spring break

My niece, Liz Masterson is a journalism teacher for the Natrona County School District, teaching at Kelly Walsh High School in Casper, Wyoming. She is an excellent teacher and is loved by faculty and students alike. One of the perks that being a teacher has given her is summers off, and things like Spring Break, and other school holidays. That fits in quite well with Liz’s love of travel. In the working world, people get only so many vacation days a year, and I don’t know of any other occupation that gives summers off and yet pays you for a year’s work…not that teachers really get paid what they are worth (most of them anyway.) Some teachers are paid far more than their worth, unfortunately. Liz isn’t one of those, and we, her family, are all very proud of her ability, drive, and dedication. All Liz ever wanted to be was a teacher, and she is an amazing teacher.

This week is spring break, and so Liz and her cousins, Jessi Sawdon, Lindsay Moore, and Kellie Hadlock decided that they all needed a “girl’s trip” to Las Vegas. So, they took Jessi and Lindsay’s daughters, Adelaide Sawdon and Mackenzie Moore to stay with their grandma and grandpa, Allyn and Chris Hadlock, and then the girls took to the air, flying to Vegas. I’m sure they are having a great time, as especially since Liz’s birthday falls in the middle of their trip, it’s a great was to celebrate. Liz has traveled to, to some amazing places, like Rome and several other places near there. She has also traveled to many places in the United States. Liz loves to go to New York City, Rapid City, and places in Texas, as well as many other places in the United States.

She has lived an interesting life for sure, but her favorite thing is her fur babies. Liz has three dogs and a cat, and they vie for her attention much of her time at home. She would love to take all three puppies for a walk, but they all want to go different directions. That just doesn’t work, so whenever Liz goes for a walk, only one dog gets to go, unless she puts them in the baby stroller that zips closed, so they can’t get out. The worst problem with that is that they love to bark at all their friends (dog friends) along the trail.

Liz is an excellent photographer and has a side gig in photography. She has actually taken many of the senior pictures for her students. As a journalism teacher, Liz has been in charge of the yearbook at Kelly Walsh. She also takes all the sports and club pictures…and of course the graduation pictures…quite different in 2020. I don’t know how they would have ever managed the yearbook all these years without Liz’s expertise. She has been an important asset to the school and to everyone else who knows her. Today is Liz’s birthday. Happy birthday Liz!! Have a great day!! We love you!!

My sister, Alena Stevens retired from the school district last year, in what was probably the weirdest retirement ever. She had planned to retire at the end of the school year, but then everything got very crazy. Spring break turned into the unofficial end of the in-class school day, and after a while, all that was left was to sort out the students’ belongings so they could stop by the school, and the staff would bring the belongings out to them. Alena’s job pretty much ended in March rather than June.

That wasn’t the only work oddity in Alena’s working career either. Alena worked at Kmart in her teen years, as did I…it must be a family trend. Anyway, she was walking to work from our house, which was less than a block away, and for some reason our youngest sister, Allyn Hadlock was in her own car, sitting in front of the house. This was back in the days of the CB radio. We didn’t have cell phones in those days, so if you didn’t mind having everyone within range hearing your conversation, you could pick up the mike and “call” a friend. The unique thing about the CB radio is that it also has a PA built in too…maybe not all of them, but Allyn’s did. So, as Alena was about to turn the corner to head to Kmart, Allyn picked up the Mike and said, “Alschmenerdoodle” over the PA. She made sure to say it in a long drawn out manner…and very loud. Alena stopped in her tracks and turned around laughing!! You have to understand that our family has a rather long history of making up funny nicknames for each other. I don’t know if Allyn had used that nickname before, but after that it became a standing joke and funny nickname!! Of course, while Alena found that super funny, it just couldn’t stand without “retaliation.” From that point and for a long time, Alena called Allyn “Alschminerdoodle!” Hahahahaha!! I don’t know, maybe retirement is the best move for Alena!! Work gets very odd for her…although, she did meet her husband Mike Stevens while working at Shellabarger Chevrolet, so there is that.

These days, Alena’s favorite title is grandma. She loves spending time with her granddaughter, Elliott Stevens. Elliott is a perfect fit in our family, not just because she is blood relation, but because she is humor related. She is so funny, and I just know that Elliott will get right in there and come up with a new generation of nicknames. Alena loves spending time with Elliott, and they love being silly together.

This year, Alena and her husband, Mike purchased a new camper trailer, and with summer finally upon us, they are looking forward to doing some camping at Pathfinder Reservoir. It will be a fun time with family, and especially Alena, because she knows that she doesn’t have to go back to work when the summer is over. That takes some getting used to after retirement, but it sure is nice to remember that every time it comes to mind. Today is Alena’s 60th birthday. I hope I’m not in trouble for telling her age. Happy birthday Alena!! Have a great day!! We love you!!

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