My first Brownie Meeting went extremely well if I don’t say so myself. I almost cancelled due to the fact my grandma was in the hospital. However, my Grandma Ruth wasn’t one to sit around and whine about things. She would want me to continue on and do the meeting. And that is exactly what I did. Grandma Ruth was a tough old Irish lady and she would tell me not to let the turkeys get me down (or the other whining leaders who want to kill the spirit of Girl Scouting).
Fresh from my recent Outdoor 2 and Outdoor 3 training with the Girl Scouts, I was eager to put my Eagle Scout skills (and Girl Scout Leader skills) to the test with my Brownie Troop. We held our meeting at Lake Wilderness Arboretum and Lake Wilderness Park in Maple Valley, Washington. I enlisted my fellow Cub Scout leader Joel Bottem to assist me with the s’mores project. His son Ryan was a big help also and I greatly appreciate both their help in keeping all the scouts safe and sound.
On top of our regular troop being there, I also invited a Daisy Troop and their leader Laura Meyers from Maple Valley to come and meet us. I was luckily enough to meet Laura at the recent Outdoor 2 & 3 training weekend and was glad to have her help. Upon everyone’s arrival, we toured through the Arboretum and one of the Daisy mothers was very helpful on guiding us through the arboretum. If you get the chance and live in the area, you should take the time and do a little visit to the Lake Wilderness Arboretum.
As usual, the weather was rainy and cold. The Daisy Scouts were well prepared with rain coats and rubber boots. Our Brownie scouts on the opposite spectrum were wearing cotton, thin coats, and were ready to get soaked. So much for being older and more experienced…..
We made “Gauk”, did some science experiments with vinegar and baking soda, ate some smores, and we had some of the “dreaded” balloons. If you don’t know about the balloons incident please refer to my original Girl Scout post. I even gave more balloons out when a little Girl Scout asked me for one (GASP!). Hmmm, no one seemed to mention to me that I was “unfair”. Maybe the good old leader “J” should take a lesson out of Kevin’s playbook on how to be a good, kind, considerate leader.
On a side note, J and her daughter didn’t make it which didn’t surprise me. I had a feeling that she wouldn’t be able to make. Just a little passive-aggressive protest to my optional outdoor meeting I had planned. Oh well. No smores for her!
I still have a few more meetings I’d like to conduct with the Brownie troop. I asked a few more parents to become registered Girl Scout members which means we’ll be able to have two registered Girl Scout Leaders there at each event and be in compliance with the Girl Scout guidelines. I like the fact that I know have more training than the other two leaders. I even got a very cool patch from my training weekend in March that I might sew onto my Boy Scout shirt or perhaps my coat.
OK, I’m not here just for the patches. I also want my daughter to enjoy the outdoors as much as I have over the years. She already enjoys camping, the beach, and swimming. I also want her to become a successful woman and be able to take care of herself and her deadbeat husband!
As always, I welcome your comments and keen insight into my blog postings!
Kevin Hellriegel's Blog of Worthless Advice 
ha! Her deadbeat husband. Where do i get one of those?