We're coming up on my one year anniversary of living in Montana. In that time, I've been on the hunt for other Montana bloggers and my goodness you guys are hard to find and super spread out. 

Lauren Caselli and I got to talking and concocted the idea of creating a Montana bloggers group. Then I saw Melanie create a blogger map for her state and voila, more ideas born. 

So. You'll find the map below. I've added in those bloggers I know, but please pass it on and encourage more bloggers to get on the map so we can all find each other and be friends! Just submit your info and I'll add it to the map. 

We have a Twitter account too! Right now I have a makeshift logo, but if anyone is interested in designing a nicer one, let me know! I'd also like to feature Montana photos as the Twitter cover photo each month. If you're interested, send me photos and we can choose one as a group on a monthly basis. 

Added bonus, here's a button to add to your sidebars if you're interested. 

  <div align="center"><a href="http://www.nearandfarmontana.com/made-in-montana.html" title="Montana Bloggers" target="_blank"><img src="http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac48/nearandfarmontana/ac6e1cf7-b821-47f9-ae42-0790aad6d2ad_zps532b02ad.jpg" alt="Montana Bloggers" style="border:none;" /></a></div>  

This time last year, I was visiting Montana for the second time.

I'd survived Memorial Day at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, where I was doing communications at the time. Obama had been our speaker, it was the biggest event in town and one of the hottest days of the year. 

While I was having heat stroke, Mark was sending me pictures of snow on the deck. 

A few days later, I was Montana bound.

With just a few days to spend together back when we were doing this uber long distance relationship nonsense, we opted to check out the Highwood Mountains, about an hour out of town. 

The first night we camped and brought his dog with us. She didn't sleep too well with all the nature sounds and when we woke up it was raining. By the time we ate oatmeal for breakfast, it was pouring. 

We'd planned to hike in and camp again, but we decided to pack up and take the dog home. 

Of course it was sunny at home so we decided to get back out and hike. 

Only thing was that everything was wet and muddy, but we trucked on. 

The trail was beautiful and we were having fun climbing over downed trees, sitting on rock formations and creek jumping. 

After a very steep stretch, when I thought my legs might just give out, we came to a clearing and were very, very close to the top of this particular mini mountain, or hill, all I know is it was steep! That's when the sky opened up. A cold, hard rain complete with lightning and thunder. 

It's possible I haven't mentioned this, so I'll tell you now, I HATE getting rained on. Once my shoes get squishy, game over. I might as well be 5 years old. I am a miserable, soggy, pouting mess. 

The rain didn't stop. 

We were huddling under a tree with hardly any over and my rain jacket was guiding rain all into my boots and my pants were soaked through and then I was freezing. 

I'm all for adventures and the outdoors, but as I started thinking we'd be trapped in this wet mess all night, I really just wanted to cry. I couldn't even bury my face in Mark's chest because all I got was a faceful of cold rain. 

Eventually, it stopped and Mark decided we should keep going. So we did. And I must admit it was beautiful with clouds moving over us and a vivid rainbow stretching in front of us. 

Mark pulled out a pack of fruit snacks for me and my pants dried and we explored a bit more until the doomsday looking rain clouds started coming at us with increasing speed. 

The fruit snacks have become a staple on our trips. I had picked them up while we were grabbing food stuffs for the trip, then put them back down since they were kind of expensive.

Mark said, "If you were out in the mountains and got caught in a rain storm, what would make you happy?"

Me: Fruit snacks.

Mark: Get the fruit snacks.

It's the simple things, I tell ya.

Meet Cole and Maggie of Kalispell Brewing Company. I came across them recently and they are pretty awesome. They are joining the very cool community of young people in Montana with big ideas who are taking the plunge and opening their own businesses, especially on the brewery scene here. I admire their spirit, talents, friendliness and their guts to do this and can't wait to visit the brewery when they open later this year!





Kalispell Brewing Company, Montana beer

Q: It sounds like Cole has been brewing beer for some time, but what was it that made you two decide that now was the time to open the Kalispell Brewing Company?

Cole has been toying with the idea for nearly a decade -- right around the time he brewed his fifth or sixth batch of beer. But sometimes it takes awhile to build up enough courage and experience to plunge head first into a business venture of this scale. Since we began dating in 2010, the discussion about opening a brewery evolved from a long-time dream of Cole's to a shared mission. Cole had been working for his family's business, based in Nebraska and his job required a lot travel, including overseas. While he enjoyed his work, it wasn't his passion. Beer had long been his passion. By the summer of 2011, we were keeping our eyes peeled for the right location to establish a brewery. In February of 2012, Maggie noticed a building on 4th and Main in downtown Kalispell was for sale at a reasonable price. Together we decided that brewing beer was what we wanted to do and once we found the building, we said: It's time. Let's do this.

Q: How did you find the historic building you're renovating and what are the pros/cons of putting a brewery in the building? (From the videos and photos I just looked at, it looks fantastic!)

Maggie found the building when grabbing a cup of coffee while on a work break. It was February and the coffee shop, Colter Coffee, shared a wall with this empty brick building. She noticed the for sale sign, and when she returned home from work, told me. We looked up the listing and quickly asked for a showing. The old brick building -- which was once a car dealership, before its many incarnations since the 1980s -- captured our hearts. It was large enough to easily accommodate a brewery, with room for expansion. We really wanted the brewery to be located downtown and the location on the corner of 4th and Main couldn't have been more ideal. When we toured the building, we could visualize the beauty and potential in the aging building. We wanted to revive it. The buildings in the Kalispell downtown district have a lot of character and history and we wanted to be a part of that.

We've found that it's a balancing act between maintaining history integrity and structural integrity. We've done our best to retain the building in its original state, but we've run into instances (like the back wall, which we had to demolish) where parts of the structure were just unable to be saved. In these cases, we've tried to salvage the building materials for use elsewhere in the remodel, thereby retaining a lot of the building's original character. There have been a myriad of issues, sometimes daunting, that needed to be addressed. The roof was sagging significantly, so this winter, steel I-beams had to be installed. The brick was in rough shape, so a crew of masons labored, intensively, to restore and repair the brick. We had to preform asbestos abatement on the tile floors. It's been an adventure and a good lesson in patience. Yet we're committed to the project and to the building. And we are taking steps to ensure that the building is remodeled in the best way, and will last for a long time. The building is looking really great and we can't wait to open and share the space with the community.

Q. I asked Courtney at Glacier County Honey what it's like running a business with her husband, how does it work for you two?

Cole and I met in the winter of 2010, training for the U.S. Telemark National Championships in Whitefish. I was completely new to the sport and Cole was a member of the U.S. Regional team. We became teammates first, and then we fell in love. I think our foundation of learning about each other as teammates and ski races has helped us transition into creating a business together. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses, both in telemark ski racing and in life. As teammates, we learned how to best communicate with  each other, and especially when we've traveled to Europe to compete in World Cup Telemark races, how to be each other's best fan.

Just like ski racing, there are a unique set of challenges in combining business and marriage. In the years of planning for the brewery and trying to anticipate the business once the brewery opens, we're tried to establish clear lines of communication and put each other in a position that maximizes the other's strengths. But we have to be careful because we can easily have business meetings at 7:30 in the morning, before we've even had a chance to brush our teeth. One of us might want a specific task done in a certain way and if it's not done to our liking, then there's a good chance it will come up over dinner. It's a balance. And we've had to establish boundaries, which is completely a work in progress and we know once the brewery opens, we'll be presented with another set of challenges.

But it's also an incredible and beautiful process. Together, we dream and we dream big. I think that our foundation in love and friendship has created an atmosphere that allows us to be as creative and passionate as possible. And our union as a couple gives us confidence and inspiration -- perhaps more so that if Cole had found a business partner to work with.

We have a giant sketchbook that resides on our dining room table, and when we are struck with great ideas, we pencil our thoughts. We take notes all the time and the flood of ideas is intoxicating. It's extraordinary to create the brewery together, a business that really complements our personalities.

Q: You're both from elsewhere, what brought you to Montana? And why have you decided to put down roots here?

Cole grew up outside Omaha, Nebraska and his parents had him climbing peaks in Colorado when he was still in diapers. Mountains are in his blood. I was raised in northern Michigan and my parents strapped skis to my feet when I was two. Skiing is in my blood. I always knew that one day, I'd move to the mountains. When I was 13, my family took a family ski vacation to Big Sky and I feel deeply in love with Montana. I really wanted to go to college at the University of Montana but my parents said no, fearing that I'd probably quit school and become a ski bum. So I went to college in Indiana and a week after I graduated, I moved to the Flathead Valley. I've been in the Valley since 2004. Montana felt like home the first moment I saw Flathead Lake and the peaks of Glacier. Cole's family visited Whitefish in 1999. A few years later, his parents built a house there and after Cole graduated from the University of Wisconsin, he followed his parents west. Cole loves Montana because of the mountains -- skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. It's really wonderful to have Cole's parents in the Valley too. They've been incredibly supportive of the brewery.

For both of us, especially since we've lived in the Flathead for a while and didn't meet until three years ago, Montana was the only place to call home. What attracts us most is the natural environment; it is unparalleled beauty. To have such wild places in our backyard is inspiring. The community of the Flathead Valley is filled with genuinely good people, good businesses and good places to drink and eat. We both feel fortunate that we stumbled upon the Flathead. It is truly home; although my mom wishes Montana wasn't quite so far away from Michigan.

Q: From what I can tell, the brewery community is growing in Montana. How do you feel about being a trailblazer on the Kalispell brewery scene?

Montana is home to a number of vibrant and successful breweries. They're making really good beer. Statewide, the craft brewing scene is impressive. All of the breweries, in both big cities and the smallest towns are doing great things in their community. We may not see ourselves as trailblazers, but are appreciative of the compliment, we really just wanted to open our own brewery. Geography didn't have a lot to do with it, with the exception that we didn't want to move from the Flathead. But we're certainly honored to be Kalispell's brewery. And that's why we names the brewery after the town -- we're very proud to make beer in Kalispell's honor. We're excited with how the state has embraced craft breweries, and the community of brewers across the state is one of genuinely good people. They're very supportive of new brewers like us. Honestly, the culture of craft brewing, especially in a place like Montana, is extremely welcoming, fun-loving and collaborative. We've called upon so many established breweries with our questions and all of them are so open to helping is. Brewers and brewery fans have been extremely encouraging as we start up. It's a remarkable business.

Q: Maggie, did you know much about beer before you met Cole and what drew you in to open a brewery with your husband?

I've long been a fan of craft beer and enjoy drinking it. I love to try new styles and flavors. Always have. But I didn't know how beer was made and how it was truly the marriage of science and creativity. Cole possesses a wealth of knowledge about brewing beer. He's a scholar of it -- and not in just sampling different beers from all over the world, but he's always reading about things like water chemistry and mash pH, yeast metabolism, malting techniques and brewery QC protocol. Our bookcases are filled with books on craft brewing. Cole has deepened my knowledge and appreciation of craft brewing -- and he's patient and a great teacher. My brain doesn't process chemistry well. I am, after all, an English major (Cole is too, but he has both right and left brian capabilities).

Since high school, I've had many jobs in the food and beverage industry. My family is one that loves to cook and drink. It brings us together. And I love how breweries bring people together. People love to celebrate with beer. Breweries are a place for people to gather. I love the atmosphere of craft breweries and I love how beer punctuates life's food moments -- whether it's toasting on a hot summer's day or sharing stories about powder skiing. Stories are usually best served with a pint.

For me, I'm serving as Kalispell Brewery Co.'s Beer Ambassador. It's a perfect role for me -- I'm a writer and I love to connect with others. While I've helped Cole brew some beers, I've mostly served as his chief taste tester and honestly, how could anyone turn down that job?

Q: Lots of people go out for a drink after work or on weekends to relax and meet with friends, what do you do to unwind since beer is your business?

This probably won't shock anyone, but we do love beer. We can seriously talk and and talk about beer -- different varieties of hops, different strains of yeasts. We can go on and on about beer. And we do enjoy a beer to unwind, especially when the weather is warm and we're sitting outside on our deck with a good book and a pint of Cole's homebrew. We listen to a lot of public radio -- especially jazz. On Saturday nights we listen to Prairie Home Companion. We have two dogs, a St. Bernard and a Malamute and we spend a lot of time with them. Honestly though, we are serious book and beer nerds. We love to read and we love beer.

Q: Being so close to the outdoors and Glacier National Park, do you get to spend a lot of time outside and if so, where are your favorite spots and activities?

I think Cole and I would agree that we fell in love with Glacier first and then each other. In fact, we were engaged in Glacier and last September we were married aboard the DeSmet on Lake McDonald. We try to spend as much time as possible outside, no matter the season. We're both members of the U.S. National Telemark team so a lot of our time, especially in winter, is devoted to telemark ski racing. We also love to backcountry and Nordic ski. Come summer, you'll find us with our boots on. We love Glacier and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, so any free time we have, we're on the trails. We're lucky that our very dear friends, Courtney and Greg Fullerton of Glacier County Honey, welcome us to their home in Babb, Montana. We like to hike with them and camp in their big field, looking at the high peaks on the east side of Glacier. Cole has taught me how to climb mountains, so each spring we draft a lift of peaks to climb. We try to get in at least one big backpacking trip in a year -- we a fondness for the Hole in the Wall backcountry site. We do know what once the brewery opens we'll probably have a little less time that we've had in the past to spend our days in Glacier, but we're okay with that. We'll probably just bug our patrons to share with us stories about their recent hikes or floats down the river.

Q: Looking back five years ago, did you imagine you'd be where you are now?

Maggie: Specifically for marrying a brewer and opening a brewery together, no. But I'm not surprised. I didn't know that I'd meet someone like Cole -- I had hoped to, but I didn't know how beautiful and powerful a relationship could be until I met him. While writing has been my passion and I am in graduate school pursuing my MFA in Creative Writing, I'm tickled that I can be the brewer of words for our company. Looking back, there were so many little steps along the way and five years ago, at age 26 I was still finding myself and finding my place in the Flathead, all those steps, including the missteps, have led to this moment. At this time, I didn't know that in five years, I'd be here, in this moment, but it doesn't come as a shock. I like how life does that, this slow revelation, this slow trail. I think my boots have been well-broken in on this trail and I'm ready for the next set of miles.

Cole: While I was certainly contemplating opening a brewery five years ago, there's an enormous difference between and idol daydream and the reality of the business. The magnitude of the project can sometimes seem overwhelming, and we haven't even opened our doors yet. Twenty-five year old Cole certainly didn't foresee all the minutiae involved in running a business -- he just thought that running a brewery involved brewing a lot of beer. The reality of this brewery is actually more exciting and more interesting than I could have imagined.

Q: What should everyone know about you and Kalispell Brewing Company?

The big question is when the brewery will open: we're hoping, crossing our fingers and toes that we'll be able to open in August. The building is still undergoing major construction. We actually have all of our brewery equipment and we're itching to get it installed and begin brewing. So, if everything goes smoothly with the building (full disclosure: it has been known to throw us a few surprises), the tasting room will open be open this summer.

Kalispell Brewing Company is a 10 barrel craft brewery with a tasting room. Cole loves German style beers so people can expect a lineup of traditional lagers in addition to a selection of Northwest style ales. Our beers will be available on draft in the tasting room. We're planning to have six beers on tap, some of which will be seasonal brews. Cole plans to mash his lagers with the decoction method, which is a little more labor intensive, but it produces distinct flavor, which you rarely find outside of Germany, Austria and Czech Republic. Our hope with our brewery is to cultivate an appreciation for beer, without any of the snootiness. Life is complicated enough, beer shouldn't be.

We've been posting our construction progress, including photos on our Facebook and Twitter sites. Our website will be completed soon, so to stay connected, visit us on Facebook or Twitter.

About a month ago, I connected with Courtney on Twitter and saw her honey at a Made in Montana marketplace in Great Falls shortly after. I'm all about buying locally and Courtney is just awesome, plus she's from Virginia! She sent me some Glacier County honey to taste test and guys, it's fantastic. I just ordered more to ship to my sister in Virginia for her birthday since she loves natural, local products...and honey.


Courtney Stone Fullerton, Montana beekeeper

Q: What made you decide to go into beekeeping with your husband?

I was practicing family law in Missoula when we met and he was keeping bees in Babb with his dad. We decided to start our own beekeeping company and so I moved to Babb when we got married and opened my own law firm in Cut Bank. The idea was that we'd have an income not tied to the vagaries of weather and bees, but it turned out that our growing company needed every moment of time I had to give. And I was fascinated by the bees, so a few years later, I shuttered the law firm and began working for Glacier County Honey full time. Technically, I'm the VP, but my job description encompasses everything from beekeeping to blogging.

Q: Your husband grew up with bees, did you have much experience with them before you met him? How did you feel about bees/beekeeping at first? (I'm pretty sure I'd be super nervous around that many bees!)

I knew nothing about bees, except that as the daughter/granddaughter/niece of farmers, I knew they were essential to our food supply. I wasn't afraid of them and Greg made sure that my first experiences were all good ones. I only wish I had time to do more hands on bee work with him. When our kids are older, I look forward to that time.

Q: You spent summers in Montana, but did you ever imagine you'd end up living here full time?

Yes, I loved the South and my family so very much, but my intention to stay in Montana formed in my early 20s when I was working near Babb, and my mid 20s were devoted to making that dream a reality. I went to law school during that time and researched where in Montana I would begin my legal career. By my late 20s, I had accomplished my goal, though I was also about to meet Greg and make new goals.

Q: As a fellow Virginia girl, tell me what it was like adjusting to Montana from your home in Virginia and college in Georgia.

I'm a small town Virginia girl and Montana has always felt like one small town to me, so the "culture" here hasn't been much of an adjustment. I do have a very hard time each and every spring when the Southern girl in me is ready for shorts and sandals and it's still dumping snow in Babb. April and May are my favorite times to get away from Montana and visit my homeland.

Q: What's it like running your own company and working with your husband?

It's tough. I don't know that I would recommend running a business as an equal shareholder to your spouse. It's really, really, really hard at times, to get through a day when you argue as business partners and then have to sit down at dinner together and act like you're happy to see each other at the end of the day. Because sometimes you're not. That's been harder for Greg and I as our daughter grows up. We don't to bring our disagreements as business owners to the family dinner table, but it happens sometimes. She definitely won't grow up with a romantic view of small business/farming! On the other hand, when something good happens to the business, it is an indescribably feeling to know that your spouse/best friend understands 100 percent just how good that good thing is and how hard you've working for it and the sharing of that accomplishment and joy pulls us through the rough times. Also, due to the nature of beekeeping, Greg goes with our bees to California for several months in the winter/spring, and though we might be absolutely sick of making decisions together in January, when he leaves, by the time he returns home in April or May, we've missed the daily drudgery of togetherness so much that it gets us through another honey season.

Q: From your blog, it seems like you have fun while working, but how do you manage running a business, raising a toddler and having a little bit of down time?

I don't know that we're doing a very good job at the balance, because we both believe that work comes first, and that the toddler and her siblings will grow up knowing that. Greg and I believe that a strong work ethic will take you anywhere in life and that there is nothing more important to model for our kids. That said, there is an opportunity to play. We play so very hard and we can't wait to include our kids in all the fun that Montana offers. I love to hike, Greg loves to hunt, and there's more to do outside in Montana than we could ever fit into a lifetime.

Q: What are your favorite things about living and working in Montana?

It's easy enough to say that my favorite thing is having Glacier National Park as my backyard because I absolutely relish those stolen summer days that I sneak away to climb a new peak or take a hike I've hiked a thousand times before with old friends. But really, it's the people that make me so happy to live and work in Montana. I've rarely met a stranger in Montana and even more rarely, a fellow small business owner who wasn't trying to support other small Montana businesses with his/her own. My youthful impression of Montana as one large small town I could fit right into was right on the money and I'm proud to say I have friends statewide.

Q: Looking back 10 years, did you think you'd be where you are now?

Gosh, no. Ten years ago, I was 23 and working as a waitress/pastry chef for the Depot in Missoula. My summer/fall days centered on the Blackfoot River and trips to Glacier National Park, my first love. My winter/spring days centered on downhill skiing, cross country skiing and snowshoeing. My biggest responsibility was making the monthly rent and my biggest concern was never missing an outdoor concert in Missoula. I never dreamed that in 10 years, I'd be married and have borrowed a pile of money from a bank on the back of a dream and honeybee wings and run a company that employees five people near Babb! To say nothing of a blonde haired, blue eyed little girl that I wasn't sure, back then, I wanted to have and the one on the way.

Q: What something everyone should know about you and Glacier County Honey?

Everyone should know that the way to my heart is via fresh produce, or strange ice cream offerings from the Big Dipper in Missoula and Sweet Peaks in Whitefish -- both hard to come by in Babb, but guaranteed to get you an invitation to couch surf in the Warehome.

Everyone should know that Glacier County Honey Company opens its doors to the public one day per year (Aug. 10 this year) to meet the bees and see how honey is produced. We get thousands of emails and phone calls every year filled with questions about bees, beekeeping, honey, wax and the like and it's impossible to answer them fully, but we do a darn good job of responding in person on this one day per year.

It's so much fun, please join us!

Made in Montana is back! I am really loving this series and the people I'm meeting/getting to know through it. This state is full of fantastic people!

This week, meet Hannah Ettema, a very fun young lady I met through Twitter. She's pretty awesome, you should follow her on Twitter too.

It was three days before our opening night and I felt like crying. 

Transitions were rough at best. Some of my cast was sick. I forgot my theatre keys at the theatre. But everyone kept telling me it’d come together. That seemed as likely as a Mac and PC holding hands. 

As the Stage Manager for Missoula Community Theatre’s production of Miracle on 34th St., I held the production together with my very two hands. 

 Thanks to my mom, I grew up appreciating the arts. We frequently traveled to theatres to see touring Broadway shows or musical concerts. One of my favorite places, Stratford, Ontario, will forever be a magical place to me. The Stratford Festival, the largest classical repertory theatre in North America, has hosted the likes of Maggie Smith, Alec Guinness, William Shatner, Christopher Plummer and others. Every season they put on a dozen shows taking you to Verona, Neverland, or Ancient Greece. A mere 3 hours away from my Michigan hometown, Stratford transported me far off places.  
My high school didn’t have community theatre or any theatre worth mentioning. As I passed through my teen years, drooling as I watched behind-the-scenes extras of my favorite movies, I found I not only loved the storytelling, but the way in which it happened.

Due to my other commitments and lack of ambition, I never delved into theatre until moving to Missoula. 

A few months after graduating from Michigan State University, I got a job doing communications for the National Forest Foundation and moved to Western Montana. Fast forward a year later, and I found myself at the Missoula Community Theatre’s Volunteer Appreciation Night. 

I have a strong belief that things happen to people who show up. And that night, I showed up. I happened to meet the head Volunteer Coordinator Guru, Matt. He sensed my excitement and eagerness to help and gave me a tour of the theatre while introducing me to key people. 

My willingness to jump in was how I ended up on the Stage Crew for MCT’s first show of the season, Camelot. My backstage duties entailed moving furniture, helping with a costume change, and crocheting. Well, crocheting wasn’t exactly a duty but it did help pass the time. 

Sometime during my 3 week stint on Camelot  I caught the attention of the right people. The Director, Joe, also the Creative Director for MCT, recommended me to Michael, the Executive Director of MCT and the Director of the next MCT production, Miracle on 34th St. When Matt passed this information along to me, I was flabbergasted. No really, I wasn’t trying to be awesome in a way that screamed: OMG-I’m-the-best-thing-that-has-ever-happened-backstage-use-me-again. I simply liked being involved with great people.

And I was scared to say yes. I had never been a Stage Manager in any capacity and I had hardly worked backstage in any fashion. But I listened to my gut and a pin I frequently see on Pinterest: Do what scares you. 

And you know what?

I owned it. One disastrous cold (earning me the nickname Hans). 50+ cast members. 14 shows. Hundreds of cues. And a lot of laughter. 

I didn’t believe it would come together, but somehow, magically it did. 

My coworkers and friends asked why I was doing it. Why was I sacrificing 4 weeks of my evenings and weekends while working full-time? My answer changed frequently, each time trying to articulate my passion for the arts and storytelling and my belief that it is not limited to New York or Los Angeles or a movie theater. More than 60 people came together to make something bigger than themselves happen for the community. None of us would have been there if we didn’t love it. 

Sure, I had my bad moments and doubts. But those moments made the best ones all that much sweeter. Nailing that scene change. Dancing with glow sticks in the booth to make the cast smile during a long weekend. Coming to tears before our last show. 

I’ve already made it very clear that I want to jump in again. There will always be a place for stories and community. And where those two come together, that is where I’ll be.

Originally posted on April 9, 2013 on the old blog. 
I met Aaron through a friend and a story on Team Red White Blue, which is a pretty cool organization for veterans and military members. He started the Montana chapter of the organization and is always on the go. When I was fighting a miserable cold but decided to attempt the local 10K during below freezing temperatures, Aaron won the whole thing!

Here he talks about issues facing veterans and what he and his organization are doing about it. If you want to find out more or get involved, check out their Facebook page and their Twitter feed.

Aaron Appelwick, Team RWB Montana founder

The Veterans Situation

Nearly 2.5 million American men and women have deployed in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom since 2001. Over the next four years, approximately 1.2 million service members will retire or separate from active duty, creating a huge number of new veterans.

While a tremendous amount of support has been focused on wounded veterans, much of that support occurs between the time of injury and discharge from active duty or in-patient care. Further, there is an enormous population of veterans who suffer from the invisible wounds of TBI (traumatic brain injury), PTS (post traumatic stress), depression and survivor's remorse. Many of these veterans have not been diagnosed with an injury and will not actively seek care.

Most combat veterans struggle with re-integration to some degree. A recent study shows that 58 percent of veterans do not return to their hometown upon leaving the service.

Team RWB's Approach

Our mission is to enrich the lives of America's veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity. Our chapters establish local programs that provide consistent opportunities for veterans to meet other veterans and members of their community through activities like running, cycling, CrossFit, picnics and ball games. With chapters in almost 40 cities and growing, we are poised and committed to delivering consistent programs to veterans over a long period of time, where they live.

Team TWB chapters facilitate weekly exercise events, monthly social events, as well as attending numerous local races and athletic events. These activities create connected communities where all members benefit from being part of the Team. We also have programs to support referred veterans through one on one or small group interactions and often provide financial support for veterans to acquire the proper exercise gear or sign up for a local race.

Recent research has shown exercise to be a very effective tool for combating depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress. In fact, some studies show it to be as effective as medication and counseling. When that exercise is conducted in a group or team setting, there is a multiplier effect. A recent survey showed that 41 percent of veterans would exercise more if they had a group or team to do it with .

Ultimately, the challenge of veteran reintegration is vast and and complex. While we may not be able to solve all veterans issues, we know that exercise and personal connectivity is making veterans better. Knowing that, we are committed to building communities and programs that provide this service.

I was asked to start the Montana chapter in August 2012 when we have three members. Since then, we have been growing steadily and are now at 24 members! Montana is a great state with a lot of veterans so we wanted to give them a group to feel comfortable in .We have a diverse group of members, from Purple Heart recipients, to active duty veterans and civilians. Anyone can join and get involved. Just log on to www.teamrwb.org/get-involved/join-the-team. It takes 30 seconds to become a part of something great!

As for me, my name is Aaron Appelwick. I am a staff sergeant in the United States Air Force. I am currently a security forces member who is one of six airmen to have attended the International Special Training Centre's Patrol Medic course, being given the opportunity to get trained by U.S. Army Green Beret 18 Deltas (medics) and other NATO Special Forces medics. I have served in the AF for nine years and deployed numerous times throughout Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa. Exercise has always been a part of my life and is something I would never want to go without. It is one of the best stress relievers I have. Even my wife can notice a significant difference in my attitude when I'm not exercising; I am a much happier person when I am staying active.

I became involved with Team RWB first as an athlete in 2010 after I raced in the Armed Forces Triathlon as a member of the USAF team. A couple of my teammates were part of Team RWB and I was really drawn to the mission and wanted to be a part of something so powerful and race for something other than myself.

Originally posted on the old version of the blog on April 2, 2013.

Ladies and gents, introducing the first of the Made in Montana series.
I met Jess through the awesomeness of the World Wide Web and the more I learn about her, the more I like her. I think y'all will too.
Check on her online portfolio and follow her on Twitter for sure.

Jessica Lowry, Montana Photographer
Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a professional photographer?
I took an intro to photojournalism class my junior year in college on the recommendation of a friend. It was a perfect match for what I wanted to do. I ended up doing internships and becoming the photo editor of the college newspaper at The University of Georgia. I've been working in photography in some capacity ever since. 

Q: What brought you to Montana?
My husband is originally from Missoula. We met each other when we were both staff photographers at a newspaper in Tennessee. He was smart and brought me out to Montana in the summer -- a perfect escape from humid and hot Southern summers. After briefly moving to England for grad school and deciding it was too expensive, we decided to make a move to Montana. It was a major transition for me but over time I have really grown to love it here. And it is wonderful being near my husband's family. 

Q: Montana is a bit different from George, what were the biggest adjustments for you? (I spent a few years in Alabama, then went back to Virginia before coming to Montana, so I'm loving that other people have made similar moves!)
There were a lot of adjustments for me. It isn't as diverse here as Atlanta and that is something I really miss still. And the whole winter thing is a 180 out here. But the people and how friendly they are is a perfect match for a Southerner. I have made quite a few friends out here that are also Southern and I feel like there is a common bond there. You are tied to two places (Montana and the South) that are both full of pride about where they come from. I will forever be from Georgia, but Montana has been a great place to make a home. 

Q: You travel internationally and around the country for photographs, what are some of your favorite destinations? (I saw you were in Rome last year, so was I!)
Oh man -- Rome is up there as a favorite. Italy was really amazing and I can't wait to go back. I also really love coastal Georgia. It is old and completely different than anywhere else I've been. The moss and the people and the history -- it's just a really captivating place. I also really love London. I think it still holds a place as my favorite city. 

Q: What are the challenges and the most gratifying parts of working abroad?
Most of the time my work abroad has been self driven. So -- being motivated to decide where you want to go and what you want to work on -- and then figuring out how to pitch that or connect what you are working on with people who are interested -- that's challenging. But I love travel and I can't imagine my life without it. I am never the same after a trip and I find travel has a way of simplifying my life. You are forced into the present moment. It's something that photography does for me too -- and probably a reason I love them both. 

Q: Thinking back, say 5 years ago, are you where you thought you'd be?
Umm..no. I never in a million years would have guessed that I would be living in Montana. But it is a great fit. I thought I would be living outside of the United States and 5 years ago I thought I was going to switch to being a graphic designer. The older I get, the more I love travel, but the more rooted I am in the places where the people I love live. I love coming home more and more.