True Love

I'm sure you're all ready for a nice mushy gooshy wedding update at about this point, right?  I mean it has been how long since I've posted anything here. 

But yes, we are now only 17 days away from the 'Big Day' and I can hardly wait!  It has been super busy here, finding dresses, shoes, decorations, food for 300, and so much more!  Yet we are getting so close and I'm so thankful for a wonderful family has has been amazing through this whole experience. :)  Mom is getting the food, Abigail is overseeing the decoration, I am looking over the little details of the wedding (scripture, vows, bulletins, attendants for everything, music, etc) and it has been fun! 

I was priviledged to visit Daniel over Thanksgiving in North Carolina.  Let's just say....it was beautiful there.   I left Michigan when it was 28*F, dead and brown.  I arrived in NC where it was 75*F, sunny, and green.  Well....at least MI has season....:)  Anyway, it was a wonderful time and we were thankful for the few days that we had together. 

Getting to the real point of this post however. I have had several showers in the past month and at the first one all the ladies were asked to write down a piece of advice for the bride and groom to keep.  Later that afternoon I was going through them all and found them all very precious and something I will probably keep forever.  However, there was one that especially stuck out.

This note was from a sweet middle aged friend of the family.  She and her husband have two children in their young teens. She wrote:

"Have coca dates together and take time to snuggle with each other.  Take time for a silent I love you to share between you ~ three quick hand squeezes, I LOVE YOU. 

The woman's husband is dying of cancer.

When I saw this I knew THAT was the love that I want.  I think it's a love that comes from God, and a love that grows from patience, an unselfish love.  It also reminded me that time is short and we should make it sweet. 

So I encourage each one of you, if you have someone in your life to love (and it doesn't have to be a spouse, fiance, boyfriend, etc), to love them to the fullest today.  You never know how much time you have with them.  Life is short, so love with an unselfish and everlasting love. 

In Christ,

~Bethany~

P.S.  Please keep that family in your prayers!

Pictures and National Convention!!!

A few weeks ago, Daniel and I got our engagement pictures taken by my friend, Rebecca.  I think she did a fantastic job.  It was freezing that morning, below 32*.

Daniel went back to base in NC and will see him again over Thanksgiving.

That's the wedding news for now. :)

Other than that, I'm at the FFA National Convention!!!!  I am actually sitting in a social media workshop right now learning about the importance of advocating agriculture through social media.  Interesting how a blog, facebook, twitter, or youtube can make such an impact on an uneducated individual!

This week I'm going to be with fellow state officers all week, meeting tons of new people (there were 55,000 FFA members who attended last year), and competing in Marketing.  It should be a fantastic week!

~Bethany~

And He Shall Give You the Desire of Your Heart

Have any of you noticed the verse I have on the picture of my blog? 

Delight thyself also in the LORD, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.   Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:4-5)

I told my friend Jenna at the beginning of the new year (2011) that this was going to be my theme verse for the year.  How much that was true, I didn't even know.

In April, I met through a friend and began communicating with an amazing young man named Daniel Schrock.  Daniel is in the Marine Corps and was then stationed in Afghanistan serving our country.  I didn't know a thing about this young man but when one of the first questions he asked me was if I could share my testimony with him, I knew that God had sent me something pretty special. 

Daniel and I began talking on the phone and skype every day unless he was out on a mission.  We asked each other every question that you can think of.  "What do you think a church's standards should be on alcohol?"(honestly, this was the first thing we ever talked about on the phone, yes welcome to the life of Bethany :D)  "How many children do you want someday?"  "What does commitment mean to you?"  "Opinion on debt?"  Etc.  You get the picture. :)  We talked about favorite foods, hobbies, everything. 

On August 25, Daniel came back to his home in Ohio for a 3 week post-deployment leave.  Over the previous 3 weeks he had been traveling from Afghanistan to North Carolina (where he is stationed).  The next morning he came to Michigan to meet me in person.  Within an hour of him arriving, we were on the tractor moving the baler from the hay field and cutting down branches that had fallen in a storm.  I knew, this was a man I could work with for the rest of my life. 

Only a few days into his leave, he was asked to partake in recruiters assistance in his hometown in Ohio.  So once the paperwork was all done, he was given another whole month to be on leave!  You can only imagine how excited we were!!!!!  Over his weeks at home, we realized that even though we'd never met in person, we had already met in heart and were completely comfortable with each other and.....loved each other.

On September 25, 2011 Daniel Schrock asked me to become his wife.  I gladly told him YES!  We are looking forward to starting a life together soon, as in December 23, 2011.  :)  Daniel will be going back to North Carolina in just two weeks and I will be going to visit him over Thanksgiving.  Then he will be coming back for the wedding.  We covet your prayers, being apart will be difficult! 


My greatest desire and goal was first, that I could serve God to my highest potential and second, to be a good and virtuous wife and mother.  I'll be working on the virtuous part but God has given me the opportunity to serve as a wife.  May I be the best that I can be. 


So to summarize this for your brain to wrap it's fingers around (do brains have fingers?), I am engaged to Daniel Levi Schrock and we will be married on December 23, 2011.  May God receive the glory for the work that He has done in us!

In Christ,
~Bethany~

Bethany & Daniel

From the Doors of the Orphanage: About Me

Hey everyone, my sister Rachel has started up a blog. It's somewhat still under construction, but go ahead and check it out! :)


From the Doors of the Orphanage: About Me: Hi everybody my name is Rachel Schreur. I am 15 years old and I live on a farm. I have 5 other siblings, their names are Bethany 18.Abigail1...

~Bethany~

9/11 - A day That Shall Live on in Infamy

It was ten years ago today. I was only seven years old but I still remember exactly where I was when I received the news of the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center and plane that went down in Pennsylvania. I was homeschooled and my three younger sisters and I were sitting at the table learning Spanish. We were learning colors and the color Verde was on the agenda. Suddenly the phone rang and my mom answered the phone. Just by the look on her face I knew something terrible had happened. She sat down and told us exactly what had happened. It was a hard thing to process for my 7 year old brain but I slowly took it all in. Then we turned on the radio and listened to the surprise, panic, and disbelief that was heard all across the nation. Though I understood this was pretty deep stuff we were talking about, I wasn't too worried about it. My small world wasn't affected, and every day life went on. That afternoon I went to a friend's house with a bunch of girls my age and it seemed like we were all on the same page. We prayed for the victim’s families, but we played and had fun the rest of the day.

What really had happened didn't sink in with me until the evening of the September 11. Because my family didn't have television, we went to a friends house to watch footage of the attack. I sat there, awed by what had happened. An anger rose in me. Who could do such a thing? Then I saw raw film of individuals jumping from high stories of the World Trade Center, choosing that route of death rather than being burned alive. My parents told me to look away, but I couldn't. No, not possible. How could I? 

 

It was bedtime that night when my anger turned quickly to fear. I now knew that the victims had not had a choice and they had been killed. It was possible to happen to me too. How could I sleep knowing that at any moment a plane could come crashing into my house? Of course logic was not coming quickly to my young mind, so I was terrified. I fell asleep crying that night, and for several nights after that I had trouble falling asleep.

I now look back at that day which deeply affected my life. It was one of those days that many individuals, because of their fear and pain, want to forget. But how can we forget those who died? How can we forget those who continue to fight for our country? How can we forget the deep sacrifices that have been made for us?

Don't give up America. Don't put the bad times behind you. Don't try to block out what has happened. Stand up for what is right. Support the fight for freedom. Let us come together as a nation and grow stronger. Yes, it has been ten long years, but let us NEVER forget.

~Bethany~

Life's a Dance

Yes folks, guess what I'm doing.  I'm coming out of my hermiting habits and joining the ranks of humanity again. :D  After taking the summer off of blogging (it wasn't really a conscience decision, just kinda happened) I'm ready to get back at it.  I will take time to finish my series on women in the home, but for now I'll quick update you on how my life has been expanding.

You see....I'm now kinda like one of those um...uh.... old people/college students.  Yep, after graduating from homeschool in June, I'm now taking classes full time at a local community college.   I was advised by someone that my freshman year of college along with State Officer obligations, I would be busier than I ever would have thought possible.  I'm quickly finding that to be impossible.  While things may speed up here in a bit, I will tell you, last year was about 150x busier.  I have a Algebra class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00-12:50, an English class at 6:00-9:15 P.M. on Tuesday, and Communication (2:00-5:00) and Poli-Sci (6:00-9:15) on Thursdays.  Nothing on Fridays.  Just throwin' it out there....I was gone from 7:45-4:00 every school day last year plus had meetings probably 1-2 times a week after school.  Ya, that was busy.  :D  So now I'm adjusting and trying to figure out how I'm going to make it through this year. I think I have some ideas......but they are currently under construction. 

Going backward a little, the 2011 Calhoun County fair brought many highlights and excitements.  You see....this year I decided to run for the fair queen.  Ya, I know, you probably never expected it from me.....lol.  Anyway, I went for it regardless and had a blast doing it. 

I was privileged to be named the 2011 Calhoun County fair queen.  Wow.  I was NOT expecting this.  My first time running with many girls who have run over and over.  It was a shocker for me.  Cool side note, 4 of the 6 teens on court have been homeschooled.  :)

Monday I showed my dairy goats and won my showmanship class (Senior).  Rebekah won intermediate, and Elizabeth won Junior!!!  After goats, I showed my starter calf.  This year is my second year showing calves and I really enjoy it.  I wasn't expecting it in the least, but I won senior showmanship!  That was one of those highlights of the year!  I also won my market class as well.  Pretty cool!

Elizabeth joined me in showing swine this year and we had loads of fun.  2011 was her first year in 4-H so she was pretty excited.  She went in there and did her thing, placing 4th in Jr. Swine Showmanship.  Yep, I was pretty much proud of her all the way through. :D  I also competed in showmanship but placed 8th. :/  Ahh well....

Market classes went well....my individual placed 1st in her class and my pen went 1st as well.  Kinda fun. 

I'm trying to keep this brief enough, but on Saturday we competed in Show of Champions (you compete in this if you win showmanship).  Because I won in starter calves, Abigail (who got 2nd in goat showmanship) got bumped up so Abigail, Rebekah, Elizabeth, and I all competed.  Guess what?!?!  Elizabeth got Reserve Champion Jr. Showman!!!  Well I got Reserve Champion Sr. Champion but not quite as big a deal.  Anyway, fun times!!

Trying to think of anything else really exciting that I want to share.  I'm going to do my best to keep up with this again.  Keep me going folks! 

Oh, and you know what?  I kinda missed everyone here.....:/

~Bethany~

LIfe has continued....

I was looking at my blog this morning and realized (with horror) that is has been nearly two whole months since I have posted anything.  Most of March and all of April has come and gone with complete silence from me.  I'm sorry.  However it has been a busy two months and I have appreciated the break.  I'll go back to March where I left off for a brief update on life here.

State Convention in March was amazing.  On the first morning, my ag issues team was given the chance to compete at state which was one of my goals for leadership contests.  Unfortunately we didn't make it out of the first round, though there was nothing to be ashamed of, as our performance was flawless.  I was just so thankful for how far we had come and so stinkin' proud of my whole team.  That evening, I was up on stage and received the state winner in ag-entrepeneurship.  It was pretty much the perfect end to the perfect day.  The next day, I received my proficiency awards, silver in dairy production, gold in ag sales, and state winner in specialty livestock production.  My goats were finally paying off....:)  That evening I went up on stage with my parents for Star in Ag-Business.  I was one of three state finalists in that area.  After hearing my SAE beside the others (girls who owned a lawn mowing business and a poultry processing business) I felt I didn't have a chance.  I was astonished when I heard my name called as the state winner in Ag-Business.  What an honor!  10 minutes later I was standing behind stage waiting to hear the state officer slate called.  'Sentinal', 'Reporter', 'Treasurer', 'Secretary', 'President'.  My name was not called.  I had not been slated.   My emotions went on a high right then and there.  Named a state winner, then not being slated.  Ouch.  I still had a chance though, and though my tears and prayers I lifted my head up and headed off to a dance with several hundred others FFA members. :)  The next day, it was time to choose state vice presidents (kind of like a representative for each region of the state).  I gave my speech and was honored to be named the 2011-2012 Region 1 State Vice-President.  I can't wait for the year ahead!  So I'll just say it again, State convention....was amazing. :)

Hearing my officer announcement :)

Receiving my proficiency for ag sales

Winning the state proficiency in specialty livestock production.

Gold State Degree recipients

Winning the Star in Agri-Business

 the 2011-2012 State Officer Team

Just about a week later I was off to another competition...this time non-FFA related, though through the ag program at center.  This was the regional competition fro Envirothon, some competition having to do with the environment.  Honestly, I'm not sure why I was thrown on the team, I'm not an environmental type of person.  I was allowed to do the 'sustainable ag' portion of the contest though and so it was pretty fun.  Anyway, my amazing team placed 2nd so we automatically moved on to state!  That competition is actually coming up in the second week of May!  I'm kinda excited about it! If nothing else, I get to spend some quality time with friends. :)

The first week of April I got my fair pigs!  Yay!!!  They look super duper awesome and I can't wait to show them at fair!  I actually bought gilts this year which is a first for me as I've always shown barrows.  I'm excited about it though!  Elizabeth is joining me showing pigs this year and she bought a barrow.  He's pretty nice too. :)  I also got my starter calf, he's an adorable little guy.  White face and almost all black.  Spunky as can be too.  I actually led him around the other day and he did quite well.

On April 15, I competed in ag skills contests.  These are more practical contests teaching, as the name says, skills.  I competed in the Marketing competition.  We didn't find out how we did until a few days later (after an long agonizing weekend!) but found out that we won state!  So now we are off to Nationals!  Those are this fall in October.  Sad part is, my two other teammates are off to college far away this fall so I have to find replacements.  :(  I'm working on it though and I think it will still be a fun and awesome experience.  I also had my first state officer meeting!!!  Woot!  It was fun setting out theme for the year and everything. 

Last but not least, I finished my year as a regional officer with regional camp just a week ago.  I did leadership training sessions for Vice-Presidents and got to work with FFA members for two long wonderful days.  It was a tiring experience but one I'll never forget.  It was sad to see my year over so quickly, but good to see it handed over to other new officers. 

On Asher Acres, we only have one more doe to kid.  We have had a total of 22 kids, 10 does and 12 bucks.  We were ahead does to bucks quite a bit until the last few does, both Sunshine and Thea had twin bucks. :p  It may be a blessing however, as we wouldn't be able to freshen them next spring anyway and now this way I don't have as many kids to feed all summer.

So I think that has everyone pretty well updated.  Other than school, graduation plans, finishing the school year, and finishing my year as chapter and regional officer, life is pretty much back into a pretty good routine.  Hopefully I can relax for a few more weeks before school gets out.  Then work, state officer stuff, showing and fair, and before I know it, college!

I'll do a post ASAP getting back on to my Role of Women topic.  I just thought I'd better get everyone updated on the goings on around here. :)

Have a wonderful beginning of the week!

~Bethany~