Rachel's Adventures in Agriculture

ANOTHER Big Announcement?

2011-09-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone,
"Where have I been," right? I have not blogged about preparing for National Office, at all. Shame on me. And you know what....this blog post isn't about running for National Office at all. So what is going on in my life? I know you're just dying for me to tell you....

Yep, I'm engaged to Micah Fry. We've been dating off and on for almost six years (so calm down when you start thinking this is super fast. It is, but it's not.) The wedding is December 17th. You're all invited to my reception in Alaska.

What happened? This is crazy! Two weeks ago I was at a training conference in Chicago and I thought, "man, I really have a shot!" I was so excited to be a National Officer, but I was (and am) also in love. And Micah and I started to feel like we should get married. Problematic.

When I decided to run for Nationals again, I made it very clear that it was conditional on Micah's return and whether or not I felt like I needed to get married instead- so I knew my state would support me if I withdrew my candidacy. That doesn't mean I wanted to, it was a really difficult and sad decision for me. I'll say this- I have a testimony that God does answer prayers, and I got a clear answer: marriage is a covenant, marriage is a commandment, marriage is more important. And I don't want to get mushy on you...but I love that boy, and I do want to marry him! I'm learning a lot about sacrifice and unselfishness. I had to give up National Office, but it was the right thing to do and I'm okay with that.

Some of you are probably going to read this and feel angry, or disappointed, or just think I'm stupid for giving everything up so close to Convention. And that's okay, because I know I'm doing the right thing. If you think about it, marrying your best friend is a pretty rad alternative, right?

To all my candidate friends: I will be watching RFDTV on Saturday with bated breath. I love all of you and I want you to be elected SO BAD. I'm glad that Nationals will have a group of officers that doesn't include me, because FFA members deserve to have leaders who can give the organization their WHOLE heart, not just a piece of it. You are in my thoughts and my prayers these next few weeks.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of me. Thank you to my family and to Rayne and the Alaska state officers...thank you to the crew in Chicago who helped me train, thank you to everyone I've met in the past year that have uplifted me and made me the person I am today. You are all awesome.

Here We Go Again: Coffee, Packing, and a Highly Publicized Plane Wreck

2011-06-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

Hey there, blog world.

Lemme say first of all, that I have missed this blog, although I didn't realize that until this week. I love writing here and I have a bajillion ideas of new things I'm going to do this time around on here. You'll be introduced to one of them at the end of this post. Awesome.

So, as far as studying goes, I'm not seriously doing any until I get back to Alaska, June 16. What am I doing until then, you ask? Well, I'm glad you did, 'cuz I'm dying to tell you. :)

I've thought about a study abroad program for a long time, but there's something you should know about me: I'm kind of a chicken. But this spring I found myself living in Logan (instead of out of a suitcase, like I'd planned) and took the first step by going to a study abroad fair. There I got a million different flyers and booklets on a million different study abroad programs- quite overwhelming. I then painstakingly compiled them into a ginormous spreadsheet and narrowed my options. Long story short, after being denied two awesome internships, I found myself looking at a few different programs...and considered just going home to Alaska like the scaredy-cat I am. But I was listening to Harry Potter on tape at the time, and heard my fictional idol, Albus Dumbledore (who else?) give me some sound advice:

"Let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."

Semester at Sea it is, then. I'll be leaving on Wednesday: starting in the Bahamas, then embarking on this awesome ship, the MV Explorer, and traveling to Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and Trinidad. While on the boat I'm taking Spanish and a class called "Food Safety and Security," which is really ag-based, so I'm psyched about that. I'll also be taking a lecture course called "Engineering a New Tomorrow"...I'm just not quite sure what that involves. I'm really excited, but also really nervous. As a family friend pointed out to me recently, I don't know another soul going. But this is a good thing. It will really test my ability to be social and make friends. It will also test my ability to be an example of my faith...since I will not be in Utah and will most likely be the only LDS student aboard.

So, for the next month I'll be doing that. I have absolutely no idea whether or not I'll update this blog. The only studying for National Office I'll really be doing is reading, as far as I know right now. And the experience will be study enough, I'm sure.

I've got a few books left over from last year that I either never read or never finished. I started one of them tonight, because I got really sick and tired of organizing and packing up all my stuff (moving really sucks). The book is called "Brown Like Coffee," Morgan Parker recommended it to me last year. It definitely isn't a leadership book, but it's interesting. It's especially interesting for me, because it's all about living a Christ-centered life and discipleship. Not that I don't believe in that- it's just a different vocabulary and way of looking at things. So far I enjoy it...not sure how helpful it will be, but it makes me think, so that's good. (And it has already quoted Albus Dumbledore in the first chapter.) And I enjoy highlighting and writing in books once again. :)

Next up to read: Good to Great and Resonate, both suggested by a new friend, Samuel Cornthwaite...and a few other cheap ones I picked up at DI just for fun. I can't think of their names right now and am too lazy to go find them.

Alright, this is getting long, so I'll wrap up. As the last part of this entry, I'll introduce one of the new things I want to do in my posts, and that's blogging about people that inspire me...whether or not I've ever met them.

This first person is one of those in the "people who inspire me who are also complete strangers" categories. Her name is Stephanie Nielson. She is a popular LDS "mommy-blogger," but she also has an incredible life story which includes getting in a near-fatal plane crash, surviving, and going back to a new life as a changed person. I am an avid follower of her blog, The Nie Nie Dialogues, and you can read her story there. I watched a 20/20 special on it tonight, and even though I was already familiar with the story, I was impressed once again. I just kept seeing pictures of her (before her body was burned) and thinking about how gorgeous she was. And- how gorgeous she is. She really exudes self-confidence in a way that impresses the heck out of me. I wish that I could be as secure with myself and my abilities as she is. And I've caught myself thinking that of course she is so strong, she's older than me. (Probably because she has four kids.) But she's only 29. So, not a good excuse, Rachel. I'm so glad for people, even stranger bloggers, who inspire me.

Who inspires you?

Preview for whenever my next blog post is: watch out for incredible international experiences, a thank you shout out to all my supporters (already!), a post about the role religion plays in my adventure, and a post about a favorite friend who bears the name of a Peanuts character...you know who you are. :)

-Rachel

Round 2

2011-05-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess that wasn't my last post after all. I have an announcement to make:

I've been thinking about running for National Office again for a long time...like, since last National Convention, really. But in the last few weeks, I've thought about it non-stop. And even though I hadn't made up my mind about it yet, I couldn't pack away my jacket or any of my study materials. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I really, really wanted another shot at it.

But in the front of my mind was fear, and a lot of it. I was naive last time around about how it would feel to not be selected, and now that I know exactly how it feels, I'm terrified to feel it again. It was harder than I thought it would be to pick myself up off the ground and deal with that tremendous disappointment. So I would tell everyone I was still thinking about running, without making any commitment.

Two weeks ago, I decided it was time to figure out what I should do and I took the matter to the Lord. I studied my scriptures searching for answers, I fasted, I prayed...and I felt like I wasn't getting an answer at all, at least not one that I liked. My question was, "Should I run for National Office again?" and the answer I got was, "Do whatever you think you should do." And then I got scared again. I called my mom and told her how scared I was of the future and of failure...and of my biggest insecurity: that if I am not selected once again, I will not be able to handle it. She, wisely, said that was stupid, that I would be fine and probably be more equipped now to deal with it than last year.

That night I studied my scriptures again, but I wasn't expecting to find an answer. And I didn't- not to the question I thought I was asking at least. I did get an answer to my deepest fear though, in Phillippians 4:13

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

I realized then that if I wanted to run again, I would have the strength to do so. And I decided to think on it some more.

Yesterday, I spoke with Rayne for a long time about all my insecurities, I said that I probably would run...that I knew that I would decide to run, eventually, but just hadn't realized it yet (if that makes any sense.) When I got off the phone though, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about my plans for this summer and how I would study for National Office...and I felt happy, and satisfied, and excited. And I realized that I had just decided.

In the book "Improv," Mick Napier introduces a concept called "forsaking your fear." (That's edited- he actually uses an inappropriate word...but you get the idea.) I kept thinking about that last night and how if you don't forsake your fear, you don't get anywhere in improv. How true that is for me in my life right now: if I don't just let go of everything I'm afraid of, I'll never run for National Office again and I'll always regret it.

I was still a little nervous about my sudden decision, and told myself that in the morning, if I could write my decision out for the world to see, on flip charts, then I would have truly made up my mind.

World, you've seen the flip charts now. I've decided. I'm doing it, again.

And I'm totally stoked. :)

Final Essay

2010-12-10T11:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a version of what I wrote yesterday...more polished and essay-like. l promise this is my last post here. Enjoy!

What I’ve Learned

A few days ago one of my cousins shared a Dashboard Confessional song with me. The song, ridiculously titled “Carve Your Heart Out Yourself,” was as depressing as its title and I hated it, but for some reason one of the lines got stuck in my head for the next few days:

“Man, it takes a silly girl to lie about the dreams she had…man, it takes a lonely girl to wish that she had never dreamed at all.”

Every time that line went through my head, I couldn’t help but think about how it applied to my life.

In the twelve months and over 450 hours I spent preparing to run for National Office, I learned so much. I systematically went through my entire life and philosophy, discovering who I am and what I stand for. I can now say that there is probably no job-interview-type question that I can’t answer with confidence.

I improved my public speaking skills, both prepared and extemporaneous, and I worked hard to become more effective in teaching students through facilitation. I read countless books on leadership and made weekly and monthly goals for self-improvement.

Finally, I learned everything there is to know about FFA, the agricultural education system, and current agricultural issues. When the process for running for Nationals was over, I thought this knowledge was pretty useless...but even if I don’t ever apply this knowledge again in my life, it sure has helped me in the Orientation to Agricultural Education class!

I thought that all the learning I would experience would be in preparation to run for National Office, but I was wrong. The most important thing I learned from the process- perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned thus far in my life- came after the convention.

Failing to become a National FFA Officer was the biggest disappointment I’ve ever experienced. And experiencing disappointment is not something I’m used to. I’ve always been of the opinion that hard work leads to results, and my hypothesis has never been proven incorrect until now.

Now…I’ve learned how life can be unfair. I’ve learned that I can work as hard as a possibly can, and perform as well as I possibly can, and still not get what I want. And that’s a hard thing to deal with.

For a while after National Convention, I never wanted to talk about the results. That might have been my silly way of lying about my dreams. I was too disappointed to talk about the good that came out of National Convention, and I was afraid that the people I loved would be disappointed in me.

Disappointment has taught me perspective. Although I am not happy with the results of Convention, there are people in this world who are in much worse situations than I am. It has also taught me how to be adaptable. I am naturally a very organized person who plans out her life a year in advance. My plans for 2011 included serving as a National FFA Officer, but now, I have an entire year with nothing on my calendar. I am excited to fill that calendar with new adventures and learn to be more spontaneous.

Before, during and after the National Convention, I discovered what a fantastic support system I have. I am so grateful for the friends and family that supported me in my most difficult hours.

While I was preparing for the convention, I constantly reminded myself of why I was sacrificing so much for my dreams by reading this quote by Arnold Bennett: “The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braves himself for his one supreme effort- he never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature.” I am glad that I had the opportunity to run for National Office. It was something I was scared to do, and something that I wasn’t sure I could do-but I’m glad that I stretched myself to reach for dreams, even though those dreams weren’t fully realized.

What I learned from my experience was more than just facts and figures about agriculture and FFA. I learned true leadership in being gracious in defeat and working to support those who are have been selected. I learned empathy for people who have and will fail in life. I learned perspective. I learned the value of hard work, and I am learning how to overcome challenges. I can't say I've learned that yet, because here I am, wondering what's next and trying not to feel like life as I knew it is now over. I know that someday soon I'll look back on this period of life and think about how hard it was, and be grateful for the opportunity I had to learn all of this. I'm not at that point yet, but I'm getting there slowly and surely.

I used to think that it would have been better to avoid this pain and wish that I had never applied for National Office. But now, I am glad for the opportunity to learn. And do I wish that I had never dreamed at all? Definitely not.

The End...or Perhaps Just the Beginning

2010-12-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

This post is long overdue. National Convention over a month ago, but as this is my last post on this blog, I wanted to make sure I did it right. I wanted to make sure I wrote it in the right mindset and that I did the whole process, from start to finish, justice. So here goes:

Actually, I didn't want to write this post at all. I wanted to end this blog with a link to the press release that announced me as a new National Officer, with plenty of exclamation marks. And I don't know that I am in the right "mindset," whatever that is. I'm certainly not over my vast disappointment yet...and I'm not sure when I will be. That's another reason why I hadn't written this post for so long: because I just didn't want to. I didn't want to have to acknowledge my disappointment and let everyone down. It was easier to leave up my last post, full of optimism, to leave everyone with a sense of hope for the future that I no longer have.

And right now, I probably wouldn't even be writing this, except that I kind of have to, due to an awesome thing called 4 credits of Independent Study "Special Projects in Agriculture" and my final assignment: a report on what I learned from running for National Office. So I'm using this blog as a rough draft, to get all my good, bad and ugly feelings out there so that tomorrow I can sort them out into a profound little final paper. Here goes:

A "Dashboard Confessional" song that I listened to recently features this line: "Man, it takes a silly girl to lie about the dreams she has. Man, it takes a lonely girl to wish that she had never dreamed at all." For some reason that line got stuck in my head and I couldn't help but think, "Am I that girl?"

I don't know that I lie about my dreams...but I certainly don't run about campus telling everyone I see "Hey guess what? It's been my dream to be a National Officer for three years and I tried and I totally failed!" Nope. I don't mention it. And if someone brings it up I quickly sweep it under the rug, and say I'm fine, and say I "learned a lot" and all that stuff that people expect me to say. I don't say I'm still disappointed....that I wake up almost every morning and remember that I'm probably never going to run up on the National stage after they've called my name and put on that jacket with nothing written on the back. That's the stuff I don't talk about. But that's the most important thing that I'm learning.

I feel like I'm living some kind of "scenes unseen" life, because no one ever tells you about this part of life. All the stories are about overcoming challenges and being successful. But no one ever tells you about what happens when you spend a year of your life dedicated to a goal, then you do the absolute best you can...then fail. No one ever tells you about what happens when you plan out the next year of your life, only to have everything change.Well if you're interested, I can tell you.

I've learned exactly what "disappointment" means, because I feel it all the time. But I'm learning to use perspective. Definitely a buzz word in my life right now...I could have it worse, much worse. And, there are about thirty other people who probably feel just about as terrible as I do. Like my mom said, I do't like this feeling, but would I wish it on anyone else? Definitely not.

Enough of the whining. Let's get to the learning! I'm learning to be a lot more adaptable- it comes along with the whole "having all your plans for the next year frustrated" thing. Unlike last year at this time, I don't have the next two years of my life planned out- I'm pretty clueless. It's scary, but it's also kind of exhilarating. And although one very big, really cool door has closed, a lot of other doors have opened up. Like working at the Division again this summer. And travelling the world. And continuing my college education. Whatever I want, really. I'm committed to flying by the seat of my pants for all of next year and learning more in the process.

I've also been privileged to discover what a wonderful support system I have. All during the week of finals, my phone was barraged with text messages wishing me luck, telling me to breathe, and reminding me that they believe in me. My email inbox was constantly full and I know that the airwaves to above were filled with prayers. And I know that even after the fact, none of those wonderful people in my life were ever disappointed in me. I'm so grateful for that.

I also have thirty-five brand new friends- people who understand better than anyone what it takes to run for National Office and what it feels like to not make it. I'm so grateful for that.

What I learned from my experience was more than just facts and figures about agriculture and FFA. I learned true leadership in being gracious in defeat and working to support those who are have been selected. I learned empathy for people who have and will fail in life. I learned perspective. I learned the value of hard work, and I am learning how to overcome challenges. I can't say I've learned that yet, because here I am, wondering what's next and trying not to feel like life as I knew it is now over. I know that someday soon I'll look back on this period of life and think about how hard it was, and be grateful for the opportunity I had to learn all of this. I'm not at that point yet, but I'm getting there slowly and surely.

So do I wish I had never dreamed at all? Definitely not.
Rachel

Up, Up, and Away

2010-10-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in the Salt Lake City Airport, getting ready to board a plane that will take me to an all new experience.

I am: frightened, nervous, excited, humbled, thrilled, bewildered, and wondering, where has the time gone? I seriously cannot fathom that it is convention time already. The whole last year has been replaying in my mind, and I'm trying to capture every minute: the semi-finals of Job Interview, Christmas in Alaska, the Denver Stock Show, going to Boston, making a video for State Convention, going home, Brittney's death, my job at the Division, leaving the Division, arriving in Logan, going to Minnesota, and now here.

I'm not so great at being calm- but I am working on it. I feel confident that I have done as much as I possibly could have to prepare for the selection process.

I'm so grateful for all the texts, phone calls, Facebook messages, and emails that have come to me in the last few days. They mean so much to me and have left me with wet eyes on many occasions. I'm turning into such a sap.

Thank you all for everything. I am leaning on the Lord and I know He will provide. I will have accomplished my goal if I perform the best that I can, and I just hope that it's enough.

I'm not sure if I will be blogging this week, but if I don't- I'll see you on the other side!
All my love,
Rachel

The Day of My Judgement is Near!

2010-10-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

Seriously guys. Sunday starts a week of judgement. Me, my life, and my every move will be noticed, jotted down, and given a score from 1-5. Kind of intimidating.

But here's what I've learned from several long phone conversations with my awesome mother.
(1) My Heavenly Father wants what's best for me. I knew that, but Mom reminded me. And going to the temple reminded me. And I am trying to remind myself that this confidence, this awesome, elated, sure-I'm-going-to-do-well feeling is my Heavenly Father telling me that what I am doing is good and right. It doesn't mean I'll be selected as a National Officer. What it means is that either way, I win. Which brings me to...

(2) Whether or not I'm selected as a National Officer, I leave convention a winner. If I am selected, the winning's pretty obvious. (It involves running on stage, smiling, and explosions of confetti and the like.) But if I'm not selected, I win a year of uninterrupted, un-postponed, college education. I win a year I can spend actually being a college student! I win a spot on a professional improv troupe and the opportunity to perform several more times in the coming year. I win the chance to be home when nine months from now, Micah comes back home. I win a year of being able to go to church and partake of the sacrament and go to the temple. And either way, I win what's best for me.

(3) My Heavenly Father doesn't much care who is elected to National Office. But He cares a lot about me! And He cares about my happiness, and He will work out my life for the best. I trust Him.

(4) I'm going to have the time of my life next week, and a true "adventure in agriculture." It may be the last time I ever wear my blue jacket, and I'm going to make it a good one. I'm going to make friends I may keep for the rest of my life, and I'm going to be thrilled when those friends are elected, whether or not I am elected as well.

(5) Man do I have a support group behind me! It makes my heart fill with love when I just think about my family and my friends and the kind messages and outpourings of love and encouragement. That's awesome!

Oh by the way, I went to Spanish Fork today to do some workshops of Agricultural Communications for an ag teacher conference there. It was such a blessing to have one more chance to do a workshop. I feel that I facilitated pretty well (despite my scratchy voice half-way through) and that I was able to portray my personality and myself within a professional context. But then again, I never got any scores from 1-5, so that's just my impression. :)

In order to get to Spanish Fork, I had to get up at 5 AM...who does that? It's gross. I'm tired. After I got home I was too exhausted to prove a worthy opponent in the battle of wits called Mock Round Robin Conversations, so instead I went to the mall to get adequate business casual dress for the convention.

The plan for tomorrow includes:

A morning run/walk- to think. I do a lot of that these days. (Sometimes I talk to myself, like yesterday...but only in the car.)
A conference with Rayne that will include my last mock Stand and Deliver
More mock Round Robin conversations
Some work on Facilitation and Team Work questions
The final preparations for my End of All Things notebook (or whatever I decided I was going to call it...)
A facial, a color gloss, and a manicure (yay!)
Deciding what business casual clothes to bring (with the help of my fashionista sisters)
Packing
Studying for the written test, specifically the education section.
Attending the improv show...it's kinda what I do on Friday at 10:30. Won't you join me?

And now- let's take a break from emotional trials and anxiety that go along with National Convention being so near. Let's step away from the laundry list of to-dos. And check out some recent pictures!

Looking good in official dress, my first day in Minnesota

(Most of) The Minnesota Crew, L to R: Mr. Sawatzke, Chelsea, Jessie, Jessica, Wyatt, Lavyne, Me, Lucas, Katie, and Luke

I need to shine up my boots. I really need to shine up my boots.

Check out the blue paint...where did that even come from?

I would like new boots. But I do not need them!

That's enough for tonight. Tomorrow will be here soon enough.

Love to all,

Rachel

Cramming and an Extended, Overdue Thank You

2010-10-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

I'm trying not to type, "I hate the written test."

Looks like I just did...oh well. I cannot believe that I leave for National Convention on Saturday! Where has the time gone? It's so strange to think that show time is now, when it always felt so far away. And next Saturday, my life will change.

Either I will become a National Officer, or I won't. Option one will make me even more busy, and thrilled. Option two will give me a needed break, and I might be a little disappointed, but I'll be fine.

In the next few days, I am trying to cram as much knowledge into my noggin about agricultural issues, the American education system, agricultural education, and FFA. I guess I'm the most scared about the written test because that's the one thing I haven't done a practice round of. But I'll be fine. I'm a good test-taker, but I just want to make sure that I knock those sixty stupid questions out of the park.

And one thing that is making that difficult- FFA chose this week to remodel the website, so it's not wanting to cooperate. Ugh! Oh well. I've got about half an hour left to study before I'm indulging in improv and then in Canadian Thanksgiving with Calvin and Nat before my (much needed!) video conference with Rayne tonight.

But before I sign off here, I just want to make a public thank-you to everyone who reads this- and to everyone who doesn't, who have helped me SO much in this process. You all mean the world to me and I wouldn't be where I am without you.

Mr. Evans, Dr. Miller, Dr. Lawver, Professor Stewardson, and Dr. Warnick- You guys have been like an adopted family of Utah FFA Helpers to me! I am so grateful to all of you for taking me in and doing everything in your power to help me prepare. I know I would be lost in scheduling this semester without you. I also appreciate all the opportunities you've given me to practice public speaking and facilitation through ULC, ATA, and the ag teachers' conference. And thank you for letting Jimmy and I hop around your classrooms doing our Hot Topic speeches. I have been so blessed to find mentors and coaches in all of you here at USU and I will not easily forget the assistance you gave. Thank you!

My other professors: Mrs. Johnson, Dr. Evans, Professor Wheeler, and Dr. Burton- You are all so incredible for working with me this semester. You could have easily refused to take a student into your class who might leave half-way through, but you were so gracious and made my life so easy. I wish there were more teachers like you! Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to represent agriculture students nation-wide and allowing me to pursue a life-long dream.

Past National Officers and National Officer Candidates- Thank you so much for responding to my annoying questionnaires, walking me through the selection process, and answering my endless, specific questions. You are all so talented, so knowledgeable and so helpful, and I look up to you. Thanks for paving the way for student success- mine included.

Megan Peterson- Thank you for being my distinguished ULC partner last December. I learned so much from that experience and from YOU. You are such an example to me and a great credit to the Utah FFA Association. You have been so helpful in my preparation, just by being there and answering my questions. I cannot thank you enough for that.

The Palmer, Wasilla, and Anchorage Rotary Clubs, the Palmer LIONs Club, and the Palmer Farm Bureau- Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you this summer. I learned so much about speaking from those experiences, and even more about what really great people look and act like: you are those people. You are examples to me and I think of you everyday. I had a horrible thought a few months ago that I would hate not being selected because I would let all those who believed in me down, but I know you won't be disappointed in me. Thank you for helping me prepare to the best of my ability this summer.

My family at the Division of Ag: Franci, Curt, Kirk, Doug, Lora, Connie, Erik, Ray, Candie, Barbara, Mia, and especially Patricia and Amy- Thank you for making last summer AMAZING. Everyday I went to work I thought, "Is this really my job? Am I really getting paid for this?" I had some of the most fantastic experiences of my life as an intern with you, and I learned something from each of you. You are some of the hardest working people I know, and I also know you are vastly under-appreciated. I never properly thanked you for the going away party you threw me. I was so touched by your gesture I almost cried! I hope that I do become a National Officer, but if I don't, I hope you'll take me back to work with you all again. Thank you for all that you did for me, and all that you do everyday for Alaskan agriculture.

My Minnesota FFA Family, including the high school ag teachers (especially Mr. Sawatzke), the Hutchinson and Dassel-Cokato FFA members, the Department of Agriculture employees, and the Alumni- Thank you for the incredible experience you provided in Minnesota at your training conference a few weeks ago. It was SO worth it, and I'm so grateful for all your hard work in putting it together. I owe you all, and I'm so grateful that you were willing to help me. I feel so loved and I can't wait to (hopefully!) see most of you at National Convention very soon!

Collegiate FFA Members, Alpha Tau Alpha Members, Ag Comm Club Members, and USU Improv Members: Thank you all for your support. Everyone has been so kind and supportive of me, I cannot thank you enough. Thanks for listening to speeches, attending workshops, and giving me feedback. You are the best friends a girl could ask for.

My roommates- Thank you for putting up with me this semester. I know I'm boring and all I do is study FFA and you probably don't really understand that. Regardless, you have all been so supportive and listened to me blow off steam, and, although it would be awesome to be a National Officer- I would be so sad to have to leave you! Thanks for being such great and supportive friends.

My State Officer Team: Taylor Berberich, Corinne Ogle, and Derek Monarch- During our year of service, you each taught me so much. And now, it's been over a year since we retired (can you believe it?) and you still teach me just by being my friends. I miss being with you all the time. I miss our tot. :) Thank you so much for supporting me this last year, whether with an encouraging word, email or a talk at the airport. I would not be here if it weren't for you. Thanks a million!

Jimmy Lotspeich- It has been SO fun to have you here at Utah State University this semester, and so helpful to do practice speeches with you. I also really appreciate the times we can just talk about FFA, ag ed, the process, or anything else. It's so nice to have someone who has been there and who understands, to talk to. You could have easily kept to yourself, and not helped me at all- since we are competing. But you have been so generous in helping me prepare and answering all my questions. Thank you for that. In my dream world, I hope we're both selected. I don't know if that will happen, but I will say this: if it can't be me, there is no one in the world I would want to become a National Officer more than you. I hope you knock the socks off the Nominating Committee next week. Good luck!

Elder Fry- Does not/cannot read this blog. But he's helped me out a lot through his great letters. I'll write to him my thanks in my next letter.

Mr. Berberich- Where would I be without you and Palmer FFA? You were so helpful to me this summer in my preparation, but beyond that- you've made me the person I am today. I learned so much from FFA and credit that organization- more than any other- for the personal growth I made in high school and beyond. Thank you for allowing me to take your ag classes, for volunteering your time for FFA meetings and events, putting up with all our shenanigans, and even (and especially!) for leaving your game of golf to come explain to the police officers that we weren't trying to break into the ag building! You were such a great advisor and I admire the way that you connect with people. You made every convention, every activity, and every class, a treat, and I treasure those memories. Thank you so much.

Jeff Werner- Your advice is priceless and often cracks me up. Thank you for getting me information right when I needed it, talking to me about FFA issues, taking me to CTSO conferences, entertaining me, and just being there to talk to when life (and by life, I mean preparations) got crazy. Thanks for everything you do for the Alaska FFA. Without you, I never would have become a State Officer, and I would not be running for National Office or getting my American Degree. And who am I kidding, without you, there wouldn't be an Alaska FFA. Thank you for putting up with me all these years. You have helped me to become the person I am today and I am eternally grateful. You're awesome.

Granny and Grandpy Oberg- You two basically make up my "ag heritage" and I so enjoyed learning about that through our talks this summer. You are two of the most amazing people I've ever had the privilege to meet. Hard work? You personify it. Kindness? It has no bounds with you. You inspire me, you astound me, and you are a huge part of me. I miss coming over to your house whenever I want whenever I think of home. I love you so very much. Thank you for being the kind of grandparents the whole neighborhood wants to claim. I am so proud to call you mine.

My siblings- I know I complain about being the youngest (way too much!) but I'm so grateful to have six older and wonderful examples. You have all been so supportive of me. I really value your texts, emails, phone calls, advice, and seeing you all in the summer. When I decided to run I was so surprised with the help you all solicited in whatever way you could. I'm so proud to call you my older brothers and sisters and when I have a family of my own, I hope it will be just like yours.You all mean the world to me and I love and miss you very much!

Mom- You are my hero. You have always encouraged me to shoot for the stars and never once discouraged me. You keep me going even when everything is really hard and I live for your phone calls, texts, comments, and (even better!) seeing you every morning in the summer. I miss you so much! I know I would have just exploded by now without your words of encouragement and advice. You have really helped me realize the value of hard work through example. I love you so much and I know you will be there for me after next Saturday...no matter what happens.

Dad- Thanks for keeping me grounded. You work so hard for our family and I can't tell you how much that means to me. This summer gave me a tiny taste of what commuting is like- and I hate it! I'm so grateful that you do it every day so that our family could live in Palmer and do 4-H and FFA...which means you are a big reason why I can run for National Office at all. I love that whenever I talk to you on the phone you always ask me how classes are going and remind me of what is important in life. I love you!

And finally, Rayne Reynolds- I don't know, but if I had to make an estimate, I would say that you have put almost twice as much time and effort into my preparation as I have! From day one, you were there for me, and I'm so grateful that you are a part of my life. I know that I would not be at all prepared for this process if it wasn't for your mentoring, video conferences, assignments, field trips, and advice. Sometimes I disagreed with your methods and got frustrated- and I'm really sorry for that. There is no possible way I can use words to thank you for your help as much as I'd like to. You've done so much for me, with no real incentive except your good heart. You have made me a better person since you've been a part of my life. I'm so excited for your new baby- because I know if you are at all the kind of dad that you have been a mentor to me, then your daughter will have the best daddy in the world! No matter what happens next Saturday, I can hold my head up because I know that you and I, together, have done everything possible to prepare for my success, and I feel confident that I can serve next year in any capacity. I really hope you won't be buying me a pizza, but if you do, at least we can eat it together. :) Thank you for everything.

Phew. I'm a little late for improv now, but that was needed and worth it. That was also kind of emotional draining- I just realized I really miss my family! Can't wait for next week though. Have a great Monday!
Rachel

Haven't you heard, things are getting done.

2010-10-07T21:10:00.001-07:00

Working on getting things done. Haircut and color = check. Getting more ready for the written test = check.

Alpha Tau Alpha Workshop (as of tonight) = check. I was really worried about it, but with some help fro my awesome mom I was able to formulate some good activities and an outline that I was proud of. Then...all my activities fell apart. Or the best one. But hey! The way I would normally react- by crying or freaking out or something- was not the way I did react. The way I reacted was by being flexible and adaptable andadjusting my workshop to the new circumstances. I feel comfortable about how the workshop went. Definitely room for improvement, but...it was good to get the experience.

I don't know what else to write. At this point, what will happen, will happen. I'm excited/nervous/anxious/thrilled to know what will happen.

The weekend is tomorrow- woohoo!
Rachel

In a word, what I'm feeling now:

2010-10-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

TIRED.

My goodness I'm so tired!I have so much to do in the next 12 days, it's ridiculous. The list is scaring me:

2 workshops
More practice interviews (a few questions a night)
Finishing my thank you cards from the Minnesota training
Refining my story arsenal
More Hot Topic practice speeches with Jimmy
Brushing up on ag issues
Making talking point sheets for Round Robin interviews
Meeting with Mrs. Parry again
Getting my hair cut and colored
...and cramming in as much knowledge as possible in my head for the written test!

I haven't been this busy since my senior year in high school when I was a state officer. I just feel like I have no time to breathe, and had to take a few minutes today to call some people and assure them that I don't hate them, I'm just ridiculously busy. This is definitely a big push to the finish, but in three weeks it will all be over either way. Either I'll continue to be this busy and on the run in my next big adventure for the next year, or...I'll have a few months to breath.

I don't know if I made the right decisions in my scheduling this semester. I feel like the things that bring me stress relief- piano and improv- also make my life more stressful. I don't know. Last week I practiced piano for an hour and a half because it felt so good and so mind-numbing. But today, I could only practice for twenty minutes because I just felt anxious. I'm still working on that calmness thing. It's also hard to know how much time I should spend working with the improv troupe, because I don't want it to take away from my National Office study, but I also don't want to abandon it and have to make up if I end up staying here.

If I do end up staying here...it will be a bit of a relief. I want to be a National Officer, I really do. I need a little time to breathe, to do laundry, to go grocery shopping, and heck, to just be a college student! I want to stay up late and say "yes!" when my friends invite me to watch Sherlock Holmes and just be myself with a little less stress. But I want to work hard now, so that even if I do come home, I'll feel like I've done everything I could have.

My goal for this month is to be more friendly and outgoing, so that I can portray that to the nominating committee. So that means less time with the iPod in my ears and more time talking to anyone I recognize. And in the past week, I've re-met two people I didn't even know were here at Utah State!

How am I going to get through the next 12 days? I...don't know. I have a lot to do! But I love this quote I found on my friend Laura's facebook status:

"You cannot plow a field by turning it over in your mind."

So off to work I go. Actually- off to bed I go. And in the morning...off to work. Wish me luck!

-Rachel

Shleepy

2010-09-28T22:29:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Just had a video conference with Rayne. I brought my laptop to the Fine Arts Center to use the internet here and now I am tired! But I am making much progress and I am excited for National Convention! I have a lot to do, but I'm really motivated to get it all done. Also- I'm trying out for a solo in choir tomorrow. Maybe I'll get it. If not, it's still a good story, right? That's the way I look at everything now, "Can I use this in a workshop/speech/interview?" Ridiculous I know.
I need sleep. Have a great night, everyone!
Rachel

Training Weekend Day Dos

2010-09-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hello again,
I'm on to reporting day two, before I forgot all that I learned!

Saturday began around eight and had one purpose: go through the entire selection process (minus the written multiple choice test) in one day. And let me be the first to tell you- it was pretty grueling! But now that I've done it all in one day, doing it in a week feels like a cinch!

So we started with the One-on-One Interviews: nine separate interviews, one after the other, five questions and ten minutes a piece. An hour and a half of straight interviewing is pretty intense, guys! I think it did pretty well. It's obvious doing just a brief look over my feedback that I need to work on the competencies of "teamwork," "team before self," and "adaptability and flexibility," as well as I'm sure, others. And I just need to work on being myself, smiling, joking, and not burning out after 6 or 7 interviews. Jessie (Geib) Vanderpoel, a former National Officer, told me to smile again and again. She said that I looked like a National Officer when I smiled, which was awesome. She also said she didn't believe that I did comedy improv...bummer! I need to make sure that I am not too nervous and let my personality come out. I also need to work on compiling a good story arsenal and practicing my stories- a lot.

Next up-SAE writing. I haven't gotten my results from this yet, so I'm really not sure how I did. I felt good about what I did, but I'm not sure at all what the format was supposed to be. But it was good to have an idea of what it would be like at Nationals. I don't think SAE writing is worth many points anyhow.

I was pretty nervous for Stand and Deliver, but I feel that I did well! The topic was program affiliation, given to Minnesota ag teachers, and I was psyched about that, since I'd just given a program affiliation speech to Jimmy and felt that I had done really well on it. Thank goodness one of my strengths is command- I got the comment that I was a good speaker. Awesome, I don't have to work so hard on that then! But I still do need to work on smiling so that I don't look like an Ice Queen. I need to be approachable and most of all, myself. I also discovered that it's alright to end my speech early- at 4:30 or 4:40, rather than stretching it, which is great news, because that's where I usually end! So I learned a lot but felt good about Stand and Deliver.

We had a quick break for lunch and then delved into the next section. I started with the Writing Exercise. I don't have my scores for this either, so I really don't know how I did. I felt I wrote well, but I wasn't sure of the format and I also ended pretty early...so I don't know if I demonstrated my knowledge very well. The prompt was also kind of a mixture of two hot topics, which threw me off. So I'll have to wait and see my comments on that.

I had a short break to ponder how unprepared I felt for the next round, and then I entered a room to start my prep for faciliation. This was one of my weakest rounds, but I'm glad I've had practice so that I am more comfortable now in what I need to spend my preparation hour on (hem hem, making better flip charts!) The topic for the workshop was mentoring for chapter officers. I started with a stupid puzzle piece activity. It actually wasn't a bad activity, it made a good point, but it took me FOREVER to put the puzzle outline together, and then we couldn't find one of the pieces, which was frustrating and took up a lot of time. The one thing I was really pleased with was my support activity, everyone seemed to really enjoy it. My point needed work. I was so concerned about finishing my workshop on time that I started telling students what I wanted them to know instead of asking questions, and I know I'm not supposed to do that! Then I began introducing my application, "Mentor Man," which would have been awesome, and....they called time. I could not believe it, I felt like I had to scrape my jaw off the floor. I was really disappointed, but after the feedback I felt a little better. Jessie said to have way more material than you need, and not to allow your content to get in the way of your interaction with the students, which is what they want to see! So now I know how to change, and I have next week to test it out on Alpha Tau Alpha!

After facilitation came Round Robin Conversations. Oh, how I hate you, Round Robin Conversations! They're so unreal, I don't like role-playing because it makes me feel fake, and oh yeah! I don't know as much about agricultural issues as I would like to! There are three conversations: Ag Issues, Ag Ed/American Ed Issues, and FFA Issues. I did them in that order. My Ag Issues conversation was decent, like a 4 or 5 out of 10. I wasn't really happy with it, but I felt now that I had some experience with it I would do better. My Ag Ed conversation on the other hand....a 0. Or maybe a 1. Guess who's doing some research on the Perkin's Technical Skills Attainment test today? But my FFA Issues Conversation- dang! Somehow that was a 9! I spent my ten minute break in the hallway jumping up and down to try to stop being so nervous, and I think maybe it worked. I felt awesome about that one.

Finally, we ended the day with the Personal Round. This round is like the one-on-one round, but it's more...personal. They ask you the crazy, tear your heart strings type questions, such as, "Why are you running for office?" "Tell me about a time when someone questioned your character?" and "What are three of your life's goals?" Also, it's you and all nine nominating committee members. I can't really say anything about this round- I felt that it went fantastically well. If I could do every round at Nationals like I did that last one, I feel like they'd have to elect me!

After the personal round we said goodbye and headed back to the Twin Cities for the night, to fly out the next morning. I was so glad that I decided to go this camp- it really, really helped! I feel 100 times more ready now than I was before, and I know precisely what I need to work on:

Being more personable in interviews- joking, laughing, smiling, being someone who is approachable.
Smiling during my speeches!
Ending strong on my speeches!
Knowing more (including statistics) about Agricultural Issues!
Directing the conversation during Round Robins
Focusing on students (rather than content) during facilitation and not worrying about the time.
Knowing more about agricultural education and American education.
Doing a better job of telling my stories in my one-on-one interviews.
Stressing teamwork and adaptability in my one-on-one interviews.
Being excited to tell the Nominating Committee about myself.

I'm so grateful to the volunteers who made this training weekend a success! I'm also psyched, because Mr. Sawatzke said that his 40+ kids would be our cheering section if any of us were elected. I told him that would more than double my cheering section. :)

I'm also really grateful that for the past week or so...I've felt so calm! I feel like I could conquer the world, no anxiety for me! I'm still nervous, I'll always be, but I know that I can do this. Whether or not they elect me, I'm completely capable of being a National Officer. Come what may, I'm ready.
Rachel

What a Weekend...

2010-09-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hey all!
I am back from Minnesota! I had a fabulous idea to blog every evening about what I had done that day, so as not to forget it...but then I realized I was exhausted every evening, and even went to bed at 9 last night...though I woke up when my roommates came home half an hour later. :)

But now that I am back, I will record all that I can remember, starting with Friday.

My Friday started at around 7, when Wyatt DeJong from South Dakota picked me up and we made our way to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. We were met there by Katie Zenk from Minnesota, Eric Sawatzke, the Dassel-Cokato Minnesota agriculture teacher who organized the event, and two of Mr. Sawatzke's freshman students: Joel and Evan. Then after getting our visitor passes (very fancy!) we went upstairs to a conference room with Agriculture in the Classroom coordinator Al Withers.

We first heard from Mr. Withers about the importance of agricultural literacy in society at any age. After Mr. Withers brief remarks, we embarked on a day of presentations about agricultural issues. Mr. Withers expected a lot of us and encouraged us to ask the presenters questions so that we could get what we needed out of each presentation, and I really appreciated that. It forced me to be more confident!

The first meeting was about Livestock Development and Animal Agriculture Issues. I learned quite a bit about how animal agriculture is dealing with issues raised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Just learning more about these issues increases my desire to become an effective communicator for the agricultural industry! I understand more now that agriculture- commercial, organic, small farmers and industrial farmers, farmers who support ethanol and those who don't- need to ban together to promote agriculture as a whole. And the one great thing I learned is- I need to learn more about these types of issues so I can more effectively discuss them!

The second meeting was with the director of Dairy and Food Inspection Division and we discussed Keeping Food Safe. We discussed how different types of salmonella infects food, and how food safety needs to come from legislation and self-policing. I also learned about the "raw milk movement," something I didn't really know existed, and how agricultural communicators need to target the "raw milk curious" in telling the story of the scientific facts surrounding the safety (or lack there of) of raw milk. I never even realized raw milk was so dangerous, as I grew up drinking it, and that reminds me, I need to ask my mom if she was trying to kill us all with E.coli. :)

After a quick break, we heard from the a member of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture staff about Social Media in Today's Agriculture. Being a communications junkie...I'd have to say this was my favorite presentation of the day! I learned so much about how the agricultural industry is using (or isn't using!) social media to target specific audiences and to tell their story. I loved the example used about the support Yellow Tail Wine gave to HSUS and the Facebook backlash that was the result. It gave me more hope about the difference we can make in policy and in public perception through communication.

After that we talked about Environmental Policy and Water Quality. This presentation was pretty interesting because of the amount of rain Minnesota had been getting in the last few days. At one point the presenter flipped a glass vial of clear water over so that we could see how contaminated it was, and I was shocked! I think more than anything it was good to be exposed to a different kind of agriculture and the other careers available in the environmental sciences.

Minnesota Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture ended the day with a few words of advice. I loved hearing her story about how FFA gave her a career pathway in agriculture even though she was never a "farm kid." I also loved one of the things she told us:

"Be readers and be leaders. You never know who's watching."

After leaving the Department of Agriculture, we made a brief stop at the FFA Leadership Center and the Miracle of Birth Center at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds. I could only imagine what that big building looks like full of pregnant animals- but I'm sure it would be an impressive thing to see in reality sometime!

Then we headed to the University of Minnesota to eat pizza and meet with Dr. Leising about the pros and cons of program affiliation. This was another one or my favorite parts of the day, because I felt very comfortable and confident with my knowledge of program affiliation, but also got a much better handle on why some advisors are wary of the new program.

After a stop to change out of our official dress, Jessica (who met up with us at the Department of Ag around 11) and I hopped into Wyatt's car to drive to Hutchinson High School, about an hour or so away. We had the opportunity to talk a lot about how we had been preparing for National Office, what we enjoyed most about National Office, and what kind of FFA programs we'd been involved with in the past. We also had the opportunity to pick Wyatt's brain about what the process at National Convention is really like- since he ran last year. And we talked about some fun stuff- like what kind of beverages we prefer with popcorn. :)

When we arrived at Hutchinson we had an open forum discussion with local and current high school ag teachers to discuss the different hot topics for essays and stand and delivers. I learned a lot I didn't know- like that the National FFA no longer offers that H.O. Sargent award! I also learned a little bit about the Perkin's Technical Skills Attainment exam- enough to know that I needed to know more about that. That became even more obvious the next day...but that story is for my next blog posting.

After the forum discussion we had a dinner with the Minnesota FFA Alumni. It was a great casual opportunity to meet with many different people, including FFA members, legislators, and farm bureau personnel. I realize I need to be more proactive about getting people to talk about themselves, but I got a lot of really good advice and learned a lot from the people I met. We stayed and visited for quite a while!

One thing I reflected on Friday night was that no matter what happens, I can make a difference and use my leadership skills in the next year, and I'm prepared to do so. I also liked some advice from a former National Officer Candidate about the process:

"Sell yourself. You need to act like, 'I don't need to be a National Officer, but the National FFA Organziation needs me on their National Officer team!"

I felt really good about everything that night, and still (inexplicably!) confident. I know I need to work on my knowledge of agricultural issues, but I feel validated in that I have a good knowledge of program affiliation and the other hot topics.

There goes Day 1. Day 2 gets its own blog post next, so stay tuned. Also- I'm so fired up about convention! It's coming so fast, but I say bring it on! Come that week, I'll be as ready as I could hope to be. But until then, my every spare minute is going to prep! I only have four more hours until I've reached 400 hours. I probably won't make it to 500, but my goal range was 300-500, so I still feel good about where I'll be.

Have a great Monday! I get a double dose of improv tonight, so I know I will.
Rachel

I believe in being happy myself...

2010-09-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very long day:

9:30- Creative Arts Class
10:20- Piano Practice
11:30- Piano Lesson
12:00- When I was supposed to have lunch, except I forgot to pack it...
12:30- Choir
1:30- Walked back to my car and then driving around lost in Logan
2:00- Arrived at the temple to do baptisms. Felt some much needed peace.
3:00- Go back to the condo. Eat lunch, fold some laundry, temporarily avoid responsibility.
4:00- Search every shoe store in Logan for official dress shoes!
5:30- Arrive on campus triumphant, with two potential shoe candidates and four pairs of black nylons. Study for thirty minutes.
6:00- Visit Scott in his new apartment, eat dinner, watch Glee!
7:00- Improv Practice
9:00- Antics Troupe Auditions. Had to pay scrupulous attention, because people's "happiness depends on me."
12:15- Cast votes for who the two new troupe members should be.
12:30- Argued about vote results.
12:35- Went back to Scott's apartment to pick up the keys that I left there 6+ hours before.
12:45- Returned to my car and began driving back to the condo for the night.
12:47- Got pulled over by a cop because my headlight is out and I forgot to turn on my brights. Asked for mercy because it was (techincally!) my birthday.
1:00- Back on the road. Feeling melancholy.
1:10- Returned to the condo. Ate a Fudgsicle because I felt crappy.
1:20- Collapse into bed to have bad dreams about dying elephants and their elephant offspring.

Today was just as stressful, if not more, and included taking my car to the shop and riding the bus onto campus, passing out improv fliers, and carrying my Minnesota luggage with me everywhere...resulting in looking like an idiot.

On my way to the airport I had some time to just sit and think, which was nice. I also had some time to read more in my new book, Blue Jackets Gold Standards, the FFA 75th Anniversary Book, which I am really enjoying so far. And I got to a section about the Creed, so I started going over it.

*Embarrassing Confession*
I don't really know the Creed by heart...at least, not anymore. I used to, at one time, but now the third and fourth paragraph just jumble all together in my head for some reason.

So because of this embarrassing confession, I thought I might go over the Creed in my head again and try to get it to stick. What if someone this weekend asks me to recite it...or worse, someone at Convention!?

I stopped when I got to the last line in the third paragraph, which reads:

"[I believe] in being happy myself and playing square with those whose happiness depends upon me."

And then I thought about my melancholy last night. What it was about anyway, I'm not exactly sure...I just felt kind of blah. Like my life has been going by too fast and it's been to stressful, I don't know. And then I had this stupid thought (or half a thought): "But when/if I become a National Officer-" and I was going to think, "I'll be happier," but I stopped myself and finished the sentence with "nothing will change."

What a stupid thing to think, even though I know that happiness is the key to success, and not the other way around. Besides, life as a National Officer...would be hard! I'd be just as stressed if not more, and I know if I don't learn to be happy now, it's not magically going to come then.

Just like when I was a state officer. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to be a state officer more than anything in the world but that didn't mean my senior year was fun all the time. In fact, I was unhappy a lot, even though I was very blessed and fortunate and successful.

I never thought of it as something I stood for, being happy. Whenever I've studied the Creed before I always focused on the second paragraph and told my story of being chased by the goose. I never even really, fully comprehended that if I really live by the FFA Creed, that means that I believe in being happy.

So that's another thing I'm working on. And this weekend is bound to bring some happiness, because (1) it's my birthday, and (2) I'm in Minnesota attending a National Officer Candidate Training Weekend! It already reminds me of my good old State Officer summer... I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to be here this weekend and I know I'll learn a lot.

Two other things on my mind tonight.

1) FFA has had a huge jump in membership, have you heard? The official tally for this year is 523,309 members, which I find incredibly exciting.

2) I feel very confident today. I don't know why that is exactly. I feel like this is what I am supposed to be doing and I just feel...confident in my abilities. Which is a very calm feeling. Awesome.

Well I have an early morning tomorrow. I'll keep you posted! (get it?)

Rachel

Just to Catch You Up...

2010-09-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

Man, what a whirlwind the past few weeks have been. My mom was in town this weekend, and yesterday when I asked what the date was, she said:

"September 19. Wow, that means you only have a month left until you run!"

Less than a month actually- yikes! I have so much to do! I've been researching hot topics like crazy. I met with the beauty pageant coach, Cindy Parry, who was so helpful and kind, and I'll meet with her a few more times as well. I've done some more work with Rayne on interview questions, and now I just need to compile all my good stories on one page. I'm working with Jimmy on doing Hot Topic speeches! And the Alpha Tau Alpha has asked me to give them a workshop on Civic Engagement on October 7th.

But this week I get the ultimate "where am I?" check-up, in the form of a National Officer Candidate Training Weekend! I leave for Minnesota Thursday night, and I'll get to meet four other candidates. Friday we'll be at the Minnesota Division of Agriculture, and Saturday we go through the whole process- or at least, most of the process. I fully expect to come back overwhelmed and insecure, but at least I'll have a lot of really good feedback.

I'm in overdrive- I'm trying to focus on spending all my extra time studying, since I don't have a lot of time left. I've logged 350 hours now, even though I didn't get many hours in last week due to a death in the family, which can't be helped. But the fact is, what I need to remember, is that I've done most of the important work already. Now I can only immerse myself in facts and hope they stick, but ultimately I'm ready. I feel that I am the best I can be and I've worked as hard as I could- so if they like me, and if it's right, I'll be selected.

Mom gave me some great advice when I dropped her off at the airport yesterday that I want to remember. She said:

Don't get too stressed out over this. It doesn't really matter whether you are selected or not. If they don't choose you, that doesn't make you any less of a great person, and if they do choose you, it doesn't mean you're any better. You're just you, no matter what happens.

Hot Topics are calling my name- peace out!

Rachel

My Quest for Calm, Part One

2010-09-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hey,
I feel so much better today. Don't ask me why, I got very few hours in over the weekend. Maybe that's why. I always used to think it was ridiculous when people were over their heads in high school and dealt with it by taking a "day off," but I guess that's what I did this whole last weekend. I went to an improv show. I went to a Girl's Night sleepover. I went to a barbecue. I drove 1.5 to Brigham City and back for no reason at all (although that was just because I had bad directions. :) )

Now I'm really getting into researching Hot Topics. Some are easier than others, but it really hasn't been quite as hard as I thought it would be overall. I'm excited and nervous to try some mock speeches, but there's no better time than the present. I can't wait for my training camp later this month, I'm sure my brain will explode with knowledge and feedback.

Well, I think I'll call Rayne again and try to get ahold of the beauty coach once more. I'm making a comprehensive list of all the things I need to do to upgrade my appearance. I don't want to look like a Barbie or anything, just like, Rachel Kenley 2.0- business professional version. That's why I've begun using Mavala STOP, once again. Aw, my old friend that tastes to disgusting...I've missed you.
-Rachel

"I just need to blog, blog it out!"

2010-09-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Pheeeeeeewwww.

My counter is annoying me. I try not to look at it. I hate it.

Something awful is happening to me. Whenever I think about National Office, which is basically all the time, and especially when I'm studying (which should be all the time...I'm working on that) my stomach gets all knotted up and I feel sick. A few minutes ago I had to skip one of my favorite songs, "The Contradiction," on my iPod, because it was making me anxious. The worst part is, my iPod is only playing songs from my "classical genre."
Here it goes again. Apparently I can't listen to Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor either...

Any hints or tips for overcoming the worst case of nerves you've ever had? Pre-nerves, because I'm not even at convention yet?

I don't understand. I planned to feel 12,000 percent prepared by this point. And now (almost) 350 hours later, I feel so panicky. So I just had to stop for a minute and blog. Yes, this is taking away from actual time that I could be immersing my poor swollen brain in more facts, so it seems contradictory. But I can't focus.

So I need to just take a minute and remember why I'm doing this. Because is it to be a National Officer? Is that my goal, my end all, be all, or my entire life? Because it shouldn't be. My goal is to be me. To be the very best version of me that I can possibly be, and that me is a helpful, kind, compassionate, friendly me. I want to make a difference in people's lives. FFA member's lives, yes, but beyond that- people's lives. And if I don't become a National Officer, I'm still going to accomplish that goal. So there's no pressure, really, because my goal is one hundred percent achievable and I have the rest of my life to attain it.

I'm not ready for National Convention right now, this very second. But lucky for me, convention is still a little ways away, So talk to me 150 hours from now. And then I'll be as ready as I ever hoped to be. Of course, there will always be something more I could have done, but I'm not sure how much difference it would have made anyway. I have a little ways to go, but I've come a long ways since last November.

Here's a poem I found on Bethany Bohnenblust's National Officer blog today.

Fresh Start

Here marks a fresh start

a new freedom for my heart

My chance at being me,

doing what I want, totally free.

And it won't be a big deal.

It's nothing like I thought,

I survived the battles I fought.

My thoughts are all gone,

like the night at down.

My soul is free of sorrow,

I'll do what I want tomorrow.

I can't be held or bound.

I will spread my wings and leave this ground.

Distraction has no control.

My life will no longer be dull.

I will have the power.

I'll pass the highest tower.

Don't try to stop me now,

'Cause you won't know how.

For I will be totally free.

And I'll be one hundred percent me!

by xO

And here's a quote she posted as well:

"I have always been delighted at a prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start with perhaps a big of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning." ~Joseph Priestly

My goal for September (I just decided, two minutes ago) is to be calm. Reflecting on what I've written here can help me to do that. I love that I have tomorrow to improve: to focus more, to be more productive, to be more outgoing, to be more calm, and to be a better me. I'm so grateful for my savior's atonement that allows me endless and constant "do-overs" in my life. Tomorrow I will not feel this way. Tomorrow will be better.

While I'm talking about myself and how I be myself, I guess I'll post this poem as well. It was originally sent to one of my co-workers, the wonderful Patricia, and it describes her perfectly. I read it and loved it and stole it. I hope it describes me as well. I've always felt that hard work is a solution for everything.

To be of Use
The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who stand in the line and haul in their places,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.

by Marge Piercy

So my plan for the rest of today: read The Leadership Challenge and skim through The Arsenal again. Have a little fun today. Tomorrow I'm spending as much time as I can handle here at the library, delving head-first into Hot Topics 101! I'd like to study all day Monday as well, I think most of my roommates are going home...but I don't have internet at the condo yet, and nothing on campus will be open. Anyone know of a good internet cafe?

One of the most gorgeous views on Earth, at the Pettit farm. Mmm, I feel calmer already...

Have a great long weekend. I'll be studying.

Love, Rachel

Welcome Back to Logan!

2010-09-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
I'm back in Utah, and oh boy has it been a transition. Studying for National Office has been temporarily replaced this week in favor of fixing my car and the condo I'm living in. But things are looking FANTASTIC. I met up with Jimmy Lotspeich from Nevada yesterday. He's running for the second time this year, and was so helpful in telling me what to expect at the convention. And he suggested we study together, which I think is a fabulous idea. We're planning to do workshops and interviews and I'm really, really excited about it! Our Collegiate FFA Advisor Dr. Lawver has been incredibly helpful as well. I'm so blessed.

I need to get my head on straight, do some homework for the classes I have and tie up the loose ends so that I can finally transport myself. But I promise, studying will take the spotlight very soon.

Have a great Wednesday. I know I will...because I get to go to improv tonight!
Rachel

Back from the dead...

2010-08-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

Why hello, blog-I-have-not-updated-in-almost-a-month.

My goodness how time flies. I have been so busy with my new (and increasingly awesome!) internship at the Division of Agriculture. I have been on the road and learning new skills along the way. Like how to drive (I haven't had an anxiety attack over it since my first drive to Anchorage this summer!). And how to check into hotel rooms. And how to not make a huge mess when I stay in hotel rooms. And how to deal with children, and tourists, and people from different cultures. And I am having a great time, too!

But my job is almost over, just one more week of work and I'll be off to school again. Then I'll finally have time to get down to business and study to the end. Not that I haven't been studying all along- but now it's time to tie up the loose ends. Make sure I'm all ready for the written test. Prepare like crazy for the hot topics. Maybe do some more facilitation. Buy new Official Dress. Get good make-up. Go to the practice camp- do more interview questions, evaluate, work on them again. I'm so nervous, but I'm really excited too. I know I have a chance at this, I've worked really hard, and I hate to admit this out loud, in case it doesn't happen for me...but I really, really want this.

I haven't been slacking too bad though! In my absense I:

Finished and sent my application (which included a near-perfect letter of application- hurray!)
Spoke and answered interview questions at the Farm Bureau meeting
Helped coordinate and run kid's activities at Ag Appreciation Day
Continued to read my newest book, Monday Morning Choices
Got my American Degree! (which doesn't mean I did anything, technically... I filled out the application months ago. But I checked the website and I am all set to receive it!)
Spent a day on the Mat-Su Farm Tour
Interviewed Alex Davis of AD Farms, (which is on Lazy Mountain, which is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my entire life. Seriously took my breath away.) And,
Continued to work on my goal for August, which is to "Cease Non-Excellence." (Meaning, to stop doing things that are not totally excellent. Like spending more than ten minutes doing nothing on Facebook. Or watching more than the appropriate amount of Food Network shows at once. Or sleeping without sheets on my bed. I haven't done very well at this goal...but I'm working on it.)

Speaking of goals, only 2 more until I'm (hopefully) a National Officer! Ah! I'm getting overwhelmed thinking about it. I think I'll go up to my hotel room (I'm in Kenai now) and get settled in for the night.

Have a fantastic weekend. I'll probably write again once I'm settled in Logan again!
Rachel

Inch By Inch

2010-07-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Last night was a late night, but not because I was working on my resume. At least not consciously. I got into bed at 11, but I didn't fall asleep until after 12:30, and I didn't sleep well after that. I felt so nervous about the selection process!

Which is probably is a good indicator that I will be a nervous wreck come National Convention. I don't like looking at the counter I put on this blog anymore. I liked it when National Convention was 2 or 3 hundred days away- I felt like I had all the time in the world. But now- 70 days! How am I going to pull this off? Can I really pull this off?

On one hand, I really have made a huge amount of progress since November. I'm a totally different person now. I am confident that I can present myself well to the nominating committee.

On the other hand...I have sooo much left to do! I have to tackle those Hot Topics, I've got to do some serious research, I've got to read the dozens of books on my bookshelf, I've got to write more speeches, I've got to do some facilitation practice, I've got to study more for the written exam, I've got to meet with a make-up and beauty coach, I've got to get brand spanking new Official Dress...I'm swamped. Everyday I study and I feel like I'm digging a hole- everytime I get a shovelfull of dirt out, more dirt falls in on top of me. Ah!

I take solace in knowing this is how it's supposed to feel. (like being buried alive, I guess.) I knew it would be this way when I started this craziness. And if I didn't feel overwhelmed, I wouldn't be working hard enough!

For tonight, let's be positive and look at what I have done. First off= 300 hours! I'm really proud of that and I'm glad I've been tracking my hours, so that I can celebrate these small milestones. Now- how to celebrate it? Would anyone who has yet to see Inception like to go with me?

Also, I really am almost finished with my application. Which is fantastic, as I found out it actually isn't due until Tuesday (as opposed to Saturday, like I thought). That doesn't mean I'm going to slack off, it just gives me some extra hours to perfect. I'm close to perfection on my letter of application and my resume just needs some easy editing. Phew!

Plus, let's not forget my American Degree! And all the public speaking I've done this summer! And all the farmers I've interviewed (like Arthur Keyes today). And the fact that everyone is so encouraging!

Enough pumping myself up- Version 9 is begging to be edited and I must comply. I gave a speech at the LIONs club today. I'll fill you in on how it went later.
Rachel

Gonna Be a Late Night

2010-07-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

Hello blogger friends,
Today, again, I've been working on my letter of application. I wanted to work on my resume too, but I never got that far. Where did all the time go?

Well first off, I wrote a new copy, which took an hour, and then I got really nervous. Anxious. Uncomfortable. I don't know what it was, it was just straight up no fun. Also I was hungry, so I helped make dinner by shelling peas and listening to history podcasts to try to calm myself down.

Things I need to remind myself:
I am a good writer. I have been working on this letter of application since November. It will all turn out okay. I will remember the speech I'm giving tomorrow because I gave the same one six days ago. I'm cool, confident, collected- at least on the outside.

Version 8, you're toast. Version 9, here we go. At least for an hour and fifteen minutes, because I do have to get up for work in the morning. And I think Version 10 is the one. It's gotta be, right? I mean, what more perfect number than 10?

Best of luck to you in your endeavors, I sure need it in mine,
Love, Rachel

The secret to marathons...

2010-07-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

...is to schedule your time like a total Nazi. It's something I learned from "Brand You 50" (but maybe it's the only thing I've learned...my patience is wearing thin with that book). Seriously, I've been forcing myself to work on a system since I woke up- that I could only 'earn' break time from 'work.' So for every half hour I work I earn 10 minutes of break, which I can use immediately or save up (to take a one hour and fifteen minute lunch break, say).

I've been working all day on creating the best letter of application in the world. It's not there yet, but I may now have a good working copy of an idea that I want to edit and perfect. It's been a long time (like, since November) coming. And it feels good to make some really solid progress. Now, just finalizing my resume and bugging my references, and my application is done! I'm proud of the progress I've made so far, but hopefully I can do a few more hours still. Then I'm off to see an improv show as a reward, I think. If I can get anyone to go with me. :)

Man, today is a good day. I'm getting butterflies thinking about convention, because all of the sudden it seems very, very close. But come October, I will be ready, 100%. Bring it on!

Rachel

The Wonder of People

2010-07-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

I was hoping that I would have a video of the speech I gave to the rotary today to put in this post. After all, I thought, this will be the third time I give it and it should be the best.

Well, I wouldn't say it was the best. And I forgot the camera. Not at home, but at work. Bummer, because I would really have liked to review it to see if I was talking as fast as I thought I was, among other things.

But that's all I'm going to say about the speech- it went well but it certainly could have gone better. I don't blame myself for that- given all that was going on yesterday I didn't have much time to go over it and I hadn't given it in over a month.

Somehow though, I learned so much from going to that Rotary meeting, and even though life has been rough lately, I walked out feeling like I had the world on a string. So here's what happened:

I went into the building just before the meeting started, and as usual went through the awkward before-people-get-their-meal part of the meeting when everyone is connecting with old friends and I am obviously an outsider. That didn't last long however, as soon as I got my food and sat down, John Klapperich came up to me.

I don't know if this man has ever met me. He acted like we'd been friends for years, but that could be just his personality. Anyway, he comes over and introduces himself and says things like, "Rachel! Superstar Rachel! Can I please sit next to you?" So I promised him I'd save him a seat, and he went to get his food. When he came back he talked to me about myself. But it didn't end there. One by one, Mr. Klapperich connected with every person at the table. It was like watching a video of the leadership books I've been reading- Mr. Klapperich totally follows the thirty-second rule (Maxwell writes whenever you meet someone you should say something nice about them within the first 30 seconds of your conversation). Literally, the dialog went like this:

"Rachel, I am so excited you're here, I've been looking forward to hearing you speak today."

"Linda, at work I was reading about charity events, and I noticed your business was a sponsor for almost all of them. Your name was everywhere and I thought, 'she really is a good person.' "

"Mike, over here, sit by me! I know you have to eat quickly to start the meeting, can I pour your water?"

And on and on he went, addressing each person at our table. I had been feeling a little nervous earlier, but he made me feel completely comfortable, and I thought, What a nice guy.

It didn't end there though. At Wasilla Rotary they have an "inspirational moment," which I think is kind of like a seminary devotional of sorts. The gentlemen who gave it was named David, and he's actually the guy that helped line me up to speak at the Wasilla Rotary in the first place. I wish now I knew his last name...I think it's Johnson.

So David gets up and says that the people in Rotary are his inspiration, and then begins naming a few names of people and why they inspire him. I thought he'd pick out a few of the well-known members...but he didn't do that at all. He went through every table and named every member and guest by first name, then added why they inspired him. Every person in the room. I was floored.

While announcements were going on and before my speech, Mr. Klapperich handed me 15 out of the 20 split the pot tickets he had purchased. I didn't know what to say. Then he silently filled up my empty water glass.

The time of the meeting came around for me to give my speech, and it was a little rough. But by the crowd's reaction, you would have thought I had just solved the world's hunger crisis. As soon as I finished, Mr. Klapperich all but yelled, "She's got my vote!"

I sat down and they did the drawing for the split the pot, and none of my fifteen tickets were chosen. No sooner were the winning numbers announced than I heard a woman I've never met say, "I'm donating it to the Rachel Kenley Campaign Fund."

Just so there's no confusion- I definitely do not have a campaign fund. And I tried to refuse the money, but of course she wouldn't let me. So I'm very grateful to this woman (whose name I never got) for her $40 contribution to success. It will pay for 40% of my tuition for a training weekend I'm going to attend.

After the split the pot came Happy Bucks. If you've never been to a Rotary meeting, Happy Bucks is the section of the meeting where people can express something that makes them happy and donate money to the club. Almost everyone who stood up donated a happy buck because of my mediocre speech. Their comments were so uplifting and encouraging. Here are a few of my favorites (paraphrased, because I don't have an impeccable memory):

"Rachel, your speech inspired me and I can't wait to see where you are in ten years. I hope you'll come back and share with us the rest of your adventure."

"I so enjoyed Rachel's speech, and she reminded me that as I'm starting a new business, the challenges will make it successful, because we learn by making mistakes."

"For two years of my life I lived in Enterprise, Alabama, and I know the story of the monument to the boll weevil. I loved the way you included it in your speech."

"My father was a cotton and a soybean farmer in the south, so I understand how hard the transition was. Thank you for the speech. You are a truly beautiful speaker and I wish you the best of luck."

And this last one was great- no offense to the other candidates of course:
"I say, those other 51 candidates should be scared."

I have never received so much praise concentrated on me at one time in my life. I wanted to cry out, "Stop, stop, my head will inflate and explode!" But honestly, it felt so good. I felt like these random strangers really believed in me- so I could believe in myself. They showed me so much kindness.

After the meeting was over, Mr. Klapperich asked me how he could help me, and offered to do an interview with me on his radio station. Then he asked me more about the selection process, and finally asked me a two-fold question: "Why do you want to be a National Officer? What skills do you have that would make you successful in this position?"

My stomach flipped over as I thought, this is it. This is the question, the 'why are you running for National Office question! And I said, "I think I would be a great National Officer because I have good communication skills. I've always been able to talk to people easily and I want to use that skill to connect with other members. And I want to be a National Officer because I feel like I have been blessed by so many National Officers in my own life. They have inspired me and helped me to become the person I am today. And I feel that since I have the skills and opportunity to become a National Officer, I have a responsibility to turn around and be a role model- to do for younger FFA members what was done for me."

Then Mr. Klapperich said, "Kid, I'll see you at the top, and I mean the top!"

Even though my speech wasn't flawless today, I walked out of that meeting feeling, well, like John C. Maxwell puts it, like a million bucks. The members of that Rotary club made me feel like a million bucks. And they reminded me why I'm putting all this time into studying- it's not to know every fact about FFA history, or to be able to memorize a perfect and polished speech- it's to connect with others and to serve them.

So thanks, Wasilla Rotary, for being living examples of who I want to be. You made my day fantastic.
Rachel

Check out Mark!

2010-07-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
I got an email at work today pointing me to this article. It's about my friend and a member of my home FFA chapter, Mark Simon, and his nettle tea business.

Picture courtesy of The Frontiersman

There are two main reasons I love that this article was written. 1- It's always great to have FFA in the news and get our name out there, and 2- Mark deserves it! His business is phenomenal. I have seen this kid grow into an awesome person and I'm so proud of what he has done through FFA and in life. His SAE is an aweosme example to the kids in our chapter who don't have developed SAEs yet.

Mark says in the article that Derek and I introduced him to FFA, but that's all we did. He then took off and did his SAE entirely by himself. Still, sometimes when I feel like I haven't done anything big or grandios in my FFA career, I like to look back at the "lowly, nameless freshman" (his words, not mine!) that I invited to an event one day, and that has gone on to do such great things.

Congratulations, Mark. You really are an incredible person.
PS- You should run for State Office next year, just saying. :)

Thoughts of the Day

2010-07-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

There are so many, flitting around my head like hummingbirds. I don't feel like organizing them, it would take all the fun out it, wouldn't it? So here are some randomized bullet points:

I woke up this morning sending all my hatred to the digitized alarm clock screen projecting the numbers 6, 0, 0. Then I thought of this quote (which, by the way, I can't believe I didn't post here earlier, because it is probably my absolute favorite): "You can often gauge a man's ambition on whether he hates his alarm clock or considers it his best friend." -Thomas Edison. I love you, alarm clock.
I've thought a lot today about reaching my goals versus reaching my potential. Expect a detailed blog posting on this subject at a later date. Also: religion, and what role does it play in my quest?
I can't help thinking there's a reason why Max DePree's concept of "intimacy" didn't catch on in other leadership texts (and yes, it's obvious).
A thought inspired by my readings today: Do I examine what will be important tomorrow and not just what matters today?

Some wisdom ala Max DePree: "Three of the key elements in the art of working together are how to deal with change, how to deal with conflict, and how to reach our potential."

During lunch today, after reading a short story about a light bulb, a fully formed speech idea came to mind, complete with three stories, a little anecdote, and a quote. I felt like a genius- and just in time to try something new for speaking to the Palmer LIONS club next week! In case I haven't posted it here, this is the quote, and it's pasted to the inside cover of my trusted Franklin Covey: "Don't run through life so fast that you forget where you've been and lose where you're going. Life is not a race but a journey to be savored every step of the way." -Kobi Yamada

I gained copious (how's that for a Word of the Day?) amounts of knowledge today. I think I now have a good handle on the government's involvement (or lack thereof) in the Alaska FFA, and I definitely understand organics and chemicals much better- thanks Mark Rempel!

I've discovered "The Moth" podcast recently and I love it. It's not studying (that I count for hours, anyway) but I think it helps me get in the mode of story telling.
I got a call as I was leaving work from the president of Wasilla Rotary about speaking there on Wednesday (yeah, this Wednesday, the day after tomorrow). I hope I'll have this new speech ready by then, although I may not.
I'd much rather write a new speech than work on my letter of application...which is probably more important,

I talked myself out of a bad mood today! I was frustrated driving home because of some mistakes I'd made on a newsletter I produced at work, and I was worried that someone didn't like me, and I was worried about being there for a friend...and all of this together was getting me all worked up. So I explained to myself (yes out loud, you don't do that?) that it didn't matter if someone didn't like me, that everyone makes mistakes and that's how I learn, and that I was doing everything I could do and that I was doing my best. Then I ran a mile, and that helped too. But seriously, ME=master of my emotions. At least recently. At least today.

So now you have an idea what it feels like to be inside my head for a day. It's pretty crazy in there. :)

Have a great night,

Rachel

What a Gorgeous Day

2010-07-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
I had to work today (a Saturday) but I didn't mind at all. I mostly just drove around and then when I wasn't driving I was visiting with farmers at five different farmers markets in the beautiful sunshine. I am truly blessed to have this internship.

The day before yesterday I produced the "Fresher by Far" newsletter all by myself- start to finish. A major part of that was interviewing and writing a profile on Bruce Bush of Bushes Bunches. It was really cool to take a tour by Rhino of his farm and talk to him about its history. He also had a lot to say about youth in agriculture and their importance, and, of course, rhubarb.

I need to clean the kitchen up a bit before I go hiking tonight (when you get a beautiful day in Alaska, you gotta enjoy it!) Maybe I'll read some out of a leadership book too.

Have a great rest of the weekend,
Rachel

The Problem With Marathons, July's Goal and My Brand

2010-07-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
No work today, I had the day off because I have to work in Saturday and that will busy. So my plan was to have a studying marathon and catch up on the four hours I was short of my goal last week. Or at least just log some.

Unfortunately, it just so happens to be a blazingly sunny and beautiful day! And it's making it hard to concentrate.

The day started out a little rocky as a I started reading a new leadership book (because I finished 25 Ways to Win With People last night) called The Brand You 50. I'm not giving up on it just yet, but let's just say it's not my favorite. Tom Peters doesn't believe in correct grammar or sentence structure, apparently. I'll still work on getting through that book, I think it just starts slow, but in the mean time I started "Leadership Is An Art" by Max De Pree. It's also a different format from what I'm used to. But I like what it says about writing in books:

"As a child, I often watched adults study books and learned one of my first lessons about reading. They wrote in their books. Intent and involved readers often write in the margins and between the lines."

Wow- this definitely describes me! If you flip through my leadership books you'll see a lot of yellow highliter and black pen. I wish I could say you'd get a lot out of reading my notes, but you probably wouldn't- they're pretty nonsensical to people besides myself. My physics teacher used to tell us to "talk to the text," when we read our physics book (or if, in most cases) and that's where I got the habit. I'm constantly debating the principles, and writing in the margins, "Do I agree with this?" and "How can I say this without sounding cheesy?"

I digress. After I did a bit of reading, I started to do a handful of other things. I just felt all day like I had too much to do and it was a little overwhelming. But when I step back, I really did get quite a bit done, including:

Almost my entire FFA Application (excluding a few of the harder things)
Called people to write me letters of recommendation
Read through and studied the Monday Morning Monitor
Checked in with Jeff
E-mailed two people about training weekends
Sent about a million emails to Rayne (or 3)
Worked on 35 "Ways to Encourage the Heart" #33- writing thank you notes
Read leadership books
Two blog posts
And I checked again just to make sure the due date for the application is indeed August 1st.

So, up to now it's been 4.5 hours. Which isn't bad, I guess. I just need to not expect marathons to be very successful, because I can't focus after a few hours. Oh well. I also got some other things done, like scheduling an appointment to get my hair cut and going to the gym (ie, March's goal).

Speaking of goals: It's July! And it's been July for a while, but I've had this goal and have just forgotten to mention it. So here it is: Exercise Patience. Man, this is such a hard thing for me. And I don't even know if this is the right wording for what I'm trying to do. Not only am I trying to be more patient about life and the pace it goes, I'm trying to be more patient with others and mostly, control my temper.

Two weeks ago I got into a huge fight with my sister Rita, over, essentially whether "dating" is defined as "going out" with someone or "going on a date" with someone. Ridiculous, I know, but I totally lost my cool and it took me a long time to get in control of myself. At one point I was ranting and my sister said, "Imagine there was a camera right here in the car (we were on our way home from Anchorage) recording you right now, wouldn't you be embarrassed to watch yourself?"

At the time I was mad, so I just thought, whatever. But now I think, "Oh man. What if there was a camera. What if the nominating committee saw me at my worst, my very brattiest, instead of this responsible, put-together servant-leader I'll be doing my best to present to them. If they knew I treated my family this way, they would never elect me."

And, that's all very true. So I'm working this month on that. As a sidenote, I don't know why it's always my sister Rita who says things that impact me so much- she also contributed a quote to my retiring address. It's probably because she's so honest- but I appreciate that.

Could this be officially considered a diatribe? Probably. I'm going to get to work on the harder aspects of the application now (the letter of application and the resume).
-Rachel

Cool Quotes Collection

2010-07-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Did you know I used to hate quotes? I don't know why- now, I love them. Here are a few great ones I've read recently, or had in files, that I haven't had an opportunity to share. So here you go:

"The servant-leader is servant first...It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead."

-Robert K. Greenleaf

"Leaders impress others when leaders succeed, leaders impact others when followers succeed."

-John C. Maxwell

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

"There is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world. It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher."

-Henry Van Dyke

"Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a permanent attitude."

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I do the very best i know how- the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end."

-Abraham Lincoln

"To be a leader means...having the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who permit leaders to lead."

-Max DePree

"The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when someone asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer."

-Henry David Thoreau

"Leadership is an art, something to be learned over time, not simply by reading books. Leadership is more tribal than scientific, more a weaving of relationships than an amassing of information."

-Max DePree

Happy Monday, folks!
-Rachel

What I Did Today...

2010-07-08T17:40:00.000-07:00

Went to "work"
Drove out to the Butte and interviewed the Huppert family
Learned all about the history of Palmer Produce, Butte Farms, and Alaska Gold Nuggets Produce
Drove to the Huppert's gorgeous fields and took pictures, like this one:

I may be biased- but is that not the most magnificent mountain you've ever seen?

Went back to "work"
Wrote a profile on the Huppert family, to be published in the Fresher By Far newsletter
Spent my lunch break reading "25 Ways to Win With People," by John C. Maxwell
Revised my profile piece twice
Attended a meeting to plan the Governor's Picnic
Planned next week, which will include another Farmer Profile, a trip to Willow, 3 trips to Anchorage, 19 store visits, and up to 9 farmers market visits, and plenty of opportunities for personal growth.
Left "work" thinking, 'Are they seriously paying me to do this? I love my job.'

Rachel

Dreams

2010-07-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got to pick a sticker to put on my magnet for the sign in board at work (yeah, I know- so legit!) I chose a green sticker that said, "Dare to Dream." I thought it was fitting.

In this post, I want to give a shout out to my cousin Kim. This girl has a fabulous singing voice- one that I admittedly have always been jealous of. This August, she's following her dream, in the form of flying to California to audition for American Idol.

It would be lying if I didn't say that when I heard this, I thought automatically about the vast number of people who audition for the show and how many get turned down while only a few make it to the finals. Then I realized what a dumb thought that was! Whether or not this works out for Kim, I think it's awesome that she's doing it, it's an adventure and in many ways, she's doing it for the same reasons I'm running for National Office. And I wish her the best of luck.

I'm sure Kim will do well at American Idol auditions- and in life- because she's so optimistic and a total go-getter. Here's a good description of her: this is her Info Box quote on Facebook (courtesy of Dr. Suess):

"I've heard there are troubles
Of more then one kind.
Some come from ahead
Some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat,
I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have

troubles with me."

So I've been thinking a lot about Kim going after her dreams, and it's really affirmed in my mind the reasons I'm running for National Office. Chasing away doubts has always been a struggle for me, I'm cynical, skeptical, and pessimistic..so I need constant reminding. In my Rotary Speech in Anchorage, I spoke about challenges and how one of my personal heroes, William Wilberforce, overcame his. If you are unfamiliar with William Wilberforce, he was mainly responsible for abolishing the slave trade in Britain the early 1800s. Here's an excerpt from my speech:

"When I think of Wilberforce’s life and the struggles he went through to achieve his goals, I am reminded of a poem by C.W. Longenecker:

'If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.'

I know this poem wasn’t written when Wilberforce was alive, but I’m relatively certain that Wilberforce lived his life in accordance to a similar creed. After all, who was he to change the world?

He was challenging a system that had been in place for over one hundred years, and a system upon which the finances of Britain rested almost entirely. He had no qualifications- he was young, small, sickly, and hadn’t even done well in school. He was also a devout Methodist during a time when religious devotion was looked upon as a social transgression. Yet Wilberforce didn’t allow his circumstances to stop him from achieving the impossible. The secret to his success lies in his tireless tenacity and his unwavering positive attitude."

Thanks again, William Wilberforce and Kim, for reminding me to follow my dreams. You guys are awesome.
-Rachel

PS: Yes, I do realize William Wilberforce is dead and will not be receiving my thankfulness. It's okay. :)

My New Job!

2010-07-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,
I started a new job today! Well, I guess technically I started yesterday, but I didn't really do any work...just became a master at form-fill-outing and policies and procedures.

But today- I got to go on store visits with Patricia and get a handle on what it is I will actually be doing as an intern for the Division of Ag. And it was very exciting! I can tell I will learn a lot that will helpful in seeking National Office, not only about agriculture, but about talking to people and being a representative of ag in Alaska. Yesterday, I read a packet about the Division of Ag's goals and such, and it was full of spectacular information about Alaska and agriculture that I should know, and it was work!

I'm also learning I need to be more outgoing. On the way out of town today, Patricia asked me, "Are you always this quiet?" To which I wanted to respond, "Trust me, I'm not quiet at all- you just don't know me yet!" So I'm working on being more comfortable carrying on conversations (even when I'm nervous!) and I know this job will help me out with that.

We went to Talkeetna today and did store visits for all the stores on the way in. Once in Talkeetna we visited Cubby's Market and then stopped in to the new location of Kahiltna Birchworks- where Dulce Ben-East and Michael East welcomed us. It was so cool to get to talk with them and learn more about syrup making- it is such a process! They have a really neat Canadian evaporator there, and a machine called a "Reverse Osmosis Machine." I wish I remembered what exactly it did...I think it takes all the water out of the sap before they boil it. Anyway, I was impressed with their business. Birch syrup is delicious, by the way.

Another perk of driving all the way to Talkeetna today was that it was sunny, clear, and beautiful, which meant Patricia and I got a fantastic view of Denali (or Mt. McKinley). I hadn't ever seen it that clearly, so we drove to the outlook to look for a few minutes along with all the tourists. That mountain is spectacular. I'm so grateful to live in surrounded by such beauty.

This is kind of a crappy picture of me in front of Denali from two years ago- after Blast Off training.

Denali it the tallest mountain, in the upper right. I wish I had my camera today, because there were NO clouds in front of it. Oh well.

Well, tomorrow I get to go interview a farmer and write a profile for the Division's Alaska Grown newsletter (Fresher By Far). I'm so excited to have such a sweet job!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Rachel

Awesome Numbers

2010-06-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody!
Let's just get to it, shall we? This week had a lot of cool numbers in it!

I look fantastic in Official Dress. :)

My speech at the South Anchorage Rotary went well on Thursday- at least I feel like it did. There were about 70 people there, which made me nervous, but I got a standing ovation and a woman tried to offer me her son's hand in marriage...so I'd say those are good indicators of success. :) But I felt really good about it as well. I just watched the recording of it yesterday, and I was pleased. I added some new material but didn't forget any of it, and I included only four U-Ms. (that's a word I'm not allowed to say anymore. I owe Rayne ten cents every time I do, so far we're up to $1.20.) I've enlisted my mom to listen to it and give me harsher criticism as well. I know I need to work on using the stage better and on answering questions s-l-o-w-l-y. But overall I think it went really well. I got a business card from a woman who is the president of Toast Masters in Anchorage, so I think I'll try to get into Anchorage and check them out one of these days.

And thanks to that speech, and the other studying I've been doing (of course) I did another 50 hours in just three weeks! That's 250 in all! And that's half way to my goal of 500! Hip hip hooray for me!

As for today, I took the day off of work and am having a study marathon. I just spent a good chunk of time calling people to schedule speaking opportunities. That is really hard for me, I'm discovering I'm not a very good self-promoter. Anyone reading this though, seriously- I'm looking for places to give speeches! And to give workshops especially. So if you know of any, call me at 907-355-1685 and let me know. You'd be my hero.

And one last, totally fantastic, really big number: 520,000. That's the number that the National FFA estimates will be exceeded by the 2009-2010 membership tally (which doesn't officially end until August 31st)...and it's an all-time membership high! This number marks an increase of over 10,000 members since the last record, which was set in 1977. I'm totally thrilled about this, guys, can you tell? You can read the official press release here, if you're interested.

Have an awesome Wednesday, and I'll be here, still studying. :)
Rachel

Pictures from Spring Creek Farm

2010-06-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

I told you I would put these up eventually! This was such a fantastic day. Me on a farm is like a kid in a candy store. Or Toys-R-Us, I used to go crazy in that store... :) Enjoy.

Rollin' Along

2010-06-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
Tomorrow I'm speaking at the South Anchorage Rotary, and I'm really excited about it. I was able to take apart my last speech with Rayne's help and improve on the areas I was weak on last time. I'll let you know how it goes.

Also, on Sunday, I had to give a talk at church. I won't go too into detail, because this is not a religion blog, but it was a good experience to do some more public speaking in a totally different arena. And I also talked a lot about learning to love others, which I mentioned before was my goal for June, so that helped me out a lot. I used this quote (that I also used in my retiring address) by Stephen R. Covey that I absolutely love and thought I'd share with you:

“Love is something you do: the giving of self, the sacrifices you make, even for people who offend or do not love in return. Love is a value that is actualized through loving actions.”

As for studying, things are going well. My American Degree is done and in the mail- woot! I also am getting a little better at interview questions with each meeting with Rayne, but I still have a ways to go. I just ordered 6 new leadership books on Amazon.com. I officially love that site for cheap books! We'll see how I like them. I'm just tearing through them reading a half-hour per day, and I finished the ones I had- so my study routine feels a little off-balance as I usually start by reading. I only have 4 left on the Recommended Reading List from nationals, so I got a few that past national officer candidates recommended. Anyone have any ideas for great autobiographies or biographies to read too? I want to have plenty of leadership examples for answering interview questions.

Whew, where has the time gone? I've got to run do some babysitting tonight, but I promise to blog some more soon. In facilitation terms, here's a preview of what I'll be blogging about soon:

Three words that describe ME

How my LIFE is like a GIANT CABBAGE

What I see THROUGH MY WINDOW

Stay tuned...

Rachel

An Update

2010-06-08T17:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
I'm having technical issues, so I can't put the pictures up right now. But I will eventually.

I just wanted to write and give you all an update on what I've been up to. Last weekend, I felt extremely overwhelmed. If I had blogged, it would have been depressing, so be glad I didn't.

Today, I feel awesome. I'm typing as fast as I can trying to get things done. I'm speaking at the South Anchorage Rotary (per special request of someone who saw my speech at the Palmer Rotary- woohoo!) a week from Thursday, so I'm trying to revise my speech according to what we noticed from the recording of it. That's going kind of slow, I'm just so scattered I need to organize myself. But other than that I'm getting a lot done in the areas of self-improvement, FFA info. study, and practice interview questions. Go me!

One of the reasons I feel so on fire today is a chapter I read in the book "The 17 Essential Qualities of Team Player," by John C. Maxwell. The chapter is all about discipline, and here are a few of the quotes I loved:

"Discipline is doing what you really don't want to do so that you can do what you really want to do."

"A person lacking discipline is in a prison without bars."

"Discipline means doing the reight things at the right time for the right reason."

And Maxwell also included a quote by Thomas Huxley, which I really liked:

"Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like or not, it is the first lesson that ought to be learned, and however early a man's training begins, it is probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly."

This whole chapter made me think. I've always prided myself on my discipline. One of my favorite things in the world is to tackle a long a difficult piano piece and work at it slowly but surely until I've memorized it and performed it. I take many things in my life very seriously and have to be disciplined with my time in order to achieve all I set out to do.

But lately, I haven't been very disciplined in my actions. I find myself watching TV instead of fulfilling my goal of exercising, and putting off practicing piano in favor of reading, until it's too late to practice anymore. Even my preparation for National Office, which admittedly I have been doing more than at college, is still lacking discipline. But that chapter has inspired me, and I am excited to take over my thoughts, emotions and actions once more.

Last post I told you I was trying to decide on a goal for the month of June, and now I have. It's a huge one, one I'm sure that I'll work on for the rest of my life, but this week I'm focusing on loving people better. There are many people who I know that are trying to change and do right things, but it's hard for me to allow them to change. I have a really difficult time letting go of grudges and I need to spend time trying to see the good in everyone and truly love them. I'm guided by this awesome anecdote about Clara Barton (which, incidentally, can be found in "Developing the Leader Within You," by John C. Maxwell):

Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, understood the importance of choosing a right attitude even in wrong situations. She was never known to hold a grudge against anyone. On time a friend recalled to her a cruel thing that had happened to her some years previously, but Clara seemed not to remember the incident.

"Don't you remember the wrong that was done to you?" the friend asked.

"No," Clara answered calmly, "I distinctly remember forgetting that."

Have an awesome Tuesday,
Rachel

Did you miss me?

2010-06-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Yeah, sure you did. Sorry for the long break in blogging. I can explain why with just two words:

200 hours!

Thanks to some awesome hours racked up last week, I am well on my way to my goal and I am pumped. I've been really busy, last week I spent most of my waking moments writing, editing, and memorizing a speech for the Rotary club, and then about 20 minutes giving it, of course.

Then on Friday Rayne and I had an all day study jam. It was awesome, we talked about a lot of stuff, watched and critiqued the video of my speech, and then spent about four hours exploring and learning about Spring Creek Farm, which is this huge hog operation only a few miles down the road from my house! And they had steers, bison, yak, and even an elk. It was great. Rayne took like 300 pictures (literally) so I'll get a few up here soon. I had a great time. Who knew preparation could be so fun?

The fun is good, it balances the feeling of being overwhelmed. Like the feeling I have about filling out my American Degree application- it's so huge and confusing! I have to keep reminding myself that it's worth it though, because my American Degree is separate from running for National Office- it's something that I'm going to achieve for sure! So no matter what happens running for National Office, I'll leave this convention with a key on my chain, and that's an awesome accomplishment in and of itself.

For some reason, I thought the hot topics for my speech, writing assignment, and facilitation round weren't going to be released until August 1st- but I just found that they're up already! How awesome is that? Seriously awesome, I'd say.

So, today's the first day of June, and I need a new goal. I'm sure that there are a million things I need to work on, but I can't think of anything right now...suggestions? Rayne reminded me the other day that I shouldn't be preparing to run but preparing to be. So what's a good quality for a National Officer to have that I can focus on developing for a month? Let me know if you have any spectacular ideas.

One more thing- check out what came in the mail the other day....

I'm stoked. :)

My head is swimming...

2010-05-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

What a day! I woke up and starting helping my mom set up for her plant sale. After we finished setting up, I went to ask my Grandpy what he was tinkering with and ended up talking to him for an hour and learning all about his dairy farm, how he cultivated the land, how a creek used to run through where the barn is now, and how his barn caught fire! I learned so much about my ag background, and there's still so much to learn. I came away with two realizations:
1) My Grandpy is a mechanical genius, and 2) I should have learned all this long ago!

The awesome didn't stop there though! I came in for lunch, checked my e-mail and saw that Angela Mayfield commented on my last post- seriously, the comment is there, check it out! I was so excited!

I just finished up a long and extensive meeting with Rayne where we really nailed down what I'm going to talk about at the Rotary meeting on Thursday. Now I just have to write my speech. And I put together my to-do list for next week.

It's incredible how draining those meetings can be. I don't know why, but afterwards my head is just swimming with new ideas, so I want to get started on a new project and take a nap all at the same time. This week should be a good one. I've been getting overwhelmed with everything I have to do this summer, but hopefully my new organization system will help.

Tomorrow I'm running a 5k. I have never done this before. Wish me luck, I will need it!

I'm realizing this post is very boring. I'm sorry. But check out what's not boring: the word tantalize! I'm doing Word of the Days again, so this one is for today. It's a verb that means to excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach, as in: The cookies displayed in the cookie jar were tantalizing to Keith.

I don't think Keith reads this blog- so he can't be offended. :)
Mom, Natalie, and I might go see a movie tonight. You should too, it's a Friday! Have fun this weekend!
Rachel

Changes in leadership and last names

2010-05-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

I saw some big news on the FFA website today. I feel both happy and sad.

First: Dr. Larry Case is retiring in January.

Dr. Case has been the FFA advisor for 26 years- longer than I have been alive. He is an icon for FFA members, he's the Big Owl! I've never, ever thought about him retiring.

Here's the press release, if you're interested.

Dr. Case was my first FFA idol. I remember traveling to SPC with Taylor in July of 2008. As we rode our taxi to the hotel at 2 AM, we started wondering if anyone would be awake to welcome us. Jokingly, I said, "Oh, I'm sure all the National Officers will be waiting in the lobby, and Dr. Case will give us a huge hug." Then we laughed, and Taylor said, "Unlikely...but that would be awesome!"

We were not greeted by Larry Case in the lobby at 2 AM, but the next day he joined us for the opening session. I was astonished! This is a man whose name I memorized my sophomore year for the FFA info test. This is a man who knows more about agricultural education than most people would learn in two lifetimes. He is a legend. I so enjoyed getting to know him, even if it was just a little bit.

The wise old owl himself, and me. He told me when I showed this picture to anyone to also add the disclaimer that he had been flying all day and he wasn't as young as he used to be and so you have to forgive him for his disheveled appearance. I think he looks fine. Much better than I do when I fly (remember?)

State Officers listen earnestly to Dr. Case

Dr. Case's awesome cardboard cut-outs

[I know you're supposed to grow out of being excited to meet prominent FFA members and leaders. So I try to act like I don't get chills when I see a National Officer's jacket, even though I do. And I tried to control my excitement when I met Dr. Case. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite keep my composure when I got to meet the former FFA Executive Secretary, C. Coleman Harris. When he tried to introduce himself, I just blurted out, "Sir, I know who you are!" Luckily, that doesn't happen with Dr. Steve Brown. He just always talks about eating moose stew at my house with my parents. We're tight. :) ]

I'm sad that Dr. Case is leaving us, but I'm sure his replacement will do a fantastic job. I'm looking forward to finding out who it will be!

Second: Angela Mayfield is one of the keynote speakers at the 2010 National Convention

I did a little research when I saw a picture of this woman, and felt like I recognized her. Sure enough, Angela Mayfield served as the 2000-2001 National Western Region Vice President- only back then her name was Angela Browning. Now, Angela Browning is not an FFA celebrity that I have met personally, but I feel like I know her because she taught me how to speak in public.

At my very first State Officer training event, Blast-Off, in May 2008, our trainer Marlene showed us the video of Angela Browning's retiring address. I'm not sure if that is the approved speech that all Blast-Off trainers are supposed to show, but that's the one Marlene showed us. I watched the whole thing in complete awe, inspired and impressed. When the video was over, Marlene said, "What if I told you that you could give a speech just as good as Angela's?" Then she taught us the "magic formula" and the rest, as they say, is history.

I also got my favorite quote from that speech, "Until you stop comparing, you will never grow." I even used that quote in my speech at graduation.

I'm looking forward to seeing Angela speak again, this time in person. You can see her fantastic retiring address on youtube in two parts: here, and here.

Speaking of speaking...I've got some good ideas for the Rotary speech, but I need to start writing them down and organizing them. Have a great evening!

Rachel

Adjusting...

2010-05-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

I am adjusting to a new schedule of working part-time and studying part-time. At present I am feeling a little overwhelmed with how much I have to do to study, and a little nervous about starting to write my speech for the Rotary club in a few weeks. So I thought to ease into things, I would tell you all about what I learned last Wednesday.

Although I didn't exactly follow my summer schedule last week (mostly because of a reception that went on Saturday night and all the prep work involved) I still got quite a bit of studying done from reading on the airplane and attending a CTSO meeting with my state advisor, Jeff Werner.

I was worried that the CTSO meeting would end up being a waste of my time, but I really learned a lot from going there. Mainly, I learned that the CTSOs (including BPA, SkillsUSA, HOSA, DECA, etc.) are all struggling with the same things- trying to secure and maintain state funding. And dealing with counselors to build an understanding of career and technical education. Things to think about.

Oh yeah- my favorite moment of the day was when Jeff showed me his iPhone in the middle of the meeting, with the National FFA page up displaying this picture:

Don't ask me what he was doing surfing the web in the middle of the meeting... :)

Then he says, "This could be you. No, this will be you. Think positive."

Alright Jeff, I will. :)

Also- this is what I look like when I fly:

It has occurred to me that if I become a National Officer, I'll have to work on flying without looking like crap.

Better get to working on that speech- have a fantastic Tuesday!

Rachel

Home

2010-05-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

I am finally home. It feels so good to be around family, play with my nieces and nephews, and drive around town without feeling anxious.

It's also a bit of struggle adjusting to a new schedule and new surroundings in terms of my study habits- hence the break in blogging. Sorry about that. I'm working on it.

My work situation is kind of weird this summer, but I guess it's good for me. I'm doing an internship at the Division of Ag, but it doesn't start until July 6th. Until then, I'm working part-time for my mom in the garden and using the rest of my time to study, do speeches and workshops, fill out my applications, and blog. I can't wait! Tomorrow I'm going into Anchorage with Mr. Werner (my state advisor) to a meeting about how to save Alaska CTSOs. Then, if we have time, we'll meet with Rayne, and then head back into the valley for the Palmer FFA Chapter Banquet.

Although I haven't blogged, I've done six hours of study since last Thursday! That is mostly because I read an entire book on Saturday while I traveled home. It's called, "Just Don't Fall," and it's by Josh Sundquist (the speaker I wrote about before who only has one leg)...and it's awesome. Very funny, very inspiring, and very well-written. I got a TON out of it, which was good, because I was nervous about reading a book that wasn't a "leadership book" per se.

I'm going to blog a lot about it (I turned down the corners of the pages I liked) but I'll leave you today with a paragraph that pretty much describes my life right now. I laughed so hard when I read it. Self-help books will do this to your mind.

For some context: Josh is on a date at a book fair,

" 'I love books,' she says, sorting through a box of paperbacks. 'But I just never have time to read.' I open my mouth to tell her about how she should just prioritize her schedule using The Seven Habits of Highly Effiective People method, which involves Roles and Goals and something called Quadrant II."

" 'Lydia,' I say, 'What are your goals in life?' I ask her this because talking about your goals and dreams in life puts you in what Tony Robbins calls a Peak Emotional State. Anything you associate with a Peak Emotional State gains importance in your mind. If I can get Lydia in a Peak Emotional State while she is on this date...then she will associate those strong positive feelings with me, and she'll want to be my girlfriend."

Also, I didn't forget about my 35 Ways to Encourage the Heart (at least for very long). Today I'm doing number 31, the "Do What You Say You Will Do" audit.

Have a great Tuesday,
Rachel

What Do I Do If It Doesn't Happen?

2010-05-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

In October, I got to go to the National Convention and compete in Job Interview. I'm so grateful I had that opportunity. At that time, I had begun seriously considering running for National Office and I decided that I would think about it at National Convention and make my decision by the time I got back to Logan.

When I got back to my dorm, I called Rayne and said, "I want to do it. I want to do all of it." And the rest, as they say is history.

The facts are, I made my decision before I got back to Logan, I made my decision about halfway through the convention. So after I decided, I payed really close attention to the National Officer Candidates: how they presented themselves on stage, who had made the cut, what they did in their spare time, etc. It helped that a lot of them were friends of mine from SPC and NLCSO. :)

At the closing session, my chapter (well I guess, my association? most of Alaska, anyhow) showed up to the Fieldhouse over an hour early to get seats. we ended up sitting on the right side (looking from the stage) on the wing nearest to the floor. They weren't delegate seats (oh how I miss those!) but they were still really good, and they happened to be just across the aisle from the National Officer Candidates.

When the time finally came to announce the 2009-2010 team, I watched the candidates intently. I said to myself, "These are the best seats ever!" I felt like I was part of the action, watching first-hand the thrilled new officers run to their posts. And I thought the whole time, "This could be me next year."

Then, they were all up on stage. The wrapping up began and everyone sat down again. Then I made the mistake of looking over at the National Officer Candidates section.

I had just witnessed six of the happiest people I had ever seen run on stage, and when I looked over at the NOC section, I saw at least ten of the saddest people I had ever seen. I guess I had forgotten that the people who made the first cut really didn't know who was going to make it- and I expect coming so far just to be cut was a devastating blow. Looking over, I saw people who had worked really, really, hard, and everything they had worked for had just been whisked away. They were crushed.

I immediately wished I had not sat so close.

Luckily, loved ones and coaches came to support them and I'm sure everyone was okay after a while. But it was a weird part of the national officer selection process that most people don't get to see.

This really bothered me, because I had just made up my mind that I was going to commit myself for the next year to prepare to run- but what if it didn't happen for me? I didn't want to be crushed, or to feel like preparing was a waste of time, or that I didn't have anything to look forward to. It was a dilemma.

When I got back to Logan, I told my brother I was going to run, and his response was, "Just don't cry if you don't make it." I said I couldn't guarantee anything.

Then, a few months ago, I got a questionnaire response from 2008-2009 National Central Region VP Morgan Parker (thanks again!) He said something that really made me think:

"You also have to have a backup plan. If I wasn't elected, I knew exactly what I was going to do. And I wasn't going to be heart broken about it. Contrary to popular belief, there is life beyond the blue jacket."

So yes, I am committing myself fully to preparing to be a National Officer. But if it doesn't happen, I'm not going to be crushed. Yes, being a National Officer would be fantastic, and a dream come true. But if I'm not a National Officer, I'll be able to do a lot of other things I otherwise wouldn't be able to do. And here's a list of them I've been brainstorming.

See Micah as soon as he comes home in July 2011.

Do a semester abroad.

Do more improv.

Try something new here at school I've wanted to do, like the Swing Dancing Club or Latter-Day Voices.

Improve my piano skills.

Cut my hair however I want (if I don't make it I think I'll cut it all off just for fun)

Hang out with my friends.

Wear big earrings whenever I want.
Possibly go on a mission.
Be in a play or musical again.

Take an animal production class in the spring.

Go to church every week.

Get a cool internship for next summer (like in D.C. or something!)

Spend time with my family (more than I would if I was a National Officer)

This picture was taken in 2007. We hang out more than every 3 years, I promise, we just don't ever take pictures!

Eat a pizza (Rayne promised he'd buy me one if I didn't make it- any size, any toppings. He has a lot of confidence I'll make it, 'cuz I don't think he goes around buying pizza for people very often. :) Still though, it's a win-win: I become a National Officer, or I get a pizza!)

I'm sure there are more things that I could add to this list. And don't worry- I have a list of great things about being a National Officer too...obviously I think it's a cool thing, or I wouldn't be devoting so much time to it.

The point is: I used to think I had to be National Officer. I used to look at the National Officers in New Horizons magazine and think "That's going to be me...I want it SO bad...it has to happen!" and feel a little sick to my stomach (true story). I used think I probably would cry if I didn't make it, and I didn't want to think about it because I knew how distraught I would be.

Now, I'm sure I'll be sad. I wouldn't be being realistic if I told you I'll bounce back right away if it doesn't happen for me. But I'll just look at this list, eat my pizza, and remind myself that it will all be okay. :)

Presenting With Pizzazz: Chapters Eight and Nine

2010-05-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

Chapter Eight: You Master What You Teach
That's...pretty obvious. If you want people to learn they need to teach others.

Chapter Nine: Be the 'Guide on the Side' Not the 'Sage on the Stage'
I need to remember,

"It's my business as a trainer to get my training participants focused on themselves and their own learning as quickly as possible."

I had never really though too much about keeping my ego in check during workshops, but it makes sense! The workshop is not "look at me, look how cool I am," it's "look at you and what you can learn

"I am the guide who creates the learning experience and then steps back to let the learners take over."

The book challenges me to include a learning activity for participants to focus on themselves for a few minutes the next time I give a keynote or present a workshop- and I plan to.

Happy Tuesday,
Rachel

Tonight

2010-05-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

FYI: That title is supposed to be sung, like in West Side Story. :)

What's up guys?
Today has been an awesome day. I think it's because of my new goal! I got up (relatively) early and read scriptures today, and I've felt productive and focused all day. I've gotten over 2 hours of studying done today, which is a big deal, for me.

So I just wanted to get on here and brag, and also laugh with you about something funny I read in my book today.

Josh forces me to pose for a picture in front of my handiwork: my well-loved high school car sitting in a ditch. We had a hard time driving to my friend Lauren's house in the winter of 2008. :( Note the very red face: sheer embarrassment.

Remember how I hate driving? As I was driving the other day, I was so frustrated and upset, and I had just been reading my book on strengths. It defined a weakness as something we are persistently bad at- so bad, in fact, that it gets in the way of our strengths. And I thought to myself, "You know, I am so bad at driving! It makes everything difficult and stressful, could this be a weakness?"

And today I read this:

"Noted for his horrible accident-prone driving, one CEO we interviewed hired a college student for $7 an hour to drive his Sedan DeVille, thereby eliminating stress and potential danger."

I wrote underneath: "Can I do this?!"

Presenting With Pizzazz: Chapter Seven

2010-05-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Chapter Seven: The Process Is As Important As The Product

"You learn from pain and you learn from pleasure."

The book says to think of pleasant and unpleasant memories. Chances are, you have plenty of memories of painful or unpleasant experiences- vivid ones. I had a great childhood and wonderful experiences in school- but I can still remember almost every experience I had crying in the bathroom. Painful memories stick!

Painful memories also affect our behaviors later on in life. If we had a bad experience with something, we're likely to avoid doing that again or anything that resembles that. This is the reason that we need to be conscious of how we're teaching as well as what we're teaching. If we teach something good in a wrong way, the only thing we're teaching is to avoid that subject. Make sense?

"How your participants 'get there' is as important as the information they walk away with. The activities they engage in will determine the depth of the learning they leave with. Your greatest challenge is to create a learning experience that is pleasurable, stimulating, challenging, and informative...and you can do it in simple, fun, and creative ways."

There are four ways to attempt this: Comfort, Food, Connecting to Your Audience, and Connecting People to Each Other

Comfort-

"Within the limitations of the room...create as comfortable and colorful a place for learning as possible."

Food-

"Food is a nurturing thing and gives the message to your participants that they matter and they are worth the time, effort, and money it takes to provide nourishment." (I had never thought of this before- but who doesn't love food?)

Connecting To Your Audience-

"Before starting your presentation, take a moment to make eye contact with as many people as possible, welcoming them mentally as well as verbally. This little exercise is a focusing of your energy and theirs as you begin your presentation. It creates positive emotional connections. And it gives you that friendly face to return your attention to when you need a little extra support from the group."

Connecting People to People-

"When people are not emotionally connected to each other in positive ways, the group dynamics can be destructive to learning."

Think about this for a minute- do you do your best group projects in school or work with people you don't get along with at all? I sure don't, and as a presenter I need to be aware that people may come into a workshop with negative vibes towards one another. If I don't fix that problem straight up, my workshop can be ruined before it even starts. So how do I do it?

"Connections are the keys to creating positive learning experiences, community building, the willingness to take risks, and the ability to open up to other people and learn from them. People feeling connected to each other in positive ways is a crucial part of a successful training or presentation. So before connecting your trainees with the content you're going to be teaching them, connect them with each other first."

Stay tuned- there's like, four more chapters!
Rachel

Happiness and Success, May's Goal

2010-05-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

I heard a neat quote by Herman Caine today at a church fireside:

"Success is not the key to happiness, happiness is the key to success."

I love this idea. If you are happy, than you will obtain success, If you are waiting for success to bring happiness, than you'll always be waiting for something and your attitude will be contingent on the things that go on in your life.

I guess this struck me particularly because I've always had a hard time having a good attitude. Today as I was taking all my things down off the wall, I noticed my "good attitude" sign on the door. I made it in February, it's a red arrow that says "I'm Thinking Up" on it. Seeing it reminded me of how far I've come. February's month goal was to have a good attitude, and I know that through hard work, reminders and help of loved ones, I've come a long way in maintaining a positive attitude.

Speaking of monthly goals, May is here, and that means something new to work on. So, my new goal is to focus on my priorities, which are, as listed in the last post, my faith, my family, and running for National Office.

Have a nice day!
Rachel

Renewal

2010-05-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
I've been a little burnt out the past few days..I am sick with a nasty bug which keeps me from working my usual pace- and I'm also very excited to get home...which is also making me rather useless.

I don't want people reading this to think I am constantly down on myself or anything- but lately, I have been having a hard time getting myself focused to study. It makes me worried, because the summer is starting and that's my time to pour on the gas, not slow down! But with all the end of school wrapping up activities I've felt really stretched thin. And I'm worried about getting to speak this summer, because one of the venues I thought I had lined up for sure has already fallen through.

Well, tonight I went to one of my best friend's choir concerts, and the message was on renewal and restoration. It was absolutely what I needed to hear, and it touched me. I was there with one of my guy friends, so I had to try hard not to let him see me cry!

The concert, with its gorgeous music and dance, reminded me that I can change. I need to re-focus on my priorities and make a conscious effort and with the Lord's help, I can do the things I need to. So here's a list of my priorities in life right now:

1) My faith

2) My family

3) Studying for National Office

Everything else in my life is wonderful and awesome, but these are the things I am going to focus on. I am a stereotypical overachiever, and so I always think that I am not doing enough. Setting aside time to study for National Office is sometimes hard for me, because I think that I should be able to balance studying with all the other activities I usually do. When that happens, I just remember this quote by Arnold Bennett:

"The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort- he never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature."

Right now, my "one supreme effort" is National Office. So I'm gonna give it all I've got. Thanks for sticking with me and reading my whinings. Madi- thanks for inviting me to the show! It meant a lot to me...and it was awesome! Double yeah!

Rachel

Presenting With Pizzazz: Chapters Four, Five, and Six

2010-04-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

Chapter Four: Balance Active and Passive Ways of Learning, and Chapter Six: Active Bodies Equal Active Brains

I'm putting four and six together because they are very similar...and pretty much self explanatory. It goes along with what FFA teaches about kinesthetic learners, and auditory learners, and...I can't remember the other ones off the top of my head. :) I didn't pick out any quotes because it was mostly full of ideas for different kinds of learning activities.

Chapter Five: Walk Your Talk

"Don't preach about something you aren't willing to do yourself or haven't yet practiced....Speak from your own experiences. Be up front about whether or not you have used what you're talking about. And above all, have your participants practice the skills you're giving them."

I like this point, because I think it makes sense to only lecture about what you know and what you have experienced. I particularly loved the example the author used, for obvious personal reasons: "In my stress management trainings one thing I DON'T do is tell people to exercise regularly because I'm not exercising regularly."

And here are a few tips on facilitation and speaking I thought were really helpful, under the sub-heading "Who You Are Speaks Louder Than What You Say":

"Your energy and your non-verbal communication are more powerful training tools than the content of your presentation. Be aware and learn to consciously use eye contact, gestures, movement, different voice tones, verbal pacing, facial expressions, and dramatization to keep your audience interested and awake. Step out of your comfort zone and take some risks with new presentation techniques. You'll feel excited and energized- and so will your audience."

I'm going to videotape my presentations and have people fill out comment cards for feedback, to try to figure out what I can improve. Of course, as my Strengthfinders book says, I'm not going to focus entirely on what I do wrong, but also on what I like about my presentations.

Happy Friday!
Rachel

Presenting With Pizzazz: Chapter Three

2010-04-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

Chapter Three: Tell It With Stories

I love telling stories. Communication is one of my strengths, and I see it in story telling. I live a rather awkward life, so I have a lot of funny experiences to talk about. But let me just quote from the book:

"Your story needs to be your own. When you speak from your own experience, you speak with passion and the story carries more fire and feeling."

"What is most personal is most universal."

"If you do quote someone else's story be sure to give that person full credit for it- always! It really is wiser- and a much better learning experience- to use your own stories from your own life experiences."

"Go ahead and ham your stories up. Using your voice, your body, and your face as instruments to tell the stories will help keep your audiences entertained. More importantly, your audiences will remember your stories- and the important information you're illustrating- far longer with a little dramatization."

At the end of the chapter it suggests brainstorming interesting, crazy, poignant, or funny things that have happened in your life and writing them down. I've been making a list of these for a while, and what points I could make about them, and I'm going to add them to the blog as I write them down.

Peace,
Rachel

A Thought For This Evening

2010-04-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
I hate driving. I hate it SO much. Unless I'm driving to a place I've been a million times, in perfect weather and ideal visibility. I HATE accidents, I HATE detours, I HATE driving to new places and then getting lost and I HATE driving in the dark. I don't know that I've ever had a panic attack- but maybe that's what driving feels like. I always feel so stressed and scared and anxious.

Once when I was talking to Riley Branch, he said a hard thing to get used to as a National Officer is being totally dependent on other people for rides and getting from place to place. I think I'll kind of like that actually. If I am a National Officer, I hope this fear subsides, cuz I might have to drive in all sorts of states I'm not familiar with!

Ugh,
Rachel

Presenting With Pizzazz: Chapter Two

2010-04-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Chapter Two: The Person Doing the Most Talking is Doing the Most Learning

When we as presenters talk, move around, and write down points, we are learning. But when we let the audience members do it, they are learning.

One of my favorite tips from this chapter was, "If you ask a question, be sure to wait at least a slow five seconds before speaking again."

I used to have a teacher in Sunday School who was the master of this technique. My other teachers always asked a question, waited a few seconds, and then told you the answer they wanted to hear. This was good for all of us students, because we knew if we just waited a few seconds, we wouldn't have to guess at the answer, because the teacher would just tell us.

But it wasn't that way with Sister Logan. She would ask a question and then let the room sit in silence as long as it took...and sometimes it was a long time! We knew that she wouldn't move on until she got input, so we all started thinking hard as soon as she asked the question. Of course, I didn't always have an answer- but someone would. We all got a lot more out of the lessons because we had to be involved.

Unfortunately, it's very hard to let the room sit in silence. But I'm going to work on that.

At the end of every chapter of Presenting With Pizzazz, there is a "Your Turn" section, where the book bosses me around and tells me what to do after I read each chapter. Don't worry- I like it. It forces me to put into practice what I've read. So, I hate letters in blogs- whether to myself, to others, or to inanimate objects. And I wouldn't write this if the book didn't direct me to do it. Here's my commitment letter:

Dear Rachel,

During my next presentation, I promise I'll do the following:

-- Use volunteer scribes to record information
-- Encourage participants to doodle and take notes
-- Tell participants to take a minute to tell someone else what they learned during breaks
-- Use silence after questions to encourage participation.

It'll be exciting and enjoyable to watch my audience get into the act.

Commitedly yours,

Rachel

(Psst...Hey, Presenting With Pizzazz...apparently, "commitedly" is not a word. :) )

Have an awesome Wednesday!

Rachel

Looking for Speaking and Facilitation Opportunities

2010-04-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

Looking for a speaker this summer? A workshop? Some awesome times?
If your answer is no, think again. Harder.

How about Chapter Banquets?

Club Meetings?

Chapter Officer/Member Retreats?

Youth Camps?

Conferences?

Political Events?

Agricultural Events?

4-H Events?

Leadership Training of any kind?

I'm really excited to be coming home to Alaska. I've been studying as well as I can while I've been here at school- reading and watching speaking techniques. But nothing can replace actual experience. Once I get home, I hope to be speaking and facilitating all that I possibly can.

And that's where I need your help! If you have any event that could possibly benefit from a speech or workshop, leave a comment or contact me. You'd be doing me a huge, HUGE favor and hopefully, I'll do an awesome job and your event will be better for it.

Pretty please?

Presenting With Pizzazz: Chapter One

2010-04-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I finished the book I just started the other day, Presenting With Pizzazz. Impressed? Don't be, it's only 99 pages long. It's full of some really good stuff though, facilitation tips and games. It's great to read it after I've both been to conferences and led conferences, because I can remember facilitators using tips and I can identify where I could use them.

Even though it was short, I got A LOT out of it. I'm actually going to go through each chapter in a different post to talk about the different posts, quotes and ideas.

So first, here's a few quotes I liked from the introduction.

"It doesn't really matter what you know. It's what you do with what you know that's important."

"If you want them to HEAR it, YOU talk. If you want them to LEARN it, THEY talk."

And now, Chapter One: "Never Talk Longer Than the Average Age of the Group."

At first I read this, and thought, "What?" But remember, this isn't a book about speeches. it's about facilitation. And, wrote the author:

"Never talk longer than the average age of the group. It doesn't mean that you stop speaking entirely for the rest of the time. It just means that you stop for a few moments and let your audience DO SOMETHING with what you just told them."

And it had some great ideas for Pair and Shares that I'm anxious to try. Good stuff.

Alright, that's all I'm going to do in this post, 'cuz I think if they get too long people don't read them. I wouldn't. :) The next book I'm starting is "Soar With Your Strengths." I'm really psyched about how quickly I'm getting through them, and getting a lot out of them too.

Have an awesome week,
Rachel

A New Jacket

2010-04-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

In one of our video conferences a few weeks ago, Rayne asked me what the Blue Jacket means to me. So let me tell you what I told him.

I was not the kind of person who was immediately inspired to join the FFA when I saw the blue corduroy blazers. I know that to die-hard FFA members, blue corduroy is the coolest thing ever, but let's be honest...corduroy? Who wears that anymore? Especially in blue!?

When I first joined the FFA, I didn't have a jacket of my own, I wore a cast-off from an older sibling whose first name had been removed- so that it only said "Kenley." This prompted the FFA Chapter President of the time to call me "Kelly" for over a year- and that was one of the reasons I generally avoided FFA.

After I went to my first state convention, things changed...at least a little. I really wanted my own FFA jacket...but mostly because I wanted people to stop calling me "Kelly." I was pretty excited to see my jacket when it arrived at National Convention that year though, with my own name and "Chapter President, 2007-2008" on it. But even after I had a jacket, I really only wore it when I had to and I'd wear it with black slacks instead of a skirt if I could get away with it.

My year as a state officer completely changed that. I ordered my jacket the day after I was elected. I loved my jacket and if I went a week without wearing my official dress, it was too long. I always had crevats and black nylons in abundance, and by the end of my year of service, my shoes looked like they'd been through a grain grinder.

My jacket, unfortunately, also shows signs of a year well-served. The elbows are worn down, and a small spot on my sleeve reminds me to always take off my jacket before eating- because apparently dry cleaning doesn't wash out enchiladas. That jacket has been dry cleaned so many times that the fantastic bright blue has faded to a less impressive light blue.

I love that jacket dearly, but when I really made up my mind to run for National Office, I wanted a new one. One that would say to the world, "2010 National Officer Candidate," right under my name. I thought, "Even if I don't make it, it'll be nice to have this jacket to remember everything I did to prepare."

Then, I went on the website and remembered that jackets cost $60. For a college student, that's a lot of money, especially for a jacket I'll wear only until October...so I decided just to wear my old jacket. I was disappointed, but I knew it was just a....stupid...jacket, right?

Oddly enough, I was thinking about my old, worn out State Officer jacket yesterday morning, before I called to chat with my mom. I'd been feeling homesick, and I was dying to hear about the State Convention. Hearing about it was hard though, because it reminded me that I wasn't there, and I wish I had been.

Then, out of the blue, my mom said, "Do you remember who Jason Miller is? He was the State President before Lori, and he always helps out at convention. When he found out you were running for National Office, he gave us $70 and said to use it to buy you a new jacket."

Right then, at that moment, I felt like I was going to cry. (And right now, in this moment, I am). I know who Jason Miller is but I don't know him very well, and I didn't know he knew who I was at all. What a simple gesture, but what a sweet donation. I don't know if he knew how much a knew jacket would mean to me....but it means the world. And now that I can actually get one, I realize how much I really wanted one all along.

I'm so grateful for Jason, and my family, and Rayne, and everyone who is in any small way helping me with this process. Sometimes I get so busy and frustrated that I feel like quitting, but I can feel your support behind me. Even something so simple as a new jacket that I so desperately wanted and am so incredibly thankful for makes a tremendous difference. I am just in awe of what everyone I know does to support me, by reading my blog, asking me interview questions, listening to me rehearse stories, helping me schedule classes, talking to people who might be able to help me out...or just buying me a new jacket. I have such wonderful people surrounding me while I make this big effort. I love you all. I can't thank you enough.

And I'm stoked to order my new jacket the minute I get home! :) But after I wear that one, you know what would be even better? A brand new jacket that only had this on the back:

Man, if I could put on a jacket like that, it would be fantastic.

Rachel

What I Miss Today:

2010-04-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

Well the FFA Convention is either over, or ending, right now. I wish I was there so bad! Seeing these pictures Rayne posted on Facebook made me really think about the convention...it feels like it didn't happen, because I've been here worrying about school instead of running around the depot and feeling like I'm going to explode from stress.

Man, I love FFA so much! Just seeing all these guys in their FFA jackets, that I've gotten to know and love, fills me with a sense of...I don't know what....pride? People say we're from Alaska, there isn't agriculture here, etc. but I know these kids and I know what they're capable of, and I know the FFA program can bring out their leadership potential.

Ah! I miss Alaska. I think I'm just going to start a new leadership book and then go to bed, try to keep my mind off of things. Only 2 weeks left until I'm home!

--Rachel

Oh wait! PS, guess what? I've done another

50 Hours!

of study as of Thursday! That's 150 altogether. It seems like it's taken a long time, and it has taken 7 weeks...but hey, it's something to celebrate. I think I'm going out to lunch with my dorm mates at the Indian Oven to "celebrate life" tomorrow, and this 50 hours is something on my list to celebrate! 50 hours closer to my goal of 500...here I come...

PPS- Mom just texted me and said Palmer won the Parli Pro contest! Awesome job guys, I can't wait to practice with you this summer!

150 Ways to Encourage the Heart

2010-04-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

...or maybe just 35.

I finished "Encouraging the Heart" yesterday, and there is a list of 150 ways to practice Encouraging the Heart in everyday life. I picked out a few that I think are applicable to my situation, and I'm going to knock them off, one or two per week.

So here's a run down of the seven essentials of Encouraging the Heart:

Set Clear Standards
Expect the Best
Pay Attention
Personal Recognition
Tell the Story
Celebrate
Set the Example

And here are the experiences on my list:

Set Clear Standards:

1) Think of someone you admire who exemplifies living a principle-centered life. Interview that person. Find out how they discovered their own values.

2) Watch Eyes on the Prize, the film on the civil rights movement. It's a compelling story of the power of purpose and the dedication people make to realizing a dream.

Expect the Best

3) Surround yourself with positive people who can remind you of your strengths and abilities.

4) Practice envisioning.

5) Buy a few inspirational posters.

6) Read George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. This is the classic novel on the power of positive expectations. And/or watch the video of My Fair Lady. The film version of Shaw's novel, it portrays the power of belief in self. Watch how Eliza Doolittle evolves through a growing sense that she can learn.

7) Rent a video or CD of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1963. Listen to it for the word pictures he paints. You'll be able to see what he says. Now try to add word pictures to your own speeches.

Pay Attention

8) Make note of the kinds of "gifts" or recognition people appreciate (or don't appreciate).

9) Right now, pay attention to your breathing. What do you notice? Write it down. Your ability to attend to the most common and immediate elements of your daily life helps you be more attuned to what is going on around you.

10) Right now, pay attention to your heartbeat. What do you notice? Write it down.

11) Right now, pay attention to the sounds in your immediate space. What do you notice? Write it down.

12) The next time you listen to someone talk about himself, his work, and what's important, listen with your "eyes and heart," not just your ears and brain. What do you notice in listening with eyes and heart that you don't in listening with ears and brain?

Personalize Recognition

13) Think back on a time when someone encouraged your heart meaningfully and memorably. What did she do to make it special for you? How did she personalize it for you? Make note of the lessons you learned, and apply them.

14) Tell people your own "most meaningful recognition story." Ask them to tell theirs. What are the common lessons?

15) At the end of one of your speeches, say something like, "My colleagues couldn't be with me today. I sure hope I represented them well."

16) Write a thank-you note to a loved one or someone who has done something special.

17) Take a class or workshop on creativity.

18) Take a course in drawing, painting, or photography.

19) Say thank you personally every time you appreciate something someone does, anywhere and anytime. It's good practice, and good manners.

20) Make a vow that never again will you fail to personalize every recognition you make, every celebration you hold.

Tell the Story

21) At the next opportunity, tell someone the story of your most meaningful recognition.

22) Keep a journal. Record in as much detail as you can the critical incidents of the day. The practice of observing and recording is important in building your skills in storytelling.

23) What's the best movie you ever saw that really tells a compelling story? Rent it on video and watch it again. What lessons can you learn from your favorite movie? How can you incorporate these lessons into your leadership practice?

24) At the next holiday when you're together with your family or friends, volunteer to read a story fit for the occasion.

25) At dinner every night, don't just talk about the day; tell a story about it. Describe the rich details of place, people, and feelings. Use your home as a practice stage.

26) Take an improvisational theater class.

Celebrate Together

27) Attend local athletic events. Watch cheerleaders, coaches, and players as they celebrate small and large victories. Focus on their enthusiasm and energy. Watch how people express this enthusiasm as well as how those who receive it are affected. Notice how you are affected by the celebrations.

28) At a wedding or other celebratory event, make mental notes on what you like, or what really inspires you about the event.

29) Plan festive celebrations for even the smaller milestones that your team reaches. "Don't wait until the whole project is completed before you celebrate. Immediate acknowledgment keeps energy and enthusiasm high.

30) Take care of your own needs for support. Develop a relationship with at least one person with whom you can talk about your grandest hopes and worst fears, your greatest achievements and your biggest flops.

31) Do a DWYSYWD ("Do What You Say You Will Do") audit. Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left-hand side record your value: the principles by which you say you want to lead your organization. On the right-hand side, record your actions: what you do regularly to live out each of your values. The only way to get any value out of this exercise, of course, is to be completely self-honest. If you don't see yourself doing anything to live out a value, then leave the space blank. If you think your behaviors are contrary to your espoused values, then write down that admission. Grade yourself on how you're doing. Do your values and actions line up? Where are you strong? Where do you have opportunities for improvement? Make a plan to better align values and actions.

32) Identify those experiences in your life that truly inspire you, and then bring this kind of inspiration into your conversations with employees.

33) Write and deliver a thank you note every day. We've never heard anyone complain about being thanked too much, but we've heard lots of complaints about being thanked too little.

34) Keep a journal of your experiments with encouraging the heart. What works for you? What doesn't? What lessons have you learned? How has this effort changed you as a leader?

35) The next time someone recognizes you, make note of your own thoughts and feelings. (Experience becomes the best teacher, but only if we reflect on it.) Then send that persona thank-you not expressing appreciation for what you learned.

Yay for new goals and things to work on! I also have a sheet from Dr. Miller on which I need to determine what I'm going to do to earn my four credits for of independent study.

So for right now, let's check off the ones I've already done! Numbers 16 and 26. I wrote a letter to Mr. Giesler for 16, and of course, I started 26 when I came to college.

Ummkay, I'm out!

Rachel

Good Day, Sunshine

2010-04-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
It's not actually sunny outside. It's raining and very windy. But I feel good! So apparently, weather actually has very little do with my mood. So, to make up for the depressing-ness of a few posts, I'll give you some bullets about why life is awesome:

For some strange reason, though my video would not function on my computer or on Youtube, once I got it onto Facebook, it decided to function! They watched it today and I think it went over well.
My classes are finally all figured out for next semester! After a few minor set backs, I finally reached the right teachers and got into the right classes. I'm going to have 4 credits of ASTE 3900: Independent Study in solving Agricultural Problems- basically, just studying for National Office. I also have 3 credits of a general class, Creative Arts, and 3 credits of Music 1010, for my music minor, 1 credit of piano lessons, and 2 credits of Intro. to Ag Education. Hooray for finally having everything all figured out once again!
My History and Hollywood journalism project that was giving me an ulcer is over and (I think) aced. I never have to do another project form JCOM 2010 ever again.
I finished "Encouraging the Heart" yesterday and have some great ideas for interesting things to study.
I'm almost positive that I have never looked as pretty as I do today. At least not my face.
I might get to have a video conference with Rayne tonight- which is one of my favorite parts of the week.
The House episode "Lockdown" was AWESOME!
My room is semi-clean.

Just a few reasons why life is grand, and I am happy.

A few more fancy shots for you. The one on the left is from last Wednesday, I dressed up for my piano recital. No eyeliner, I ran out of it. My lips weren't really that pink, but the yellow lighting makes the colors weird.

The other one is from today. It's probably more make-up than I would do on an everyday basis, but I did it for my history project. We all dressed up like we were from the fifties. It looks awesome...it only took me almost an hour to do. :) You can't see my eyeshadow, but I bought some pretty pink/brown sparkly powder. I like it a lot. I also curled my eyelashes. Another thing I would not take the time to do normally- makes a really cool difference!

Happy Earth Day!

Rachel

Celebrating My Year as a State Officer

2010-04-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Today, the 2010 Alaska State Convention begins. If you're in Palmer, you should stop by the Depot to see the cool stuff the kids are doing. My sisters Amy and Lori have worked really hard securing sponsoring and organizing everything.

The start of the convention is a little bittersweet for me. It's sad because it's the first time in four years that I won't be there, and because its the one year anniversary of my retirement as a state officer. But it's sweet because it's the two year anniversary of my election.

Just for nostalgia's sake, here's a photo slideshow of all the great times I had as a state officer. Enjoy.

Finally, the video!

2010-04-20T22:20:00.001-07:00

Yeah! 4 minutes and 39 seconds of "heck yes, it finally worked!"

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=378456929354&saved

Frustration and Facilitation

2010-04-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
It's a beautiful sunny day outside and I should be happy. But I feel upset and discouraged. In bullet form here's why:

Yesterday I spent a loooong time trying to make my video for state convention in Alaska- which starts tomorrow. After burning my ankle with my overheated laptop (seriously!) I finally figured out what I wanted to say and how, and got a good recording, but the audio doesn't sync up with the video, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how to get it to. Unless anyone has any tech-knowledge I don't, I won't have a video for convention. :(
I thought I had my class schedule all worked out yesterday, only to find out today that I can't take one of the classes I wanted to, so it's back to the drawing board. Registering for classes is made infinitely more difficult when I have to check with each teacher and ask, "Would it be okay if I had to drop out of your class three weeks early?" I abhor it. And I wonder if I really am making the right choice by taking an easy semester.
Today I volunteered to help judge the Agricultural Communications CDE. It took over an hour longer than it was supposed to, and because I was 2 seconds too late for Media Smarts, I missed class and a quiz. And my project due Thursday is not even close to being done!
Buying new make up doesn't make me any better at putting it on.

...and other things. But hey, I know from experience that dwelling on what gets me down never does anything to help me get back down. I know this is just the first of many times I will doubt what I'm doing, feel down on myself, even consider quitting. But I'm not quitting. This is what I want and hard times only make success sweeter...right?

So let's talk about something else. In Society and Disability class today (I did get to go to that one) we watched a video about teaching children with learning disabilities, and it made me think a lot about facilitation. I don't blog much about facilitation right now, because I'm not doing very much of it, but that will hopefully change when I get home for the summer.

I got to present a workshop at the Utah Leadership Conference in December, before I started this blog, that helped me improve my skills quite a bit. One thing I remember is talking with the other workshop presenters afterwards about how their workshops went, and we all had picked out the kids that were problems. They weren't really "problems," of course, but they went against the grain- didn't play along with the games, asked too many questions, gave input that really didn't help establish the point, or what have you. As a workshop presenter, these kids can be hard to work with, and sometimes you wish they'd just act like the others.

A leadership book I read earlier this year (and the title escapes me right now...I think it was by John C. Maxwell) presented something called the 80/20 principle, which says you should pour 80 percent of your energy into your top twenty employees/students/people.

I usually agree with leadership books, but this principle really bothered me. I think I'm more of a 20/80 principle type of a person. High school kids who are juggle four after school activities, a part time job, and a 4.0 GPA don't really need me. Of course I am going to give them as much attention as I can, but I really think my job as an FFA facilitator is to focus on those who I could really help to make important changes in their lives.

But how does that apply to facilitation? Because like I said, those students who need the most help are typically those who "ruin" the workshop. I keep thinking about ULC and I remember that there was an attendee there with an obvious mental disability. I should have reached out to her, but I just ignored her. That was so wrong.

But back to the video we watched. It was about teaching- not facilitation. When I was younger, I really wanted to be a teacher. The glitter has worn off a little now, I don't think I want a full-time career as a teacher, but I still have an interest in it. I think that's why I was so drawn to state, and now national office- because I get to be a teacher to students without doing it full time.

I heard somewhere that a lot of kids want to be teachers when they grow up because that's the only occupation they've really been exposed to. I also think it's because teachers have a lot of influence over their students during the year or two they have them in their care. That's obvious for me because I picked Mr. Geisler as one of the people who has had the most influence in my life.

Teachers can do a lot of good, and a lot of harm, to their students. I remember Mr. Geisler and all the great things he did for me, but the two other very vivid memories I have from middle school are from 6th and 8th grade, when two very well-meaning and good teachers hurt my feelings and made me cry because of some faulty teaching techniques.

I don't blame those teachers at all, it was honest mistake and I still hold them in the highest regard. But what I remember is not all the days of excellent teaching- but the one day of utter humiliation and embarrassment. I think sometimes teachers don't realize how their teaching tactics really effect students, which is what the movie focused on. The "teacher" in the video illustrated some things that teachers typically do that don't make sense, such as punishing or bribing students to answer questions they honestly cannot answer.

What I got from this is that you can't beat a dead horse. If I'm trying to make a point in a workshop, and it isn't working, I'll just have to switch tacts and be adaptable. I'm not perfect- I certainly don't claim to be. I had a few moments at ULC where I felt like I really got through to the students and did some last minute changes to my workshop which really worked well. Other moments, I ended up looking like an idiot.

To wrap up, my philosophy on workshops is to be adaptable. I'm going to focus on trying to reach all the students, not just the high achievers. I'm going to try to always uplift and never degrade, because I certainly don't want student's only experience with me to be one they remember because I was mean to them.

I hope the rest of your Tuesday is great, and here's hoping mine gets a little better too,

Rachel

Pooped

2010-04-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
I went jogging in the cemetery this afternoon. It was SO hot outside. But I jogged for half an hour. It was a nice day and a very pretty place- so it was as enjoyable as it could be- ignoring the fact that running makes me feel like I'm giving birth inside an iron lung during summer in Africa. (I have no idea what that would feel like, by the way. I've never given birth, been in an iron lung, or traveled to Africa.)

After I ran I had a video conference with Rayne. Maybe the exercise took all the energy out of me...I was kinda off my game. Next week should be better.

Right now I'm working on making a little video shout out to the Alaska State Convention. I was working on it last week, and I was getting really frustrated, I just couldn't seem to figure out what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. But I talked to Rayne about it and I have a good idea now. I'll post it here (if I can figure out how) in a day or two.

I have a lot more I could say, I'm just too tired to say it. Tomorrow I'm meeting with my adviser to talk about what classes I'm going to take next semester.

Have a great Thursday,
Rachel

Workout Woes, Leadership Thoughts

2010-04-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,
As you probably know, in high school, I was a swimmer. Or a drowner, I guess that might be more accurate for a person on the swim team who can't really swim. Anyway, I bring this up because swimming is the only workout that I semi-enjoy. So I bought this cheap Speedo swimming suit the other day and looked up when free lap swim is at the school's pool. Today I got the suit in the mail and went for the first time.

You know how they say it's as easy as riding a bike? And once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget? I don't think swimming is that way. I am not nearly as good as I once was. I barely swam 1000m today, but I stayed in the pool for 45 minutes and now I am VERY sore.

I think I might be sabotaging my own exercising efforts...I keep doing different workouts, running, pilates, step aerobics, cycling, weights, just so I don't get bored. But I don't do anything regularly enough to get good at it! Ugh. Okay, I'm done complaining about workouts.

Other than that, I've had a great day today. Very busy this week, but I got over 2 hours of FFA study in. I found a lot of great stuff in "Encouraging the Heart." I don't feel like commenting on them, so I'm just going to copy down the quotes. Enjoy.

"You cannot lead out of someone else's experience. You can only lead out of your own."

"It's not so much what we do as what we are that counts....People learn-and respond to- what we are....All the techniques and all the tools that fill the pages of all the management and leadership books...are not substitutes for who and what you are."

"Finding your voice is absolutely critical to becoming an authentic leader. If you can't find your own true voice, you end up with a vocabulary that belongs to someone else, mouthing words that were written by some speech writer who's nothing like you at all."

"Don't confuse leadership with position and place. Don't confuse it with structures and systems, or tools and techniques. They're not what earn you the respect and commitment of your constituents. What earns you their respect in the end is whether you are what you say you are, and whether what you are embodies what they want to become."

Have a great day,
Rachel

Breeding Tests at Broadbent Ranch

2010-04-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hey all,

This is what my Saturday looked like:

How was yours?

Students in my Animal Science Class, and the entire Sheep Production Class (about 120 kids overall) went to the Broadbent Ranch in Granger, Wyoming to do breeding soundness tests on their 500+ rams. It was a ton of fun!

It was so nice to be around sheep again, to learn new things, and to make new friends. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you about the trip from the beginning.

I woke up at 5 am so that I could get to the Wool Lab to meet everyone and we could leave by 5:30. Of course, some people were not so timely, so we didn't get on the road until a little after 6.

I slept on the ride down, until we got to a McDonalds somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming. I wish I had taken a picture. They had seats in the play center that were saddles.

We finally got to Broadbent Ranch at around 9:45 and started working immediately. The only problem, at the beginning, was that I didn't know what to do and how to do it. And nobody told me.

So let me describe the first part of the day, because it was difficult and made the rest of the day that much better. And it taught me something profound about leadership that I will discuss a little later.

While everyone scurried around and got into groups and began grabbing rams and performing the tests that they had learned in sheep production class, I stood there wondering where I could go and what I could do to not be in the way.

The supervisor of shots and drenching then rounded up all the students in the Intro to Animal Science Class. She gave us jobs to spray the sheep with color (I'm sure it wasn't spray paint, though that's what it looked like) after they were vaccinated and de-wormed. Unfortunately, the work was fast and the supervisor wasn't very clear in her directions to me and the other person working with her. I took about, oh, five seconds for her to become frustrated with us. Then she told us to follow her and on the way a student tried to recruit me to "Drench" sheep and even put a backpack of chemicals on me, before Doc (that's my teacher) explained that I was in the introductory class and didn't know how. Then Doc stole me to help herd the rams into the corral, which made my supervisor really mad. So I went to herd sheep, and in about three minutes later my partner Jacquelyn joined me with the other sheep herders, saying that the supervisor had become so frustrated that she had "fired" her.

Sheep herding turned out to be standing around like sub-par fences for about an hour. We felt so useless. At one point, someone walked by and asked how we got lucky enough to be sheepherders, and I answered, "Because we don't know how to do anything else. We're incompetent." And that's how I felt. It got worse when one (giant) ram slipped by me and I heard another supervisor yell, "Doc, I need another student there, this one can't do the job."

Luckily, my experience got dramatically better when all the sheep were herded into the corral. Then I went to Doc and asked him for a new job, and he assigned me to work with an exceptionally nice group of girls. These girls included me in everything, taught me what I didn't know, and generally believed that I was capable of helping. Pretty soon, I was able to perform almost every test and flip the rams with only one other person helping.

I won't elaborate on the tests we were performing- they were kind of gross. But it was so fun for me to be around animals again! I didn't even mind getting manure ALL over me, because it's just helping season in my Carhartts. :)

When we finished, the sheep looked like this: pretty colorful! The purple streaks signify the rams have been de-wormed, the orange that they have been vaccinated, and the red and green signify their performance in the breeding exams.

After we finished all the tests (in record time, I might add) we ate some Dutch oven food. On top is mutton stew. I don't particularly like mutton, I've decided. On bottom is the yummy peach cobbler we got for desert, plus a great view of my dirty legs and trashed boots.

Well I said I was going to make a point about leadership, and I am. I had two totally different experiences at that ranch in one day. The first part of the day I felt like I was in the way of everyone. I was totally inconvenient and people treated me like it was easier to ignore me or to yell at me than to teach me. The second part of the day, my group members believed in me and gave me every opportunity to learn. Even when I made mistakes, they knew that it was just because I was still learning and gave me the benefit of the doubt instead of writing me off as worthless.

Having been treated both ways, I now know how I want to treat people. From now on, I will help people to learn and believe the best about them. I will not let my impatience govern the way I treat others.

Phew, this is a huge post! I have a really funny story to tell about this trip, but I'll save it for another post.

Have a great week!

Rachel

Still Hating, Playing Dress Up, Altruistic, Changing Up the Study Routine

2010-04-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

For the record, I still hate working out. I know I need to be healthy, I know I need to take care of my body, nd I know that requires exercise, but I still hate it! I'm trying to amend my goal a little though. My goal before was to work out 3 times a week, an hour each time. I think for me, it might be better to say I'd like to exercise 2 hours a week, either by going to a forty-five minute class three times, or working out for a half hour four times. Anyway, I'm making progress, even if I don't reach my goal every week. It's better than not working out at all.

All right, here's another make-up attempt. Green eyeliner, brown eyeshadow and mascara. I wouldn't do my hair like this for National Office obviously, but I like to do it now, even though I've been told it makes me look like an anime character. :)

By the way, today's word is altruistic. I first heard this word in the movie adaptation of "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," doesn't it sound like a Dr. Suess word? It's an adjective which means unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others, as in: Giving blood at a blood drive is an altruistic thing to do. (which is what I did on Monday, by the way. :) My arm makes me look like I've been shooting up drugs, but I sure was altruistic!)

This week I've been doing less studying of FFA while I focus on finishing up school. The study I have been doing is more reading and studying about myself and blogging. I think that really is more helpful for me. This summer I'm thinking of just dedicating a day to work on memorizing facts, and the rest of the week to studying myself.

Have a happy Friday tomorrow,
Rachel

Josh Sundquist

2010-04-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
As promised, here is my post about Josh Sundquist's speech at the '09 Convention.

If you've never heard of Josh Sundquist, (like me!) Google him. He's a Paralympic Skier, motivational speaker, and author. Minus the skiing, that is my dream job. One word that describes his speech: wow.

Funny story to go along with this though. As usual the quality of the speech video was crappy, so I turned it on to listen to while I cleaned my room. It was because of that I missed a very crucial point to the speech: Josh Sundquist only has one leg. You can imagine my confusion when he talks about what is visually apparent to the audience. Good thing I watched it the second time, there was a lot of physical comedy that I missed out on.

Man I want to talk about this speech but I don't feel like I can do it justice! First of all, Josh was really, really funny. He has some experience with stand up comedy from what I understand, and it definitely shows. I think that being funny is important if you're going to speak to high school age kids. But I do have to admit, after a while I was like, "Is this guy just a comedian? When is he gonna tell me something 'inspirational'?"

Toward the end of the speech though, after he's told all his hilarious stories about living with only one leg, he ties them all together and talks about how to deal with hard things in life. He tells the story of how he lost his leg, and even when I was just listening to the speech the first time around, the emotion in his voice was SO powerful. I was surprised how quickly the speech had gone from roll on the ground laughing to so serious and almost made me want to cry. The story and the delivery was so powerful, and I just thought, "I want to give a speech like this!"

I also listened to Josh's commentary on the speech, which had a lot of good insights on how he plans and delivers his speeches. When it got to the serious story, Josh said that he always saves it to the end because he feels that you have to earn the right to be serious. By that, he means you have to connect with the youth by being funny first, so that they trust you, and they don't turn up their noses at your more serious points. That's something I think I could work on.

Ah! I want to write so much more about this speech, but I just cannot do it justice. Please, please, please watch it so that you'll understand. It's great (and good quality at this link).

Have a great week everyone!
Rachel

PS- Hannah Harrison suggested I read biographies and autobiographies of people I admire...so Josh's book, "Just Don't Fall" is on my list.

Talking About Faith

2010-04-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
I already posted a long one today, so I'll wait to blog about the Josh Sundquist speech I just watched until later. I think I want to watch it again first anyway.

But just for the heck of it, here's a video he posted on his blog about the dos and don'ts of including faith in a secular speech. I thought it was really interesting. Like a lot of people, I'm sure, I've heard a lot of keynotes and retiring addresses that mention faith- and some are good and some are awful. I thought it was cool he addressed it.

Check it out here.

What do you think?
Rachel

Repose, More Make-Up, Influence

2010-04-02T17:04:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
In honor of what a restful and relaxing day I've had, today's word is repose. It can be used as a noun or a verb, meaning the state of rest, peace, and tranquility, or the act of resting or refreshing oneself, as in: After a long day of schoolwork, I long to go to find repose. Because I have only a few classes on Fridays, I have time repose and ponder.

Yes, today has been a very reposeful day. I even slept in this morning, but I still got up in time to follow through on my April goal and dress up. I did my make up totally different. I am out of eyeliner so I just skipped it, used light pink eyeshadow and lip gloss. Pretty simple, but I'm not sure what I think. Do light colors make me look washed out? Or like a little girl? Is lip gloss professional? If not, does anyone have any tips for picking a good color of lipstick?

I hope I don't look like a crazy person in this picture, because I took a lot of pictures and I looked all kinds of insane in most of them.

I also took a picture of my whole outfit, just because I was so cute today, and I never wear dresses to school.

Speaking of goals, I forced myself to go to a class at the gym last night and work out. It was hard and I didn't like it. Does exercising ever get easier?

Before I went to work out though, I had a great video conference with Rayne. We've been focusing on...talking. That sounds weird, but we're trying to make my answers to interview questions less robotic and more heart-felt and sincere...so we're just discussing things right now so I can talk freely without being nervous, and then we'll incorporate what we've gone over into the interview session.

Yesterday we talked a lot about influence. Rayne asked me what I thought the word meant. The first thing that popped into my head was the ever-repeated quote during my year in State Office:

"Leadership is Influence!"

So that's what I said. But just to clarify, according to Dictonary.com, influence is the action or process of producing effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of another or others. So then we talked about how I want to influence others in life and as a potential National Officer. It quickly became apparent that I want to influence others because of the influence others have had on me.

Then Rayne asked me to come up with three people who have influenced my life the most. Can you think of three off the top of your head? Neither could I! I've only lived a little over 19 years, and I still find it hard to pick just three people who have changed my life significantly. I came up with two as we were talking and thought of the third later.

I'd like to share a little bit about these people and the effect they've had on my life. But first, a *Disclaimer*: If I were to answer this question completely honestly, probably all three people would be members of my family, since they've known me longer than anyone. However, if I were asked this question by a member of the nominating committee, I would diversify my answer so that I mentioned people who have affected me in different areas of my life. So that's why this answer may not be exactly the top three people, but these people have changed my life significantly.

3. Sara Kenley: I grew up with Sara. We are 1 year and 4 days apart and have the same middle name. We both love singing, acting, playing the piano, jazz music, and sleep overs. Although Sara is my cousin, I think that more importantly, she's my best friend.

I always have loved to be around Sara because we are so similar in our interests and senses of humor (which can be pretty weird sometimes). Sara has seen me at my best and at my worst, and she still likes to hang out with me.

I like to think that Sara is exactly like me- except when it comes to the aspects of my personality which could be improved upon: meaning simply that Sara isn't bossy and she doesn't have a short temper like I do. This is great because that means she can call me out on those things, and she's constantly making me a better person. I want to work to minimize those negative aspects of myself and becoming more compassionate and patient like she is. Because we think and act alike in many situations, I feel like Sara really understands how I feel better than anyone else I know. I'm so glad that Sara and I are such great friends and I'm grateful for the impact she's had on my life.

2. John Geisler: Mr. Geisler was my history and language arts teacher in seventh grade. For the majority of his class, I wanted a different teacher. I only signed up for his class because all my friends were doing it, and after they left I wanted out too, because it was no longer the "cool thing" (and in middle school, coolness was very important to me). I am grateful that my parents flatly refused to let me change classes that year. I don't know that they knew what a difference it would make in my life, they are just stubborn and live by the principle that if you sign up for something, you should see it through.

Mr. Geisler ran a "school within a school" program at my middle school. Basically, "school within a school" is alternate teaching method where learning is primarily student interest driven and grades are downplayed. When I started the program, I was confused and overwhelmed. I had been taught in school up until that point to do what needed to be done in order to get an A. Mr. Geisler, however, expected his students to work on their own and assess themselves. It wasn't long before I started to understand the program and soon found myself delving into subjects that really interested me, including marine reptiles, greek pottery, King Tutankhamen, music composition, film, and the history of the Jewish people. I constantly researched my topic and never actually finished a paper- since I realized that I could never finish learning about a subject.

This probably sounds like just a fun class- but to me it has been more than that. Because of Mr. Geisler, my attitude on gaining knowledge completely changed. My attitude towards schoolwork in high school and now college has completely altered because of that mind-opening year. I now learn because I am hungry for knowledge, not because I'm concerned about grades.

Mr. Geisler has also been a great friend and mentor to me as I've worked through academic issues in my life. In high school, I could always go to him for calculus help, consolation after a failed test, and a good book recommendation. Although I rarely see him anymore, because of the year I spent as his student, Mr. Geisler greatly impacted my life.

1. Carol Kenley: How could I talk about people who have influenced my life without talking about my mom? My mom has made me the person that I am today and I am so thankful to her for that.

I used to think that I was just as dedicated, motivated, and hard working as my mom was and that I must have gotten those traits from her through genetics. I realized after moving to college, however, how false that was. I am not naturally as hard working and driven as my mother, but I have had those values drilled into me from birth.

My mom never pushed me to be involved in things, but she completely supported whatever I wanted to do. She has always been there for me after I had a rough day at school with a big plate of cookies and a glass of milk. She sewed three prom dresses for me and edited countless essays, articles, and scholarship applications. She always pushed me to be the best person that I could be and practiced tough love in calling me out when she knew I was acting in a way contrary to the way I was brought up. Now that I'm away and in college, she is never too busy to talk to me on the phone for hours advising me about classes, hearing about what I've been doing or comforting me when I'm homesick.

She is my cheerleader and my number one fan. No matter what I am doing, win or lose, I know she will always be there for me. I love her so much and I know I would never be the person I am today or accomplished the things that I have without her.

I hope you have some repose this weekend,
Rachel

PS- I never cry, but for some reason, lately, I tear up every time I talk about my family. I think it has something to do with moving to Utah. It's getting obnoxious. I've never been such a cry baby before!

Affinity, Child Nutrition

2010-04-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

No jokes today, I promise. I thought about it, then I thought it would be more unlike me to not pull a prank.

Today's word is affinity. It's a noun that means a natural liking or attraction, as in: I have an affinity for performing arts of all kinds. Reading is something I have a particular affinity for.

In recent ag-related news, the Senate Agricultural Committee passed the "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010" on March 24. This act provides 1.2 billion dollars to combat childhood hunger through expanding afterschool meals, categorical eligibility for foster children, and promoting the availability and locations of summer food service programs. Another 3.2 billion dollars go to promoting health and reducing childhood obesity by helping schools improve the nutritional qualities of school meals, establishing national nutrition standards for all food sold in schools, promoting nutrition and wellness in child care settings, and connecting students to healthy local produce through farm-to-school programs. You can read the article here: http://www.agri-pulse.com/20100324H2.asp.

Incidentally, I'm learning a lot of new information from Agri-Pulse. According to Ty, a former fellow state officer and 2009 National Officer Candidate from Wyoming, that's the newsletter National Officers use to keep up on current ag events. Another something I learned from questionnaire feedback. Thanks again everyone who responded! You are all awesome.

I hope you do something you have an affinity for this weekend,
Rachel

Obstruct

2010-03-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

Today's word (yes, I'm doing this again now) is obstruct. It's a verb that means to impede, hinder, or prevent, as in: When my room is messy, it obstructs my ability to concentrate and be productive.

Have a great day,
Rachel

April's Goal and Nessie Early

2010-03-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Sorry I haven't been blogging recently and more or less abandoned my Word of the Day. I have been really busy, all my classes are gearing up and getting crazy before finals, so I won't necessarily be able to do much studying. I'm excited for the summer though, then I can really spend time studying like crazy!

I started on my April goal a little early- on Friday. My goal for April is another one that is going to sound absurd. But for me, it's something that I need to work on, so don't laugh. My goal for April is to dress up at least one day per week. Like I said, it sounds silly, but I can't do make up very well and I really need to learn how to so that I'll look professional. And I had this crazy idea to get feedback...I may regret it later and change my mind, but for now I'm posting pictures of my make up and you can comment and tell me what you think. I took this picture today. One of my biggest problems is eyeliner...I waste so much of it putting it on and then washing it off until it looks normal. But I think I like the eyeliner today. I also really don't want to have dark emo eyes...I got some brown mascara and I like that. I never know what eyeshadow to wear, so I tried gold? Tell me what you think. Also, I don't have a lot of time to straighten my hair, do you think it looks professional as it is?

I listened to Nessie Early's speech this week while I folded my laundry- actually I listened to it twice (I had a lot of laundry). I was really looking forward to seeing her speech, which I missed at Convention. I don't really know why, I just think she looks really cute and seemed very personable whenever I saw her.

Unforetunately, my opinion started to change by paragraph two when Nessie said: "I’m willing to admit that I binge read the Twilight series."

Strike One.

Luckily, the speech got better, fantastic actually, and I was able to forgive her. It's okay Nessie. A lot of people fall into the Twilight trap.

I loved her message. Her speech was entitled, "Nothing Left," and it was about giving of ourselves which was almost exactly what I did my retiring address on. So I loved it, I love that topic.

One of the first examples she uses is a State Officer from Colorado named Landan. When I heard her talk about him, I immediately thought, "Wow, what would it be like to give of yourself so fully that a National Officer takes notice?" I hope that I try to give of myself, but I don't know if someone would pick me out of a crowd, or specifically say that about me.

Then, using a delayed identification technique (that's a fancy journalism term :) ) she reveals that Landon is blind. I love the way she catches the audience by surprise, that's something I will try to do in my speeches.

Then she said something great that I immediately scribbled down (on the back of an envelope, the first thing I grabbed) that's going up on my quote wall:

"Do we give of ourselves? Or do we only think of ourselves?"

Actually, there were three such quotes Nessie used that made it on my quote wall, which is really impressive. The next was a sign she saw while at a conference in Nebraska, which said:

"Be student driven, focused on a higher purpose."

She talks about how at the conference in Nebraska, she had only been "me driven," and she left knowing that she could have given more.

When I think back on my State Officer year, I feel content and happy with what I was able to give. I don't resent it at all or feel I did a bad job. But I am always looking for things to improve upon. And after listening to this speech, I started thinking, "When could I have given more?" Not at the Homer Take-Off, I pretty much laid it all on the line, even though I felt like I was going to die. But could I have given more of myself at the Kodiak Take-Off? The Juneau Trip? State Convention?

I've been working on journaling in the last few days (it was my goal for December, but it's still a struggle) and I've found that I'm constantly writing, "That's something to work on." So giving of myself, all the time, always- is something I need to work on. It's okay for me to have weaknesses, as long as I'm trying to improve.

Back to Nessie's speech: her last topic was, I thought, very insightful. She talked about how it seems so simple and important to be kind to complete strangers, but how we sometimes ignore our family and friends. That really hit a nerve with me. I thought about the way I treat my siblings sometimes, and realized that I would never treat anyone else I know the same way. I guess in my mind, it's like "they have to love me anyway," so I feel like I can get away with not treating them with the love and respect they deserve- perhaps more so, because they're always there for me! The same goes for my parents. After listening to the speech, I made it a goal to treat my friends and family better, and not to take advantage of their love and support.

Family: I love you so much. I know that whatever I do in life, I have a huge group of cheerleaders and I really appreciate you all, even though I sometimes act like a brat. I will work harder to show you how much I love and appreciate you in my life from now on.

I'll close this entry with Nessie's closing words, because I found them to be so powerful. If you get the chance to listen to her speech, or just a few seconds, listen to this end part:

"Give when it is difficult, give when it’s easy, give when others advise against it and when it isn’t cool, give when you don’t want to, give when you don’t have time to, give because you know it is the right thing to do, give because it matters and give until you have nothing left!"

I hope you have plenty of opportunities to give this week,
Rachel

Keeping Commitments: i.e. Real Study

2010-03-23T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,
Last week was Spring Break, which explains my lack of posting and Word of the Days. I spent it in Boston with my sister Melissa and her family, and one of my good friends Madison. It was great fun, but I didn't do anything very agricultural while I was there to report on. :)

Before I left though,. I had an experience that I really wanted to blog about, but didn't get a chance to (my parents were in town and my brother was getting married...it was busy). So, I'll tell you about it now.

Thursday night, (March 11) I finished a long and very good video conference with my coach Rayne. I was excited to get to work on some new projects and do some studying that evening. The problem was, I already had plans for that night.

Let me give you some background information: I love working with students with disabilities. It's an interest of mine, I thought I might even major in Special Education. Anyway, I work with students in my Society and Disability class at the university, and also in a "reverse mainstream" religion class.

One student, named Brian, has become a good friend of mine. I work with him every Tuesday studying the Book of Mormon, and we have a lot of fun together. I try not to miss that class very often because it makes Brian very sad. Last Tuesday, (March 9) he asked me to come to a special needs talent show he (and many of the other students with disabilities) would be performing in. I told him that I would borrow my brother's car or find a ride and that I would be there, for sure. I even made a pinky promise on it.

Well, Thursday night came and I had arranged for my brother Calvin to pick me up and take me to the talent show. The problem was, I just didn't feel like going. I had a ton of laundry to do, my room was a mess, I needed to pack for Boston, and I had a lot of FFA studying to do to make up for the time I'd miss on Spring Break. I thought to myself, "I'm just too busy, I can't make it." That, and I just didn't want to go, because sitting alone at a talent show didn't sound like much fun. I've never much liked talent shows.

I grabbed my cell phone to call Calvin and tell him not to pick me up, and started to close the browsers on my laptop. As I scrolled over my blog, I noticed my entry from just a few days ago, and read the following:

"And today's word is livid, an adjective which means enraged or furiously angry, as in: When people break promises or fail to follow through with their commitments, it makes me livid!"

I had just written about how angry it makes me when people don't follow through with commitments, and yet I was about to break my promise to Brian. How hypocritical I had become!

Studying, I realized, is not just learning and memorizing facts, answering interview questions, and looking professional. It's also having character, being the best person you can be and doing what you say you will do. I knew that, I try to work on that with my monthly goals, but I guess I had forgotten.

So, I called Calvin and told him to pick me up- I would go to the talent show. I knew I was doing the right thing, but I still felt like I was wasting some of my precious time. So I brought a leadership book and thought maybe I could read a bit when the show got especially dull.

I'm so glad I went. The moment the show started, I caught on to the spirit of the audience, which seemed to have one goal: make every performer feel like a super star. The emcee was great as well, making everyone laugh and he connected so well with all the kids.

The show was over 2 hours long, but I didn't get out my book ever. The talent show was really fun, and I felt great about keeping my promise. Seeing Brian's face afterward, when he saw that I had come, was well worth it.

In conclusion: studying to me means becoming who I want to be. So when I tell the Nominating Committee that I'm a person who keeps their promises, I want it to be a true statement.

Speaking of promises, I promised Lori that I would finish the State Convention article tomorrow...so I have to do it now! Life is hectic, but I love it. :)

Have a nice night, I'll blog more later,
Rachel

Real Leadership

2010-03-10T14:53:00.000-08:00

I've been debating whether to post this here, but I've been thinking a lot about it and I think it applies to my philosophy on leadership, and just on life in general, so I decided to put it up.

Today I got to see Kelie Babcock speak at the Business building. Kelie is the daughter of Lara and Mike Babcock- who were great friends with my parents in high school. The Kenleys and Babcocks go way back, because the Babcocks used to live right next to us when my older siblings were growing up. Although I never really knew them growing up, we went on a few family vacations with them and we always get their Christmas letter.

Anyway, Kelie is 27 and was born with Escobar syndrome. Because of this, she needs to be hooked up to a ventilator and gets around using a wheelchair. She was recently crowned Miss Wheelchair Utah.

Her message today was on living with a disability and making the most out of life, no matter what your situation is. Her platform for the Miss Wheelchair Pageant was "You are unique. Live it. Love it. Rock it!"

What an awesome message! Although we are not all born with disabilties- in reality few people are- we are all born unique. We need to accept our circumstances, whatever they may be, learn to love them, and then, as Kelie says, "rock it like no one else can."

Personally, I often get discouraged by my 'uniqueness.' I often (although I know I shouldn't!) compare myself to others, and I fall short. One thing I need to accept and live with in my life is that I'm an organized and disciplined person. I have longed to be spontaneous and adventurous like many of my friends, but the fact is, no matter what I try, I have to stick to a schedule and a plan or I feel uncomfortable.

This little part of my personality can be so annoying! I would love to just run out of my dorm room on Friday night and do something crazy and random, but that's just not me.

Luckily, no matter what is different about each one of us, we can live it, love it, and rock it. For me, that means making the most of my personality, which is actually really positive when used the right way. I get good grades usually, not because I'm exceptionally smart but because I never forget or lose track of my homework. I am also using this strength in running for National Office, and I'm working on really embracing and 'rocking' this part of my personality fully.

Another thing Kelie talked about was being able to do whatever she wanted. Kelie has never been limited by her birth defect. She does whatever she puts her mind to doing- even driving in her own modified (and very cool) Mini Cooper. Kelie is very short, but what she lacks in height she makes up for in her big and energetic personality. Her address was incredible and she captured the attention of everyone in the audience just by being herself.

This is what true leadership means to me. To be leaders we have to encourage others to be confident being themselves. The best way to do that is by example- so I'm working on loving being myself. And Kelie's a great example to me of that.

Kelie shared this quote by e.e. cummings that I thought really summed up her whole address. It will probably get put up on my quote wall here soon. :)

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."

Have a splendid day,
Rachel

Elated, Livid

2010-03-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

Sorry I didn't get this up yesterday. I thought of the word yesterday though, I just had an unexpected trip to Best Buy to take care of. :)

March 9: Elated is an adjective which means jubilant, in high spirits, as in: I was elated to get an audio tape in the mail yesterday.

And today's word is livid, an adjective which means enraged or furiously angry, as in: When people break promises or fail to follow through with their commitments, it makes me livid!

Have a great day!
Rachel

Tenacious

2010-03-08T14:45:00.000-08:00

Today's word is tenacious. It's an adjective that means holding strong, persistent, stubborn, as in: I am tenacious of religion, and it colors the way I see the world. I am tenacious when it comes to achieving my goals.

I e-mailed out a bunch of questionnaires to past National Officers and National Officer candidates last weekend and am starting to get responses. They are so helpful, I can't believe I didn't do this sooner! (and Rayne told me I would say that :) ) But really, thanks to everybody who replied, now I feel like I'm getting a clearer view of the things I can be doing to prepare and what the process will actually be like.

Have a happy Monday!
Rachel

Immerse

2010-03-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

Today's word is immerse. It means to engage wholly or absorb, as in: As a child, I was immersed in the world of Harry Potter novels.

That's all I got. Have a fun day!
Rachel

Prodigious

2010-03-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

Today's word is prodigious. It means onerous, monstrous, difficult, or extraordinary in size. As in: preparing to run for National FFA Office is a prodigious task. Planning the Alaska State FFA Convention was a prodigious feat.
I thought about "herculean." That's a pretty cool word, but let's be serious...anyone who uses that word in an interview isn't being genuine, they're trying too hard.

I've studied tons today and last night. I don't know why, I just got on a roll and it felt good so I kept going. I want to thank everybody who is so supportive of me. You guys are the greatest, I would never be able to attempt this without you guys believing in me. Especially because of this scary statistic I encountered in the last isue of New Horizons magazine: only .000012% of FFA members ever become National Officers. Pretty crazy right? But I'm already Alaska's candidate, so I really have a 1/52 chance at this point...if Guam, the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, and all the other states bring candidates- which is pretty unlikely.

Have an awesome weekend,
Rachel

Word of the Day, Monthly Goals, Laila Hajji

2010-03-05T20:10:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody,
I thought might be driving into Tremonton (about twenty minutes away) to meet with a really nice lady, Mrs. Parry, who also happens to be a beauty coach. But she ended up going to Salt Lake City today, so we'll probably meet in a few weeks after Spring Break. It was nice to talk to her though, and she seemed very helpful.

One thing she suggested I do is focus on expanding my vocabulary- one word per day- until we meet up. She said that during interview questions, you really stand out if you use colorful words that other youth aren't using, and you sound much more professional and grown up. I couldn't agree more. Luckily for me, I read quite a bit, so I think I already have a large vocabulary. But what I really need to do is practice, so that using those more unique words comes naturally.

That said, today's word is: singular-
An adjective that means fantastic, incredible, one-of-a-kind, extroadinary, or remarkable.
For instance: My trip to the Denver Stock show was a singular experience- one that I wouldn't trade for anything.

Another thing I'm working on- eliminating stupid Utah words that have crept into my speech, such as the overuse of "way" and the letter "F"- which doesn't make any sense anyway!

I'm really excited to work with Mrs. Parry, but a little nervous too. I'm probably not who she expects me to be (we've only talked over the phone). I don't want to lose "Rachel" in this process- I really want to stay true to myself because I think that's what this process is all about- becoming the best YOU you can be. I definitely have aspects of my demeanor and physical presentation that I can work on.

My goals in working with Mrs. Parry are these: become more dignified, answer interview questions better than I do now, gain poise, become more confident in myself, and present myself with femininity (i.e.- learn how to do my hair and make-up better :) )

I bought a new digital camera today, since I lost my old one in Alaska. Here's a test photo I took:

I put this up on my bulletin board in November. It's about as crafty as I get (3x5 cards, a Sharpie, tape, Post-its and crayons). The word "dream" even sparkles when the sun shines on it- thanks to some sparkly eyeshadow left over from eighth grade. I feature a goal visibly each month to work on. Here are my past goals:
November- Stop Biting Nails
December- Get Caught up on Journaling
January- Do Service/Be Friendly
February- Have a Positive Attitude

And here's a picture of March- Work Out Three Times Per Week. That may seem like a strange goal for National Office, but the way I see it, 75% of preparing to run is improving myself. Yeah, I spend time memorizing FFA names, dates, and places...but that's not really what's important. What's important is improving myself to become the best leader, and best person, I can be. That way, if I don't make office, I'll have no regrets. It will have been time well spent improving myself. Part of that is achieving balance and health in my physical body, so that's why this is my goal this month. I bought some running shoes today too, so hopefully that will help motivate me.

I listened to Laila Hajji's retiring address today. I wanted to watch it, but the video quality is terrible! Come on National FFA, what's the deal? Or do you care, since probably the only one who watches them is me?

The speech was called, "Compared to What?" and it was about- you guessed it- comparison, and how truly damaging it can be. She used an anonymous quote that gets thrown around a lot in the FFA, "Stop comparing, start performing." I actually prefer a variation of that same idea, a quote which I heard used in Angela Browning's retiring address when I studied during Blast OFF my State Officer year: "Until you stop comparing, you will never grow." I like mine better.

Anyway, it definitely was another theme that I am sticking to as I run for National Office. In fact, here's another bulletin board quote I'll share for you. I have it tacked up under the words, "My Mantra":

"You can accomplish your goals, if you set them. Who says you're not tougher smarter, better, harder working, more able than your competition? It does not matter if they say you can't do it. What matters, the only thing that matters, is it you say it." --John C. Maxwell

It's far too easy for me to think "I can't do it" and to compare myself to others and their perceived advantages. I'm not going to allow myself to do that.

Back to the speech. I really liked the message, but I liked the construction a little better in Hannah's speech. It was slightly easier follow, in my opinion. But it was Laila's speech, she can do whatever she wants with it, I'm not criticizing, only commenting on what I thought.

Since the video quality was awful, I followed along on the speech transcript. This was actually really interesting, because Laila didn't follow her transcript. Sometimes she just changed the wording or jumped around, sometimes she added, deleted or completely changed entire paragraphs. I was surprised how composed her voice was and how smooth the speech went with so many changes. Some people can do that really well. I'm not so great at thinking on my feet- it's easier for me to just memorize. Otherwise I fumble up the stories and they don't make as much sense. Also- I'm afraid that if I don't have it memorized, I'll forget really key points. I think that happened to Laila, there were a few things that I was sad she left out of the presented version.

Haha, you know what's hilarious? I still remember the two lines (exactly two) that I left out of MY State President Retiring Address: "And his challenge to 'pass it on' was not just to my friends and I that day. That challenge applies to everyone in this room." It didn't make a huge difference, and I'm positive nobody noticed but me- but I still wish I would have included them.

Wow- what a rant. I should end this now!
Have a singular weekend!
Rachel

PS- Apparently, Deputy Secretary Milligan was at USU on Thursday discussing the "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative and I missed it! I can't believe my Animal Science professor didn't tell me, I'm so mad!

Tyler Tenbarge, Hannah Crossen, and "Encouraging the Heart"

2010-03-04T14:09:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
Yesterday I got to talk on the phone to Tyler Tenbarge, Eastern Region National FFA Vice President from 2007-2008. He came to the 2008 Alaska State Convention, when I was running for state office, and then helped train my state officer team at NLCSO and State President's Conference. He's a great guy and a great friend. He had some wonderful advice about running and gave me a lot of insight into the process. I felt good after the conversation, many of the things that he suggested I do I've already started doing, so that's very reassuring. He also told me to go slow and be careful not to burn myself out with study before National Convention comes along. I definitely think he's right- I'm only going to do what I can handle, which is why I'm not going to beat myself up too bad over the measly 5ish hours I did this week.

Also, after that conversation I watched Hannah Crossen's retiring address from the 2009 National Convention. I think I missed this because of Job Interview finals, but I'm so glad I went back to watch it- it was incredible! I really, really liked her message.

The speech was entitled "Fearless," and it was about letting go of our fears so that we can really go after the things we want to, a message which really resonated with me and seeking National Office. There's so much to be afraid of, especially, Hannah points out, fear of failure. I'm absolutely sure I'll revisit this speech again. My computer was having issues and I was also a little distracted, so I had to listen/read/watch it. My favorite quote (that I wrote on a sticky note and added to my bulletin board of quotes) was "Being scared of not being good enough is a waste of time."

How true is that? I HATE wasting time, I like to think of myself as a productive, focused person- and yet I waste time by just being afraid to try new things. When we are afraid of taking risks we may never find out what we are good at, what we enjoy, or what we're destined to be!

Here's another good quote on that subject by Arnold Bennett: "The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort-he never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature."

I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to be that guy.

Anyway- I loved the address. I didn't really feel like I knew the 2008-2009 Officers since they were elected after I was trained as a State Officer, but it seems like Hannah was a very effective leader, and I liked her speaking style as well. You can watch her RA here. Also- you can read through all the speeches I mention in the Proceedings of the 2009 National FFA Convention here.

The leadership book I'm reading right now is called, "Encouraging the Heart." I'm only about fifty pages in, but I really like it so far. Basically, the entire book is about leadership through encouragement. The book uses a lot of real-life examples to prove points, which is a great strategy for workshops and speeches, and I'm taking note of that.

Also, it talks a lot about believing in others. I know I blogged about this recently, but it's really been on my mind. I guess I used to think leadership was more about me- being responsible, getting a lot done, making changes- all on my own. But now I'm realizing leadership doesn't work with just one person. If you want to lead others, you have to let them do things. Too often I think I try to do it all, and that's not only impossible, it's also not preferable. Who am I benefiting? Nobody.

I've thought a lot about the way I worked with my State Officer teammates. First though, let me preface this, I really think I did a good job as a State Officer. I don't have any regrets. But looking back, I can see where I can improve. I was 18 then- soon I'll be 20, and I am capable of being more now than I was then.

The book reads, "If we expect others to succeed, they probably will. If we expect them to fail, they probably will. People tend to live up, or down, to our expectations of them." And- "People must believe that they are capable of solving the problem, of finding a new and better way. Or they won't."

This helped me understand that even if I delegated things for people to accomplish, if I didn't trust that they were capable of accomplishing them, my teammates sensed that. And my attitude brought them down. From now on, I'm focusing on believing the best about people, and hopefully that will help them to do the best they can.

After all, when you think about the best leaders, weren't they all people who inspired and encouraged others? I do.

Peace out everybody, have a great week.
Rachel