Rainbow Falls

Hikes & Outdoors No Comments becky, camp wabak, comics, da-nice, hiking, waterfalls

Question: How do you get Amy Brown to shut up? Answer: Take her on an extremely difficult hike when she is out of shape.

It’s starting to cool off (kinda) here in the South, and that means hiking season is back! My hiking partner extraordinaire Becky and I kicked things off by picking apparently one of the most difficult hikes out there. GO BIG OR GO HOME! We discussed where we were going to go the weekend prior, and I felt drawn to Jones Gap, which is part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area and very close to Camp WaBak. Just down the road, in fact. I suggested the hike to Becky and mentioned that it was listed as “Most Difficult” on the trail guide thinking that she would say, “Eh, let’s not be so ambitious for our first hike.” But instead, she said, “Sounds good!” and a little voice in my head said, “Don’t do it!” I smugly ignored this little voice and thought it couldn’t be that bad because I had been on plenty of difficult hikes before. Continue reading

September 21 2016

National CEO Survey

National Operations, Opinions 1 Comment 2004 restructure, councils, gsusa, leader issues

The other day I came across a link for a survey that someone had shared on the GSUSA Are You Listening? Facebook Page in which GSUSA is asking for input on qualities that should be considered during the search for the new National CEO. It was sent via email, although the source was not revealed. I’m guessing it came from a council newsletter, because the text stated that the survey link could be shared with volunteers, parents, or girls. So I thought I’d check it out too, and I’m assuming it’s okay to share it. Here’s the link to the survey. It is due September 30th.

One question asked what challenges we think the National CEO will face in the next 2 to 5 years. I would like to share my response. It made me very sad to write this, and I even felt a little depressed afterwards. But I thought I’d share it anyway: Continue reading

September 15 2016

One Does Not Simply Meme

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me 1 Comment leader issues, memes

Yep.

September 8 2016

Restructuring and Membership Numbers

National Governance, National Operations, Opinions 11 Comments 2004 restructure, core business strategy, frances hesselbein, gsusa, kathy cloninger, national board, tough cookies

Ever since I started reading about the changes GSUSA made right before I began as a volunteer, I have been very curious about how we got to the point we are today and what happened between the time I finished as a girl in 1989 to when I started back as a volunteer in 2010. I joined in the middle of a very big upheaval on both the national and council level and had no background knowledge as to what had gone on just a few years earlier. I just knew something major had happened. And I wanted to know what, how, and why. Now I’m sure some people will say there’s no point in this exercise of mine because it’s water under the bridge, and we should concentrate on moving forward. I agree about moving forward, but I also disagree about there being no point to rehashing what happened. I am very much a big picture kind of person, and I would like to know the history and background of this upheaval to better understand how to move forward in the correct direction. That’s just the way I work. Plus I’m a big Girl Scout nerd, so why not? 😉 Continue reading

September 4 2016

The OFFICIAL! OFFICIAL Scarf Story

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me 2 Comments da-nice, inside jokes, mary lee flanagan, memories all alone in the moonlight, mountain magic, mrs. vickers, OFFICIAL scarf, redcoat band, stories, the 80s, troop 20, uniforms, university of georgia

I realized the other day that I’ve been referring to the OFFICIAL Scarf throughout this blog with no explanation. People ask, “What’s the deal with this scarf thing?” Finally, I am going to explain the story behind the OFFICIAL Scarf! Hold on to your hats! Or scarves! This is probably one of those times when something is funny to you, but once you explain it to someone else, you realize (usually while you’re telling it and watching their facial expressions) it probably sounds very bizarre and not really funny at all. At least that’s the impression I get when I tell my husband a story like this. That said, he gives me strange looks for most of the things I tell him. Well, I’m going to share it anyway. You’ve been forewarned. Continue reading