Bethany

Hi everyone. I think it's kind of funny how I get to be the first doll listed, since I was actually the last doll to join the family. That's the advantage of having the first name alphabetically, I guess. 

My mom got me as a Christmas present from her mom on December 25, 2011. Here are some pictures:

After Mom pulled off the top gift bag

I felt like a lunch lady with that hairnet on!

Free at last!

I'm Mom's one and only Truly Me American Girl, which I think is pretty cool. Because I've been asked before, I was not named after Bethany Hamilton. (She is an amazing person, though. Soul Surfer is one of my favorite movies.) Mom named me after a friendly, optimistic girl named Bethany who she used to go to school with. Mom says my personality is a lot alike that Bethany's. =)

The gap between Lily's arrival and my arrival was longer than any of the other between-doll gaps: 7 years, if she has calculated correctly! Everybody thought Mom would never get another doll - including Mom. Surprise! 

Julie, Felicity, and Lily have been very welcoming. I love my family and can't imagine living anywhere else!

Here is a nice list of some basics about me:

Full Name: Bethany Jo Walsh
Birthday: August 8
Hair Color: dark brown
Hair Texture: wavy
Skin Tone: fair with freckles
Eye Color: hazel
Instruments(s): oboe and piano
Favorite Color: indigo
Favorite Animal: otter
Hobbies: horseback riding, reading, yoga
Favorite Main Dish: macaroni and cheese
Favorite Dessert: puppy chow
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: superman
Favorite Book: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Favorite Movie: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Favorite TV Show: Star Trek: Voyager

Here is my personality as I think it would appear according to Horse Isle 2's system. (Confused? See our blog post from April 22, 2014.)

Personality: Unique
Skittish	|-------+---|	Brave	(7)
Stubborn	|---------+-|	Easygoing	(9)
Antisocial	|---------+-|	Social	(9)
Leader	|-----+-----|	Follower	(5)
Lazy	|--------+--|	Energetic	(8)

(7) Moderately Brave

Hmm, I suppose I’m more brave than skittish? I’ll try almost anything once, whether it is performing an awkward dance move, holding a big snake, or tasting an unusual food.

(9) Extremely Easygoing 

I’m a go-with-the-flow kind of girl, and I pride myself on being open-minded, understanding, and easy to be around. It takes a lot to offend me get or get me upset.

(9) Extremely Social 

Friends are like Jell-o: there’s always room for more! I’m not one of those super clingy people who can’t handle being alone, though. If there’s no one around to talk to and no good books to read, I’ll admit I do sometimes talk to inanimate objects. That’s better than talking to myself, right?

(5) Middle

I’m flexible and don’t have a preference for either, really. I am happy to be a leader or a follower depending on the situation and the people I’m with.

(8) Very Energetic 

I’d say I’m energetic in that I have lots of enthusiasm for things I like, such as riding and getting to know people. I also get really excited over things that most people have outgrown making a big deal out of, like birthdays, thunderstorms, and marshmallows arranging themselves into a smiley face in my hot chocolate (true story :*)). I’m not as much of a busy bee as Lily – I am totally fine “doing nothing” way longer than she is. Like Julie, I have a very active imagination, so I can be “doing” a lot even when it looks like I’m just sitting around.

My Pets

I have a cute little terrier mix named Scampy. He looks a bit like a Norwich Terrier, but he has no papers, so we don't know for sure. He loves to curl up in people's laps and fall asleep. He also absolutely loves food. Anytime he thinks he might get a scrap, he does his favorite trick: sit.

For the first 5 months of my life here, I didn't have a horse of my own. Then on May 18, 2012, this beauty came into my life: a Morgan mare named Dune. From pictures, I was expecting her to be a more saturated shade of chestnut. She turned out to be a lovely light sandy shade of chestnut with a darker mane and tail. 

I had a hard time finding a name for my mare. Sandy was out - there are more than enough Sandys in the world already. Then I thought of Whinny, but Lily sometimes calls Winter (her dog) Winnie. Adding a horse named Whinny to the mix would've made things way too confusing. After that, I almost named her Cider, but I decided against it because her color isn't a great match for apple cider, nor does she particularly like apples. So then I thought up some names from my favorite TV show,  Star Trek: Voyager: Delta (the name of the quadrant the starship gets stuck in), Dilithium (what powers the ship), and Kes (a pretty alien character). Delta seemed the most likely, since she's the 4th horse in the family and kind of a silty color, but I didn't like its commercial connections (Delta airlines, Delta dental insurance, Delta faucets). Finally, I went back to thinking about sand and came up with Dune. I think it's super cute. =)