I'm Back!





So yes, it has been over a month since I last blogged. My apologies on the delay. My excuse this time is that I've been super busy and just haven't found the time or motivation....until today. Anyways, I sit here writing this blog in the cozy breakfast nook of the house I am watching (I've become quite the house-sitter in Livingston). You might remember this house from my past blogs, it is the brand new home with the cute little goats, chickens, ducks, cat, dog, and now three cows I watched earlier this year. Yes, I'm back there and have been house-sitting all week. I'll be back and my small, little apartment tonight though : (

Here are a couple new pics of my favorite furry and feathery friends if you forget them!

 

  

  

So besides for house-sitting, I've been up to a bunch of other good things. I made a list. Here it is.....

#1. For those of you who didn't know, or just didn't read my blog post before this one. I went back to Ohio the first week of April. I had a blast seeing my family and friends and spending a lot of time with Greg. Whenever I go home it always feels like I never left and I think that's a good thing. No matter where I end up in my life Ohio is home.

#2. At work this week I collaborated with students and a super kick-ass 7th grade science teacher named Mr. Petitt to create Livingston's 1st school garden!!!! Over the winter I had high school industrial tech students build 5 raised beds with grant money I had. The beds hung out inside all winter until we could start planting. This past week it was warm, sunny, and in the 70s....perfect time to get started! The students did all the work. They moved the beds, shoveled dirt, planted the seeds.

It was wonderful to see how excited and engaged the students were. The whole process warmed my heart. Never have I felt more dignified at my job than this week.

Even more good news on the work front. The past month I was able to secure two grants for the Livingston Farm to School program! The money will help us start more gardens as well as cover any other costs from classroom activities to field trips! Yay!

#3. Last week I put a big check on my Montana bucket list. I went hunting! Spring is turkey season in Montana so I went with my supervisor, Todd and his friend Derek who is the maintenance director at the schools. We didn't get a turkey, but that's okay because I still got to shoot a gun! A Henry 22 to be exact. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Todd set up a target on a tree and I unloaded. Once I figured out how to aim I didn't do half bad. Derek and Todd even said I was a regular Annie Oakley...I'll take that!

#4. Of course I can't finish this post without talking a little basketball since it is playoff time! Of course I'm sad that the Cavs going home early again, however I am excited for the Thunder! Luckily for me, I was able to watch yesterday's Thunder game online on ESPN3 with Greg's cable info. This Thunder/Mavs series is going to be intense and of course I see the Thunder winning it, probably in 6 or 7. THUNDER UP!

Alright, I think I covered everything. Oh wait, I forgot to mention my best friend from college is getting married this July and guess who's a bridesmaid?! I'm super excited since I've never been in a wedding before. I have a feeling this is just the first of many in the next couple years!

Okay now I think I have everything covered. The next couple months should be interesting as I finish up my time in Montana. It is time to start making some decisions on what to do next. I have some job opportunities lined up, but nothing has come to fruition just yet, but I will keep you all updated when things start to happen, I promise.

Love,

Becky

SBOH '12!!!!

Everyone get ready. Next week starts my spring break and I'm headed to the only place I know where I can drink all day, party all night, and do stupid stuff....OHIO!!! Just kidding (well at least about the the vast amounts of drinking and partying stuff). I will be in Ohio next week and I couldn't be more excited. I fly into Columbus the 2nd and will be there until the 4th with Gregory. On the 5th we're heading up to the city that I love, CLEVELAND for the Tribe home opener and will be there for a couple days. So if you want to hang out during that time, holler at your girl!

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Love,
Becky

What I've Realized From Anthony Bourdain

I've never particularly been a fan of Anthony Bourdain or his show No Reservations. Actually I've never watched his show until tonight (and after that I'm still not really a fan).

Anyways, it was another lonely, boring night in Livingston led me to Netflix. Since I've come to Livingston I've known Anthony filmed an episode here. I've seen his autograph in Pinky's while grabbing lunch. So on this boring night I finally decided to check his Livingston episode out. While scanning seasons to find the that particular episode I came across one he filmed in Cleveland. Longing for any glimpse
of my hometown I miss so dearly, I had to watch. Seeing/reading/hearing anything positive about Cleveland from an outsider always makes my heart smile. But that's not the point of my post, so I must move on. I could talk Cleveland all day.


After watching the Cleveland episode I moved on to the Livingston one which couldn't have been a more accurate illustration of where I currently reside. The beautiful scenery. Trout fishing. Dining on wild game. And of course the Murray Bar (one of my favorite establishments in town).

Watching this two episodes in succession really made think about something I've never thought about before. To someone who hasn't lived in both these place they would seem totally opposite, but living in Cleveland and Livingston has made me realize they are not as different as most people may think.

Yes the landscape is quite different. Livingston has mountains, miles upon miles of open field, and big sky. Cleveland has skyscrapers, concrete, and gray clouds, but now I see the parallels of both. And in my eyes both places are beautiful.

Cleveland's mountains are old steel mills and empty factories mixed with more modern buildings like Key Tower. Its fields are concrete parking lots, streets, and sidewalks. Its big sky is covered by gray clouds a majority of the time.


Just in the same Livingston's skyscrapers are the mountains, its concrete is prairie grass, and its gray clouds take the form of 40 mile and hour winds.

Both places are products of big industry and have suffered from that industry dying. In Cleveland it was the steel industry and in Livingston is was the railroads. The exodus of both these industries have lead to many negative aspects such as environmental pollution, emigration, and increased rates of poverty. But through all
the hardships people in both Cleveland and Livingston have remained resilient and this resiliency has spurred creativity, innovation, and new sources of economic revenue.

The people in both Cleveland and Livingston are those of a proud type not to be mistaken with pretentious or boastful. They are the real deal. What you see is what you get. No one is pretending to be someone they are not. This is something I value greatly in people I choose to associate with and I've had no problem finding it within a majority of the people I've met it both places.

I want to thank Anthony Bourdain for profiling both these places that I love on his show. Without him I would have never been able to realize just how similar these two different places I've lived in are. His show served as inspiration late tonight. And
while it nears midnight out here I've come to realize when inspiration strikes you must harness it as fast as you can because it can leave your quickly. I harness my inspiration in this blog and until I find a better outlet to do this, blogging will have to suffice.

As I mentioned I wrote this post late, so don't judge any extra spelling or grammer mistakes...I'm tired. Goodnight.

I <3 CLE & I <3 LIV

Love,
Becky

Everyone deserves an emo rant once in a while....

So I know I haven't blogged in awhile and I apologize. Here are my 3 excuses...

#1 I've been busy.
#2 I just haven't felt like it.
#3 My Internet only likes to work when it feels like it.

Anyways a good amount has gone on the past month or so. Here's a quick recap.

#1. My boyfriend Greg came out to visit. Yes I have a boyfriend now. We had so much fun going to Chico Hot Springs, Yellowstone, and Missoula. It was the best week since I've been here. It was nice to have a real friend around to explore Montana with. Here are a couple pics...


(Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone)



(Boiling River, Yellowstone)



(Ten Spoon Winery, Missoula)


This guy is pretty awesome and he's even coming back in a couple weeks to visit again so I guess he really likes me!!!!

#2. Last weekend I went to Missoula with my friend Lindsay to catch this film called Cafeteria Man at the Big Sky Documentary Fest. The film is about Tony Geraci, a chef/nutritionist/business man/food activist that totally transformed Baltimore Public School's food. It was a great film and totally inspired me once again to do this kind of work in Cleveland eventually, but what was even greater was the fact that Tony was there! Lindsay and I were lucky enough to spend almost the entire day picking his brain with all things Farm to School. It's awesome because now I have a contact with one of the most influential Farm to School people in the country! Here's a pic of me, Tony, and Lindsay at a party that night.



#3. My friend Jim gave me his user name and password for his NBA League Pass account so now I'm able to watch basketball (as long as my Internet decides to work that day)!!! Who Hoo!!! Jim is my hero because I was going through serious basketball with drawl. Oh yeah and that reminds me, my kick ass boyfriend got me my first Cavs jersey for Valentine's Day. He rocks!



#4. My favorite student in one of my classes moved away. His name was Layne and he was definitely a "special" student. He was absolutely obsessed with bald eagles. His last day broke my heart. I'm going to miss that little guy. What I've learned from my short time teaching is that some kids touch your heart in a special way and Layne did that to me. I will never be able to look at a bald eagle again and not think of him :(


(The bald eagle finger puppet I got for Layne)


Okay so now that you're all updated on some of the important things I've been up to, it's time for my emo rant....

So basically I've come to the realization that Montana isn't the place for me. There's lots of things I love about it here don't get me wrong, but Montana just isn't "me". At first I thought I was just feeling the winter blues, but I don't think that's the case anymore. I've tried so hard to fit into the Montana lifestyle, but it's not me. I'm a city girl at heart. I miss dressing in a skirt and high heels and not getting made fun of for it. I miss my professional sports. I miss eating a nice restaurants. I miss DIVERSITY for goodness sake!

With all that being said, it's obvious I'm not staying in Montana. Although I have the opportunity to stay and do my AmeriCorps thing for another year, I just can't do it again and be completely happy. Yes I do love what I do and I know I'm making a positive difference for kids, however I'd just rather do it in a more urban environment. Not to mention living another year in poverty...no thanks. I think if I stayed another year I'd go completely crazy.

Sorry Montana, it was fun for awhile, but the honeymoon period has worn off and this relationship is over. It's not you, it's me.

That's for putting up that...

Good news is I will be back in Ohio the first week of April!!!! I'm so excited. I'll be in Columbus with Greg part of the time. Then we'll be up in Cleveland for the Tribe home opener and to see my family. Finally we're going to Indy to watch the Pacers/Thunder! I absolutely can't wait. Thinking about it is what keeps me going some days here when I'm absolutely bored out of my mind.

Well that's all for now, my poor fingers need a break. I promise it won't be so long until I do this again.

Love,
Becky

I Should Just Work For the NBA

It's extremely rare that I post two days in a row, however #1 I don't have much to do at work today and #2 I just NEED to talk NBA.



As you sports fans know the NBA All-Star starters were revealed last night. No real surprises. The West is made up of all LA players except for the amazing Kevin Durant. The East of course has Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb (aka LeBron and Wade) along with Mr. Crybaby himself: Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, the only player I can stand out of the 5......Derrick Rose.

But like a said nothing unexpected. The fans vote on these guys so I expect style over substance when it comes to All-Star starters. What I'm interested about is exactly who will be the reserves. If you were unaware the reserves are chosen by the coaches, people who study these players on a nightly basis. It is always my hope that the reserves are chosen not by name, but by numbers. With that being said, here are my All-Star reserves, and I have the numbers to back my selections up.

Let's start with the East (in no particular order):

1. Amare Stoudimare: Can't leave him out. All the BIG market teams need multiple players in the game. Miami has 2, the Lakers have 2, the Clippers have 2, so New York "The Mecca of Basketball" needs 2 too. Stoudemire is averaging 18.4 ppg and 8.2rpg.
2. Rajon Rondo: Will get chosen, the question is he healthy enough to play after his wrist injury. Averaging 15 ppg, 9 apg, and 5.1 rpg.
3. Brandon Jennings: Averaging 20 ppg and almost 6 assists per game. Leading the Bucks to a 10-11 record currently. Who would have thought? However even though he is leading the Bucks to a better record it's more likely that Deron Williams will get chosen from the 8-15 Nets. Womp Womp. (Sorry I've always thought Williams is overrated).
4. Andre Igoudala: Best player on the NBA's most surprising team. Currently they are 2nd in the East. Averaging decent numbers....13 ppg, 6.7 rpg, and 5 apg. Would be a robbery not to have a Sixer represented.
5. Danny Granger: The Pacers have a 15-6 record. Not too shabby. Granger is averaging 18.3 ppg, 2 apg, and 4.7 rpg.
6. Paul Pierce: I don't really want to put Paul Pierce here, but he's been a staple in the All-Star game forever. Averaging 17.8 ppg, 5.5 apg, and 5.4 rpg. I guess that's good enough.
7. ANDERSON VAREJAO: Even though I'm totally biased towards the Cavs, that has nothing to do with this selection. Varejao has put up the numbers to make him the best center in the East behind Dwight Howard. Look at other center's averages that led him in the voting:

Noah: 8.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg
Horford: Hurt
Chandler: 10.9 ppg, 10 rpg
Frickin Joel Anthony (SERIOUSLY?!): 3.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Averaging a double double with 10.4 ppg and 11.5 rpg. Bryon Scott is campaigning hard for him and the people of Cleveland need to back him up. #Andy4AllStar



Now the West:

1. Russell Westbrook: The jelly to KD's peanut butter. 21.9 ppg, 5.7 apg, 4.8 rpg. Was an All-Star last year and will be for many years to come.
2. Kevin Love: No brainer. The guy is averaging more points and rebounds than starter Blake Griffin (K.Love averages 25.3 ppg and 13.6 rpg while Blake averages 21.4 ppg and 10.9 rpg). Should have been a starter, but Blake is more flashy and plays in LA so that says enough.

3. James Harden: Best 6th man in the NBA. 16.1 ppg 3.6 apg 4.2 rpg. He's the glue guy for the Thunder. There's no way they would be as good without him.
4. Dirk: The reigning MVP and NBA Champion will not get left off this roster. Averaging 16.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, and still has one of the best 3-point percentages for any big man at .378% this season.
5. LaMarcus Aldridge: Got snubbed last year. This guy IS the Portland Trailblazers with Brandon Roy gone. Averaging 22.8 ppg and 8.7 rpg. If he's snubbed again this year I've lost all my faith in the NBA.
6. Monta Ellis: Averaging 21.5 ppg, 6.7 apg, and 8 rpg. Ellis's reputation isn't squeaky clean so I don't know if they'll want to put him in the game, but he is putting up the numbers to earn a spot.
7. Rudy Gay: Averaging 18 ppg 2 apg, and 6.5 rpg. Has led the Grizz to a 12-10 record even after losing Z-Bo. He also has the best All-Star campaign video (even if it was from last year). Check it out: http://youtu.be/o4hMBvsGgn0




So I state my cases. We'll see how right I am. If I'm almost completely right I think I need to get hired by the NBA. Seriously.

Can't wait till February 9th to find out the selections.

Until then....Peace, Love and Basketball,
Becky

Much Love

On Monday I ended my stint house-sitting. It was bittersweet. I was definitely glad to not have to wake up anymore at 6 AM and go out in the cold to take care of the animals. However, by the end of my time there I had my morning routine down pat. My milking skills got substantially better. It used to take me 45 minutes to milk the goats, by my last day it only took me 15! Check out my skills:



I do miss all the animals. Me, being the animal lover I am, developed special relationships with all the animals. I must say though, out of all the animals I cared for, the chickens completely won over my heart. I'm head over heals in love with chickens and when I say in love, it's already boarding on obsession. Since I've been back at my house I'm watched YouTube videos of chickens every night. I'm in the process of becoming familiar with the roughly 54 common breeds of chickens. I plan on purchasing some chicken books when I head to Barnes and Noble this weekend. I will become a chicken expert. I plan on owning chickens one day, and I need to start preparing for that day now. Call me crazy, I don't care.....I <3 Chickens!



So being back in my little apartment in Livingston is not too bad. Back to snuggling every night with Walnut. Yay!!! Also there has been some John Mayer sightings in Livingston lately (for real, my roommate saw him). Word is that he's looking at property out here. How awesome would it be to have John Mayer around?! Maybe one of these days he'll decided to play at one of our local bars. I could die happy, but it's probably just wishful thinking.

Anyways, I'm just waiting for this week to wrap up. Next week I'll be gone Monday and Tuesday for a FoodCorps retreat/training at B Bar ranch which is about 45 minutes south of Livingston. From what I've heard from my friends here it's extremely nice. Then on Wednesday my friend Greg is flying in from Ohio! Yay for my first visitor from home! We have plans to go to Chico Hot Springs, Yellowstone, and Missoula along with that I'll be showing him good old Livingston and Bozeman of course. I'm super excited! I'm sure we'll be taking oodles of pictures. With that being said, I won't be blogging till sometime after the 14th. Hope you can wait till then...

I want to end this blog by giving my lovely sister Michelle a birthday shout out! She's my best friend and one of the most beautiful, fun, and caring people I know! Love you and miss you Shell! Happy Birthday!



Love,
Becky


P.S. Check out my pics page for more pictures of me and animals!

Playing House

On Wednesday I begun house sitting for a friend of a friend while their family went to Costa Rica for 3 weeks. The house is about 15 north east from Livingston in an area called Shields Valley. I couldn't have been lucky enough to house sit for any other family. They are totally eco-conscious, local foodies like me (which come few and far between it seems)! Here are couple pictures of the place:




(Not too shabby right?)

So I said these people were local foodies and they truly are in every sense. They have about 15 hens that give them fresh eggs daily. They also have one rooster. I'm falling in love with them all. I don't know why but I just find chickens so down-right cute. As I write this I'm watching them scurry through the yard. Goofy little gals.


(Freddy, the rooster. How is that not cute?)

I definitely want to have some chickens when I'm older. They're cute, easy to care for, and fresh chicken eggs are out of this world. You can really tell the difference between eating a fresh egg from free range chickens and the perfectly white, uniform, eggs from factory farms (ewwww I get disgusted just thinking about those). Here's some real eggs:



They also have 7 goats. Three babies, an adult male, and 3 milking goats. Each morning I get up and milk the goats around 7:00 AM. Milling goats, let alone anything, was a total first for me. I came over to practice twice before I actually starting house sitting. Let me just say my first couple times milking were not pretty. However, milking is an acquired skill and each day I'm getting better and better at it. Each day I get about 2-3 cups from the 3 milking goats which I use in cooking or just to drink. Now those that know me best know I haven't drank real milk in years. I've always opted for non-dairy milk alternatives such as soy or my personal favorite, almond milk. I enjoy drinking this raw milk because it offers more nutrition than pasteurized milk. Because it is not pasteurized all the vitamins, minerals, healthy bacteria, and active enzymes found in all milk are not killed off as they are during the pasteurization process (in pasteurized milk, some vitamins and minerals are added back after the pasteurization such as vitamin D, however the active enzymes and healthy bacteria are not). Raw milk also contains a lactose-digesting bacteria called Lactobacilli. Since raw milk contains this important bacteria, people with lactose in tolerances can usually tolerate raw milk. My final plug for raw milk is that it contains all 8 essential amino acids and well as healthy fats.

Wow, that was quite a spiel. Anyways, back to the goats. Just like the chickens I'm totally falling in love with them. They each have their own personality. My favorite is Lina. Here is her glamour shot:



There are also ducks here. I'm not really sure if they have a food purpose or not, but they are welcome additions to the animal farm.



The final two animals I have to care for are a cat and dog. Toonces the cat is a complete sweetheart.



The dog is a matching all-black Mastiff named Chick. He is the most high-maintenance dog I've ever met and also the biggest sweetheart. Chick recently had a leg injury. He is on a regiment of 5 different herbs and has a series of physical therapy exercises I must do with him daily. He also wears booties on his back paws to prevent him from slipping. They fall off constantly. It's okay though, I don't mind doing all this extra work for Chickie because he lets me cuddle up by the fire with him.



That's enough about the animals, now about the actual house. The house was built in a total sustainable fashion from a variety of recycled materials. I love all the exposed recycled wood throughout the place. However what I love even more is the soap stone wood-burning fireplace. This thing heats the whole house. Every night I make a fire that burns from about 5:00 till 11:00 (Side Note: Dad, you'd be so proud of my fire making skills now!). Once I let the fire burn out, the soap stone holds that heat and radiates it out, heating the house until I make the next fire. Here's a picture of the living room and the fireplace.



I could go on and on about how cool this house is, but this post is already long enough. If you want to see more pictures of the house, check out the "Sweet Pics" tab.

To sum everything up, I'm having a great time house sitting. This is the exact lifestyle I want to live when I'm older. It's going to be hard to leave and go back to my little, chicken-less, goat-less, dog-less, fireplace-less, apartment in 16 days. With that being said, I feel so fortunate to have this experience. I'm truly "living the dream" right now.

As I wrap this post up, it's finally begun to snow a little! Yay it's finally becoming winter in Montana!

Love,
Becky