Thursday, May 28, 2009

Getting Ready for the Summer's Events

Summer in Billings is a great time of year. People are out and about and the feeling around town is much more relaxed. Restaurants and bars open up their patios and the locals will be found there having casual conversations in the sun with their sunglasses on and an ice cold brew in a frosty glass.

With summer come the summer parties! The weekly Friday event--Fix @ 6 begins this Friday at Hudson's. Meet up there with your friends to kick off your weekend and the summer with music by Zen.


In just a couple of week's Thursdays get even better in Billings when Alive After 5 begins June 4th under Skypoint with music by Primal Nation Reunion.

The Micro Brew Festival is this weekend at the Shrine Auditorium from 1pm to 11pm on Saturday. Music, entertainment, and over 60 micro brews, ciders and root beers.

There's lots of great events happening all weekend long. Just Check Out the Billings365.com Calendar. You'll have a hard time deciding which event you'd like to go to.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Aahhh, the long weekend.

Long weekends are just so nice. Now, I really do like my job very much but sometimes the routine of things gets tiring. My regular weekends usually consist of a lot of housework (laundry and cleaning), running errands (getting groceries, etc.), and updating Billings365.com. The three day weekend gives you one day to get all of that stuff done, one day to go out and do something fun, and one day to do nothing and just relax...it's perfect. Alternatively, you might go on a weekend getaway. That's a great way to use the extra day too. This
memorial day however, we just wanted to take advantage of the time to slow down a bit.

This weekend was great. I got some yard work done, got some cleaning done, did some errands but those things didn't seem like such a chore because there was no rush to get them done. Dustin golfed a couple of days and got to see a couple of his friends who were in town. One of the things I wanted to do this weekend was go to the Weapons Grade Cynicism comedy show at Bones on Saturday. It looked like so much fun but the Lakers were playing the Nuggets and Dustin is a die hard Lakers fan so we had to skip it this time. (If anyone attended please leave a comment and tell us how it was). We took our Jack Russells to Riverfront Park on Sunday mid-morning. See them pictured above with Dustin. Then on Monday we drove out to Lake Elmo and jogged them one lap and then circled around again to stop at the little dog park area. Jack loves to swim and heads for the water the second he gets there. I also got to do some reading (Chelsea Handler's books--sarcastic and hilarious; and good old SELF magazine) and got to meet up with a friend for dinner. A three day weekend just leaves you feeling so refreshed. If only every weekend could be this perfect....then, we'd probably just want 4 day weekends:)!

Of course, Memorial Day is a great time to spend with friends and family or just relaxing but it's also important to remember those who gave their lives fighting for us to give us our freedoms. A Big Thanks to all who served and serve today in the military.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Carmike Cinemas Shiloh 14 Opens this Weekend

The new Carmike Cinemas movie theater opens this weekend, Shiloh 14--it includes 14 theaters 3 of which are 3-D screens. Last night, the theater hosted a VIP Night as a fundraiser for the Scottish Rite Masons and Pediatric Therapy Clinic in Billings which I attended with a couple of friends.

They rolled out the red carpet and we were greeted by gentlemen in suits as we entered the building. First impressions are quite impressive. The lobby is big, open, bright and colorful. Digital screens replace movie poster holders as they change through upcoming movies and of course include the movie trailers on the screen. The concessions area also includes digital menus. Shiloh 14 includes a gourmet popcorn menu with flavors like Cheddar, caramel, raspberry, and chocolate.

We checked out a few of the different theaters, one features a screen that is 75ft wide and nearly 3 stories high. The new seats are oh, so comfortable with lots of leg room.

What was most impressive about the evening was how polite and helpful all of the staff were. Hopefully, that level of service will continue beyond the grand opening because it really made you feel like you were at something special.

Check Out Showtimes at Shiloh 14 Here and enjoy the upgraded movie viewing experience!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

ANGELS & DEMONS

Well, I went to Angels & Demons last night , I am sure most of you have heard of the movie with all of the hype. It is the follow up to the Divinci Code (The Divinici Code was banned by the Catholic Church, but not this one; it is was far less controversial). Basically a symbologist (Tom Hanks) chases ancient symbols around town to save the Vatican from destruction from an evil organization.



I feel it was slightly above average, but very entertaining. This movie has been done plenty. It is a cross between National Treasure and Armageddon. Both good movies in their own right, but it just seems it has been done. It was very entertaining and had some nice twists that kept you thinking, but there were a lot of parts where you were like "really, come on".

Angels and Demons is a very enjoyable mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat and I have to recommend it.

Monday, May 11, 2009

A Full Weekend: Cafe Italia, Cabaret, Women's Run, ZPizza

This past weekend was packed with fun with friends and family. Some girlfriends and I decided to end the work week with dinner and then a show at Venture Theatre on Friday Night. We decided to try out the new Cafe Italia on Montana Avenue before the show and were not disappointed. We started out with a bottle of Layered Cake Primavito (which was a great choice by my friend Katie) and they served a couple of different types of bread with vinegar and oil. We all tried a different pasta dish, traditional alfredo, carbonara alla zucchi, and mushroom ragout. It was all great.

After dinner we went to Cabaret at Venture Theatre and it was a full house. Set in Berlin on the brink of the Nazi era, Cabaret was edgy, thought provoking and entertaining--we all had a great time.

Then, up bright and early for the Women's Run. Holly, Katie and I wanted to be a part of the walk but decided to take it easy on Saturday morning by just walking the 2mile. I placed at number 1,876...I beat Katie and Holly:). The Women's Run was very well attended with nearly 7,000 runners and walkers.

Saturday Night, I hung out with Dustin and we tried out ZPizza a new place out on Shiloh near the Red Door. It's a cute little place. You can dine in, take out, or get it delivered and you can order by the slice or get a whole pizza, salads and sandwiches available too. What's unique about ZPizza is that all the ingredients are natural or organic. They use low-fat mozzarella cheese and even have gluten-free crust available (excellent for those with food allergies). It was delicious. They're pizzas have a very California style to them. Dustin went with straight up Pepperoni and I tried the Napoli-garlic sauce, tomatos, basil--good stuff!

Sunday of course was Mother's Day. Hope everyone got to spend time with and appreciate their Moms!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Leadership Billings

I have participated in Leadership Billings for the past 8 months or so. Today was our last day and I have to admit, I am so bummed that it is over!

Leadership Billings is a program put on by the Billings Chamber. Basically, you enroll and are in a class of about 40 fellow business people and they come from all different backgrounds. We meet for one full day once a month and each day focuses on a different topic. We have speakers that address those topics and often get to tour different organizations and facilities related to the topic. We've had a Social Services Day, Education Day, Health Care Day, Government/Judicial Day, Business/Economy Day, Tourism Day, etc. So for example for the Social Services day we got to tour and learn about organizations like Friendship House, the Women's and Family Shelter, and other organizations that make such a big difference in the well-being of our community. Linda Gleason at the Chamber programs each day and does an outstanding job!

Our last day, today, was a work day...We were split into about 8 different groups and went to do some volunteer work with different organizations. Some of us did yard work at Big Brothers Big Sisters, some painted benches at one of the local schools, washed windows, painted, and the lucky group got to pick up garbage on top of the Rims (you can imagine what they found up there!).

Anyhow, the program has been so eye opening--I have a much better understanding of my community and what makes it tick and the areas that still need some work. And I feel inspired to stay involved and help shape the future of Billings. And, I've made some great friends along the way who I hope I will stay connected with.

Leadership Billings has a program for adults and also does a program for high school students. You can find out more about the programs on the Billings Chamber website.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Happy Cinco de Mayo

It's Cinco de Mayo!

From Wikipedia: "Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico.[1][2] The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio

Zaragoza SeguĂ­n.[3][4]

While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.[8]"

Want to celebrate? Here's a few parties happening this evening:
Cinco de Mayo Party at Hooligan's
Cinco de Mayo Party at The Wild West
Cinco de Mayo Party at The Railyard