2009 CA 4-H State Leadership Conference

The 2009 CA 4-H State Leadership Conference was held at UC Merced from August 6th-9th this summer, and this year's theme was It's A BIG Deal.  With my 7th time at SLC, this year was different then any other year, for I was there for the CA 4-H Computer Corps (as always) and also for my work the 4-H Military Partnership/Operation: Military Kids at the State 4-H Office.  This year was one crazy year, but everything went real smoothly and was a great success.

     My sister and I drove up to Merced on Wednsday, the day before the conference, because I didn't want to wake up super early to get up to SLC, and be all stressed out about everything.  We left the Inland Empire at noon and got to Merced at 4:30.  We stayed in the same hotel that I stayed when I took Emily and Scotty to Yosemite in July.  After getting settled into the hotel, we went to eat at applebees, then chilled the rest of the night in the hotel room watching Viva La Bam and surfing the web.

     The next day, we slowly woke up and packed everything up to head off to UC Merced for the conference.  Driving to Merced, i got turned around, and turned a right instead of left, which caused me to get lost in the middle of nowhere.  Luckly for me, I geospacally understand where I am, and is easy to get back to where I was without getting too lost.  When I finally got on the right roads, it almost seemed if we where getting deeper and deeper into the middle of nowhere.  As we where driving on a road with corn fields on each side, suddenly, buildings poped out of the corn fields in the distance, and i realized that was UC Merced.  You couldn't tell it was a UC for there was nothing for miles.   When I got to registration, and got my stuff, I was able to get into my room, which was more of an appartment style where you have three rooms of two people, a bathroom, and a living room.  I was roomed with my buddies of the computer corps, and my room it was Rowan and I, which is totally awesome.  We also had one of the Texas State Teach Team members staying with us in our appartment.  The rest of the delegates get normal style dorms.  Since we are part of the conference, we get special accondations.  The first day was the easiest day, where I just get to chill with my comp corps buddies, and take some photos of the activities, and have fun on the computers and stay up late.  We didn't get to bed till 1:30 the first night.

     The second day was the day I was doing stuff for work (4-H Military Partnership), which i lead two 2.5 mini tracks with youth and adults to have the participates create a skit, which they will preform to everyone on the last day of conference, about the hardships of military children in their daily life, and how 4-H can help support them.  After both tracks where finished, I headed back to my room to chill with my comp corps teammates and we took pics and chilled at the different conference activities.  I also met up with the youth for the skits of my work stuff, and we rehursed while everyone else was heading off to bed.  Afterwards, my computer corps buddies and I chilled and didn't end up going to sleep till 3:00 in the morning because we where procrastinating on working on our presentation at the next assembly.

     The third day was a combination of computer corps stuff and work stuff.  First, we had our presentation to give to the entire conference, talking about what we do as a team and how one person can be involved.  I had a great idea the day before to have our presentation be on a web cam from a secret room at the conference, instead of being on stage, and it turned out to work as we had Rowan be on stage to begin the presentation, and he said we where busy working on the afterglow (photo slide show with music of conference) and wasn't able to make it, but then he called us on the web cam, and we introduced us via web cam.  It actrually turned out alot better then I thought, for all 457 people where able to hear us and see us.  

     After our presentation, I had a meeting with my youth for the work skit to work with them, and to get them on stage to practice before they do it infront of everyone the next day, which didn't work out, but they where still able to be on stage real quick to get the feel for it.  In the afternoon, I tought a double workshop.  The first half was on the Art of Photography and the second half was editing photos with computer software.  I was amazed to see that I had a full 30 people attending my workshop and more wanted to join, but I had to turn them away due to limited amount of equipment.  This was the second time i thought this new workshop i created, and it was way better then when I thought it at TIC in January.  Hopefully when I teach it at SLF in November, it will be even better.  After my workshop, it was time to create the afterglow.  I had my team go to all the conference activities at night while i was back in the room working on all the photos for the afterglow.  That night, I went though 5,600 photos and only kept 1,150 photos to be used for the afterglow, and not all of them where used.  By 11:30 that night, I was finished with all the photos and the special effects, all I needed was the music.  Near the time I was finished, my comp corps buddies left to go find food, and it seemed like they took forever, so I decided just to lay down on my bed until they come back.  I passed out, and woke up at 1:30 to see Rowan at his computer, and i started freaking out.  I told them i need the music,  and they said they have it.  So then I told them, ok get it to me so I can add it to the afterglow and be done.  My other comp corps buddies came and, and Rowan said that they had added it and rendered it to a video for me.  I quickly headed over to my laptop and sure enough, they had finished the afterglow for me.  Out of all the afterglows at all the conferences I have ever done, that was the nicest thing anyone has ever done.  It is to show you how awesome my friends on the computer corps are.  I went right back to sleep, which it was around 1:30 when I finally passesd out.

     The last day of the conference went really well.  I had my work presentation infront of all 457 people, which includes the two skits from my mini tracks.  It was been 3 years since I spoke on stage at SLC, the last time, it was when I was an ambassador and worked with my fellow ambassadors to put on the 2006 SLC at UC San Diego.  It felt really good to be back on stage.  Normally I would have a speach written, but this time I just went up there and gave it off of my head and it worked out really well.  The skits turned out really well, and those kids deserve a pat on the back for being able to get up infront of everyone to do the skit.  After my work presentation, I chilled in back while the conference afterglow played, and as everyone left, I had lunch with my team members before heading back to the room to pack and head off to the hotel to spend the night.  For dinner, my sister and I went to Round Table Pizza, which is really kick ass pizza.  Sadly many Round Table Pizza's left SoCal, so we don't get it that often.

     The next day, my sister and I left Merced around 11:00 and drove home, with a stop at Jimmy Johns in Clovis to have the best sandwitch place ever (for those who read my blogs, you know all about Kimmy Johns from my indiana blog or my yosemite trip blog with emily and scotty).  

    This SLC went really well, and It kept me busy because I was doing both work and comp corps stuff, but it all worked out, and I had a blast.  The UC Merced campus is a nice campus, but i hate the city of Merced...it SUCKS!!!