Back from the dead...

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

Good Day, Sunshine

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

Frustration and Facilitation

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

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

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

Repose, More Make-Up, Influence

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!

April's Goal and Nessie Early

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