Sponsored By: Daily Addiction Coffee House
and by: Titan Resources Inc and J Dub's

Name: Laura Ward

Where did you grow-up: Born in Williston, Grew up in Medicine Lake MT

What was life like there: Small town life

What was important to you when you were a child: Family, Friends, Education, Sports... and to be honest as a teenager I drank a lot of beer :)

What is your fondest memory from your childhood: Beating the High School record in pole vault as a 7th grader was a great accomplishment of mine and says a lot about my personality. I'm the type you only have to challenge me once and I will put my best effort into accomplishing what I want.

Where did you attend High School and year graduated: I attended Medicine Lake High and only until mid-Senior year, I felt I had what I needed from High School took my GED and went to College? I also left high school with my first child. I had my son right after I turned 18.

What things were you involved in there (Sports & Activities): Track & Dance is what I enjoyed most.. I tried it all in Jr. High Basketball, Soft Ball, Football, Track, Dance, Cheerleading, Golf, if it was available I tried it, but I let go of sports to party for a bit. As an adult I think both "what a shame, I had talent" as well as "Good thing I did the party days back then, as an adult I have a lot more focus" Nobody in a community will back that latter statement up with support for our youth parting, but I see a lot of young adults sucking up their time and energy with less productive activities then they performed in High School and I think what you do in your 20's is more important than what you do as a 15 year old.

What is your best memory from High School: I have to say the best part about being a teenager was the stress free life style. Kids really under appreciate how great it is to be without the responsibilities of adulthood. I remember sleeping a lot, hanging out with friends, eating food I didn't have to buy, using the internet, phone, furniture, utilities, TV, and a lot more I not only didn't pay for, but didn't even realize somebody did :)

Who was your favorite teacher - why? Oooh, I have to say that Medicine Lake back then had some really wonderful teachers. It is hard to choose, I think Mrs. Justice (English) worked really hard to prepare us for college style writing, Mrs. Waller (POD, English) did an excellent job teaching responsibility, Mr. Soderholm was so knowledgeable in Science I still feel like I learn something when talking with the man casually, Mrs. Berg is the woman I owe my business too, she is the only Accounting teacher I have ever had including college, that made accounting enjoyable. I thought when I was 15 that I was made for accounting work because it came so naturally to me, but in reality it was her teaching style that made it easy for me to understand. I realized that when I experienced other Accounting teachers later.

Where did you attend College and year graduated: Williston State and again I took what courses I felt I needed to succeed, not the ones needed to graduate. Sometimes I think our society focuses too much on how things appear vs. how they are, for example some people attend college and graduate with generals and a major in something but never really learned anything for a specific need and maybe even accomplished 'C's' to scoot by, and they probably look more focused and accomplished than me on a resume because they graduated. But I took two years of meaningful classes that I wanted to take, and started a business for myself at 23 years old and 3 years out of college paid off my student loans. I'm really proud of that decision when I see my siblings struggle to pay off huge loans for 5-6 years of college for a job that doesn't pay enough to cover the debt it took to look good enough on paper to get.

What things were you involved in there: Learning, I was a Phi-Theta Kappa member, and tutored accounting and algebra as volunteer hours for that membership.

What is your best memory from College: I took a WWII Oral History class that interviewed and transcribed Vets for the North Dakota Archives. It was the beginning of a love of History for me and I really enjoyed talking with the vets about their experiences.

Who made the biggest impact on your life - why: My Grandparents. I started working for them at their Bar and Restaurant when I was 13 years old, they gave me the gift of work ethics.. They never hesitated to tell me when they felt I was being disappointing. I think everyone needs that kind of honesty in their life to succeed. And as a young worker I was taught how to earn a paycheck, and how to give respect to my co-workers, and how to be a reliable worker a business couldn't replace easily. The BEST thing I have learned in my life so far!

What did you do coming out of school: I worked a few jobs in service trying to find my passion, I thought when I started college that I would be an Accountant, and I learned in college that I am too social to have a desk job, so then I switched to an EDU in entrepreneurship. I was working as a bartender at DK's and because I had a day job of being a mom I drank a lot of coffee. The Daily Addiction was started in a Kiosk by another woman and I was her best customer, when she told me she was thinking about selling... I found my passion! 4 years later I still love what I do, and hope to be in business for many years to come.

Are you married - any children: I am married and have 4 children

Activities/organizations outside of work: ha ha ha I work, I go home and work on household chores, homework and activities with my kids, more mom chores and then I rinse and repeat. I have a business, a husband, a 10year old, a 5 year old, and a set of 9 month old twins. I have nothing but work and family in my life right now, but I am really happy with all of it.

Tell us about where you work now, how you came to work there, what you do, and tell us about the company itself and why you chose to work for them: I feel like I have told you all about my work in the previous questions, but I will add this... I bought a coffee Kiosk in 2008, and moved the business to a sit down location on Main Street in 2009. I love coffee and customer service and I use to like accounting, but after you put in 80hrs in a week making coffee the last thing you want to do is document it. haha Thanks to Williston's economy I can hire out a lot of the hours now, so I can focus a little more on the accounting and ordering, and work more like 15 hours making coffee. I think the children I brought into this world need me a little more right now, but as soon as they are older I plan to work more myself, because I really enjoy the customer service end of my job.

Tell us about your biggest accomplishment there: I'm still in business!

Favorite Sport: Football

Favorite Team (any sport): Saints, New Orleans.

Favorite Player (any sport): Well Drew Brees of course, but Sean Payton and his juicy fruit make it happen

Favorite Food: Italian

Favorite Restaurant: Ciao Mambo

Favorite Movie: Message in a Bottle

Favorite Movie Star: Don't really have one, I'm thinking really hard but can't narrow it down.

Favorite Thing To Do: Snuggle all my kids and my husband on the couch bed for a family movie night!

Is your best friend from high school still your best friend today? Nope haven't been in touch since 2003, it's amazing how much life changes who we are and who we want to spend our days with. When you're young, it's about fun. When you're older, it's more about true friendship and commonality.

Hobbies: I like to go camping, read books, and yoga

Life Without Grains (Part 2)

The grains we need to be most suspicious of are wheat and corn (yes corn is a grain, not a vegetable!). You will find these in everything from bread to sauces. In a perfect world, your diet would consist of proteins, fruits and veggies, and good fats. No grains at all. But I realize this is not a perfect world, so if you use a few of the better grains instead of wheat and corn, your world in my opinion could be pretty close to perfect! Listed here are some new, healthier grains to try.

Amaranth: grown throughout Asia and Africa, this grain is packed with nutrients and protein.

Buckwheat: with it's high antioxidants, this grain is helpful in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Bulgur Wheat: a Mediterranean delight used in tabbouleh and high in fiber. Because it is close in structure to regular wheat, make sure you soak it overnight before using it.

Quinoa: (pronounced keen-wa) this highly digestible grain was a necessity for the Incas due to it's high concentration of protein.

Spelt: 'the good wheat'. Packed with B vitamins and good fiber, but again close in molecular structure to wheat, so consume in moderation.

Teff: full of iron and a little sweet tasting, this makes great wraps and porridge.

If you are steering clear of grains entirely but would still like the occasional grain-like variety here and there, I would encourage you to try using coconut flour. This obviously comes from a coconut (not a grain at all), is FULL of nutrients, and is easily digested.

Try this amazing pancake recipe (courtesy of one of our favorite patients):

4 tbsp coconut flour

4 eggs

4 tbsp coconut oil or real butter

4 tbsp coconut milk

1 tsp aluminum free baking powder

a little sprinkle of sea salt

Blend it all up, heat as pancakes on a griddle, and enjoy! Opt for pureed berries for topping.

Play your favorite classic video games here. Remember all the fun you had, well it's here for you to enjoy again. If you have played these games you'll see what kind of fun everyone was having with these games.

A Loving Husband -
A Devoted Father -
To ALL Who Knew Him, A Best Friend -

We All Miss You Dad...