As we begin our descent out of summer and into fall (and immediately to winter), we thought it would be fun to share with you our staff’s favorite fall activities so you can get to know them better and see if you have anything in common!

Sydney (Customer Service Representative)
Her favorite activity in general is hiking and backpacking, but specifically in the fall, she can see the leaves changing and feel the cold weather on her skin and embrace the beautiful views!

Daniel (Lawn Technician)
Daniel just moved to Montana from Florida and so he has yet to experience a Montana fall, but his favorite fall activity is to go to the pumpkin patch and pick out the best pumpkin! He thinks his favorite activity is going to change to hiking after this season! 

Keri (Customer Service Representative)
“Fall is my fave time to visit Yellowstone! We always have people come to visit in what I think is Montana’s best season and I love taking them to Yellowstone because it’s crisp and cool and beautiful! And the crowds have died down, which I love! The perfect fall day for me is a trip to Yellowstone with some kind of picnic (like sandwiches from Mamma Macs) and some friends to hike around with! Add an afternoon thunderstorm and I’m in heaven!” ~Keri 

Colin (Owner)
Colin had a hard time deciding what his favorite was so he decided to choose two. First, Colin pretty much loves mountain biking at any time when he can during the year, but particularly loves mountain biking in the fall because it’s cooler and a different kind of beautiful! Second, you can’t keep this guy from skiing year round. He loves water skiing especially in the fall because the water is warm and there is less of a crowd on the lake!

Sidne (Office Manager)
I feel the same way that Colin does where it’s hard to choose. I love backpacking and hiking in the fall, just like a lot of our staff. In the fall, I feel like the competition is reduced for the best camp spots! I love cooking with the fall vegetables. Everything is so fresh and tasty and goes so well together (fall veggies hash with some chorizo is my fave!). I love walking outside to the crisp fall morning, I think it just has such a fresh smell, if I could spend my time in the fall at a cabin, I totally would. 

Gregg (Lawn Technician)
Gregg loves Harry Potter (don’t we all?) and specifically loves to binge watch the movies while it’s snowing outside. Not to mention all of the sweet fall treats. Anything with apple and cinnamon is a particular favorite! 

Carly (Dispatcher)
“One thing I love to do in the fall is make Halloween costumes! It was my mother who really started this tradition. When I was a kid she would take me and my 2 siblings to the craft store each fall to pick out costume patterns and fabrics. It was so special having a unique handmade outfit. As I grew older, she taught me how to use the sewing machine and I continue to make my own costumes to this day. I believe you are never too old to dress up!” ~Carly

Will (Consulting Arborist and Vendor Relationships)
“Hiking in New England! I love the colors of the fall foliage in the Northeast and visiting family out there when the leaves are changing colors.” ~Will

Nate (Lawn and Tree Technician)
We have a bit of a theme that runs through our team! Nate also loves hiking in the fall because the temperatures start to cool down and the colors are beautiful! 

Mickey (Lawn Technician)
It’s funny, I asked everyone separately what they love to do and the hiking just seem to be the mainstay answer! Mickey also loves hiking in the fall because it starts to cool down! She’s not a huge fan of the hot temps so she would prefer not to walk up a mountain at that time!

Logan (Lawn Technician)
When I asked Logan, I don’t think he even took a second to think, I asked “What’s your favorite fall act—HUNTING!” Logan said. I can tell he’s looking forward to getting out in the mountains and enjoying the quiet of nature!

Addy (Lawn Technician)
Addy had a fun answer! Her dad hosts a spectacular Halloween party every year and sometimes incorporates his family as props. One year, her and her sister were put on a pulley like system and dressed up as skeletons and when one person would jump down, the other would float back up and vice versa. (How do I get an invite, Addy?)

Dane (Floater)
Dane is a friend of Colin’s that’s joining us for a couple of weeks this season between some trips that he has planned to help with whatever he can. He loves ice climbing in the fall because there’s only some locations where the ice is established enough to climb and you need to walk 14-15+ miles to get to the climb itself. He has done a fall ice climb near Big Sky so often that his feedback and insight was sought after by a guidebook because he understands the conditions from year to year the best! Very cool.

Noah (Lawn Technician)
Noah is a busy guy in the fall. “Ooo that’s a tough one. Working out, duck hunting, deer, snatching up any last trout, and until there’s snow, golfing and running calls.” ~Noah

Sammy (Lawn Technician)
Bonfires, Rocky Creek Farm, and Football!

Tommy (Lawn Technician)
We have another vote for hunting! Again, being able to be out in the wilderness and enjoy the peace and quiet of nature is always a great luxury. I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t even see Tommy in this photo. 

George (Lawn Technician)
“My favorite fall activity is hiking. It’s the perfect time because it’s not too hot, there’s not snow to block access and it’s not a super busy season.” ~George

Pearson (Liquid Aeration Technician)
“One of my favorite fall activities is going up into the mountains to do a little off-roading and see all the Fall foliage, specifically in a Land Rover!” ~Pearson

Happy New Year! Hopefully, you’re reading this after doing a little bit of celebrating for the year to come, even if it was just a quick raise of the champagne flute!

We write a lot of blogs that are focused on helping your property be the best it can be, but for this one, we want to help you get to know some of our staff more so that the next time they come out to visit your property you can strike up a conversation on a mutual interest! Our customers and our staff are the heart of our business!

So we went around the room and asked our staff that are on for the winter season:

What are your favorite winter activities?

Keri (Customer Service Representative):
Keri is the happy and bubbly voice that helps you figure out all of your lawn, tree and holiday lights needs!

Keri’s Favorite Winter Activities:

• • • Staying Inside – she’s not a huge fan of the cold.
    • Selling stuff from her phone on her couch – If you didn’t know, Keri also runs her own online boutique called Just Rad Market and it is truly RAD! Check it out if you’re also hanging out on your couch shopping. 
    • Hanging out with her family of 6 + 2 Great Danes – (hopefully you’ve seen Gus on our Instagram, if you’re not following us yet, start now!)
    • Snowshoeing – She braved her fear of the cold and rocked some snowshoeing! 
    • Potentially Pow Surfing – she said that she was getting a Pow Surfer for her husband, Ricky and that she would maybe be giving it a shot. Of course let’s all encourage her to do so! 

Tate (Field Manager) –
Tate gets to do a little bit of everything at Yard Guard, but his main focus is helping out current staff with questions and maintaining quality control, but you’ll also see him training new staff, spraying lawns and trees here and there and helping customers when they have questions about their property. 

His favorite things: 

• • • Skiing – if you didn’t know, it’s said that Yard Guard has created a bit of a ski cult, eh hem, I mean club and Tate is a full contributing member of the club!
    • He loves Mexico, so he can’t wait for the next time to go surfing and buy the amazing street tacos!
    • In his spare time, he’s also growing out his mullet and may take up bobsledding. We wish him good luck in his endeavours 😂. 

Cisco (Customer Services Representative):
Cisco’s voice rivals Morgan Freeman and if you’ve ever called and spoke with him, you probably get the overwhelming sense that everything will be all right.

Cisco’s Winter Favorites: 

• • • Hopefully skiing – We’re also trying to induct Cisco into our club, we’ve found him some boots and it’s only a matter of days before he’s ripping down Bridger Bowl!
    • Watching Football and cheering on the Georgia Bulldogs!
    • Spending time with family – his girlfriend Victoria and their two dogs!
    • Smoking Things – as a Georgia native and an expert in BBQ, we get pretty excited when Cisco offers to cook something for the team on the Traeger! Check out our Facebook post for our End of Year party when he whipped us up a crawfish boil!

Colin (Owner):
The man who makes it all happen! Colin makes sure all of us are well taken care of and that Yard Guard is running efficiently! Most days he spends his time in the office, but he loves to get out and meet our customers and vendors when he has the chance.

Colin’s Winter Activities: 

• • • Skiing – Colin is the leader of this infamous Yard Guard ski club. If you joined Yard Guard and didn’t ski before, you certainly do now. 
    • Snowmobiling – rivaling his love for skiing, you’ll also see him zipping around and enjoying the “sweet” smell of two-stroke.
    • Working – if you know Colin, you know he loves what society would consider “working.” For him, finding a better way to do lawn & tree care or reward his employees brings him a ton of joy and in the winter he gets to focus on Finding A Better Way to do these things.
    • Going to Mexico – Colin & I (Sidne) love going to Mexico and enjoying the sun and reading a book on the beach. Usually we’ll try and make a couple of trips down in the winter. 
    • Traveling – because winter is our down time, now is when we get to take the time to travel. Beside Mexico, Colin loves doing ski trips or loading up the camper or sled and heading to different places to explore. This year we’re (Colin and I) headed to Japan to ski some POW!

Sam (Lawn Technician) –
Sam is one of the kindest people you’ll ever meet! He’s always willing to lend a hand and is well known for helping our customers as much as he possibly can so they’re excited about the health of their property. 

Sam’s favorite activities: 

• • • Skiing – Sam’s been skiing forever and has now become part of our club! He’s one of the bada** skiers ripping down Bridger! 
    • Pow Surfing – he’s also a big fan of Pow Surfing so hopefully he’ll be teaching Keri a thing or two!
    • Hanging out with family – if you know Sam, you know that hanging out with his wife, Madi and their black lab, Lida brings Sam so much joy!

Reilly (Lawn Technician) –
Reilly has been with Yard Guard for two seasons now and is always eager to help and learn! When he’s not hiking around Three Forks, he loves making sure the shop is clean and that everything is running smoothly for his teammates!

Reilly’s Winter Activities: 

• • • Snowboarding – (maybe one day we’ll get him to ski ;)) but this year, Reilly is learning how to snowboard!
    • Leaving – when he’s not learning how to snowboard this year, he’s excited to travel South to the warmer weather!
    • Going to the Hot Springs – While he didn’t have a favorite, it was very clear that he was excited to hang out in the hot springs and relax with a beer!

Sidne (Office Manager + the person writing this blog)
It’s always hard to write a description for yourself, but my main focus at YG is making sure the customer service team has the support they need and then helping Colin with whatever needs to get done. I love working on growing the business and helping with marketing when time allows!

My Favorite Things: 

• • • Skiing – I was also not a skier when I first started at YG, but you should see me now! This winter, I’m just praying for snow….
    • XC Skiing – I love a good workout, so cross country skiing is a good alternative and something I can do quickly after work to burn some calories.
    • Traveling – I love planning fun trips in the winter, whether that be our quick getaway trips to Mexico or something larger like Japan! 
    • Reading – because we’re not as busy in the winter, I’m able to take the time to learn from different books that will help during our busy season! 

I would assume that if you are living in Bozeman or Livingston during the winter, you can relate to many of these! Hopefully we see you the next time we’re on the mountain (please pray for snow)! 

Happy New Year to you! Cheers to 2024.