social work
My niece, Kayla Stevens joined our family when she married my nephew, Garrett almost two years ago. In that time much has changed in Kayla’s life. When Kayla and Garrett met, she was living in Casper and going to college. They hit it off right away, and can thank Garrett’s sister, Lacey for introducing them, because they both knew that they had found their forever love. They lived next door to my mom, Collene Spencer, Garrett’s grandma for quite a while, much to the pleasure of many of her great grandchildren, who all loved to go see Kayla and Garrett, and who were always treated so well by both Kayla and Garrett, that the kids would have probably stayed for hours if their parents hadn’t made them come home. Kayla and Garrett love children, which is a well known fact to all who know them.
After Kayla completed her college, she began to look for jobs in her chosen field of Social Work. They knew they wanted to be either in Casper, where his family lives, or Sheridan, where her family lives, so she applied in these places, and they let the job offers decide where they would settle down and eventually raise a family of their own. When the best offer was in Sheridan, Kayla accepted and they moved to Sheridan. Her job at Wyoming Mental Health Clinic is going well. She started out on the substance abuse team, but now has been transferred to the child and family team, which is really where her heart is for sure. She has always love working with kids. Garrett found a job at Craftco Metals Service, where he is a welder, like his grandpa, Allen Spencer before him. Next they began the hunt for a home, finally settling on one they loved, and buying it last year. Immediately after buying their house, their family grew by one fur baby named Charlie.
Next, came the word that Kayla and Garrett were expecting a baby in the summer of 2018. In due time they announced the gender of their precious little one. Their daughter is due on August 22, and we are all very 
excited for them. Their love for kids is finally going to be showered on a child of their own. Last weekend, my sister, Alena Stevens, Garrett’s mom; and his sisters, Michelle and Lacey threw a baby shower for Kayla, Garrett, and their daughter, whose name is yet to be announced. We may not know her name yet, but we all love her already, and she is all set with everything she will need when she arrives. These last few years have been filled with exciting new changes for Kayla, who is just living the sweet life. Today is Kayla’s birthday. Happy birthday Kayla!! 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!!
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It’s hard to come into a family as the newest member, but sometimes, as in the case of my future niece, Kayla Smiley…soon to be Stevens, that new family member just fits in perfectly. Kayla met my nephew Garrett Stevens when his sister, Lacey introduced them. I never really thought of Lacey as a matchmaker, but in this case, she hit a homerun. Garret and Kayla practically fell in love at first sight. They dated for a several years, and will tie the knot this summer. My sister, Alena Stevens and her husband, Mike, couldn’t be happier. Kayla will be their first in-law child, and they are looking forward to the many new things in the future that come with having a daughter-in-law…namely grandchildren, of course, but also just having her be a part of their family. She has really endeared herself to them.
Kayla and Garrett might have married sooner, but she was concentrating on her studies. She is now a social worker, and she graduated Phi-Alpha Honor Society with an associates in social work. She worked very hard to get where she is, and while I’m sure that she enjoyed her studies, but I think she is feeling ready to be done now too. For Kayla there is still one more year to receive her Masters degree, but the time has come for the two of them to go on together. The next year will be filled with studies and with life. And of course, we are all looking forward to the children they will have in the years to come, but for now, we are just happy to welcome her into our family.
For now, summer is here, and for Kayla and Garrett, that means camping. After my mom, Garrett’s grandmother passed away last year, Garrett and Kayla inherited the travel trailer Mom and Dad had. They have been working on getting it ready and they using it to go out and enjoy nature. They both really love camping, and that camper has been a wonderful blessing to them, and we have all been glad to see it staying in the family and being used. I know that the future will be bright for Kayla and Garrett, and we can’t wait for her to be a part of the family. Today is Kayla’s birthday. Happy birthday Kayla!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
