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!