Ms.Shaw grew up in Washington and Oregon states. She originally trained in Aikido in Klamath Falls , Oregon for a year and joined Bendell Karate in early 2003.  She has two grown daughters, and her young son Nate is a student at Bendell Karate. Unlike most of our instructors, Ms. Shaw did not have a burning desire to become a black belt. After starting training at Bendell Karate, she grew so much as a person, the fire then grew deep within her to earn her black belt and become an instructor. An amateur photographer and avid gardener, she and her husband John, a long haul trucker, own a small farm in Colorado City south of Pueblo .