Travel
to Montana!
Montana's
seemingly endless mountain ranges shimmer under the Big Sky,
reflecting the state's motto, Oro y Plata (gold and silver).
 When
the Lewis and Clark expedition traveled through the region,
they found lush forests surrounding glaciated valleys teeming
with wildlife. Not
much has changed today, as you can see in 1.2-million-acre
Glacier National Park. You'll have the most company in summer,
when people come to drive the jaw-dropping Going-to-the-Sun
Road, but winter has undeniable charms. The park's cross-country
skiing and snowshoeing trails lead to turquoise waterfalls
and cedar forests where, if you're lucky, you just might hear
the howling of wolves.
Beyond
Glacier stretch 2.7 million acres of northern Rockies wilderness,
most of it roadless but some of it visible along impossibly
scenic drives. Accessible lands offer stellar bird-watching,
fishing, golfing, bicycling, and skiing (both downhill and
cross-country). Hiking trails lace mountains and meadows,
cross streams, and skirt lakes all over Montana.
In the
200 years since Lewis and Clark passed through, Montana's
population has grown and much of it has concentrated in the
Bitterroot, Missoula, Mission, and Flathead valleys of the
northwest.
The largest
city in the area, Missoula is a business and shopping center
and home to the University of Montana, as well as many arts
and cultural attractions. Missoula serves an area populated
by some 70,000 people and offers all the amenities of a big
city plus extraordinary opportunities for recreational adventure.
The city's many attractions include the the Charlie Russell
Outdoor theatre, a Symphony, a Children's Theatre and a wide
range of galleries, shopping centers, coffee houses, book
stores, museums, hotels, restaurants and a ballet company.
In and
between friendly towns such as Hamilton, Stevensville, Kalispell,
Polson, and Whitefish are well-preserved historical sites
and small yet resourceful museums; entertainment includes
everything from local theater to festivals and concerts. Just
a few include:
Bigfork
Summer Playhouse, Flathead Lake
Mid-May through early September, the repertory group Bigfork
Summer Playhouse presents Broadway musicals and comedies every
night except Sunday in the Bigfork Center for the Performing
Arts. Phone orders for tickets are available from mid-May
to the end of August, or by mail beginning in April. Children's
workshops and theater are held in the same facility
Glacier
Jazz Stampede, Kalispell
For four days every October, the Glacier Jazz Stampede brings
15 toe-tapping jazz bands to four venues around downtown Kalispell
and the surrounding valley. www.kalispellchamber.com/jazz.
Summer
Concert Series, Columbia Falls
The outdoors echoes with the Summer Concert Series in the
Don Lawrence Amphitheater Thursday from mid-June through late
August. Types of music vary but are aimed to a broad audience;
the Don Lawrence Big Band has a performance every year.
If you're
ready to visit the land of gold and silver, call Favorite
Healthcare Staffing at 800-755-1411. We can set up a travel
contract in the area of your choice and will arrange all the
details, including housing and transportation. It's easy to
travel with Favorite, and the great pay and benefits make
it an offer that's hard to refuse. Call or email
us today.
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Taking
Care of Yourself
Before
you take care of others, be sure you taking the best care
of yourself.
Nurses
spend a great deal of time doing patient education. It is
an essential part of the practice of nursing. While we do
a great job of educating our patients, we often forget about
ourselves. How many things do you routinely do that may not
be good for you? I am not talking about the obvious (smoking,
being overweight, not exercising, or not getting enough rest),
but rather those things we do without thinking. What about
these?
Washing
your hands
You may think soap and water are doing the trick or using
more than one paper towel, but it's all in the timing. To
avoid getting sick, you have to wash your hands long enough,
and most of us are too quick. Remember: Wash longer —
15 seconds is great. To be exact, sing the first verse of
"Happy Birthday". It's your call as to whether you
sing in your head or aloud!
Skipping
breakfast
Think about it — you've probably been fasting around
12 hours since your last meal the night before. Studies have
shown that decision-making, learning and memory and are impaired
when breakfast is missed. Avoiding a morning meal can also
lead to over-eating and making bad food choices the rest of
the day. Remember: Make breakfast a priority — it's
a great time to get the nutrients you may miss the rest of
the day: vitamin C in orange juice, fiber in cereal and calcium
in milk!
Changing
your toothbrush
Changing your toothbrush is just as important as using toothpaste,
when it comes to maintaining healthy teeth. Splayed or bent
bristles are not effective for cleaning, nor are hard bristled
brushes that can wear-down enamel and cause receding gum lines.
Remember: Change your toothbrush every two months and use
a soft-bristle brush for optimal care.
Taking pills with water
Taking medication with just any drink can affect the way the
medicine reacts in your body. Grapefruit juice has been shown
to increase the levels of some heart and blood pressure medicine
making them too effective. Milk can decrease the effectiveness
of antibiotics. Remember: Unless your doctor specifies, you
should take all medications with 8 ounces of water.
Crossing
your legs at the knee
While this may appear to be more attractive, crossing your
legs while sitting restricts blood flow to the leg that's
crossed leading to varicose veins and aggravating your back.
Remember: Make it a practice to sit with your feet flat on
the ground, and your weight evenly distributed.
One last
thing to remember: Taking care of yourself helps you take
better care of patients.
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Favorite
Flicks
The
Newsletter Staff reviews recent movie releases.
Pirates
of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Rated PG-13)
The
entire cast is back with some new buccaneers that are geared
up to set sail for adventure. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead
Man’s Chest is about the return of Captain Jack Sparrow
(Johnny Depp) and discovers that he has a dept to pay to the
renowned Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). Like the previous movie,
the misadventures of Captain Jack and his crew will entertain
fans with laughter and action with adventure.
Our Score:  
(3 1/2 out of 4 Stethoscopes)
Monster
House (Rated PG)
When neighborhood kids notice that the house next door is
alive and is eating people, great plot twists, thrills, and
scares ensue. Perhaps too intense for younger or more sensitive
children, there’s enough story here to keep most kids
and adults entertained. Those who love Halloween will watch
it for generations to come, when the air gets crisp and the
leaves start to turn.
Our
Score: (3 out of 4 Stethoscopes)
My
Super Ex-Girlfriend (Rated PG-13)
This film is good light-hearted fun. Luke Wilson picks up
a disguised Uma Thurman on the subway after encouragement
from his womanizer friend. After he chases down the man who
stole her purse, she's hooked, a little too hooked. Following
the break-up, we want to cheer for G-Girl and her actions
as a woman scorned. Stick around through the credits.
Our
Score:
(2 1/2 out of 4 Stethoscopes)
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