My horse, the super model
You have seen the pictures all over my home page and my “about me” page - the little grey horse is my Arabian gelding, Grunnion. While the camera here paints him in a nice light, he hasn’t always been the most eye-catching equine. In fact, we call him a “donkey.” But this eight-year-old has a heart of gold and I have owned him since he was three and known him since he was born.
My friends, Christopher and Ashlee Murr (www.murrphotos.com), wanted to do a photo shoot with a horse, so I volunteered my ugly duckling, hoping a good bath would fix him right up. Well, he did look beautiful and we had a good time with five different models and hours full of keeping him from licking the models to death.
Here are some of the highlights: Please leave a comment and tell me which is your favorite!
Beyond the hairspray…
This week, the 141st Clark County Fair takes over the small town of Ridgefield, Wash., and erupts into a 10-day flurry of wild rides, cotton candy, elephant ears, dozens of vendors, animals of all shapes and sizes, demolition derby and monster trucks. All the good, traditional fair activities aside, the Clark County Fair lands near to my heart. Apart from having shown horses at the fairgrounds for most of my life, I represented the fair across the Pacific Northwest in 2004. I was a Clark County Fair Court Princess.
Yes, I know what you are thinking. Oh. One of those girls. Well, I was. However, the world of rodeo queens stems far from the typical beauty pageants.
For me, the equestrienne court was a chance to practice public speaking and travel the state, all from horseback. I landed my first published clip because of the court, guest writing an article for the Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.) about life in the court. At the time, that was huge for me!
The court serves as ambassadors to local events, parades and rodeos to promote the Summer’s Best Family Party – the Clark County Fair. We rode in grand entries for dozens of rodeos, waved to crowds at countless parades and mingled with other local and state royalty at luncheons and pageants. We spent all 10 days of the fair living on the grounds—signing autographs, judging various contests, doing grand entries and so much more. Early mornings, late nights, lots of fair food and hair spray to keep those curls intact. It was heaven.
I went on to compete in another pageant and was crowned the 2005 Miss Teen Rodeo Washington. Another year of priceless experiences.
Recently, I’ve realized how my years as a rodeo queen helped me later in life. After dozens of interviews, I hold a new respect and perspective as I entered journalism as a major. Only when you have been misquoted in print can you truly understand the importance of accuracy and due diligence.
Giving impromptu speeches and thinking on your feet has paid off time and time again. In college, I served as the editor in chief of the newspaper and magazine. I led class discussions and taught reporters—four years earlier I wouldn’t have seen myself quite that confident.
Finally, at writers conferences and more, the goal is to sell yourself and your work, thus do your own PR. Posture, etiquette and eloquence all come into play and while I can credit my parents with laying the groundwork, the finishing touches came from two years of hair fluffing, sparkling rhinestones and high-speed grand entries. Yee haw!
Learn more about current rodeo royalty:
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My wonderful friends, Ashlee and Chris Murr, did a photo shoot with my horse, Grunnion, and several models this past Sunday. I was able to get some beautiful pictures out of the deal! Thank you to Ashlee and Chris! Visit http://www.murrphoto.com to see their work! 
The start of a dream…and countless hours at the computer
Every author knows the exact moment they decided to be a writer – whether it was 
a dawning realization or a slow, steady development throughout the years. I was 12. Aside from the normal life hurdles presented in the sixth grade, I got my first horse and started showing in local 4-H shows. I spent all my spare time with my horse, a chestnut Arabian mare with an attitude. But I didn’t care – she was all mine.
Meanwhile, my sixth grade teacher spent her time and energy in sharing her love for the written word. She encouraged us to read and read some more. So I did. That’s when the itch began. While I devoured every book around, I started reading inspirational fiction – Francine Rivers, Lisa Tawn Bergren, Linda Chaikin, Robin Jones Gunn, Patricia Rushford and so many more.
A little story formed in my mind and soon I had it down on paper. I wrote about a horse trainer (of course) who takes on a new (and handsome) client, who discovered an abandoned Arabian stallion. But this stallion is more than he seems, with incredible potential. She works with him to reach the Nationals Arabian horse show, all the while battling a crazy ex-boyfriend who stalks her and confronting her feelings for her newest client.
It really wasn’t anything special. I knew nothing about deep POV, proper character development or the evils of too much backstory. But it was all mine. Some 60,000 words of my own creation. I knew I must write more!
I toyed around with the story some, but eventually began a new project in high school. I dove into historical fiction and found my true calling. I started the project now titled Dreams of Yesterday – the WWII trilogy about a woman’s struggle to find a stallion for her Arabian breeding farm. I’m sure you see the theme here…
Years after my first novel in sixth grade, I took the manuscript, all printed in a cutesy font and bound in a three-ring binder, to my teacher. Bless her heart, she took it and read it (I know it must have been painful!) and gave me the encouragement to keep pursing my passion. I credit her with implanting the desire to read, which gave way to the yearning to write.
If you know of anyone, no matter the age, with the inclination to write, do your best to encourage and support them. You never know how one moment can lead to the dawning of a dream.
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