niece
With each passing year, we imagine what Laila might have been like. Seven years ago today, my niece, Jenny Spethman and her husband, Steve welcomed their first daughter into the world. The birth was one of happiness and concern. Their daughter was not well. Her heart was not properly formed…a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, had left her left ventricle underdeveloped. Little Laila would go to Heaven just 18 days later, and just like that, her little life on earth would be over…but not her memory. No, her memory will live forever in the hearts and minds of her parents, grandparents, siblings, and the rest of her family. It’s amazing to me that a child I never got to meet could continue to impress my mind, and the minds of the entire family, with pictures of who she might have become.
At 7 years of age, I can picture the little first grader she would be now. In my minds eye, I can picture her little face with the changes that seven years would bring. I can imagine her laughter, very much like her little sister, Aleesia’s, and a personality to match. I think that when a child is lost, the family tends to look at other children who are the same age that lost child would be, and it is so easy to place the lost child in the same activities, looks, and personalities. Of course, it’s not exact, how could it be, but it’s enough to truly imagine what the lost child would be like at each age. That’s how it is with Laila. It’s how we can imagine the little girl she would be.
Laila left us far too soon, but her memory will live in our hearts forever. From her, we learned not to take life for granted. We learned to take the pictures of even the littlest, most insignificant event, because it may end up being very important. We have learned to spend time with those we love, and to tell each other how much we love each other. We will see Laila again in Heaven, but for now, we all miss her very much. Today would have been Laila’s 7th birthday. Happy birthday in Heaven Princess Laila. We love you.
My niece, Ashley Parmely, who joined our family when she married my husband’s nephew, Eric Parmely in 2011, is a girl of many talents, and amazing patience. When Eric first brought her to meet us, we liked her instantly, and then as we watched their pictures on Facebook, we could see that Ashley was raised in the country with horses. I thought that was cool, but that was really the tip of The Ashley Iceberg. Ashley loves all things country living. She loves all the animals, from chickens to ducks, from goats to horses, and of course, you have to throw in cats and dogs, but lots of people love animals. Ashley takes that one step further, in that she works hard to help her animals have babies, because that is a great way to grow your farm…and after all, babies are great, and according to Ashley, it doesn’t matter if they are human or animal. Yes, all babies are great, and Ashley loves each and every one of them.
And speaking of babies, Eric and Ashley have three of their own…daughters, Reagan and Hattie, and son, Bowen. If Ashley’s life wasn’t full before, putting three children in the mix has filled her home with love and laughter. Ashley is such a great mom. She is patient and loving with the kids, and they are well behaved little sweethearts, who have great imaginations, and who aren’t afraid of hard work…even if it’s cleaning up after the animals. These kids will be capable country kids who share their parents’ love of animals and don’t mind the work that goes along with it. When children are raised around animals, they naturally develop a love for them…they are like family. Ashley is passing on the things she grew up with, and the family, including her husband, Eric, are thriving on it. Some people just seem to love country living, and for Ashley, it is just the tip of the iceberg. Nevertheless, with all the love in her home, I’m surprised the iceberg isn’t melting, but there’s still more to it.
Sometimes, I have to wonder if Ashley’s life is largely chaos, and I’m sure that sometimes it really is, but Ashley is such a patient person, and somehow, I think she thrives on the chaos around her. It’s almost like 
having so many babies is like having a house full of love…even if only three of the babies are human. As I said, for Ashley, babies are babies. And Ashley, like an iceberg, is not just what you see on the outside, but is rather a deep person with many talents, that she is sharing with her family, and what a blessing that is. Today is Ashley’s birthday. Happy birthday Ashley!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
For most graduated college students, the next step is to look for a job in your field, and my niece, Kayla Stevens is no different. Since her graduation Kayla has sent résumés to several places in Casper, and in Sheridan, where she is from. It didn’t take very long for a therapy clinic in Sheridan to grab her up. When you have the grades she did, you become the pick of the litter of graduates. Things are happening pretty fast now. Kayla starts her new job in just ten days, and so she is working on finding a house for them to live in. I am not sure when her husband, Garrett, my nephew will be joining Kayla in Sheridan, but since she starts her job on June 19th, she will be in Sheridan before we have hardly had a chance to blink. I know how hard this will be for my sister, Alena Stevens, and her husband Mike, but of 
course, Kayla’s family has been missing her since she came to Casper for college. Kayla and Garrett decided that she would apply in both cities, and go where God led them, so I know that this move and this job will be a great blessing for both of them.
Kayla has such a caring heart, and the patients whose lives she will impact are among the most blessed people around. She loves working with children, so I hope that she will be able to have some kids in that group too, because they would be very blessed to have her helping them with whatever they need. I don’t know what Kayla’s job will entail, but I know that with her abilities, she will be very successful at it, and I look forward to hearing more about it as time goes by. Of course, with social work, as with 
any medical profession, privacy is the word of the day, so mostly we will hear about the general day to day work, and not about specific patients.
Sheridan is a beautiful town, and since Kayla and Garrett love to camp, they will really enjoy the easy access to the Big Horn Mountains, and all the other outdoor activities Sheridan has to offer. The future will be a very exciting one for them as they settle in to their new jobs, and I’m sure someday soon, start a family. I know that my sister, Alena and her family will also have a lot of visits to Sheridan in their future. Kayla and Garrett will come to visit too, but we will all miss them very much anyway. Today is Kayla’s birthday. Happy birthday Kayla!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My niece, Kayla Stevens has been spending her time studying for her degree in social work. I haven’t had much experience in that field, but I can tell you that Kayla has a heart for it. Her dream job would be in the school system, and after listening to her talk about a program that is dear to her, you can have no doubt that she will be an excellent social worker for children. When someone has a real heart for something, it simply bubbles out of them as they talk about it. Their excitement about it can not be contained. That is what I saw in Kayla the other day at my sister, Cheryl Masterson’s house.
Kayla and her husband, my nephew, Garrett live next door to Cheryl, and all of Cheryl’s little grandchildren love to go visit Kayla and Garrett. They would be over there all afternoon if they could. I knew that Garrett loved kids…he has all his life, but you don’t know if his wife would tolerate them because they are his cousins, or if she genuinely loves them too. After listening to Kayla, I can say that there is no doubt that she loved kids too. I knew they wanted kids, so of course, she loves kids, but it is often different when they aren’t your kids. Many people have no real patience for other people’s kids. That is not the case with Kayla, however. She genuinely loves kids, and she genuinely wants to help them. For that reason, and from listening to her, I know that any school district would be extremely blessed to have Kayla working with their kids…she’s awesome!!
This past weekend marked the completion of Kayla’s college education, as she received her Masters Degree in 
Social Work…graduating with honors, a wonderful thing to show for all her hard work and perseverance. We are all so excited for her and she begins her new journey. I know that success will follow her wherever she goes, and that any employer would be very blessed to have her on their team. She is kind and caring, and very good at what she does. We are so proud of all you have accomplished. You are going to have a great future in social work, and your clients couldn’t be more blessed. Your heart for kids and for those who need help is amazing. Congratulations Kayla!! We love you!!
When a child is born, their parents have high hopes for the baby’s life, not knowing anything about the child yet, or what talents he or she might have. As the years go by, the parents begin to notice different aspects of this new little person, and get little hints about their interests. Still, they don’t really know who this child will become. That part of their child is still in the future, and what they will be, remains to be seen. It always seems like it is so far in the future, but in fact, it isn’t. It will seem like just yesterday that you wondered who this child would be, and suddenly, they know.
That is the case with my niece, Chantel Balcerzak. When she was a little girl, she was such a little Diva, and trust me when I say that she is still a classy looking lady, but 
there is so much more to the person that Chantel has grown up to be than that little pretty lady she always was. Chantel’s artistic talents started to shine through early on. She loves to write, decorate, refurbish furniture, and paint…and I, for one, have been the recipient of several of her designs. These days, Chantel’s interests have turned to wedding planning. She has started a Facebook site called Next To The Dress, and she is very good at what she does. I love her ideas, as do the brides and grooms she has helped to achieve their perfect day. She is able to plan any style of wedding, and she makes them absolutely beautiful. I just love Chantel’s creativity. I could never put together the things that she does…both in her weddings and her hobbies. I think that one of the main reasons that Chantel is so good at what she does, is because of her genuinely caring heart. I think it would be unthinkable for Chantel to 
have a wedding go bad…not because she planned it, but because it wouldn’t be…perfect for the bride and groom.
I don’t know what Chantel’s mom, my sister, Cheryl Masterson thought she would become, but I know that she is very happy with the outcome. When a child is born, we know that they are an unwritten book, waiting to fill the pages with the wonderful choices they can make. I think Chantel has written a beautiful book of life for herself, and I am glad that I got to be a part of watching her become the beautiful woman she is….even if she is still a “little” lady. Today is Chantel’s birthday. Happy birthday Chantel!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My niece, Amanda Reed joined our family in 2002, when her dad, Mike Reed married my sister, Caryl Spencer. She was a 15 year old high school student…just a girl really. Over the years I have watched as Amanda went from a teenaged girl to the woman she is today. The most important people in her life are her daughter, Jaydn Mortensen and boyfriend, Sean Mortensen. Being a mom has been an amazing journey for her, and one she will always cherish. Jaydn keeps her parents busy with her different activities, and they in turn keep her busy with all of their activities. This is one of the most active families I have ever known. From motorcycles, to 4 wheelers, to snowmobiles, to Jaydn’s horses…the outdoors is their second home.
In 2005, shortly after graduating from high school, Amanda went to work at the Rawlins National Bank as a teller. Most kids right out of high school go from job to job, but then most of them aren’t hired at a bank, I suppose. Nevertheless, Amanda has been a faithful and after 12 years, a long term employee. Now, her hard 
work and loyalty is paying off. Recently, Amanda was promoted to BSA Officer at the Rawlins National Bank. Now I had no idea what that was, so I decided to look it up. This is what I found…”Congress passed the Bank Secrecy Act in 1970 as the first laws to fight money laundering in the United States. The BSA requires businesses to keep records and file reports that are determined to have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax, and regulatory matters. The documents filed by businesses under the BSA requirements are heavily used by law enforcement agencies, both domestic and international to identify, detect and deter money laundering whether it is in furtherance of a criminal enterprise, terrorism, tax evasion or other unlawful activity.”
Now that sounded almost like a secret agent job to me, but it is somewhat different than that in reality. A big part of Amanda’s new position is that she is the supervisor over the teller line. That in itself is pretty amazing for a person of just 31 years of age, but as we all know, the teller supervisor can’t just 
stand around making sure that everyone works. They have other responsibilities. Part of her job has to do with deposits that might look questionable. The law requires her to report cash payments over $10,000 received in a trade or business, and report foreign bank and financial accounts, just to name a couple. Now I don’t know how much of that Amanda might run into in Rawlins, Wyoming, but she would have to know those laws in the event that she did. All this sounds more and more like secret agent stuff to me, but I’m sure it really isn’t. Nevertheless, it is pretty impressive for a woman of just 31 years, and Amanda, we are very proud of you. Today is Amanda’s birthday. Happy birthday Amanda!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My niece, Gabby Beach, who married my nephew Allen on September 24, 2014, is just wrapping up her service in the Navy. In fact, that is where they met…stationed in Yokosuka, Japan. Theirs was an unusual courtship in that it all happened abroad. The proposal was unusual too, in that it took place in Bali. The whole trip was rather exotic, including riding an elephant. Definitely not your run of the mill proposal.
After their time in Japan was over, Gabby and Allen were stationed n Washington DC, where she worked in a dental office, but she also worked with service dogs as a volunteer. Now that is far more interesting than dental work, and if you had a chance 
to talk to Gabby about that work, as I did, you would know that just the mention of her beloved dogs, makes her beautiful eyes just light up. It didn’t take much imagination to know that those dogs were like children to Gabby, and she totally loves them. It wouldn’t surprise me to hear that she continued to volunteer in the training of service dogs after her time in the service is over, or even if she chose that or something similar as a career for life. To hear her tell about the dogs and what they do, which is to go into hospitals and simply visit the patients. That sounds like such a small thing, but since I have seen such dogs in action in the nursing home where my mother-in-law lives, I can tall you that those dogs are invaluable to the residents there. They have such a wonderful way with them, and they bring joy to each patient they “visit,” because that is what they do, make rounds or visit the patients. It is the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, and to think that Gabby has helped train them, is really cool. It has to be an amazing feeling.
Upon leaving the Navy, Gabby will begin college. I’m not sure what she plans to study, or if they will continue in Washington DC or transfer somewhere else. I know that Texas has been mentioned, but time will tell where they decide to land. For now, a road trip in June to Oregon to watch her younger brother graduate from high school is the first order of business. I also know that the summer months will find Gabby and Allen doing the pastime the love the most…fitness of lots of kinds, but for Gabby, the top activity on her list is rock climbing. No wonder she looks so good. She’s always out there, in search of amazing. Today is Gabby’s birthday. Happy birthday Gabby!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
When my grandson, Caalab Royce was a little boy, he was obsessed with being “older” than me…or anyone else for that matter. He would often come up to me or other people and say, “I’m older than you.” It was always such a funny thing to have this little tiny, under five year old boy telling me that he was older than me…his grandma. It always made me smile, and maybe that was his plan anyway. He is, after all, a comedian…always had been. Not everyone was happy with his little joke, especially his older sister, Shai Royce. She was living behind the age eight ball anyway, because she was a Leap Day Baby. So the reality is that by the time he was one, he technically was older than she was. It was a source of contention, until I finally told her that she might only be two at eight, but she would get to drive when she was four and her brother and cousins would have to wait until they were sixteen, so it all evened out in the end.
Caalab has long since ceased to be that little boy trying so hard to be older, and I haven’t heard that funny little comment in a long time, but the story lives on in my memory files. Now that he is going on twenty years old this summer, I guess being older is not so important anymore. And, at almost twenty one…or 5¼…Shai is no longer bothered by such comments. I think that I just assumed that those days of hearing the comment, “I’m older than you” were over. How wrong I was.
Flash forward now those eighteen plus years, to my niece Kellie Hadlock, who is also a serious comedian…if that is possible, and you have Kelli calling me, my daughters, Corrie Petersen and Amy Royce, and most of the rest of the girls in the family, Little Baby Caryn…or whatever their name might be. That is because Kellie is 6’0″, compared to my 5’2″. Kellie likes to hugs us and lift us off our feet at the same time, to make a point that we are vertically challenged. Today in church, where Kellie, her mom, my sister, Allyn Hadlock, and I are all 
backup singers, Kellie greeted me with her usual, “Hi, little baby Caryn.” I called her little baby Kellie, to which she giggled, “I don’t think so.” I told her that since I am older than her, she will always be little baby Kellie to me. Then, straight out of the past, came the sentence I thought I was done hearing, when Kellie said, “I’m older than you!” The shock must have registered on my face, because my sister said, “That would be ok!” I had to agree, because since I’m sixty and Kellie is almost twenty seven. I could handle being twenty six…or, maybe not, but it was a funny blast from the past.
My niece, Michelle Stevens has been in school for much of her life. Of course, she went through the normal public school, at which time she discovered her amazing talent in the area of art. She also discovered that she was an excellent teacher. Put the two together, and you have a career. With that goal in mind, Michelle set out right after high school to study to become an art teacher. If you think that doctors go to college a long time for their degrees, you will find yourself amazed about the length of time an art teacher has to go. I suppose it is partly the double major, but when you think about the fact that teachers need 4 years, you will begin to understand just how much there is to learn about art. Michelle has been in college for a little over ten years now…but that study time has come to a close. Michelle will wait to march with her class, but with the end of this semester, came the end of her schooling, and her Bachelors Degree. She is done, except for one last day of student teaching today. What a great birthday present that is!!
I’m sure that there must be a feeling of, almost disconnect right now, because Michelle has been in school for 
so long. Nevertheless, there also must be feelings of elation and even relief, because the long years of preparation are over, and she can start her career. Michelle is going to make an excellent teacher, and I know that any child she teaches will be very blessed to have her for their art teacher. Her abilities are amazing. I’m not sure what grade Michelle will be teaching, or if she will be teaching multiple grades. She will stay in Spearfish, South Dakota, probably substitute teaching for the rest of this school year, and then I have learned that the plan is possibly to move back to Casper, Wyoming and begin her career here. I know that we would all love that, but I also know that people have to go where the jobs are. I just pray that the jobs will be here for her, because I know that her family would love having her back home so much.
It’s funny that an artist really must get dirty and messy to craft the beautiful pieces of artwork they make. I never really thought of Michelle as being one of those people who would love to get dirty, but I kind of think 
she is. I guess it goes with the career. I haven’t had the opportunity to see all of Michelle’s work, by any stretch of the imagination, but what I have seen is beautiful. I think that every artist has their personal favorite works, and while I’m not sure which one is Michelle’s favorite, I have a favorite of her works. It takes me to a place of peace. A place I love to be…the outdoors. It makes me think of a hike, and coming up of a bench where you can look out over the countryside and drink in all it’s beauty. It might be a simple sketch, and maybe Michelle doesn’t even think it is beautiful, but I do, and they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so there you have it. Today is Michelle’s birthday. Happy birthday Michelle!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Life is a series of changes, because nothing ever stays the same here on Earth…that’s just the way it is. Three months ago, my niece, Jessi Sawdon, and her husband Jason became parents for the first time, to Adelaide Ione…AKA Jessi’s mini me, although I’m told she looks a lot like her daddy too, but those eyes are all Jessi. Jessi and Jason are having the time of their lives with their precious little girl, and they are going to be such great parents. They are loving and fun, yet disciplined, and they love their baby girl so much. Those are the most important qualities in a parent anyway…right. Jessi has always been a joyful girl. In fact she and her siblings are all that way, and so Jessi grew up in a home filled with laughter, and so did Jason, so that is the type of home they have now. Nevertheless, Jessi has always had a soft side too. She is very gentle and loving, and her little Adelaide simply beams when her mommy is talking to her.
The Bible says, “As you sow, so shall you reap.” When someone has a child, that verse tends to come to mind, because if the parent was a difficult child, they start wondering if their child will be too. With Jessi, who was for the most part, a pretty easy going child, that verse brings one thing to mind. When Jessi was a little two year old girl, her mother, my sister, Allyn Hadlock used to play games with Jessi. One of them was a playful way of saying, “no-no.” She would shake her finger at little Jessi and say, “Don’t you ever do that.” She would also tell her, “I’m the mom, you’re the baby.” Jessi knew that her mother wasn’t terribly serious, but when the tables turned, it was a little different. Once when Allyn was telling Jessi that she was the mom, Jessi argued that, no, she was the mom. As the “argument” progressed, my dinky little niece raised her arm up in the air toward her mom, pointed her finger down for whatever reason, and told her mom, “Don’t you ebber!!” Well, Allyn couldn’t have been mad are her if it had been a real argument, but I have to wonder if one of these days, a determined little Adelaide won’t tell her mom, “Don’t you ebber!!” Or maybe something similar anyway.
As the song goes, “Life’s about changing, nothing ever stays the same,” but when you think about it, maybe we wouldn’t really want it to, because if it did, we wouldn’t have some of those silly little moments that come from our children, and later, our grandchildren. Jessi and Jason’s lives are changing every day, and while I’m sure it will be a wild ride at times, it will also be an amazing one. I’m sure it will change again as more children come along too. Today is Jessi’s birthday. Happy birthday Jessi!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
