where it all began..

i guess the best place to start is the beginning. 
i'm betsy erin mckinley.
i was born on the lovely day of november 3, 1995 to the ah-mazing rick and karen mckinley and my awesome brother chase. 
i was the only girl, as well as the last child.

i've always been told i was a pouty, prissy child. but i'm sure mom and dad think i'm a gem now...right? me and papa at my baby dedication. i can't stress how truly blessed i am to live in a christian family and to be surrounded by God at all times in my life.

so, i guess i've just taken the liberty to give you a slight background of my history and where i come from. (and for all your visual learners out there, like myself, i'm providing pictures so you can see the progress of becoming betsy.) [:

performing came at a very early age. my mom, (karen, we're just going to call her karen from now on because that's what i always refer to her as on the internet. love you, mom!) decided to throw me into tap and ballet class hoping i could do something with my crazy energy. and to my surprise, i LOVED it. 

this is from my first dance show at performing arts. this is also one of my childhood friends, rachel. we go waaaaay back, as you can see. this little number was entitled "spotlight" which is just adorable because i mean come on, look at us. we're the cutest kids you've ever seen! hahaha

although i was at a very early age, i could already tell something was working in my little heart. i still remember feeling it swell as the lights came up and i found myself on the stage with hundreds of people watching me. it came to a point where i couldn't get enough. 

this is my first group dance show with two girls older than me. it was called hold that pose and it was one of my favorites. (mostly because of the cute boys on both sides of me) hahaha and ps. *fun fact* i still have that costume in my closet. i will never ever give it away. i love it.

i continued on with my dance career with performing arts for a total of 9 years. which also included some jazz, group, and soloist vocal training. i feel like mrs. elizabeth (our dance teacher) taught me half the things i know. i feel like i was practically raised by the women. she was so incredible and amazing and made sure we learned proper manners before anything. and we were always treated like "young professionals" which i personally adored. 

while i'm ahead you'll have to forgive my brain. it runs like, a million miles per hour and i lose focus very easily. so if this whole life story thing seems to jump from one thing to another..it is. and i apologize. i'm doing my best to keep this in a straight line that leads to something important, i promise. 

it's funny because i was always seeming to perform whenever i got the chance to. but obviously being a professional ballerina at the age of 5 can wear a girl out.

okay enough with the cute little baby pictures and what not. let's get to the important stuff. 
i'm just going to bullet point so you'll be able to read this madness easier. you're welcome.

-i went to Briarcrest Christian School from K-3rd grade, and i left because i wanted more time to be an actress. 
-i was then home schooled from the grades of 4th-7th grade. once the stress became too much for karen and i to bare, we decided to go to public school! 
-8th grade i went to Riverdale Elementary..and kinda hated every second there. but it's in the past and i'm glad i did it. 
-9th-12th grade i attended the lovely Evangelical Christian School..and lemme tell ya. i could write a whole book about my experience there. but i won't..for now. 
so for all you visual learners out there like myself, let's have a little fun. i'd like to show you the progression of my high school years in four simple pictures. 

this is morgan leach, one of my best friends freshman year. we drifted apart for various differences, but she loved taking pictures, that's for sure. and this is probably one of the first high school football games i went to...hence how i'm dressed. ugh. moving on.

freshman year was hard. new girl coming to a new school with new people and no one knows you..except stupid rumors that leak over from the horrendous middle school *shivers.* i remember hanging out with anybody and everybody. no one knew me, so people wanted to get to know me. i don't remember a lot of freshman year, but i do remember it being filled with a lot of laughs, but a lot of lonely nights and being confused on who was really my friend and who was just using me. i decided to take the rest of my year to figure this out. and even now i'm not quite sure if i came up with a conclusion. 

this is mallory, the other half of me.

this is lexi, my forever light.

sophomore year is a year that is extremely tender to my heart, even now. well, especially now. i put two pictures because these two girls sum up my year. it was like no one else was in this world. only us three. we would all walk from our cars together to class. we had first period together. i'd come in late with dried eye liner down my face and they would know. they wrote me so many notes in the class i can assure you i learned nothing in chemistry. these two girls filled my life with light and laughter. with them, i truly and finally felt like i belong. whenever i think back on these nights, i think of crying of laughter, sick thoughts of the day, photo shoots, "bets, no.." and nights of screaming and flushed cheeks and raw voices. the amount of passion each of us has was bound to make a forrest fire eventually, and it did. and we severed. we will always have tiny strings triple knotted in our hearts to one another. we all know this. i just wish it could have lasted a lifetime. but i'm usually the dreamer and the unrealistic one of the group, so this thought of mine is normal. we explored the darkest places of each other, and understood them and never judged. this is most certainly the year i would relive just one more time..if only i could. i love these girls, despite the past we've had. 

jesse anne and rachel. (YES! that is the one from the first picture i showed you. i told you that we go way back.)

junior year was all a strange blur to me, now that i look back on it. i really didn't hang from anyone at my school, due to lack of friends. but that was fine, because i formed a bond with jesse anne as well as rachel..again. i may not remember hardly anything, but i know this picture pretty much sums up my year of ultimate heart break and next to normal soundtrack. 

ah, yes. the last first day of high school with my reunited ladies.

senior year.
quite easily the worst year of my whole high school career. i lost everyone, and i mean everyone. i used this picture basically to illustrate how it began..and how it ended...aka with no one. but of course, there is an acceptation to every rule.

meet..taylor. aka the TOTAL most opposite person from me created like..ever. but we are living proof that opposites attract. this is a true friend who really doesn't care what people say. if she's there for you, she'll have your back. and she most certainly help me up my senior year.

and meet the only other two human beings that would be seen talking to me during this year. kennedy is my rock and i adore her for everything she's done for me and for never failing to make me laugh. and of course, joey. my high school sweetheart who could always be found right beside me. like any time of the day...always. no matter what. our teacher even said we're like "salt and pepper...because we're never separated and always served together." she was our english teacher, so her cute little imagery thing was just adorable. i love them and cannot thank them enough.

senior year was the most eye opening year for me ever and that probably ever will be. my heart was set to be in california, but i was so concerned about having to leave all my friends and how i just couldn't be without them. well, be careful what you pray for because God has his way of answering prayers. and my goodness did He answer mine. He ripped every single person away from me (besides the few that helped me trudge through the hell of what the call senior year.) God truly gave me a clean slate and told me to focus on what was right and what i knew was needed to be done in order to best glorify Him. But, if there is one thing to say about this whole year is that the education i received at this school, but mainly my senior year, was outstanding. i have never felt so equipped to go out in the world and to know what i believe in and how to defend it. God knew i would be needing it, especially in the Godless city they call Los Angeles. now, don't get me wrong. LA totally has my heart wrapped around it's finger. but i know this city needs God. and i truly believe that's why he's placed me here. he was prepared my heart for this moment and i'm finally living my dream. and i couldn't be more ready to show the world truly what i'm made of and the glory and honor i can bring to God's name.