July 29th

Wow, It is july 29. So much has happened since the last time I wrote. I have been working in my job for 3 months now. I am enjoying living in Oregon, but it kind of sucks being so far away from my family. Their have been so many changes in my life such as, going back to school, buying my horse and working part time at the barn.
This summer, started off with me attending graduation at Canyonview and realizing that I really needed to buy Katie. I couldnt get her out of my head the following month so I started the process of buying her. God worked out all the details even the 200 extra dollars that I wasnt planing on. It came in the form of a random "Bonus" from work. As I figured out my finances I realized that I could afford board, and grain and  other things for my mare as well as pay for college and put money aside. Oh and pay for my bills.

Anyways I started school at Portland Community College this summer just taking a 5 credits and then this fall, I will be taking Physcology and Math. I am pretty excited, yet i am excited for a little bit of a break this august! My goal is to go through school at a pace where I can do well and get the best grades that I can, even if it takes me along time to finish! Yet that is fine with me! So far I am getting good grades and I am hoping that it will continue that way.

Can I say that I love my horse...She has been doing so well and it amazes me how much she tries to please me. She will do things that many of the other horses at the barn won't. She loves going out on the trail and riding out in the cross country course. We have worked on going up and down the bank and walking over the log. We have even got a few flying leadchanges out in the field. She catches everyones eye and knickers at anyone that passes by her... I got on her bareback the other day and she didnt mind it. She was alittle bit nervous at first but then she relaxed.

Aaron and I  are doing well. Last weekend we got to hang out and we headed to The Dalles to go to the Rodeo. We had fun going on an unexpected Double Date with Elisabeth and Kaleb Sandoz and then went to the Rodeo. One of my friends was riding in the drill team so we got in for free. Aaron enjoyed the rodeo going "oh man" each time someone fell off. I found my self covering his eyes on some of the events because I didnt want him to see some of the wipe outs, cause he might get nervouse with me riding. Anyways.. Teddy and Lizz Franke were there with Alina so we got to hang out and chat for a little bit.  After the rodeo was a dance and Aaron and I attempted to dance but again it was an messy fail! But it was fun.  Later that evening we headed to Denny's for a milkshake. Even if it was 12or 1am. It was kind of fun being there so late. That evening we all stayed at Lori's house in The Dalles. It was nice.

Work is going well, somedays however I believe it is one of the hardest jobs out there and sometimes i believe it is the easiest. I am usually beyond exhausted by the time i get  done with my shift that i take a nap before i go to school and the barn...

I am enjoying life right now but i do wish that I could see Aaron more often then I do. right now it has been usually about every other weekend, some weeks we get lucky and get to see each other on Sunday but other weeks like this week, it just didnt happen. Hopefully sometime in the near future we could see each other more.

Well I should probably finish cleaning my room, It is a work in progress... hopefully though I will be writing more soon.

Bethany

The past few weeks have been pretty crazy. Work has been pretty slow the past few weeks, so I took a mini-vacation. Right now I am in Wamic, Oregon at Camp Morrow. I pretty much love it here. Sun is usually shining and there is very little mud. Today it was very sunny and in western oregon// washington it was snowing again!  I am sooo glad i am not there. Since being at Camp morrow I have been able to ride, doctor horses, be a counselor, enjoy nature, hold little babies, play with Alina and get to know people. It has been intresting getting out of my confort zone again and doing the things that I love doing. It is kind of  fun walking into a field of horses and not knowing anything about them and just start working with them. you dont know the ones that have quirks, the ones that are camper horses or even the ones that have never been riden. It has been a fun challenge. Right now we are doctoring a horse that got caught in barb wire on thursday morning. She got cut up pretty badly on her cannon bone.Luckily the barb wire just nicked the tendon sheath and not cut any tendons. It is pretty swollen but is starting to heal. We know there will be a nasty scar there but we are hopeful that their will be no permenate damage and unsoundness in that leg.

The past few weeks I have been looking for Jobs and looking into going back  to school. I am hoping to get into Portland Community College's  Veterinary Tech program  in Fall 2013 which means I have to get my act togeter to get my prerequirsites done this year. I am filling out Fafsa and Applying to differnt jobs so that I will be able to put money away and to help pay for college. Right now I am applying for a live in night time caregiver posistion and then hopefully i will get the position at Lake Oswego Hunt Club as well. I am pretty sure I can do both this summer, which would allow me to put money into savings. The night time caregive job would also give me week days to go to college full time during the school year and give me free rent  and a salary plus benifiets. Cant really beat that. hopefully I will hear back from the jobs soon..

I really dont know where life is going to take me this year. I feel like i have been floating around in no mans land for 8 months and hopefully i will land sometime soon.. Well, I am here for  5 more days until i head down to Albany Horse Expo. I am still trying to figure out where i am going to stay for that but hopefully i will find out sometime soon. Then  I will be off  to Canyonview to work Spring Break Camp! I am pretty excited about this.  Well i am off to get some things done for a while. maybe i will load some photos later.

This is what is on my mind lately.

The snow is still falling outside, as I am sitting inside hoping the snow goes away soon. I find my self getting anxious about not being able to get down south this weekend. Not only do I get to see Aaron but I have a much awaited for interview monday morning at 11. It is something that I have been waiting for for over six months. It is also Aaron and my 1 year aniversary of dating this weekend and decided we should celebrate...  That is if this snow melts...

The job that I am applying for is something that I would want to do for a time but i don't feel like it is something that God has called me to do for a career. I love working with Special needs adults and getting to know them but my passion is working with horses and kids.  I absolutely love teaching horse lessons and sharing about Christ to those ride in my lessons. I know I love working with disabled people but to me it would be just a house not a home. When I am in the arena I feel at home, happy, confident and can hear God talking directly to me. Especially when I am working with young horses and frustrating lesson students.

Although this job I am applying for and interviewing for is great and would cover all my needs, part of me is feeling like this isn't what God wants me to be doing.

When I was going in to my junior year of highschool, God spoke to me and planted a dream in my head that he wanted to put me in to his mission field. Not oversea's but within in the United States. Specifically in the horse world. In the horse world there is alot alcohol, sex , cheating and other things that are not godly.   As a Christian, called by God, I feel like my mission field is allowing people to see that there is something diferent about me. People take notice when there is something different about you. I want to show these young girls the love of Christ and be a bit of fresh air, and a smiling face.

An oportunity has come up the past few weeks but alot of prayer and possible finances are needed to make it a reality. What better way to be a  missionary than to be working with people with all different beliefs.

There is a hunter/jumper barn in Lake Oswego, Oregon. The are in need of instructors for summer. It would be a very good summer job and would give me the experience that I want and need to in the future start up my own riding program. If I got this possition it would be only a 2 month contract with a possibility of staying on part time during the school year. I would have to provide my own housing, car and food for the time that I was there. Since this job is only full time for 2 months during summer, I would need to find some source of income to help me pay rent until I could get a second job or bring in enough clients to support my self.

Will you pray with me about this? This barn has been on my heart alot lately? If I take the position will you consider supporting me and the mission I feel God has laid before me? These are my thoughts, I would love your thoughts about this and any insite that you may be able to give me.

Thanks for being part of my life,
Bethany

Life as It is now

This past 15 months have brought many twists and turns in my life. I gradutated from College in May of 2010 and for Fairbanks, Alaska soon after.  The summer was simply amazing, I grew, matured and learned so much. I was stretch with being away from the man I was engaged to and when things started falling apart mid summer I knew that I had to come home. I came home and returned to Canyonview to do some seeking God and some hard work. A few weeks later, I broke of my relationship with Winston and struggled to find myself again and decided to stay at Canyonview. It was a rough few months full of many tears, and anger.

Yet it brought me to a place where I needed to be. Completely broken and searching. During those months I focused on my horsemanship, my work and getting my self healthy again. November brought news that I needed and that was that Winston had gotten married before I had broken off the relationship. It left me devestated, yet it allowed me to move on.

I started praying immediately that God would bring a future spouse in to my life that I would be able to love and be loved. Someone that would treat me right and know what I was still healing. Just over 2 months later, God brought a very smart, very hansome, motorcycle riding, Aeronautical engineer into my life, named Aaron. I laughed for the first time in months and was able to talk about life. I let him know that I was still healing from a rough relationship and he was willing to wait and give me some space.

We started talking andd seeing each other weekly and I began falling for him hard. Last summer I went back to Alaska with the thought that i would be there all year but mid summer I felt that God was asking me to return back home because of some changes that were going on at Li-Wa. Although it was extremely tought to go home, it has been a good for me to mature further and to do some problem solving. I started working back at camp, searching for jobs. It hasnt been easy but it is life. I am learning to use my resources to get to ride and make a trip down to Canyonview almost every month for some riding and extended learning.

Lately I have been going down to see Aaron a few weekends a month. I have gotten to spend quality time with him, his family and his nieces. I feel like I know him better then I have known anyone in my life. I am truly blessed by him. He protects me, encourages me and wants me to accomplish my dreams, even when it means that i might have to leave for a while. I am still looking for options and wondering what is going on. I don't want to leave but I know that I must accomplish my dreams. If you are reading this please pray for me. I am trying to looking into different ideas but really dont know what to do.

It has been 11 months since  Aaron and I have Started dating. It has been an amazing experience, yet tough and rewarding. We have over come differences and grown together. I am excited to seee how the next year will go and how much we will both grow...