Area VI: Week IX

Sonic… $14.93, Fuel… $125, spending a week with Mason and Daylon traveling Area VI… priceless! We just finished up the first week of travel in Area VI, and I must say it was great. Whether we were eating at Sonic, spending some “bonding time” getting lost or sleeping with a stuffed black bear over our beds, or spending time visiting with the excellent students of Area VI it seemed as if I was either having a blast or laughing at Daylon’s Cuban dance the whole time.

Our great adventure all started on Saturday when I received a phone call from Mason telling me that they were leaving Huntsville and were headed my way to Henderson. After they arrived, we sat down to have a nice dinner with my mom and returned home and watched Daylon’s favorite movie “Jurassic Park” we set off to bed. The next morning we all got up and got dressed and took Mason and Daylon to their first Sunday service at Cowboy Church. After church, we went home, gather our things and headed to Canton to spend our first night with a host family. After arriving at the Maud household and eating some “Muy Beuno” Mexican food we hit the hay. Early the next morning we traveled to our first chapter of the week Canton FFA, who on that very day was celebrating their 75th Anniversary. After the presentation we got the unique experience of doing a radio broadcast with the member of the radio team, after having fun at the radio station it was off to the next school. At Martin’s Mill we got to see my good friend Mackie Carter and even got to go back to my high school days and eat in the cafeteria! That evening we had a hilarious time being judges at the Winona FFA chapter meeting where Ronnie “Roxanne” Evans was named Mrs. FFA. After we crowned the winner we headed off to Van to spend the night with our host family the Nations.

The wonderful smell of pigs in a blanket arose the next morning as we headed off to Van high, where we presented twice and then headed off to our next two schools. That evening after we got severely lost we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with the members of Sulphur Bluff FFA, and then spent the night with the Ramirez family. The next morning we woke up and traveled to Sulphur Bluff where Daylon got chased by the principal during the presentation and it was moved and seconded to shave my already thinning hair off my head! Our next school that day was Saltillo where we got to see their amazing skills team and visit with their members. That evening we headed off to Mt. Vernon where we ate amazing Mexican food, and spent time with the Honeycutt’s, our host family. That night was rather interesting as we spent the night with a stuffed mounted bear hanging over my bed. The next morning we presented and spent time with the “Dutch Sisters” Skye and Baiskeya. We then adventured up to Paul Prewitt and spent time with the Unique Brahmas (not Brahmans). After eating lunch with PPHS FFA president miss Codi Coulter we finished off the day with our last school Avery. Next we headed up to Redwater where we met our host family and then we were treated to a nice big juicy steak at Longhorn Steakhouse in Texarkana!

The next morning we got to sleep in a little longer than usual and ate breakfast by ourselves as our host family had already started their day. This visit was rather funny as Maud was playing my old high school Carlisle that night for their season closer. Our next school was Redwater where after doing the presentation we had the neat opportunity to film a segment for their high school news program “The Dragon’s Breath”. Upon completing the segment we were able to see their kill floor and meat locker. Our last school of the week was Hooks. Upon our arrival we were treated to a delicious lunch and later we got to attend their pep rally, I almost passed out from laughing while watching daylon dance with the cheerleader to the evolution of dance which daylon nailed. After taking a few picture at the Texas/Arkansas line, we headed back home to Henderson where we slept till one the next day. Saturday evening we had a excellent dinner for my mother’s birthday at a very fancy restaurant. The next morning we again attended cowboy church, and then sent Mason and Daylon on their merry way to Area V with Leslie.

It was an amazing experience traveling I had a blast and loved every minute of it, but all good things must come to an end. So until February when we get to do it all again this is Tanner Smith your Area VI State Vice President signing off Goodbye and good luck in all that you do.

Area IX: Week VIII

What better way to end the 83rd National FFA Convention than to start up travel in the “oh so fine Area IX!” Area IX would be the perfect place to re-cooperate and re-energize after a busy and memorable week in Indianapolis… or so we thought. Instead, it was full of adventure, fun, laughter, and crazy good country food!

The whole state officer team arrived in Austin at about 3:30 on Sunday afternoon from Indianapolis. Everyone was moving slowly because of the drainage that we experienced the week before, but it was also a good illustration of the fun that we had as well. After we landed, we all headed back on the shuttle bus to the Ford FFA Leadership Center to pick up our “super fly” rides and have a brief meeting before we headed back to reality. However, I was the lucky one because this time, I didn’t get to take a break from it, instead I was going to have opportunity to travel Area IX with the coolest cats ever: Mason Parish and Daylon Koster!

I quickly headed back to College Station with Will riding shotgun. Once we arrived, I dropped him off, said our good-byes (we even cried a little), and then set off to Brenham, TX so that I could unpack, pack again, go to class the next morning, THEN drive three hours two Garrison, TX, see my family before the ever so infamous Mason and Daylon arrived, and THEN set off on our Adventure of a lifetime through the pine trees and swamps of Area IX!

After leaving my house, we had a two hour trek to Ms. Kelli Neuman’s house in the good ol’ town of Winnie, Texas, which we found out is only twenty minutes from Crystal Beach! We were greeted that night by her mother Mrs. Neuman and her super awesome little brother that goes by the name of the families’ favorite university: Sam Houston! Us three amigos had an awesome and rewarding time staying at their house that night as we got to experience the “Award Room,” which has all of their winnings, pictures, and even scrapbook that was hand-made! All in all, it was valuable experience thus far, but there was more excitement to come!

The next morning we awoke to the heavenly aroma of sausage and biscuits, but sadly, we didn’t get to dig in right then and there. You see, we were late, even though it was 7 o’clock in the morning and the presentation didn’t begin until an hour and a half from then. Instead, we were late to go visit an “Alligator Ranch!” We quickly got dressed, hopped in the truck with biscuits by my side, and followed Mrs. Neuman out to an Alligator Ranch where we had the opportunity to see how real-life gators were raised and learn their lifestyle and how they would be harvested. We also learned that raising and harvesting alligators makes a very profitable income, but it takes a lot of hard work in order to maintain the alligators in their natural habitat.

After that unorthodox experience, we headed back to the East Chambers Ag Shop where we spoke to our first group of members of the week… eighth graders! It was the perfect start-up in getting my toes wet and familiar with the presentation. All in all, the presentation went extremely well for my first time being a part of it, and the students did a fantastic job and really learned a lot!

Unfortunately, our next school of the day canceled on us, but we weren’t discouraged as we set off for Nederland, TX. We arrived a couple of hours early, but it was no problem at all. We got to meet and greet the FFA members from there as well as their super awesome cool ag teacher, Mr. Butler! He was nice enough to take us to lunch at the local country club in Nederland. There, we chowed down fried chicken and banana pudding while getting to meet policeman, fireman, and other local officials who were doing their part to see that students like us succeeded.

After lunch, we headed back to the school and gave my second ever presentation in one of the biggest auditoriums that I had ever seen… especially for a 4A high school. Once we were finished, we hung around and got to chat with some of their greenhand members, then it was off to Deweyville High School, which sets exactly two minutes west of the Sabine River (the border of Louisiana) for those of you that didn’t know. We met Mr. Waldrum and the rest the Deweyville Chapter officer at the school, then loaded and went to Mauriceville where we ate at a country diner called “Tuffy’s.” There, we experienced what a true deep east Texas chicken fried steak tastes like, as well as what the Deweyville officers like to do in their spare time… and that’s alligator hunting. After dinner were fortunate enough to stay in the comfort of Mac’s grandparents’ home where Daylon and I stayed in the coolest room in all the land… the John Wayne room!

The next morning started off bright, early, muggy, and humid along the banks of the Sabine. We were treated to a fabulous breakfast with delicious bacon and sausage. We then set off to Deweyville high school where I began my second day on the job. The presentation was thoroughly enjoyable, and from there, we set off to Vidor, TX, the home of a member on my past Area officer team: D.J. Melancon.

We got there well ahead schedule and met with Mr. Singleton and the awesome Vidor FFA officer Team. We were surprised to find an awesome sign made just for us with glitter and other sparkly stuff on it, so we kept it. The presentation was fantastic, and so were the students. We left Vidor with a sense of pride that day as we drove north to Kountze, TX where we greeted by the Kountze FFA Officer team Mrs. Dickerson. Kountze had, by far, the largest attendance to any presentation in which had been a part of so far. There high school filled up the entire one side of the gymnasium. However, this did not slow us down a bit as we continued on with a great presentation as well as a handy little commercial to go with it. After the presentation, we were awarded with an awesome goody bag with a Kountze FFA sweater inside! Thanks again Kountze FFA.

After a debriefing moment at McDonald’s, Mason, Daylon, and I drove twenty miles northeast to Warren, TX. There, we met up with the Warren FFA officer team just as they were finishing up chapter conducting practice. We also got to shake hands with two men who are very well respected in my book, and that is Mr. Cauthen and Mr. Currie. After hearing some funny stories from Mr. Currie, the officers took us out to eat at another nice country diner called “The Tree.” We had an awesome time getting to know the Warren FFA officers while Daylon and I, once again, ordered another round of chicken fried steaks! It was also entertaining watching Mason “attempt” a drawing of all the officers. After dinner, the night was still young, so we decided to have a “pasture party.” Yes, it sounds worse than what it really is but was really really fun! Mason, Daylon, and myself taught the guys how to dance, jitterbug, and pretzel with the lovely Warren FFA ladies. Afterwards, we headed back to Reese’s house and enjoyed a lovely night of sleep.

I arose the next morning to Daylon’s “Bittersweet Symphony” music, which had worked quite well on me falling asleep. We then followed Reese and Garrett to the high school where we delivered another successful presentation in front of the entire membership of the Warren FFA. After the presentation, we had a little bit of time left, so we decided to make a super awesome cool commercial of which you will find on YouTube about LDE’s and CDE’s.

We quickly hurried out of Warren to head off to our next school, only to find out that it was canceled. So, we went ahead and drove on through to Shepherd, TX and stopped at the Flashback café where we had another tasteful lunch. Then it was off to Shepherd high school. This was an experience for me because this would be my first time giving the presentation inside the actual ag shop. It was also pleasing to see Ms. Danielle Coker, the Area IX 3rd Vice President, as well as the Shepherd FFA officer team. We had an awesome time taking pictures and hanging out afterwards before we had to head back to the greatest place in all of TEXAS… my house.

We finally made it back to the Pineywoods of East Texas in my hometown of Garrison. That night, we were treated to the greatest meal of all time by my parents, and that was steak, baked potatoes, and red diamond sweet tea! After dinner, we all three managed to find ourselves falling asleep in the living room, and that’s the way it stayed.

The next morning, we drove approximately thirty seconds to my alma mater of Garrison high school. I have to say that it was extremely weird and somewhat awkward getting up and giving a presentation in front of the students that I used to run the halls with. Nevertheless, it was an awesome experience being on the other side of things as well as catching up with some old teachers.

We, then, quickly rushed over to Lufkin High school where we met up with Mr. Byrd and Mr. Gardener. There, we gave a very successful classroom presentation after having a healthy feast of “ag shop” hamburgers. Afterwards, we got to speak to some really dedicated officers, then it was off to Corrigan-Camden, where Daylon’s old Ag teacher is from… Mr. Kelley. We gave a great presentation to end the week of a lifetime, and even got some dancing lessons afterwards. We even got invited to their Senior pep-rally which was really cool with a lot of good laughs involved.

To end off the week right we had to eat at Logan’s Roadhouse in Lufkin, Texas before heading back to Garrison to drop me off.

It was indeed an amazing experience getting to travel with Mason and Daylon, but until after Thanksgiving, this has been Colt Gresham, your Texas FFA State Vice President from the Area IX Association, thanks and God Bless!

The 83rd National Convention!

National Convention 2010!!!! Lions, tigers, and people oh my! And of course finding our INFINITE POTENTIAL!!!

The time was too early, but somehow all 10 of us were wide awake (with the exception of our favorite Area 10 boy). Wait a second, why is the whole team together? Oh yeah, that’s right, IT’S NATIONAL CONVENTION TIME!!!! The bags were packed, the flight was booked, and Indianapolis was our destination.

“Flight 368 to Chicago, now boarding.” Excitement jumped through each of us as we eagerly walked down the gate to our plane. This was happening! National Convention!! Chicago to Indy, only a few short hours away. Time to watch some Iron Man 2! “We are now making our descent into Indianapolis, thank you for flying American Airlines!” I could not believe how fast the flight was, it seemed as if we had just took off in Austin. But we were here. We were greeted by our taxi bus and were taken to our home for the next week. The luxurious, elegant, home of the amazingly fluffy beds….. the Westin.

As we checked into the Westin hotel, the excitement we had felt on the plane was now city wide as many FFA members from all over the United States began their descent onto the city. The first people we got the opportunity to meet were none other than the awesome State Officers from the Pennsylvania FFA Association. Of course they were amazing and we had a great time getting to talk with them.

After a quick Steak & Shake run we all headed back to the Westin to meet up with the Texas Delegates who had just arrived to Indy. The excitement ran through us like wildfire when we saw those familiar faces we had not seen since SLC in June. Needless to say it was a pleasant reunion. After Big Daddy Blaze Currie went over our schedule for the next day, we all headed to our rooms for a good night’s sleep for the long week ahead.

That next morning the Texas FFA delegates got to enjoy a little R&R before their long week of service to the National FFA Organization. Since there was no National Days of Service we decided to do something different. We all got to tour the National FFA Archives and learn a little bit about the history of FFA and see actual FFA documents from many years ago. Not only that, but we also got to tour the Indianapolis Zoo!!! Needless to say it was time well spent before our long week.

The alarm clock went off again. This time a little bit later than before, but still too early. Official business had begun. Lots to do, lots to see, and Official Dress is all we need. We practically lived in O. D. (Official Dress for short) for the rest of the week. The Texas FFA Delegates got to experience business sessions in which we voted for the betterment of members across the nation setting the foundations for tomorrow’s leaders in FFA. And let me be the first to let you know, your Texas FFA delegates represented you with pride!

Keeping that Texas pride and spirit carried through us throughout the week, as we Texas walked our way to Conseco field house, home to the Convention floor. The lights bright, the huge crowd, chants and dances everywhere! Yeah, it was pretty much an amazing experience, and we were even seated in the front! The lights came down and that familiar song came on blaring, INFINITE POTENTIAL! Plenty of amazing inspirational speakers lit up the stage with their excitement and enthusiasm, not to mention the Evolution of Dance!! We got to hear from our dear friend and sister, whose heart is as big as Texas itself, Randa Braune, deliver her final words to FFA. And witness the retirement of the most well known man in FFA, Dr. Larry D. Case.

With anything, there is always an ending. Indy had been the home to 83rd National FFA Convention, and it would have to wait another year for the next one to come around. It was sad to see such a tremendous week of fun, excitement, and inspiration leave us, but it the time for this convention was up.

As our plane touched down in Austin, we were all relieved to be back in Texas. After picking up our bags and making phone calls to make sure everyone made it home safe we all were ready to be home for some much needed sleep. As Colt and I made our way back to College Station we talked about everything that had happened in the past week. How we could not believe it had gone by so fast and that LDEs were close to starting up.

Everything was over. The lights, the stage, the thousands of people, the convention was done. But as one door closes, another one opens. LDE season is now upon us!! Good luck to all the teams competing and we will see you at State Competition at Sam Houston State University in December! Until then, good luck everyone and the travel team will be on the road so watch out for them! Love ya guys!

-Will Ellis

Area II: Week VII

From Pecos to Anson we had a blast in Area II!

Area I: Week VI

On one side cotton as far as the eye can see on the other green pasture land perfect for ranching or hunting, and in front was an open road that ended only where the sky touched down. Yes you guessed it Mason, Daylon, and I were traveling Area I FFA Chapters.

It was Monday morning we were driving to our first school Childress. The night before, we attended a classic panhandle rodeo. I was so excited to share with Mason and Daylon everything else that Area I had to offer. We went to Paducah after Childress, and we ended the day at Matador, my home town. Spending the night at my house in the country, Mason and Daylon learned about the famous sport, SNIPE HUNTING!!!! Needless to say, it was memorable. The next morning we were off to Floydada, Lockney and Plainview. That night we drove on to Happy, Texas, where we had a hilarious show; we attended an amazing awesome fun and a little silly Power Puff Football Game. The next morning after presenting at Happy and Canyon, we needed to restock in Canyon. That night we ate and stayed with a past state officer and sponsor Mr. Cobb. The next morning we were up and fresh presenting in Claude’s Agricultural Education class room. We presented to White Deer next, and as we drove into town, guess what we saw… A WHITE DEER!!! That afternoon we ended in Pampa before driving onto Canadian. They made us feel like we were back at home. The next day we finished the week out at Darrouzett.

From the green pastures to the cotton feilds along side some pretty cool members Area 1 was amazing. We all look forward to traveling again!

Area IV: Week V

Howdy folks! My Area IV adventure this past week all started at the State Fair of Texas! As state officers, we were invited to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony and the Annual Honor Awards Banquet along with the state officers of both the 4-H and the FCCLA. I had never been to the state fair before, so I was amazed by all the fried foods! Even though it was raining that weekend, it didn't stop us from going out and trying all of the different fried items! My favorite was the fried cookie dough!

On Sunday, Mason, Daylon, Leslie, and I all loaded up in the FFA truck and headed to Weatherford, TX for the Area V District II Greenhand Camp! We had a great time getting to hang out with the district officer team and we met some incredible greenhands that have some very bright futures ahead of them! We then left on Monday morning so we could meet Leslie's dad in Denton so she could head back to Sherman. We had quite the rough time getting there though because Daylon and Mason decided to let Leslie and I control the GPS. After spending an hour in a town that we thought was Denton, we realized that we were actually forty miles away from Denton. We finally got to our destination though and Leslie safely made it back to Sherman with her dad.

Our first stop in Area IV was Stephenville, TX where we ate at one of my favorite restaurants, Montana, with the Stephenville FFA chapter officer team! After I ate my fried pickles, I couldn't wait to hang out with everyone, including my girl Alyssa! We had a great night playing pool and being amazed by Daylon's magic tricks. The next day, we had our first rounds of presentations in Hico and Hamilton! In Hico we met their chapter officer team and gave a very successful presentation for the FFA members in their high school. Afterwards, we ate at the local diner, the Koffe Kup with one of the Hico ag. teachers. Later on in Hamilton, we gave presentations to both the high school FFA members and also the Jr. FFA members who seemed very excited to become involved. After our presentations, we headed off to Brownwood where we stayed in a beautiful lakehouse on Lake Brownwood with Tyler and Kate! We had a great time going out on the lake and learning all about Kate's crazy cool car. She has a station wagon that she spray painted pink. Way cool!

On Wednesday morning we gave our first presentation of the day at Brownwood High School to some of the FFA members there and then Mr. Flood showed us their new aquaculture project! I loved being able to see what different chapters are doing! That afternoon we grabbed some lunch and headed over to Cross Plains where we were very impressed with our audience of students. After our presenation and some directional challenges, we arrived in Cisco where we enjoyed a delicious Mexican meal with the Cisco chapter officers and their ag teachers! The next morning, we had an early start in Cisco where we presented to a class of eager freshman who all had a great time. The Cisco ag teachers, Mr. Conring and Mrs. Holton, took us to get some doughnuts before we had a quick question and answer session with one of their classes. Then we were on the road again to Moran High School! We were somewhat amazed with the size of this school. One of their classes only had four people in it! Crazy! Because of the school's small size, we were able to present to 6-12 grade and it was great to have such a variety in our audience. Later on we headed to Albany, TX where we gave a fabulous presentation and Mr. Beard told us some very entertaining stories and even took us on a tour of their ag farm! They had a brand new quail facility and a great aquaculture program that was really cool! That afternoon, we were off to Throckmorton, TX! When we arrived, the chapter officer team cooked us a delicous Italian meal and then we went and watched a six man football game! None of us had ever seen one before so we were amazed by how fast the game went! Later on we went to the home of their chapter vice president, Tucker Brown. Both of his parents were past national FFA presidents and we had a wonderful evening being with them and the entire chapter officer team. They are definitely an amazing group of students!

The next morning, we began with a presentation in Throckmorton that went extremely well! We were soon on the road again to a town that I'm somewhat familiar with, Seymour! It was great to see so many familiar faces during our presentation and I'm so glad that I was able to catch up with Kaitlin, Bailey, and of course Ms. Ezzell! After that, we were on to our last school of the week which made me feel kinda gloomy because I had such an amazing time on the road. We arrived in Knox City to give our last presentation a little frustrated because their school seemed to be hiding from us. Nonetheless, we gave an awesome presentation to some great students and then we attended their pep-rally! I have to admit, the pep-rally really made me miss high school.

All in all, I had an awesome experience traveling with the travel team. It helped me re-focus and remember why I am doing this. Up next on the schedule is National Convention which I am oh so excited about. Until next time!

Area V: Week IV

The Adventure of Pink Monkey!

Mason and Daylon picked me up on Sunday night and we headed to Muenster to eat with Mr. Skeans that night. Monday morning at 6:26 they knocked on my door and gave me a huge Jonas brothers’ birthday card and a light-up butterfly crown because it was my birthday! We then went to Muenster where I did my very first presentation. As soon as it was done Mr. Skeans brought out a huge pink birthday cake! My birthday was off to a great start! We then headed over to Lindsay where I got to see the lady that inspired me to join FFA, Allison Fisher. In Lindsay I had every high school student and some middle school students wish me a happy birthday. After Lindsay we went to Valley View and shot an FFA commercial with silly bands! To wrap up the day we went to Dairy Queen and had a brownie batter blizzard! (say that three times fast)

With our last presentation of the day over, we went to Katelyn Perry’s house. Her mom had an amazing chocolate birthday cake for me! Needless to say, I had one of the best birthday’s ever!

Tuesday morning Mason, Daylon, Katelyn, and I headed to the Area IV Greenhand camp, which happens to be the largest Greenhand camp in the country! On the way there, Mason had kidnapped Miss Monkey. A very special friend gave me Miss Monkey at State Convention and she has gone everywhere with me since then. With Katelyn and I in another car, Daylon stuck Miss Monkey out the window as they drove away. I was not very happy about this, but eventually they gave her back. Anyway back to the Greenhand camp, the Area IV Officers did a great job and organized a great camp!

That night we stayed in Decatur, with Brook’s family where we had amazing chocolate pie and met her ninety-nine year old grandmother. That next morning we presented to Decatur, and then headed to Chico for our second presentation of the day. After that we headed to Bridgeport where Mr. Klose (AKA the bomb. com and the Area V coordinator) teaches.

That night we stayed with Mr. Klose’s family and got to know his children John Paul, Miss Hollywood, and Lilly very well. We also played in their shark tent! (see facebook) Thursday morning we went to Forestburg and got to tour their retired “Alamo” ag classrooms and shop. We also went to Prairie Valley, where we learned a lot about FCCLA and then went to Gainesville for one of our largest presentations of the week.

That afternoon we headed to my house to get some well-earned rest after we watched Shutter Island. After I washed all of our clothes and had to find a hidden Miss Monkey.

Friday morning, the last morning of that travel week, we started at my high school, S&S Consolidated. We presented to a class of freshman and I got to see my little sister Lindsey. We then went to Gunter where they were ready for Friday night football! After Gunter we headed to Celina for my last presentation of the week. We had to leave right at three because we needed to be in Dallas for the opening of the State Fair of Texas. Kenny Chesney came to Celina at three-thirty…enough said.

Monday night Daylon, Mason, Katelyn, and I went to Weatherford for the District II Greenhand camp. Not only did we get to see Rachel (Area V Secretary) do a presentation on the “Wizard of Ag”, but we also got to see members touched cow tongue and learn how to dance for the first time. It was a lot of fun!

Anyway I had a great week with Mason and Daylon and all of the FFA members I got to meet!

Love always,
Leslie

Area VIII: Week III

After we had said our goodbyes to the team from Phase 3 training Mason, Daylon, and I, eagerly jumped in the FFA truck and headed out to Glen Rose, Texas where we would be spending our first night in the great Area VIII. Since it was my first time in the FFA truck we had to get a few things straight. 1st of all, Daylon was the driver no matter what. Daylon would get us from place to place. 2nd, Mason would call advisors and make sure we were going to the place we had marked down. 3rd I had to make up my own role/responsibility. At first my role was to sleep, since the other two had already figured out what they were doing, but later on in the week I provided entertainment for the rides in between schools.

Two hours following my introduction to the travel team, we arrived in the beautiful town of Glen Rose, Texas. Hungry from being on the road all day, we met Mr. and Mrs. Rosenbusch and the Glen Rose Chapter Officers for dinner at Chachi’s Mexican food restaurant. We had a great time with the Rosebushes and the officers, and I even got to eat the Rosenbusch special, a whole dinner plate named after the famous Glen Rose Rosenbusch’s (Say that five times fast)!! After dinner we got to stay with our buddy Jake Sharber. This being my first night I was ecstatic! Jake’s house was awesome! We were warmly welcomed and settled in for the night. We had a great time talking with Jake’s parents and even got to mess around with his steers!

The next day was our first official day on the job in Area VIII. We started off with the Glen Rose FFA chapter. Nerves ran through me like wildfire, as it was my first ever presentation with the travel team. In the end it was a great presentation, and we were even rewarded with Oreos and Chicken Express Sweet Tea! We then traveled to Cleburne, where we got to experience a fightin’ Yellow Jacket lunch, then on to Hillsboro. We ended up the day at Waco Midway for the annual Area VIII Banquet. Following the ceremonies put on by the Great Area VIII officers, we followed Mrs. Christian to Penelope, Texas where we would be starting the next day. That night we got to stay with our friend Alli Watkins. Alli’s house was settled in the most amazing area, right in the middle of the woods! We enjoyed getting to visit with Alli and her wonderful family, but after a long day of travel we were ready for some sleep.

That next morning we started the day off right in Penelope with a presentation for all of the high school students. I couldn’t believe how small it was! Of course, me coming from a school of 2,000+ Penelope was a huge culture shock! After saying our goodbyes and a few pics with the FFA truck we departed Penelope. Our next stop was Blooming Grove. Before our presentation we randomly ran into no other than the famous Area VIII President, Mr. Kyle Montgomery and the Corsicana District 1st Vice President, Phillip Page. They explained to us that they were in town for their college classes and that they were excited to see us. After that encounter we headed on to the school for our presentation. We then had a pleasant lunch with Mrs. Patrick and Katie McGraw from Blooming Grove. They were so kind they even gave us Collin Street Bakery Cookies!!!! Boy did we enjoy those! We finished our day in Corsicana with a fun presentation.

That night we were given a hotel room in Palestine, Texas to relax in before our big day in Cayuga and Sandyland District. After a wonderful dinner (even with Mason dumping his precious Sweet Tea everywhere!) with Mrs. Cox and the Cayuga Chapter Officers in Palestine, we headed back to the La Quinta for some R&R. This is where Daylon introduced me to the fine music of Dubstep Santa. If you have not seen this video check it out on YouTube. Daylon’s mind works in tremendous ways and when asked where he found this video, he replied with, “I got bored one day so I searched for Santa, and this is what came up!” So, if you ever see me or Daylon do a random arm movement and say, “bow-wow, bow-wow” in a weird tone, that is what we are referring to.

The next morning after getting lost we finally made it to Cayuga for our first presentation of the day. We had a great time in Cayuga, but our time had ended and we then headed on to Fairfield. It was spirit week in Fairfield and we happened to show up on day where most of the students were dressed up. It was awesome to see so many spirited people in one school! After a spirited presentation, we departed from Fairfield and headed off to Teague and finished our day at the Cen-Tex District meeting in Academy.

That night we stayed with no other than the Area VIII Vice President Mr. Tyler Coufal! We even got the chance to attend a fightin’ Troy Trojan football game! Needless to say we were the best cheerleaders they had ever seen! After a nice Chili’s dinner with Ms. Cassidy Cockrell we retired back to the Coufal house where we got to watch Dumb and Dumber! I had never seen Dumb and Dumber before in my life so I was very excited. Although we had to cut the movie short because we were all tired we still had a great night.

The next morning we were greeted with some AMAZING breakfast taquitos from Mrs. Coufal, an awesome morning breakfast to start the day off right! We then headed off for Troy High School, where they had the entire school out for our presentation. We had an awesome time experiencing the life of the Trojans and we even got to lead the Trojans in a cheer. We then headed onto Bruceville-Eddy and then ended our day in the hometown of George W. Bush, Crawford, Texas. We ended our Area VIII travels with Crawford’s pep rally and excitement. It had been a long fun filled week and I was sad to see it end.

We finished my travels with our travel back to Daylon’s crib in Cedar Park. We stayed the night then Mason and I left Daylon and headed back to College Station for my turn to leave the travel team. As I bid my last goodbye for the moment to Mr. President, I reminisced on the past week, of how I had been back with my Area VIII family and home. It was so good to be back in Area VIII, but now it was time for me to be with my other family, the Aggies. It was now time for my sister from another mister, Leslie Johnson, to have her time with the travel team in Area V. Good luck guys and Area VIII we’ll be on the road again in February! Until then, AREA VIII IS GREAT!!!!

Area VII: Week II

BAD NEWS! It was Sunday morning when I received a voicemail from Blaze Currie that Mason was in the hospital. Apparently over the weekend after Area III, Mason’s appendix was enlarging and he had to have it taken out. So for the next week, I rode solo. But the GOOD NEWS is that I was in my own back yard, Area VII!

School was out for Labor Day, but that night I ate with the Hondo FFA chapter at the local Mexican food restaurant. We had a lot of fun catching up and I had some of the best lemonade ever. It was brought up that some rain was coming this way, but I thought nothing of it…

RAIN!!! LOTS AND LOTS OF RAIN! That morning I presented at Hondo in the cafeteria. It was a little awkward not having Mason there at first, but with a few alterations to the presentation, I carried on. After Hondo I left to Medina Valley, but my GPS took me into the wrong direction. After making a few educated guesses and a call to Mr. Clarke, Medina Valley’s Ag Teacher, I was able to get there on time. After that, I was on my way to Geronimo, Texas. This is where the real fun began.

My mission, to cross through San Antonio, alive… Between my next school and me stood, 4 wrecks, 20 yard visibility, dense traffic, and endless RAIN! What started out as a 45-minute drive turned into an hour and a half journey. If the rain continued, I was fairly certain that I would need an ark. The GPS took me in the wrong direction again, so after asking for directions in three different areas and getting completely soaked I arrived!

I parked in the nearest parking spot at Navarro High School, I ran inside with my materials. After the presentation, I offered for everyone to come out and see the truck. However, after walking outside, I realized that I parked in the intermediate school parking lot on the other side of the school. The rain was settling and they still wanted to see the truck, so we pushed forward. It was then brought to my attention that standing between us and the truck was the intimidating, “Lake Victoria.” Lake Victoria was a massive flooded area in the parking lot. It ran about 11 inches deep and 40 feet wide. We found a way around it and took the picture for a momento.

That night I went to Canyon New Braunfels High School and attended their first meeting of the year. The food was delicious, the officers were amazing, and the members seemed to have a great time. A perfect way to start off the year. That night I played a few games of ping pong at Zach’s house and rested after a long first day of traveling by myself.

The next day I returned to Canyon New Braunfels and then went to New Braunfels High School. This day ran much more smoothly because the rain had subdued and I only had two schools. I spent my extra time getting some work done in a local McDonalds until an older gentleman noticed my jacket, which sparked a lengthy conversation. We discussed everything from the hardships of agriculture to the past, to the education system of today. That night I hit the bed early and rested up for the next day ahead.

Thursday, I gave presentations to Canyon Lake, Blanco, and LBJ High School. They all went smoothly and that day I was informed that Mason would be returning to the road with me that evening. I was super excited, because then he would be able to come to my old high school; Cedar Park!

It was nice seeing my Ag Teachers, Mr. Jack and Mr. Lakey. We gave the presentation was able to catch up for a little bit before heading off to Florence, the last school of the week. It was their homecoming so their school spirit flooded the air. After the presentation they gave us a tour of their Meat Lab, which was extremely enlightening. I knew very little about meat processing until after the tour. They sent us off with some of their beef jerky and then we were on our way to Phase 3 Training!

Area III: Week 1

Daylon and I kicked the year off strong with a week of travel in Area III. This past week has been filled with laughs, great food and the occasional Ke$ha Concert in the truck between schools. We got to meet people from all over and see just what Area III had to offer. From the GPS mishaps to the midnight pool party it was an experience to say the least!

Our travels began where my roots run strong and where all my FFA memories started my home Caney Creek. We walked into an Auditorium filled with familiar faces and some new students who had decided to join the Caney Creek Family. After the presentation and the house lights came up we saw that we had not only been presenting to agriculture students but instead…school board members, school administration and staff and also a group of Sam Houston Method students who had come in to see what exactly we were up to. Also in the crowd was a reporter for the local newspaper who helped spread the word about agriculture education and opportunities in the FFA to the community.

After Caney Creek we headed to New Caney and Porter High School. We were welcomed by some friendly faces and old friends. After speaking to a group of floral, Co. Op students and a class of greenhands about the opportunities in FFA we were off to Spring, Texas for our next adventure. Once in the Spring area Daylon and I decided to go and find some materials for our presentation which brought us to the party store! You can only imagine the two of us in a party store. I think we tried on every Halloween costume in the store and located every cool gadget imaginable. After only purchasing the materials needed for the presentation we headed to our first home stay with the great Allison Wheelright and dinner with the Klein Oak officers.

After a couple of games of pool volleyball and some dance lessons from the officers we were off to bed to get ready for the next day! We started the day with Klein Oak high school and then traveled down the road to the Klein Collins Ag Department. Once there we were able to answer the student’s questions and also learn how to find magical unicorns and how to bark like a dog (don’t ask). Then it was time to head out but not before Ms. Ressler made my day! Just as we were about to head out the door the Klein Collins Ag department gave us just what we needed…a mason jar of homemade sweet tea!

That night we stayed at Mr. Peyton Craig's house and had dinner with the Tomball FFA officers! That next morning we headed to Tomball High School where we felt just like we were at home. Daylon and I had a great time at Tomball and then it was off to College Park and Conroe High School. We meet students at both high schools who had a love for agriculture and a passion for getting involved in the FFA. After exchanging contact information and showing off the FFA truck we were off again but this time heading north.

That night we stayed with some of the sweetest people I know the Williams. We got to have an amazing home cooked meal and once again one of my favorites a big old glass of homemade sweet tea! The next day we traveled to Anderson-Shiro, Navasota and ended the day at A&M Consolidated High School were we got to play with some really cool animals called chinchillas and meet some very intelligent and successful students.

That night Ms. Carter took us out to dinner at a place called Chicken Oil and helped both me and Daylon buy our first Aggie shirts from a tent sale! The following day we traveled to Brian and Rudder High School! It was great getting to visit with students about how they could get engaged and help them understand how joining the FFA will help them in the future.

Then we were off to have lunch with our main man Mr. Will Ellis! At lunch we traded stories of how the week had gone over a great sandwich and you guessed it a large glass of sweet tea. However little did we know that night I would end up with a terrible case of Appendicitis and in the E.R. So just like in the words of a very popular song Daylon would be riding S…O…L…O for the next couples of days.

Area VII here we come!

Camp Season 2010!

It was that time of year, again. Time for powdered donuts and Coca-Cola, happy grams and Ag Olympics. Nothing can compare to all things that represent my favorite little word: "Camp". Only this year, I had a new partner in crime. Last name: Parish. First name: Mason.

It all began at the State Leadership Conference in Anna, Texas, where 74 Area officers from across the state gathered to hone their skills. The value-based training by the Ethical Leadership Fellows, the inspiring Vespers program by the Incoming State Officers, and the leadership forum by highly-respected individuals such as Stephanie Curs, Jim Prewitt, and Tom Maynard, were just a few of the many highlights in the 3 days. However, nothing can compare to the smooth, dance floor moves and the breakout sessions, where students utilized innovative approaches and let out a "word to your advisor." All of which, gave us a sense of American pride and patriotism.

It's safe to say that the extensive training of State Leadership Conference certainly paid off in the weeks following, as those officers set out to put on their respective area conferences. Though Mason and I had to miss the premier of Toy Story 3 (a moment I had been waiting on for the past decade...), it was all worth it as we watched the Area III officers facilitate one of the best conferences I've seen yet. In an effort to complete "The Amazing Race", district officer participants were met with "detours" and "road blocks", all of which built stronger, more capable teams. Maybe that's why all of those district camps were so unbelievable...

For instance, in District 7 chapter officers were challenged to "Step up to the Plate". From crazy experiences like dropping eggs from ladders (don't worry, we created parachutes for them!) to lessons on communication to a few wacky games of team ninja, toxic waste, and amoeba, we certainly had fun creating that home run. Of course that was nothing compared to eating steaks and watching "The Bachelorette" at Betsy's house. Unfortunately, we had to leave just before the steaks so that we could make it to District 5 the next morning.

Though we were only at D5 camp for a few short hours, Mason and I had a blast catching up with old friends and watching spectacular sessions by Paige, John, Jacob, Jordan, Morgan, Riann, and Clayton. Before long, we were off to District 1 Camp. We got there just in time, too! Early enough for dinner (fajitas, yum!) and (my favorite) the dance! It's safe to say that we more than survived this "Survivor"- themed camp!

The next day, we headed to District 2 for a short convention update, a chit chat with some pretty cool people, and a viewing of the camp slide show. Then, we were "On the Road Again", jamming out to Ke$ha and Justin Beiber. Oh what a ride. Before long, we were in District 3, where "All the roads of leadership lead to tomorrow". It was here that we took our stuffed monkey Tyron aka Bubbles aka Charlie aka Ricky Bobby aka Baby Carlos (and the list goes on...) for a journey of reaching our goals as chapter officers. Though poor Tyron/Bubbles/Charlie/Ricky Bobby/Baby Carlos was dropped on his head many times, he made it out alive. Thank goodness!

A few bites of pizza and then we were....LOST. We drove up and down, up and down, up and down the exact same road for a good 30 minutes. Our poor GPS was even lost. Luckily, we were able to drownd our sorrows with more of Ke$ha and Justin Beiber...and a spontaneous trip to THE PSYCHIC! Mason and I spotted a sign that read "Palm Reading Discounts!", but we didn't end up going there. We rang the door bell, got scared, and ran away. Then, off in the distance, we spotted it! A very lovely house with a SPARKLING sign. So, we rang the door bell. Nothing. We rang it again. Nothing. We called the number...and made an appointment! In the mean time, we made our way to District 6 Camp, where my "friends" attempted to tape me to the wall. Ha ha. When that didn't work, they just wrapped me in LOTS and LOTS of tape. What fun times...Before long, we were at the dance. I'm just glad my buddy, Jimmy, let me dance with him! A few more dances, one s'more, and then....we were off to THE PSYCHIC!

Though Mason and I were a tad bit worried about this decision (A black cat crossed the road AND it was thundering! I don't believe in that stuff, but it still makes you wonder...), she was quite the good psychic. She told me that I "have been travelling alot and will be moving soon". No joke. She also told me that I would receive a bunch of money very soon...dun dun dun. And she told Mason he was going to live a long life. Good to know.

Then, it was our final camp. I was back home in District 4, where they are "The Real Deal." We watched as stand-out members received awards for "Sweetheart", "Best Dancer" and "Random". However, the highlight of our few hours there was the inspiring talk by Mr. Rod Vincent from Bellville. As always, he motivated me to want to be the best that I possibly could. And with that, our camp season was officially over.

Though there will be no more s'mores, happy grams, or powdered donuts, there will be millions of fond memories with all of my friends in the great state of Texas. So, as we pack our bags and embark on new journies, let us not forget to mosey on down to Corpus Christi for the 82nd Texas FFA Convention. It's only 11 days away and is guaranteed to be the highlight of your summer. Get ready, Texas FFA! This year, "It starts with One" trip to the sparkling city by the sea!

Banquet Season

What do you get when you mix flowers, tears, plaques, and barbeque? That's right: a chapter banquet! It was already that time of year. The time when everyone breaks out the tissues, that special occassion that is noted as the "highlight of the year".

I started off at none other than good ol' Brenham High School. I must say everyone looked quite sharp in their official dress attire, and that chicken fried steak sure was yummy! I listened to the musical stylings of Miss Kyla Rae Cmajdalka (I hope I spelled that right, Kyla!) and Mr. Wesley Westbrook before hearing the many wise words of our retiring chapter officers. Of course, the highlight of my evening was watching my little sis be recognized as the 2010-2011 Brenham FFA President. I'm so proud of you, Lauren.

The next thing I knew, I was on my way to Klein Forest. It was here that I was blown away by the number of degree recipients. Talk about a lot of hard work paying off. I watched as Quad attempted not to cry during his final remarks (good try, Quad) and as the Senior members of one of my favorite officer teams hung up their jackets. Tiffany, you better keep that ghetto face on, because the new Klein Forest FFA team has an awesome year ahead of them.

Before long, I was driving...and driving...and driving...and still driving...all the way to the Irion County FFA Banquet in Mertzon, Texas. I must say, it was definitely worth the drive. For a program with a fresh start, they blew me away. Numerous state qualifying teams, the first Lone Star degree recipient in 25 years...and all because of an amazing ag teacher and his phenomenal students. I can't wait to see this chapter's name on banners for years and years to come.

By this time, I'd eaten fajitas, catfish, and even some chicken fried steak, but a banquet season isn't complete without barbeque. Luckily, I got my fill during the Sweeny FFA Banquet. I also earned myself a $10 profit from the bet that Ms. Pittman made. That one is going down in the books. And let's not forget the lovely dance moves from the Sweeny FFA Talent Team. Our next America's Got Talent contestants? I'm not too sure about that one...

That left only one more banquet: Louise FFA. This was the one where I broke out the tissues. Every time my eyes would finally dry, someone else would make them swell up with tears. All I can say is: Tana and Clint, Pa would be so proud of both of you. As if retiring addresses aren't enough to give you goosebumps, Clayton sent me over the edge. For as long as I can remember my one goal was to make a difference in one person's life...and in the process of working towards that, he made a difference in mine. Thank you so much.

And with that, I headed back home with banquets as a reflection in the rearview mirror and State Leadership Camp coming quickly in the distance. I can't wait to see what this year's SLC has in store. You 74 area officers better get ready, because it all starts with one...and that one is YOU.

Area VIII- Part III: The final week

9 months. 30,000 miles. 400 high schools. 800 presentations. 150 houses...and it all came down to one, final week. Big D and I started off our final trek through Area VIII with a visit to Cleburne, Texas. It may have been early, but eventually, everyone was out of their seats having a great time. Of course, I can't forget our quick conversation with Tori, Pete, and Boots afterwards; we got the down-low on life in Cleburne. Next, we headed to Alvarado, where we had a blast learning about the students and their plans after high school. Our last stop of the day was Jimmy's in Midlothian...it may have been a teeny-tiny bit out of the way, but how can we turn down delicious Italian food with the coolest kids around?!

Our tasty lunch made me REALLY sleepy, so we stopped by Kayla Threet's house for a 3-hour snooze. I love days like that! Before long, we were in Italy, Texas for chicken spaghetti and the greatest brownies known to man. Haley's mama sure is a good cook! Don't worry, though, we also made a stop by the Uptown Cafe (recognized by Texas Monthly as one of the top 40 small-town cafes) for lunch after our presentation, and it certainly lived up to Dan's promises as "the best food ever". Thanks, Dan the Man. We ended our day in Frost, home of the Polar Bears. They didn't lie when they said there would be pictures of the mascot EVERYWHERE. I've never seen so many polar bears in my life!

Next, we headed on over to Hillsboro for the Lake Whitney District Convention. Talk about stiff competition. There were FIFTEEN candidates for district office, and they all gave astounding speeches. I, personally, was excited to hear a candidate begin her speech with the creed in Spanish. If you can do that too, make sure to sign up for the first-ever Spanish Creed Speaking Invitational that will take place at the 82nd Texas FFA Convention. After listening to all of the speeches, I must say that all of the candidates rocked it up there! Congratulations to all of the newly-elected Lake Whitney District officers and Area VIII officer candidates!

It had been a long day, for sure, which means it was time to rest our head...IN A CAMPER! Mr. Key set up the coolest stay for us in Joshua. He stocked his brand-new camper full of cokes and snacks just for us. Talk about the coolest house-stay ever! I even got to watch "Chopped" on the Food Network. It doesn't get much better than that. We woke up the next morning for what would be our very last day on the road. Dakotah kept trying to make me cry...but I held strong! Go me! After some tasty chicken biscuits from Chik-fil-a and an awesome presentation, we headed to Godley. It was there that I got to see my buddy Ryan (I haven't seen him in at least 6 years...crazy where you run into people!), and eat at the locally-acclaimed Taco del Norte with Jeremy. Yum! Then came the moment I had been dreading all year...our last school, the final time, the grand finale. Luckily, we ended our year with a big bang in Tolar. All of the seniors even stayed for our presentation, despite the fact that they were out of class. Thanks guys!

With that, we packed up our box for the final time. There would be no more "IDK", "BFF", "LOL" or "OMG". No more balloon games or rubber bands on people's noses. No more simon says. We were done. Was it sad? Yes. Did I cry? Absolutely not. We may have finished travel, but that just means we are closer to the 82nd Texas FFA Convention. This year, it starts with one concert by Kyle Park, one dance with over 5,000 students, one Vegas-themed fun night, and one chance to hang out with 15,000 of your friends. So, FFA members, get excited! Get pumped! Get ready for the convention of a lifetime in Corpus Christi, Texas, where "It Starts with One"!

Oklahoma FFA Convention

What do Sonic, parking meters, shoppinng carts, Reba McEntire, Lane Frost, Braum's, and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame have in common? That's right, they all came from "Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain..." (fyi: that's a song from the musical "Oklahoma"). There's only one thing from this great state that can top any #3 Extra-long cheese coney or cup of Braum's mint chocolate ice cream (a nearly impossible feat). What is that, you may ask? It's the Oklahoma FFA Convention, held every year in Oklahoma City during the month of April.

Kaleb and I arrived on Monday afternoon for a meal with the Fresh Country gang and a chit chat with the Oklahoma State FFA Officers. I must admit, it made me a teeny-tiny bit jittery inside to hear them practice opening ceremonies. There's just something completely exciting, overwhelming, and mind-blowing about a FANTASTIC rendition of those famous ceremony parts...(after reading that sentence over, I realized just how big of a nerd I am. ha ha.) Of course, that practice had nothing on the first general session of the 84th Oklahoma FFA Convention.

"Bring 'em out, bring 'em out" blared through the speakers, lasers danced onto the screens, and lights flashed into the crowd. Then, in the midst of anticipation, came Amy, McKenzie, Josh, Robby, Emily, Tara, Ariel, and Kelli emerged from backstage...each followed by chapter officer carrying a GIGANTIC, blown-up picture of the state officer's head (hard to explain but SO COOL!) With the tap of a gavel, the convention was brought to order...and thus, the beginning of a very fast 2 days.

We saw everything from video footage to inspirational speakers, heard everything from piano players to the final address of Amy Peel, and tasted everything from pasta to convention pretzels. We offered up some "awesome" greetings on behalf of Texas FFA, presented a workshop for 200 enthusiastic Oklahomans, showed off our Texas two-stepping moves, jammed out to Eli Young band, and made friends with the 2010-2011 State Officer candidates. Talk about a good time.

Before we knew it, we were headed back to Texas. Good-bye to the home of Sonic, parking meters, shopping carts, and cute cowboys...and hello, Lone Star state. Only 3 more days of travel left. So stay tuned as we head to our final destination of the year. It's gonna be great when we're in Area 8!

Area IV- Part II

We’ve been driving…and driving…and driving…and driving. Trust me, we have seen it all. We have seen a dozen beautiful red sunsets, a million bright yellow stars, and miles of fertile brown land. Then, on Monday, we were re-introduced to a color that we hadn’t seen in quite some time: GREEN. We saw green trees, green bushes, and even some green grass. Right about the time that we started to forget what the color green looked like, we pulled into good ole Area IV.

We started our week off in Quanah with a trip to Subway (a fabulous lunch despite the lack of black olives and the large Dr. Pepper Kaleb spilled all over the floor) and a history lesson on the success of their program. Did you know that Quanah FFA had 3 State FFA officers IN A ROW?! I, personally, was quite impressed. Before long, we were heading down the road to Crowell, where Aron played a quick tennis match against Wendy and JD. Kaleb and I never really got to the match part; it took us a while to even master swinging the racket correctly.

That night, the Vaughns cooked us up a feast of Windthorst classics: pork chops, German sausage, sour kraut, beans, pumpkin rolls, and apple crisp. In the words of Kaleb McLaurin, it was “awesome, just awesome, like really awesome. Man, it was awesome. It was so…” That’s right. “Awesome.” The next morning, we finished up the presentation in Windthorst and headed to Iowa Park. We were so early! Woo hoo! Go us! If only we had read the schedule correctly and gone to the right school…epic fail.

So, we trucked it on over to City View for our actual presentation. Before long, we were headed back to Iowa Park (this time, we got the time right) for a tasty lunch and a chit chat with the gang. With that, we had successfully completed our day. We had two hours of free time, so being the responsible, studious state officers that we are, we figured we would do some work on the computer. While on our way to Hastings, we spotted a Starbucks off in the distance and re-routed our trip…but instead of doing work, we had a nice, long chat with Mr. Alejandro. It wasn’t until later that we learned of the five people that were shot that afternoon…in the Hastings we had originally planned on going to. Talk about getting lucky.

A skip, a hop, and a jump later, we were in Olney for a bite to eat at Don Antonio’s. Mmm…nothing beats homemade tortillas. After a jam session, an intense basketball (which Kaleb surprisingly won), a viewing of Air Tractor, a meet-and-greet with the Olney administration, and a presentation, we were “on the road again”. This time, we were headed to Graham, where we had a great time cutting up with their FFA members and enjoying a TASTY burger at Burgers and Billiards. Lastly, we finished our travels in the thriving metropolis of Bryson, Texas.
With that, we waved good-bye to the lush green lands of Area IV. Not to worry, though, we still have 3 whole days left of travel! Stay tuned for our final blog from the road!

Area I- Part II

I had been counting down the days, and the time had finally come. That’s right! It was time for another girl to be in the truck. Katie and I only get a few opportunities to out-number the boys, and this was one of them! Needless to say, we were quite stoked to be back in Area I; don’t worry though, we didn’t make Kaleb listen to Taylor Swift…not too often anyway.

We started our journey in Childress, Texas, with a FANTASTIC dinner (a failed attempt at starting a diet) and some tunes from Ty and the guys. Needless to say, we had a blast listening to the soon-to-be-famous musicians! Before long, we were making our way to Fort Elliot, home of Tommy Meek. We had quite a feast ready for us to eat at the Meek’s house: everything from shrimp to steak to tator tots to beans…and even some cereal (another failed attempt at starting a diet). At least we worked it off with some intense games of pool!

The next day, we stopped by to see our friends in Wheeler and to munch on some tasty food at Maxi’s. Thanks for lunch, guys! With full bellies and a decision to nix all ideas of starting a diet, we made our way to Miami to chit chat with their FFA members. It was about that time that Kaleb solicited Katie’s advice on directions…BAD DECISION. We figured we were going in the wrong direction when we turned around and saw “Welcome to Texas” in big letters. Oops. After a few games of Wii with Lynlee and Lane, a presentation in Follet, and a meal at The Cattle Exchange (the BEST RESTAURANT EVER!) in Canadian, we decided to leave the state again…this time, on purpose. In a matter of minutes, we had passed the “Welcome to Oklahoma” sign AND the “Welcome to Kansas” sign. It was quite the trip, if I do say so myself.

Of course, our stop in Liberal, Kansas had nothing on the breakfast that the Lefors FFA members cooked up or the hamburgers that the Pampa FFA members prepared. We certainly did NOT go hungry on that day! It was amazing that we had already completed one week in the Panhandle. No worries, though, we still had a good 5 days of power over Kaleb!

We began our second week in the Panhandle with a few classroom presentations in Claude, a stop by Highland Park, and a visit with the freshmen in Vega. That night, the Underwoods fed us a TON of delicious food (it’s a good thing we gave up on that diet), while we listened to David, Dennis, Tommy, and Kaley tell stories. After our presentation in Dimmit, we headed down the road to Springlake-Earth and then to our last stop of the day in Cotton Center; we had an amazing time hanging out with Mr. Howe and all of the students there.

In the blink of an eye, we were already in Idalou for a home-town baseball game, a bite of Mexican food, and a ride in “The Little Red Truck”. Next, we made our way to Petersburg, where Tracey announced that given a choice of any animal, he’d be a tiger. Good choice, Tracey! After an Oreo blizzard from Dairy Queen, we headed to Floydada High School and then to Kaleb’s aunt and uncle’s house. They had the most comfortable chair in the whole, wide world. I didn’t even realize that I had fallen asleep until Kaleb woke me up…3 hours later.

That night, we ate a delicious steak dinner at the Burson’s house in Silverton. After hearing the crazy stories of their boys growing up, I have come to a conclusion: I’m glad I grew up with a sister. Ha ha. Just kidding…well, kind of. The next morning, we traveled to Valley for the most delicious homemade cinnamon rolls ever created and a long conversation with their chapter members. We even found out why they call Blake “little pig”: his last name is pig. Who would have guessed? Before long, we were eating pizza in Tulia and finishing up the day in Plainview.

Before we knew it, we had reached our final moments of out-numbering Kaleb. It was okay, though. Our breakfast with the Frenship FFA officers certainly made up for it. After those pancakes, even the rain couldn’t get us down! We may have looked like drowned rats during our presentation, but we didn’t mind. We left Frenship for our last presentation of Area I at Lubbock-Cooper High School, home of Miss Katie Heinrich. I must say, it was a great ending to a fun-filled journey through the top of Texas.

Those two weeks of girl power may be over, but our travels through Texas are not. We only have a few days left, but there is no doubt that they will be filled with a lifetime of memories.

Area II- Part II

It starts with one…pair of clothes. It was the week we had all been looking forward to. The one we had dreamed about since the beginning of our year. The one that almost every state officer wanted to be a part of. It was the week we traveled to the very edge of Texas. It was our final week in Area II.

It all began with a trip to Austin for the Texas FFA Board meeting. At one o’ clock, we were set to head out for the trip of our lives. At the last minute, we had an open spot for the road. Who jumped up to opportunity? Our Area VI Vice-President, Layton Norwood. He is a man of many talents…and only one pair of clothes. The rest had been left at home, as he had no previous plans to travel. No worries, though! We would surely find a Walmart somewhere…

Five hours later, there was still no Walmart. It wasn’t until later that we learned that West Texas does NOT believe in Walmart. Or cell phone service. They do, however, have the GREATEST trash can burritos that you have ever tasted! “What is a trash can burrito?” you may ask. Well, we aren’t exactly sure. In the words of Mr. Fox (the Alpine FFA advisor), “It’s everything that they would otherwise put in the trash…So, don’t ask. Just eat.” We certainly did a lot of that! We made our way to Ft. Davis, Texas with a full belly. If you ever wonder what the 8th world wonder is, you can find it there. I’ve never been anywhere more beautiful than Ft. Davis. That drive will change your life. I promise. And the students there aren’t too far off from the magnificent scenery. We loved getting to sit back and chit chat with them.

Before long, Mr. Womack sent us on our way to Pecos. It was here that we saw where the 1st rodeo was held, the same arena where they filmed the movie “8 Seconds”. Talk about a Texas landmark! Soon enough, we began the long trek to Dell City. We drove. And drove. And drove. And drove. And drove. What did we see? Nothing. Not a gas station. Not a car. Not any sign of life for a good 179.12 miles. We did, however, find the tallest peak in Texas: the Guadalupe Mountains. Naturally, we stopped for a photo op and a hike up McKitrick Canyon. We were out of breath by the first mile, though. So, we turned around, hopped back in the truck, and kept on truckin’. Finally, we made it to the thriving metropolis of Dell City, Texas, where we visited with a majority of the high school. All 28 of them. In Dell City, it’s all about quality over quantity, and they certainly have mastered the quality part.

96 miles down the road, we spotted something we hadn’t seen in quite some time: a gas station. Poor old Mr. Truck was getting quite thirsty after all of his hard work! And we were starting to get hungry. Luckily, the Wittes had PLENTY of food for us. We ate hamburgers, chips, salsa, popsicles, you name it, and we worked it all off with an intense basketball game, an exciting pool tournament, and a relaxing visit to Olga the Massage Chair. To top it all off, we took our picture with the fence on the US/Mexico border the next morning before an awesome presentation at Clint High School. We love you guys!!

Our last stop was Coronado High School in El Paso. We tried out the famous queso at Avilas and watched the dust storm make the mountains disappear before our eyes. We ended our day with a campfire and some good conversations. What better way is there to end a perfect week? Well…almost end, that is.

We had been told that the fastest way to get from El Paso back to Lubbock was through New Mexico. After lunch with Dusty Anderson, New Mexico FFA officer, and his friends: Cooper and Seth, we continued our trek back to Lubbock. It was then, though, that we “accidently” missed a turn and drove to Ruidoso, New Mexico (only a few minutes out of the way) for a spontaneous ski trip. We spent 3 hours searching for a cheap hotel on the internet, dumped out all of Kaleb’s clothes to find the appropriate layers (for once, it’s a good thing he packs like a girl!), and hadn’t quite thought through how Layton would get home BUT we had the BEST TIME EVER! Despite the fact that Layton couldn’t get off the lift without falling, Kaleb couldn’t keep his skis on, and I landed with every article of equipment in a different direction, we all came out alive!

Layton still only has his one pair of clothes (official dress shoes, basketball shorts, and the shirts that FFA chapters gave him), but it was all worth it. It doesn’t get much better than a trash can burrito, a viewing of the 1st rodeo arena in the world, a hike through the canyon, a basketball game, a dust storm, a meal with our New Mexico buddies, and a ski trip…all in one. Ladies and gentleman, they were right. This was the week that we had been looking forward to. The one that every state officer wanted to be a part of. The one that we had all dreamed about. Only better.

Area V- Part III

Suitcases? Check. Miley Cyrus on the radio? Check. Mr. Moo Moo (Jeremiah’s stuffed cow) in the front seat? Check. A DELICIOUS meal at Babe’s Chicken Dinner House? Check. Check. We hopped out of the truck in the big town of Chico, Texas, ready to tackle our final Area V school. Kaleb and Jeremiah took a gander at their red cattle trailer, while I had an interesting conversation about McDonald’s french fries, the movie Shutter Island, and the band Motion City Soundtrack with a group of guys in the classroom. 2 presentations and some interesting conversations later, we were on the road again. I must say, though, that we ended our Area V adventures on a strong note with a great chapter.

After a fantastic taco dinner at Rachel’s house in Weatherford and a nice, long snooze, we headed to the Weatherford Invitational to scope out the range, land, livestock, and horse judging contests. Then, we took our favorite birthday boy, Aron Hutchins, out to lunch at Montana’s. Before we knew it, we were already in Stephenville for the Tarleton CDE Invitational. Despite the fact that Dakotah ripped his pants (he he), we had a fantastic day full of taking pictures and hanging out with members from all across the state. Congrats to everyone who participated in the largest CDE in the world!

Finally, we made our way on over to Austin, Texas, to meet with National officers, Randa Braune and Levy Randolph. Our tasty meal at Texas Land and Cattle had nothing on the conversations we encountered with Mr. Fischer, a proud supporter of the National FFA Organization, who has lived all over the world while working in the agricultural industry. Needless to say, he had quite the stories to tell! Soon enough, though, we were whisked away to the Star of Texas Rodeo for our final destination of the week.

Now, with our iPod plugged into the truck and our cameras ready for picture-taking, we will make our way out to Area II. So, get ready to hear the stories from our gazillion hour trip to God’s country. We are sure to make a few memories on our way to that part of the world!

National Ag Day in Washington D.C.

No swimsuits, sunscreen, or flip flops for me. No sir. This wasn’t your average spring breaks trip. Instead, it was goodbye, Texas and hello, Washington DC! I was headed to The Hill for National Agricultural Day. Woo hoo!!

Needless to say, I was super excited to be back. My congressional visits had been scheduled. My research had been done. My plane had arrived safely…now my only problem was that I had to hail a cab to get to the National 4-H Center, where we would be staying. Oh dear. I waved my hand. No one stopped. I tried to yell. No one stopped (but I did get a few odd looks). Finally, I gave up and decided I might have to make the 3 mile hike on foot. As you may already know, I have ZERO sense of direction. So, I wasn’t even sure which way I should start walking. I glanced around, attempted to make an educated guess, and began my trek (with suitcase in hand). 2 minutes and a few blocks later, I decided that was NOT going to happen. 3 miles was WAY TOO LONG of a walk. It was then that I caught sight of The Cheesecake Factory. Brilliant! I would have them call a cab for me! Well, I thought it was a good idea; the lady at the hostess stand did not. She just looked at me like I was nuts. It’s not my fault there are no taxis in Brenham, Texas! So, I started off again. I walked. And I walked. And I walked. And I walked. And I walked. And I walked. And FINALLY, a taxi stopped for me!!! He may have only driven me the remaining mile, but I was quite proud of my newly acquired taxi-hailing skills!

The rest of my trip was much, much less frustrating. I started off the next day with coffee and a speech from the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. Then, it was off for a meeting with Texas Senator John Cornyn. In the short few minutes that I spent with Senator Cornyn, we covered a lot of topics- everything from his support of Texas FFA’s Ag Day at the Capital to the resolution that he co-sponsored in an attempt to increase beef exports to Japan. Next up was Congressman Neugebeur of Lubbock, whom I had the opportunity to talk about our 2012 State Convention in Lubbock with. Before I knew it, I was sitting in Josh Maxwell’s office discussing Environmental Protection Agency guidelines and the upcoming Farm Bill. It was good to get the down-low on agricultural issues from a fellow Aggie! Finally, I got a few minutes to catch up with Past National and State Officer, Casey Hogan, and Past State Officer, Tate Rosenbusch, both from Texas. It amazes me to think that only a few years back, they were in my shoes. Texas FFA sure knows how to take you to new heights!

A quick luncheon and a few hours later, I was back at the airport. And this time, I did NOT have to hail a cab! My trip was short- less than 24 hours- but there is no doubt about it, it was the most educational spring break trip I’ve ever taken!