Shellie's Beautiful Mess

Well, I'm sure you've noticed the new picture I have on my blog. That is my beautiful daughter, Chloe, receiving an award at a rodeo. Yep, she's a cowgirl. Of course, if you knew my past, you wouldn't expect anything less. I wish I'd raised both my daughters' to be cowgirls, but I raised them as city girls. Chloe met a horse trainer here in Spokane who took an interest in her, and I'm so glad she did. Chloe got a taste of what I did growing up. There are personal reasons we opted for her not to continue competing. She and I try to get out of town from time to time to go on a trail ride, but it's difficult with an old, falling apart van, that could die at any time. Eventually, I'll be able to buy a newer car. I'd like a Subaru. It's more practical in and out of town, since it will be a long time before I'll be able to afford more than one vehicle. It's not like I own a horse, so I don't need a pickup. We ride other people's hor

My youngest is now a freshman in high school. It still feels surreal. Her first day was yesterday and I did not send her to jus any high school. She's in a project based high school called The Community School. They are part of the New Tech Network. Students that graduate there are generally better prepared for life after high school. They don't do a lot of busy work. They do projects that require them to learn what the state requires and then some. It's ran a lot like a private school, but it's what they call a public 'choice' school. Her older brother and sister went there as well. Angela now lives with her dad and goes to Lewiston High School. Her brother graduated from TCS with honors, having been accepted into his dream college. Unfortunately, he was not able to get together enough funds to actually attend, but he has a job and is behaving like a responsible adult. I'm sure he will be successful in his pursuits. He still wants to be a film maker and I&#