About — Above Board with Bethany Sherman

a little bit about me

Hey guys! if you’re on this webpage you probably know me in some way or another and i’m not very good at introducing myself but I’ll tell a little bit about me anyway :)

I try to live my life in a way that shows love to others, i don’t hold grudges, i share, i treat others how i would want them to treat me. it all sounds cheesy, but we’ve all been blessed by what God gave us and i think we should share that with others. whether that’s our material things or spiritual gifts. obviously i’m not perfect, but i try to live my life in service to others because i’ve been so blessed by what i’ve been given.

another big thing for me, i absolutely love life. we are so lucky to have what we do and there is always always always something to be thankful for. sure, life is hard, bad things happen, and i’m not downplaying that at all, but just because something bad happens, it doesn’t mean we have to dwell on it and let it overtake us. we can process it, grieve, and look at the good that can come of it or even just look to God’s hand in it all. sure that sounds very privileged, but honestly, with the little things, most of the time it doesn’t matter that much, it doesn’t affect that much and it isn’t the end of the world. and with the big issues, there is no reason for it to consume every part of us. i always try to look on the bright side, to find the good in things. i can find myself caught up in complaining sometimes but i try and keep myself reminded of all the blessings i have around me.

here are some of the main things that have made me who I am today.

a little bit about my life at home

my family

I’ve got a wonderful family. Ever since I was little my mom’s side of the family has been so close. We see everyone a few times a month either at big family dinner, individual get togethers or other activities we all do together. For the first 5 or so years of my life we grew up next door to my cousins and my grandma would babysit us everyday while the parents were at work. so, especially because of that we’ve been close from the start. I am the second oldest out of 8 with the youngest being almost two, and especially as i’ve gotten older i’ve spent a lot more time with my younger cousins, it’s like having a bunch of younger siblings. I do a lot of babysitting for the two youngest and it’s been amazing watching them grow up. (side note, my baby cousins are literally the cutest little people ever)

I’ve absolutely loved growing up in this family, it’s really cool to be so close to all your cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents and i know if i ever need anything, they will always be there for me. even on this trip, they’re all so supportive. texting, calling, writing me letters, giving me advice, praying for me, and anything else i might need.

seattle christian school

i’ve gone to seattle christian since i was in kindergarten. a good majority of the kids, older and younger, i’ve known for 12 almost 13 years. some i even went to preschool or vbs with when i was 3! choosing to leave this year was hard. to some it might seem like an easy decision, travel around the world or go to a normal highschool, but to me it was kind of hard. especially this year, there are so many changes happening in the highschool and even the whole school, i would have loved to be a part of the group that stayed and experienced it all, and possibly had a voice in some of it.

honestly, there aren’t many kids there that i’m good friends with, but there are a few i was sad to leave, but, i know we will stay in touch. even still, i wanted to graduate and walk with the kids i’ve known my whole life and in all the years i was there, it never really crossed my mind that that might not happen. i won’t get my senior year. i’m really sad i will miss all the chapels, the traditions, the “rites of passage” and the whole experience of being a senior at my school.

https://www.seattlechristian.org/

christ’s church

i’ve gone to christ’s church since i can remember and i’ve always loved it. sure, there’s drama, but with a group of teenagers what do you expect. the people i’ve met there i know will always have my back and will always be there for me even if we’ve been apart for a while. my friends there are amazing and everyone at christ’s church is kind of like a family. even if you don’t know someone well you can still talk with them and it isn’t awkward.

i’ve been involved with ktc, the church’s vbs for years. i was part of the worship team from the very beginning, picking songs and making up motions are our pastors house since about 3rd grade. as i’ve gotten older i’ve done a lot with the nursery and with the children’s ministry as well. it’s so cool to work with kids in the nursery and to see them grow up and go onto the preschool and on.

every year the youth group goes on a mission trip infamously called “montana“ by everyone who has gone to the church since childhood. we get the opportunity to serve by leading sports camps, a vbs, barbecues, work projects and anything else the church in the town we go to might need. i’ve been lucky enough to go two years and i hope to go this next summer. it’s so amazing to see how much we can accomplish, and the relationships we can build in only a week.

https://www.ccfw.org/

jacks and jills

the name of the club i am a part of is “jacks and jills” and i’m not going to sugar coat it, i’ve never had a more rough experience with a group of people. but, in spite of everything that happened i’ve made some amazing friendships and made some amazing memories. i have been a part of the club for two years but it feels like i’ve known some of the people for a decade.

when most people hear “square dance“ they think of what we were all had to learn in PE at school. if you don’t know what square or round dancing i encourage you to look up “pacific northwest teen squaredance festival“ on youtube. this is the competition our club participates in every year and it displays fairly well what we do. but, i promise you, if you join a club, even if you don’t know what you’re doing, you will have so much fun.

the past two years square dancing has been a huge part of my life. as it came time for competition, i was practicing almost every day for hours. i’ve never been more frustrated while having so much fun. this past year i competed in the junior squares category with the group in the picture above (plus kaelyn). and i seriously could not have asked for a better group of kids to spend close to every day with. we practiced for so long and because of that we bonded so well, worked together amazing, and took first place overall! along with squares i competed in rounds. for the first part of the year my partner was jason, but, he broke his foot with a little under three months until competition. when this happened, i asked john, who i had never really actually talked to, to be my partner. he said yes, even though he had never really danced, and we got second place overall! the third category i competed in was calling, which was terrifying. i have never sang in front of people so competing in it was so insanely scary. there was no way i could have done it if i didn’t have the support from a few specific people in the club. i placed third and i got flowers, a homemade necklace, and felt so much love and support from my friends. this is the kind of community that square dancing provides. in the right group of people it is like being a part of a big family and that’s why i love it so much.

https://jacksandjills.org/

camp gilead

ever since the program director, Kimberly, came to my school in first grade, camp has been a major part of my life. i could talk and talk about all the amazing oppertunities, relationships, and memories camp has offered but here are just a few. the relationships, when they say camp friends are forever friends, they’re not kidding. the relationships you make within 6 days are so fast and so deep that you never forget those kids you bond with. camp is a place where people are authentic, where everyone can be vulnerable and there is no second thought to it.

i have been a camper every summer since i was 8, i was a leader in training in 2017 and i hope to come back next summer as a lifeguard or a counselor! camp has had such a tremendous impact on my life and i hope i can make an difference in other kids’ lives as well.

https://www.campgilead.org/