Sunday 1/2/11 at South Dakota and Indy
Loading the plane again back to Indy after a great break with family and friends. I was able to be at home for two weeks were a great Christmas was had and 2011 was brought in with my two of my sisters (one in California and the other in China)…I love webcamsJ It was really cool being in the Sioux Falls Airport because I was able to see several friends from SDSU that were on my same flight to Chicago. They were on their way to Argentina. I also saw one of my professors that I had this last semester and she is doing very well.
Shannon and I both had long lay overs in Chicago so we were able to see each other in the airport for a while (crazy that we both have the same destination but we were on different planes). We both landed about the same time in Indy so we road together from the airport to the hotel…which turned out to be a little more adventurous than we first thought. So I started driving like normal and things were dandy to say the least. We were catching up on what each of us did on break and what not and then we had to make a decision, 465 South or North (we could not remember). We both had a gut feeling to go on 465 North and as we took the exit ramp there was a whole bunch of construction and things just didn’t look right. We made the decision to turn around before we got too far. Yes, I know that we both had access to a map but we wanted to try and figure this out on our own. We drove for a spell and this didn’t look right at all and after a multitude of discussion and U-turns, we finally navigated our way around the entire city because 465 goes around the city in one big loop. This gave Shannon and I some great bonding time…she is one amazing individual! We finally made it back to the hotel and grabbed a bite to eat before bedding down for the night.
Monday 1/3/11 at Indy
We spent the entire day gearing up for Experience Week. This is one week were all of us national officers travel across one state (this year it is Tennessee) and we basically do everything that we would every have to do throughout our year in this one week and we get some great feedback and coaching. It did take us the whole day to finish flip charts, gather supplies, go over some brand new curriculum, develop a greetings and a close, work on our keynotes, complete some odds and ends (like business expense reports and such), and also write some thank yous-always need to make time for those!
Tuesday 1/4/11 at Indy and Nashville, Tennessee
Today was very similar to Monday in that we worked and prepared as well as focused on packing once again for the next trip. It was nice to have two full days to hammer out all of what we needed to get done.
Wednesday 1/5/11 at Indy and Nashville, Tennessee
Once again the day started with loading up on the plane…I loved Big Bird growing up but had no idea I would be spending a year one my life with big birds! We landed in Nashville Tennessee and were picked up by Mr. Mosley and Mr. Lannom who are state staff for Tennessee. We had one large van and let me tell you, we have become expert packers with suitcases and people. The van ride was short and we checked into our hotel then were on our way to eat dinner with some of the state officers. It was amazing getting to meet Julie, Emily, Caycey, and Heath. For the first time ever I had fried pickles; they are great!
Thursday 1/6/11 at Columbia, Ellington Ag. Center, and other areas around Tennessee
We started out the morning at the Tennessee Farm Bureau which is the largest state Farm Bureau in the nation. After some greetings and workshops we hit the road again for some more time with FFA members and visit the state department of Ag. It was a beautiful facility and we then toured the agricultural museum. It was a neat setup and very educational. They had an old tree saw there and Heath and I as well as James and I tried our hand at being a lumberjack.
Friday 1/7/11 at the Wilson Central HS (James’s school) and Tennessee Tech
Another day filled with workshops and speeches. We arrived at Wilson Central HS which is James’s home chapter and they provided us with breakfast before the day’s events. We met another state officer: Todd (which it was kind of crazy to learn that he was in South Dakota two years ago with the Red Angus Jr. Nationals and sat in on a workshop that I did for it in Sioux Falls at Falls Park). I gave my keynote to several of the students there in the auditorium. It was fun to talk about becoming a superhero…”GO GO POWERANGERS!!!!”
We then traveled to Tennessee Tech where many FFA members from around the area came to visit with us and attend some of our workshops and we also met up with another state officer: Marissa. It was a lot smaller audience than we were expecting because many schools had called off school for the day for snow and bad weather. It was still a great time that is for sure.
We then were able to go change and relax at Dr. Frazier’s home. I have heard so much about Dr. Frazier and it was a pleasure to finally meet him. Another of the state officers also met us there: Westlee. Later on that night was ate again with the state staff and officers and has a great time where I ate alligator (I have had it before but I love it). After our meal, we traveled to Camp Clements which is the state FFA camp. We spent the evening setting up for our day conference. Also, the state officers and all of us had a nice litter dance party to bring the day to a close…
Saturday 1/8/11 at Camp Clements
Today was the start of something great. We started the day off with a very great breakfast and then geared up for “CSI Agent Tennessee.” We met the eighth and final state officer: Syrena. Again, the weather turned out to keep some from making it to the camp but we had about thirty super cool members that were ready to investigate themselves and make some great decisions. One of the decisions was a commitment that a group of us made. Heath, Lauren, Gina, Peyton, Lindsey, Chelsea, and I made an agreement to try to write one thank you note a day. This team is focused and driven to try our best at doing this and to keep each other accountable. I am very thankful for these friends to help me become better and more appreciative of the people and blessings in my life.
After goodbyes, we had a great evening with the state officers that remained at the camp and would be with us throughout the next few days. Before some of the officers had to leave, they introduced us to Moon Pies and Sun Drop pop (like Mountain Dew on steroids…you can just imagine what caffeine like that did to me for the rest of the nightJ). Those who did stay were Emily, Marissa, and Westlee. We had a great time playing four on a couch and just hanging out. If there is one thing that I love, it is late night conversations about life and what makes people happy. I was blessed to have such a conversation with Westlee and was very impressed by how driven he is for service and others (two things that make me smile).
Sunday 1/9/11 at Camp Clements and Greenville, TN
The alarm did not go off near as early this morning and I was very appreciative for a little R&R. We spent most of the day traveling, eating, and chatting it up (three things that I am a huge fan of). Traveling much further east in Tennessee was beautiful. The mountains and tree make me see God’s AWEsome power. There is something about seeing the beauty of nature that reminds me of God’s greatness as well as His love for people. I totally understand why so many farmers and ranchers love working in with nature…so much for the eyes to behold.
Monday 1/10/11 at Greenville, Chucky-Doak HS, and Jonesboro, TN (the International Storytelling Center)
The night brought with it more snow which caused some cancellations in the schedule but we were still able to go the Chucky-Doak HS and visit with several members over breakfast. These members came to school in Official Dress even when school had been cancelled…that is dedication for success. After a couple hours with these members, we blazed a trail to Jonesboro which is home to the International Storytelling Center! A couple of my teammates gave their keynote messages and James gave a workshop to the members that once again braved the weather and the roads to get there. I was pretty excited about a comment that was given to me and two members that I was sitting by over lunch; Julia and Jessica. One advisor sat down at our table with a couple other gentlemen and she said that she wanted to sit at the adult table…I think that means that I am growing up and maturing?!?!? Maybe…
Tuesday 1/11/11 at Knoxville and Arkansas
Our last morning in Tennessee was bitter sweet. I have really enjoyed my time here and have really made some long-lasting friendships with many. That is one thing I am learning as a national officer; it is always hard to leave the people that I have already grown to love and appreciate but I know full well that where we are going, I will meet even more great people. Stay amazing Tennessee!!!!
The plane ride was delayed from bad weather but we were able to get to Dallas, TX and get a different flight to Northwest Arkansas still that night. I sat by Rita on the plane ride to Arkansas and she is one of the sweetest people that I know. Not only was she very encouraging to me but she was very interested in learning more from me. She and her husband are now retired but they have lived in so many places (including North Dakota) in the US and overseas as he was in the military. We talked about finding the value in each person that we meet and to never have stereotypes. We arrived late into Arkansas but we made it to the hotel with all of our bags.
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