Girl Scout Cookies!

Ahhh...

It's Girl Scout Cookie time.

Surrounded by platters of Thin Mints, 

erasing the knowledge of exactly what a scale is from my chocolate craving mind.

Throwing caution to the wind.....

not a soul from Weight Watchers here to witness 

the shameful and weak act of me rinsing them down with a big tall glass of milk.

My eyes expressing pure joy,

my taste buds never happier!!!

(as I undo the top button of my jeans)

And,

then I woke up :-(

Girl Scouts

I joined  in the second grade.

Browines, 

which consisted of making a boat out of Ivory soap

and then something about getting my "wings" to 

move on to Jr.'s.

My Mom and Virgina (my besties Mom) were my troop leaders!

Juniors was a blast...Virginia had a sense of humor and wasn't lets say, 

strict about following the rules.

I was okay with following the rules to a point.

I was lead over my squad in Jr's so I had an example to set.....

at least at the weekly meetings......

What I'm about to reveal cannot leave blogland.....I am not proud of all I'm about to tell you ..

I confess, I was a smoker in a little green uniform!

Bold enough to do so in my tent while at camp with my buddie Gail....

Yep,

that was me

singing Make new Friends and keep the Old,  and Michael Row your Boat a Shore

  while sitting around the campfire.....
all the while

thinking about nothing but eating those

S'mores and getting back to my tent for my Marlboro reds, hard pack.

Don't assume I wasn't crazy about Scouts I was! 

I loved Scouts.

One year at cookie sales time,

I, the little hoodlum, was the 

top cookie sales person in our local area. 

350 boxes people!!!!

I suppose I should mention a little inflation tidbit....

when I sold they were .50 cents a box!!!

And, 

they were actually cookie size, 

not the little after dinner mint size they are now.

When Scouts come to my door selling cookies I get very excited about the encounter.

Memories of old come flooding back,

the years of fun and adventure Scouting provided me.

It goes something like this.

Girl Scout;

"Hello, would you like to by some Girl Scout Cookies?"

Me;

(uh, number one little lady why are you not in full uniform?)

" Sure I would, you know I was a Girl Scout for many years, would you like to see my badges?"

Girl Scout;

(looking at me like my head zips up the back)

"uh....... "

Me;

(Realizing once again, no, they do not want to see your sash full of badges lady)

Awkward.......

" Well, lets take a look at that order form"

I place my order, tell her I can't wait tell they arrive and most important 

I tell her to have fun while in Scouts!!

It must just be me,

I really thought (for years) that one of them would want to see my sash, after all 

I worked so hard for each of those badges,

I even had to sew

them on by myself!

(Got a badge for sewing by the way)

Is it just me?

Is it that crazy that I would want them to be excited when they saw

my badges were so plentiful that they went up the back of the sash?????

Would you think of me as odd if I answered the door like this?

Yep, 

I keep it all in the coat closet right by the front door.

I suppose, I confess,

it would be a little weird to see some young  middle aged woman answer

her door like this.....

I suppose my heart for Scouts was just so large I still have trouble containing it.

I mean, I used to tell my parents that if I were to die

they needed to promise me they would bury me in my Girl Scout uniform.

I wanted some honor along with my service :-)

(sadly I don't know where it disappeared to .....like it would fit...)

As my beret on my head in the photo indicates,

yes, after Jr.'s I became a Cadet......

My new leader, 

well, lets just say she was by the book!

My Junior year of High School I decided it was time

to hang up my sash and go it on my own.....

I knew there would be no smoking in my tent with this lady......

Proud to still have all my handbooks.... well of course I do!

 I am so fortunate that I was a part of this organization

and

It still warms my heart to think of it.

On my honor, I will try;

To do my duty to God and my country, 

To help other people at all times, 

To obey the Girl Scout Laws.

Scouting has as much to do with who I am today along with my faith in God.

Wondering as I write this if they still have "God" in the promise today.

I mean, 

I hope the Scouts never bought into the "politically correct" crud....

Don't tell me if it did.

I want to keep it a thing of HIGH honor :-)

Two things,

I no longer smoke
and

I haven't ordered any cookies.....

yet.......

I suppose looking back,
had they all agreed to view said sash....
today it would be something like....

Random Girl Scout;

"Remember that weird lady down the street that used to put her sash on ..."

like we wanted to see it????

This is what echos from this old Girl Scouts heart today ......