Indy (pt 1)

This week I am in Indianapolis for the FFA Convention. FFA stands for Future Farmer's of America, for those not in the know... and if you aren't in the know, it's okay. I had NO idea what this really was until I got here!

Let's start with the plane ride here. I got to the airport around 4pm and was supposed to land around 8, but I forgot to eat dinner. So of course I found my stomach rumbling around 7:30. The flight attendant (FA), a male, walked by and asked me what I wanted to drink. Here's how the rest goes:

J: Diet Coke please. Are there free peanuts?
FA: No. All the food is for sale.
J: Oh. Never mind then. Thank you.
FA: Oh, please. You look like you got money. Dig into your wallet.
J: I look like I have money?! How do you know that?
FA: ...Well, first off, only a person with money would respond with that question. Come on, girl
J: Ha Ha. My wallets in the over head bin. I'll eat when I land.

And he left. I wasn't sure if I should take all that as a compliment or a huge insult. Clearly, I was being called cheap, but apparently I looked like I was well off. Yes, I had money to pay for a meal. That wasn't an issue. But why buy gross airline food and go through the hassle of getting the suitcase out of the roller board when I could get cheaper food on the ground? I'm not rich. But I certainly am cheap. I'll admit it.

I found myself wondering why I "looked like I had money". I was wearing jeans, heels and a nice sweater. I suppose my Tiffany's bracelet might help. But I wouldn't be so quick to say this meant I had money. My heels were 5 yrs old, scuffed up, muddy, and falling apart. And my sweater and jeans were dirty, after 2 weeks on the road. Still, my outfit appeared to be in stark contrast to what I wore the last time I flew - jeans, a brand new big t-shirt, and new-ish sneakers. This was way more comfortable but I think the way you dress changes the way that people treat you. No 0ne really talked to me on that trip. I certainly don't think anyone would have said I had money last time when I looked like a sleepy high school student, regardless of how clean my clothes were!

On to more of the story. Get ready for this, you're going to feel all warm inside. As I was getting off the plane, I was walking out of the terminal next to a woman. I noticed a big crowd at the gate, with one man standing in front of the rest. There, stood an older man in his 60s holding a hot pink piece of poster board. In cursive letters it said "Will you marry me Terry?" Turns out the woman I was with was Terry. She ran up to the man, gave him a hug kiss and them embraced for a while. I stayed in the terminal, holding back traffic while one girl, presumably one of their daughters took a photo from her iPhone. (I didn't want to be the idiot in the middle of their photo, though the person behind me didn't seem to care and shoved right by.) The crowd erupted in applause. I let out a nice "AWWWWW" Someone shouted, "Did she say yes?!" Someone else responded, "Well, she kissed him!" And then the crowd dispersed. I had tears in my eyes. I've never seen a proposal before in real life. This was absolutely like a scene out of a movie. I felt special to have witnessed such a rare occurrence. Thank goodness she said yes! I don't want to be proposed to in public. What if I wanted to say no or maybe later?! Congrats and best wishes to the happy couple!

Then I made it to Enterprise, got my rather crappy car, a 2010 Hyundai Accent - their most basic car. It's about 2 inches thick so if were hit from the side, I'd be a goner. Fortunately, I only have to drive it to and from the airport, about 20 minutes each way. I stopped at a Steak n Shake for dinner and found the world's most friendly server. He came and sat with me in the booth a bit and was just so full of energy. You'd have thought it had like 3 energy drinks. When I complimented him, he said "Why not do the job with energy? Being miserable doesn't make things any better." So true! So he kept coming back to my table, chatting a bit. Once I was on the phone and he came over to talk to me, clearly seeing I was on the phone. I pulled the phone away from my ear as to not be rude, and he just kept talking to me for about 5 minutes. I ended up hanging out on the person on the other end. Talk talk talk! Anyways, he was phenomenal, so I tipped him like 80%. Thanks Steak n Shake!

On my way to the hotel, I saw "Indy Welcomes FFA" signs EVERYWHERE. At the airport. Flags on the streets. Signs on buildings. Painted on windows. The signage worked! I certainly felt welcomed! In the parting garage, cars were painted "Honk if you love FFA" and "Indy Bound". The excitement was so contagious. This was not my typical college fair! I checked into my hotel, a brand new Fairfield Suites. Walking down the hallways was like being in a residence hall again. High school students were sitting in the hallway, laughing, eating and have a great time. I wanted to go sit with them but thought it might not be appropriate! I went on twitter and just happened to search #FFA. HUNDREDS of hits came up. Local restaurants offering coupon deals. City offices welcoming the groups. FFA sightings on airplanes. And the occasional local complaining about crowds. According to some tweet 50,000 people were expected to descent on the city. This was a BIG deal. I had no idea. I was beyond ecstatic about all this and my poor mom and A had to deal with my ridiculous enthusiasm. (Thanks, y'all)

Then I went to sleep in my amazingly comfy bed (perhaps one of the best yet!) This place has incredible pillows too. Which reminds me, I wanted to check the tags and see where they are from. I'd invest! ....::10 minutes later:: Okay, I just took the pillow out and looked for tags. I couldn't find a brand name, only some tags and a barcode. I googled words on the tags for like 10 minutes. I couldn't find anything. Then I used my phone's barcode scanner. Nothing came up. Finally, I called the front desk. He didn't know either. I am going to ask the shift supervisor tomorrow when I check out. I'll keep you posted. Please, don't sit on the edge of your seats which you wait!

That's the end of Day1 and thus, the end of this entry. More FFA fun to come!