Phase II!

One of my favorite things about being a state officer is having the opportunity to travel across the state and see some of the beautiful landscapes that Texas has to offer. As I was driving to Hunt, Texas for our Phase II Training, I thought I was in a completely different state! For those of you like myself who have no idea where Hunt is, it is about 90 miles northeast of San Antonio. I was amazed by how gorgeous the landscape was there! I also had plenty of time to gawk at it because my GPS, Carol, took me on a route to Hunt that went through many small country roads with cattle guards and sheep along the side of the road. Once I arrived, I was more than happy to see my fellow state officers and also Riley Branch and Allison Grainger!

During our time at Mo Ranch in Hunt, we went through some amazing training that was facilitated by Riley Branch. We learned how to properly put on a workshop, write a keynote address, and we looked at how our team functions and how we can make it even better! Not only did we work a lot, but we definitely had some fun! We got to take on the challenge of the high ropes course and we all had a blast!

Now that the travel team has started their presentations and  we are starting our first year of college, I feel like our year of service is fully underway! I also want to wish the travel team good luck as they begin their presentations! I know you two will do a fantastic job!

Peace & Blessings,
Katelyn

Galveston, Ahoy!

Seafood, beaches, and ag teachers galore! That's what we found when we travelled to Galveston last week for the VATAT Conference! All of us on the state officer team (except Mason and Daylon who were representing us well in Washington, D.C. at the State President's Conference) had the amazing opportunity to represent the students of Texas at the ag. teacher's conference.

The adventure began when Leslie and I went to stay the night at Tanner's with him and Colt. Going to Henderson was an experience I will never forget! We got to ride horses and cut our chicken fried steaks with scissors! We even watched The Crazies and one of us got a little too scared. (I won't say who) On Monday morning we all hopped into Tanner's truck and made the trip to Galveston where Leslie and I were less than impressed with our hotel. The first thing we saw as we entered our room was a rather large cockroach on one of the beds! To make things even better, we discovered that night that our toilet didn't work! This trip was definitely not starting so well for us.

Our first full day there we had some awesome training with Mr. Alejandro and Patrick gave some very well spoken welcoming remarks from the state officer team. The next day we began our Business and Industry Tours which exceeded many of our expectations. Our first stop was a tour of NASA! We got to go behind the scenes and even see mission control! It was a unique experience that I know all of us will remember. After our tour we were fortunate enough to visit two homes that were built by Operation Finally Home, which is a project of Dick Wallrath's. These homes are built and made mortgage-free for wounded veterans. We were able to tour the homes and hear the inspirational stories of these true heroes. We concluded our busy day with dinner and a night at the Champion Ranch owned by Dick Wallrath. Talk about a beautiful place to stay! We all had a great and relaxing evening. Well, except for the part where Patrick caught a frog to taunt me with. Needless to say, I have never moved that fast!

Our next day was spent on more Business and Industry Tours! Our first stop was Mahindra Tractors where we were given a very interesting presentation on the company and we were able to tour their assembly line, hardhats and all! Then we headed to Mcree Ford to see Mitchell Dale and drool over some gorgeous vehicles. I found myself a Ford Fiesta and I immediately saw myself driving it. My dreams were then crushed when I called my mom and she told me, "Well I want to lose 40 pounds and look 20 years younger but that isn't going to happen either." My spirits picked up though when we finally got to go to the beach that night. My favorite part was probably burying Patrick in the sand! Leslie and I were also approached by two very young guys who thought they were 18. Talk about awkward!

Our final day in Galveston consisted of attending the last session and listening to an amazing keynote by Chad Hymas! We all then attended our respective area meetings and headed home! Overall it was an amazing trip and I feel so blessed to be a part of this organization. Being able to represent Texas FFA Students to teachers and Business and Industry leaders helped me realize just how important this office is. I cannot wait for the year to begin!

Peace & Blessings,
Katelyn