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.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
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!
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!
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!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Area III- Part IV
"There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home." No lie. It may have taken me almost 200 days on the road to figure it out (all of which were UNBELIEVABLE), but Dorothy was right: there really is no place like home.
We started off our final trip to Area III in Rockdale, Texas, with some home-cooked lasagna and a viewing of a pretty hillarious movie. Before long, we had finished our breakfast tacos, completed our Rockdale presentation, and were on our way to the big town of Cameron. Despite what all of their chapter officers told me, I am still convinced that we could train an alligator to walk on a leash; that is my new goal in life! Next, we made a quick stop by Caldwell before making our way on over to Colllege Station.
Wings 'N More was only the beginning of an eventful evening with the A&M Consolidated FFA members. After our delicious meal, we attempted (key word: attempted) to go ice skating. Fortunately for us, there is only a 1 in 15,287 chance breaking a femur. Good to know. Luckily, we all survived the experience and were able to make it to our presentation the next morning. There, we met our very 1st chinchilla. Those are the coolest animals EVER. After I train my alligator to walk on a leash, I'm going to buy a pet chinchilla.
Once the guys dragged me away from that furry rabbit/squirrel creature, we headed to Bryan and then to Navasota. We had quite the enthusiastic crowd in Navasota. Poor, Brian. I told him if he did 200 push ups I'd give him my number...at least he got in his daily workout in. : ) Needless to say, we ended our week on a "strong" note. Ha ha.
Now, we're off to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for the state Tractor Tech contest and the Ag Awarness Day Leadership Forum. Woo hoo! Wherever our travels take us, though, we will never forget that there really is "no place like home".
We started off our final trip to Area III in Rockdale, Texas, with some home-cooked lasagna and a viewing of a pretty hillarious movie. Before long, we had finished our breakfast tacos, completed our Rockdale presentation, and were on our way to the big town of Cameron. Despite what all of their chapter officers told me, I am still convinced that we could train an alligator to walk on a leash; that is my new goal in life! Next, we made a quick stop by Caldwell before making our way on over to Colllege Station.
Wings 'N More was only the beginning of an eventful evening with the A&M Consolidated FFA members. After our delicious meal, we attempted (key word: attempted) to go ice skating. Fortunately for us, there is only a 1 in 15,287 chance breaking a femur. Good to know. Luckily, we all survived the experience and were able to make it to our presentation the next morning. There, we met our very 1st chinchilla. Those are the coolest animals EVER. After I train my alligator to walk on a leash, I'm going to buy a pet chinchilla.
Once the guys dragged me away from that furry rabbit/squirrel creature, we headed to Bryan and then to Navasota. We had quite the enthusiastic crowd in Navasota. Poor, Brian. I told him if he did 200 push ups I'd give him my number...at least he got in his daily workout in. : ) Needless to say, we ended our week on a "strong" note. Ha ha.
Now, we're off to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo for the state Tractor Tech contest and the Ag Awarness Day Leadership Forum. Woo hoo! Wherever our travels take us, though, we will never forget that there really is "no place like home".
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