EDLD+5363+-+Photo+Story


 * Photo Story -- Ben's Dream**

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Link to Photo Story on YouTube: []

Story Board - Ben's Dream Race car driver Cowboy || As you grew, we knew, you were special and nothing traditional would do…  ||
 * Image || Description  || Narrative  ||
 * 1, 2 || Baby pictures of Ben  || When you were a baby we would dream of what you would grow up to be.  ||
 * 3, 4, 5 || Fish
 * 6 || Backyard Monsters  || When you were three we went to Waco to see the Backyard Monsters exhibit.

You loved it!

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">I should have known then that bugs would be your thing. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Catching and pinning bugs. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Reading entomology books and watching insect identification videos, when you should have been sleeping. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">7 || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Backyard Monsters  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">When you joined the FFA Entomology team last year as an eighth grader, I didn’t know what to expect.  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">8 || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Backyard Monsters  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Your competition was older, more experienced; I was concerned; I didn’t want you to be disappointed. Clearly, I didn’t understand how determined you were.  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">9 || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Photo of books  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">You spent every waking moment preparing for the contest.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">10 || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Hand  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">I had never seen you so determined to achieve anything. You had discovered your “thing”.  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">11 || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Pinned Bugs  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">When you left for the week of competitions, I was afraid. I prayed every night that you would do well.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">And every evening, when you called, you had improved your score and you were leading your team.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">On the day of the state competition, all I could think about was you – six hours away, competing in Entomology at the State level. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">12 || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Ben with Award  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">I was standing line at Target when I received a text: “Ben just placed 2nd in State!”

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">I was so proud, I cried in the parking lot. I couldn’t wait for you to get home. It was one of the longest days of my life. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">13 || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Backyard Monsters  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">It was then that I realized that you were no longer my baby boy.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The dreams your father and I had for you no longer mattered. It was your dreams that were important.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">I’m so proud of the young man you have become. ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">14 || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Ben pinning bugs  || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">So Ben, if entomology is your dream, meet it head on. And remember, there will always be room for a few frozen bugs in my freezer!  ||