Bethany's Blessing- Summer Travels

South Dakota FFA Camp
The state officer team, state ambassadors, and staff held three camps around the state of South Dakota. I had the blessing of flying into Souix Falls, SD and spending a couple of days at Camp NeDosak in the North Central part of the state. The theme was "Beverly Hillbillies Find their Fortune."

Top 10 Memories

*Staying at Camp NeDoSak

*Being entertained by the Beverly Hillbillies (aka the state officers & ambassadors)

*Learned about the Great Games on the Green including Vegetable Bobbing

*Hearing about the herds of wild buffalo in Western South Dakota

*Eating some of the best camp food EVER! "Whoot, Whoot!" to all who agree

*Being amazed by the service projects your chapters do.

*Entertained at Variety Show Night- the impersonations were the BEST!

*'Bofie' is an actual word

*Listening to the incredible hearts that you all have.

*Spending 3 days with the greatest SD FFA members!

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WLC Service Day

After FFA Retreats in South Dakota, it was off to Washington DC and join WLC for a day.

Here's what went down!

Who: "Lincoln Logs" and their fearless leader Miss Kirby O'Donoghue of the Rosslyn Hotel (Big shout out to them!!!)

When: Week 5 of Washington Leadership Conference---Service Day

Where: Capitol Food Bank

What: During a couple of hours we boxed and sorted over 40,000 pounds worth of goods (food, baby products, that will be distributed to food banks through the DC area.

Why: We MUST because we CAN!

Throw those signs Lincoln Logs! Be proud of what you did! It was such a gift for me to be able to witness so many FFA members do acts of service to help other people-most who we will never meet! A perfect morning, to remind us of why we believe in the FFA so much.

We Make a Living by what we get, i love Jesus. i love Jesus. i loveJesus but we make a life by what we give. ~Winston Churchill

Levy's Latest (The Summer)

The Adventures of Alex: The National Leadership Conference for State Officers

One of the highlights of my year so far… NLCSO – The National Leadership Conference for State Officers!!

I spent three weeks getting to know some phenomenal State Officers on a personal and team level. There were sessions and summits, food and fires (of the camp variety). But overall, the PEOPLE were my favorite part. Here are some of my top NLCSO moments from conferences in Wyoming, Washington and Illinois (in sequential order)!

1. Listening to Montana belt out tunes around the campfire (Yes, even Taylor Swift)

2. Having late night cabin conversations with Wyoming

3. Talking about Bullwinkle characters with North Dakota

4. Seeing TONS of buffalo, three bears, a snake and some chipmunks in Yellowstone

5. Making a personal story puzzle with Washington

6. Smearing everyone in volleyball with Oregon (And looking mighty foxy in the process)

7. Squirting everyone with water guns with the help of Idaho (My partners in crime)

8. Walking through Pikes Place Market in Seattle

9. Quoting funny movies with Kentucky (“She’s a nice lady!!”)

10. Learning to play Pitch with the Missouri crew (And “hanging out” with them by the pool)

11. Doing sand bottle reflections with the Wisconsinites

12. Getting caught in a monsoon-like rainstorm with the Illinois team on the 4th of July


13. Listening to Indiana's super creative songs during sessions ("Our Boy" is sure to be a hit)

14. Visiting the Abraham Lincoln Museum and arguing about whether the main character in the hologram theater was real

15. Making TONS of new friends and watching the leaders of our Organization grow over the course of their week

THIS is going to be tough to beat! But there’s still plenty of time left to try.

NLCSO Blessings- Randa & Bethany

The last 3 weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. 3 states, 15 teams, endless memories--all with one of your greatest friends by your side adds up to the best experiences of our year. NLCSO (stands for National Leadership Conference for State Officers) is one of the trainings offered for state officers across the nation. It's generally a 4-5 day conference focused completely on helping teams grow into high-performing teams.

Team HIGH IMPACT was the theme this year. We got to witness FFA members who are planning, preparing, and changing lives of FFA members from across the nation.

TOP 6 BEST things we got to see:

1. One hundred and sixteen people grow as people and team players.
2. Bryce Canyon by horse back
3. Disney World including Jasmine and Snow White
4. Fireworks on Daytona Beach for 4th of July.
5. Mr. Fletcher's Wonder Emporium (aka Camp Couchdale, AR)
6. 15 teams preparing to change students' lives.

These last 3 weeks were suppose to be about us teaching ya'll, but really the opposite happened. Each of you touched our lives in a way that we won't soon forget. The most incredible lessons that you taught us: be nothing except the amazing person you were created to be, trust your team-they love you too much not to, and don't ever be afraid to make a difference.

5 Inside Jokes We Simply Can't Forget

*Operation Nighthawk....enough said
*Yo' Mama Makes Good Pie
*You smell like bacon. It's a compliment!
*May the Spirit Stick live on!
*The other members of our team-Ernesto, Hector, and Felix

To all the High Impact teams out there, we miss you all already. And to those who will forever have their lives inspired by these people, prepare yourselves-they are nothing short of a blessing. Can't wait to see you all at convention.

High Impact on 3. 1----2----3----HIGH IMPACT!!!

Catching up with Chase- NLCSO's!!

NLCSO! The best times ever.... A week long conference for every state officer team in the country. The conference focuses on building strong teams of officers. Everything from team development to commitment and accountability and workshop delivery. State officers play a huge roll in the conference delivering flag raising ceremonies and reflection programs and by the end of the week complete a workshop project for the year.

Week 3-New York NLCSO Camp "O" (NY, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI, ME)

Week 2- Iowa FFA Enrichment Center (KS, MN, SD, NE, IA)

Week 1- MS FFA Camp, Levy and I started the first of four weeks in Mississippi with two teams MS and LA.

The Adventures of Alex: Pennsylvania State Convention

I had a BLAST in Pennsylvania!!! True, I was in Penn State country (a rival of Michigan State), but between the people, the FFA members and the Waffle Shop, I couldn’t have asked for more fun or excitement!

I loved getting to hang out with the AMAZING 2009-2010 Pennsylvania State Officers – Molly, Billy, Heather, Alex, Tyler, Allison, Sam, Brittany, Billy, Caleb, and Coty. They are some of the most dedicated, fun, cohesive teams I’ve ever seen. I was blessed to get to know each of them on a personal level during my trip.

I got to eat with some awesome chapters in the cafeteria, boogie down with some skilled dancers at the convention dance and watch some outstanding members being recognized on stage during the three convention sessions.

But what really stood out to me was something I heard from Molly, the State FFA President. She said that before convention began, one of her fellow officers had asked their State Executive Secretary, Mr. Brammer if he thought they were ready for convention.

Mr. Brammer responded, “It doesn’t really matter if you’re ready or not. You’ve spent time memorizing and preparing and that’s all you can do. Now, even if you walk out on stage and forget your lines, speak from your heart NOT your head. That’s what people really care about anyway.”

Mr. and Mrs. Brammer, Pennsylvania state staff, personify living with heart. For those of you who heard my keynote at a State Convention, you know that heart is something that I’m truly passionate about. Yet, I’m not sure if I’ve ever met people who live up to this message like the Brammers. They give everything they have to their “kids” (the State Officers) and care about them more as people than as State FFA Officers. They have served the Association with real heart, not just a job-like obligation. They BELIEVE in people and never let life get too serious.

What would the world look like if we all let our heart (not our head) be our guide? How much happier would we be if we channeled the “secret” the Brammers know? Why won’t we let ourselves believe in other people?

On this Fourth of July, let’s think about where our country would be without people who served and continue to serve with their heart, not their head. What language would we be speaking? What religion would we have to practice? What flag would we be forced to salute? What fear would we live with every day?

Let’s thank people like the Brammers and those who serve in the armed forces who let their hearts be their guide. Happy Fourth of July and God Bless America!

Check out Facebook for the pictures! My Internet connection won't handle them- sorry for the inconvenience!

The Adventures of Alex: Arizona SLC!

If the Arizona State Leadership Conference (SLC) was a movie, it would be a mix of “Live Free or Die Hard,” “Dodgeball” and “Remember the Titans.” Ok, so there weren’t any terrorists trying to take over the world, machine guns, wrenches or Denzel Washington. But Arizona did capture a little part of each of these awesome flicks.

My three days in Arizona proved to be just as action-packed as Brice Willis’s adventures. From awesome pre-sessions to even cooler dances after the last gavel of the night tapped, Arizona’s SLC kept everyone in attendance entertained and motivated. The State Officers – Jared, Heather, Connor, Mariah, Ben, Josh, Cheyenne, Tricia, Kalea, Brandon, and Justin – inspired members with their heartfelt session themes. CDE winners were awarded, State Degrees were bestowed, Stars were named and new State Officers – Kelli, Kayla, Molly, Mariah, Wolfgang, Wyatt, Courtney, Seth, Allison, and Ross – were installed! One of my favorite parts was when Greenhand FFA members delivered their winning jacket essays to the convention assembly and were rewarded with a brand new FFA jacket.

There was a little bit of dodging, ducking, diving, dipping, ….. and dodging (a “Dodgeball” quote) at SLC during the first ever State FFA Dodgeball Tournament (which got a little fierce). For those of us interested in math, add this up: two dances, two dinners, three lunches, two breakfasts, numerous chants (advisor: “CAMP,” members: “OOO-o-o-o-o-o-o), one pre-session song, three days. It was a blast to say the least.

And finally, the Arizona FFA captured the drive, grace and friendship personified in “Remember the Titians.” In one of the first few sessions of SLC, Byron Ollerton was announced as the State Star Greenhand. Immediately after the announcement, state staff realized that there had been a mistake. Another member from the Casa Grande FFA Chapter, Preston Sipes, actually received the honor. After talking to both students, their parents and advisor, it was determined that there would be a correction ceremony later during SLC. During that ceremony, Preston addressed the convention assembly stating, “We will continue to be everlasting friends.” Preston accepted his plaque as the real State Star Greenhand, but then took off his medal and gave it to his friend and competitor Byron. Both boys showed everyone at SLC the heart of FFA and the essence of “Remember the Titians.”

My three days in one of the hottest states I’ve ever been to were AWESOME and I met tons of FFA members from some great chapters.

Take a look at some of my pictures from SLC! A big thanks goes out to the Antelope, Red Mountain, Buckeye, Wilcox, Basha, Camp Verde, Dobson and Gilbert FFA Chapters for hanging out with me!

Chelsea's Travels: Florida FFA Convention

STATE FFA CONVENTION -- SWAMP STYLE

Florida!!!

The Florida convention boasted more 4,000 convention attendees. Each member present was pumped, excited, and turned an FFA convention into one BIG party! I loved every minute of the trip and every second spent with members in Orlando. The Caribe Royale Hotel was a great venue for a premier convention. The convention hall was different from any I had seen with a low ceiling, very large speakers, smoke, and the loudest music I've heard all year. Each of those features made for a close, intimate environment for a high energy week.

See the photos below, which highlight the convention. Also, pay close attention to the last photo. That man is D.H. Prichard and was state president in Mississippi before becoming National FFA President. Now, in his late 80's he's proud that his granddaughter, Caitlyn Prichard, served as the 2009-2010 Florida State President. Hearing the comments he made about his year as a national officer were some of the most impactful words I've heard all year. Thanks to all past FFA members who attend state convention and attend younger family members to pursue the next steps in FFA.