Take Time to Say Thank You!

Why do we find it so easy to complain about something, yet it is challenging to say THANK YOU? I know that many times it is easier to find fault in things rather than to be grateful for what someone took the time to do for you. Unfortunately, I too fall into that trap. I don't take enough time to say thank you.

I am dedicating this post to the many volunteers who dedicate countless hours to our local Girl Scout troops and the Central Westmoreland Service Unit.

(1.) Thank you to Debbie M. - our Service Unit Treasurer/Finance Manager. Beyond our Service Unit, Debbie is instrumental in serving as a mentor to many of our troop leaders. Oh, by the way, Debbie also manages the Girl Scout Cookie Program for our Service Unit.

(2.) Thank you to Sandi S. and Andrea S. - our Service Unit Assistant Managers. Both these ladies dedicate countless hours each week in the day-to-day administration of our Service Unit, planning activities, and training our volunteers.

(3.) Thank you to Peggy T. - our Service Unit Registrar. I should also mention that Peggy is the Co-Director of our VERY successful Summer Day Camp program.

(4.) Thank you to Tammi R. - our Service Unit Day Camp Co-Director. I can't even begin to imagine the number of hours that both Tammi and Peggy dedicate to Day Camp each year (notice I didn't say each summer because it takesan entire year to plan for the upcoming summer's camp).

(5.) Thank you to Lindy D. for not only organizing an awesome Daddy Daughter Dance for our girls, but for also managing the Fall Product Program. She was also instrumental in the My Promise My Faith Program that we just wrapped up for nearly 80 girls in our Service Unit.

(6.) Thank you to Cathy C. for coordinating the Service Unit's My Promise My Faith Program. Cathy is also an avid supporter of all our programming efforts within the Service Unit.

(7.) Thank you to our Service Unit Troop Mentors who lend a helping hand to our new troops as they form.

Did I mention that most of our Service Unit leadership team ALSO serves as a Troop Leader, Co-Leader or Assistant Leader?

(8.) Thank you to each and every Troop Leader, Co-Leader, and Assistant Leader. I can't even begin to calculate the number of hours you dedicate to your troops and to the Service Unit each year. It's pretty astounding if you sit back and think about it.

(9.) Thank you to each and every parent who allows us to lead your daughters on the Girl Scout Journey.

(10.) Most importantly...THANK YOU to each and every Girl Scout. After all, Girl Scouts is about the girls. This is why we are all here!!!!

(11.) And finally...thank you to each and every person who I should be thanking personally, but I didn't. I know I should be doing so much more than a blog post...but this is a start.

Please comment on this blog post and say "Thank You" to that special volunteer who has a made a difference in your daughter's life.

Sometimes the Best Field Trips are the Partially Unplanned Ones!

Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania really hit it out of the park today!

I just returned from a trek to Penn State DuBois (yeah, that's about a two-hour drive) with my Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts for the Council's Media Madness program. My Cadettes created digital videos about Girl Scouts and earned their Digital Movie Making badge, and my Senior created a blog/website and earned her Website Designer badge. What an AWESOME program!!!

Traditional photo with the PSU Nittany Lion! My Pop Pop would be proud.

Yet sometimes, the best field trips are those that are partially unplanned...

On our way to DuBois this morning we drove through Punxsutawney, which of course started conversations about Pennsylvania's famous ground hog. I promised the girls that on the way home we would stop for dinner, so they Googled restaurants in Punxsutawney and selected Punxy Phil's Family Restaurant. (By the way...great food.)

It gets better...

We finished dinner early and had some time to kill before we needed to head back to Greensburg, so we took off in search of Phil.

Sorry it's a bit blurry. I had to take the photo through a window.

We found the famous rodent at the Punxsutawney Library (thanks to cashier at the restaurant). To be honest, we think it was Phil (but it might have been Mrs. Phil or Gus) because there were two ground hogs in the habitat and the one dove for cover when we arrived.

Obviously not the REAL Phil.

So what's the moral of the story? It's okay not to plan every minute of every field trip, program, activity, or meeting. Sometimes, the best times are had simply by searching for Pennsylvania's Most Famous Groundhog!!!

PS - My girls have decided that we will be returning to our new friend's home town on February 2nd. Watch out Punxy....Troop 27038 will be back!!!!!