Christmas Traditions

CD - Family Christmas time in the Brinegar household is a time to take a break from the busy winter months and the cold outside. On Christmas eve we always chore and put hay in for all the cows so that we can enjoy Christmas without work on the holiday. We always sleep in on Christmas exchange gifts, it is one of the few days that we do anything before we feed the calves in the lot. All of the neighbors always give meat or treats to one and another. At noon on Christmas, we have a big meal to enjoy and give thanks for all we have before we go to the other family Christmases over the next couple of days.

Lane- Over the years, my family has always had a solid family tradition for Christmas. We travel down the road to my grandmothers on Christmas Eve to enjoy homemade sweets and goodies. The next morning we wake up very early to enjoy giant cinnamon rolls, my dad's world famous omelets, and open presents that Santa brought for us. My favorite part about Christmas is being able to see the excitement on my families faces when we all open gifts. It shows how blessed we are to receive such amazing items from year to year and be in the company of loved ones. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Chandler- Every year, my family gathers at my Grandmothers Christmas Eve. We spend time telling stories, eating and exchanging gifts. I love when we all sit around the tree and celebrate what we got this year. Often times the house smells of freshly cooked ham, sweets and a variety of candles that my grandmother has decided to light. When we finish with presents and say our goodbyes, my family heads to church to end the night. The next morning, we as an immediate family take time to read the story of Christ’s birth before we go open presents. After presents, we go feed as a family and prepare to go to my Grandfathers to spend the afternoon exchanging gifts and enjoying some fantastic food. I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday! Merry Christmas!

Lexi- Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. On Christmas Eve, my family and I get together with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. We eat supper and spend time together. Once we get home, my immediate family and I open up our presents. On Christmas day, my family and I attend mass in the morning. We then pack up the car and go to my grandparents’ house. We spend the day eating, opening gifts, and visiting with family. Once we finish up in the afternoon, we had back to town and have supper with my other grandparents. After a long day, we head home and relax. I hope everyone has a great holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Cole - Christmas is a wild time in the Reiman house because we like to mix things up. I distinctly remember some years we have gone into my grandma’s for an extended family Christmas and other years we would stay home and divide out house into two teams for a giant nerf gun fight. It was amazing and unique to our family. Our family has a passion for competition and this was a way for us to take out that passion in a way that allowed us to bond and have fun. (Minus the clean up). What I would recommend to you all on your next family gathering is have fun and don't be afraid to bond and find something completely unique to you and your family.

Jake- The Christmas season is always a hectic time in the Hlas household! Starting on Christmas Eve we make our way to my dad’s side of the family for the first Christmas get together. Christmas day was always a day my brother and I looked forward to all year long. We open our presents, went to church, and then prepare to head to my mom’s side of Christmas that night. To say that we needed to be prodded by my mom to make it on time, might be the understatement of the century. There were things to do, enjoy our presents, feed cattle, or any other various task my dad could find, but sure as the sun rising, we made our way to Pleasantville. As we arrive we stuff our faces like any family on Christmas and open presents. The Christmas season is always a busy time, but when we can focus on the things and people that we love, it truly is the best time of the year. Merry Christmas!

Jodie- Christmas time is my absolute favorite time. Normally after Thanksgiving, my mom, sister, brother, and I all take the time to decorate the house and the Christmas tree. The next thing you know, Buddy the elf is back to keep an eye on everyone and report back to Santa! Around the Christmas season, while my grandpa, uncles, and cousins go deer hunting, my grandma, aunts, mom, sister, and I all do some Christmas baking! When everyone gets back from hunting, we all go and eat dinner together and try some of today’s goodies! On Christmas morning you can find my siblings and me eager and excited for dad to get home from the farm to open up our gifts. Either on Christmas Eve we will go to church with grandma, or we will all go on Christmas morning. After church, we all head to grandma and grandpas to celebrate Christmas! My favorite part about the Christmas season is the joy you can see in everyone’s eyes. While the snow may be cold, we can enjoy coming inside and enjoying hot chocolate with our family. Every year, my family asks what I would like for Christmas, but as I have gotten older, the only thing I want for Christmas is to be surrounded by my family and friends. Happy Holidays from our little family to you!

Laken- My favorite Christmas Tradition actually takes place on Christmas Eve. When I was little, there would always be some presents lined up around the tree, and after dinner, we would sit in the living room to open up one present the night before. We would always open the present from my Grandma, and every year it was a pair of pajamas. We’d put them on to go to bed and all head into my room, where we put on the 24-hour marathon of A Christmas Story as we fell asleep. We would anxiously try to fall asleep, always remembering mom telling us “Santa won’t come until all the kids are asleep.” After a couple of arguments, and a few of us switching beds because even on Christmas Eve, we were putting ourselves on the line of hitting the naughty list, we finally drifted to bed, only to wake up way too early on Christmas Morning to open presents.

Gwen- In my household we have many Christmas traditions, but my favorites are on Christmas Eve. It all starts at church that evening with the candle lighting ceremony. The church is aglow with hundreds of candles as we sing Christmas hymns. After church, we head back home, and we have more traditions to follow. The first tradition comes from my family’s old German roots! My parents hide a pickle ornament in the Christmas tree and the first of us to find gets to open the first present of Christmas! Next, my siblings and I all open a new Nutcracker to add to the collection, then it is off to bed. The next morning is spent opening gifts as my parents and grandparents prepare fry bread. Once evening has arrived we gather together at my grandparents for a venison roast and enjoy the company of family.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

2018-2019
Iowa FFA State Officer Team

College at a Glance

What is the main goal of going to college? Is it to find a heavily valued education? Finding a career interest? Or even to go make new lifelong friends?

My senior year of high school is when I started to have the thoughts of where I wanted to go to college and what my aspirations would be after high school. The thoughts of playing football, pursuing an FFA State Office position, or even going to work were all going through my mind. Once I decided on a place to go, I had it all planned out of what I was going to do while at college and what my priorities were going to be. Instead of sticking to my decision, I decided to change my mind and go to Iowa State University instead of my original plan of a community college. Now that I’m at Iowa State, I have realized how happy it makes me be here. Never would I have expected to be at a large school studying agriculture with some of my lifelong friends. The decisions I had to make were very difficult, but very rewarding when all said and done.

My advice to anyone struggling to make a choice about something would definitely be to keep an open mind. Having an open mind will allow you to see the possibilities that you might have missed in your initial thoughts. Another piece of advice I have would be to ask questions. Asking questions to those friends or family members that have a load of experience will help you get a wide range of perspective on the options that are in front of you. My final piece of advice is probably the most important of all. Don’t let others make YOUR decision for you. It is your life and your future so it is up to you to make decisions that will lead you on the right track.

Now that you have that advice in mind, I would like you to revisit the questions at the beginning of the blog. Push yourself to think outside the box and come up with ideas about what you think your college experience should be like. Think about what you value about your education and how you can use those values to make a good decision. Pursue things you never thought you would pursue because, in the end, it is about the experiences that you will cherish. Lastly, I want everyone to know that you are not alone in these situations. Everyone has tough decisions to make in their own lives so having confidence that everything will be ok is very important.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Lane Morrison

Southeast State Vice President

Potatoes, Eggs, and Coffee Grounds

The other day on Thanksgiving, I remember stressing out over the work I had to do between homework, FFA, and chores. I started working tirelessly to get as much work done as I could when my mom called me to the table. I was a bit upset as I had so much work to do but I knew that this was important to my family so I went and sat down. Next thing I knew, my family was sharing stories and laughing about our childhood experiences. As I looked around the table I was truly thankful for the people I shared that meal with. I found myself thinking about how crazy it is that one meal can change our perspective on the world so much. It made me think of a story about food that I had recently read. It went something along the lines of this:

Once upon a time, there was a boy who had just come home from school when his father asked him how his day was. The boy went on to tell his dad just how frustrated he was with all of the work he had to do at school and how he felt he would never accomplish it all. He was so upset at the situation that he asked his dad for advice.

Without saying a word, the dad stood up and went to the kitchen to start three small pots of boiling water. He then went to get a potato, an egg, and some coffee grounds and put each in a different pot. After a short while, the father put the potato and the egg onto a plate and poured the coffee into a glass. The boy was a bit confused.

The father told him to examine the three foods. The boy promptly picked up the potato and found that the once hearty potato had become soft. Then, the boy cracked open the egg and found that the weak egg had toughened up on the inside. He couldn’t help but wonder what all this meant as he picked up the coffee glass and took a sip. As he pulled away a smile grew across his face. His father went on to explain what this meant.

You see, this story isn't about the food but rather about choices. No one is perfect and we all go through many similar situations but many of us react in vastly different ways. When we come across a problem that stresses us out we automatically tend to go into fight or flight. This is like the potato and the egg. When we fight a situation, we toughen up like the egg to get through the problem. When we exhibit flight, we are like the potato which gets soft when put into boiling water. Both foods have different reactions to the problem that was the boiled water. The thing is, these two foods let the water change them. When we let a situation change who we are, we let the problem in. The coffee grounds, on the other hand, did something unique. They took the boiling water that changed the potato and the egg and made it into something delicious, something better. When we are stressed out over a situation, we have a choice to make: Are we going to let the problem change us, or are we going to change the problem?

At the end of the day, it all comes down to outlook. One of my favorite examples of this is from the diary of Anne Frank. You see Anne was in one of the worst situations imaginable during the writing of this diary yet she always managed to keep a positive outlook. How do I know this? When Anne wrote this diary she never knew anyone would ever read it. This diary was personal and truly was meant for her eyes only. One of the last pages she wrote before she was taken was regarding the goodness of people. My favorite quote from her personal writings is “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart”. Take a moment to think about that. The worst situation imaginable yet she still believed there was good in every person. Anne never knew these words would be read yet she still managed to have hope.

No matter what your situation is, have hope. Don’t let the situation change you. You have a choice in every action you make whether you will change the problem or let the problem change you. Always strive for success and truly find happiness in everything you do. When you are faced with adversity, will you let the situation eat away at you or will you make the best out of the situation? When you are set into boiling water, will you be like the potato, the egg, or the coffee grounds?

Live to Serve,

2018-2019

 Northwest State Vice-President

Cole Reiman

How Full is Your Glass?

I think we can all agree that we have had moments where we have thought, “This hasn’t been a very good day”, or maybe you have said, “This week could be over already”, or my favorite line, “Could this get any worse”. Everyone has had these moments, but I think of these moments as a personal perspective.

When I was in fifth grade, there was one day during class that comes to mind whenever I have a not so good day. My teacher, Mrs. Moore stood up in the front of the class and said to us all, “Is the glass half empty or half full”? For a second I was confused on why she was saying this to all of us. Then once again she said, “Is the glass half empty or half full”?

As we discussed as a class what this might mean, we slowly came to the conclusion that this wasn’t a trick question or a project for science, it was a question about life in general. She was asking us if we were only going to focus on the bad, or are we going to pay more attention to the good.

A few summers ago, I had an idea for a photograph that involved a puddle of water, and three mason jars. Once again the words that Mrs. Moore said came to mind. I filled up my three jars all with different amounts of water and headed outside with my camera.

As I was taking this picture I started thinking about what jar people would consider being half empty or half full. As I thought about it some more, I came back to the conclusion that it is about a person's individual perspective. Just like every day when you wake up, you have the decision to decide if today is going to be a good day or a bad day.

You have the choice to decide if the day is going to get worse, or you can look at the positives that have come out of the day. It is your perspective. As I leave you with this final question, “Is your glass half empty or half full”?

Smile for the camera,

Jodie Mausser

2018-2019 Iowa FFA State Reporter

Family Traditions

Chandler- My Mom’s side of the family all gather at my Grandparents on the day of Thanksgiving. Although it may feel like it’s over 90 degrees inside with everyone and the stoves cooking, it’s a favorite of mine. We really don’t do anything too special, we just enjoy an afternoon of food, fellowship and discussing where my aunts and grandmothers are going on Black Friday. As we roll into later fall and winter, I hope you get an opportunity similar to mine with your family!

CD- In November it's always football time, and with thanksgiving brings the hub of all the good college football games on TV. Usually, we have all of the harvests for the year complete and all the calves weaned. We all enjoy a break so that we can gather, eat, and give thanks for another successful year. We like to take the time to catch up on sleep and catch up from the busy fall harvest. But starting on Thursday after we eat the excitement starts, being a Dallas Cowboys fan it's always fun to watch a little football then the real excitement begins, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Growing up in a Husker home it’s the most sacred holiday in the football world. We all gathered around to watch the end of the regular season and enjoy the Big Red win another game. Go Big Red and happy Thanksgiving.

Lexi- Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and not just because of the great food! Each year, my uncles, cousins, my brother, and I go pheasant hunting. We have been doing so for as long as I can remember. We usually go in the morning and spend most of the afternoon out hunting. Once we are finished for the day, we go to my grandparent's house and enjoy a tasty dinner! After we have cleaned everything up from dinner, we sit around and of course watch football to end our day together. Each year, I look forward to the time I get to spend with my family, and all of the blessings we each have to be thankful for on this special day!

Gwen- Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday of mine for many reasons, and it’s not just the food! Our Thanksgiving day starts with the annual Gobble Gobble 5K! The race doubles as a canned food drive for our local food pantry, and nothing beats the feeling of a run in the morning and helping those in need. Next, we come home and the final preparations begin, as our family Thanksgiving is held at my home. Soon it is time for dinner, and the family has arrived. We sit around enjoying the company of one another, as we haven’t seen some of our cousins in a while. After naps have been taken to sleep off the turkey we, of course, watch a little football! I have always been so grateful for this day to see my family gather together to celebrate another year health, hope, and faith!

Jodie- When it comes to Thanksgiving my family has a few traditions that are not quite like the others. When it comes to the Williams family dinner, we all come a little bit early to finish putting food together, and sometimes we can even get a sample before everyone else does. Grandpa makes sure to have the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on for all of us grandkids. After everyone has arrived and a prayer has been said, all of kids race grandpa to finish with “Now we can eat”! After the meal is done we all sit around talking, playing card games, or looking at the ads in the newspaper, so when Black Friday shopping starts the next day, everyone has a Christmas list idea. On the Lindsay side, everyone gathers into the kitchen to say a prayer and one thing we are thankful for. Soon everyone is at the table talking and enjoying a good meal. Once dinner is done, the kids lay down for naps, and when you walk into the living room, all the chairs are full with the guys, because they too are taking naps. Once the guys are up, the go and do chores at the barn and come back to Nana and Papa’s house. Everyone jumps in line again to eat some of the leftover pizza dinners for supper. By the end of the night, the adults are playing games while talking, and all the kids are laying down and watching a movie together. Every family has a different tradition, which is why they are each unique. I wouldn’t change my family’s for the world.

Cole - While my favorite tradition of all happens during the summer months, Thanksgiving is a very important time for my family. Growing up, my parents worked quite a bit so family dinners didn’t happen as much as we would have liked. Thanksgiving was a time that my family and I cherished. It was a time when we knew we would sit down and talk with each other no matter what. In our family, when we are all together we know it is an important time. We grew up with the knowledge that the time we have on this earth is limited, so we should spend it with the people we love Our family. Around that table we know we are in a safe place because the people with us wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. It is these values in our family that make this holiday so special. From our humble beginnings as aspiring agriculturalists to a proud family of farmers, we have continued to grow together. Use this holiday to set aside all of the stress you have and take a moment to really live in the moment with the ones you love.

Jake- I have always loved the traditions that my family partakes in. Our Thanksgiving traditions are no different. Every year we make the trip to my Aunt Jeanie’s house in southern Iowa. We enjoy alarming amounts of food and sit down to watch the NFL football games every year. Though I do love this tradition, my favorite traditions comes that night. This tradition is two words and one of my favorite things to do. Those words are “Black Friday.” Now I do not usually partake in the spending of all my savings, but I do enjoy a good deal here and there. My cousins and I leave after the football games to get in lines at stores. On the way there we would circle the deals and make a game plan. Even though I usually didn’t buy a lot it was always an experience to spend the night and Friday watching people go crazy for deals. This was a great time to spend with family and why Thanksgiving is always one of my most favorite times of the year because of the time spent with family. Happy Thanksgiving!

Lane- Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite times of the year. This is because I get to see all of my family in one place and eat some amazing food. Our tradition has always been gathering at my grandma's house early in the morning and spending the day with all of our family. My grandma makes a big breakfast which includes giant cinnamon rolls, omelets, and many other goodies. Throughout the day our parents cook the food while us kids play games and watch tv. Now that I am older, my tradition has changed a bit because instead of playing games with my cousins, I watch the football games that are being played that day or catch the NASCAR race. I wouldn’t trade this holiday for anything because it’s always full of good food, family, and lots of naps. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Laken- My favorite family tradition is waking up early in the morning and helping my family get the food ready. We spend the morning making appetizer-style foods including pickle wraps, little weenies, meatballs, and anything that will fill us up until the big meal. Once the food is done, my family gathers around the table and fills up on all the Thanksgiving favorites. We always time our meals around the Dallas Cowboys football game and all crowd in the living room after the meal to enjoy the game. After the Cowboys are done and a good post-meal nap is taken, we make the pies and eat them as a pre-bedtime snack. I always love spending time around the table with my family, eating food and finally being all together when working around our always busy schedules.

Living to Serve,

2018-2019

Iowa FFA State Officer Team

Long Live Cowboys

Long Live Cowboys, Wrangler’s marketing is all over the television in the first week of December during a tradition that takes place for the 10 nights that has lasted for 60 years. The toughest cowboys and cowgirls all make their way to Las Vegas, Nevada for the National Finals Rodeo, a tradition that most of the western world takes part of and Brinegar family loves to watch every year. Each round the entire family stays up to marvel at how the bulls get stronger, and the horses get faster and more powerful, or how the athletes learn new ways to help give them a competitive edge.

In the western world tradition is rich and deep, take Saddle Bronc riding, first done by the cowboys of the west to see who could ride and tame the wildest horses. Even roping, it’s not done just for fun, since the beginning of time there is always that one calf that needs to be caught and roping is the fastest way that the Cowboys could get the job done.

Cowboys have been around for hundreds of years and every day they feel the pressure of new advancements that seem to threaten the way of life that the Cowboys love. In the late 1800’s barbed wire closed the prairie making the once king cattle drives come to an end. The squeeze shoot ended the old days of roping and dragging calves for treatment. Ear tags and freeze branding have begun to take over the hot iron branding. Now I don’t see all of these things as bad, but a tradition was or is being broken when times change and like anything people don’t always like that.

In farming, ranching, and FFA the same thing is still happening today as the younger generation is beginning to take over GPS, new recordkeeping systems, or new thoughts on how to make our organization better are always being thought of. Grandparents are usually driven up a wall as these times change as they try to hold on to the tradition and doing something the way they did. Greenstar and new planters have helped make our job in the spring faster and more efficient even though its more complicated and can be hard to run the computers in the planters. Today we use the computer and Exel sheets to keep track of medical records keeping them neat and easy to read whenever there’s a sick animal but is a step that makes my father uncomfortable when he can easily just write it down. Even FFA has hit these new ways with an organization that is made of over 670,000 members from all over this nation we are always changing things to help make our organization more well-rounded for all students. But can we do this without losing the tradition that has built our organization?

Just like that advertisement, Long Live Cowboys, tradition is carried on through the group that works to keep it true and alive. In our changing times, of course, we don’t always want to move away from a tried and true method of doing something because of the benefits that we haven’t seen yet. We as FFA members hold the Future Farmers of America in us every time we zip up that iconic blue jacket with the letters FFA stitched on. We know that we began our organization 91 years ago because of Farming and if it wasn’t for farming, we wouldn’t have agriculture and our organization today. Like the times that change with the new technology we can keep the past alive just like the NFR has, we can use our traditions as a way to help teach the younger generation about the past and how we have gotten here today. Although it seems scary that our traditions are being threatened it's up to each of us to help pass those traditions on because through us they will be told, passed on and lived out just like the cowboy way from years ago.

Long Live Cowboys, Long Live Tradition,

2018-2019 Iowa FFA State President

Chase "CD" Brinegar

Tips and Tricks for Official Dress

Walking down the streets of Indianapolis at the 91st National FFA Convention and Expo, taking in the sights of the sea of blue jackets. Nothing could go wrong, that's until I trip and my heel runs across my shin as I stumble to regain my footing. Now I am completely fine, my pride maybe bruised a little, but one thing has not survived the trip. It is my pantyhose. They now have a huge run down the front, and I am embarrassed. Maybe we haven't found ourselves in this exact situation in Official Dress, but we may have had a mishap with it at some point in our FFA careers. That is why today I’m going to share with you my 6 Tips and Tricks to Official Dress.

1- Collars. I’m sure at some time we have had a problem with the collars of our white button downs. They can be too small, or maybe after a few washes no matter how many times they are ironed they don’t look nice. My tip for this would be to get a men’s button down. They collars on men's shirts stay crisp and tall for a long time and are great for keeping up scarves.

2- Pants/ Skirts. Pants and skirts are some of the easier parts to Official Dress, and really don’t give us too many problems. One thing is for certain after doing many hours of walking in them though is they will fall down. A little, very snazzy, trick for this is definitely suspenders. FFA suspenders keep pants and skirts up, and also super fun!

3- Black Shoes. Whether you wear black dress shoes, heels, or flats, after a long day In Official Dress your feet hurt. I combat having sore feet by wearing an insole in my shoe. The gel sole gives me just a little more cushion to keep the pep in my step! Also would recommend carrying around a bandaid or two just in case of blisters. 

4- Scarves. FFA scarves have a handy little adjustable strap on them to help them fit your neck properly, but for some, the scarf is still too big. Using a safety pin can help cinch it up the rest of the way.

5- Pantyhose. Let me say pantyhose are always a pain. They snag and run, and in the winter your legs get cold. So here is what I have learned from the many times I have worn them. If you don’t want to wear a skirt and pantyhose then you don’t have to, you can wear pants instead. If you do wear a skirt then I have more advise. Let's say you have a small snag that could turn into a run. Use clear nail polish, or hairspray to keep the hole from getting any bigger. Maybe you have a little hole and can see skin, use a pen or marker. Color in the hole. Also when putting on pantyhose make sure to remove rings or bracelets, also make sure you don’t have a hangnail that could catch. Trying to avoid snagging or running and just want a really good pair of pantyhose. I wear Hanes Silk Reflections and let me tell ya those are some good ones.

6- Jackets. Maybe you had a big mishap in your jacket and now have a stain. Do not wash it yourself! Have your jacket dry cleaned. Also if you haven’t discovered already, you have inside pockets in that blue corduroy. Use those to fill with little things that can help you through a long contest, or workshop. I split the use of my pockets. In my right inside pocket, I always have a few safety pins and bobby pins, a band-aid or two, chapstick, and a tide to go pen. On the left, I carry a pen, some business cards, and little sticky note with a happy little reminder to keep me going.

Whether we are at a contested, convention, or workshop, remember to lend a hand to someone if you can. Remind them to tuck their tallywacker, straighten their scarf or tie and wish them the best. I hope my time spent having some mishaps in Official Dress can help you avoid some of the mistakes I’ve had to combat.

As always in Blue and Gold, 

Your Southwest State Vice President,

Gwen Back