“Experience the Legacy”
May 4th, 2008, our first SOPD meeting (State Officer Planning Day). Crashing at Sydney’s sister’s apartment, after sleeping in I woke up, around 9:30 to shower, and get all ready in my Official Dress! Leaving Minneapolis at 11:00 we headed to the state fair grounds to meet for our meeting at the FFA Leadership Center, but not before we stopped for a late breakfast at a bagel shop, I have to have my coffee. It was so great to see everyone’s smiling faces again; it was the first time the team had been together since Blast Off! Taking the time to visit with one another, we all got a chance to share what we have been up to since Blast Off. A lot of officers shared about their graduations, and summer jobs. For myself, there has been very little time spent on the farm (which I missL). I shared all about the FFA events I had attended and time I had spent with the family. I think the most enjoyable time I have had away from the FFA this summer has been when my family. I went to our cabin on the lake by Faribault to put the dock and boat lift in the water. I got to work on my tan, have a picnic, and take my 2 nieces, Ella and Katie, fishing. Boy, you should have seen the looks on their faces when we were reeling in those Sunnies. Once all of us were done sharing about our summer, lunch had arrived.
Now it was time to get to work. Mrs. Sheryl Meshke from AMPI joined us to help develop ideas and steer us in the right direction for choosing our theme. She reminded us about our goals, key messages, and who we want our theme to target. After about 3 hours of guidance it was time for us to start brainstorming. Before we knew it we had flip charts full of theme ideas. Each of us chose our top 5 favorites, and then we decided to sleep on it and see which themes grew on us. After our meeting the whole officer team went out to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, which in my book is always a good choice. Making good time, we were able to make it to the movie theater in time for the early show, so all of us enjoyed a movie with one another. I can honestly say I was one of about 10 guys in the movie theater; it was “defiantly a chick flick”, but I had a great time. It was great to see the team again and have everyone together.
May 5th 2008 needing to be to the fairgrounds a bit earlier that the prior morning, Sydney, Kaylee, Justin, and I were up earlier and had the truck loaded by 7:30, making a stop once again at the bagel shop for breakfast. We soon got underway with our meeting diving right into our camp curriculum. All of us were excited to see what our workshops were and who we were presenting with. We went through SGLC day-by-day. Once that was over, we met with our partners for our workshops to get an idea of what we wanted to do and what materials we would need.
Once again we returned to choosing our state theme. After everyone having some time to think about what they liked we brained stormed a bit more. We got it! We came up with the 2008-2009 Minnesota FFA theme, representing our 80th Anniversary. “Experience the Legacy.” So there it is MN FFA, our theme for the year, I hope you like it, because I am sure excited about it Legacy: something that is handed down or remains from a previous generation or time
Until next time Stationed by the Door:
Peter Thome
Monday, June 9, 2008
Region VI FFA Camp
Region VI FFA camp:
May 2nd 2008. Well, time to hit the road once more, but not getting things done at home first. Making it an early morning, getting up at 4:45 to load pigs by 5:15, and complete my morning chores, proved to be the start of a grueling day. Finally hitting the road around 9:00 to meet Sydney in Mankato, I was finding myself multi tasking again; eating my breakfast, making sure I had everything, talking on the phone, thinking of state theme ideas, and the most important thing, enjoying my 3rd cup of coffee for the day (I have to have it.) Arriving in Mankato around 11:00, I parked my car at the Minnesota Pork Producers office, and went inside and gave my friends a hello. I worked with the MNPB a year ago as I was the 2007 MN Pork Ambassador. Lucky for Sydney and myself, they had a projector we could use for our workshops, thank you!!!! Once we had the entire back of Sydney’s truck loaded with luggage, bathroom bags, workshop supplies we hit the road for Willmar. Traveling a part of the state I don’t get to see much, I was excited to look at the crops and the country side, and who else better to share it with than your State Reporter, Ms. Sydney Place, (boy can she talk your ear off.) rolling into Willmar at 2:00 we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few supplies and get on our way. After turning around a few times and making a few phone calls we finally found the Sibley State Park. Kids were running around and music was playing when we pulled in; I knew this was going to be a fun time! We got a friendly welcome and the plans for the evening from Mr. Launoe (Tracy style), Mr. Launoe (Marshal style), Mr. Sawatzke and Ms. Hoffman. After finding our cabins, we soon jumped into meeting campers! Once rec. time was over we enjoyed a tasty meal made by Miss Hoffman, then it was time for our first session. Working with Brad Launoe, out National Officer Candidate CONGRATS BRAD, Sydney and I presented “What is FFA”? With more rec. time to follow, and a bonefire, Sydney and I gave a reflection around the fire to the campers, I spoke about “building you foundation” and where else that the FFA would be better than that. After the bonefire, kids were able to hang out then lights out by 11:00. Now time for planning! Sydney and I made our flip charts and organized out materials for our workshops for the next day. Being up for about 18 hours now, it was time to hit the hay!
May 3rd 2008. Wow! I didn’t wake up once through the night, I must have been that tired, or that old bunk bed must have been comfy! Waking up to my internal alarm clock, even though I could have slept in, I was up lying in bed at 6:30 listening to the birds chirping, and the rest of the wilderness around me at the state park. Getting my wonderful bacon, eggs, and pancakes from Miss H. filled me right up! Playing the weather by ear, the campers had their rec. time and were soon on their nature hike to “hill top”. While the campers were gone, Sydney and I went through our workshops one more time. Happy Gram time!!! Waiting for the campers to make their way back to camp, we took the time to write some happy grams to the campers. By now it was lunch time, and the campers had a chance to change and have a short rec. time. Diving into our first session, Sydney and I presented “Living to Serve.” Making the session as fun as possible, we taught the campers about what service is and how they can create a service project in their chapters, and community. The next session we presented again tied into service along with goal setting. Informing the campers on S.M.A.R.T. goals, and allowing them to take the time to make their own, it was interesting to connect with the young members of region VI and to also see the wheels turning, as they jotted them down on a card to place in their FFA jackets. During this time the South Dakota FFA Officer team arrived. Getting to meet them was very fun; I can’t wait to see them again at NLCSO. Without even realizing what time it was, it was time to start thinking about packing our bags, and hitting the road. Completing my final happy grams and good-byes, we loaded up the truck and hit the road. Sydney and I, both wishing we could stay for the entire camp, and the dance, had to be in the cities for our first SOPD meeting (State Officer Planning Day.) having one of the most fun, interesting, and laid back car rides, we arrived to the cities around 7:00. Meeting Sydney’s sister, we went to the mall to buy Sydney new official dress shoes. From there we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Making our way to the UofM campus we went to DTS fraternity. My best friend Sam Holst is a member, along with some other good friends of mine. Catching up on our summers, and old times, it was finally bed time.
I am very thankful Sydney asked me to be her presenting partner for this camp! I feel it prepared me for our upcoming state camps. Great thanks to Brad Launoe and all the advisors who invited us to be a part of this fun camp! I really enjoyed myself, who would have thought Region VI could be so fun?
May 2nd 2008. Well, time to hit the road once more, but not getting things done at home first. Making it an early morning, getting up at 4:45 to load pigs by 5:15, and complete my morning chores, proved to be the start of a grueling day. Finally hitting the road around 9:00 to meet Sydney in Mankato, I was finding myself multi tasking again; eating my breakfast, making sure I had everything, talking on the phone, thinking of state theme ideas, and the most important thing, enjoying my 3rd cup of coffee for the day (I have to have it.) Arriving in Mankato around 11:00, I parked my car at the Minnesota Pork Producers office, and went inside and gave my friends a hello. I worked with the MNPB a year ago as I was the 2007 MN Pork Ambassador. Lucky for Sydney and myself, they had a projector we could use for our workshops, thank you!!!! Once we had the entire back of Sydney’s truck loaded with luggage, bathroom bags, workshop supplies we hit the road for Willmar. Traveling a part of the state I don’t get to see much, I was excited to look at the crops and the country side, and who else better to share it with than your State Reporter, Ms. Sydney Place, (boy can she talk your ear off.) rolling into Willmar at 2:00 we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few supplies and get on our way. After turning around a few times and making a few phone calls we finally found the Sibley State Park. Kids were running around and music was playing when we pulled in; I knew this was going to be a fun time! We got a friendly welcome and the plans for the evening from Mr. Launoe (Tracy style), Mr. Launoe (Marshal style), Mr. Sawatzke and Ms. Hoffman. After finding our cabins, we soon jumped into meeting campers! Once rec. time was over we enjoyed a tasty meal made by Miss Hoffman, then it was time for our first session. Working with Brad Launoe, out National Officer Candidate CONGRATS BRAD, Sydney and I presented “What is FFA”? With more rec. time to follow, and a bonefire, Sydney and I gave a reflection around the fire to the campers, I spoke about “building you foundation” and where else that the FFA would be better than that. After the bonefire, kids were able to hang out then lights out by 11:00. Now time for planning! Sydney and I made our flip charts and organized out materials for our workshops for the next day. Being up for about 18 hours now, it was time to hit the hay!
May 3rd 2008. Wow! I didn’t wake up once through the night, I must have been that tired, or that old bunk bed must have been comfy! Waking up to my internal alarm clock, even though I could have slept in, I was up lying in bed at 6:30 listening to the birds chirping, and the rest of the wilderness around me at the state park. Getting my wonderful bacon, eggs, and pancakes from Miss H. filled me right up! Playing the weather by ear, the campers had their rec. time and were soon on their nature hike to “hill top”. While the campers were gone, Sydney and I went through our workshops one more time. Happy Gram time!!! Waiting for the campers to make their way back to camp, we took the time to write some happy grams to the campers. By now it was lunch time, and the campers had a chance to change and have a short rec. time. Diving into our first session, Sydney and I presented “Living to Serve.” Making the session as fun as possible, we taught the campers about what service is and how they can create a service project in their chapters, and community. The next session we presented again tied into service along with goal setting. Informing the campers on S.M.A.R.T. goals, and allowing them to take the time to make their own, it was interesting to connect with the young members of region VI and to also see the wheels turning, as they jotted them down on a card to place in their FFA jackets. During this time the South Dakota FFA Officer team arrived. Getting to meet them was very fun; I can’t wait to see them again at NLCSO. Without even realizing what time it was, it was time to start thinking about packing our bags, and hitting the road. Completing my final happy grams and good-byes, we loaded up the truck and hit the road. Sydney and I, both wishing we could stay for the entire camp, and the dance, had to be in the cities for our first SOPD meeting (State Officer Planning Day.) having one of the most fun, interesting, and laid back car rides, we arrived to the cities around 7:00. Meeting Sydney’s sister, we went to the mall to buy Sydney new official dress shoes. From there we went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Making our way to the UofM campus we went to DTS fraternity. My best friend Sam Holst is a member, along with some other good friends of mine. Catching up on our summers, and old times, it was finally bed time.
I am very thankful Sydney asked me to be her presenting partner for this camp! I feel it prepared me for our upcoming state camps. Great thanks to Brad Launoe and all the advisors who invited us to be a part of this fun camp! I really enjoyed myself, who would have thought Region VI could be so fun?
Kansas FFA Convention
South bound and out!
Our first out of state event as State FFA Officers, Derek, Caitlin, Sydney, and I took a road trip to the Kansas FFA Convention in Manhattan Kansas. Leaving from Albert Lea the drive down was a fun one, whether we were jamming out to the radio, making state officer bracelets, or cracking jokes the drive flew by.
Rolling in to town late afternoon on Monday we were welcomed with open arms by Sharita Lacey. Sharita is a past KS State FFA Officer, and has attended the MN State Convention several times. Jumping right into it all we started our tour on town and the K-State University. The K-State campus a beautiful one, old historical buildings, green grass, and smiling faces made us feel that much more welcome. Getting hungry the four of us grabbed a bight to eat with Sharita, Shawn, and Morgan. After dinner we toured town a bit more and we went up to Manhattan Hill. Standing at the top of the hill we were overlooking the city of Manhattan. With the long drive from earlier in the day it called for an early bed time, so it was time to hit the hay.
Day 2: Waking up early Tuesday morning hearing the birds chirping and the sun shining we got dressed into our Official Dress, the four of us got our healthy breakfast at McDonalds. The plan for the day was to help where needed! We helped stuffing envelopes for each chapter, placing parking passes, awards dinner tickets, and dance tickets. We also made name badges, alphabetized proficiencies, and lastly in the afternoon time for a treat! We got ice cream at Call hall, A ice cream shop run by K-State boy was it yummy, I was little sad I didn’t get to try the K-State purple pride ice cream. It was time to get into some comfortable cloths and start thing about dinner. What dinner? I just stuffed myself with two huge ice cream cones. Well Grizzlies was the place for dinner! Am I glad we went there; I had the best chicken fried steak, and tried something new fried pickles! From dinner we went to went to “The top of the world”, talk about a wonderful view of Manhattan! The best part of the night was Pillsbury’s crossing, this about a 20 minute drive out of the city but wow! The view, the sound of water trickling over the rocks, and the feel of Kansas water running through your toes, it was beautiful! Time to meet the Kansas State FFA Officers, so we went to AGR house on campus and got to hang with them for a while, along with the National FFA Secretary Becky Sullivan. Rounding up the gang we got our orders from Sharita for tomorrows activities, and where we needed to be and when. Day #2 gone and I think Kansas is starting to grow on me!
Day 3: Again waking up early all bright eyed and bushy tailed we got into our O.D. and again got breakfast at McDonalds. Arriving to campus, all of us with our duties, I headed to Blue Mount Hall and was able to sit in all the Extemporaneous Speaking Contest and video tape each contest. By the time this contest was over I regrouped with everyone and got lunch at the student union. Talk about lucky! They have Subway, Taco Bell, pizza, and Chinese to pick from for places to eat. In the afternoon Sydney and I got to be time keepers for the FFA Creed contest. It was interesting to listen to the FFA Creed again, and see how passionate these young FFA members about agriculture and FFA, it sure made me recall back to when my freshman year when I was a creed speaker. Later in the afternoon Caitlin, Sydney, and I helped load vehicles with scrapbooks, a boat load of pop tabs from a pop tab drive contest, and materials to head over to the convention hall. By now it was snake time and time to start heading over to the convention hall for the first general session. It was really interesting see a different convention, how other states do it. Something that was cool was the laser show before each session. It was a night session so it got over about 8:30. Ha-ha but no the night was not over yet, the night was still you, it was time to get our grove on!!! We all got changed and headed to the FFA dance at the shopping mall. Talk about a great time, all the pizza you can eat, loud music, and 500 FFA members having a blast! After the dance I got to have my first Sonic experience, and while we were there we got to meet and talk with some Kansas FFA members! There is no better way to end the night better than going back with my grape icy, my fellow state officers, and all of us cuddling up on the couch with our laptops and facebooking!
Day 4: Thursday morning the sun is shining and one worm and muggy day! We kind of have and order going on here, but once again got dressed in my O.D. and headed for our favorite breakfast spot…. McDonalds!!! So it was a day filled with Sessions, sessions 2, 3, and 4 were held. Tons of great speakers, young individuals being recognized for their hard work and moving retiring officer addresses. After the first session we grabbed a bite to eat in “Agievillle” at a little Mexican restaurant, wow what a yummy meal! Just around the corner was the Kansas State University clothing store, and all of us got our purple K-State pride shirts! After lunch it was time to cash in for a little nap, and write thank you letters to everyone who helped us on this great trip. We then attended the second session. We heard from a very amassing young lady, Becky Sullivan the National FFA Secretary. Once this session was over it was time to start thinking about coming back to Minnesota. So we got out bags backed and everything in line to hit the road. Attending the 4 session more awards were given, one heck of a Keynote speaker. It was over before I knew it. My time in Kansas was almost over, it flew by so quickly! I didn’t want to leave, these people are great, and formed so many new friendships, and got to catch up on some old ones. But sooner or later you must say your good-byes. So we posed for some final pictures, and handed out our great Minnesota hugs, and we were north bound and down by 10:30 Thursday night, but not before we hit up the McDonalds one last time on the way out of town! Do we have everyone? “Buddy!” So does everyone have their buddy? Yes we used the buddy system on this trip. Derek had Caitlin, and I had Sydney. 10:30 P:M we hit the road, stuffed from McDonalds! The first shift Derek and Caitlin get us started while Sydney and I were catching our Z’s in the back seat.
Day 5: Friday morning 2:00 A:M, somewhere in the middle of… well it must have been Iowa because there was nothing there we made our rotation. Sydney starting us off and I in shot-gun we keep on trucking north. It didn’t take long for Derek and Caitlin; they were sleeping before we knew it. Gas and potty stop! 4:00 A:M we make a stop in Ames Iowa fill up and it’s my turn to drive and get us home. I must say it has been a long time since I last saw the sun rise. We made it! Getting to Albert Lea around 5:30 we dropped Caitlin off and the rest of us went on our way. Crawling into my own bed at 7:00 A:M and falling asleep by 7:05 felt great! But that didn’t last for long, chores need to be done and it was time to start unpacking and start my laundry.
What was I thinking? Here I wasn’t even going to join my fellow officers on this trip, boy am I glad I did! It was an unforgettable trip. I got to know my fellow officer much better, got to see how another state organizes and runs their convention, and I also got to see a different part of our country. So thank you Kansas FFA and MN FFA for a wonderful opportunity, and thank you Derek, Caitlin, and Sydney for letting me join you and have a wonderful time, were had moments and memories I will never forget!
Our first out of state event as State FFA Officers, Derek, Caitlin, Sydney, and I took a road trip to the Kansas FFA Convention in Manhattan Kansas. Leaving from Albert Lea the drive down was a fun one, whether we were jamming out to the radio, making state officer bracelets, or cracking jokes the drive flew by.
Rolling in to town late afternoon on Monday we were welcomed with open arms by Sharita Lacey. Sharita is a past KS State FFA Officer, and has attended the MN State Convention several times. Jumping right into it all we started our tour on town and the K-State University. The K-State campus a beautiful one, old historical buildings, green grass, and smiling faces made us feel that much more welcome. Getting hungry the four of us grabbed a bight to eat with Sharita, Shawn, and Morgan. After dinner we toured town a bit more and we went up to Manhattan Hill. Standing at the top of the hill we were overlooking the city of Manhattan. With the long drive from earlier in the day it called for an early bed time, so it was time to hit the hay.
Day 2: Waking up early Tuesday morning hearing the birds chirping and the sun shining we got dressed into our Official Dress, the four of us got our healthy breakfast at McDonalds. The plan for the day was to help where needed! We helped stuffing envelopes for each chapter, placing parking passes, awards dinner tickets, and dance tickets. We also made name badges, alphabetized proficiencies, and lastly in the afternoon time for a treat! We got ice cream at Call hall, A ice cream shop run by K-State boy was it yummy, I was little sad I didn’t get to try the K-State purple pride ice cream. It was time to get into some comfortable cloths and start thing about dinner. What dinner? I just stuffed myself with two huge ice cream cones. Well Grizzlies was the place for dinner! Am I glad we went there; I had the best chicken fried steak, and tried something new fried pickles! From dinner we went to went to “The top of the world”, talk about a wonderful view of Manhattan! The best part of the night was Pillsbury’s crossing, this about a 20 minute drive out of the city but wow! The view, the sound of water trickling over the rocks, and the feel of Kansas water running through your toes, it was beautiful! Time to meet the Kansas State FFA Officers, so we went to AGR house on campus and got to hang with them for a while, along with the National FFA Secretary Becky Sullivan. Rounding up the gang we got our orders from Sharita for tomorrows activities, and where we needed to be and when. Day #2 gone and I think Kansas is starting to grow on me!
Day 3: Again waking up early all bright eyed and bushy tailed we got into our O.D. and again got breakfast at McDonalds. Arriving to campus, all of us with our duties, I headed to Blue Mount Hall and was able to sit in all the Extemporaneous Speaking Contest and video tape each contest. By the time this contest was over I regrouped with everyone and got lunch at the student union. Talk about lucky! They have Subway, Taco Bell, pizza, and Chinese to pick from for places to eat. In the afternoon Sydney and I got to be time keepers for the FFA Creed contest. It was interesting to listen to the FFA Creed again, and see how passionate these young FFA members about agriculture and FFA, it sure made me recall back to when my freshman year when I was a creed speaker. Later in the afternoon Caitlin, Sydney, and I helped load vehicles with scrapbooks, a boat load of pop tabs from a pop tab drive contest, and materials to head over to the convention hall. By now it was snake time and time to start heading over to the convention hall for the first general session. It was really interesting see a different convention, how other states do it. Something that was cool was the laser show before each session. It was a night session so it got over about 8:30. Ha-ha but no the night was not over yet, the night was still you, it was time to get our grove on!!! We all got changed and headed to the FFA dance at the shopping mall. Talk about a great time, all the pizza you can eat, loud music, and 500 FFA members having a blast! After the dance I got to have my first Sonic experience, and while we were there we got to meet and talk with some Kansas FFA members! There is no better way to end the night better than going back with my grape icy, my fellow state officers, and all of us cuddling up on the couch with our laptops and facebooking!
Day 4: Thursday morning the sun is shining and one worm and muggy day! We kind of have and order going on here, but once again got dressed in my O.D. and headed for our favorite breakfast spot…. McDonalds!!! So it was a day filled with Sessions, sessions 2, 3, and 4 were held. Tons of great speakers, young individuals being recognized for their hard work and moving retiring officer addresses. After the first session we grabbed a bite to eat in “Agievillle” at a little Mexican restaurant, wow what a yummy meal! Just around the corner was the Kansas State University clothing store, and all of us got our purple K-State pride shirts! After lunch it was time to cash in for a little nap, and write thank you letters to everyone who helped us on this great trip. We then attended the second session. We heard from a very amassing young lady, Becky Sullivan the National FFA Secretary. Once this session was over it was time to start thinking about coming back to Minnesota. So we got out bags backed and everything in line to hit the road. Attending the 4 session more awards were given, one heck of a Keynote speaker. It was over before I knew it. My time in Kansas was almost over, it flew by so quickly! I didn’t want to leave, these people are great, and formed so many new friendships, and got to catch up on some old ones. But sooner or later you must say your good-byes. So we posed for some final pictures, and handed out our great Minnesota hugs, and we were north bound and down by 10:30 Thursday night, but not before we hit up the McDonalds one last time on the way out of town! Do we have everyone? “Buddy!” So does everyone have their buddy? Yes we used the buddy system on this trip. Derek had Caitlin, and I had Sydney. 10:30 P:M we hit the road, stuffed from McDonalds! The first shift Derek and Caitlin get us started while Sydney and I were catching our Z’s in the back seat.
Day 5: Friday morning 2:00 A:M, somewhere in the middle of… well it must have been Iowa because there was nothing there we made our rotation. Sydney starting us off and I in shot-gun we keep on trucking north. It didn’t take long for Derek and Caitlin; they were sleeping before we knew it. Gas and potty stop! 4:00 A:M we make a stop in Ames Iowa fill up and it’s my turn to drive and get us home. I must say it has been a long time since I last saw the sun rise. We made it! Getting to Albert Lea around 5:30 we dropped Caitlin off and the rest of us went on our way. Crawling into my own bed at 7:00 A:M and falling asleep by 7:05 felt great! But that didn’t last for long, chores need to be done and it was time to start unpacking and start my laundry.
What was I thinking? Here I wasn’t even going to join my fellow officers on this trip, boy am I glad I did! It was an unforgettable trip. I got to know my fellow officer much better, got to see how another state organizes and runs their convention, and I also got to see a different part of our country. So thank you Kansas FFA and MN FFA for a wonderful opportunity, and thank you Derek, Caitlin, and Sydney for letting me join you and have a wonderful time, were had moments and memories I will never forget!
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