Is this real life? That was the constant feeling that I kept having during the weekend of March 23rd. I have had this feeling many times throughout the year, but it was evident this weekend. It was our first and last MEGA conference as state officers, and we were so excited! We made our way down to Greensboro on Friday night, got started preparing, and met the two National Officers that would be joining for the weekend, Seth Pratt and Jason Troendle. And, not only did we get to have two national officers, but we also had a past national officer, Mr. Wyatt DeJong! Well, just because they were visiting they did not get out of some work. We put them to work blowing up balloons, making balloon animals, and helping decorate our workshop rooms before they headed to bed. After we got our 200 balloons blown up for the workshop we decided that we would take a break and cheer on our beloved Wolfpack. The game did not end how we wanted, but we still cheered with all our hearts. We went over our workshop and then headed to bed, thrilled about the weekend that we were about to embark upon.
The next morning we woke up, put on our snazzy official dress and headed down to the ballroom to practice our morning session. Shortly after, when the members started making their way to the hotel we could really feel the excitement build for the weekend. We hung out for a bit, chatted, and saw all our friends that we've missed so much. Finally, the time had arrived. We began with opening ceremonies and got the conference kicked off. Beverly and I, along with our fellow Over the Top members had tons of fun Saturday learning about resumes, job interviews, etiquette, image, social media, and organization involvement after high school. We had a scavenger hunt, YouTube videos, blindfolds, magazines, balloon towers, and even some ice cream. To end the workshop on a high note, we went out with a bang by popping all 200 of our balloons. It was definitely over the top! The fun didn’t stop Saturday night. We had a lovely banquet where this year’s delegate issues were revealed. We were also joined by some of our past State Officers from North Carolina from 1929-1971. It was an amazing night to be a part of North Carolina FFA. After our banquet, we had two more workshops before we could get ready to boogie down at the annual MEGA Conference dance, with DJ JT3. It was a night full of dancing and excitement. After vespers we reviewed the next day’s itinerary and then hit the hay.
Sunday came quickly and breakfast came early, but a morning session with a keynote from Mr. Jason Troendle was more than enough to get everyone enthused for our last day of MEGA. A talented and very inspirational speaker, Jason entertained us with stories of fishing with his sister and the lessons he learned growing up. After that we went to our last workshops of MEGA '12. The ending, as with most endings, was a little bittersweet. I can’t explain the impact that the Over the Top group made on my life. Each and every member stepped out of their comfort zone and encouraged me to step out of mine, and for that I want to say thank you! Also, thank you to all the wonderful FFA members that attended. You’re the ones that made this MEGA '12 the most amazing and endearing conference yet. Thank you for that, and I can’t wait to be reunited with everyone at State Convention!
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