Monday, March 14, 2011
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Area VI: Week IX
Sonic… $14.93, Fuel… $125, spending a week with Mason and Daylon traveling Area VI… priceless! We jus
t 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 Mexica
n 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 birth
day 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.
t 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 Mexica
n 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 birth
day 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.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
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 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!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
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
Monday, November 22, 2010
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