Disney World
This has been a difficult six months for my sister, Alena Stevens, family and for her daughter-in-law, Kayla and son, Garrett, Alena’s passing has left a specific void, because with Kayla’s job as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, comes periodic travel around the state and even the nation. That has not been a problem, because whenever Kayla had to go out of town, Alena would travel to Sheridan to take care of Kayla and Garrett’s girls, Elliott and Maya. There is nothing more comforting for a parent who must travel for work, than to know that their children are well cared for, and especially when it is the grandparents who take care of them. Children love to spend time with their grandparents, and they always have a great time.
The family is slowly adjusting to Alena’s April 23rd passing, but it was particularly hard, because when they found out, Kayla and Garrett were on vacation at Disney World with their girls. That definitely put a damper on the trip. Garrett tells me that they are doing ok, and that it has been a very busy summer, which has helped 
too. This summer has held fewer trips for Kayla, because they are still adjusting to having no one to come and stay with the girls. Nevertheless, she will be taking a few as the summer goes on. She has turned down some of the trips so she can help her family get through this tough time. Kayla, as a social worker is very good at helping people wade through grief, and that is so helpful for her family. The girls are young, but they know that Grandma isn’t there anymore. Kayla felt like it would be had on Garrett to try to handle the girls alone while she is out of town. As time goes on, they will figure out a new way to deal this those trips, and as the girls get older, they will be able to help their daddy more, but this summer, they all need time to adjust. Kayla usually stays overnight for the events that are more than a couple of hours away. Garrett and the girls usually had Alena come up to help with the kids during those times so now, there is a definite void. In addition to Kayla’s ability to help with the grief of her own family, she is very skilled at her job too. Garrett says, “She has more credentials than I can even remember, and she is one of the go-to people in her field. She is so incredibly smart and skilled at what she does.” He is very proud of his sweet wife. and all she has accomplished.
Kayla is a great planner. She has been busy planning out the summer camps that Elliott will be in this summer. It’s setting up to be a busy summer for Elliott, with cheerleader camp, nature camp, parade camp and many others. She is very organized. Kayla loves to make sure the kids have great activities to keep them busy and to stimulate their young minds. Garrett says, “She has been such a great support to me during this time. Anything I needed she was there, and she has sacrificed a lot.” Garrett, Elliott, and Maya, as well as the rest of the family, have been very blessed by Kayla and her caring heart. Today is Kayla’s birthday. Happy birthday Kayla!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, Allen Beach has had a very busy year. Following his wife, Gaby’s graduation from nursing school, they decided to buy a house closer to Wyoming Medical Center, where they both now work. They quickly found the perfect house and moved in last March. They quickly set about getting settled and making the house their own. They’ve removed some trees in the back yard that we’re old and growing into power lines. They hope to build a garage in the back yard sometime in the near future, but for now they will most likely settle for a taller privacy fence.
Now that both of them have graduated from college, they have time for all the fun stuff. And speaking of fun stuff…Allen bought an old truck he’s been working on. It seems like most men have a dream of fixing up an old car or truck, and Allen is no different. That’s one way to have fun, but Disney World is another, so Allen and Gaby are planning a trip there in April. I’m sure that after a cold winter, a trip to sunny Florida would be really nice. Maybe they could pack me in their suitcase…if I promise to stay out of the way. No, probably not. Allen and Gaby also have two wonderful dogs, named Oly and Jasper. The dogs are truly their babies. They love playing with the dogs and the dogs love them.
They love to travel, but that has been curtailed these days. That is partly why this trip to Florida is such a big deal. After a wile of being locked down, it’s time to live a little. Allen and Gaby have traveled to many places all 
over the world, so being locked down is especially tough. Traveling to places like Bali or Japan, are more their style, but they are just places, and the real thing is being together. Allen and Gaby are best friends and have been since they first met, while they were both serving this great nation in the Navy. They both became corpsmen and knew that medicine would be their chosen field. While Gaby chose nursing, Allen chose hospital administration. Both of them are very good at their jobs, and Wyoming Medical Center is very blessed by their service. Today is Allen’s birthday. Happy birthday Allen!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
The third year of my grand niece, Mackenzie Moore’s life has be a big one, and the summer has been packed full of fun adventures. The Moore family took a trip to Disney World and they had a blast. They have also been doing a lot of camping, which is a big tradition in the Moore and Hadlock families. The really cool park about camping with the family is that Mackenzie is having all that cousin time. Since Mackenzie and her parents don’t live in the same town as the rest of the family, the cousin time provided while camping is very important and very precious.
Mackenzie loves going to church. She loves God. She loves learning about her savior, Jesus and growing closer to the Holy Spirit every day. Mackenzie loves to sing, and her favorite songs are Christian songs…praise and worship songs are her absolute favorites. Mackenzie loves her church. She loves everything about her church…the songs, Sunday School, and the people…all the people. Mackenzie is much like her mommy, Lindsay Moore in that part of her 
personality. Mackenzie meets people and they are immediately her friends. Lindsay is that way too. They know everybody in their church. They not only know them, but the talk to them whenever they see them. Mackenzie and her cousins got to got to Vacation Bible School this summer, and they had an amazing time.
As Fall has arrived, Mackenzie’s life is taking on some new journeys. She started pre-school, and she has really enjoyed learning new things. She also got a new dog, Brinkley, which makes coming home from pre-school very special. Mackenzie is studying dance, ballet and tap, and when I say studies, I mean that she does go to class, but the dance is really built into her. She is very theatrical and imaginative, and loves to pretend and perform. She holds recitals for her parents in front of the fireplace, using it as her personal stage. She never misses an opportunity to sing someone a song! She is such a joy, so full of personality, and love!
There is one other aspect to Mackenzie’s life that is very special. Mackenzie is the coaches daughter. Her daddy, Shannon Moore is a coach for the Wyoming Cowboys. As I said, Mackenzie is a friend to everyone, and that includes the players, of course. The friendship between Mackenzie and the players is totally mutual. She loves to go see her daddy’s practices…or should I say she loves to “hold” practices with her daddy. Mackenzie puts the players through their paces, of course, using her whistle to make sure they can hear her, an they all love having their littlest coach. She is a blessing to them, and they ar to her too. Mackenzie’s third year was an amazing one, and I’m sure that her fourth year will be even better. Today is Mackenzie’s 4th birthday. Happy birthday Mackenzie!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
As his birthday arrives, my niece, Lindsay Moore gets very excited to celebrate her husband, Shannon Moore. Some years are easy and some years are hard, but Shannon is always there for Lindsay and their daughter, Mackenzie. This past year has been one of the tough ones, because Shannon and Lindsay went through something no parents should ever have to go through…the loss of their second daughter, Hallie Joy, who was born and died on December 19, 2020. Shannon and Lindsay were so very saddened by their little daughter’s passing, but they knew that they had to go forward, because they have another daughter…Mackenzie, and she needed them to be the best parents they can be.
Lindsay tells me that Shannon is just that…a dad like no other! He and Mackenzie have such a sweet bond. He loves taking care of her, and he loves giving her and Lindsay the best of everything. For a vacation, Shannon 
took his family to Disney world last week. They had a wonderful time, and Mackenzie, like most kids at Disney World, or any fair, was completely star struck. It was so much fun to watch her eyes filled with wonder at all the sights and all the rides. Watching Mackenzie experience new things really gives Shannon so much joy. The family got together in Laramie with Lindsay and Shannon for the Independence celebration too, and Shannon and my brother-in-law, his father-in-law, Chris Hadlock had a great time organizing and setting off the fireworks. That really is another event that Mackenzie and her cousin Adelaide Sawdon don’t recall last year’s, so it’s like the first time, but then isn’t every year of fireworks like the first year.
Shannon is quite the handyman, and he has been helping various friends with some home improvement projects this summer. Home Improvement projects are always on everyone’s list of things to do, and it’s very nice to have someone to help out when you are doing them. When Shannon isn’t helping his friends, he and 
Lindsay like to go camping. They bought a new camper this year, and have been enjoying taking Mackenzie camping before Shannon has to go back to work at the University of Wyoming, where he is the assistant coach for the Wyoming Cowboys Football team. He is also their tight ends coach and helps with special teams too. Last year, with Covid-19, was a strange coaching year, because it is hard to coach virtually, but Shannon made it work and they did get part of a season. He is looking forward to getting back to work and do some real coaching. Today is Shannon birthday. Happy birthday Shannon!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My nephew, Ryan Hadlock reminds me more and more of his dad, Chris Hadlock, everyday. He looks like him, talks like him, and acts like him. They also enjoy many of the same things, like sports, especially football and the Broncos. In fact, they are heading to Denver this weekend for a game. Ryan also loves camping, music, and most of all family. Ryan and his wife, Chelsea, who have been married nine years now, are raising two sweet children, Ethan and Aurora.
Recently, Ryan and his family went with Chelsea’s family to Disney World in Florida, where they had a wonderful time. The kids got to meet all the Disney characters, and ride all the great rides. Really, they are at the perfect age for a Disney World adventure…young enough to love the kid stuff and old enough to remember the trip. A wonderful time was had by all, because after all, there is a bit of a kid in all of us, especially Ryan, who will never really grow up, but then I guess that’s what makes him such a fun guy.
Ryan is a hard worker, and often picks up extra shifts at his job at Fleur de Lis, which used to be Anadarko, until they sold it to FDL, as its called. FDL is an oilfield company, and since things are picking up some, they are pretty busy. Ryan is also becoming quite a Do It Yourself guy. Recently, he fixed the central air in their home by himself, and most of us would have no idea what to do with that. Nevertheless, Ryan figured it out and saved his family from the summer heat and saved money too.
It has been a busy year for Ryan and his family, but as far as I’m concerned, the coolest thing that is going on 
with them is that Ryan is forming a family band. The plan is for Ryan to play the guitar. Ryan learned from his dad, and both are very good. Ethan will be playing the drums. Aurora hasn’t decided what instrument she wants to play in her dad’s band, but I’m sure she will pick something very cool. And the plan is to have Chelsea sing. I think this could be a wonderful musical family. Maybe they could be the Hadlock Family Band. I would definitely attend a performance, if they had one that was open to the public. Today is Ryan’s birthday. Happy birthday Ryan!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
