Twenty years ago, we welcomed our Bethany-girl. From the start, she was stubborn and spunky. She fights for what she believes in and doesn’t back down from a challenge. If she sets her mind on accomplishing something, she does it.

This year has been a bit bumpy for Bethany. After successfully completing 19 credit hours in 8 weeks of summer courses, and starting a full course load in the fall, she found herself face-to-face with the reality of how depraved the academic system is. From required course content that was nothing short of pornography, to a different required course that centered around “coming-out” stories in supposed literature, she found herself questioning the wisdom in funding this sort of “education” and decided to take a different path. She has so many creative talents that she is now trying to channel into specific endeavors, while she has also found a job that provides a better environment and more learning opportunities than the fast-food industry. This was the direction we had originally advised her to take, but it seems she needed to figure it out for herself, and we are proud of the strong, principled young woman she is.

Bethany remains unapologetically herself. She is stubborn but often sweet. She still loves chickens and dogs and will snuggle with either indiscriminately. She sews random clothes for herself, still makes jewelry, and thrift stores are her happy place.

Life isn’ t moving forward as quickly as she would prefer, but she seeks the Lord diligently and tries to busy herself with the opportunities she has in front of her. We do our best to encourage and pray for her as she navigates life decisions and we love her faith and determination in the face of uncertainty. We love our Miss Bethany so much and are excited to celebrate two decades of her life today.