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.
Friday, November 13, 2009
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.
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