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"!
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