I’ve loved books since before I was literate. My mother tells of me playing with my books, pretending to read while I made up my own stories to go with the illustrations.

At the start of 2015 I followed the lead of a bookish pal, jumping into Book Riot's first annual Read Harder  Challenge. It sounded easy enough for a nerd like me: read a book to fit into each of the 24 categories. Two books a month? Piece of cake.

I approached my book shelves with my challenge list in one hand and a pencil in the other. I scanned through categories such as: a book that takes place in Asia, a book by an author from Africa, a book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture, and a book by or about someone who identifies as LGBTQ.

I came to a startling realization, my book shelves are not exactly diverse.

2017 is the third year I’ve participated in the challenge, and to be extra nerdy, I did a second one, the  PopSugar 2017 challenge (including the advanced categories, of course!) The challenges have expanded my horizons as both a reader and a writer. They have pushed me far out of my reading comfort zone and busted many of the misconceptions I had about certain genres such as fantasy and romance, and YA writing.

As the years have gone on, I’ve become increasingly frustrated with Read Harder’s categories. This year I’ve found them to be painfully specific. I’ve had a hard time completing some of the categories as they’re written so I’ve put my own spin on them to be able to mark it off.

It was this frustration that led me to create my own reading challenge for 2018. I enjoy categories that are more personal to the reader.

I've come up with 12 categories, because while some of us can get through a much larger number of books in a year, this isn’t realistic for the majority of readers I know. I have a few friends who have been intrigued by my completion of  challenges past but too intimidated by the large number of categories to give it a try.

All you have to do is read, no other participation is required. If you start and don't finish, that's okay. However if you do complete the challenge, you can email me your list to be entered to win a prize at the end of 2018!!

    •    Read a book that takes place in one day.
    •    Read a memoir or biography of a musician you like.
    •    Read a collection of poetry.
    •    Read an audio book with multiple narrators.
    •    Read a self published book.
    •    Read a book you received as a gift.
    •    Read a book about a historical event you’re interested in (fiction or non).
    •    Read a book written by an author from the state where you grew up.
    •    Read a book recommended by one of your parents (in-laws count).
    •    Read a book with your favorite food in the title.
    •    Read a book with a child narrator.
    •    Read a book you chose based on the cover.

If you wish to participate in the challenge please shoot me an email at grazona@live.com.

You can download a printable list of the challenge categories here.

I've created a Facebook Group and a Goodreads Group for participants to gather for discussion and brainstorming!

I am excited to have you all along with me on this new venture! Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions, ideas, or suggestions.

While we could approach the (arguably) best time of year with a stressful diet mentality, I don't think a constant diet mentality is a healthy or enjoyable way to live. Below are a few tips to help you stress less over food and a meaningless number on the scale during this special time of year.

. . . . . .

1. Don't Stress, It's Just Another Meal
Some plan to skip breakfast to save room for the giant mid-day feast. I'd encourage you to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner per usual that day and treat the Thanksgiving meal as you would any other lunch or dinner.

2. Eat your Seasonal Favorites (Guilt-Free)
Things like pumpkin pie and eggnog, baked brie and gingerbread cookies - eat them. You likely don't see these the rest of the year, so allow yourself to enjoy your favorites. Keep in mind that this is just the beginning of the holiday season and you'll likely be seeing many of your favorites all month long. Be mindful of your hunger and your portions (see below)- but know that one slice of pie won't break the scale (just like one salad won't reverse it). Food should be enjoyed not regretted.

3. Keep up with Your Normal Exercise Habits and Routines
Do what feels good and not just as a way to counter what you ate (it doesn't necessarily work like that). Keeping up with your normal habits makes it easier to get back into your routine after the holiday season.

4. Be Mindful and Honor Your Hunger
Before diving into your first or second course, check in with your hunger. On a scale of 1-10, how hungry are you? Starving? Stuffed? Somewhere in between? There will always be more food.

5. Remember the Fruits & Veggies
With so many treats around this season don't forget to optimize your nutrition with fruits and veggies. Keep them on hand and load up your plate at the holiday buffet. We often fill our plates with more of what we serve first. I was reading this about how you can substitute your nutrients from fruits and veggies into this supplement as it contains similar nutrients needed by our body. Try serving yourself veggies first this holiday season.

6. Focus on Friends, Family, and Have Fun!
This time of year for many is about spending time with friends and family. While food plays a role in many family get togethers, try to take the focus off of your plate and enjoy the time with family and friends.

Bozeman's Choice voting ended at midnight October 31, the results will be shared in our JANUARY issue, a special directory of the Reader's Poll results for all things Bozeman. If you were in the running for a 2018 Bozeman's Choice award we will be notifying you as soon as possible, there are MANY folks to contact, if we haven't gotten to you yet please email angie@bozemanmagazine.com to inquire about your results (which are asked to be kept secret until January 1, 2018). Bozeman's Choice winner only advertising opportunities are available in our January issue/Bozeman's Choice Guide at amazing rates with outstanding reach, early bird deadline is 12/9.

The goal of a special CWD hunt would be to collect enough samples to determine disease prevalence and distribution. CWD can only be effectively detected in samples from dead animals. FWP would rely on hunters to harvest enough animals to make these determinations.

London Scott: What went through your mind when you learned Dani won?

Coach: It took her seven tries to win the crown, and because of her age, this was the last year for her she was eligible to win. She represents the true Montana woman: We don't give up and we don't accept failure. Please send her love and support as she represents our beautiful state at Miss USA. 

In fact, I am often called in for those hard to do underwater scenes that require undetectable hair extensions. Owning my factory allows me to create products when I see a need.

Most often though, you'll see my hair extensions on someone who needs it the most. One of my clients has Cerebral Palsy. I created the Pre-curled Clip in Extension Line for her so she could do her hair the way pageant girls like them. She was able to have hair on stage like the other girls. That product has expanded into six countries around the world. I  created it out of compassion and love with no idea how popular it would become.

Hair extensions are more common than ever before with all women. It allows us to have that hair we always dreamed of having. Women who have experienced thinning hair with age can have the hair they used to have in the 20s.

Q: What was your inspiration to start the company?

Q: Tell us the process of choosing perfect hair extensions.

Q: You have spoken at Harvard Business School about your success in business. What is your advice for other business owners?

Given the recent significant weather event and large migration of elk, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has issued an emergency closure of elk hunting in portions of Hunting District 313 including Crevice Mountain, Deckard Flats, Eagle Creek, and Little Trail Creek areas* effective Tuesday, Nov. 7 at noon through Sunday, Nov. 12. 

The objective of this closure is to reduce the harvest pressure on elk in cases where large migrations occur during the general season to an area in which they are greatly vulnerable. This is now the case in hunting district 313 with significant snowfall in surrounding areas. Authority to institute this emergency closure in this area was granted by the Fish and Wildlife Commission in 2016. This closure applies to elk only. The legal description of the closure boundary is included below. 

*Deckard - Little Trail Creek Elk Hunting Closure: Those portions of Park County lying within the following-described boundary:  Beginning at the confluence of the Yellowstone River and Little Trail Creek northwest of Gardiner, then northeasterly along Little Trail Creek up to its headwaters, then easterly to the USFS Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Boundary, then easterly along said boundary to the North Fork of Bear Creek, then southeasterly along said creek to its confluence with Bear Creek, then northerly along said creek to the confluence of Pine Creek, then easterly along said Creek to the intersection with the USFS Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Boundary, then southerly along said boundary to the boundary with Yellowstone National Park, then westerly along said boundary to the confluence of the Yellowstone River and Reese Creek west of the town of Gardiner, then westerly along the Yellowstone River to its confluence with Little Trail Creek, the point of beginning (see attached map). 

Montana State University’s Extended University and the Montana Institute on Ecosystems have launched a statewide geocaching project linked to the publication of the Montana Climate Assessment. Through a series of trackable game pieces hidden around the state of Montana and discoverable by GPS coordinates, participants can learn about Montana’s climate zones and the MCA, a statewide scientific report on Montana’s past and future climate trends. The MCA was published in September.

One MCA Geocoin – a special trackable game piece – will be placed in each of Montana’s 56 counties. Each geocoin has a unique tracking code, and geocachers who discover a geocoin can log it online and then move it to another geocache. A map of each coin’s movements can be found on Geocaching.com. Each MCA Geocoin also has an educational moment built into its online description so those who find it can learn about Montana’s climate. All geocachers can join in on the search.

Project organizers are looking for one geocacher in each Montana county who is able to hide an MCA Geocoin in their area. Other geocachers can then discover the coins and move them from geocache to geocache. It’s free to sign up for an account and start playing.

Geocachers who are interested in hiding a coin should visit http://eu.montana.edu/climb/geocaching to access the sign-up form. A geocaching.com user name is required, and experience hiding a trackable is recommended.

Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which participants use the Geocaching® app and GPS-enabled devices (which includes smartphones) to find geocaches, which are containers cleverly hidden around the globe. Millions of people around the world are active geocachers, and more than 1 million geocaches are hidden in the United States alone.

Other partners include MSU Extension, the U.S. Geological Survey Glacier Field Station, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Gallatin Valley Geocachers and the University of Montana Department of Mathematical Sciences.

To learn more about geocaching, visit Geocaching.com or download the free Geocaching® app. To participate in the MCA Geocaching Outreach Project, visit http://eu.montana.edu/climb/geocaching.

The three bridges along the Gallagator Trail in Bozeman received much needed upgrades in October.  The Gallagator Trail is an old railway line that carried passengers, mail and cargo from Bozeman to Salesville, now Gallatin Gateway, starting in the early 1900’s. The fare was fifty cents and the 21.8 mile trip took about an hour each way. The train was slow, moving at an alligator’s pace, and was dubbed the ‘Gallagator’ line by locals. The last freight train rumbled by on this bed in 1978 and the name stuck when it was converted into a trail and linear park in 1988.

After years as a railway, and decades of heavy trail use, the decking and railings on the three bridges along the Gallagator Trail were in serious need of repair. While the structure was solid (they were engineered to carry trains!) the decking was pitted, splintered, and created safety concerns for bicyclists. The Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) partnered with the City of Bozeman to replace the decking in a perpendicular orientation which is much safer for bicyclists. New, more secure railings were also installed to allow for safe viewing of the stream below. Recently GVLT installed trail counters on the Gallagator Trail to see just how much traffic the trail receives and the numbers are astonishing. With 800-1,000 users per day in the summer along this stretch of trail, the safety improvements are important for our community. One day during Sweet Pea Festival weekend totaled over 2,000 users!

GVLT secured grant funding for this project from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Recreational Trails Program. The overall cost of this important trail improvement was around $40,000.

Portions of the trail were closed while contractors made the bridge improvements. The public’s patience and respect of the process was appreciated. GVLT and partners will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Gallagator Trail bridges on November 2nd at 5pm at the northern bridge, closest to Peets Hill. The public is welcome to join us to celebrate the completion of the project.

About Gallatin Valley Land Trust
Gallatin Valley Land Trust connects people, communities, and open lands through conservation of working farms and ranches, healthy rivers, and wildlife habitat, and the creation of trails in the Montana headwaters of the Missouri and Upper Yellowstone Rivers. For more information, visit www.gvlt.org.

Carole and Dan Sullivan would like to invite you to come help commemorate 20 years of serving up fresh food for Livingston with a 20 day celebration at Mustang.

The 20th customer each day that dines at Mustang for lunch or dinner between November 1st and November 20th will win a $20 gift card.

A Grand Prize drawing will take place on the 20th day of the celebration. Join Mustang for lunch or dinner on November 20th and be entered for a chance to win Dinner and a Show for 2! Dinner is valued at $100 plus 2 tickets to any show at the Shane Center for the 2017-2018 season.  

There will also be social giveaways, so be sure to like their Facebook page and follow them on Instagram for a chance to win some other great prizes throughout the 20 day celebration.

Founded in 1997 by Carole Sullivan, Mustang Fresh Food (then Mustang Catering) specialized in providing Paradise Valley and Livingston with distinctive menus custom designed to fit each client’s wishes.

In 2001, along with her husband Dan, they opened a restaurant serving uniquely prepared sandwiches, soups, salads and warm entrees using the freshest ingredients.
In 2014, Carole released her cookbook New Frontier Cooking and Mustang moved into their final home in downtown Livingston at 112 North Main Street.

Carole and her team continue to innovate and bring fresh new foods and experiences to downtown Livingston. This past spring, Mustang expanded their offering to include casual but elegant dinners as well as a thoughtful variety of beer and wine selections. The dinner menu, which changes seasonally, includes contemporary cuisine with flavors from around the world.

 “I’m really grateful to the Livingston community for allowing me to do what I love these past 20 years.” said Carole. “We are thrilled to have you share in the celebration.”

Mustang Fresh Food is located at 112 Main Street and is open 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.