Thankful for November...Being Over

As I happily sit doing nothing but watching Hallmark Christmas movies on this last day of break, I am reminded of all the things I am thankful for...

Everyday in November, leading up to Thanksgiving I wrote what I am most thankful for:

1- Completely thankful for my job! It's the greatest profession that mixes agriculture, education, leadership, travel and high school kids!
2- Long plane rides... I really appreciate those 3+ hours of sleep while flying high
3- Good substitutes while I'm gone... They really are the shiz!
4- I'm thankful for kids who want to do more, they are my kind of people...
5- I so appreciate good school secretaries! They really are the best for chatting and listening to any needed venting... I love my school secretaries and attendance ladies!
6- I am so blessed to have a nice house... I love my house, my yard and the history that goes with it!
7- I am so thankful for a profession that has the opportunities to meet up with friends and go on cool industry tours... Today was at Neves Roses in Petaluma.
8- I love days I get to see friends from far away! Especially when we get to laugh a lot...
9- I'm forever grateful for Sundays that allow me to stay in my pajamas... They are rare and I love them!!!
10- Feeling pretty grateful that kids are willing to show up on non-school days for practice... No school today, yet no complaints about coming to school to work on opening & closing...
11- Pretty simple... Veteran's Day! 
12- I hate Opening & Closing but I LOVE these crazy kids and am so thankful for their dedication and drive!
13 - I'm grateful that kids feel like they can sit down and talk to me. Sometimes teachers forget kids have bigger issues at home than a missed assignment
14- I love and am thankful for mom&pop restaurants, where the owners know your family because you've been going there for a bazillion years... It makes dinner much better!
15- I really love being part of an organization that centers around Italian heritage and food... 
16- I am thankful for all the things I've learned being surrounded by a bunch of Italian ladies... Life skills people... And mostly food!
17: Thankful for kids that spend time with me after school to make sure everything is just perfect for the banquet tomorrow...
18- Thankful that my momma got to go home from the hospital!! Too much time spent there in the last week... So grateful my aunt can help her at home rather than her staying in the hospital longer...
19- I feel so blessed to be able to train public speakers through FFA experiences... Tonight one of my kids presented to the school board about her agriscience project that went to Nationals... Very cool
20- I'm thankful for the phone... Yep! Because without it I wouldn't be able to talk to my parents on a daily basis... I do love our chats!
21- Thankful for long drives and good friends!!! Love ya Amber!
22 & 23- It's a big one so it gets two days... I am incredibly thankful to have great friends all over the state that I get to go visit... They're pretty amazing!
24- I love that I have a job that allows me to be off school for the whole week
25- I'm so grateful that I get to have a craft day tomorrow with Heidi! Gonna be so fun!
26- Thankful for a solid day of laughing, sewing, chatting and crafting for the holidays!!
27- Happy Thanksgiving!!! I am thankful for each of you! Hope your day is blessed! I am a lucky girl and get to spend today with a table full of characters
28-30- I feel so incredibly blessed for supportive parents. They are the bestest ever, plain and simple! 

But now that I've been thankful, I can honestly say I AM SO READY for December!

I love December and the entire holiday season... I love the smells, the foods, the clothing, the weather and the holiday attitudes that many people have. December to me, brings out the best in people. Well not all people, but if it doesn't bring out the best in you then you suck and there is not much helping ya! 

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards, baking cookies, decorating the tree, spending time with friends, seeing houses decorated, watching Hallmark movies, seeing the Nutcracker, buying gifts for others and doing good deeds. November is a month of thankfulness but December is the month of giving to others. 

This year for our Sectional FFA night, we are working at the Redwood Empire Food Bank. I am so excited as many of my students have never done anything like this. This is what December is about...

Before Thanksgiving break, it was announced that my class won the Canned Food Drive with 759 cans. This is what December is about...

My students are also going fulfill hearts for the Sonoma County Secret Santa Program, last year we fulfilled over 40 hearts. This year hopefully we get closer to 60... This is what December is about...

Even the simple, Pay it Forward, at Starbucks in the Drive Thru is something.... Make sure you plan to do something for others this December. Don't do it for the recognition, do it for the warm fuzzies!

Side Note: I did go Black Friday shopping with my bestest friend... Didn't buy much, it was just a fun day hanging out with this momma of 2... Love her! 

Opening & Closing

What is opening & closing you may ask? It's a sectional contest for FFA members of all ages, that wish to learn and memorize the opening and closing parts for running an FFA meeting. It's completely scripted... 

I can without a doubt say this is my LEAST favorite contest to coach. I'm not sure why I have this great hatred for opening and closing but it literally drives me up the wall. 

Reasons I hate Opening & Closing: 

1. You're teaching novice, advanced and officer teams, all the parts to open and close a meeting-- yet in reality only the officers open and close a meeting for an entire year. 

2. It creates robots... Kids who memorize word for word information, LAME.

3. With all this memorization, let me just tell you it becomes incredibly boring to watch practices! 

4. Tap once, Tap three times... Mr. President this is not difficult to remember! 

5. Hair... Please dear lord, brush your hair children! You are showing up to look professional, which means if you rolled outta bed you should check yourself! 

6. Boys- Yes, button the dang top button of your shirt and learn to tie a proper tie.

7. Day of the contest, it is quite literally the most boring day of sitting around and waiting. 

8. We added Parli Pro to our Opening & Closing for officers this year... To be funny or serious? That is the question... 

9. Our contest is during the day... Yep another sub to prepare for! 

10. Our contest goes past noon... Yet, we don't get lunch (um yeah that sucks) 

All in all, I know the positive things about opening and closing. The hope is to get kids more involved with the sectional level, get more experience public speaking, try something new, meet new people and yada yada yada... 

Mostly, I go with flow (although not quietly) with the contest because kids love it. They might be scared shitless on the van ride to the contest but on the way home they are crazy hyped up! That to me is an FFA success, regardless of how excited I am about it. 

Positives for the day... 

My kids had fun

They won some ribbons

I made them play games

They met new people

They worked as a TEAM

Big game of concentration... Sitting and being anti social is not an option when you roll with me. 

Advanced Team- Emily was Outstanding Vice President 

Officer Team- Tony was Outstanding President and Emma was Outstanding Secretary

Aren't they precious?! 

Living to Serve

So I've been on an unintentional hiatus... I've been extremely busy at school with meetings, new curriculum, and then adding in personal life stuff, life is just been a little crazy! 

Last week I was fortunate enough to take seven students to the National FFA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Now this convention draws over 60,000 FFA members and is the largest student leadership conference in the country. Now this means that we get some pretty good speakers, who talk about agriculture, leadership, and just doing more. 

Two of my favorite speakers were from large companies. The COO of Monsanto and the president of Elanco, we're both informative and really fascinating to listen to. I personally enjoyed both speeches, because both men spoke about how we are going to feed the world. They talked about how FFA members in the room are going to be responsible for feeding, not only our country but our world. Whether they become farmers, or research scientists, they will need to figure out how to do more, feed more, and produce more with less. 

This is such a valuable concept for not only high school students but individual consumers to grasp. We live in the United States-- we live in a country of choice. Most people don't have to worry where their food comes from, if it will be safe, or if we'll have enough to feed our family each day. Sadly there are people that struggle with this on a daily basis. 

During national convention, I had our chapter participate in a National Day of Service organized by the National FFA. Anyone who attends the convention is able to sign up for one of the service activities. Although the service activity that directly related to food and packaging meals was already filled, I was able to sign our kids up for a project that allowed them to plant trees in underdeveloped neighborhoods of Louisville. They had a great time and it was a prime opportunity to give back. 

I think more kids need the opportunity to participate in community service activities. I also think that service activities that are directly related to food and hunger in communities are essential. At our officer meeting tonight we discussed all of the upcoming community service activities that the officers would like to do. I'd be lying, if I said I wasn't impressed with each of their suggestions and ideas to facilitate activities that give back to the community. 

From the Sonoma County Secret Santa program to working at the Redwood Empire Food Bank, collecting cans and nonperishable food items as well as setting up a blood drive, these are just some of the activities that the officers have planned. It really warms my heart, that the students I have, that are so fortunate in so many ways, are the first to want to do community service for others. I feel like they really listened to the speeches given by the Monsanto and Elanco presidents and how it is becoming their responsibility to feed the world and contribute to their communities. They want to do more, give more and serve more...

"Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others."

Just another reminder of why I'm thankful for my job and students... 

Before they headed out to plant trees... 

Some of the kids at the Expo! #weareffa