big horns
My brother-in-law, Chris Hadlock has had a very busy year. The place he and my sister, Allyn Hadlock own along the North Platte River, needed a lot of work when they got it. They tore down the mobile home his parents had lived in and built a new house a few years ago. That put the garage on hold, but the old garage was really not very safe, and it was not big enough, so this past couple of years have been spent preparing for and building Chris a dream garage. At the end of last year, the garage was finally finished, inside and out. With that done, Chris has switched his focus back to the property again. Chris has loved that place since he lived there as a kid. Now that it belongs to him, that pride he felt back then is as strong as ever.
This year, Chris and Allyn had the driveway paved, painted the small garage, sorted thru a lot of stuff. Chris is getting things back in order since he had to focus on the garage so much last year to get it finished. He is very conscientious about the property and likes to take good care of it. I think he wants to make his parents proud 
of what he has done with the place, and they definitely would be. Because their daughter, Kellie was getting married on June 28, Chris really ramped up on the property improvements, because they were having Kellie’s shower and the rehearsal dinner out there, and Chris wanted it to be especially nice.
Even in the midst of wedding plans, Chris and Allyn took a trip over Memorial Day up to Sheridan, thru the northern Big Horns, up to Cody and Cooke City. The family went camping over Mother’s Day to Guernsey and camped at Glendo for Father’s Day. Then, after all the rush of the wedding was over, Chris and Allyn went camping in the Big Horns. They were joined by their son, Ryan Hadlock, his wife Chelsea and their daughter, Aurora. Their daughter, Lindsay Moore, her husband, Shannon, and their daughter, Mackenzie went as well. Their daughter, Jessie Sawdon, her husband, Jason, and daughter Adelaide couldn’t go because they were headed to see his family in Michigan. Kellie, her husband, Tim Thompson, and daughter Jolene stayed in Casper to relax after the wedding. Chris really enjoyed all this time off. He loves all his kids and grandkids and would do anything for them. He loves spending time with them! On top of all the work on 
the property, Chris was very busy at work, selling police communication systems, and he still enjoys it very much.
Chris’ daughter-in-law, Chelsea says “He’s amazing! Still loves fishing, especially with Ryan. He’s been teaching Aurora some things on the guitar. He’s always ready to help, listen, or just hang out. We love him so much and we’re so glad we get to spend so much time with him!” That is a sweet tribute and needs no improvement. Today is Chris’ birthday. Happy birthday Chris!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
This birthday, and the days leading up to it, have been unusual for my niece, Chelsea Hadlock. A few days before Chelsea was to be a bridesmaid in her sister-in-law, Kellie Thompson’s wedding, Chelsea stepped off of a curb wrong and rolled her ankle. She thought it was just a sprain, but the longer it went and the more painful it became, the more she suspected that might actually be broken. Nevertheless, ever the one to persevere, Chelsea pulled off her bridesmaid duties with grace and style…and crutches. Chelsea is pretty resourceful and determined to succeed, so pushing through the pain to make sure her part in Kellie’s wedding went smoothly, is nothing less than expected. The good news is that when she had it looked at, they told her that it was only a sprain, and just to keep on doing what she is already doing!! Praise God!!
This summer has found Chelsea and her family doing a bit of camping, which is an activity. They are getting ready to go to the Big Horns with Ryan’s parents, Allyn and Chris Hadlock, and his sister and brother-in-law, Lindsay and Shannon Moore and their daughter Mackenzie. They are all looking forward to a relaxing time after 
the busy activity of the wedding. Chelsea and Ryan’s son, Ethan will not be going this trip, because he has to work. I don’t know for sure, but it is my guess that this will be the first camping trip they take without Ethan. Ryan and Chelsea love camping and have been taking regular trips throughout their 17-year marriage, so I know they are really looking forward to this trip, even with Chelsea’s crutches, which don’t always mix well with camping on a mountain. Nevertheless, camping often includes lots of sitting around the camp site and around the campfire, so a little ice and a place to put her foot up will be just the ticket for Chelsea. And if they wait on her for her birthday…well, that’s cool too.
Chelsea has been such a perfect fit in the Hadlock family, and they all love her very much. She is really more like Chris and Allyn’s daughter that daughter-in-law, and Ryan’s sisters, Jessi Sawdon, Lindsay Moore, and Kellie Thompson all agree that she is their sister, not sister-in-law. They all love her very much and they are all 
a close family, that Chelsea is a perfect fit for too. Chelsea has a beautiful singing voice and often sings as a backup singer at our church. She loves the Lord and makes sure that her family knows Him too. Chelsea has grown spiritually so much over the 17 years that she has been a part of our family, and we are all very proud of her. She has a sweet, loving heart that has endeared her to all of us. We all feel blessed to have Chelsea in our family. Today is Chelsea’s birthday. Happy birthday Chelsea!! Have a great day and a great camping trip!! We love you!!
My nephew, Ryan Hadlock has been really busy this year…and with a wide variety of activities. Ryan is a family man, married to Chelsea for almost 16½ years. He is dad to Ethan and Aurora. Ryan works very hard to give his family the very best that life has to offer. Ryan is the Compression Foreman, at Contango Energy. It is a position he was promoted to when his uncle, Mike Stevens retired, but it was a position that the bosses felt Ryan was perfect for he had been a Compression Operator, but they saw more. Ryan proved them right. Ryan works hard at his job, and he is very respected there, but his real focus is always on his family.
Ryan’s parents, Chris and Allyn Hadlock have been building a new garage this year, and it has been a huge project. Ryan has spent a lot of time this summer working on it. They had to tear down the old garage, level the area and prepare it to allow drainage and a new retaining wall…and that was before they could even start on 
the garage. It was a group effort, with help from brothers-in-law, Mike Reed and Mike Stevens, Ryan and his son, Ethan as well. The project was a great success, and the guys had a great time. Allyn tells me that, “Ryan was such a huge help for us this summer building the garage! He was faithful to come out and sacrifice his own time to give of himself. We appreciate so much his strength and can-do attitude! Chris loved the dad/son time, and their close relationship has grown even more and gotten stronger. He really enjoys spending time with Ryan!”
The Hadlock family went camping some this year too. They went to the Big Horn Mountains a few times, and thankfully they were able to do that, because after the massive fire in the Big Horns that is going on right now, things may not be the same there for a while. Ryan and Ethan went to Top Golf for a father-son fun time. That was a lot a great time, and always an important thing for men and their boys. They also went camping in the Black Hills, and then, of course, there is the inevitable job of working on the camper.
They went to a concert last month, and another one is coming up next week! They’ve been to a few Wyoming Cowboys’ games this year too, which is a fun family time for the whole Hadlock clan. Ryan and Chris are going to a Broncos game in a couple of weeks, after attending another Cowboys’ game…an all sports weekend. Ryan and his family have been blessed to have a super good year, and they know that next year will be even better!! Today is Ryan’s birthday. Happy birthday Ryan!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
