Kids
My nephew, Dave Balcerzak loves music. As we all know, each person has their own music style. Dave, joined our family when he married my niece, Chantel, on June 22, 2002. Chantel says that their musical style is “far, far from classical but definitely becoming classic!” Their musical style is Heavy Metal. She says Dave likes his a bit heavier than hers, but both definitely like Heavy Metal music. One of their favorite pastimes is attending various concerts. They plan these events months in advance, and then wait excitedly for the day to arrive.
If there is an opportunity to get tickets, Dave is on it. He knows what concerts they will both love and Dave wants nothing more than to surprise Chantel with the tickets. Dave and Chantel often attend these concerts with their daughter Siara Kirk and her husband Chris, because their “babies” were raised with a big love for big hair bands. Son, Jake and Dave are two of a kind, both loving the heavier stuff, but Chantel and Siara are more “Def Leppard minded.” Unfortunately, this year was a “lean” concert year, because the we only got one concert in because, unfortunately the new Ford Center hasn’t been drawing as many good bands. Nevertheless, Hair Ball is a cover band that comes to the gas light once a year and they never miss it. Chantel tells me that when she is out with Dave, she “always feel like a teenager with her hot guy when we go. It’s a step back in time and a bond we will share until the end.” 
While being “big kids” is often considered odd, I think that those who can be a big kid once in a while are maybe the most sane. Dave and Chantel first met as kids, but then went their separate ways. Years later, after they were both divorced, they met again, and it was as if they had never been apart. They were as much in love as they had been as kids, although they probably didn’t know that’s what it was as kids. These days, it’s as if they have never been apart. They have a beautiful blended family with now four kids and their spouses, as well as 8 grandchildren (one who lives in Heaven). They just couldn’t be happier if they tried. Today is Dave’s birthday. Happy birthday Dave!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, JD (short for Joel Donald) is a great mechanic. He studied in Phoenix, Arizona in what he would best describe as an oven. You can tell a true “northern” boy by the clear dislike for the super hot weather. JD likes summer, but definitely not summer in the south. Nevertheless, JD is a great mechanic, and my husband’s go-to guy when he has a vehicle that is giving him trouble. JD has worked on all kinds of vehicles, and he can often diagnose the problem when Bob can’t get it figured out. His favorite cars are Hondas and that’s what he went to school for, but that doesn’t mean he can only work on Hondas. He loves older cars too, and has a beautiful royal blue older pickup that he has completely restored. It is showpiece quality for sure. 
JD actually started his career as a “child mechanic” when he spent as much time with his uncles, grandpa, and day working on cars with them. As a child, most of JD’s helping involved handing tools to the men…if he could figure out which one they needed. Those days are long gone, as JD is now highly skilled in mechanics and spends much of his time working on his own projects. Being an avid car enthusiast, he owns more vehicles at once than most people do in a lifetime, and he drives them all! JD firmly believes you can never have too many cars. His day job is also in mechanics, and he enjoys his work so much that he brings it home, or rather, simply shifts locations to work on his own cars in the evenings. For JD, there’s no better way to relax than tinkering with a car, and it seems the other men in the family feel the same way. He also bought a big truck with a winch and a big trailer for car hauling. He runs his own towing business on the side too, and even travels long 
distances to help out someone, like his aunt and uncle when they need a tow.
One thing JD truly values is his role as an uncle to his three nieces and his nephew. They are his top priority, and he loves spending time with them. JD enjoys playing with the kids and makes an effort to see them as often as possible. The kids adore him, and they always have a blast when he’s around, as JD, like many men, is a big kid at heart. Today is JD’s birthday. Happy birthday JD!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My grandniece, Katie Balcerzak joined our family when she married my grandnephew, Keifer Balcerzak. They were sweethearts in school, and they were perfect for each other even then. They always seemed to me to be a “glamorous” couple, even as kids. Some kids just have that kind of look about them from the very start. It’s funny to me, because I’ve heard Katie say that she wasn’t “girly” or “glamorous,” but I think she was, and she just didn’t know it. Some girls just have no idea how beautiful they are. I think it comes from a lack of vanity. They just think of themselves as simply that…themselves. It rather removes that sense of “snobbery” from that person all together. That’s Katie.
When they were married, Keifer knew that he had found his other half and Katie knew the same. Of course, they really knew it long before that. They had already been together for a long time before they said, “I do.” These two always seemed to me to be perfect for each other, and the years they have been together just reaffirms that. They are great parents, and their kids are happy. Katie is a great mom and wife. She loves her family, and loves being a wife and mother. Life wasn’t always easy for these two, 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, Colorado, where Reece received amazing care and grew to be the size of a full-term baby, so she could go home on January 29, 2017. Through those hard weeks, Katie and Keifer clung to each other, giving each other the support they needed to go through that tough time. Their marriage stood the test of hard times and came through with flying colors. Their son, Asa was born without complication, which was a great blessing, but no matter what life throws at these kids, I know they will handle it.
Katie is a typical “sports mom” and “sports wife” because her family all participate is one sport or another. It’s up to Katie to make sure everybody gets where they need to be, when they need to be there. It’s a big job as any sport parent knows. Dealing with the cuts and scrapes, the bumps and bruises, and the disappointments of loss or missed opportunities. It all happens in sports, and it’s all part of the game. Nevertheless, the games are also lots of fun for players and spectators alike. And Katie loves every minute of it. Today is Katie’s birthday. Happy birthday Katie!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My niece, Melanie Harman is married to one of the most adoring husbands ever. What a wonderful blessing they are to each other. Melanie married into our family when she married my nephew, Jake Harman, and they truly never have a negative word to say about each other. Everything they tell me about their spouse is sweet, loving, and uplifting. Jake tells me that Melanie is “my best friend and my other half. She has the most beautiful smile in the world and the greatest laugh known to mankind. She is without a doubt the best wife ever and an even better mom. She works all day, then comes home to take care of everything here. She is super mom!! She does any and everything for the babies (12-year-old Alice, Green, 9-year-old Izabella Harman, and 8-year-old Jaxx Harman). They are her life!!”
Melanie has worked at the State of Wyoming for 3 years now, and she really loves it. Melanie’s coworkers are always telling her how much they love her. She brightens everyone’s day when she enters the room. She has this way about her that makes you feel like you can tell her everything, so she has to constantly tell people at work, “I have to work,” because people won’t stop talking to her. It’s a funny, but sweet problem. So many people go to work thinking only of when they will get off. And so few people ever consider that those around them might need to talk, or even to see a smile aimed at them. Especially these days, people have become so “closed in” and think only of themselves. In that kind of a global atmosphere, Melanie shines as a light in the dark to those she touches with her smile and caring ways.
For Jake and “the babies” her smile is a happy point of their day, every day. They have a game at the house to 
make sure they give Jake loves before her, because she is his, after all!! Of course, the kids always run to her first, and then Jake has to “beat them” for touching his wife!! It’s all in good fun, and the kids have no fear of their daddy, because he’s really a softy!! Jake hurt his shoulder at work back in October, and he had to have surgery. It was a bummer of a situation, but Melanie took care of Jake every step of the way. In true Melanie style, she never complained. She just took care of him. In his own words, Jake best states his feelings for his wife, when he says, “She is the most beautiful, loving woman ever and there is absolutely no one luckier than me to have this amazing family, and it’s all because of her!!” Today is Melanie’s birthday. Happy birthday Melanie!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Everyone has eaten popsicles a one time or another, but did you know that they were actually a complete accident…albeit a sweet accident. The popsicle was “invented” by one Frank Epperson, who was a mere 11 years old at the time. The year was 1905. Epperson had been enjoying a sweet drink that he was stirring to keep it mixed. When he went to bed, he completely forgot about his sweet drink, and left it on the porch overnight. It was a freezing cold night, and when he woke up, he found the frozen drink with a stick in it. Like most curious kids, he gave it a try, and thought it was great.
Epperson decided that he was on to something, especially on the hot days of summer. Epperson named his new treat the “Epsicle” and shared it with his friends. It was an instant hit, and Epperson continued to make and share his accidental invention with his friends, and later his own children. As kids will do, Epperson’s kids changed the name. They began calling the treats “Pop’s ‘sicles” and the name stuck. In 1922, he unveiled his creation at a fireman’s ball, where it reportedly became “a sensation.” By 1923, Epperson started selling the frozen treats to the public at Neptune Beach, an 
amusement park in Alameda, California. Epperson being the smart man that he was, applied for the patent in 1923, and the “Popsicle” brand name was born. In 1924, he secured a patent for his “frozen confectionery,” initially named “the Epsicle ice pop.” Later, at his children’s suggestion, he renamed it Popsicle. The original Popsicles came in fruity flavors and were advertised as “a frozen drink on a stick.”
Six months after patenting the Popsicle, Good Humor filed a lawsuit against Popsicle Corporation. By October 1925, they reached an out-of-court settlement. Popsicle agreed to pay Good Humor a licensing fee to produce frozen suckers made from ice and sherbet. Meanwhile, Good Humor retained the exclusive right to manufacture similar products using ice cream, frozen custard, and related ingredients.
In 1925, Epperson sold the rights to the Popsicle to the Joe Lowe Company of New York, which created a subsidiary called Popsicle Industries to market the product. “I was broke and had to sell all my assets. I haven’t 
been the same since,” he later admitted. In 1965, Popsicle Industries was acquired by Consolidated Foods Corporation (later renamed Sara Lee). By 1986, Sara Lee was struggling to make Popsicle profitable and sold the United States operations to the Gold Bond Ice Cream Company in Green Bay, Wisconsin. In 1987, the Canadian operations were sold to AmBrit Inc, and in 1990, Empire of Carolina purchased the Canadian operations from AmBrit. Meanwhile, in 1989, Good Humor, a subsidiary of Unilever, acquired the United States rights to Popsicle from Gold Bond and integrated the operations into its Good Humor-Breyers division. Finally, in 1993, Unilever bought the Klondike brand and the Canadian Popsicle operations from Empire of Carolina, thereby reuniting the brand for both markets under the Good Humor-Breyers division.
My grandniece, Elliott Stevens has been a very busy girl this summer. She has been attending a number of summer camps with camps this summer. Elliott is a very active little girl. She loves dance and gymnastics, to name a couple of things. She just finished up “Wicked Camp” at the dance academy and they did a little performance at the end of the week. I guess I’m a little behind on kid movies, because I didn’t know that “Wicked” was a movie… duh!! Anyway, Elliott would know, and she would have been totally excited about this camp. Elliott’s mom, Kayla Stevens like to give her lots of options for camps and summer fun. Elliott also did nature camp, backyard camp, and a few others. It’s been a really great summer, and since school is getting ready to start up again, Elliott is looking forward to the next school year.
Not everything that Elliott did this year was “wonderful” unfortunately. A while back, she had her tonsils out, and the doctor didn’t get all of the tonsils, meaning that she would have to have another procedure done. They 
took her to Billings a month ago, where she had her adenoids, which had grown back, removed, as well as the rest of her tonsils. This reduced some of the blockage in her sinuses. She has healed up perfectly this time, and they just got back from her follow up appointment yesterday It was all good. The trip back to Billings was fun for her. She got to go shopping and they went to a place called “Lava Island” which is a jump and climbing park. They stayed at the hotel that has a waterpark called “The Reef.” They all had a wonderful time.
Elliott’s family spent the Independence Day holiday at the lake with the rest of the Stevens family. The lake was always Elliott’s grandma, Alena Stevens’ happy place, and so it was a happy but sad event, since Alena went to Heaven on April 23, 2025. Nevertheless, I know that my sister would have loved to see her family celebrating the holiday and the fireworks. Elliott and her grandma were very close. Alena had a kind of “Grandma Sparkle” that she passed to Elliott and her little sister, Maya. Elliott loves makeup and nails and dresses and all the girly things!!
Elliott and her family have been busy almost every weekend this summer. She got to go to the rodeo and the 
carnival. Elliott, Maya, and Garrett got to go along with Kayla on some of her work trips as well, which has been really nice. Alena used to stay with the girls when Kayla had to be away, so things have had to change a little in that regard. Elliott is getting so tall and grown up. It’s been a bit of a shock to her parents. She lost both of her front teeth recently. It was a little bit of an “unconventional” way to lose them, however. One of them was pulled out as they were taking the tube out after surgery. They said it just popped right out. The other one she lost because she fell at Playland and hit it on a bar, and it fell right out. Wow! Well, at least the tooth fairy got to visit. That’s the good part anyway. Today is Elliott’s 7th birthday. Happy birthday Elliott! Have a great day! We love you!
My brother-in-law, LJ Cook has been a part of the Schulenberg family just six months longer than I have, although he was dating my sister-in-law for a while before that. Nevertheless, we share some of the same early memories of the family. We double dated, his future wife, Debbie Cook and my future husband, Bob Schulenberg were brother and sister, and they were just 16 months apart in age. Those were fun times.
LJ served as an MP in the Army from 1968 to 1971 during the 
Vietnam Era. For a long time, that was all I knew about his service. I used to think of MPs as mainly dealing with disobedient military personnel, like in the movie “Stripes” or the show “MASH,” but movies don’t always tell the whole story. LJ completed basic training at Fort Ord in the Monterey Bay area of California. After that, he went to MP school at Fort Gordon, southwest of Atlanta, Georgia. Once his training was complete, LJ flew to Frankfurt, Germany, and then on to Mannheim, where he spent the rest of his service as an MP at the Mannheim Prison. I suppose that time was part of what qualified him as a candidate for law enforcement work.
So, he went on to become a Deputy Sheriff in Natrona County, which may have been where he met Debbie. I’m not sure on that really. Of course, Debbie was never in trouble with the law, so it wouldn’t have been a meeting involving his profession. LJ did love to “use” his profession the “pick on” his future brother-in-law…my husband, Bob. One of his favorite things to do was to pull Bob over on CY Avenue, in Casper, which was the main strip for the 
high school crown in the 70s. Bob wasn’t in trouble either, but LJ took great pleasure in pulling him over, complete with flashing lights. It was all in good fun, and Bob wasn’t offended. In fact, it rather cemented their relationship as brothers-in-law and a lifelong friendship. They were both jokesters and so had a good time. LJ and Debbie moved to Powell, Wyoming years ago, so we don’t see them as much, but we love them very much. Today is LJ’s 76th birthday. Happy birthday LJ!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My grandmother, Anna “Schumacher” Spencer had a cool motherhood story, when she gave birth to her firstborn, a daughter, Laura “Spencer” Fredrick on her own birthday…August 3rd, 1912. It was my grandmother’s 25th birthday. Nothing was ever said as to how Grandma felt about the special birth. Some people might have taken it all in stride, while others might have made it a big deal every year. Of course, much would depend on the era of such births too. The year 1912, likely found my grandmother having her child at home, and I don’t believe her parents lived in the same state. So, it was Grandma, Grandpa, and their baby daughter, in their remote little house in International Falls, Minnesota, where Grandpa worked in the lumber industry, and at that time, Grandma is a stay-at-home mom. Sometime before 1920 the little family moved to Ranger, Texas so Grandpa could work in the oil fields, but by 1922, they were back in Wisconsin.
Times were tough, and like many mothers, my grandma found herself running a hotel just over ten years later, 
while her daughter cared for her baby brother, my Uncle Bill Spencer. By then, Grandpa had gone to work for the Great Northern Railroad, and things got a little bit better. Later, two more children were added to the family, my dad, Allen Spencer and my aunt, Ruth “Spencer” Wolfe. Their family was complete. They were living in Holyoke, Minnesota then and they had a little farm. They grew hay and the kids all remember making haystacks. Grandpa was a carpenter with the railroad, making and repairing the seats, and other parts of the trains. Grandma and the kids did much of the farm work. That is often how it was back then.
My grandmother was one tough lady. She was no stranger to hard work, and the kids all learned to work hard too. Aunt Laura, being ten+ years older than the rest of her siblings, got married on May 5, 1932, and soon 
moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The rest of the family didn’t get to see quite as much of her after that, but they tried hard to keep in touch. Over the years, the family lived in a number of placed, including Casper, Wyoming and for Aunt Laura, Portland, Oregon, which is where She passed away on May 16, 2002 at the age of 89 years. Grandma passed away in July 11, 1956, in Superior, Wisconsin. I was just 2½ months old at the time, so I never knew her. Grandma was 68 years old at the time of her passing. Happy birthday in Heaven, Grandma Spencer and Aunt Laura. We love and miss you very much.
My nephew, Sean Mortensen is as active as his daughter, Jadyn is, and so is his partner, Amanda Reed. This family has been living an adventurous life for more than 22 years now, and it’s been a wild ride. They love time on the lake in the Summer, and the mountains in the Winter. This Summer, they have picked up the sport of Bow Fishing, and they are really enjoying that. Before they started Bow Fishing, I had never heard of it before. I know, I’m revealing my “non-fisherman” status. I just never got into it. Nevertheless, this family does, and they catch the big fish. I don’t know what places, but I know they have won prizes in the various fishing derbies. Competition is all part of the fun…right!!
Sean loves most sports, but especially extreme sports. In the Winter, his favorite place to be is half buried in a 
snowbank somewhere. He might be riding a 4-wheeler, motorcycle, or snowmobile, but ending up deep in the snow is the best place to land. Summer finds him at the lake boating, fishing, or skiing, unless he is hiking on a mountain, that is. I have never seen such busy people. Sean and Amanda have a great group of friends, who love hanging out together, and you just never know what they will come up with next.
Three years ago, Sean bought an HVAC business called Triangle Heating and Air, LLC, and it has been doing very well for him. The company has received excellent reviews on various rating sites and holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, which speaks volumes about Sean’s leadership as the owner. When he’s not working, Sean spends time maintaining their home and enjoying their toys, which bring them a lot of joy. While 
hard work and heavy labor are important, everyone knows that all work and no play isn’t the way to go. Sean and Amanda have really made it their motto, to live life to the fullest. For them that means never slowing down and sometimes, living on the edge. They love the thrill of competition and the adrenalin rush of speed and a little bit of flying, thankfully the keep their speeding to the trails, the snow, or the water, and not so much on public roads. Speeding tickets wouldn’t be fun. Today is Sean’s 40th birthday. Happy birthday Sean!! Win big in Vegas!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My grandniece, Jadyn Mortensen is an amazing girl. It’s hard for me to believe that she is turning 21 today. I have watched her grow from babyhood, through girlhood, becoming an accomplished horsewoman, gaining a full ride scholarship for rodeo at the University of Wyoming, and now third year college student majoring in mechanical engineering, and through it all, she has brought her signature excellence. Jadyn takes life head on and with gusto. She has been dating her best friend, Marcus Lucero for a little over two years now, and they are very happy together.
Jadyn has been participating on the rodeo team at the University of Wyoming for three years now too, and she just gets better and better. She is very loyal to her team, and she is well liked. That isn’t hard, because Jadyn is such a happy person. She is always smiling and friendly. She fits well in any crowd. She has such a bubbly personality that people are naturally drawn to her. She’s incredibly social and doesn’t have a shy bone in her body. She gets along with everyone.
Jadyn was an early birthday present for her dad, Sean Mortensen, because she arrived one day before her 
dad’s 19th birthday, when her mom, Amanda Reed was 18 years old. They have been a close family ever since. Jadyn grew up around people of all ages, because whatever her parents were doing, Jadyn went along too. They seldom left her out of things. She was their girl, and they wanted her with them all the time. She spent time at the lake in summer and the mountains in winter. She is at home either place. From 4-wheelers to jet skis, to snowmobiles, to motorcycles, to horses…Jadyn does it all. That’s probably why it doesn’t surprise me that the family is in Las Vegas to celebrate Jadyn’s 21st birthday and Sean’s 40th birthday. It’s another in a long line of family adventures and vacations, and with college starting back up soon, they really try to make the summer count with as much activity as they can possibly squeeze in.
Spending time in Vegas is a favorite for this family. They enjoy the night life and now that Jadyn is 21 years 
old, she can have a drink and gamble too. I’m sure this trip will be one for the memory books for them, and especially for Jadyn. I hope she wins big!! Every birthday girl should…right!! These days, Vegas has become the go-to party place for the “turning 21 crowd” so, I’m glad Jadyn got to go for her special day. I hope they have a wonderful time. Today Is Jadyn’s 21st birthday. Happy birthday Jadyn!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
