Member Spotlight: Marni Rolston

Here’s a little about our family:  I’m married to Jed Huseby; we have two children, Ida May, 15, and Sorin, 11.  Jed and I each moved to Bozeman in the early 1990’s, but didn’t meet until 2000, at a Bozeman contra-dance.  I attended the first Bozeman Cohousing community event at the Lindley Center in April of 2019 and have been thinking about it ever since.  

We are interested in Bozeman Cohousing because our daughter has special needs, and as we think about what her future might look like, we know that one of the most important things she will need as she becomes an adult is a stable community of people who will be a part of her life for many years or even decades.  We anticipate that Ida May might thrive in this intentional community; perhaps with a roommate who provides some support.  I’ve been anxious about what her future would look like for many years, and when I first heard about cohousing, I finally felt like this could be a place where she could live and thrive. 

Ida May is an incredibly social person, who thrives when she feels she is part of a community.  She will be in 10th grade next year, and enjoys hiking with her family, hanging out with friends, dancing, riding her bike around town, anything octopus-related, arts and crafts, and connecting with others.  She has spent a lot of time participating in almost every activity offered by Eagle Mount.  She is an engaging teenager who wants to be as independent as possible, and Bozeman Cohousing seems like it would be an excellent fit for her.

I think Ida has a lot to offer this growing community.  She has an inquisitive mind, a playful spirit, and a love of people.  She has a way of bringing people together, and her exuberance at seeing someone she knows is contagious.  She delights in being with young children and animals.  I envision her reading books to kids while their parents prepare meals in the common house, helping neighbors plant flowers, delivering mail to a neighbor who is home-bound, and many other helpful gestures.