12th week of pictures - Something Green

I have a mulitude of green things I could have taken pictures of this week but I choose the one thing that consumes my life the first 3 months of the year.... Girl Scouts.  Growing up I was lucky enough to be a Girl Scout.  I remember being a Brownie and meeting at Thirkell Elementary.  I remember being a Junior and getting to go to Camp.  I remember being a Cadette and helping run an overnight camp.  I loved Girl Scouts.  I also remember selling Girl Scout cookies.  I had sweet neighbors that always bought cookies from me.

I have always thought about my daughter being a scout but never knew how or where to begin.  A couple years ago at the first of the school year, a notice went out about joining Girl Scouts.  My husband had been in Cub Scouts for years and we always had fun.  My daughter was excited for Girl Scouts.  So we went to the joining meeting and I knew it was the right place for us to be.  Then they asked for volunteers to be co-leaders.  The Holy Ghost was telling me I needed to join because it would bless my life.  So I became a co-leader.  Within the first couple of months, I volunteered to be the Cookie Manager.  I figured it can't be that hard.  I had no idea what I was getting into.

My first year as Cookie Manager was extremely stressful.  I was in charge of 44 scouts.  That meant that I had to make sure I got their order forms to and from them in a timely manner, enter in 44 girls' cookie orders into the cookie system, blindly figure out how many cookies we might sell at a cookie booth, and collect money from 44 girls.  Needless to say I gained a few more gray hairs during this time.

I wasn't sure I wanted to do this again for another year but I figured I had 1 year under my belt so it had to be better.  This cookie season has come and gone and it was a pretty good one.  I knew what I was doing this year.  I only had 25 girls to worry about.  I had parents willing to do what was needed of them.  I also had a wonderful assistant that helped me and learned the ropes so she could do it next year.

I love Girl Scouts, what it represents, being a co-leader, the cookies, and the fun we have.  Yes it can be stressful but well worth it.  My favorite thing about being a leader is watching a shy quiet girl come into scouts the first day and barely say her name.  Then watch her 6 months later selling cookies with all the confidence in the world.  What a difference scouting makes in a girl's life.

I definitely have been blessed by being a leader in Girl Scouts.  Thank you Heavenly Father!

Next week's theme is At Their Worst.  This one will be easy to get.  I see this one every day!
http://iotamaker.blogspot.com/2013/03/52-week-photo-project-week-12-something.html?m=1