So... do you like pickled eggs?

"Just off of the beaten path, a little dot a state road map; that's where I was born and where I'll die. Things move at a slower pace. No body's in a rat race. And these days that's a special way of life."

-Alabama

I am the poster-child for supporting Smalltown, USA. Well... the "poster-woman" now, although that opens up an entirely different subject all-together. You get the point. I'm enthusiastic in my efforts to stimulate the county's lackluster economy through buying gas locally (forget that it's $0.30 higher than anywhere nearby.) If there is a BBQ dinner fundraiser within 10 miles of my house, you can bet I'm probably there (I've even provided the entertainment once or twice - anyone remember my two-year-old version of "Victory in Jesus"?) And I'm quite proud to say that (until I moved to Louisville) my version of a traffic jam involved multiple instances of getting stuck behind a convoy of farm machinery on my way to school in the mornings...

Throughout high school it always bothered me to hear someone gripe about how they "couldn't wait to get out of this place," but truthfully, in the three years since graduation, I've probably been "out" as much as or more than anyone. And though I'm thankful for all my travels, opporunities, new friends, etc. and count them all as blessings, I've discovered that after a while of "big city living," I manage to forget how much I love being "country as corn." (Thanks to my good buddy, Quint, for that phrase.) Alas, recent events did much for revitalizing the "bumpkin" in me, and likewise taught me yet another important lesson on life.

Since I'm such a lover of quotes, let me begin by sharing a few of my favorites from my latest adventure. No matter if you don't know the stories behind them... invent your own. It's more fun that way.

1.) "Dude held it for like an hour."

2.) "How did I wind up on only FIVE inches of MY sleeping bag?"

3.) "You okay?" "No" "Wanna do it again?" "Yeah!"

4.) "Where the heck is that? And why aren't you here!"

And my personal, all-time, chart-topping FAVORITE...

5.) "So... do you like pickled eggs?"

Are you smiling? Cause I'm smiling. :-) The human mind never ceases to amaze me. The things we remember, meaningless to most - as those quotes probably are to you - trigger a wealth of emotion. See, THOSE quotes bring with them the shock of COLD creek water swelling against my legs, the whoops and laughs and looks of fright accompainied by a few daring four-wheeler rides, the reassurance of being surrounded -picked on, laughed with, punched and hugged- by good friends and the serenity of retiring the day on a blanket under a star-filled sky.

But my delve back into Smalltown, USA did more than re-kindle the flame for home that I sometimes ignore. A few days of limited cell service, incredible sleep deprivation and a whopping amount of time outdoors reaffirmed a fact I'm still learning to accept: Given the chance, people will surprise you! The person you thought you could never like, is actually really nice. The guy you'd summed up as "blue collar," has a brilliant head on his shoulders. People you might have considered lowly or desolate, are always the first to lend a hand. The toughest man you've ever met still won't get his boots wet in a creek. And the friend you knew to be absolute "High Society," is about as 'cuntry' as they come.

Life = Perceptions. Is he or she good enough? Do they wear the right clothes, eat the coolest food, listen to the best music, drive the attention-grabbing car? WHO CARES? Why aren't we concerned with, "Do they make a difference?"; "Are they doing something worthwhile with their life?"; "Can I help them, not to change their look or style or values, but to simply be a better them?"

My Smalltown, USA soapbox is a cousin to my stance on Perceptions of American Agriculture. More of late, publics are subjected to efforts to ruin the image of American farmers, to downplay their importance to the world's livelihood and to eventually wipeout the hard-work, disciplined, family core values that us Smalltown Advocates hold dear. I'm proud to say that the KSF YAP Adult Project has developed an awesome way to get Young Adults involved in the fight against these injustices. The Discovery Farm Video Contest (click on this blog title for more info) allows YOU to tell YOUr story about Kentucky Animal Agriculture. From "Sheering Sheep" to "Milking Cows" to "Economics of a Livestock Project," educating our national public about the safe practices, necessity and committment involved in KY Ag is literally the first step to generating a positive global PERCEPTION.

You've been given the chance. Now surprise me.

And could someone pass the pickled eggs?

SQUARE Dancing My Way to the Top???

Can I just say that I love EVERYTHING about my summer job!?!? Seriously, the people are fantastic; the ever-challenging work truly keeps me on my toes, and every day I'm learning valuable skills that promise to aid in my future, no matter the path I opt for. That said, could I change ONE-THING-AND-ONE-THING-ONLY, the (long-lost) girly-girl in me would boldly stand up and scream, "THIS PLACE NEEDS MORE PINK!"


No, that's not a testament to my extremist feminism; in fact, we've got what some might consider a true estrogen ocean - los senors are in significant minority. Besides, I'm not even all that partial to pink. I could deal with blue, green, yellow, purple, red... anything really. Anything, that is, that might offer the slightest hope of stimulating creativity. Seriously... just a little bit of feng shui... is that too much to ask?


Alas, until my wishful thinking becomes State Government reality, I've taken to "creativity boosting" in Freedom Hall. Generally it's quiet, comfortable and spacious (ya think?) It's filled with many of my most amazing FFA memories -i.e. the first time I witnessed a sea of blue stand and recite "To practice brotherhood, honor agricultural opportunities and responsibilities, and develop those qualities of leadership which an FFA member should possess," - plus a plethora of awesome basketball and NQC moments. I've heard astonishing speeches, witnessed back-breaking dunks and seen thousands of people moved by a gospel song, but I'm not sure anything comes close to the muse I found today!


The Square Dancer's Convention has come to town! Smack dab in the center of Freedom Hall, a school of 20 or so quite enthusiastic dancers were tapping their hearts out, handing off partners and making me rather dizzy, all to the beat of an (?)impressive(?) country remix I'd never heard. :-/ Still, jokes aside, these guys (and gals) were good, and not just by my CLUELESS standards. The longer I watched, in awe, I realized that these weren't the.... tactful word.... (?)senior(?) ladies and gents I've seen (and chatted with) throughout the KEC over the past few days. Rather, these talented dancers were obviously high schoolers (at the oldest), full of excitement at the thrill of performing in such a prestigious venue! What an awesome thing to have such a desire and commitment to something so early on in life.


It's all chocked up in one word: PASSION. Along with my fellow 08-09 Kentucky FFA State Officers, I spent of year of my life campaigning for the 14,000+ members across our state to rise to one simple challenge: "Ignite Your Passion." But over a year after our "retirement" -great to achieve that at such a young age, eh?- it occurs to me that we are all continually learning to Seek, Ignite and Fuel our passions on a daily basis. And little do we know just how integral a part we play in that endeavour for those around us. I'm ever thankful for those individuals who, though they may not realize it, consistently encourage my dreams, guide my efforts, admonish my transgressions and literally shape my being. :)


Besides triggering my inner philosopher -hey, these kids know PASSION at an early age!- the Square Dancer's sparked a considerable bit of creativity, and thus it's back to the drawing board -err, Dell- in the still tragically colorless office (minus Brenda's -dwindling- stash of gumballs!), blasting Pandora on the iPhone as I work to bring YOU the most awesome Young Adult Project YOU have ever seen! (Easy enough... since it's gonna be the ONLY "YAP" you've ever seen!)

2009-2010 KSF YAP Youth Advisory Council

Just one more example of PASSION, the KSF Youth Advisory Council has been working diligently since November 2009 to make the 2010 Kentucky State Fair the absolute best you've ever seen! They've developed 11 days of awesome programming that will have you finding every excuse in the book to skip school and hang out with us in the YAP Tent! Aug. 19 - 29, there is no where else you'll want to be! Click on their photo to meet the crew, learn more about YAP and find out how you can get involved!


As for me, it's time to refocus. Battle of the Bands contacts. Check! Ultimate Photo Booth props. Check! Now I wonder who I should talk to about installing a window above my desk... or maybe I'll just move my desk to Freedom Hall and start hollerin' PROMENADE!

Living Life with Regard to Abe, Dolly and Pa...

"You have to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was." -Abraham Lincoln

Abe's always been my favorite president; maybe because I'm a bit of a history nerd and the Civil War Era pretty much consumes my interest. Not that I'm all that obsessed with the North vs. South issues. I just love the time period. Life of those long ago days appears simple, rustic and drenched in hard work, peppered with intense pride in family values and devout belief in 48,000 different causes - take your pick! Best of all, the country was on the brink of abundant development, and if you consider the rush of expansion, technology, population growth, etc. that has followed, the Civil War was ironically a "calm before the storm." Of course, Abe had that tall, lanky appeal to him as well. Sigh...

Sometimes I wonder if we ever really know whether we're living in the "calm" or in the "storm." Obviously, a bad day feels storm-like for a bit, but a few years down the road will what happens today really be a big deal? Who knows? Well, He knows. But YOU know what I mean... right?

If I had to guess, I'd say these days I'm living in the calm. Thank goodness, because anyone that knows me well is very aware of my irrational terror when it comes to storms. My life's weather forecast, for a setting somewhere in fog covered mountains carved out by crystal clear streams and blanketed by a purple star filled sky -hmmm... no wonder I'm also a HUGE Dolly Parton fan- would grant me mostly days of sunshine, a cloud or two here and there, and of course, the occassional rain shower. But as the song goes, "along with the sunshine, there's gotta be a little rain sometimes."

Life's latest gust of wind has dropped me in Louisville, KY for the summer, where I'm happily employed by the Kentucky State Fair Board. Working specifically with the Young Adult Project (YAP) I get to spend my days emmersed in social media -living it up on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace- in effort to help Kentucky's young adults make KSF 2010 their absolute favorite yet! I'm so pumped about the ALL NEW Battle of the Bands, the Ultimate Photo Booth, YOUth Vote Day, Friday Night Dance parties and a million other fantastic projects we've got going that are going to absolutely ROCK YOUR SOCKS! We announce new contests and events constantly on Facebook, so definitely check it out! Best of all, I've already met so many fantastic people (both at work and YAP participants statewide!) I can't wait to hang out with everyone during State Fair (if they'll let me out of my office, that is!)

Alas, I'll be hard pressed to ever follow Abe's advice and eventually outgrow my grandpa (who I legitimately think is the coolest guy in the world, but hey, I might be a tad partial.) But I'm certainly working on it...