Take a Minute

As we are all anxiously awaiting the spring weather that is just around the corner, there still is some cold and snow that we have to bear through. When it’s cold outside and everyone is stuck inside, there are bound to be a few bacteria floating around. Stand near someone who seems to be coughing a little excessively and two days later you are coughing excessively with a fever and runny nose. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone who has ever been to any type of school or my teammates.

This past week, a few of my teammates were tested positive for Influenza. As teammates, we spend a LOT of time together. I knew I was bound to get sick. My only hope was that it would be after my trek to three District Review Nights, as riding in cars while being sick is definitely not fun.

I get sick extremely easily. Even at the slightest temperature change, my allergies can act up and I am a sneezing-mess for the next two days. Because of this, I was used to just toughing it out and going along with my life. Ask my mom, I never went to the doctor throughout High School. That’s an hour out of my day that I just didn’t have, especially when I can just stop at the nearest Target and buy out their allergy medicine and cough drops. Even when I would get the Stomach Flu, I would just head into school and duck into the bathroom when necessary. The same went for work, FFA events, Speech, basically everything. My mom never got sick days at work, so I figured if she could do it I could too.

This definitely is not the best option. On Saturday, Elisa Russ (State President) and I were headed back from Northwest District Review night and I could feel the sickness starting to set in. Throughout the day, I had gone through the equivalent of three boxes of tissues and been coughing up a storm. Elisa dropped me off in front of my dorm and I called my mom to brainstorm a game plan of how to fight the incoming illness. My mom proposed I could get medicine and then just rest up before I got busy again.

Rest up? What does that mean? I don’t think I had ever really just “rested” while I was ill. I had a few things I could have been doing, but they weren’t really necessary. So I decided to take her advice.  For the next two days I slept, took DayQuil, answered just a few emails, and watched Netflix. It was wonderful. It helped me stay stress free and kick the illness before I had to get back to life again, much unlike my high school self. I really just needed that day to get back into gear.

In this day and age, everyone is always busy. We all have one thing after the other and practically no time to take a break. Whether you’re a parent, student, FFA member, employee, or anything really you often just “power through” anything that comes in between you and your busy schedule. This can be a sickness, issues outside of your work, or even just needing to take a break and chill out.

We all have important things going on in our lives, however we all need to take a minute so we can fully commit ourselves to those things. We may think that we don’t have time, but we need that minute of stepping aside in order to do our best in whatever important things we are working on. Stressed about an upcoming test? Take a short break in studying and walk outside and call your friend. Stressed about an upcoming event? Devote ten minutes of your day to just sitting and relaxing. Have some family issues come up a day before a presentation? Take the ten minutes to talk it out rather than letting the issue continually get worse.

There are so many ways that we can better handle our busy schedules than just “powering through”. Take that extra minute to take care of yourself and you’ll be able to help others and live a better life all around. Even if that means taking a full day off to fight the flu and catch up on Netflix.  

Zach Hamilton

State Reporter

Unplugged

It’s no secret the majority of us are completely addicted to social media. It is the first thing I thought of when I woke up. It is the last thing I thought about when I went to sleep, and every spare moment in between.

Social media was consuming a lot of my time, so I made the rational decision to delete it. I will be honest though, I only deleted the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat off my phone, not forever. I am not crazy!

Now here I am reporting that after three weeks I am still alive!

Fears when Limiting Social Media Usage:

1. Destroying Friendships: I would miss out on something important.
2. Productiveness: “Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding” Sound familiar? I use to spend a lot of my time checking my phone in between tasks. For instance, when working on a project I would work, check my phone, work, check my phone, and before I knew it, I would have nothing accomplished.
3. Face to Face Communication: I would actually have to talk to people, you know, face to face. Yikes!

Reality of Limiting Social Media Usage:

1. Strengthening Friendships: Not knowing what your friends are doing every second of every day is okay. It’s amazing how much we had to talk about when we didn’t have a constant “plug” into each others lives.
2. Productiveness: I had more free time (In reality, I had the same amount of time as I did before, but I was using it differently). I used that time exercising, reading books, and dedicating myself more to my activities.  I was a lot more focused at the task at hand without a constant “Ding, Ding, Ding” in the background.
3. Face to Face Communication: That didn’t change. Everyone else still had their heads in their phones. But when I did have conversations, they were more meaningful on my end because I actually listened. I wasn't worried about what everyone else was doing via Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram.

What’s my plan now? Well, I still access social media, and I may get it back on my phone at some point in time, but as of now, I do not want to go back to my old routine. The new one is much better because I can strengthen relationships, be productive, and meaningfully communicate with others.

Savannah Keitzer

Southeast State Vice President

Meaningful Service

I spent the first week of 2017 in the mountains of northern Haiti. I could take the next twenty pages just detailing the events of each day, but instead I want to share some interesting lessons I learned over the course of the trip.

Lesson One: A smile and a wave can break through any language barrier.

On the four hour drive from Port-au-Prince to the the university where we would be staying and working, I rode in the back of a van. Although this spot made the banging and bouncing of the trip a little more extreme, it gave me a unique vantage point on the trek. I can distinctly remember looking out the back window amazed at the beauty of the mountains and the contrast of the abject poverty butting up to the road’s edge. Along the side of the road were two little boys, probably about five and three years old, sitting on a big rock used to keep vehicles from driving off the road and rolling down the side of the mountain. As we drove by, I made eye contact with them. I don’t know why, but I continued to stare as we got farther and farther apart. As the van drove on, I raised my arm and waved at them. When they waved back it brought a huge smile to my face, and as my smile grew bigger, the two boys smiled back and waved even harder. Even though I had no idea who these two boys were, couldn’t say anything to them, and will never see them again, we connected, not through speech, but by a simple smile and a wave. It makes for a nice feel good story, but more importantly, it made three people’s day better.

Lesson Two: You may never know what your actions mean to the people around you.

I have to preface this by asking you to imagine what it looks like in a high school ag class or a science lab when you are conducting an experiment. This will make sense at the end. To start, I was working with a group of students at the university testing soil from their garden plots. I had about eight students who were working with me. I began by going through the soil test, explaining each part as I was testing it. When I was finished demonstrating and explaining to the students, then it was their turn. Now, to the moral of the story and why I asked what I did at the beginning. Unlike almost all of the classrooms in the U.S., this class was full of students who were completely quiet, taking notes on everything being said, and engaged and attentive the entire time. This taught me that the students and the people in Haiti are so hungry for knowledge and ideas that can help them. They are so grateful and appreciative for what we are doing to help them, they don’t want to miss any of it.

Lesson Three: Actually do something that matters.

Far too often we work on projects or go on church or university sponsored trips, and by the time we are done we walk away saying to ourselves, “I came in thinking they needed me, but walked away thinking I was really the one needing them.” I am not saying this is a bad thing, but I want to encourage you to do something that has residual, something that will leave a lasting impact. Don’t go into a situation thinking you have all the answers or you know best. What I learned was, often times, you get the best results when you talk to the people living in the situation on a daily basis, listen to what they need, and work to solve the problems with shared understanding. Be open to what they have to say and willing to selflessly go and make meaningful change that will last longer than the time you are there.

Cole Moody

Northeast State Vice President

Enjoying the Little Things

With a new year upon us, chances are we already have a few big goals set for ourselves to accomplish in 2017. No matter how big or small your goals may seem, it is important to enjoy the little things. Far too often, we get caught up on thinking about everything on a grand scale, which causes us to overlook the little things that make our lives worthwhile. When you think back on a significant moment in your life what do you remember? For most, we think about the moment as a whole rather than thinking about each individual thing that went into making that moment special. If you stop and think about the little things, you realize just how big they actually are.

As an example, this summer I went boating with some family and whenever I recall that day, I remember the little things. I remember the smell of the lifejackets that remained unused for almost a year, I remember the smell of the engine firing up to life, and I’ll never forget the sunburn I dealt with for the weeks after. It is entirely too easy to become focused on that next big goal. Rather than stressing yourself out about accomplishing multiple things all at once, take the time to fully appreciate all of the little things that go into your everyday life. Challenge yourself to enjoy the little things, and see how much of a difference it can make in your life. As I wrap up this blog, I’d like to leave you with a quote from Mr. Kurt Vonnegut. “Enjoy the little things in life, because one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.”

           Zach Hoffman

South Central State Vice President

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

‘Tis the season! As the holidays get closer and closer, your Iowa FFA State Officers, wanted to share some of our favorite holiday memories.  Check out our reasons why it’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Cully Forsyth: Christmas in the Forsyth house can get very interesting. With my family being very close to each other you can imagine things get a little crazy. From wrestling in the living room to who can eat the most snicker salad, our competitive sides show very often. While we do get very loud and obnoxious it’s also a time to come back home and enjoy the presence of others. My favorite Christmas memory was traveling to Illinois on Christmas Eve to go skiing. My ten cousins, grandparents, parents, and I had a blast tearing up the slopes in the midst of winter. It was a different experience than the traditional sit around the Christmas tree and I’ll always remember that Christmas enjoying the time with my family in a place not familiar.

                

Cole Moody: My favorite Christmas memory is going to our Christmas Eve church service with my family. For as long as I can remember we have gone to church together on Christmas Eve, and I always look forward to that quality time with my family celebrating the birth of Christ. This is such a special time to me because as a family we are blessed to celebrate the true REASON for the SEASON. My favorite part is at the end of the service where they dim the lights, and we sing Christmas carols together by candle light. This is a tradition I look forward to continuing for the rest of my life.

Blake Lineweaver: Unlike your typical, frozen tundra Christmas parties, one side of my family celebrates what we call “Christmas in July.” Since they live so far away, July is the perfect time for them to get away to Okoboji. In my opinion, the greatest to time for festivities and family is when it’s 70 degrees outside rather than -40. We celebrate the holiday by going on boat rides, frying fish, and sending cousins out on the tube every other hour. The best part: we get a t-shirt commemorating each year’s festivities, and now I have 10-15 annual “Christmas in July” shirts overflowing my closet.

Zach Hamilton: Back when I was in younger, there was one Christmas that sticks out the most. My mom wrapped all of our presents at our aunt’s house while we were at school and decided to leave them there so we wouldn’t find the gifts early. Then Christmas rolled around. For some reason, we had finished up opening presents much sooner than my mom had expected. She checked around and realized we hadn’t even gotten through half of the things she had bought. She had only picked up about half of the presents she had left at my aunt’s house.  Determined to not ruin Christmas, my mom decided to brave snow that had been falling for the past couple days.  She headed out to get the presents she had forgotten and it was like we had our own Santa when she returned.  I will definitely never let her live it down, but it was quite the Christmas.  

Zoie Shook: I have never been a big lover of surprises. Although, the surprise I received this year for Christmas topped it all. My big brother TJ shipped out to basic in November this year, and it really was hitting me hard. My brother and the rest of my family pulled off a surprise homecoming for Christmas. I opened my front door after there was a knock, saw TJ standing there, and immediately started bawling my eyes out. My favorite thing about Christmas is always being surrounded by my family, and this year, with the surprise homecoming of my big brother, the family aspect that will be surrounding the tree this year will not be short one single person.

Zach Hoffman: The holiday season here, it is important to focus on what really matters. To me, family comes first. It is always a tradition of mine to visit my Grandpa Jerry and Grandma Ellie’s house on Christmas day where I am greeted by a loving family. For as long as I can remember, Christmas has been spent thumbing through scrapbooks, and eating far too many desserts. I am always sad to leave the Christmas party when the time comes, but I soon cheer up once I remember how truly blessed I am to have the loved ones that I do in my life. No matter what your celebration may look like, I wish you a very joy filled holiday season!

Savannah Keitzer: ‘Tis the season! My favorite holiday tradition is simply spending time with my family and friends. I love sitting around the table playing games and listening to the people around me tell stories. My favorite is listening to my grandparents reflect on and tell stories about how different it was “back in their day.” When they speaks of their past, it reminds me just how blessed I truly am to be raised in this time and place.

Chase Kusel: One of my favorite Christmas/ Holiday memories is one that occurs every year on Christmas Eve. My mom, dad, and I go out to eat every Christmas Eve as a family, and we always go to a movie following that. I can’t think of a more humbling way to spend the day before Christmas with the people that you love the most. Which is why it has been one of my favorite holiday memories for as long as I can remember.

Elisa Russ: Holidays for my family is always just my parents and my siblings, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Some of my favorite memories revolve around Christmas Eve.  We start with loading up the car and heading to church for Christmas Eve service (which gives me goosebumps just thinking about it because it’s such a beautiful service).  We come back and always have my dad’s amazing homemade chili for supper, followed by opening one present, before playing some cards and heading to bed.  These memories made with my family are ones I will forever cherish.

Although our memories may vary, they all revolve around spending time with those we most care about.  We would like to wish you a safe and very merry holiday season to you and your loved ones!

2016-2017 Iowa FFA State Officers

We Are All on Our Way

With the holidays officially in full swing, I can tell you that there is nothing I love more than spending time with my family and friends. Whether it be sipping on hot chocolate by the fireplace, playing a competitive game of cards, yelling at the football game on TV, or just sitting around telling stories, it’s the most wonderful time of the year for my family and I. The holidays as a college student is even better. I can give myself a snow day if wanted, go home when I want to, and my Christmas break is almost a whole month long! But in order to get to that month long Christmas break, I have to get through FINALS.

While in the midst of (trying to) study for finals, getting into the Christmas spirit, (trying to) catch up on sleep, figuring out how I’m buying everyone presents with only $57 to my name, and every other struggle the typical college student has this time of the year, I realized just how badly I wished my dad was here to help me out a little and see everything that I am doing.

In March of my freshman year, my dad passed away from Neuroendocrine Carcinoid Cancer. He taught me so much about life in the short 14 years I was able to be with him, but still to this day, I long for his embrace, wise words, and corny jokes as if the 14 years I had just wasn’t quite enough.

Honestly, for me, my first semester of college has been one of the biggest struggles I have ever faced. Every class I had to sit through seemed to just drag on. I just didn’t want to be there. But the last thing I wanted to do was disappoint my mom and dad. I simply was just struggling with myself and life in general. Despite the depression that I had fallen back into, I continued trying to keep my spirits up and just get through the semester. I was just losing. Losing my confidence, my drive, my passion, my happiness, and myself. Things I have worked so hard to gain back after I lost my dad. I was losing all of my progress simply because I thoroughly just missed my dad. I had officially given up.

Everyone we know has lost someone or something in their life. It’s not easy and it never will be. But last week, I was reading some blogs that I follow and I read this, “It’s okay if you feel like you’ve let yourself and the people you love down a lot of times already. One day, after all the trials and errors and breakdowns, you’ll finally make it. And you’ll see that the people who love you never lost their faith in you… I am asking you to not give up. Your heart may feel heavy and your mind may have thousands of thoughts inside, but you have to keep going. You have to, no matter how scary and much of a struggle it may be… So if there are times that you feel like you’re about to just turn around and give it all up, remember this: You are not a failure. You are on your way. You are on your way.”

That’s when it hit me. We are all on our way. On our way to something spectacular. I had been having a rough few months and struggling with a lot of things but I’m on my way. We all go through some really tough things in life, and we all feel like giving up at some point in life. But we have to keep going. We really have no choice. Roadblocks are inevitable, but what matters is how we get around them. We’re going to feel like a failure sometimes, it’s going to seem like we’re not getting anything done that we need to, and that’s okay. It’s all a part of our journey. Our paths may be rough, long, and twisted but in the end, we’re all going to make it, we’re all just on our way. Despite the trials and tribulations that face us on that path, we will all make it in the end.

With the holidays upon us, I encourage you to hug your family a little tighter and take in the love that comes with this season. It’s truly something amazing. Cherish every moment you have with those loved ones because even when people don’t live forever, memories do. Confide in your loved ones and give everyone all that you can, you never know when it’s going to be your last time. Use these next few weeks to tell those you love that you love them, go see that friend you haven’t seen in a while, bake with your mom, talk to your siblings, watch Christmas movies with your family, and just take in the joy, love, and happiness this holiday season brings. Because I know I would give anything to have just one more Christmas with my dad.

And when something goes wrong, remember to take a step back and realize that everyone is battling something. And I promise you that whatever demons you are fighting, you will win, do some amazing things in your life, and in the end, you will make it, because we are all on our way.

Scott Shook

April 22^nd 1970 - March 6^th 2013

Zoie Shook

Southwest State Vice-President

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

As we get closer to winter break were starting to see many changes whether it’s leaves falling, the temperature dropping, to more pumpkin spice products than we’ve ever seen before. I thought we had the opportunity to skip winter this year when I wore just a t-shirt outside on December 1^st but my hopes were brought back down when I went outside on December 2^nd and felt the harsh 29 degree winter we were all waiting for. Now that winter is finally here to stay, I thought I’d touch on just a couple of things this wonderful season has to offer us.

SNOW!

When I think of winter the first thing that comes to my mind any maybe yours too is snow. Whether you love it or not every year snow will cover the ground, and it doesn’t matter how old you are when you hear someone yell, “SNOWBALL FIGHT”, you throw a snowball. The coolest thing I see in my community back in Charles City is when it snows everybody is helping each other clear a path for vehicles and roads just out of pure kindness. It brings people together in many ways that many people never think of.

Christmas movies!

Ok but seriously how many times is it acceptable to watch the movie “ELF” from December to January. When I do have free time from my crazy schedule you can definitely find me watching Christmas movies. I can’t get enough of them!

Food!

Since I already made the joke I might as well bring it up again. Call me basic but I love a warm pumpkin spice latte and will definitely drink a lot of them during these cold months. I enjoy seeing all the different types of foods and drinks that are offered during this season especially the ones made by my family during Christmas.

Traditions!

Speaking of family, my number one favorite thing about winter is the holidays when I get to travel back to Americas Hometown and see all my family members. Sitting by the fireplace, around the dinner table, to even the occasional snowball fight, the love everyone shows for each other makes me treasure those special moments.

When you finally get that break off school, sports, FFA, and the many other activities you are in take in the awesome weather we get to experience here in Iowa, make sure to get cozy and watch hours on hours of Christmas movies, drink and eat as much delicious food and pumpkin spice products as you can handle, and most importantly focus on your family. Not long you’ll be off to college and counting down the days till you get to travel home and experience those memorable traditions that we all love. Have a warm winter!

Cully Forsyth

North Central State Vice President