Leaving la vida loca behind for the vast Northwest

Not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Greg Woods, the new facility coordinator for the Libby Memorial Center happened to know he wanted a change and when he came to Libby to visit his dad, Allen Woods, who owns the Caboose Motel, he knew right away that he wanted to move here.

Woods was working nights in Las Vegas as a money counter in a large casino and he had an opportunity for advancement, but he felt he was missing time with his family. His wife, Deanna, learned she could continue her work as a business analyst with Computer Industries based in Canada, so they left the bright lights of Las Vegas behind and moved to Libby in the spring of 2007.

Woods said the last year has passed slower than his previous 10 years, and he loves the laid back, no-hurry lifestyle here in Libby.

Their children, Aidyn and Alexandra, who had never seen snow, enjoyed their first winter and Woods said he and Deanna liked the cozy, snowed in season too. Aidyn, who did not have his fifth birthday in time to enter kindergarten, has had plenty of time to play with grandpa Woods in the snow and 12-year-old Alexandra made new friends and brought her grades up at Libby Middle School where classes are much smaller than those in Las Vegas.

Woods' first jobs were in retail and although he and Deanna met at a video game store where they worked, they both went to work for a hypnotist, he as a stage hand, and Deanna as the hypnotist's assistant. Woods said, "Oh yeah!" when asked if she wore fancy outfits. He proposed to his wife during the show. In a skit, like the Dating Game television show, Woods interviewed ladies from the audience who had been told, under hypnosis, that they would find him unattractive and discourage him from choosing them. One night, Woods said he wanted to interview one more girl and he turned to Deanna, pulled a ring out of his pocket, and asked her to marry him. She said yes, and because of their employment connections, their huge wedding and reception was held in the ballroom of the Imperial Palace hotel.

Woods is not new to marketing, but he says his job is challenging and every day brings a new problem to solve. He hopes to bring big names to Libby in the future, but for now he wants to increase the attendance at the Memorial Center to cover the expenses of the non-profit facility.

He is currently collecting e-mail addresses so events can be posted and he would even like to send video clips of coming events to those e-mail addresses.

The Woods family could be singing "Green Acres is the place for me" this year. Although they do miss the endless entertainment, shopping opportunities, and a variety of dining choices, they love their new lifestyle in the far northwest corner of Montana and plan to stay.