southern exposure,” Aaron notes. “On the south side we provided a large four-panel sliding door

that opens in the center, extending the space out to another outdoor living area.”

“It’s an eight-foot-tall patio door,” says Darian, “and it’s as wide as we could go. It’s a heavy door that took five guys to put in.”

When Crystal decides she needs more guest seating in the sunroom, she merely opens the massive sliding glass door. “We can move the big table out to the patio to make room,” she says.

Custom serving tables on wheels and built from reclaimed wood sit on either side of an intriguing fireplace. “We can move these around anywhere,” says Crystal.

The serving tables enhance the rustic, yet elegant look of the floor-to-ceiling gas fireplace. “It’s a corrugated steel front,” Darian says. “The steel rusted as it lay out in the weather. This is why you see the variation in it. The mantle is a solid three-inch piece of walnut I had shipped in from Salt Lake City.”

“Darian did all the contract work,” Crystal says.

Crystal and Darian make the ultimate team. Crystal, an engineer for a local consultant, knows how to plan the work, while Darian, owner of 406 Handyman, works the plan. It’s a plan Crystal’s wanted completed for some time. “Darian’s honey-do list was getting too long,” she says.

It wasn’t until Darian retired from “managing the field” for McCall Homes this past year that he was able to really concentrate on this particular project. “I was trying to do this on weeknights and weekends along with baseball with the kids,” he says.

The addition has come together beautifully, creating a warm, inviting living space where the family spends quality time. It’s an easy maintenance area featuring a stamped concrete floor replicating wood

plank flooring in light-to-medium tones. Reclaimed snow fence wood covers the lower half of the walls, giving off a rustic vibe. The window and door trim are stained to match.

With the patio door on the south side of the room, the equally impressive window was situated on the wall facing the street. “For symmetry,” says Aaron, “we copied the door onto the east side but made it shorter so it’d be easy to open like a window, creating opportunity for significant ventilation.”

The thought was to plant a few trees or bushes along this east side of the home, thereby assuring a sliding window wouldn’t be cranked open into the foliage. “This is a unique feature we dreamt up for our customers that doesn’t break the bank,” Aaron says.

“We love it,” Crystal says of the sunroom. “It’s always sunny and it’s soundproof.”

Before this sunny and soundproof sunroom was on the horizon, there was just a yard and a 10-by-10-foot patio slab. Emerson and Carson were just babes when Crystal and Darian moved from Lockwood to this home in Josephine Crossing.

The yard here was quite sloped then. “It made it hard for the kids

to play,” says Crystal. The size of the yard, however, and the patio slab provided potential to refashion the outdoor area.

The newly constructed sunroom claimed a chunk of the yard while leaving a nice piece of ground for some outdoor bliss. “We wanted an outside-inside thing,” Crystal says. Along with the sunroom, innovative landscaping dropped into the project’s equation.

The project’s outdoor design provides two separate areas. “The upper patio is the more formal area for the barbecue and table,” says Chuck Wissenbach, owner of CW Designs, who implemented the landscaping and planting. “The lower patio serves as the more rustic/relaxed area for the fire pit and lounge chairs.”

The lower patio level is similar to a sunken living room. It’s the idyllic space for family and friends to congregate. A curved wall with edge lighting defines the cozy setting. Chuck says it was a “necessary design feature” and that by curbing the wall, “it makes

the area feel more organic and not as structured.”

Giving each level a slightly different touch, Chuck used Belgard Mega Arbel pavers for the lower patio and Belgard Lafitt Rustic pavers both with flecks of red for the main patio.

“We have the barbecue, smoker and hot tub on the upper level,” says Darian. A pergola will soon add a new dimension to the hot tub. Solid steel planters sit near the spa, lending a soft flair and pops of color.

A small flower bed atop the curved wall also livens up the space. “The plants in this bed,” says Chuck, “are meant to provide some color and the trees some shade as things grow. I didn’t want to create a completely sterile landscape in the yard. I think it brings a little softness to the transition from the upper to lower patios.”

Crystal and Darian also opted to transition this impeccable patio “look” on the other side of the fence. “We put custom-made decorated steel structures along the side of the house that look beauti-

ful at night,” says Crystal. “They’re lighted, solar-powered. We also built a retaining wall on the side of the house to match the (patio) pavers so people passing by can sit.”

Crystal’s long-awaited plan for a sunroom for all seasons finally materialized. It’s a work of art and a dedication to family and home. Crystal and Darian worked together and alongside of local craftspeople in accomplishing this amazing project. They hit it out of the park. ✻

CREATE AN oasis2OUTDOOR

TOP 2023 TRENDS TO ENERGIZE YOUR OUTDOOR LIVING SPACE

WHEN IT COMES to hanging outside under the summer sun or putting your feet up under the stars, there’s no question the patio or deck has become the home’s extra “living room.” That’s why more and more homeowners are creating that

relaxing outdoor getaway without ever having to leave home. What are the top trends? We talked to a few local experts to find out how you can create that outdoor oasis.

written by JULIE KOERBER photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

DINING AL FRESCO

Enjoying an outdoor meal with family is nothing new. But, over the past few years, the manner in which we’re enjoying cuisine and conversation has gotten quite the lift.

“What was once some lawn chairs and a redwood picnic table in the backyard has now become up to a 3,000-square-foot addition to your home by making the outdoors so livable,” says Jim Gainan of Gainan’s Midtown.

Jim says many of his customers are opting for dining tables that seat up to 10, with an emphasis on entertaining. If you don’t feel like you have the space for this size table, he suggests, opt for two smaller tables and put them together when you need a few extra seats.

“Another trend is to dress a table outside the way you would inside — going to some trouble to make it look extra pretty for your guests and more importantly for yourself,” Jim says. Think outdoor table runners, melamine plates in pretty patterns or acrylic glasses that look like glass but won’t break if dropped.

Instead of having to stain a redwood picnic table every few years, Jim says options like the Polywood line make maintaining outdoor furniture as easy as it is to wash your car. The furniture is made from upcycled plastic milk jugs that have been melted down and molded into a timber-like product.

“You just take soap, water, rinse and dry,” Jim says. “Once a year, you can take Armor All and wipe it down for UV protection.”

NATURAL PATHWAYS

Meandering paths have become a trend to add a bit of serenity with an emphasis on using natural products to create these walkways.

“People like grass, just not as much,” Jim Gainan says, adding that the use of maintenance-free materials breaks up what was once a rectangular yard into a space with design interest. Folks are turning to not only wood but broken stones or even crushed limestone to add a bit of charm.

“Limestone, in its most crushed form, looks like a sand path in Hawaii and it works in Billings,” Jim says. After you create your pathway, removing grass and exposing the dirt underneath, “You tamp the crushed limestone down and it creates a natural pathway.” If you use what’s called polymeric sand, which is often used as a joint sand between pavers, once you get it wet, it becomes as hard as rock.

“There’s no maintenance to it,” Jim says, “and it cuts down on the space to water.”

SERENITY NOW KIND OF SEATING

For the past few years, there’s been a movement toward making outdoor living an expression of a person’s indoor design style. That trend continues.

“It used to be that the outdoor fabrics had a distinct feel to them, but now the outdoor fabrics are a soft, supple fabric, almost what you’d see on interior furniture,” says Ann Murphy, store designer for Timesquare Furniture. “Now you are seeing televisions out on patios next to outdoor kitchens. It’s almost like the whole house set-up has moved outdoors.”

Sectional seating has also gained in popularity, allowing homeowners to move bits and pieces to accommodate larger groups with a variety of interchangeable components. And, as Ann’s fellow store designer Summer Montez says, “A lot of the furniture in the past has been super-lightweight. People want a bulkier furniture that’s weather- and sun-resistant so you can get years out of it.” And, she says, it gives people a set that won’t blow away when the next big windstorm strikes.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

With all the solar lighting options or the ever-popular string lights, pretty much every expert agreed that layered light on the patio can create just the right magic when the sun sets.

“It just creates a wonderful ambiance,” Ann says. “I took a drum lampshade and covered it with some outdoor fabric and then I used a solar hanging light inside.” It looks like an indoor hanging lamp, only powered outside by the sun, Ann says. She’s also set a hurricane lamp with a citronella candle in the middle of a potted herb garden to create a useful centerpiece.

PERK UP WITH A SERENE POP OF COLOR

Gone are the all-gray outdoor schemes or bold bright colors. This year, outdoor living is all about creating a healthy dose of serenity and using color to do it. Browse the outdoor patio collections or pillows and you’ll find more sophisticated patterns that are similar to what you might find in an indoor living collection. Colors that are trending this season? A serene green — think the color of succulents — and a complementary shade of orange.

FREE FLOW

When it comes to creating a peaceful retreat, more and more homeowners are opting to blur the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces and it’s happening with plenty of “wow” factor.

“We now have sliding doors where all three or four panels are operable,” says Logan Eaton with Pella Windows and Doors. He says panels can be up to 5 feet wide and 10 feet tall with stacking technology to create extra large openings right off the back of your home. Other sliding doors are created just like a pocket door, allowing the homeowner to slide the door completely out of view.

“A lot of the older sliding doors are two panel doors and you have a 3-foot opening in them or sometimes even less than that. Now you are getting a 4-foot up to a 20-foot opening,” Logan says. “It changes the whole atmosphere. Everyone knows what it is like to go out onto a really nice patio, and when you can bring that into your home, especially with entertaining, it changes the mood altogether.”

With a little investment, he says, you can easily stretch interior square footage, letting your home take advantage of the fresh summer air along with plenty of natural light.

SPA-LIKE ENVIRONMENT

From water features to hot tubs and bubbling fountains to swimming pools, using water in a back yard is sure to up the relaxation factor. If you look at the statistics behind the trend, three out of 10 homeowners would love to add a hot tub in 2023 and 15 percent say a swim spa is on their wish list.

“I think popularity has to do not only because of space but because of people’s desire to reconnect with family,” says Kristene Bogle, owner of Big Sky Spas. “When we talk about hot tubs or swim spas, we talk about it being the new family dinner table. There are no distractions. There are no cell phones. It’s a place to talk to each other.”

And a swim spa is the only pool that Montanans can use all year round, not only for entertaining but exercise too.

“You can literally swim if it is 104 degrees, or you could swim if it is 20 degrees. It always works,” Kristene says, adding that you don’t have to winterize a swim spa.

These mini-pools, on average, are 8 feet wide by 17 feet long and easily allows upwards of a dozen people to enjoy the space at one time. When you consider the fact that the average pool will set you back $70,000, a swim spa as little as $25,000 is a year-round bargain.

“I liken it to going to the beach or to the river,” Kristene says. “There’s something about the sound and feel of water that naturally relaxes you.” ✻

DRESSEDNINES to the2

CONTEMPORARY WEST END HOMES FLUSH WITH DESIGN INSPIRATION

written by TRISH ERBE SCOZZARI photography by DANIEL SULLIVAN

“They get to see their (house) plans, budgets, schedules and the level of communication we offer,” he says of the homebuilding process. “It’s a fun experience for people to build with us.”

The two flagship projects of CB Built lay in walking distance of one another. The thoroughly “modern sleek” house sits on the corner of Muirfield Place, while the “mountain modern” house is on Riviera Place.

DRIVING THROUGH THE NINES

development on Billings’ West End, you notice how different each house looks. Yet, there’s a subtle similarity defining this upscale neighborhood. Perhaps it’s the clean lines of each home, the large picture windows, or the mixed materials used to create individual artistic flair.

These houses with a modern edge were built to turn heads. “The Nines is unique,” says 25-year-old Conner Bokma, co-founder of CB Built. We stepped inside two of his latest homes. “It’s a super custom identity not to be replicated any time soon,” he says of the development.

The 90-acre community of P3Coleman Property Development is located between 60th and 64th Streets with varying size houses and lots. The streets are named after country clubs around the United States, hence The Nines.

“We’re a breath of fresh air for people,” says Conner, who grew up in Denton and graduated from Montana State University with a construction engineering technology degree.

Both one-level homes feature open-concept design highlighted with soaring 10-foot ceilings and 8-foot kerf (no trim) interior doors. Large Pella windows grant great views of the pastoral surroundings, while CB Built’s stunning signature tiled linear fireplace with floating illuminated hearth romances the living/ kitchen areas.

Stunning kitchens in both houses are Beyond the Box exquisite. “There was a lot of cabinetry design freedom in these projects, which inspires the creative in me,” says Beyond the Box Designer Ragan Yetley.

The spaciousness of the 2,932-square-foot Muirfield house is complemented by engineered hardwood flooring flowing seamlessly through the main living and kitchen area. The kitchen’s clean lines give off an uber-modern vibe with straight flush crown molding topping rift cut white oak veneer cabinetry.

“Veneers are excellent choices for contemporary flat panel door styles,” says Ragan. “Being thin ‘slices’ (called flitches) of actual hardwood, veneers provide the same richness and grain variation as solid wood but without some challenging characteristics such as expansion and contraction.”

Details like gold edge pulls deliver a classy low profile look on the upper cabinetry while long gold pulls on the lower cabinets

enhance the distinction.

Floating shelves add to the kitchen’s appeal as natural light streams in from a giant window in the accompanying butler pantry. Enriching the overall space is the center island. Its matteblack base showcases the richness of a 10½-foot Eternal Calacatta Gold quartz countertop.

Light-colored square backsplash tiles with coordinating grout keep it sleek and chic, as do flush stainless steel luxury appliances. This gourmet kitchen lends itself to memory-making gatherings.

You’ll entertain in style while enjoying the outdoor view across the room where a bevy of windows and a sliding patio door invite the outside in.

“The flow of the home is super-efficient,” notes Conner. “We prioritize our kitchens, the fireplace and the master suites. It’s user-friendly with no steps.”

This three-bedroom, three-bath home impresses the most sophisticated. The exceptional owner’s suite allows quiet indulgence to unwind from the day. Plush carpeting gives a warm ambiance to this prominent space.

An ample barn door reveals the gorgeous spa-like en suite. A floating vanity with underneath lighting complemented by lighted mirrors juxtapose elegantly. The striking herringbone pattern black tile walk-in shower is a knock-out.

A large private den in the owner’s quarter boasts the ideal place to sip an Arnold Palmer. “This space can be an office, a workout room, a nursery, or whatever you want it to be,” Conner says.

An oversized guest bedroom with a tiled quartz bathroom sits adjacent to the owner’s personal quarters. The third bedroom with en suite conveniently sits on the opposite side of the house, fulfilling the intriguing potential of Muirfield Place.

“Throughout the houses, there are luxury touches everywhere,” Ragan says.

The 2,632-square-foot Riviera home introduces a totally different look, yet all the details and high-end features are present. “We’re not a production builder,” emphasizes Conner. “We custom design each home.”

The layouts of each house offer diversity starting with the exteriors. Riviera’s front entry expresses a Montana modern look with its grand scale covering and strategically positioned white cultured stone. Wood and white stone columns define it.

Its mountain modern construction casts a rustic charm throughout. The CB Built signature tiled linear gas fireplace with floating illuminated hearth adds depth to the more rustic look with its glossy finish.

The kitchen cabinetry features an oak-textured laminate called Roanoke. “These laminate materials provide unique color and texture characteristics and represent the latest offerings in

lamination technology,” Ragan says.

Black backsplash laid in a brick pattern distinguishes these warm tone cabinets, bestowing a more traditional feel. Toe-kick lighting adds just the right glow. A hosting bar at the edge of the kitchen further reveals its personality — with its sharp-looking black metal-frame upper cabinets with dark glass doors above and a mini beverage fridge below.

A creamy Eternal Calacatta Gold quartz countertop graces the center island. Two pendant lights hanging above the isle perfectly contrast the warm tones of Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring.

The heart of the home doesn’t skip a beat. A designated dining space is sure to please with its open views to the patio and backyard area. Finishing it off is a butler’s pantry with abundant storage space.

The open concept of the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath

Riviera home flows efficiently. Two identical oversized bedrooms sit on one end of the home separated by a grand bathroom accentuated with black and white subway tile.

Conner directs attention to a front office, complete with closet and, also, an easy-access powder room sporting a quartz apron front vanity. We stop to check out a linen closet before taking

in the owner’s suite on the other end of the house.

This is a space you can settle into for long periods come rain or shine. It’s an airy oasis. “We’re detailed-oriented,” says Conner.

Details cover every inch of this roomy boudoir with its fine quality carpeting and extra closet space. And, the over-the-top en suite decked in earth tones really exudes a natural feel. Take your pick between the tiled walk-in shower embellished with two shower heads and the free-standing soaking tub. There’s plenty of space for both in this private getaway.

All cabinetry in both houses are from Beyond the Box, but this particular en suite’s vanity displays a cabinet or “tower” between the sinks. Lighted mirrors can be found on both sides. The walk-in closet readily accommodates the most serious fashionista.

This well-planned en suite flows into the utility room. Laundry appliances tucked behind sleek cabinet doors keep this area clean and bright. When the family troops in to hang up their jackets and put their shoes away in the mud room, they’re able to walk right into the kitchen.

“All of these small touches come together and create homes that make you feel at home,” says Ragan.

The unique design and use of design elements in the two CB Built homes reflect what Conner and his “team” of local craftsmen and women he works with have achieved. “The objective is

to add a new flare,” says Conner, “a new taste to the market.”

The Muirfield and Riviera homes definitively contribute a new flare to the market. They’re dressed to The Nines. ✻

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CB BUILT, visit: p3coleman. com/cb-built. The Nines residential development offers community amenities such as a community pool and fitness center, a full-size basketball court, future pickleball courts and extensive parks with walking trails.

Cheers to Team Hanel! We can’t express enough gratitude for the exceptional care and professionalism provided by Robin, Tom, and Korinne before, during, and even after the sale of our home. They were truly there for us and our home every step of the way .