Leroy

Last night was one of the toughest night of my life. Yesterday around 11:30 P.M. I said goodbye to my cat Leroy.

Leroy was only one year old and his passing was completely unexpected. He had developed a blood clot in his artery that sent blood to his legs. The clot was caused by some kind of heart disease. The vet informed me that they could try to treat it and he could possibly regain the use of his legs, however there was no guarantee, the disease would always be with him and it was likely that he would develop re-occurring clots in his legs, lungs, brain, or heart. Unable to let Leroy suffer the rest of his life, my only option was to put him to sleep. It was one of the hardest things I had to do.

For those of you who didn't get the chance to know Leroy or our relationship, he was a very special cat. Before I met Leroy he didn't have a great life. He was adopted as a kitten by another family. He developed a serious upper respiratory infection while with them. Instead of taking him to the vet to treat it, this family let it get worse. When it got bad enough they just dropped him off at the APL. At the APL they treated the infection, however he lost his right eye in the process. Shortly after he was better, I adopted him.

I tried to give Leroy the best possible life he could have. He was like a child to me. Anyone who has seen us together knows that. When I was home, he was always nearby me. Every morning once he heard me wake up he's come running into my room, jump on my bed and cuddle with me. Every time I walked in the door he'd run up to greet me. Every time I ate dinner he was always stiffing what I was eating (and sometimes trying to take a bite himself). He was my co-pilot on my trip out to Montana. He was there for me at a time in my life when I felt confused and lonely. Even though he had one eye, he could always see what was bothering me. He was truly a perfect match for me. It kills me that I didn't even get to spend a whole year with my buddy.

I know I did what was best for him, but it still hurts. I wasn't ready for this day.

Leroy, I loved you buddy. You were the best cat, you just didn't have the best health. You were a tough, strong kitty and you set an example to me of how to be the same. You helped me in ways you'll never know and I feel lucky to have had such a loyal companion even if it was only for 10 months. I'm going to miss you Leroy.

This poem is called the Rainbow Bridge and I'm sure many of you that have lost pets have read this...

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,

Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.

Where the friends of man and woman do run,

When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,

Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.

On this golden land, they wait and they play,

Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,

For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.

Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,

Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,

Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.

All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,

Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;

Together again, both person and pet.

So they run to each other, these friends from long past,

The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,

Has turned into joy once more in each heart.

They embrace with a love that will last forever,

And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.


Love,
Becky

Kizoa slideshow: Leroy - Slideshow

To kill time...

So things in the office have been pretty boring today. School starts next week so right now it's kind of the calm before the storm. My supervisor has taken the day off and I honestly don't have anything to do till next week. So today I've decided to make a list of all the things I could possibly do after AmeriCorps. Here it is (in no random order):

1. Stay another year working on my Farm-to-School program here in Livingston.
2. Join PeaceCorps
3. Go to grad school. The next question is where. Montana State? Case? Anywhere with a good nutrition/dietetics program?
4. WWOOF. I know most of you don't know what this is. I'm not going to explain it. Look it up.
5. Move back to Ohio and then figure stuff out.
6. Try to find a job somewhere......anywhere for goodness sakes.
7. Hangout in Europe with Ben.
8. Backpack in Europe with my friend Lindsay.
9. Fall in love.

Nine options is a lot, but it's better than nothing. I know I have time to figure this stuff out, I just have a lot of time today so I figured I'd at least write my ideas down and share them with everyone.

Totally random side note. I went horseback riding last night with my friend Maggie. We went kind of late though so we weren't out there for too long. We plan on going again sometime soon. Yay!

Okay enough of my rambling for today. Going to Missoula this weekend for the Root City River Festival which should be pretty fun. I'll let you know how that goes!

Love,
Becky

Chicken about Chicken

As I hope many of you know I've been a vegetarian for over 5 years now. To be specific I've been a pescetarian because I do eat fish. Anyways, lately I've been flirting with the idea of becoming an omnivore again.

To backtrack a little, the main reason I became a vegetarian in the first place was because of my mistrust and disgust of the meat industry.

Here in Montana it is much easier to find local meat that is organic and humanely raised.Animals here tend to be more happy and healthy. For example, all the local beef in Livingston are gazing cattle so they eat a natural diet of grass instead of corn and wheat fed that is completely unnatural and indigestible. Wild game is really big here too. Honestly I believe that wild game is the best meat you can eat. It's completely natural and the leanest meat you can get. My supervisor is a big hunter and he's almost completely sold me on deer, antelope, and bison all which he has stored in his freezer from hunts he has been on.

My problem right now is getting over the initial idea of eating meat again. I took my first step today by actually purchasing some local, organic, free-range chicken from the butcher across the street from my office. Currently it is sitting in my freezer begging for me to work up the nerve and cook it up.



So I'll keep everyone update on what I decide to do. I know some of my friends have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Hopefully it comes...I can't be 100% sure though.

Love,
Becky

Bark in the Park

Today was Bark in the Park, the local animal shelter's annual fundraiser. Since we're both big animal lovers, my roommate and I made sure not to miss it.

The event started out with a 5k run that we both did. For all my Peak people reading this, I finished in about 30 minutes, so 10 minute miles, not bad right? After the race we were able to go home and shower before the afternoon's activities. While BITP was focused mostly on dogs, they did have a "Coolest Cat Contest" which being a cat momma, I had to enter Leroy. The thing is, I have tons of pictures of him, but none that were super duper "cool". Since I wanted to win badly, I kind of cheated a bit and entered an awesome picture I took of my friend Tyler's cat, Keaton. Here's the pic. A winner for sure.



So Leroy was Keaton for the day, or the other way around. As I predicted, I won hands down. So many people came up to me saying how awesome my picture of "Leroy" was. For winning I got this sweet ribbon...



I feel a little bad for cheating, and maybe a picture of the real Leroy could have won, but I wanted to guarantee the W. On record though, the real Leroy is the coolest cat ever. I love my baby.



Altogether, Bark in the Park was pretty great. I must say, seeing all the doggies made me miss Sophie, but it was great to just be able to interact with other dogs. I can't wait till the day when I'll be able to have a dog of my own, whenever that will be.


Love,
Becky

Yay!

Yay! For a 1,000 pageviews (1,011 to be exact at this very moment)!!! Thanks for reading and hopefully somewhat caring about all things I'm doing out here in Montana.

Love,
Becky

Wednesdays Are Fun

Today was quite a busy Wednesday, but I'm not too mad about it.

First I was interviewed for the local paper. The reporter guy was super nice and even invited me to go rafting on the Yellowstone River this weekend. And don't worry he's not some creepy old dude, he's around my age which is refreshing here in Livingston. I feel like such a minority, everyone here seems to be 50 or older.

Later in the day I helped out one of my farmer friends at his stand at the farmers market which was fun.

After the farmers market I met a photographer from the paper at the community garden to take some pictures for my article. He told me he'd send them all to me so I'll post them when I get them.

Finally, I'm house/dog sitting for my roommate's boss while they're both at a conference tonight. Right now I'm hanging with two pooches I've appropriately named Dringus and Drungle (for those of you who don't get it, check out some Dr. Steve Brule stuff on Youtube).

Holler at everyone later!

Love,
Becky

Seely Lake

Hello Everyone! Sorry it's been a few days since my last post, I've been a little busy.

So I want to let everyone know about the awesome weekend I had.

Friday after work I drove up to Helena and met one of my Americorps friends. From Helena we drove north up to Seely Lake. In true Montana adventure spirit we didn't necessarily plan things out the best, so once we got up there, we needed to find a place to stay for the night. Luckily my friend's old co-worker had a lake house up there. She wasn't at her lake house, but her 30-something daughter and family were staying up there at weekend along with a couple other families. We got in contact with her and were graciously invited to camp out on the property of this killer lake house.

Not only did we just camp, we were able to go tubing, got offered tons of free food and alcohol, and got to hangout with some of the cutest kids ever. I made a new friend Will, he's 2 and a half, loves to swim, and is OBSESSED with Buzz Lightyear. He rocked.

Staying at this awesome crib did come with a price though. The reason why they were at Seely lake was to participate in the annual Seely Lake Triathlon on Saturday. Unfortunately one guy had gotten hurt so he wasn't able to compete in his leg of the triathlon (they competed in teams, in which one person did each event: swim, bike, run), so who got asked to fill in??? You guessed it....ME. The guy I filled in for was suppose to do the 10 mile biking leg of the race. Now pre-Montana I was taking a spinning class once a week so I figured it wouldn't be so bad and honestly it wasn't except for the fact that I had to ride a mountain bike designed for a 13 year old boy. Not cool. My legs were on fire since I had to pedal about twice as much as people on real bikes. Here's a pre and post pictures of me and my hot ride.

Before the Race


After the Race


After my lovely bike ride you would think I'd be done with physical activity for the day....WRONG. Once we got back to the lake house my friend and I decided to take a 5 mile hike to Morrell Falls, a 100ft waterfall that was nearby. The hike was tough (mostly because my legs were already dead), but in the end it was well worth it. Morrell Falls was amazing! Here are some pics.

On the way to the falls


At the falls


So overall, last weekend was great, probably the best since I've been here. I love exploring Montana. More exciting travel stories to come!

Love,
Becky

So I’ve come to realize….

Today I’ve come to realize that I’m one lucky duck.

The past three weeks I’ve really begun to dive into my Farm-to-School program. Childhood nutrition is a key component to this program. Fresh, local, and organic foods provide children with the nutrients they need to grow up healthy, happy, and free from diabetes and obesity. Unfortunately, most of our society prefers packaged, processed, convenient foods chalk full of chemicals, preservatives, and other harmful additives. Families eat on-the-go instead of eating together at a dinner table. Cooking has been replaced by drive thru’s and microwaves. Kids are getting fatter and sicker each day.

Why I am so lucky again?

I’m lucky because I have been fortune enough to have parents that broke me from the dangerous food cycle I see so many kids and young adults becoming part of. I’m lucky enough to have a mom that always plants a garden in our backyard. I’m lucky that she didn't work while I was growing up. I'm lucky she cooked fresh, healthy meals for my sister and I every day. I’m lucky my dad has a great job so my mom could stay at home and do those things. I’m lucky that fast food was/is a rarity in our house. I’m lucky that my family used our dinner table for meals rather than another place to put junk. I’m lucky my parents never bought me a Nintendo (as much as I wanted one). I’m lucky that I learned the value of nature and being outdoors at a young age. Finally, I’m lucky I had parents that truly saw the value in everything I just mentioned.

I know you’re reading this Mom and Dad and I want to thank you. You’ve taught me skills and values about food, nutrition, and health that will last my lifetime. You’ve probably saved me from numerous health problems when I get older like heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. It’s because of you I’m participating in this Farm-to-School program so I can help instill the same healthy eating habits you did for me in kids today and I’m extremely lucky to have that opportunity.

Here’s to my Mom and Dad and all other parents like them! Love you both!

Love,
Becky

The Boiling River

Yesterday after work, I drove about a hour or so south to Yellowstone to meet up with my VISTA friend and his family that was in town. They had already done a lot of sightseeing in Yellowstone, but they saved going to the Boiling River until I got there, which I'm glad!

The Boiling River is a natural hot spring. Hot water comes up from the earth and mixes with the cold water of the Gardiner River. It's frickin AWESOME! I can't tell you how cool it felt to be sitting in the warm water drinking a beer and looking up at some of the most beautiful scenery on the planet. Here's a pic before we got in.



Yellowstone was so beautiful. I can't wait to go back and see more. Here's a few pics I took. If you want to see more check my Facebook or for those who are too cool for Facebook check out my Picasa.








Nap time for me. Gotta get rested....going to see pig wrestling at the fair tonight! Oh man!

Love,
Becky

I think I'm in Love

So I've fallen in love with my neighbor, Hank. He's super cute and really sweet. He was outside the other morning while I was leaving for work and we just really hit it off. One downside is that he's kinda short, but he's still totally adorable. Oh and by the way, Hank's my neighbor's dog. Here's Hank....



Hank's the best. It's nice having a dog around. Especially since I miss Sophie so much.

On another note, yesterday was the farmers market. I was super pumped to use my food stamps to get some local food. However I was disappointed to find out that at the Livingston Farmers Market they do not have a EBT machine that makes it possible to make cash transactions for the farmers with the food stamps. BOO! After finding this out I'm making it my mission to get that accomplished so lower income people in Livingston can have access to local, fresh foods from the farmers market. Food Equality For All!

Okay I'm off my little soapbox now. Here's a picture of me enjoying some locally brewed beer from Neptune's Brewery in Livingston another new love of mine!




One more thing I forgot to mention. I finally got the internet at my place so that means I can finally Skype! Anyone who wants to Skype me, find me at BecNaab!

Love,
Becky

Third Reason I Love Today

Some dingus sent me this awesome video at work.




Enjoy!

Love,
Becky

Why I love Today

Two reasons why I love today...

#1: I got my food stamps card in the mail! I can finally buy groceries! Yay for free food!



#2: I had a meeting today with a girl I'll be working with for a couple months. She's helping me out to fulfil a internship she has to do at MSU. That's not the good thing though. The AWESOME thing is that she is originally from Livingston and has a ranch with about a dozen horses! Guess who's going horseback riding soon....this girl! Yay!

Hope everyone is having good days too!

Love,
Becky

Gates of the Mountains

Yesterday I went on a guided boat tour of what is known as the Gates of the Mountains near Helena. It was breath-taking and probably the best scenery I've had the chance to check out while in Montana. The tour took us 6 miles down the Missouri River with the Rockies towering on each side. The tour guide was a wealth of information and he let us know that the route we took was once traveled by Lewis and Clark. One tidbit of info that stuck with me that I though was interesting is that it took Lewis and Clark 7 days to travel the same pass that we did. On a boat today it only takes about 7 minutes! Crazy to think about how much quicker we can travel and see the world today compared to then!

Also we were able to see a couple bald eagles as well as osprey which were pretty cool.

Overall the tour was awesome and I would recommend it to anyone visiting (That means come visit me and I'll take you!!!).

Here are a couple more pics to give you an idea of what I got to see.





Love,
Becky