So this is actually being posted very late because I got back to Georgia from California on the 29th. But I haven't made the time to write this up...largely due to pure procrastination. But anyways, the FBLA nationals in California was an experience I won't soon forget. We went on tours of Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Hollywood, and my friends and I ventured out on our own to explore downtown Anaheim. Also, the most exciting and rewarding thing for me was getting the opportunity to see my family on my biological father's side, whom I hadn't seen in two years...they live about an hour away from Anaheim so I had a chance to spend two days and one night with them to bond and catch up...it may not have been a perfect visit, but that's not the reason I was in Anaheim, so let me get to the main reason I was out there: the competition. Sadly I didn't place.  I don't want to seem as though I'm making excuses, but I have to because I know for a fact that I could perform my speech flawlessly (which I did at regionals and state), but when I performed in CA, it was ugly...now to the excuses. 1) I had just had an eye surgery the day before we flew out to CA, and I was on a narcotic pain medication called Darvocet...I thought I would be okay even while taking it, but that proved to be a mistake. 2) I think I lost sight of the reason I was out there: to compete. I got a little too wrapped up in anxiety about family/personal affairs, and lost my edge. 3) In the National preliminaries setup, an audience is not permitted. This definitely threw me off, because I perform best with an audience, and feed off their energy. So there. I made excuses. But what's done is done. This was only my first year in FBLA, and I made it all the way to Nationals, so I'd say I still did pretty good. Besides, I've still got one more year...one more chance to show what I'm reallly capable of, so my outlook is still positive. Next year Nationals in Nashville, TN, HERE I COME!

Oh, and many business/entrepreneurial workshops and seminars were also available to attend. The one that I made time for was a workshop on personal presentation. I learned alot from it...the most valuable info that I caught was something we should already know: Body Language speaks the loudest!!

P.S. Pictures of my trip to CA are posted!