nephew
My nephew, Jake Harman has been a very busy guy this year. There are a lot of changes going on. Jake has wanted to get his Class A CDL license, and this was his year. Now he has a new job with Meyer’s Logistics, as a delivery driver, that has him traveling from Casper to South Dakota, which for our family is a favorite place…and also to Nebraska and around Wyoming. Jake has been heading for a job like this for a long time. Prior to this, he has been a bus driver for the schools and the city busses. He loved his jobs, and the people he drove to their destinations, but he needed something more. Some people just have a call to the open road.
Jake’s wife, Melanie tells me, “He still is just the biggest goofball ever, but we all love it so much!!” Jake has an amazing imagination, and they decided to set up a Laser Beam Game for their kids, Alice, Izabella, and Jaxx in their hallway at home. Jake came up with the story line that was fantastic and his excitement and enthusiasm with it just made it so much better. So, as the story goes, “Mom (Melanie) was frozen by a monster which was 
Dad (Jake) ha ha, and the only way to save Mom was for each of them to get down the hallway and back without getting hit by the lasers. Along the way, they had to find their one item to put on Mom to unfreeze her before the monster got them all! It was so much fun lol!!”
All of his babies absolutely love him and his energy!! I think that because Jake is mostly a kid himself, he can totally relate to his children. Their home is filled with laughter, excitement, and amazing playtime. Jake is an amazing dad and loving husband. He is one of those husband’s that never forget to let his wife know what a blessing she is to him. He is always telling Melanie how beautiful she is and sending her texts saying, “You are God given, life without you is life not worth living.” Melane says, “It melts my heart Every time!!” Melanie has been struggling with some depression issues lately, and Jake has been amazing at helping her try to get through…doing whatever he can to help right now.
Jake loves his baby sister, Siara so much and her husband, Chris along with their new baby Nathan (Nathaniel). He is so happy to have this new nephew in his life. Jake’s kids, wife, and his sister’s little family are by far his best friends!! He would do anything for any of his family…no matter who it is!! And anyone who knows Jake very well, knows just how true that statement is. Jake is a giver and a helper, and he has a loving heart that is as big as the great outdoors. Today is Jake’s birthday. Happy birthday Jake!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My husband’s aunt, Margee Kountz practically grew up with his older siblings and him. She was born in 1949; and Bob’s sister Marlyce in 1950, Debbie in 1953, and my husband, Bob in 1954. They were followed by Jennifer in 1961, Brenda in 1963, and Ron in 1968. So, by the time she was 10, Margee was an aunt three times, and she had built in playmates. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they were always best friends, because let’s face it, kids fight…even if one of them is the aunt. She was only a year old when she became an aunt. She was only four the second time, and five the third time. That makes them more like siblings than aunt, nieces, and nephew. 
Margee has always had a sweet spirit. She is kind and helpful, and she is a giver. She gives of herself to anyone in need. Margee was a single mom for most of her children, Dan and Sandy’s lives. She worked hard to be a good mom, and when the grandchildren came along, she was a big part of their lives too. Especially after Dan’s wife, Darlene passed away when their kids were very young. I don’t know where the grandkids would have been without her. They grew up very close to their grandma. Now the great grandchildren are arriving, and I hope she will get to be as close to them as she was with her grandchildren.
Margee helped out when her oldest sister, Joann Schulenberg, my mother-in-law, had Alzheimer’s Disease, and I don’t know what I would have done without her. She was retired then, and everyone else worked. When I had to take my father-in-law to doctor’s appointments, Margee would sit with my mother-in-law, and it was a huge 
help. To try to take both of them to the doctor’s office would have been impossible. I owe her a great debt of gratitude. Her willingness to help meant more to me than words can ever express. Margee’s has been a life of service to others. She has gone above and beyond the call of duty move times than I can count, and it has not gone unnoticed. Margee is such an angel, and I am so thankful for her. Today is Margee’s 75th birthday. Happy birthday Margee!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
When things started to change for the worse at the hospital where my nephew, Allen Beach and his wife, Gaby worked, they decided to get ahead of the situation. So, they made the move to Eugene, Oregon in search of a better life for themselves. Now, a little over a year later, they are nicely settled, and loving their jobs. Gaby works at the Veteran’s Administration, working in a VA Hospital, while Allen works as a Care Management Associate for Aetna. Allen works with doctors to coordinate care plans that align with Aetna health insurance, which was acquired by CVS a few years ago. Allen works out of his home, which as we all know is a fairly new phenomenon these days, stepped up with the Covic pandemic. Nevertheless, while working from home seemed strange to many of us, it is looked upon as rather a primo kind of job these days, and Allen is totally loving it…and I’m sure their dog, Oly loves it too. 
Allen and Gaby like to take walks through a beautiful park they found along the Willamette River, and they try to get out and take Oly for walks as often as they can. Right now, they are renting, but as soon as the housing market settles down, they are planning to buy another house. They loved their house here in Casper, Wyoming, and I’m sure it was hard to go back to renting. Now that they are both settled in jobs, and they know that they like the area, they are ready for take the next step and buy a house again.
My sister, Caryl (Allen’s mom) and her husband, Mike Reed took a trip to visit Allen and Gaby in early November, and they all had a great time. Caryl and Mike took their motorhome, and they took a week to travel along the Oregon Coast. Allen and Gaby had such a great time. They are looking forward to more trips along 
the coast now that they’ve seen some of the towns with Caryl and Mike. Their trip down the coast included Crater Lake, which was a place our parents, Allen’s grandparents, Allen and Collene Spencer loved to go. I love the picture of Allen and Gaby there. I wish I had known they were there, because I would have had them take a picture like the one his grandparents took. Maybe next time they go there. I’m happy they love their new city, and glad for Caryl and Mike that it isn’t too awfully far away. I’m sure there will be lots of future visits. Today is Allen’s birthday. Happy birthday Allen!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, Chris Kirk joined our family when he married my niece, Siara Harman on July 23, 2022. Recently, Chris and Siara bought a house, and they have been spending time fixing it up to be the way they want it to be. Owning a home has long been a dream for Chris. He likes working on things, and you just can’t in an apartment. So, he has really enjoyed working on things, and basically doing all the “handy man stuff” that he couldn’t before. So far, he has painted the house with Siara’s mom and dad, Chantel and Dave Balcerzak. They have also sanded floors, fixed toilets, put blinds up, and added transitions. Siara tells me that “He will be doing a lot more, but he is doing great and being so patient with it all!!” Much of these things were things that Siara couldn’t really help with, because they are expecting their first child together. 
Adding to their family is a big step, and Chris wants to be ready in every way. He has been taking on a lot of extra shifts at work to keep us on top and set for their sweet baby. That is huge, because he wants to be able to relax, knowing that he had made everything ready for him and Siara, since she will have some time off work after the baby arrives. Siara tells me that Chris is the hardest worker she knows. Chris is really enjoying all the “baby changes” in Siara. Feeling the baby kicking is one of his favorite things to do. Siara feels so comfortable that Chris is going to be a great dad and provider for their little family, now and on into the future, as they add to their family later on.
Chris is so good to his in-laws too. He enjoys doing thing for them, and with them. They all get along so well. Chris is a friendly sort of guy and wants to fit in well with the family he married into. He and Siara’s brother, 
Jake Harman and his family get along great too. Siara and Jake are close, so knowing that her husband and brother are friends is comforting too. They all went hiking a number of times over the summer and had a great time. I think Chris is one of those people who gets along well with everyone…someone who never met a stranger, and someone that people want to be around. At least, that is what I get from anyone who knows him. Today is Chris’ birthday. Happy birthday Chris!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
The past year has been a year of spiritual growth for my niece, Lindsay Moore. It’s not that she wasn’t a strong Christian woman, because she really is stronger than most people, and she has had enough trials to break many people, even strong Christians….but, not Lindsay. She grew stronger and stronger. This past year found Lindsay being led to start a Christian podcast, which is going very well. Her podcast is called, “The New Way To Live” and it is excellent. I highly recommend you have a listen.
Lindsay and her husband, Shannon Moore’s daughter, Mackenzie is growing up so fast. Lindsay took her to her first day of Kindergarten, and now they are getting used to a full day school schedule. Since Lindsay works from home, this is quite a change for both her and Mackenzie. Mackenzie is Lindsay’s mini-me in so many ways, and both of them are very social people, who light up the lives of the people who are blessed to know them. The Moore family are all pretty social, and pretty athletic too. This summer all of them got new bicycles, and now Mackenzie can ride without training wheels. That will make for lots of fun family rides in the evenings.
Lindsay is very active in her church, Harvest Christian Center in Laramie, Wyoming. Lindsay has spoken at 
several of their conferences, and also helps out with the Vacation Bible School every summer. The Bible school has been a great opportunity for her nephew, Ethan Hadlock, as well as nieces, Aurora Hadlock and Adelaide Sawdon to come and spend a week with her, while attending the Bible school. Lindsay regularly brings a “gang” of kids with her to the daily activities. This year, since they are too old to attend the Bible school, Ethan and Aurora helped out as volunteers. Aurora got to be in Lindsays class as a volunteer. That was especially cool, because Aurora loves to help out. They all had a blast!!!
The Moore family took a wonderful two week vacation this summer with their new trailer. They went to Fremont Lake in Pinedale, as well as to Alpine, Thermopolis, the Big Horn Mountains. Then they went to Spearfish, South Dakota, where they got a tour of Shannon’s old stomping grounds…Black Hills State University, where he was a quarterback. Then it was on to Chadron, Nebraska, where Shannon’s parents are campground hosts at Chadron 
State Park. They had a great time and very relaxing and visiting with Tom and Mary Jo Moore. Then, they ended their vacation at Vedauwoo, Wyoming for the last 2-3 days. It was a wonderful trip, and a highlight of their summer. Now, it’s on to the next school for Mackenzie and Shannon (as a coach for the University of Wyoming Cowboys), and back to her schooltime activities for Lindsay. Today is Lindsay’s birthday. Happy birthday Lindsay!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, Matt Miller, is having a great year. Last year, on August 14th, Matt became a member of our family, when he married my niece, Michelle. With everything going on, and their prior wedding date having been postponed due to Covid, they decided to wait to take a honeymoon until this year. They wanted to let all the restrictions end before they took the most important trip of their married lives. So, for their first anniversary, they took their honeymoon trip to Saint Thomas, in the Virgin Islands. They have been honeymooning since they got married, so the trip was just the next step. They had a wonderful time on their trip. They snorkeled a lot and got to do something called SNUBA which is kind of like scuba diving, but you don’t have to train for it. They stayed at an all-inclusive resort, and they just loved it. They didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything they didn’t want to, they just relaxed, had fun, and had adventures.
They are both doing amazing at their jobs. Matt is a Production Supervisor at Peabody Energy at the North Antelope Rochelle Mine, and Michelle is an Art Educator at the Nicolaysen Art Museum. Their careers are really 
taking off, and they are so excited to be doing the work they love. With their careers going well, they decided to start looking for a house, although with the market as bad as it is, it may not be the perfect time to do so. They aren’t in a huge hurry, so they are just checking to see what’s out there. They have a specific type of property in mind. They are hoping to find something with a couple acres of land because Matt has a lot of toys, so he needs a shop desperately. Men have to have their tinkering place.
Matt loves kids, and he is the best uncle to all of his nieces and nephew. He has three nieces, Hannah Miller, Elliott and Maya Stevens, as well as bonus niece and nephew, Brooklyn and Jaxon Killinger. The kids absolutely love their uncle, and he spoils them rotten…or so I’m told. I think he is just practicing for the children he and Michelle plan to have one of these days. They are very excited to have kids soon, and we all can’t wait either!! Babies are the most wonderful gift ever. For now, Matt is the best dog dad! They love and spoil their dogs, Obi and Leia…maybe, they say, a little more than some people would call normal, but I think they are like most pet 
parents. Those dogs are their babies and will be even when the kids arrive. They are part of the family too.
Matt did get a new “baby” this year…his new truck, and he is quite obsessed with it. this year that he is obsessed with it. Boys and their toys!! From trucks, to snowmobiles, to 4 wheelers, to motorcycles. It doesn’t matter what their toy of choice is. Boys will always be obsessed with their toys. Today is Matt’s birthday. Happy birthday Matt!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, Dave Balcerzak has had a busy, but somewhat trying year. It seems like it’s been one project after another and trying to stay ahead of it can be stressful. Last summer his car became the project, and then came his truck, and some more needed repairs. While Dave didn’t do the work alone and didn’t do any of the work on the truck, there is always cost involved, not to mention the stress that vehicle maintenance can bring.
In addition to the vehicle work, Dave and his wife, my niece, Chantel Balcerzak, have been doing some projects around the house. They did some beautiful work in their kitchen and family room, and then did some beautiful work in their back yard, which was finished just in time for their daughter and son-in-law, Siara and Chris Kirk’s wedding on July 23rd. While the whole thing turned out amazing, but they felt rushed to get it done in time for the ceremony. While, these kinds of projects can be stressful, and at times irritating and even a cause for arguments, they are done now and done exactly to their dream specifications. Chantel says they feel very blessed by the finished results and in awe because 
neither of them seem to know how they actually managed to get it done. I haven’t seen the back yard “in person.” I’ve seen pictures, and I think their “dream specifications” are amazing. Chris and Siara’s wedding was beautiful and an enjoyable occasion for everyone who was there.
Dave is the kind of husband and dad, who loves his blended family deeply, and he has chosen to be a great dad to all of them…Keifer (Katie) Balcerzak, Katy (Dylan) Herr, Jake (Melanie) Harman, and Siara (Chris) Kirk…as well as grandchildren, Alice Green, Izabella Harman, Jaxx Harman, Reece Balcerzak, Aysa Balcerzak, Max Herr, and Alec Olsen (now in Heaven, and greatly missed). Dave is so dedicated to his family, and for Chantel’s kids, he is definitely the dad that “he didn’t have to be” but chose to be. Dave is a cheerful kind of man and loves to laugh. He tends to make everything fun when he is around. He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. In fact, he’s a big teddy bear…just ask those grandbabies.
Dave works on computers by trade, and he is my go-to guy whenever my computer is having an issue. It’s nice 
to have someone in the family that has that skill. It saves us a lot of money, and I’d much rather pay family to work on my stuff than to pay anyone else. Of course, the guy has to be good at what he does, which Dave is. It’s always nice to have a family network of people who can help people. Being a blessing to one another is a great way to be that blessing, and Dave is just that. Today is Dave’s birthday. Happy birthday Dave!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, Rob Masterson is my first nephew, and he was a bit of a culture shock for me. Up until Rob came along, we were a family of girls. My parents had five daughters, and other than Rob’s dad, Rob Masterson, we still had girls, because we had my nieces, Chantel Balcerzak and Toni Chase…and then came Rob. As we all know…especially all women…men are inherently different. While men can usually mature their way out of it to a degree, little boys…oh boy!! If I had grown up around brothers, I might have been more prepared for my nephew, but I had basically no experience in boys. Even the babysitting jobs I had were girls. Girls were my whole life-experience up to that time. To further complicate things, I had two daughters. Girls were the way of life in the Spencer family. My younger sisters each did have one boy among their multiple girls, so we were further educated in the ways of little boys, and I think it was a good thing that Rob prepared me for boy life, because my girls together had three boys and one girl, and the trend of mostly boys is continuing in the great grandkids too. So, thanks for giving me the education in the ways of little boys, Rob. I think I needed it.
These days, Rob is a great husband and dad. He has three daughters, Christina Masterson, Raelynn Masterson, and Audrianna Masterson, and one son, Matthew Masterson. He and his wife, Dustie Masterson are both supervisors, he at Sam’s Club’s tire and automotive department, and Dustie at Walgreen’s. Life is good, and they are very happy. They have been married now almost 20 years, and each year gets better and better. They love their jobs, their lives, and each other. They are soulmates, and I can’t imagine one without the other.
Being a supervisor is a job with a lot of responsibility. With that, often comes many hours on the job. That makes for not seeing Rob and Dustie very much. In fact, if we want to see them, the best place to do that is at their place of work. Of course, that isn’t the best place for any kind of a real conversation, so mostly we end up waving and saying, “Hello.” It’s ok, because we are family, and we all know we love each other, even if we are usually too busy for a long visit. The main thing really is that they are able to usually make time to go see my sister, Cheryl Masterson, Rob’s mom, because after all, they are her kids, and she needs to be able to see them as often as possible. They are a close family, and they make it work. Today is Rob’s birthday. Happy birthday Rob!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, Allen Beach has had a very busy year. Following his wife, Gaby’s graduation from nursing school, they decided to buy a house closer to Wyoming Medical Center, where they both now work. They quickly found the perfect house and moved in last March. They quickly set about getting settled and making the house their own. They’ve removed some trees in the back yard that we’re old and growing into power lines. They hope to build a garage in the back yard sometime in the near future, but for now they will most likely settle for a taller privacy fence.
Now that both of them have graduated from college, they have time for all the fun stuff. And speaking of fun stuff…Allen bought an old truck he’s been working on. It seems like most men have a dream of fixing up an old car or truck, and Allen is no different. That’s one way to have fun, but Disney World is another, so Allen and Gaby are planning a trip there in April. I’m sure that after a cold winter, a trip to sunny Florida would be really nice. Maybe they could pack me in their suitcase…if I promise to stay out of the way. No, probably not. Allen and Gaby also have two wonderful dogs, named Oly and Jasper. The dogs are truly their babies. They love playing with the dogs and the dogs love them.
They love to travel, but that has been curtailed these days. That is partly why this trip to Florida is such a big deal. After a wile of being locked down, it’s time to live a little. Allen and Gaby have traveled to many places all 
over the world, so being locked down is especially tough. Traveling to places like Bali or Japan, are more their style, but they are just places, and the real thing is being together. Allen and Gaby are best friends and have been since they first met, while they were both serving this great nation in the Navy. They both became corpsmen and knew that medicine would be their chosen field. While Gaby chose nursing, Allen chose hospital administration. Both of them are very good at their jobs, and Wyoming Medical Center is very blessed by their service. Today is Allen’s birthday. Happy birthday Allen!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, Dave Chase has been such a blessing to our family since he married my niece, Toni. Dave always goes above and beyond just being Toni’s husband. Dave treats Toni like a queen. She feels his love in everything he said says, and that is a beautiful kind of love to have. Dave is devoted to his family. He and Toni’s son, James are good friends, and Dave never tries to take the place of James’ dad, but he is always there for him too. As a family, they have taken many trips, and seen many places. Dave likes to travel, and so do Toni and James, so it works out well for all. Of course, 2020 was…very different, for all of us.
With Covid-19, everyone spent most of the year doing a new activity…social distancing. It is a phrase we have all learned to hate. We were stuck at home, not travel, no restaurants, no movies, even no camping…in the woods, away from people, for Pete’s sake. Some of that is behinds us now, or at least for now, but during the year, it was pretty awful. For the average person the problems were truly annoying, but for lots of people the problems were much worse. One of the biggest problems was depression. But other serious problems include loneliness, fear, and helplessness.
All that is the norm for the Covid-19 Lockdowns, but not if you’re Dave Chase. I would have expected Dave to be going stir-crazy…especially since Dave, Toni, and James did not catch Covid-19. Dave is very sports oriented. He always has been, but he did not let the lack of sports, gyms, and any other form of activities get him down. Dave just shifted gears and embraced the lockdowns by learning how to do indoor golf, online fantasy football, baseball, golf, and college basketball. Lots of guys go in for that, but I don’t think it would be for me. Once people could go outside much, Dave was out there fishing, and having good success at it too. As things finally started opening up, at least in Wyoming, Dave has been able to go back to playing live basketball, 
recently. You might think that after not playing for a long time, Dave might be a bit rusty, but not so. He is still the champ, even among his 30-year younger teammates. Dave has also enjoyed being able to have friends come over, like his buddy, Ron Birks. So, even with the Covid-19 Lockdown, Dave has stayed pretty sane. Not bad!! Not bad at all!! Today is Dave’s birthday. Happy birthday Dave!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
