Shan Whitehorn:  

Life My life is my family. A group of friends, some happen to be related. Our kids are Juniors in high school with drivers licenses, therefore we are aging rapidly. ;p Where once there were diaper bags, now there are backpacks, suitcases, sports equipment, electronics, cars. The toys they play with now take up room in the garage or under the carport. Schedules are easier now. They travel to events with the school team, we follow in our car. Both kids are taking AP classes this year, so they'll finish college sooner. Debate tournaments take Chey away for 3 days at a time. Johnny Lee's sports now follow the school calendar. Yet our summers are busier than ever. Johnny Lee lettered in athletics last year, Chey in Debate this year. She is at a debate tournament right now, luckily district. Hopefully she will finish in time to begin bracket racing this spring. Johnny Lee is finishing up basketball in play-offs, then will start baseball. Last summer he worked as a life guard, unsure of how this year will finish out. Chey is planning to participate in the Osage Tribal medicine dances again this year, and taking an excellerated summer term for German III. Thankfully, our kids are taking advantage of the opportunities available to them, instead of enjoying just the social aspects of high school. ;p Couldn't be happier they're not following in our footsteps! My Daddy passed away in 2003. I knew I'd fall apart and could not imagine drawing a breathe without him, never knowing that those would be the good days. I took more than 2yrs to believe I could stand alone. For 2yrs I was swallowed in the void of him not being here, then the next yr or so, when I made it out, that void was so huge, pressing against me. Finally, I just miss him with every beat of my heart. I still worship the ground he walked on, but now I am able to follow his lead. The kids do things and I know he's laughing with us. Chey's choices are all in honor of the man that loved her first. In the past 12mo I bought way2much on ebay, so now I am working with a power seller, to remove items no longer used. I am really enjoying Classmates! It has helped my reconnect with long lost friends. Many I really missed and am so thankful to have back in my life. I love the network feature, so when friends update their info, you get notified. I cannot believe my kids are jrs, and will graduate next year. We are so excited that they have been great kids and truly have the world at their feet and can do almost anything. Some people are blessed with one "easy" kid, we got that with both. I know my purpose is to help them grow, they will then help the world. My husband is the most gifted mechanic and supported my choice to get my Cat Ins Adj license, along with my best friend, Don Hendricks (Cooper '82). While I don't wish anything bad on those that live along the coast, and am thankful I had all last year to be with the kids, I would like the opportunity to use my license. No hurracaines last year sucked for business. We plan to send Johnny and Don's GF thru the licensing classes after we have about a year of actual experience. This will be a great way to keep busy after the kids go off to College. If you are reading this and are NOT in my network, please invite me to join yours. I will return the invite. It's hard to keep up with everyone on this site. Surprise! For all of you that remember me going "yard-farming" for cats, and that the number of cat roadkill I saw was an omen for the quality of the day.......I now own a cat. I have also been bitten a scratched enough for all of my cat hating ways. My cat is a Manx. Of the 3 types: rumpy, stumpy and half-tail, mine is a stumpy. She has about a 2"tail. Manx love to play fetch (better than most dogs), and truly are quite different than dogs. Mine is very sweet and will head-butt you for attention. We, of course, have a dog and Chey has a turtle that enjoys having his snout petted. Go figure. School I remember all the changes. At Johnston, the construction of the gazebo, the hill and the brick walkway. The time-capsule was neat when done, and amazing when we returned for the opening. In Junior High the introduction of house bill 72, and our awareness of H.R. Perot. At Abilene High, we all had one normal year, then the Junior Highs became Middle Schools, freshmen came to High school, open campus lunches were gone. Abilene High underwent major construction, and we got a new library, computer wing, and new science labs! It was great to have classes in the new building, and benefit from all the changes. Funniest personal moment: Opting to slide down the banister as the warning bell rang. I was wearing starched wranglers, the banister had just been polished, and everyone had just began running for the door. I was leaning too far in, and sliding way to fast!!! I pushed off the wall just in time to land in the middle of the hallway, notebook exploding, as the people I landed on began to scream!!! When my daughter toured AHS before begining classes this fall, I warned her of the dangerous banister, because she is as graceful as I am. ie: We can trip over our own shadows. I used to go yard-farmin for cats and now I have one! Thanks to classmates I now communicate with former party buddies that grew to become great friends that still allow me the opportunity to ...Expand for more