The Tobacco Road Traveler

One of the best decisions I ever made was in sixth grade when I joined my school's chapter of the National FFA Organization. When I was in the first grade, my dad answered the call to start an agricultural education and FFA program at the small private school at which I was attending. The school, having students in from kindergarten to twelfth grade, was composed of a large population of students from rural America- many of which made up our agricultural program. The summer between my fifth and sixth-grade year, my dad took me with the chapter to the North Carolina State FFA Convention, where I was able to hear the retiring address of one of the FFA state officers. And although I can't remember her name or face, I do recall that the officer's address was about the importance of making a difference in the lives of others, even if it is difficult. To the surprise of the audience, the officer closed her speech by pulling her hair into a ponytail, pulling a pair of scis...

Before I begin, I want to say that I am so proud of my family. Despite the hardships we have been through, my family shows unconditional love to each other and constantly demonstrate our unwavering support. My mom and I talk every day on the phone, my brother and I are constantly sending each other funny and encouraging photos, and my dad and I send each other playlists we make for long drives. The joke is that my brother and I- despite being raised in the same household and only being five years apart- experienced two very different childhoods. When I was a child, my parents were beginning the process of building their own business, one that has expanded leaps and bounds about what they ever dreamed was possible. This meant long meetings, stressful deals, and countless packets of ramen noodles for dinner. Money was something we never had for very long especially, with more than a few cows and two children. While my brother was too young to commit to memory those times, I re...

"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."  —  Charlotte Brontë  ( Jane Eyre ) I consider myself a feminist. No, not a feminist that wears pussy hats and goes around screaming about all the ways that men have wronged me. But, a feminist that believes in the power and influence of women and actively seeks out ways to develop myself, and others, to be strong females. I've been thinking about what it means to be a woman trying to be successful, and what success means to me. In my thinking, I've determined that as long as I am happy and the work that I am doing positively impacts those I am serving, I will be successful. I've determined that speaking up for myself and always trying to find the joy in a situation is key and that reminding myself that yes, I am female but also yes, that does not stop me from working to fulfill my ambitions and dreams.  Being female means when I am walking to the store close to da...

I have been with my internship four weeks starting tomorrow, which means I have lived in Nebraska for a little over a month now. It's crazy the changes I have experienced since the move. The people here are so genuine, much more than the people I surround myself with from home. The ladies at the office are trying to be sweet to me, I eat lunch with them every day; I just don't connect with them. I have made two friends at church who are just so heartfelt and loving and bold in their faith. I have told them both that I think the church I am going to is so weird, mainly because I have never been around people my own age who are not afraid to speak the Gospel and don't do it in a snobbish way. I am trying to remove my personal image from the blog by removing my bio and about me pages. Not because I don't want this attached to my Google search results, but because this isn't me trying to further my career or however else blogs get spun. It's me, sharing my heart a...

Ever since I announced my move to Nebraska, people have been commenting on how brave they think that I am. How proud they are of me that I was willing to relocate 1500 miles for a job in which I knew nobody. Well, I'm here to tell you that I am in no way what I would consider brave. Impulsive, maybe. Spontaneous, absolutely. Brave, not so much. The truth is, I don't overthink the big stuff. I worry about what random people in the checkout line think of my appearance. I stress over how I come across to others. I am constantly concerned that I am an imposter and the work I do is not good enough. When I see a group of people giggling, I either feel extremely lonely or have to talk myself out of the thought that they are laughing at me. I don't consider myself brave. I just do the things I need to do to move forward with my life. And if that means doing crazy things than so be it. Bravery is in the eye of the observer, I guess.

"How are you feeling?" Restless. I feel like I should constantly be moving and shaking. Since my last post, a lot has happened. I was assigned a resident advisor position for next school year, accepted a summer internship at the United States Department of Agriculture, declared my major, got a boyfriend and broken up with him, and pierced my upper earlobes. All of these life-altering events, plus a few others I have probably forgotten, have left me with this idea that life as I understand it is transitioning. It's like seeing the wave build up in the distance, but having no way to prepare for it crashing into the shore.  Maybe a part of it is anxiety, or possibly me finally saying "enough" and trying to embrace opportunities while they are available, but I am feeling this constant need to experience life. My family for as long as I can remember every new year comes up with a different word to categorized their prayers for that year. This is the first time ...

One thing you can never say about me is that I like to sit still. Since being away in college, I have not had the chance to do the weekly road trips that have consumed my life for so long, however, I am determined to make up for lost time. While I was home for winter break, my parents gave my younger brother and I a choice: receive gifts on Christmas Day or, go somewhere none of us have ever been. And, like the wanderlusting people we are, the Robinette clan skipped out on extravagant presents and boarded a plane straight for Las Vegas, Nevada. Reasons why we chose Vegas as our destination: Vegas is close to an airport, so no need for additional travel once we landed. Super cheap hotels that are of decent quality. Only a few hours to some of the country's most famous landmarks such as Yosemite National Park. To be around the slot machines and blackjack games you have to be at least twenty-one years of age in the state of Nevada, but that didn't matter much to us. W...