Central Park Trip

At the beginning of Summer, we spent a day wandering through Central Park, an oasis located in the center of Manhattan. 8 girls joined us that day.

(For those of you who are not awar

e of my frugalit

y, the LIRR offers up to 6 children between the ages of 3-12 to ride on the the train for just 75 cents per paying adult! So the trip, which is $21 per person, was just $1.50 per girl....-you have to purchase beforehand, and the option is on the automated machines as well)

The day was hot and the trip was too long, please remember to schedule the exact things that you want to do and see because there was way too much in Central Park to

 fit into one day! 

We began the trip waaaaay at the top of the Park, at 103rd Street and by 10am, it was well over 90 degrees. ( I seem to have an extreme knack for planning trips on the hottest days of the year) and I bought each girl and nice white bucket hat, it helped to deflect the sun, while making it easy to pick them out in a crowd.

Most of the morning was spent taking pictures as i wanted to be sure that I captured an individual shot of each girl, and had plenty of options to choose from.

I just want them to look back one day and be able to say " I've been to Central Park, I went once when I was in Girl Scouts" because if you're from New York, the one thing you haven't ever done is spend a day in Central Park!

We ended up having to walk 60 blocks through the park ( which included a very pretty but very hot trip around the reservoir) But the girls took it in stride, they walked, they ran..they sang Justin Bieber - so maybe I didn't win on that one, but all in all the day was great!

Last Meeting

I had my last meeting today. All of 8 girls - out of 25- showed up, and we worked on our tiki for the Bridging ceremony and headed outside to take some pictures. If nothing else, you can say the girls are excellent posers. ( I think it's a sign that I take too many pictures.)

Overall it was a great day, warm weather, lots of sunshine, and a group of girls who knew that today would be the last time they would see each other for awhile.

Summer always frightens me a bit. It gives the girls a chance to escape, to make other friends and join other clubs. Friends and clubs that pull them away from their troop. And every year we lose a big group.  It's not bad to have choices, that's what makes everyone unique, but for these girls, some of the choices are not always the best and bad decisions lay around every corner. So this year we're planning several summer trips, a way to keep scouting fresh in their minds; let them know that I'm still there, watching around the corner

So today, I wasn't that sad. I will, after all, see them on Friday at our Ceremony. I'll have pictures and hugs and lists of Summer plans, and the hope that next September I'll see them again. For now, it's back to prepping for the big night! Fingers crossed! <3

At the end

Coming up on the end of another Girl Scout year and wondering if what I'm doing is all worth it. Planning events that no one can bother to RSVP to, or even attend. Putting out money could be used in other areas of my life, stressing about things that are beyond my control...

So for now, I'm looking forward to the end of the year, a stress-free summer, and best of all, a break from cookies! But knowing that I will miss the constant chatter of little girls, the way a smile can melt your heart, and pictures that capture memories to last a lifetime..

I stumbled across a poem the other day about leaders and it brought a smile to my eyes:

"A Girl Scout Leader is Someone Who...

Tries to listen to 10 little girls' conversations all at the same time.
Wakes up in the middle of the night worrying about the girls who weren't at the last meeting.
Calls 5 mothers about the one galosh that was left at the meeting place.
Finds that cookies, Kool-Aid, and kind words will help solve most any girl's problems.
Attends hours of training and how-to sessions only to discover that the meaning of Girl Scouts is at the bottom of her own heart.
Remembers to bring insect repellant.
Says "Yes, I'll do it!" when it should be "No, no, a thousand times no!"
Gets a warning ticket from the State Patrol with a station wagon full of very quiet girls.
Is a friend to the friendless and a foe only to big brothers who throw rocks.
Breathes deeply of the wonderful silence after they all go home but looks forward to the meeting next week.
Sings "Kookaburra" in the shower.
Knows that the secret of eternal youth is not at the cosmetic counter but in meeting with it every week.
Gives and gives and gives and gets: sticky kisses, shy hugs, sly winks, and not much later, wedding invitations and baby announcements."

And while I complain about the bad and the stress and the parents who believe I'm a free sitter while they grocery shop; I think about the smiles and the hugs and the time that I spend that can mean so much to one person and nothing to another.

I think of the child that looks forward to the meeting every week, dressing in full uniform, carrying their books, and working hard to earn patches. And knowing that the feeling of earning those patches will fill a space inside them that is hard to reach. And when they walk out, they show their vest proudly, and tell people of every thing that they've done....of everything that I helped them do, and I smile.

So I guess it's not so bad what I do: a meeting a week; parents who call with a question that's on the newsletter they didn't read; chaos, chaos, chaos, and maybe a little chaos... and after my summer of rest, I will begin again in September, recruiting more girls to fill the spaces of the lost ones- the ones who didn't come back; smiling at the girls who have returned to spend another year together and watching them grow