Moments

Ticket in one hand, mom's hand in the other my aunt dancing and signing in front of me on our way to see Sugarland in the grandstand. Waiting in line for some magical fried Oreos with friends. Cleaning my saddle in the heat for the Cowgirl Queen competition. Fixing my crown one last time before I enter interviews for the Fair Queen Competition. Watching the sunset over the grounds of our beautiful state fair from the skyglide. The theme for this year's fair is Nothing Compares to State Fair Moments. These have been some of my favorite moments, and its true that nothing compares to the times I have spent at the fair, but what makes a moment memorable? 

The definition of a moment is a very brief period in time. Something extraordinary has to happen in this brief period in time for us to make them into memories. A defining sound or smell, a sight or taste, the times when you see the world around you in slow motion, when everything becomes clear. Moments are what make our memories great. You cannot tell a story without the details of what happened, and moments are the details of our story. 

These upcoming weeks we will be preparing the finishing touches of our projects headed to the state fair. The work and time we have put into these are all leading up to a moment. The moment we step into the ring, or when we let that project go for the final judgment. We can only hope the best will come out of these moments to prove our efforts have not been in vain and we can taste the fruit of victory! We have something to prove at this moment. So how can it not go our way? Right? Then we see the judge shake someone else's hand, we see that purple ribbon sitting on another project. The way we process this very brief period in time can now change our memory. We can be bitter, angry and spiteful, as there is no way they worked harder than us. They do not deserve it. This is the way I know I have reacted. It's not my fault this class didn't go my way, it's his fault he cut me off in the arena. My horse just wouldn't cooperate it's not my fault. I now look back on these memories and see those times in the arena as a bad experience. My challenge to all of us as we head to the fair is to redefine our moments. It doesn't have to go our way for us to not taste the fruit of victory. It's the journey of we got there, and it is in these moments we can learn instead of judge. 

Let's come together over these few weeks to make some memories with defining moments! I wish us all the best of luck at the Great Iowa State Fair! As we all know already Nothing Compares!

With a corndog and lemonade,

Gwen Black SW State Vice President.

Hometown Hospitality

Unlike most of my friends, I didn’t grow up in an agricultural setting. I was an athlete all my childhood and throughout my years of high school. Being an athlete took a beating on my body enough that my major injuries forced me to quit the sports that I loved. I was always involved in my local 4-H and when I got to junior high, I decided to see what FFA was all about. I had no idea what I was doing in any of my Ag classes like a typical junior high student but was eager to learn more. I would always make the most of those classes because I could tell that they were making a difference in my life where other activities were lacking. Now, as an FFA State Officer, I have found the things that I am passionate about and the people in my life that mean the most to me. Traveling the state, interacting with thousands of students, and meeting families that support our communities have been the highlights of my year thus far. 

As a recent high school graduate, it can be very hard to transition from being at school and home constantly, to traveling to big cities and driving up to 1,500 miles in a week. Being away from home is part of the duties that state officers have to get acquainted with. Not many people realize the amount of time we spend away from our loved ones for the betterment of over 15,000 FFA members across the state.

While traveling for our COLT conferences, we ended up sleeping in a different bed every night of the week all across the state. One night we slept at an FFA members house in Sioux Center Iowa, the next night we stayed at a members house in the city of Atlantic down in the southwest district, and by the end of the week we ended up in Iowa Falls. We didn’t know the details of where we would end up each night. All we knew was that a family would be putting us up for the night to eat, sleep, and shower comfortably. This past weekend, I was able to travel to the city of Wapello for the annual FFA Professional Rodeo. The Boysen family from Wapello put me up for the weekend so that I didn’t have to travel back home two hours to just turn around and come back for the second day of the two-day rodeo. Not only did they let me sleep in their beautiful home, they also allowed me to eat breakfast with them, spend the day in their boat on the river, and even let me stay another night because of the long hot day on the water.

I realized that throughout the past few weeks, each of these families had something in common. They each show the hospitality that most of us experience within our own communities. These families welcomed us into their lives with open arms, wide smiles, and happy hearts because they knew there was a greater purpose for the things they were doing. They genuinely care about your well being and want to hear your story. The Bible says in Corinthians 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” So that is true to the way we live our lives. Share Faith when others won’t. Have Hope when all is lost. But most importantly, give Love to those that are lacking. We should all take a lesson from these families because they embody the true love that the Lord passes on to us. As I travel around the state for activities, I will be forever grateful for those who brought me in as another family member so I didn’t feel alone while traveling away from home. I will feel the love that others have passed on to me and I hope I get to impact many more students in a way that these families have cared for me.

Pride

Like many of you, I grew up in a small town. My graduating class was small enough to fit one of the short busses. We were so small that we knew each other so well, it was almost like a little family. Growing up I was actively involved in sports. Throughout the year I could be seen participating in football, basketball, and track. Though our sports teams never had the success one would hope for, the work and effort we put in for the name on the front of the jersey is something I will never forget. From 6 am workouts to late night bus rides home from games and meets, being a student-athlete is a busy job. The memories made in this are things I will cherish forever and to this day I would kill to go back and suit up one more time to hear the words, “starting at the wing, a senior, number 24, Jake Hlas!!” The pride and joy to run out and represent something bigger than myself is a feeling I wholeheartedly hope everyone gets to experience. In high school I too often heard, “This teacher is bad”, “this school is awful”,” or even “I can’t wait to get out of this place.” At the time I just shook off these comments and lived in the moment. We hear all the time that you will miss these days and that statement couldn’t be more true. Fast forward two years, I now am going into my sophomore year at Iowa State and often think back to my time in the 50675 and reminisce on just how fast it truly did go by. With our busy lives, it is easy to run through life, take time to stop, take a deep breath, and realize just what you have and where you have been. Be proud of where you come from.

Take pride in what you have! On top of going to a small school, my family also has a cattle and row crop operation. Some of my earliest memories came from this. Whether that was checking cattle in the pastures, riding in the combine with my dad during harvest, or bailing hay until 3 am to beat the unexpected rain, farming is a way of life and those involved in it know the struggles as well as the good times. I’ll be honest, I do like the crop side of agriculture, but my true love lies in the cattle industry. Slowly this has turned into showing cattle and improving our herd’s genetics. County fair is where this love for bovines started. My county fair was a small outing, but very much like your normal small-town Iowa county fair. Just like many of you, I can remember walking into the show ring with the animal I had worked all year perfecting, so happy that the hard work was about to pay off. No matter the quality of the animal, I took pride in the work that went into getting to that point. As the years went on and my family started showing all over the nation this same pride was there. Take pride in what you have and your family. Win or lose, these experiences are how we grow.

Finally, take pride in who you are. We all have things that make us the person and individual we are. This can be anything, sports, livestock, the arts, band and chorus, diesel mechanics, agronomy, performing, the outdoors, and the countless other activities and events that we have participated in. These things shape us, but it is important to let them shape you in your own personal way. In high school I struggled with self-confidence, thinking I was never quite good enough because of the lack of accomplishments. It took me years to figure out that this wasn’t the true meaning of why I was involved. This is my challenge to those that do lack that self-confidence, have pride in what you do but find the happy medium to still be humble.

With all of this being said it is still important to be humble. The Bible says that pride is the root of all sin and evil. Have self-confidence and have an appreciation of where you came from, but always remember, “Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful” -John Wooden.

Today, remember the blessings you have received and that you are enough. Take pride in your family, take pride in what you have, take pride in who you are, and be humble. Go out there and make it a great day!

God bless,

Jake Hlas

Northeast State Vice-President