garage
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!!
My nephew, JD Parmely is a mechanic extraordinaire!! He went to college in Arizona for that very thing. He has always been interested in mechanics, even as a little boy, when he would hand his uncle, Bob Schulenberg tool as he worked on a vehicle in the driveway of his grandpa, Walt Schulenberg’s house. My husband, Bob and his nephew, JD were a little team. They still work together sometimes today. It’s mostly when one or the other need some help on a vehicle, or they are a little stumped. JD is a really good resource, if Bob has a vehicle that is giving him trouble. JD has come a long way from the days when he was Bob’s little helper.
JD is a good hand to have around. He often helps his brothers, Barry Schulenberg and Eric Parmely. This year 
he was helping Eric build a new garage. It is going to be a fine garage, and quite big. The guys worked on it quite a while, but they made great progress. Eric and his wife Ashley will really like having that this winter. JD is proving to be quite handy in more areas than just mechanics. In reality, there are very few jobs JD won’t at least attempt to tackle. And if you are looking for an assistant on a job you are working on, JD is often your man. And he is a willing helper too.
JD did run into a little “excitement” earlier this summer, when a pickup he was driving suddenly sprung a gas leak and caught on fire. Now, that will get your adrenaline going, won’t it? JD was hauling another pickup for a 
guy, and I’m sure you can imagine how quickly they got out of JD’s pickup. The fire department was called, but by the time they arrived, JD’s pickup was, well…toast!! JD decided that his liked the pickup, so he decided to rebuild it. It didn’t take him very long to find the necessary parts, and the pickup is back on the road. Most of us would have thought the truck just needed to go to the junk yard, but JD proved that it could still function as a truck. I guess that if the vehicle is a favorite, you do what you have to do. Today is JD’s birthday. Happy birthday JD!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My husband, Bob Schulenberg is a workaholic. Bob retired in 2016, but that doesn’t mean that he has really retired. Bob is a mechanic, and as my version of the old saying goes, “Old mechanics never retire, they just become exhausted.” That’s Bob to a tee, because he still works too hard, but he loves what he does, so it never seems like work to him…well, almost never. If a job is giving him fits…then, it seems like work!! Nevertheless, Bob’s garage is his “home, away from home” and the house is the “break room,” especially at 4:00pm when “Mike Hammer” comes on TV. He tries really hard not to have anything scheduled, anyone coming over, or any deadline on a job that would interfere with his Four O’clock Mike Hammer Break, complete with his popcorn and maybe a glass of ice-cold tea.
Bob is the kind of person who is always there to help people out. Anytime someone calls with a need, he does 
his level best to help them out. It’s not just mechanical work either. Bob has been a longtime caregiver, working right next to me on taking care of parents, siblings, aunts, and even me. Like me, Bob wasn’t a caregiver…until he was. When our parents needed help, Bob was there to help care for them. Mostly his job was muscle, but it was much needed muscle help. If a parent fell, I would call Bob. Even when he was at work, they let him come to the rescue. That help continues these days with my aunt, Sandy Pattan. He has taken us on drives and to family gatherings, and I know it has meant the world to Aunt Sandy, and to me. He is the kind of guy you can always count on. Even if he is in the middle of something, he makes time to help those who need his help!!
Bob really loves being retired. He often goes bowling on Tuesday mornings, with the other retired people who like to practice year-round. Personally, I like to take the summers off, but Bob is a bowling fanatic, as anyone who knows him can tell you. I figure that it never hurts to take a break from his retirement jobs and go do 
something else he can get frustrated with, unless he’s having a good day and really watching his mark. Bob is a really good bowler, and if he’s having a bad day, it’s usually that he isn’t watching that dreaded mark, as any bowler can tell you. Bowling is as muck a head game as it is a skill game. If you don’t keep your head in the game, you will get frustrated. I say, as long as he enjoys the game, go for it…frustration and all. Today is Bob’s 70th birthday. Happy birthday Bob!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My brother-in-law, Chris Hadlock has been having a very busy summer this year, and it doesn’t look like it will slow down anytime soon either. For Chris, that is ok, because he loves living on the property where he grew up, and working on it is truly a “labor of love” for him. Chris and my sister, Allyn Hadlock bought the place after his parents had passed away, and they have been fixing it up ever since. I know his parents would be so pleased with how amazing it looks. They loved that place, and to have their son and his wife living on it and sharing it with the family, keeping the dream in the family would mean the world to them.
Over the years, the house and garage fell into disrepair, and so they removed the doublewide mobile home and built a beautiful two-story house in its place. Now it is time for the garage. Chris, with the help of brothers-in-law, Mike Reed and Mike Stevens, as well as their son, Ryan Hadlock and Ryan’s son, Ethan Hadlock are in the process of building a new garage…his dream garage!! The old one had to be torn down, because it was in “less than great shape!!” First, they built a retaining wall, which has been a big job, in and of itself. Ethan helped a lot with that process!! He became quite adept at driving the tractor.
Withe the arrival of Independence Day, and the week before, Ryan; his wife, Chelsea; and their kids, Ethan and Aurora went camping at Chris and Allyn’s mountain property. Chris decided to take some time off near the 4th of July, so they could join the family on the mountain for the weekend. Daughter; Lindsay Moore; her husband, Shannon; and daughter, Mackenzie joined the family on the mountain too. Then, the family were joined by 
daughter, Kellie Hadlock; her partner, Tim Thompson; as well as the rest of the family for the fireworks display at the Event Center, and again for dinner on Friday night. Daughter, Jessi Sawdon; her husband, Jason; and daughter, Adelaide were in Michigan with Jason’s family this year, so they couldn’t join the family, and they were greatly missed.
Somewhere in between all the activity, the men found time to cut down a couple of dead trees in the back yard! Now, that comment coming from Allyn, caused quite a stir when their daughter, Lindsay commented, “Ummmm!! Kellie and I also ran a chain saw and a cutter, Mom!! The ladies were valuable contributors!!” And a quick recovery from Allyn, “Oh yes!! Thanks for chiming in Lindsay!! We did help also with all the clean-up of the trees!!” We really can’t leave the ladies out of this. The property by the river may be owned by Chris and Allyn, but it is an always will be a “Hadlock Family Project!!” Oh, and the building materials for the garage were delivered last week!! Chris was so excited!!
Lindsay also pointed out a “not often-seen side” of Chris…the “Grandpa Side.” Lindsay tells me, “Grandpa is very tender towards his grandkids. He loves them and wants to take care of them!! I’ve enjoyed watching his relationship with Mackenzie grow. He likes to spend time with her and show her an adventure!! And really for all of us, he’s a really good Dad! He loves us dearly and it shows!! He is always there for us. He is always up for a travel adventure…camping, going to games, beach trips, you name it!! He loves an adventure with his family!!” With Lindsay’s husband, Shannon being a coach for the Wyoming Cowboys, Chris and Allyn have been 
going to games as much as they can. One game was the Wyoming-Air Force game, where they had field passes!! They had a great time!! Today is Chris’ birthday. Happy birthday Chris!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
Every year, around the time of my husband, Bob Schulenberg’s birthday and also around the 4th of July, Bob and I take our annual hiking trip to the Black Hills. We aren’t always there on Bob’s birthday, which is six days after the 4th of July, and so doesn’t always fall conveniently in the same week. Nevertheless, we celebrate his birthday too, with time together as a couple, doing one of the activities we both have loved to do for years…hiking. It hasn’t always been easy for either of us to hike some of the more difficult trails, and one year, Bob’s back was so out of place, that even the easiest of trails was more than he could handle. That was a rough year. We went to the Black Hills and spent a lot of time in a motel room.
This year was one of the good years…at least in how Bob felt. 
We weren’t hiking any of the real difficult trails, especially our favorite…Harney Peak (now Black Elk Peak), but we hiked every day, even though it was cold this year and rained almost every day. This has just been a strange summer, and one I haven’t exactly enjoyed to this point, but since the temperatures are moving up, so are the prospects of summertime fun. Now, getting Bob to take time off to from the work he does from home…that’s not so easy.
Bob is a mechanic, and when he retired, he really didn’t intend to “retire” exactly. He just didn’t want to go to work and be on someone else’s schedule. He loves being a mechanic, but he wants to work on the jobs he wants to, on his schedule, and from his own garage. He likes the idea of just going out there whenever he wants to, and taking a 
break whenever he wants to. Don’t get me wrong, Bob will take most jobs, provided he has the time and ability to do the job. Also, he will pretty much work a job until it is done, unless it is one that is obviously going to take several days. Still, he just likes being in control of his days, weeks, and life in general. And he is so much happier these days. He feels better, even though some days his back hurts from being bent over a car. And he is able to take some time and just go for an evening walk with me…which I like very much. The life of a semi-retired, self-employed mechanic suits him to a “t” so I’m happy. Today is Bob’s 69th birthday. Wow!! It doesn’t seem he is 69 at all. Happy birthday Bob!! Have a great day!! We all love you very much…but especially me!!!
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!!
My nephew, Tucker Schulenberg is quite a guy!! He loves wheels…all kinds of wheels!! He loves to go out on the four wheeler, his motorcycle, and his rip stick. If fact, he has used his rip stick so much that he wore out his wheels. He just may be the first kid to ever do that. It certainly isn’t something I’ve ever heard of before.
Tucker is a soft hearted guy, who likes to do things for other people. He likes to sleep in, but he gives that up in the winter months do he can get up and build a fire for his dad, my brother-in-law, Ron Schulenberg, (who recently adopted him…the best day in all of their lives). Tucker is very dedicated to keeping his dad warm and usually is a very good helper doing oil and sweeping the garage. Tucker loves spending time with his dad, and even work doesn’t seem like work when they are together. Although Tucker has this “hard-core armor” on outside he is very sensitive on the inside and always worries about his family especially his brother, Riley Birky and his sister, 
Cassie Iverson! He loves them very much because he has such a huge heart. Tucker also loves his dogs and his cat.
Tucker is a comical guy. In school he is very popular because he is the class clown. He is always funny and joking around. Nevertheless, he is smart as a whip, and does well in school. He has a couple of really good friends…Joey, who he has known since preschool, and with whom he is very close. Their friendship has been a strong bond for both of them. His cousin Easton Moore is another of his close friends. They love to play Xbox games together, over the phone, since they live in different towns. And…like many boys his age, Tucker has a girlfriend. I’m not surprised, because he is a cute guy and so all the girls swoon over him.
As with most teenagers, Tucker sometimes gets “a little mouthy” and his mom, Rachel Schulenberg had to threaten to take away his privileges. Like most men, he never picks up his clothes or his towels. He definitely 
not a “neat freak,” but she is trying to teach him the way to be a good husband in the future. I’m sure his future wife will appreciate that effort very much. It’s funny that Tucker doesn’t pick up his clothes, because he is very “into” the way he dresses. He enjoys looking nice and up-to-date with the current fashion trends. He was real excited to get a new leather jacket and cowboy boots for his birthday. Tucker has his head on straight, and in very informed about politics. He is a Trumper all the way, and that makes all of his family very proud. Today is Tucker’s 13th birthday. Happy birthday Tucker!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
The longer we are married, the more blessed I feel with my soulmate. And…I’m not the only one that is blessed by my husband. Bob is a mechanic…through and through. For years before he had his own garage, we went to his parents house so he could work on cars there. When we bought our current house, it didn’t have a garage either, but it had enough room in back to build one, so we did. It was strange for him to simply have to go out in the back yard to get to the garage where he was working on someone’s car, but it made him very happy. In fact, I can’t think of a “gift” Bob has enjoyed more, or gotten more use out of than his garage. Most people would not even consider the garage to be a gift, but for Bob, it really was. No longer would he have to stand out in the wind and cold to work on a car, or make a trip to his parents’ house to work on a car. He had a place of his own to do that.
Bob has been working on the cars of his friends and family for as ling as I’ve known him. People often ask him, or me, if he ever gets tired of it. The answer is always quick, “No, he likes it. It makes him happy.” Most people want to come home after a long day at work and just relax, but not Bob. There’s lots of time to relax after it get dark. I suppose that Bob is of the “make hay while the sun shines” generation. After a long day at work, Bob would often put in another couple of hours out in the garage. Finally, he found that he had too much to do to waste time going to work anymore. That was a couple of years ago, and he hasn’t changed his mind about that one bit. He likes working for himself much better!!
After his retirement, I think lots of people thought Bob was just going to park in front of the television set and 
fade away. They were wrong. Bob’s work continued..it just changed locations…and bosses. No he simply walks out the back door to go to “work,” if that’s what you choose to call it. As to his boss, I’ve tried to tell him that I’m his boss now, but he doesn’t believe me. In fact, he seems to think that he is his boss, and I supposed he is right, but I don’t think I’ll ever admit to that. It doesn’t matter anyway, since he is doing what makes him happy…no matter who is bossing him. Today is Bob’s birthday. Happy birthday Bob!! Have a great day!! I’ll love you forever and ever.
I’m sure that most people have seen the movie, Twister. It is a personal favorite of mine. There is one line in the movie, where Aunt Meg said to Jo, that Bill always went his own way, which was usually the same way Jo was going. Well, I can’t say that Bob was going his own way, or that I was, but I can say that we were usually going in the same direction. Maybe that is the key to it, I don’t know, but I like that Bob and I like to do the same things. I never have to find a hiking partner, because Bob and I both love to hike. I don’t have to worry about a bowling partner, because we do it together. We both tend to like to be at home in the evenings…at least after that evening walk, and of course, we both love our family. I think the thing we most like to do though, is to be together. We are best friends, and I like that very much.
Of course, there are a few things that Bob likes to do that I really don’t, such as mechanics. Bob is an excellent mechanic, and has spent the majority of his life working on cars. They say that if you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I think for Bob that is a true statement. He really loves mechanics…from the diagnostics to the dirt…he loves it all. I personally don’t want to be all greasy and dirty, but Bob just doesn’t seem to mind, and you just can’t spend much time under a car without getting grease and road dirt all over yourself. All I ask is that he doesn’t wear something that I care about, because after one car, any great shirt he is wearing is no longer very nice. Nevertheless, he sure does clean up nicely.
These days, Bob is trying to wrap his head around the fact that he has been retired for a full year. Of course, 
he can’t really say that he is retired, because he is still doing the same work…just in a different location. Now he does all his mechanic work at home. I’m glad that he has that, because I think he would go stir crazy if he was just sitting around. Mechanics is what he loves, and I’m sure it is what he will always be doing. If I want him to myself, I still have to take him out of town, where he doesn’t have cars to work on. The good news is of course, I always know where to find Bob…out in the garage. Today is Bob’s birthday. Happy birthday sweetie!! Have a great day!! I love you!!
Growing up, I didn’t have any brothers, and in fact, other than my dad, there weren’t any guys in the family at all until my sister, Cheryl got married, and they lived most of those early years in upstate New York. I wasn’t around him much. So, I never had a little brother until I married my husband, Bob Schulenberg, and his little 7 year old brother, Ron Schulenberg became my brother-in-law. Bob, Ron, and I got along well even during the time we were dating, and he often went places with us…a privilege he found quite acceptable. He was a good kid, and we enjoyed being around him. When I think about the fact that Ron has been my brother-in-law for almost 42 years now, I just can’t imagine life without him. I never really felt deprived of a brother, but then I never thought of Ron as a brother-in-law either. He was my little brother…from the time I first met him. I think it was a good thing Ron and I got along so well, because he and Bob have always been close. They were the only boys in a family of six kids, so banding together was kind of a necessity, and over the years they have always been able to count on 
each other for any help needed, and just to be friends too. These days, their age difference doesn’t seem like much, but there are almost 14 years between them. Back then, I suppose it was odd for Bob to hang out with his little brother, but for the most part Bob enjoyed having Ron around.
Some things were a little hard for Ron, and I felt kind of bad about that. Bob and his dad, Walt Schulenberg, worked so well together at fixing things up on the place, fixing the cars, and even building the garage, and because of his age, Ron always seemed to be in the way. He wanted to help too…so badly. It’s hard, in the middle of something you need to get done, to stop and teach a little 7 or 8 year old boy how he can be of some help. Of course, as time went on, Ron grew up and he became a great help to his dad and brother. I’m sure that to him, it felt like he had “finally arrived.” That was a big day for Ron. I don’t know if he ever regretted that day, because once you can help, you have fewer days to play, but then, I don’t thing Ron cared about that at all.
I think that for Ron, the role of parent is the one he has always wanted the most…besides husband, of course. After he married his wife Rachel, Ron became dad to her children, Cassie, Riley, and Tucker. Cassie is married, and Riley lives in Powell, but Tucker is at home, and as far as he is concerned, Ron is his only daddy. He is the man who is there for him. Ron is the role model that Tucker wants and needs. They are a great little team, and I am so happy for Ron, because this has made his life complete. Today is Ron’s birthday. Happy birthday Ron!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
