Awkward Turtle. “Very nice (insert ok sign with fingers). “High five!” What? Pre-foreshadowing (word only found in Morgan Parker’s personal dictionary). GameBoy—need I say more?
Oh, the joy of inside jokes. Yes, yes, we all have them, and there is no greater bond than shouting out the perfect phrase or term to add a little cherry on top of that perfect situation. During the NC NLCSO there were MANY new inside jokes created, all of which I will never forget.
Inside jokes are a sign of the three f’s: friendship, fun, and focus.
The first “f” is friendship. North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida state officers are without a doubt good friends after their four day conference that took place at the sunny resort on Wrightsville beach in N.C. Days were full of interactive learning involving the tools needed to “rev up” a state officer’s year, and nights included free time on the beach for friendships to grow. One of the most rewarding parts for me at NLCSO’s is seeing all the state officers at the beginning of the conference—somewhat shy and separated by state, and then by the end of the conference there being a collogue of new friends who never would have met without the FFA. So often I hear state officers after leaving NLCSO say “Why can’t all of us FFA folks just live in one state, then we would always be together!” As much fun as that would be, there is a reason we are all spread across this great nation…we can serve more people when we cover more ground.
Fun, the second “f” of our inside jokes. Without a doubt, a conference wouldn’t be enjoyable without fun. The other day I read a new quote in the book I am reading called Stimulated. The quote says “You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”—Plato
How true is this statement? In North Carolina people built friendships when they were just enjoying themselves. Whether we were playing with marbles and jelly beans during sessions, or whether it was the state tournament in volleyball…FUN was definitely present! If you haven’t figured it out yet, we in the FFA know how to work hard, and how to play hard. Are both important? YES!!
Our third “f” of inside jokes is focus. You’re probably thinking “Wow! I thought inside jokes through your focus off of whatever you were talking about?” Yes, this is one reason the word focus comes to mind when we talk about inside jokes…yet the focus Morgan and I saw at NC’s NLCSO was the opposite. The 28 state officers present were so intensely focused with what the curriculum and what was being said by others, that they was no room for mistakes! This intensity caused some funny inside jokes to arise. In this case, the focus the students had just meant they were more prone to catch those funny moments of the conference!
Those many inside jokes created in N.C. were a result of the friendships made, the fun we had, and the focus the state officers retained the entire conference. Thank you! Thank you to those present for bring our three “f’s” to our four-day conference—it wouldn’t have been the same without them! To those who weren’t able to attend, remember this: friends, fun, and focus can make a conference one of the best experiences you have ever had! When it comes down to it though, it is up to you to bring these three components to the event or activity you are participating in. Don’t be afraid to relax, be yourself, meet new people, and soak it all in!
Who knows? You may just walk away with your own little group’s worth of inside jokes…and those jokes are priceless!.JPG)
Oh, the joy of inside jokes. Yes, yes, we all have them, and there is no greater bond than shouting out the perfect phrase or term to add a little cherry on top of that perfect situation. During the NC NLCSO there were MANY new inside jokes created, all of which I will never forget.
Inside jokes are a sign of the three f’s: friendship, fun, and focus.
The first “f” is friendship. North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida state officers are without a doubt good friends after their four day conference that took place at the sunny resort on Wrightsville beach in N.C. Days were full of interactive learning involving the tools needed to “rev up” a state officer’s year, and nights included free time on the beach for friendships to grow. One of the most rewarding parts for me at NLCSO’s is seeing all the state officers at the beginning of the conference—somewhat shy and separated by state, and then by the end of the conference there being a collogue of new friends who never would have met without the FFA. So often I hear state officers after leaving NLCSO say “Why can’t all of us FFA folks just live in one state, then we would always be together!” As much fun as that would be, there is a reason we are all spread across this great nation…we can serve more people when we cover more ground.
Fun, the second “f” of our inside jokes. Without a doubt, a conference wouldn’t be enjoyable without fun. The other day I read a new quote in the book I am reading called Stimulated. The quote says “You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.”—Plato
How true is this statement? In North Carolina people built friendships when they were just enjoying themselves. Whether we were playing with marbles and jelly beans during sessions, or whether it was the state tournament in volleyball…FUN was definitely present! If you haven’t figured it out yet, we in the FFA know how to work hard, and how to play hard. Are both important? YES!!
Our third “f” of inside jokes is focus. You’re probably thinking “Wow! I thought inside jokes through your focus off of whatever you were talking about?” Yes, this is one reason the word focus comes to mind when we talk about inside jokes…yet the focus Morgan and I saw at NC’s NLCSO was the opposite. The 28 state officers present were so intensely focused with what the curriculum and what was being said by others, that they was no room for mistakes! This intensity caused some funny inside jokes to arise. In this case, the focus the students had just meant they were more prone to catch those funny moments of the conference!
Those many inside jokes created in N.C. were a result of the friendships made, the fun we had, and the focus the state officers retained the entire conference. Thank you! Thank you to those present for bring our three “f’s” to our four-day conference—it wouldn’t have been the same without them! To those who weren’t able to attend, remember this: friends, fun, and focus can make a conference one of the best experiences you have ever had! When it comes down to it though, it is up to you to bring these three components to the event or activity you are participating in. Don’t be afraid to relax, be yourself, meet new people, and soak it all in!
Who knows? You may just walk away with your own little group’s worth of inside jokes…and those jokes are priceless!
4 comments:
Becky, I couldn't help but smile when I read your blog about NC NLCSO. We all had an awesome time thanks to you and Morgan. Thank you for going the extra mile to make each of our experiences much more memorable. Very nice. :)
-Carly, FL FFA
Preforeshadowing is most definitely a word...just so you all know! haha!
MCP
Becky!!!
Thank you so much for all of the fun times and great information that you gave us. I have already used some of it :) I love reading the National Officer blogs; it gives me an insight to what your world is like. It also brings back those great memories that we all shared! Thanks and we miss you!
Kara, NC FFA
Becky, I couldn't stop laughing when I read your NC NLCSO blog! Although our inside jokes definitely made the conference interesting, the real highlight was learning from you and Morgan. You both went above and beyond to make sure we were better prepared to serve our associations upon our departure. If this conference "preforshadows" what our year is going to be like, it's going to be amazing! Thanks again for everything! Very nice! :)
Adrienne, FL FFA
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