My grandnephew, Matt Masterson is a big softy, but don’t tell him I told you so. His little sister, Taylor Masterson says of her brother, “My older brother has always been one of my favorite people. Even if he’ll never admit it, I know just how much I matter to him. He’s been there for me during the worst times of my life, and I don’t think there’s ever a way I can express to him just how important and meaningful it is to me that he’s there when I need him. Not only is he there for me but for our older sisters too, although I’ll let them talk about that themselves. I know that no matter how old we are or if we’re in an argument, if I need my older brother, he’ll always come running. I was absolutely blessed to get Matt as my brother, and I will never stop being grateful for him. I love him with my whole being and if I could I would put it all into words, but there aren’t any that can truly describe how much love I feel for him.” Oh, I don’t know. I think you put it into words quite well, Taylor.

Matt’s sister Raelynn says, “Matt is genuinely hilarious. He is definitely one of my best friends, and at the same time, my brother, and I love him so much. He always says the most random stuff. If I’m hanging out in the living room and he comes out, talking to a friend usually, he always includes me in the conversation, if I’m up for it, but leaves me be if he can tell I’m not okay to be social. He’s also just fun to be around, he always makes me smile. I love when he drives me places, I love when we just sit and talk, I love my brother so much. He’s also very empathic. He always knows when something is up, and what everyone needs. He tries to act strong for us too, but it’s honestly reassuring sometimes to know I’m not the only one crying. He’s like dad, he wants to fix it, but sometimes he can’t, and that’s okay. He’s turning 21 and I couldn’t be more proud, I know everyone in his life will be so lucky and blessed to have him there. He doesn’t always understand me or Taylor, but he understands emotions and how to help with them and the second we say we need him, he’s there. It feels like just yesterday we were little kids arguing over who got the front seat in the car and getting on each other’s nerves, and let’s be real, we’re siblings…we still do that, but at the end of the day, we’re still siblings, and I know we’ll always make up.” Matt’s sisters love him so much.

Matt’s mom, Dustie Masterson says, “Bubba is unique. I’m learning a new relationship with him. As you know he has moved out with Rae. It changes how you interact with someone who has lived with you their entire life. Last week our cat Axel went to heaven. It was out of the blue. My wonderful son (and Rae) came to be with Taylor and me at the vet’s office, so we didn’t have to be alone. I know that he was asleep, and I know that when Taylor called Rae, that Rae woke him up. He was awake instantly. His dad has raised him to be such a good man, he came to be with us and stayed in the room with us. I know how hard that was for him, but he was so strong and sensitive for us. He has always been like that. There isn’t anything that he wouldn’t do for his family I could not be more proud to call him my son.” Today is Matt’s 21st birthday. Happy birthday Matt!! Have a great day!! We love you!!

As my nephew, Dave Balcerzak begins the last year in his 50s, he is preparing for a couple of surgeries. He is going to get a reverse replacement on his left shoulder tomorrow, and another one done on his right shoulder in December. Dave has had some issues with bone deterioration in his joints, so this became necessary. I am glad he is able to get this finished up so he can feel better and function better. While this coming year is going to be a little tougher, the last year has been pretty slow and easy, which is probably a gift from God considering his upcoming year.

Dave is such a kind and generous man, and he loves my niece, Chantel Balcerzak, so much. This year he decided to buy her the car of her dreams…a car he’ll never pick to drive because it’s too small and low to the ground? Nevertheless, Chantel is a very short girl at just 4 foot 10 inches, and a small car that is low to the ground suits her just fine. Dave takes great pleasure in doing nice things for Chantel, and for the rest of her family. He can always be counted on to help when needed, and my sister, Cheryl Masterson, his mother-in-law, very much appreciates that. Not to mention how much she appreciates how good he is to Chantel.

Dave became “Dad” to Chantel’s kids Jake Harman and Siara Kirk, when they married. This was in addition to his kids, Keifer Balcerzak and Katy Herr. He was a great dad to all of them, and they all love him dearly. These days Dave has a new role…that of “Papa.” He stepped into that role with the same love and excitement, as well as commitment and dedication that he had previously showed to the kids. He and Chantel have totally enjoyed being grandparents. They consider that their “fun part” of life. Dave particularly loves sharing his popsicles with the kids, and of course, the kids consider that to be the best treat ever. I’m not sure if it’s the popsicles or the fact that Papa is the one handing them out that makes them the tastiest of treats. Today is Dave’s 59th birthday. Happy birthday Dave!! Have a great day!! We love you!!

My nephew, JD Parmely, is a good man, who can always be counted on to lend a helping hand when needed. I can’t even count on the number of times he has come to the aid of my husband, Bob (JD’s uncle) and me. Everything from driving an hour and a half to tow us into Casper, to helping Bob with work on the many cars Bob works on…especially now considering that Bob injured his shoulder. JD has been invaluable to Bob. I don’t know what we could do without him. I know that we are not the only ones to think that way about JD. His mother, Jennifer Parmely and her partner, Brian Cratty depend on JD as much as we do.

His brother, Erik Parmely loves being able to have JD around when he needs a helping hand too. This past year, he helped Erik build a garage/shop on his ranch that has helped the place sell recently. Soon, that will turn into the need of his help to move his family to the new place. JD is good at most tasks, so moving won’t be difficult for him to manage…just hard work. Nevertheless, JD has never been one to mind hard work. He always has a project or two going on…usually a car or two in his garage, or even in his driveway. JD can often be found working late into the evening to get a job done…sometimes quite late. You might say that he is a bit of a work-a-holic.

JD is a wonderful uncle. His nieces and nephew love him dearly, and his nephew especially loves spending time with the men…his daddy and uncle!! He is 9 years old, and the men in his life are very important to him. JD is a great role model to him and to his sisters. JD loves kids, and being the “big kid” he is, loves to get out there and play kid games. The nieces and nephew absolutely love that about him. You can’t beat that. It makes JD very happy. Today is JD’s birthday. Happy birthday JD!! Have a great day!! We love you!!

My grandniece, Katie Balcerzak, became part of our family when she married my grandnephew, Keifer Balcerzak. They were high school sweethearts and perfect for each other even back then. Katie never thought that she was anything special, but of course, she was wrong. She is a great wife and mother, as well as sister and daughter. Her sisters fondly remember her laugh and trying to get her going just to hear her laugh. Her laugh was contagious. Katie’s kids are that way too. Very smiley and very giggly. It makes for a very happy home.

When Keifer and Katie got married, they both knew they had found their perfect match—and honestly, they knew it long before the wedding. They had been together for years before saying “I do,” and they’ve always seemed made for each other. Over the years, their bond has only grown stronger. They’re wonderful parents, raising happy kids. Katie is a loving wife and mom who truly cherishes her family. Life hasn’t always been easy, especially when their daughter Reece was born very prematurely on December 14, 2016. They spent that Christmas in the neonatal unit of Presbyterian Saint Luke’s Hospital in Denver, where Reece received excellent care until she was big enough to go home on January 29, 2017. Through those difficult weeks, Katie and Keifer leaned on each other for strength, and their marriage came through stronger than ever. The birth of their son Asa, without complications, was a blessing, and no matter what challenges come their way, it’s clear they’ll face them together.

Katie is the quintessential “sports mom” and “sports wife,” with her whole family involved in one sport or another. She’s the one who makes sure everyone gets where they need to be, right on time. It’s a big job, as any sports parent knows, handling the cuts and scrapes, the bumps and bruises, and the sting of losses or missed chances. It’s all part of the game. But the fun, excitement, and shared moments for both players and spectators make it all worth it—and Katie loves every second. Today is Katie’s birthday. Happy birthday Katie!! Have a great day!! We love you!!

On August 7, 1956, seven army ammunition trucks exploded in Cali, Colombia, killing over 1,000 people and injuring thousands more. The cause of the blasts is still unknown. The day before, 20 trucks loaded with dynamite left the Colombian city of Buenaventura. After stopping in Cali, 13 continued toward Bogota, the nation’s capital, while the remaining seven, bound for other locations, were parked overnight in downtown Cali.

In the early morning, an explosion rocked the San Nicolás neighborhood, between Carreras 1 and 8 and Calles 25 and 26, where the old Pacific Railway station stood. Six trucks, which had traveled from Buenaventura and been moved from the Pichincha Battalion, were parked there when the blast occurred. The explosion wiped out 41 city blocks, leaving a massive crater 50 meters wide and 25 meters deep. The shockwave destroyed buildings, homes, and businesses, including the Belmonte market square, killing around 1,300 people and injuring 4,000. Six neighborhoods…San Nicolás, El Porvenir, El Hoyo, El Piloto, Fátima, and Jorge Isaacs…were all impacted, but still exist today.

The blast was recorded as a 4.3 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale, and besides the shaking, the sound of the explosion could be heard as far away as Buga, Palmira, Santander de Quilichao, Caloto, and Jamundí. At the time, several theories circulated about the cause of the explosion: some believed the trucks had overheated, others thought a soldier’s weapon had gone off by accident. The most widely accepted explanation is that a man smoking nearby tossed a lit cigarette too close to one of the trucks, setting off a chain reaction. The blast was so powerful it even tore open many graves in the city’s central cemetery.

The disaster happened during President Gustavo Rojas Pinilla’s administration, and he blamed the political opposition, which had just signed the Benidorm Pact (later leading to the creation of the National Front). With the country split between the traditional Liberal and Conservative parties, the tragedy quickly became politicized, especially since Cali was viewed as strongly opposed to the government. President Rojas Pinilla publicly accused terrorists of causing the disaster, but no evidence was ever found to prove the explosion was intentional.

My brother-in-law, Mike Reed is retired from the Sinclair Refinery located in Rawlins, Wyoming. Since then, he has stayed very busy. He and my sister, Caryl Reed have been successfully growing hay on their little farm west of Casper, Wyoming, where they moved following their retirements. It’s been an interesting undertaking, really for all of us. My sisters and I really knew nothing about all this, so learning about the “step process” of growing hay was enlightening. It seems that you don’t just grow hay. You first grow things like alfalfa. It’s basically a three-year process to “graduate” to growing hay. They had good people to walk them through the process, and their crops have been quite good. They purchased an irrigation sprinkler system, and that is interesting too. I’ve seen them before, with the huge wheels and the lines with sprinklers on them, but I have never been told how they work exactly. I’m very proud of their success in this new venture.

Recently, they have taken up flipping houses. They are still in the process of doing their first house, and they don’t expect it to be done for a while, as it needs a lot of work. The house had belonged to an aunt and uncle of ours and had been a rental since their passing. With the passing of the father of the renter, she inherited his house, leaving this one vacant. My cousins sold the house to Mike and Caryl. They are quite excited about this venture. Mike is very capable in the area of renovations, and so I know the house will be really nice when it is finished. I, for one, am looking forward to having a tour through the finished product.

Mike and Caryl love to golf and do so often. These days they are often accompanied by another of our brothers-in-law, Mike Stevens. My sister, Alena Stevens used to go too, before she went to Heaven a little over a year ago. Golfing was never my thing, but I say, if you can play the game, why not. I was a “danger” on the golf course, especially to the people behind me, which is where the ball always seemed to go. Go ahead and laugh!! My sisters picked it up and have had fun over the years, as have the Mikes. I’m glad. Today is Mike’s birthday. Happy birthday Mike!! Have a great day!! We love you!!

In a year of drought, it’s really hard to imagine getting enough rain to flood. Nevertheless, 1985 wasn’t a drought year. On August 1, 1985, Cheyenne, Wyoming, was hit by a devastating flood that left a deep mark on the city. What started around 6:00pm turned into a massive supercell thunderstorm, stuck in place by the jet stream, unleashing a once-in-500-years storm. Over a three-hour period, it dumped an incredible amount of rain, with the heaviest downpour between 8:00pm and 9:00pm, when 3.51 inches fell in just one hour. The National Weather Service measured 6.06 inches total, while some areas saw up to 7.87 inches…breaking state records. Hailstones as big as 2 inches piled nearly a foot high, later forming drifts 3 to 6 feet tall as wind and water swept them away. Winds hit 70 mph, and two brief tornadoes touched down.

Unlike the quick afternoon showers typical of summer evenings in southeastern Wyoming, this storm parked itself over the city and let loose with unrelenting force. Forecasters described it as an “upslope system” that sparked four to six thunderstorms along the city’s western edge, leading one National Weather Service forecaster to dub it a “once in 500 years” event. In just three hours, a massive storm dumped record-breaking rainfall on Cheyenne. The heavy rainfall shattered the city’s previous three-hour record of 1.7 inches from July 15, 1896, and also topped the state record of 5.5 inches set in Dull Center, Converse County, on May 31, 1927.

Despite all the tornado warnings and blaring sirens, the twisters left no visible damage…it was the flooding that caused the real disaster. Rainwater surged into Crow Creek, Dry Creek, and downtown, creating a “wall of water” that swept through the city. Many residents tried to cross flooded streets along Dry Creek, where cars were swept away National Weather Service. In some neighborhoods, water rose to the top of porches and carried vehicles down streets. In the end, 12 people lost their lives, 70 were injured, and damages topped $61 million…about $145 million today.

My brother-in-law, LJ Cook, joined the Schulenberg family just six months before I did, though he had been dating my sister-in-law for some time before that. We share many of the same early family memories. We even double dated…his future wife, Debbie Cook, and my future husband, Bob Schulenberg, are siblings just 16 months apart in age. Those were such fun times. The four of us were close, even standing up for each other at our weddings. As our kids grew, they were also close.

Because of his military experience as an MP, becoming a deputy sheriff made perfect sense for LJ, but as the years went by, he knew it was not something he could do long term. Law enforcement takes a huge toll on the body and mind of the men and women who serve. The things they have to see, the people they have to deal with, and the physical stress and strain too, all come to the forefront of their lives, and it is wearing physically and psychologically. I think that combination is why a lot of law enforcement officers retire early, or move on to other careers.

LJ and Debbie have been camping for many years and have taken numerous trips. They especially love the Big Horn Mountains near their home. Debbie recalls one time when they were camped at their favorite spot, spending the whole afternoon watching elk. She told LJ it seemed like the elk were getting closer and closer. From inside their Airstream camper, the elk couldn’t figure out where the shiny reflection was coming from. It was the siding on the camper. The elk just kept approaching, and even after dark, they could still see them moving around. It was such a special experience, the kind of day you treasure. LJ and Debbie are going strong after 52 years of marriage. Today is LJ’s 77th birthday. Happy birthday LJ!! We love you!!

It’s not every day you have your first child on your own birthday, but that’s exactly what my grandmother, Anna Schumacher Spencer, did when she welcomed her first daughter, Laura Spencer Fredrick, on August 3, 1912, at age 25. It would be another ten years before my grandparents had another child, though no one in the family knows why. When my Uncle Bill arrived in 1922, my dad, Allen, came along in 1924, followed by my Aunt Ruth in 1925. Still, for a whole decade, it was just Aunt Laura. I wish Grandma could have known that she also now has a great great granddaughter who also shares that special birthday. I think she and Aunt Laura would have loved that.

Grandma and Aunt Laura were inseparable. More than just mother and daughter, they were best friends who shopped, traveled, and tackled housework side by side. With Grandpa often away for work, Aunt Laura kept Grandma company most of the time. They shared a close bond, and Aunt Laura was always a big help to her mom. They also took a number of trips to visit family. Theirs was a very close relationship for a number of years.

When Uncle Bill arrived, Grandma was running a hotel, and ten-year-old Aunt Laura became her right-hand helper and nearly a full-time nanny. I can’t imagine how Grandma could have managed without her dear daughter’s support. They shared more than just their birthdays…they shared the workload, the child-rearing, and countless memories. When Aunt Laura married in 1932, just before turning 20, she and her husband, Fritz, moved from their home in Holyoke to Minneapolis. I’m sure Grandma felt the loss deeply. Minneapolis isn’t far, but it was too far for daily visits. Nevertheless, that is the way of children. Today marks the 139th anniversary of Grandma Spencer’s birth and the 114th anniversary of Aunt Laura’s. Happy birthday to both of you in Heaven. We love and miss you very much.

My nephew, Sean Mortensen, is just as active as his daughter, Jadyn, and his partner, Amanda Reed. For over 23 years, this adventurous family has been living life to the fullest. They spend summers on the lake and winters in the mountains. They go bow fishing and really love it. I had never even heard of bow fishing before, ice fishing, yes…but bow fishing…no. So, they definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities. Not that I go fishing…I don’t really have the patience for it. While it’s not my thing, they’re all about it and manage to catch some big fish. I’m not sure where they go, but I do know they’ve won prizes in various fishing derbies. For them, the competition a big part of the fun!

Sean is into just about every sport, but extreme sports are his favorite. In the winter, you’ll usually find him half buried in a snowbank, whether he’s been riding a 4-wheeler, motorcycle, or snowmobile…landing in the snow is the best part. When summer rolls around, he’s at the lake boating, fishing, or skiing, unless he’s off hiking a mountain. Sean and Amanda are some of the busiest people I know. They are always up for anything…you never know what they will dream up.

Four years ago, Sean bought an HVAC business called Triangle Heating and Air, LLC, and it’s been thriving ever since. The company has earned glowing reviews on various rating sites and holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, a true testament to Sean’s leadership. When he’s not working, Sean enjoys maintaining their home and spending time with their toys, which bring plenty of joy. While hard work is important, Sean and Amanda live by the motto that life is meant to be enjoyed. For them, that means never slowing down, embracing adventure, and sometimes living on the edge. They love the thrill of competition and the adrenaline rush of speed and a little flying…though they wisely keep the speeding to trails, snow, or water, avoiding public roads where tickets could spoil the fun. The also very much love to travel and always have their next vacation in the planning stages. Today marks Sean’s 41st birthday. Happy birthday, Sean! Have a great day!! We love you!!