Let Me Introduce myself.......

Okay, so you thought I went away, huh? I know, I have not been a good blogger at all! Life just gets in the way sometimes, you know? Anyways, it was the usual suspects: first tax season that gets longer each year. Then, because life gets boring, we decided that 6 days after tax season ended, we needed to go to Denver with 160 high school orchestra, band and choir students! This is Chelsea's senior year and we decided we needed to be a chaparone at least once before we became empty nesters! It was a lot of fun, but I tell you what, they kept us running (and I do mean literally!) So in pictures, because they say it so much better, here is what the last month looked like!
Recognise the skyline? Only Denver looks like this! This was taken from the parking lot of the Denver Aquarium! Cool place! Some of the other places we went were Buffalo Bills grave (up a long and winding road!), Red Rock ampitheatre (takes your breath away literally!), The Denver Museum of Nature and Science (interesting experience), the 16th Street Mall (electric busses) and Elitch Gardens and Theme park (just an observer) We were rained on, blown around and even got snowed in an extra night! But the kids were so totally awesome!

This is part of the orchestra kids after they received their 1st place trophy! This is the tenth year Rigby has placed 1st at a competition!

This was the last night of the trip and this was the first picture we got to take of Chelsea! The only time we saw her was on the busses.

I was totally exhausted when I got home, but I must say it was a trip I will never forget!

We came back to Chelsea's graduation preparations! I forgot how much goes into that! Where have the 17 years gone?

17 years ago this was Chelsea at about 3 weeks old, on Charlie Girl's back! I think this started her love affair with animals! If I had a dime for every picture I have of Chelsea holding a kitten, a puppy, or even a raccoon, I would be a millionaire!

14 years ago, this was my oldest daughter, Tiffany's graduation day! I had made her that dress, and she was getting ready for the ceremony (see her cap and gown on the cedar chest) and she and Chelsea were dancing around the family room and I snapped this picture! This has become one of those pictures you wear in your heart and this is how I like to think of my girls!

Now here is my rennaisance girl, in one of her senior pics! I took the picture and she photoshopped it to turn it into this black and white with her guitar. That is the real color of her electric guitar.

This is one of my favorite pics of Chelsea, taken my her friend M'Lynn, last fall. Sometimes she wears her goofy spirit on her face, and I love it!

This is another that M'lyn took! This is in the drybed of the Snake River, that runs behind our house! Again it caught that spunk that is only Chelsea!

This is that picture we finally settled on for her graduation announcements. She and I snuck out onto the train bridge at the Jefferson/Madison county line and took these pics last fall!

On next Wednesday, at 2:00 pm, at the Hart Auditorium, my baby will graduate from high school with high honors! She is accepted to ISU this fall, where she is studying Radiographic Science, to become an ultrasound technician.

Today was her first day out of school. She came to work with me, played on her brand new laptop, then we went shopping and ended up at Red Robin's for lunch! It was a wonderful afternoon, spending grown-up time with my daughter! I hope for tons more like it!

Goodnight, ya all!

Chris