I knew it was going to be a great week the moment we showed up at FFA Spurs Night in San Antonio. In 5th grade, my dream was to be a basketball superstar (that obviously didn’t work out very well for me). However, I had always wanted to watch a live NBA game…and there I was, the co-captain of the Spurs team. I stood at half-court- on the big screen- shaking hands with the team captains of both teams. I SHOOK HANDS WITH TIM DUNCAN! Wow. Not five minutes later, we watched Tyler and Kaleb stand on the court and give high-fives to the starting players. Who would have ever thought that WE would get to experience something that awesome?!
I was right, of course, about it being an awesome week. We started off our visits in Area VII with a trip through the hill country to Leakey, Texas. You know all of those books about places to see before you die? Well, the hill country is probably in it. I have never been one to sit for hours and admire the landscape of surrounding areas, but the moment I looked out the window, I was in awe. It was the most breathtaking sun set I had ever seen: reds and oranges danced around the tall hills. You could see forever. A photograph and a description do it no justice whatsoever. Picture the most beautiful thing you have ever seen, multiply it by a million, and that was what I was looking at.
As if that wasn’t enough to make my day, the Leakey FFA members prepared hamburgers, desserts, and fried pickles (my favorite food EVER) for our pool-side party. Then we enjoyed a couple of hours out on the big town. Fun times. The next day, the Bandera FFA officers informed us of the OST, the Old Spanish Trail. Mmm…there is definitely some good chicken fried steak at that place! We left there and headed towards Ingram, only to find out that their main water line busted. They had to let out the entire school! We never got that lucky when I was in school. No fair! We did get to chit chat with some of their members and chapter officers, though. I hope to see all of you guys at Texas A&M soon. Before long, we were on our way to Comfort. Kaleb proceeded to make dinosaur noises the whole way there…for FORTY-FIVE minutes. That was one of the longest rides of my life! Ha ha. We had a blast chilling with their FFA members when we finally arrived.
That night, Taylor let us stay at her casa in Canyon Lake. By the time we woke up, it was freezing cold again. How does that happen? I guess that is Texas weather for you. After our presentations at Canyon Lake and Smithson Valley, we headed into San Antonio for our last school of the semester. On the way, we stopped for lunch at this place called Genghi’s Grill (some kind of Mongolian stir-fry place); it was so good! I’m definitely going to remember that place so I can go eat at another one. Finally, we took a trip on down to Judson High. And now? Now we are on CHRISTMAS BREAK! Hooray for a successful semester. We hope everyone has a merry Christmas and a happy new year! See ya in 2010!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Area X
Mesquite trees, cactus, and good food were things that I expected to find in Area X. The cold temperatures? Not so much. Crazy enough, though, we found ourselves in the midst of some chilly weather for our time down in South Texas. Not that we minded. It made it seem a little more like Christmas-time.
We started off our our journey in Falls City, Texas, at the home of Mr. Kody Kale himself. The next morning, Pettus told us all about their local hang out spot: the Fast Break (a local gas station that has some awesome chorizo and egg tacos). In Sinton, Mamma Mia shared a few laughs with us about her desire to "punch a baby seal". That was quite the story. Later that day, we got to taste some of Mr. Wrinkle's banana nut bread before we talked to his students. I've never been the biggest fan of bananas but that was some GOOD stuff! We finished off our day with a trip to the beach in Corpus Christi. Apparently, they had just had red tide...and the guys got a kick out of throwing dead fish at me. Yuck. It did, however, put us in the mood for some good seafood.
Lucky for us, our friend Jake Martini knew just the right place. I have been craving raw oysters for months and months and months. Thanks to Jake, I finally got some! Water Street sure had some good ones, too. The next morning, we headed off to Agua Dulce, Calallen, and Bishop. We enjoyed our lunch at Joe Cotton's barbeque in Robstown, where we made up job predictions for the rest of the team. That was an interesting conversation, to say the least. Needless to say, our day was filled with great conversations, great food, and great students. I particularly enjoyed talking to my little Freshman buddy, Cesar, from Bishop. He was the bomb diggity! Since we finished so close to Kingsville, we figured that it was absolutely necessary that we stop by the King Ranch Saddle Shop. We ended up spending at least an hour helping Kaleb decide on which belt to buy before grabbing a shake at Harrell's.
That night at dinner, the Calallen chapter officers beat Kaleb in several games of pool. Then, we wound up at Lone Star, where Kaleb ended up buying a pair of snakeskin boots. He wanted something that looked different and, well...he did a very good job of finding just that. He certainly looks spiffy in his new shoes. The next morning in Banquete, we watched as Kaleb got himself into a staring contest with Bryan...which he lost. Bryan must be the stare-down champion of the world; I don't know how anyone can keep a straight face for long. We also watched some of Charlie's dance moves. That was intense stuff! We got so carried away that we ended up leaving our box of supplies in Banquete...oops. Thankfully, they went to get it while we hung out with everyone at Orange Grove later that morning. Our last trip of the day was to George West. We got to visit with Wes, our friend that we met at La Muneca Ranch earlier in the year. Their leadership classes certainly have some intelligent kids in there. They did a great job during the presentation.
That night, we had the pleasure of hanging out with the Jourdanton FFA officers. I was not fully prepared for the intense game of Mafia that came about. Some how or another, I was almost always picked as the Mafia when I was just an innocent townsperson. I guess it goes without saying that I was terrible at that game. It sure was fun, though! Kody must have been really exhausted after the whole thing, because he woke up the Hunters with his loud snoring the next morning (they were on the opposite side of the house, and they could STILL hear him!) We were definitely awake by the time we got to breakfast, though. Those FFA members sure can cook some mean eggs and biscuits! Before long, we were with Kyla and Sam in Poteet. We got to meet all of the administrators before doing our final presentation in Pleasanton. After a great lunch from Cactus Garden and a room full of enthusiastic ag students, we were on our way to Boerne, Texas.
Tomorrow we have the pleasure of visiting with the executive officers of McCoys before a visit to James Madison's Agricultural Science Department. Then, it is off to the Spurs game in San Antonio, Texas. We have a busy weekend ahead and some great experiences to come. So, stay tuned on more stories from the road...
We started off our our journey in Falls City, Texas, at the home of Mr. Kody Kale himself. The next morning, Pettus told us all about their local hang out spot: the Fast Break (a local gas station that has some awesome chorizo and egg tacos). In Sinton, Mamma Mia shared a few laughs with us about her desire to "punch a baby seal". That was quite the story. Later that day, we got to taste some of Mr. Wrinkle's banana nut bread before we talked to his students. I've never been the biggest fan of bananas but that was some GOOD stuff! We finished off our day with a trip to the beach in Corpus Christi. Apparently, they had just had red tide...and the guys got a kick out of throwing dead fish at me. Yuck. It did, however, put us in the mood for some good seafood.
Lucky for us, our friend Jake Martini knew just the right place. I have been craving raw oysters for months and months and months. Thanks to Jake, I finally got some! Water Street sure had some good ones, too. The next morning, we headed off to Agua Dulce, Calallen, and Bishop. We enjoyed our lunch at Joe Cotton's barbeque in Robstown, where we made up job predictions for the rest of the team. That was an interesting conversation, to say the least. Needless to say, our day was filled with great conversations, great food, and great students. I particularly enjoyed talking to my little Freshman buddy, Cesar, from Bishop. He was the bomb diggity! Since we finished so close to Kingsville, we figured that it was absolutely necessary that we stop by the King Ranch Saddle Shop. We ended up spending at least an hour helping Kaleb decide on which belt to buy before grabbing a shake at Harrell's.
That night at dinner, the Calallen chapter officers beat Kaleb in several games of pool. Then, we wound up at Lone Star, where Kaleb ended up buying a pair of snakeskin boots. He wanted something that looked different and, well...he did a very good job of finding just that. He certainly looks spiffy in his new shoes. The next morning in Banquete, we watched as Kaleb got himself into a staring contest with Bryan...which he lost. Bryan must be the stare-down champion of the world; I don't know how anyone can keep a straight face for long. We also watched some of Charlie's dance moves. That was intense stuff! We got so carried away that we ended up leaving our box of supplies in Banquete...oops. Thankfully, they went to get it while we hung out with everyone at Orange Grove later that morning. Our last trip of the day was to George West. We got to visit with Wes, our friend that we met at La Muneca Ranch earlier in the year. Their leadership classes certainly have some intelligent kids in there. They did a great job during the presentation.
That night, we had the pleasure of hanging out with the Jourdanton FFA officers. I was not fully prepared for the intense game of Mafia that came about. Some how or another, I was almost always picked as the Mafia when I was just an innocent townsperson. I guess it goes without saying that I was terrible at that game. It sure was fun, though! Kody must have been really exhausted after the whole thing, because he woke up the Hunters with his loud snoring the next morning (they were on the opposite side of the house, and they could STILL hear him!) We were definitely awake by the time we got to breakfast, though. Those FFA members sure can cook some mean eggs and biscuits! Before long, we were with Kyla and Sam in Poteet. We got to meet all of the administrators before doing our final presentation in Pleasanton. After a great lunch from Cactus Garden and a room full of enthusiastic ag students, we were on our way to Boerne, Texas.
Tomorrow we have the pleasure of visiting with the executive officers of McCoys before a visit to James Madison's Agricultural Science Department. Then, it is off to the Spurs game in San Antonio, Texas. We have a busy weekend ahead and some great experiences to come. So, stay tuned on more stories from the road...
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Area IX- Part II
“Turn left when you get to the crooked tree on the wrong side of the ditch.” Those are the famous words of Koby Box (we love you, Koby!). Welcome to East Texas. They may have some crazy ways of giving directions in Area IX, but we had a blast hanging out with some of the most laid-back people in the whole world.
We started off in Liberty, and we got to enjoy some of Mrs. Box’s AMAZING fajitas. Talk about some good food. After talking to the middle school and high school students in Liberty, we made our way on down to Dayton. They told us that they are playing football against my hometown of Brenham this weekend. That should be an intense game! Good luck to both teams! Before we knew it, we were at Barbers Hill. We gave a presentation on the largest salt dome in the entire world- how awesome is that?! It was so neat to see how their program works and all of the neat things that they are able to learn there.
That night, we headed on down to Anahuac to visit with Mr. Nick Dow (a past Texas FFA state officer) and his students. Unfortunately, to Jeremiah’s disappointment, we were unable to see any alligators. We did, however, meet some really hilarious kids. I can distinctly remember one freshman, Tyler Underwood, coming into the room eating smoked Alaskan fish, proclaiming his love for Kipper Snacks and Spam. That is certainly the first time that I’ve seen that happen! In Hull-Daisetta, we were introduced to some students with real potential to go places in life. They were an awesome group of members, and we really enjoyed talking to all of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some Texas FFA Chorus soloist to come out of that school. Their ag teacher was even nice enough to buy us lunch; thanks Mr. French! After our lunch, we made our way over to West Hardin. Strange as it sounds, we found that West Hardin is actually east of Hardin High School. I still don’t fully understand that one! We did have a pretty interesting conversation with their chapter officers after the presentation, though.
The Marek’s were nice enough to host us that evening in Lumberton. We got a nice little taste of east Texas rain that night, and Jeremiah, I’m sorry about your shoes. However, I am still convinced that it is in NO WAY my fault that your shoes got wet! : ) After our stay in Lumberton, we headed on over to Nederland. The kids were so enthusiastic; I loved it! That was probably one of the best presentations we have given. Also, thanks for the Subway sandwiches, Mr. Butler! That totally made our day! Then, we visited with a bunch of schools in Deweyville; you guys are the bomb! We enjoyed visiting with all of you.
Later that night, we had the opportunity to stay with the VanDevenders in Buna. Their twin boys, Case and Jordan, were absolutely adorable! We played football, made tee pees, and swung on the swings. They even drew me a reindeer with a Santa hat and cut it out for me! Of course, Mr. VanDevender did embarrass Case at dinner. Apparently Case got in the truck and said, “Dad, Alli is so nice, and she really is beautiful!” When Mr. VanDevender told us that, Case just smiled and said, “Dad, I told you not say anything!” Gotta love seven-year-olds!
The students at Buna High School were just as fun. The guys definitely got a kick out of “John Deere”, as they call him. He has to be one of the nicest people that I have ever met. Before long, we were in Kirbyville, home of Mr. Jim Prewitt and a TON of National FFA Chorus members. We even met Kenzie, the only girl from Texas to perform for National FFA Talent at this year’s National FFA Convention. What an honor! Our last presentation of the day was in Newton. Now they were a great group of students! Good luck to all of you guys in the big football game this weekend!
It wasn’t long before we were at the casa de Kaleb, washing clothes and eating pizza. Kaleb gave us the grand tour of the only Indian reservation in the state of Texas before taking a trip to the Livingston Walmart- good times, for sure. By the time we left Woodville the next morning, snow was falling on our windshield. It made for an enjoyable snowball fight and a cute snowman at the State LDE contests in Huntsville. Congratulations to all of the state participants! You make Texas FFA very proud!
We started off in Liberty, and we got to enjoy some of Mrs. Box’s AMAZING fajitas. Talk about some good food. After talking to the middle school and high school students in Liberty, we made our way on down to Dayton. They told us that they are playing football against my hometown of Brenham this weekend. That should be an intense game! Good luck to both teams! Before we knew it, we were at Barbers Hill. We gave a presentation on the largest salt dome in the entire world- how awesome is that?! It was so neat to see how their program works and all of the neat things that they are able to learn there.
That night, we headed on down to Anahuac to visit with Mr. Nick Dow (a past Texas FFA state officer) and his students. Unfortunately, to Jeremiah’s disappointment, we were unable to see any alligators. We did, however, meet some really hilarious kids. I can distinctly remember one freshman, Tyler Underwood, coming into the room eating smoked Alaskan fish, proclaiming his love for Kipper Snacks and Spam. That is certainly the first time that I’ve seen that happen! In Hull-Daisetta, we were introduced to some students with real potential to go places in life. They were an awesome group of members, and we really enjoyed talking to all of them. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some Texas FFA Chorus soloist to come out of that school. Their ag teacher was even nice enough to buy us lunch; thanks Mr. French! After our lunch, we made our way over to West Hardin. Strange as it sounds, we found that West Hardin is actually east of Hardin High School. I still don’t fully understand that one! We did have a pretty interesting conversation with their chapter officers after the presentation, though.
The Marek’s were nice enough to host us that evening in Lumberton. We got a nice little taste of east Texas rain that night, and Jeremiah, I’m sorry about your shoes. However, I am still convinced that it is in NO WAY my fault that your shoes got wet! : ) After our stay in Lumberton, we headed on over to Nederland. The kids were so enthusiastic; I loved it! That was probably one of the best presentations we have given. Also, thanks for the Subway sandwiches, Mr. Butler! That totally made our day! Then, we visited with a bunch of schools in Deweyville; you guys are the bomb! We enjoyed visiting with all of you.
Later that night, we had the opportunity to stay with the VanDevenders in Buna. Their twin boys, Case and Jordan, were absolutely adorable! We played football, made tee pees, and swung on the swings. They even drew me a reindeer with a Santa hat and cut it out for me! Of course, Mr. VanDevender did embarrass Case at dinner. Apparently Case got in the truck and said, “Dad, Alli is so nice, and she really is beautiful!” When Mr. VanDevender told us that, Case just smiled and said, “Dad, I told you not say anything!” Gotta love seven-year-olds!
The students at Buna High School were just as fun. The guys definitely got a kick out of “John Deere”, as they call him. He has to be one of the nicest people that I have ever met. Before long, we were in Kirbyville, home of Mr. Jim Prewitt and a TON of National FFA Chorus members. We even met Kenzie, the only girl from Texas to perform for National FFA Talent at this year’s National FFA Convention. What an honor! Our last presentation of the day was in Newton. Now they were a great group of students! Good luck to all of you guys in the big football game this weekend!
It wasn’t long before we were at the casa de Kaleb, washing clothes and eating pizza. Kaleb gave us the grand tour of the only Indian reservation in the state of Texas before taking a trip to the Livingston Walmart- good times, for sure. By the time we left Woodville the next morning, snow was falling on our windshield. It made for an enjoyable snowball fight and a cute snowman at the State LDE contests in Huntsville. Congratulations to all of the state participants! You make Texas FFA very proud!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Area III- Part II
After driving from College Station to El Campo by way of Houston (we added an extra hour to our trip on accident), I knew that our time in Area III would be interesting, if nothing else. Indeed, I was right!
Jeremiah and Kaleb were impressed by the Big Buck contest that Edna FFA holds every year. After our presentation, we watched Mr. V score a 120 point buck. They pay out $300 to the winners of the contest! How cool is that?! We enjoyed a nice meal with the Louise FFA officers and a great chat with our friends at Tidehaven before heading to the Firkins house for dinner.
Mr. and Mrs. Firkins and Haley were so sweet to us! They made us some delicious cookies and even brought our clothes to the cleaners (something we were definitely in need of). Of course, the coolest thing about Brazoswood was their full-service meats lab! We even got to enjoy some of the end result…lots and lots of homemade beef jerky. We munched on it all the way to Brazosport and even on our way to Clear Springs. That night, we got a little free time to ourselves. So, we made our way on down to Galveston to play on the beach. I am pretty certain that Blaze enjoyed the rendition of “I’m on a Boat” that we sang to his voice mail while on the Galveston ferry. Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we made it to my grandma’s house for chicken and dumplings.
The next day, we were introduced to the rest of the Clear schools: Clear Brook, Clear Creek, and Clear Lake. They were GIGANTIC! It was so interesting to visit schools so different from the ones that each of us attended. That night, we made our way down to La Porte to hang out with Ms. Campise and their chapter officers. All I am going to say is that the Walmart in Deer Park was lacking several rolls of saran wrap after we left…
We had an AMAZING time in Chavez. Those were some of the most enthusiastic and appreciative students that we have had the opportunity to talk to. They even gave us all kinds of chips, drinks, and a signed picture of their officer team! Area III must know how much we love to eat, because Huffman loaded us up with tons of cookies and Hawaiian Punch. The cookies even had blue and yellow m&ms in them; how awesome is that?!
I have never laughed so hard in my life as I did that night at Iguana Joe’s, as Kaleb tried explaining his dating philosophy to the Crosby ag teachers. That in itself was quite an experience. The Crosby FFA members were a great group of students, just like the ones at Kingwood. Both were incredible students with a ton of potential to do some wonderful things in the future.
After a quick trip to Pei Wei, we were headed back home for the Thanksgiving break. To all of the participants at the Area III LDE contest: you did a fantastic job! I also would like to thank East Bernard and Burton for allowing Layton, Aron, and I to visit your chapters on Monday. It was so nice to be back in Area III!
As for now, we look forward to seeing all of our east Texas friends we make our way down to the home of the 1st Vice President himself, good ole Area IX!
Jeremiah and Kaleb were impressed by the Big Buck contest that Edna FFA holds every year. After our presentation, we watched Mr. V score a 120 point buck. They pay out $300 to the winners of the contest! How cool is that?! We enjoyed a nice meal with the Louise FFA officers and a great chat with our friends at Tidehaven before heading to the Firkins house for dinner.
Mr. and Mrs. Firkins and Haley were so sweet to us! They made us some delicious cookies and even brought our clothes to the cleaners (something we were definitely in need of). Of course, the coolest thing about Brazoswood was their full-service meats lab! We even got to enjoy some of the end result…lots and lots of homemade beef jerky. We munched on it all the way to Brazosport and even on our way to Clear Springs. That night, we got a little free time to ourselves. So, we made our way on down to Galveston to play on the beach. I am pretty certain that Blaze enjoyed the rendition of “I’m on a Boat” that we sang to his voice mail while on the Galveston ferry. Needless to say, we were exhausted by the time we made it to my grandma’s house for chicken and dumplings.
The next day, we were introduced to the rest of the Clear schools: Clear Brook, Clear Creek, and Clear Lake. They were GIGANTIC! It was so interesting to visit schools so different from the ones that each of us attended. That night, we made our way down to La Porte to hang out with Ms. Campise and their chapter officers. All I am going to say is that the Walmart in Deer Park was lacking several rolls of saran wrap after we left…
We had an AMAZING time in Chavez. Those were some of the most enthusiastic and appreciative students that we have had the opportunity to talk to. They even gave us all kinds of chips, drinks, and a signed picture of their officer team! Area III must know how much we love to eat, because Huffman loaded us up with tons of cookies and Hawaiian Punch. The cookies even had blue and yellow m&ms in them; how awesome is that?!
I have never laughed so hard in my life as I did that night at Iguana Joe’s, as Kaleb tried explaining his dating philosophy to the Crosby ag teachers. That in itself was quite an experience. The Crosby FFA members were a great group of students, just like the ones at Kingwood. Both were incredible students with a ton of potential to do some wonderful things in the future.
After a quick trip to Pei Wei, we were headed back home for the Thanksgiving break. To all of the participants at the Area III LDE contest: you did a fantastic job! I also would like to thank East Bernard and Burton for allowing Layton, Aron, and I to visit your chapters on Monday. It was so nice to be back in Area III!
As for now, we look forward to seeing all of our east Texas friends we make our way down to the home of the 1st Vice President himself, good ole Area IX!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Area VI
Making bandana bracelets. Coloring cardboard dolls. Singing to Broadway musicals. We certainly have a lot of memorable moments from Area VI with Layton. It all started off in Linden-Kildare with our stay at Ms. Hattie and Mr. Roberts’ house. We quickly found that cell service is nearly non-existent in that part of the state…AT&T is anyways. We managed to survive without our cell phones, though. In fact, we had some entertaining experiences despite the lack of contact with the outside world.
In Daingerfield, we dared Kaleb to pick a Habanero pepper off a bush and eat it. For some odd reason, he agreed…and we caught the whole thing on video. Needless to say, he drank A LOT of Sunkist Orange Soda on the way to Hughes Springs. You would think that he would have learned his lesson the first time, but I guess not. Later that night, we dared him to eat two ice cream sundaes in under a minute. Once again, he agreed…and we caught the whole thing on video. I’m pretty sure that by the end of the year we could make an entire series on the stupid things Kaleb agrees to do : )
On our trip, we decided that rock, paper, scissors is the solution to every problem. Unfortunately for Kaleb, he loses the game at the most crucial moments. One night, he lost rock, paper, scissors and had to end up sleeping on a small day bed while Layton and I each get a double bed to ourselves. One day, he will learn…
The LDE Invitational at Alba Golden High School was really neat. I got to sit in on the Senior Creed Speaking contest. I felt so strange, though. It was the first contest I had ever been to but not competed in! It was definitely interesting to see things from strictly an audience member’s standpoint. That night, we had an enjoyable dinner with Mr. Prewitt in Grand Saline before heading back to his lodge for the night. He is always full of motivation and good advice. I felt as if my IQ doubled just by getting the chance to listen to him.
The next morning, we watched as Kaleb participated in a dance off to “Party in the USA” at Harmony High School. I wish we could have gotten that one on video. It was certainly interesting. Ha ha! Luckily, Mr. Boyd from Union Grove taught us a few dance moves that afternoon. Hopefully, Kaleb will put a few of those to good use!
We went to Louisiana twice during our stay in Waskom: once for dinner on Wednesday night and again for breakfast on Thursday morning. That was way cool, despite the very early morning. Speaking of cool…we enjoyed playing rock band and pool with the Beckville FFA officers on Thursday night. Kaleb tried (keyword: tried) to sing “Eye of the Tiger”. It was…interesting, to say the least. Of course, that wasn’t nearly as embarrassing as the prank the guys played on me earlier that week. All I’m going to say is that the entire Hastings store in Longview knows me by name…Just ask the hundreds of students we spoke to in Area VI. They were sure to let all of them in on their little joke : )
Obviously, we had some good times in Area VI. It was a week that will certainly go down in the books. Of course, I’m sure that there are more of those stories to come as we continue making our way across the state of Texas.
In Daingerfield, we dared Kaleb to pick a Habanero pepper off a bush and eat it. For some odd reason, he agreed…and we caught the whole thing on video. Needless to say, he drank A LOT of Sunkist Orange Soda on the way to Hughes Springs. You would think that he would have learned his lesson the first time, but I guess not. Later that night, we dared him to eat two ice cream sundaes in under a minute. Once again, he agreed…and we caught the whole thing on video. I’m pretty sure that by the end of the year we could make an entire series on the stupid things Kaleb agrees to do : )
On our trip, we decided that rock, paper, scissors is the solution to every problem. Unfortunately for Kaleb, he loses the game at the most crucial moments. One night, he lost rock, paper, scissors and had to end up sleeping on a small day bed while Layton and I each get a double bed to ourselves. One day, he will learn…
The LDE Invitational at Alba Golden High School was really neat. I got to sit in on the Senior Creed Speaking contest. I felt so strange, though. It was the first contest I had ever been to but not competed in! It was definitely interesting to see things from strictly an audience member’s standpoint. That night, we had an enjoyable dinner with Mr. Prewitt in Grand Saline before heading back to his lodge for the night. He is always full of motivation and good advice. I felt as if my IQ doubled just by getting the chance to listen to him.
The next morning, we watched as Kaleb participated in a dance off to “Party in the USA” at Harmony High School. I wish we could have gotten that one on video. It was certainly interesting. Ha ha! Luckily, Mr. Boyd from Union Grove taught us a few dance moves that afternoon. Hopefully, Kaleb will put a few of those to good use!
We went to Louisiana twice during our stay in Waskom: once for dinner on Wednesday night and again for breakfast on Thursday morning. That was way cool, despite the very early morning. Speaking of cool…we enjoyed playing rock band and pool with the Beckville FFA officers on Thursday night. Kaleb tried (keyword: tried) to sing “Eye of the Tiger”. It was…interesting, to say the least. Of course, that wasn’t nearly as embarrassing as the prank the guys played on me earlier that week. All I’m going to say is that the entire Hastings store in Longview knows me by name…Just ask the hundreds of students we spoke to in Area VI. They were sure to let all of them in on their little joke : )
Obviously, we had some good times in Area VI. It was a week that will certainly go down in the books. Of course, I’m sure that there are more of those stories to come as we continue making our way across the state of Texas.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Area VIII
We had a blast going with the Big D, and no, we don't mean Dallas. We are most definitely talking about our very own big, cuddly teddy bear: Dakotah Williams. We had so much fun traveling with him in the great Area VIII!
We certainly had some memorable experiences in that area of the world. From watching the guys model tiaras in Athens to playing with ferrets at Westwood to eating some delicious Braum's ice cream in Dawson, we definitely kept ourselves entertained. I saw Transformers for the 1st time in Fairfield. Later that week, I successfully accomplished the task of drinking water through 5 straws at the same time...oh yes, that took pure skill. I'm quite proud, if I do say so myself. I also ALMOST convinced Mr. Shaw from Coolidge that queso and rice is the best thing to order at a Mexican food restaurant...like I said, I almost convinced him.
Before we knew it, an entire week had flown past us, and it wasn't long before I was back in Area III for Greenhand Camp. I had so much fun catching up with all of my amigos; we definitely have some talent coming up with that bunch of Freshman! The weekend ended far too quickly, but Dakotah's family made us feel like we were still back at home. We had a blast eating with his friends and goofing off at his house. There was one incident in particular where I took Dakotah's 1st state officer jacket (the one that was WAY too big for him) out of his closet and tried it on. It was perfect! It could have been a new product...the FFA snuggie! Kaleb and I got a kick out of the fact that both of us fit into the jacket together! Naturally, all 3 of us were laughing really hard during our modeling session.
That wasn't the only memorable experience, though. We had a nice chit chat with Mr. Rosenbusch in Glenrose, had a terrible hair incident in Bynum (I love you, Tim!), and had the chance to eat the best meal ever in Whitney...mac and cheese! Speaking of good food, wildcat burritos from Montes are pure amazingness!
The next day, the guys told me ghost stories by the fire in Hillsboro...I blame them for my inability to sleep at night! Of course, the kids were enthusiastic enough to keep me energized despite my lack of sleep. Before we knew it, we were in Ennis. The Threets did an amazing job of hosting. Talk about eating a feast! We followed it all up with a dance off in the living room and a trip to the drive-in movie theatre on the outskirts of town. Good times, for sure. We finished it all off with a trip to Maypearl (thanks again for the gift basket), a stop by Midlothian (Jimmy's Italian restaurant is the BOMB!), and a quick trip to Waxahachie.
All in all, those 2 weeks in Area VIII were the bomb diggity! We will certainly miss those great folks, but don't worry! We shall return there very soon!
We certainly had some memorable experiences in that area of the world. From watching the guys model tiaras in Athens to playing with ferrets at Westwood to eating some delicious Braum's ice cream in Dawson, we definitely kept ourselves entertained. I saw Transformers for the 1st time in Fairfield. Later that week, I successfully accomplished the task of drinking water through 5 straws at the same time...oh yes, that took pure skill. I'm quite proud, if I do say so myself. I also ALMOST convinced Mr. Shaw from Coolidge that queso and rice is the best thing to order at a Mexican food restaurant...like I said, I almost convinced him.
Before we knew it, an entire week had flown past us, and it wasn't long before I was back in Area III for Greenhand Camp. I had so much fun catching up with all of my amigos; we definitely have some talent coming up with that bunch of Freshman! The weekend ended far too quickly, but Dakotah's family made us feel like we were still back at home. We had a blast eating with his friends and goofing off at his house. There was one incident in particular where I took Dakotah's 1st state officer jacket (the one that was WAY too big for him) out of his closet and tried it on. It was perfect! It could have been a new product...the FFA snuggie! Kaleb and I got a kick out of the fact that both of us fit into the jacket together! Naturally, all 3 of us were laughing really hard during our modeling session.
That wasn't the only memorable experience, though. We had a nice chit chat with Mr. Rosenbusch in Glenrose, had a terrible hair incident in Bynum (I love you, Tim!), and had the chance to eat the best meal ever in Whitney...mac and cheese! Speaking of good food, wildcat burritos from Montes are pure amazingness!
The next day, the guys told me ghost stories by the fire in Hillsboro...I blame them for my inability to sleep at night! Of course, the kids were enthusiastic enough to keep me energized despite my lack of sleep. Before we knew it, we were in Ennis. The Threets did an amazing job of hosting. Talk about eating a feast! We followed it all up with a dance off in the living room and a trip to the drive-in movie theatre on the outskirts of town. Good times, for sure. We finished it all off with a trip to Maypearl (thanks again for the gift basket), a stop by Midlothian (Jimmy's Italian restaurant is the BOMB!), and a quick trip to Waxahachie.
All in all, those 2 weeks in Area VIII were the bomb diggity! We will certainly miss those great folks, but don't worry! We shall return there very soon!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
National FFA Convention
The suitcases were stuffed. The preparation was complete. The time was WAY TOO EARLY. The destination was… Indianapolis, home of the National FFA Convention. Needless to say, the 10 of us were stoked as we boarded our flight with Starbucks in hand and sweater vests on our back. This was going to be the week of a lifetime. We were mere hours away from witnessing 60,000 blue and gold jackets overtake an entire city. How much better could it get?
We waived to the other state associations as we waited for our bags. We videoed some classic airport footage as we waited for our bags. We even had a nice chit chat with some of our Texas delegates as we waited for our bags. After everyone else departed for the hotel, there we were…still waiting for our bags. Up until this point, I was unsure of what the acronym for Delta actually meant. Well, now we knew: Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive.
We wouldn’t let that damper our mood, though. After all, how upset can you get when you’re riding in a limo to your hotel? Later that evening, we finished a tasty meal at PF Changs only to find that the lovely people at Delta had delivered each of our bags to the hotel. I have never been so excited to see a bag of official dress. We woke up that next morning prepared for a hard day’s work. It was, after all, the Day of Service. Texas had a record number of delegates participate in the event. Way to step up, fellow Texans! We divided into several groups before embarking on a mission to serve the city of Indianapolis. Jeremiah, Layton, and I had a blast at the Habitat for Humanity site, where we put up siding for a local family’s home. I was absolutely pumped to be helping the family, despite the fact that the only thing I could manage to nail was my finger. Regardless, I would consider it a successful endeavor.
Our Day of Service was merely the beginning of an eventful week. Each day was spent socializing with all of our friends from other states, completing the work for each of our committees, discussing issues with the potential to change our entire national organization, and downing Starbucks coffee by the gallon. We watched as Riley Branch gave an inspiring retiring address on reaching out to the students who may seem to be “Invisible”. We cheered as students from Texas walked across the stage to receive national banners. We ate lunch with Hatem Albachary, a businessman from Iraq, that was looking to begin an agricultural education program in his home country. We watched the look of confusion on each of the other state association officers’ faces as they joined us for Midnight Yell Practice. We saw Randa Braune, 2007-2008 Texas FFA State Officer, slip into her National Western Region Vice-President jacket. We witnessed a sense of unity and compassion from students everywhere as one of our very own Texas FFA members, Phillip Caler, experienced a tragic accident; please keep his family and his chapter in your prayers as he makes his recovery. Needless to say, our week was jam packed with a surprising array of events to keep us on our toes. Of course, we finished each day off with our midnight run to Steak and Shake before hitting the sack for a mere 3-4 hours of sleep.
Naturally, it was all worth it. As we boarded the plane to head back to Texas, I felt a slight pang of sadness. I was going to miss good old Indianapolis. Of course, I was ready to get back on the road and put all that I learned into action. Thanks to the National FFA Convention, the 49 Texas Delegates and the other 60,000 national FFA members are ready to Lead Out Loud.
We waived to the other state associations as we waited for our bags. We videoed some classic airport footage as we waited for our bags. We even had a nice chit chat with some of our Texas delegates as we waited for our bags. After everyone else departed for the hotel, there we were…still waiting for our bags. Up until this point, I was unsure of what the acronym for Delta actually meant. Well, now we knew: Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive.
We wouldn’t let that damper our mood, though. After all, how upset can you get when you’re riding in a limo to your hotel? Later that evening, we finished a tasty meal at PF Changs only to find that the lovely people at Delta had delivered each of our bags to the hotel. I have never been so excited to see a bag of official dress. We woke up that next morning prepared for a hard day’s work. It was, after all, the Day of Service. Texas had a record number of delegates participate in the event. Way to step up, fellow Texans! We divided into several groups before embarking on a mission to serve the city of Indianapolis. Jeremiah, Layton, and I had a blast at the Habitat for Humanity site, where we put up siding for a local family’s home. I was absolutely pumped to be helping the family, despite the fact that the only thing I could manage to nail was my finger. Regardless, I would consider it a successful endeavor.
Our Day of Service was merely the beginning of an eventful week. Each day was spent socializing with all of our friends from other states, completing the work for each of our committees, discussing issues with the potential to change our entire national organization, and downing Starbucks coffee by the gallon. We watched as Riley Branch gave an inspiring retiring address on reaching out to the students who may seem to be “Invisible”. We cheered as students from Texas walked across the stage to receive national banners. We ate lunch with Hatem Albachary, a businessman from Iraq, that was looking to begin an agricultural education program in his home country. We watched the look of confusion on each of the other state association officers’ faces as they joined us for Midnight Yell Practice. We saw Randa Braune, 2007-2008 Texas FFA State Officer, slip into her National Western Region Vice-President jacket. We witnessed a sense of unity and compassion from students everywhere as one of our very own Texas FFA members, Phillip Caler, experienced a tragic accident; please keep his family and his chapter in your prayers as he makes his recovery. Needless to say, our week was jam packed with a surprising array of events to keep us on our toes. Of course, we finished each day off with our midnight run to Steak and Shake before hitting the sack for a mere 3-4 hours of sleep.
Naturally, it was all worth it. As we boarded the plane to head back to Texas, I felt a slight pang of sadness. I was going to miss good old Indianapolis. Of course, I was ready to get back on the road and put all that I learned into action. Thanks to the National FFA Convention, the 49 Texas Delegates and the other 60,000 national FFA members are ready to Lead Out Loud.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Area II
When we first started in Area II, I wasn’t sure what to expect. In the past week, I have seen more wind mills, stars, and historical buildings than I ever thought possible. West Texas, unlike most other areas of the state, still hasn’t lost that quaint, small town atmosphere. It is also home to some of the friendliest folks in the entire world.
We started our adventures in the big town of Wellmann, home of our two favorite FFA friends: Miles Vann and Blaze Currie. After a few presentations for the Loop FFA and Dawson FFA chapters, we headed to Lubbock to grab a bite to eat with Mr. Ellison. We had some time to relax after our FANTASTIC meal at the Cap Rock Café, so we headed to the Verizon store to buy Kaleb a new cell phone. I guess Aron got a little bit bored in the store, because he set the alarms for EVERY phone in the entire store for the exact same time. When all of the phones went off, the look on the salesman’s face was priceless. I have never laughed so hard in my life. In Southland, we got to see Mr. McCollister’s collection of manuals and rings from the early days of the FFA; they even had an old NFA jacket in their classroom! It wasn’t long before we made our way to Colorado City, Snyder, and Hermleigh. At some point, you should ask Kaleb about his experience in Hermleigh…it was definitely one for the books.
We saw Daisy, the two headed calf in the Rotan ag classroom. That was creepy. I also went to my very first bonfire in Rotan, Texas. It was the coolest thing ever! Well, almost. The COOLEST thing was the full service gas station. I had no idea that there were still places where guys came out and pumped your gas for you! In Hamlin, we ate the greatest chicken tenders in the entire world. They were fried right in the middle of their gas station…who would have known?
The Grape Creek officers reminded us of why we ran for state office; it is such a blessing to work with students like that. They also taught us a few card tricks and let us ride in their sweet ’55 Thunderbird. Of course, nothing compares to listening to the song “Fireflies” on repeat all week long. It is a miracle that I didn’t KILL Kaleb and Aron for making me listen to that over and over and over and over again…
Now that we all survived, though, we are headed to Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention! Good luck to Anson FFA as they compete in the national Ag Communications contest (they told us about their state title this week when we visited them!) Best of luck to all of our Texas teams! We look forward to Texas FFA members bringing home some national banners, Riley Branch speaking about his AMAZING year of service, and Randa Braune representing the state of Texas as our next National FFA officer!
We started our adventures in the big town of Wellmann, home of our two favorite FFA friends: Miles Vann and Blaze Currie. After a few presentations for the Loop FFA and Dawson FFA chapters, we headed to Lubbock to grab a bite to eat with Mr. Ellison. We had some time to relax after our FANTASTIC meal at the Cap Rock Café, so we headed to the Verizon store to buy Kaleb a new cell phone. I guess Aron got a little bit bored in the store, because he set the alarms for EVERY phone in the entire store for the exact same time. When all of the phones went off, the look on the salesman’s face was priceless. I have never laughed so hard in my life. In Southland, we got to see Mr. McCollister’s collection of manuals and rings from the early days of the FFA; they even had an old NFA jacket in their classroom! It wasn’t long before we made our way to Colorado City, Snyder, and Hermleigh. At some point, you should ask Kaleb about his experience in Hermleigh…it was definitely one for the books.
We saw Daisy, the two headed calf in the Rotan ag classroom. That was creepy. I also went to my very first bonfire in Rotan, Texas. It was the coolest thing ever! Well, almost. The COOLEST thing was the full service gas station. I had no idea that there were still places where guys came out and pumped your gas for you! In Hamlin, we ate the greatest chicken tenders in the entire world. They were fried right in the middle of their gas station…who would have known?
The Grape Creek officers reminded us of why we ran for state office; it is such a blessing to work with students like that. They also taught us a few card tricks and let us ride in their sweet ’55 Thunderbird. Of course, nothing compares to listening to the song “Fireflies” on repeat all week long. It is a miracle that I didn’t KILL Kaleb and Aron for making me listen to that over and over and over and over again…
Now that we all survived, though, we are headed to Indianapolis for the National FFA Convention! Good luck to Anson FFA as they compete in the national Ag Communications contest (they told us about their state title this week when we visited them!) Best of luck to all of our Texas teams! We look forward to Texas FFA members bringing home some national banners, Riley Branch speaking about his AMAZING year of service, and Randa Braune representing the state of Texas as our next National FFA officer!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Area I
Katie, Kaleb, and I had some crazy experiences in Area I! I was amazed at how pretty it is up in the Panhandle. Every morning when we woke up, the clouds would be so low that they almost touched the ground, and you could see for miles! It was perfect sleeping weather. Of course, we didn't do very much sleeping up there...
We did, however, play an intense game of basketball in Texline. The 3 of us decided that we must be a bunch of fat kids, because we just couldn't hang with those guys. Kaleb was so red afterwards that it looked like his head was about to catch on fire! I'm pretty sure he almost passed out...and we still lost.
That could be the eating habbits that we acquired from our Area I travels. All I can say is that Leal's Mexican food in Muleshoe is AMAZING! I don't know how they stay so thin up there when they eat that every single day. It was so good that we ate there twice: once for dinner with the Lazbuddie chapter officers and the next day for lunch with the Muleshoe guys. Thanks to Kale in Lazbuddie, I tried my very 1st Laura's special. Talk about good stuff. Everyone swears by it, and there is definitely a reason for that.
The one thing they don't have in Area I is rubber bands. We learned that one the hard way. After a presentation in Canyon, we noticed that we were running low. We decided to finish up the day and go buy some more supplies after we were done. We called an office store in Dimmit that swore up and down that they had the right size. We drove 20 minutes to find out that they hadn't even looked at their rubber bands yet. Our only option was to go to the closest town we knew of- Amarillo, a full hour away. We started at Office Depot. No rubber bands. We went to 3 party store. No rubber bands. So, we went to Hobby Lobby, Michael's, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. Still no rubber bands. Finally, we found an Office Max. By this point, we had run out of hope. We marched in that store, looking more pitiful than you could ever imagine. Then, we saw it shining like a beacon of hope: aisle 13. Right there, amidst the pencils and papers were...RUBBER BANDS! We screamed. We laughed. Then, we bought every package of rubber bands in the entire store. 2 hours and $40 later, we knew that we would never run out of rubber bands again.
So, if you're looking for rubber bands in the city of Amarillo, you won't find them. We have every single package. No worries, though. Kaleb swears up and down that he is going to create a giant super store full of nothing but rubber bands. Then, Area I will be considered a place full of history, good food, basketball, and rubber bands. : )
We did, however, play an intense game of basketball in Texline. The 3 of us decided that we must be a bunch of fat kids, because we just couldn't hang with those guys. Kaleb was so red afterwards that it looked like his head was about to catch on fire! I'm pretty sure he almost passed out...and we still lost.
That could be the eating habbits that we acquired from our Area I travels. All I can say is that Leal's Mexican food in Muleshoe is AMAZING! I don't know how they stay so thin up there when they eat that every single day. It was so good that we ate there twice: once for dinner with the Lazbuddie chapter officers and the next day for lunch with the Muleshoe guys. Thanks to Kale in Lazbuddie, I tried my very 1st Laura's special. Talk about good stuff. Everyone swears by it, and there is definitely a reason for that.
The one thing they don't have in Area I is rubber bands. We learned that one the hard way. After a presentation in Canyon, we noticed that we were running low. We decided to finish up the day and go buy some more supplies after we were done. We called an office store in Dimmit that swore up and down that they had the right size. We drove 20 minutes to find out that they hadn't even looked at their rubber bands yet. Our only option was to go to the closest town we knew of- Amarillo, a full hour away. We started at Office Depot. No rubber bands. We went to 3 party store. No rubber bands. So, we went to Hobby Lobby, Michael's, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart. Still no rubber bands. Finally, we found an Office Max. By this point, we had run out of hope. We marched in that store, looking more pitiful than you could ever imagine. Then, we saw it shining like a beacon of hope: aisle 13. Right there, amidst the pencils and papers were...RUBBER BANDS! We screamed. We laughed. Then, we bought every package of rubber bands in the entire store. 2 hours and $40 later, we knew that we would never run out of rubber bands again.
So, if you're looking for rubber bands in the city of Amarillo, you won't find them. We have every single package. No worries, though. Kaleb swears up and down that he is going to create a giant super store full of nothing but rubber bands. Then, Area I will be considered a place full of history, good food, basketball, and rubber bands. : )
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Area IV
This past week, Aron, Kaleb, and I made our way through Area IV. We started off in Perrin, Texas. Talk about the greatest birthday meal ever! Mrs. Hall made us enchiladas, sopapilla cheesecake, and chocolate covered strawberries. Mmm...delicious. Then, we played a hard core game of Phase 10 with the chapter officers. I lost. : ( Next, we headed to Henrietta. I got to watch Aron and Kaleb TRY to shoot a bow and arrow. They are much better at giving presentations. I definitely think we should stick to that. Before we knew it, we were in Petrolia. They had an awesome group of kids. We had so much fun getting to know the students there! Of course, it wasn't long before we were in Wichita Falls in search of an AT&T store and a car wash. Thanks to Aron's new iPhone, though, we were lost for a full 2 HOURS. We drove around lost for the longest time before we realized that we had to turn the phone in order to go in the right direction. Oops... Luckily, we eventually found our way to the various places to run errands, and we headed off to hang out with the Iowa Park officers. They snuck in a birthday cake that looked like a lady bug and surprised me with it at Carino's. It was the coolest thing EVER! They even gave me my own little tiara : )
The next morning, we started out in Holliday. Kaleb and I had an interesting discussion about whether we were passing the middle school or the high school. Kaleb never admitted it, but I was right. Ha ha. One day, he will learn to listen to me! : ) As soon as we finished there, we headed off to Seymour. We had a great time talking to their officers. They told us all about this cool deli called Elizabeth's. You have to try their Lisa Sandwich. AMAZING! Our last presentation was at Knox City. We stayed afterwards and watched our very 1st 6 man football practice. They did all kinds of crazy plays! That night, we stayed in Abilene with the Swinneys. They were so sweet to us. They even cooked us breakfast the next morning.
On Wednesday, we went to Abilene Wylie and Abilene Cooper. Both had a bunch of awesome kids. Kaleb even sang a song with Charles during our presentation at Abilene Wylie, and Abilene Cooper gave us a whole bunch of snacks! We LOVE snacks! Our last presentation was at Clyde. The guys tried to shoot some hoops before the presentation. Once again, they should stick to speaking to high school kids. They only made one basket the whole time!
We had another birthday party in Cross Plains. Thanks, Mrs. Holland! Of course, Kaleb and I smashed cake in each other's faces instead of eating it. It was quite enjoyable! After our presentation in Cross Plains, we headed off to Coleman and Santa Anna. Once again, they had some AWESOME students! We had a fantastic audience in Coleman, and the kids in Santa Anna were really active during the entire presentation. We loved it!
That night, we stayed in Winters, Texas. It was a very historical moment, as that was the 1st FFA chapter in the state of Texas. We watched a Blizzards JV football game after some mexican food at Casa. Of course, the next morning, I got VERY lost. Only I would get lost in town with one main road...I don't think I will ever live that one down : )
Needless to say, Area IV was a successful week for us. We loved having Aron in the truck to hang out with us. Now, we are just trying not to freeze out here in Area I! Wish us luck!
The next morning, we started out in Holliday. Kaleb and I had an interesting discussion about whether we were passing the middle school or the high school. Kaleb never admitted it, but I was right. Ha ha. One day, he will learn to listen to me! : ) As soon as we finished there, we headed off to Seymour. We had a great time talking to their officers. They told us all about this cool deli called Elizabeth's. You have to try their Lisa Sandwich. AMAZING! Our last presentation was at Knox City. We stayed afterwards and watched our very 1st 6 man football practice. They did all kinds of crazy plays! That night, we stayed in Abilene with the Swinneys. They were so sweet to us. They even cooked us breakfast the next morning.
On Wednesday, we went to Abilene Wylie and Abilene Cooper. Both had a bunch of awesome kids. Kaleb even sang a song with Charles during our presentation at Abilene Wylie, and Abilene Cooper gave us a whole bunch of snacks! We LOVE snacks! Our last presentation was at Clyde. The guys tried to shoot some hoops before the presentation. Once again, they should stick to speaking to high school kids. They only made one basket the whole time!
We had another birthday party in Cross Plains. Thanks, Mrs. Holland! Of course, Kaleb and I smashed cake in each other's faces instead of eating it. It was quite enjoyable! After our presentation in Cross Plains, we headed off to Coleman and Santa Anna. Once again, they had some AWESOME students! We had a fantastic audience in Coleman, and the kids in Santa Anna were really active during the entire presentation. We loved it!
That night, we stayed in Winters, Texas. It was a very historical moment, as that was the 1st FFA chapter in the state of Texas. We watched a Blizzards JV football game after some mexican food at Casa. Of course, the next morning, I got VERY lost. Only I would get lost in town with one main road...I don't think I will ever live that one down : )
Needless to say, Area IV was a successful week for us. We loved having Aron in the truck to hang out with us. Now, we are just trying not to freeze out here in Area I! Wish us luck!
Monday, September 28, 2009
The very beginning...
I honestly don't even know where to begin. The last few weeks have been AMAZING. We started off at the home of Blue Bell ice cream: good ol' Brenham, Texas. .jpg)
Our 1st week on the road was intense. It took a while to get the hang of things. Luckily, Area III treated us well. We ate the greatest hamburger in the entire world at Mic's in Schulenburg. It was like heaven on a bun. We are definitely going back there! We also had the opportunity to make a tent in Ms. Pittman's living room in Sweeny. Unfortunately, I forgot that she might need to iron her clothes the next morning. My whole tent came crashing down when she stole the ironing board back. Oops : )
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Our 1st week on the road was intense. It took a while to get the hang of things. Luckily, Area III treated us well. We ate the greatest hamburger in the entire world at Mic's in Schulenburg. It was like heaven on a bun. We are definitely going back there! We also had the opportunity to make a tent in Ms. Pittman's living room in Sweeny. Unfortunately, I forgot that she might need to iron her clothes the next morning. My whole tent came crashing down when she stole the ironing board back. Oops : )
Before we knew it, we were in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Talk about a change of pace. It is a different world out there! We tried keeping the truck clean...but obviously that doesn't work well when there is mud everywhere. We learned the Area IX sign. We had our own little concert in Chireno. We ate at the famous El Burrito in Livingston. It was an unforgettable experience, to say the least. I definitely enjoyed that part of the world.
Next up was Area VII. This was our 1st experience with 3 people on the road. It was pretty much like one big party the whole time. Tyler was awesome to travel with! His family was the best. They showed up with a whole box of homemade fried chicken, fried rice, and mashed potatoes. We had food for a week!! That was definitely the most exciting thing in the entire world, except that Kaleb put it in the back of the truck and kept eating the chicken that had been sitting in the sun....GROSS. We also ate at the best sushi restaurant in Austin called Sushi Saki. This was Tyler and Kaleb's 1st time to try sushi- that didn't go over well. They basically picked all of the rice off and ate ONLY the rice. I don't think I will get to eat my beloved sushi again if they have any say in it. Kaleb ended up sick and had to stay off the road for a few days, which left Tyler and I to fend for ourselves. We managed well on the road, though. Until I got sick and left poor Tyler all by himself.
Luckily, Kaleb got better, and we headed off to Area V with Jeremiah. All I can say is that I'm sorry to Weatherford for throwing up in their brand new auditorium. That was definitely one for the books. Needless to say, I didn't travel Area V...but I heard something about Kaleb and Jeremiah getting themselves into a parade in Paradise. I bet that one is a story...
So here we are in Area IV with Aron. The Iowa Park officers are the bomb! They took us to Carino's and bought me a ladybug cake for my birthday. Talk about the best thing ever! Stay tuned for more on our travels from the road. We are bound to have some exciting stories to tell.
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