2017 National Convention: What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been

Whew.  I’ve already covered what happened during the 2017 National Council Session, so here’s my experience with the rest of it!  This was my first convention, so going into it, I had no idea what to expect.  It was definitely sensory overload, but a good kind.  Like going into Willy Wonka’s factory but it was all Girl Scout related.  But there were no oompa loompas.  Or Everlasting Gobstoppers.  OK, maybe it was nothing like Willy Wonka’s factory.  Nevermind.  I’m really not sure what to equate it to.  But can I just say OFFICIAL Scarfapalooza??  I’ve never seen so many in one place!  Anyway, here’s a few highlights! 

The Hall of Experiences, where all of the exhibits were set up, was really fun.  I was able to spend most of Friday afternoon and Saturday wandering through it.  I collected a bag full of information to take back plus some swag.  Here’s what the hall looked like:

I even made a Facebook live video just for this blog and my council’s Facebook page (but they didn’t use it)!  I’m not sure why I kept looking off to the side.

At the end of the video, you’ll see a girl come up to me and ask if I wanted to swap.  I found that if you were interested in swapping, you should keep your bag ‘o swaps out so that people could see them.  Check out all the swaps I got:

It was suggested beforehand that I make 300 swaps – and even then, I might run out!  That was not the case.  😮

Well, at least I’m ready for next week’s Mountain Magic and Orlando 2020!

I loved the Lifetime Lounge that they had set up for Lifetime members.  I stopped by from time to time to grab a cup of coffee and talk to whoever was randomly sitting near me.  The collective wisdom in the room at times was phenomenal.

The opening kickoff (and closing) for the convention was AMAZING!  It was like being in a rave complete with thumping bass, awesome video graphics, and even glow sticks!  I kept hoping, but alas, Justin Timberlake never came out.  I recorded another Facebook live video for it as well, but I used a lot of personal references and people from my council in it, so it would probably be best if I didn’t share it.  But here are some pictures!

Mae Jemison, physicist and former NASA astronaut, was our keynote speaker.  Just amazing and very inspirational.  I’m usually not one to get hyped up by speakers, but she was wonderful.

And who could forget our own Vivienna Wolfgram?  This little 12 year old lady could belt it out, and I was told she was the star of the show at the last convention in Salt Lake City.  Here’s a clip of her singing during the Closing of the National Council Session on Friday morning:

I’m just hitting the high points with this wrap up, so I’m leaving out a lot.  But here’s one of my favorite moments!

Check it out!  We’ve got matching OFFICIAL scarves!  What more could you ask for?  Oh wait, this!

But as they say, all good things must come to an end, and so did G.I.R.L. 2017.  We made our way back to Greenville, SC despite some major airplane turbulence.  I walked into my house and back into the real world at midnight.  What a crazy, overwhelming, exciting, and just flat out fun week.

So let’s do this again in Orlando in 2020!

P.S. Yes, I did get to meet Rogue CEO!