Saturday, December 29, 2007

Moments of Light


Isn't nature amazing? If I could blog every moment when something tiny caught my eye simply because it was illuminated by sunlight, I think I would be blogging for a lifetime. These moments cause me to symbolize things ... and in particular, this is a picture of what makes me so proud to be a part of Girl Scouts.

While these young girls' lives are growing and changing and experiencing a variety of seasons on their way to adulthood, I am captivated by what happens in these girls as they have opportunities shine upon them. What may have been just another stem of prairie grass in most people's eyes emerges as a work of art to those who have the privilege of spending a moment together.

I love my job ... I have a tiny part in making this experience come alive in girls.

Today another artist pointed out a rainbow of light upon the wall (unfortunately I don't have time to upload/edit/etc. today) and as I brought out my camera, he shared his vision of how the image could be created in such a way to have a young girl emerging from a pool of light bathed in color. WOW - how cool is that? Yet another moment of light to inspire beyond words.
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Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Look For This Sign!


When at Girl Scout Day Camp, some very important things may not be on your radar. This is one of them! Odd thing is, however, when I found this sign it was leaning against a picnic table. Somehow I do not think it was an invitation to find relief there!
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Monday, November 12, 2007

Girl Scouts Were Here!


Girl Scouts of Magic Empire Council have a place in history ... Our scrapbook with highlights from our 95th year as Girl Scouts was put into the time capsule along with a big Harley-Davidson at the Oklahoma Centennial event in Veterans Park in Tulsa.


As a very special treat, we were able to leave our mark with "Girl Scouts Were Here" inside the Oklahoma Centennial time capsule!
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Friday, November 02, 2007

One Tough Chick ... errrr ... M&M!


Our bright orange M&M darling volunteered for the personal safety demonstrations at staff meetings. Who knew she could be so tough? As our presenter said, he is making sure people everywhere are "armed and dangerous" but not with guns. We learned some interesting techniques (squeeze-squeeze, twist-twist-twist, pullllllll) and were able to get some serious liquid weaponry. I feel like a techno-zorro!

But seriously ... it made me think about safety and how much it is taken for granted. I'll have to start collecting information and kaboodling it to share!
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Thursday, October 11, 2007

SQUIRRELNAPPED ... an independent publication


What a way to kick off the United Way campaign! The drama, suspense, and intrigue has us all getting a little squirrely.
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Breaking DNA News ...


A brief but serious squirrel scare swept through the office. Investigator Birdsong reports on the DNA findings: This is NOT Sandy. Some people have questioned his involvement this late in the game, but formal accusations have not been filed.


This, however, has just come in and IS our squirrel, Sandy. We have yet to see her in person, and there have been requests to see the person responsible bound in rubberbands and sent to the United Way jail.
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Day 4 - Singin' For Our Squirrel

Watch the video!
We're singin' for our squirrel! The little critter has undergone great stress and strain being squirrelnapped and ransomed for United Way money ... but now we have to perform before the little guy is returned home.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Day 3 - Squirrel Situation Heats Up


It's getting serious. This photo released by the squirrelnapper has sent ripples throughout the Girl Scout empire. Will the ransom for United Way be reached?
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Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Day 2 of the Squirrel Trauma


Just released ... this photo.

TULSA, OK - After a 12 hour event called "We've Gone Nuts" day throughout Magic Empire Council, the Girl Scouts are experiencing a rash of squirrely behavior. Most recently, an abduction. A ransom note has been recovered and recent photographs show the abducted squirrel alive and well but bound severely about the hands and feet, or would that be paws and claws? Latebreaking news has discovered a video plea from the squirrel's friends to meet the demands of the squirrelnapper by purchasing buttons for $1 to raise $100 for United Way. These events have Girl Scout staff members wondering if the napper has indeed been touched by the work of United Way or if the napper has simply gone nuts.
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Monday, October 08, 2007

Squirrelnapper Strikes Again

Watch the video!
The dastardly deed is in full swing at the Girl Scout office ... but you can help Save Our Squirrel by buying a button for $1 to raise $$ for United Way! 918-749-2551

Squirrelnapped!



In an anonymous email to the Communications Director, these photos were released.

Another frantic email from staff shortly surfaced: Sometime Sunday afternoon our beloved "Sandy the Squirrel was abducted from her hallway tree. There has been a ransom note received by staff requesting that monies raised toward the United Way campaign to guarantee her safe return. "Free Sandy" buttons will go on sale tomorrow morning for $1. However, any donations (LARGE or small) will be gladly accepted. Call 918-749-2551 to help Sandy with a United Way pledge.
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Friday, October 05, 2007

Girl Scout Safety


For some reason, "safety" seems to keep popping up as a topic lately. I have to admit that Girl Scouts has impressed me with their safety standards. I'm not one of those watchdog types and I'm not out looking to be impressed but surprisingly enough, one of my first "wow" moments was hearing about a 30-year-old tragedy at a camp and being informed of the current standards at Magic Empire Council (which far exceed camp standards across the USA).

As a mother, instead of being scared of sending my daughter to camp (after learning of the tragedy), I heard about the miles of security fence and the 24-hour patrols and the access procedures ... and I WANTED my girl to go to camp there instead of some camp that met the minimum security requirements by camp associations.

Anyway ... the rest of this post is really for my own reference so I can find this safety information quickly (and in case my email ever gets fried)! In addition to plenty of forms and guidelines available at http://www.mecgs.org/, there is also a Safety-Wise publication that covers nearly every imaginable topic!

Girl Scout Cookies:
At Little Brownie Bakers, we want to assure you that we share your serious concern for the safety of girls and their families. That’s why we put every promotion, premium and recognition item through rigorous safety testing before it is approved for delivery. We follow our Kellogg corporate quality safety guidelines and invest in third party testing by Specialized Technology Resources, Inc. (STR), one of the most trusted safety-testing laboratories in the world. In addition, we now are conducting factory spot tests every two weeks to ensure no safety standard slips during manufacturing. If a product fails safety testing, it will be re-manufactured, re-engineered or pulled from our product line. In fact, Kellogg standards are more stringent than federal regulations.

Girl Scout Pins:
The safety of our girls is the number one priority in Girl Scouting. One way we keep our girls safe is by ensuring the quality of all Girl Scout Merchandise products. In light of the recent recall of a badge with Boy Scouts of America, we wanted to reaffirm our safety procedures regarding metal content in products. Even though all vendor contracts contain a clause, which states that vendors are adhering to government standards, we take matters a step further by conducting periodic inspections of products to monitor production standards and safety guidelines. If a product fails to meet our high standards, it is instantly recalled and parents are alerted to the situation while we correct the issue so it does not happen again.

Girl Scout Volunteers:
In Girl Scouting, our primary concern is the health and safety of the girls we serve. An application process exists for all adult positions in Girl Scouting and differs based on community needs, and municipal and state guidelines for employment and volunteering. All candidates complete written application forms, provide references, participate in face-to-face interviews, and undergo criminal background checks.

As part of our commitment to safety, we update our materials often, and are constantly evaluating our volunteer application process to ensure that Girl Scouts and their families have access to the best, safest possible network of caring adults. We consider this an on-going process and strive to be responsive in offering the most up to date guidance for our local offices who work directly with girls. Additionally, all adults in Girl Scouting receive training on how to recognize girls who are victims of abuse. Resources are also available, designed to help girls develop behaviors and attitudes that increase their personal safety.
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Saturday, September 29, 2007

Go Van Gogh!


Even we grown up girls get a chance to play sometimes! This is my first time being part of "Go Van Gogh" which is usually a van packed up with art supplies and an agenda for some fun for the girls ... but it was held at our offices today. Even though I was exhausted to begin with, the event was fun and I learned LOTS of interesting things from listening to the girls. One quotable moment was that "Boys and men aren't always very nice, but they grow out of it."
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Thursday, September 20, 2007

Owl ... WHAT?


Pellets. Owl pellets. I learn a little something new every day with Girl Scouts. But who knew I'd be looking at little rodent skulls from owl regurgitation? WOW. When the "invitation" to see this little mystery came via email, it said "not for the faint of heart" and they were right! However ... little girls will be dissecting these at a weekend camp. You never know what learning experiences might crop up!
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Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Sky High


I love my job! Where else can I do this just to get some footage? I haven't watched it yet ... I might have been shaking more than I realized! As exciting as it was, it was a little scary, too! I wanted to get another camera out, but just couldn't bring myself to bend down while swaying in the breeze up there. I had to laugh, though. There was quite a long tail of papertowels stuck to the lift. Is that the equivalent of getting toilet paper on your shoe?
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Sunday, September 16, 2007

Magical Soggy Carrots


Not everyone would think to keep a bag of soggy carrots around. At best they might end up in a compost pile. But this odd circumstance of the grocery escapee came at the opportune time ... we were about to go to camp! Instead of tossing the forgotten bag of carrots, I tossed them into the freezer in hopes of keeping them around until we could visit the horses at Core Camp.

You never know when you might have the chance to be part of something very special. Little M's friend for the weekend (Miss ML) stayed on a little later with us after camp was done. With the frozen carrots "burning" holes in our imaginary pockets, we couldn't wait to spend them on the horses. Pam picked us up and gatored us over to the riding arena. The girls jumped out ready for horse time ...

But young Miss ML was afraid. She had never fed a horse and was a little afraid of them altogether. Her brave heart reached out with a carrot, but as soon as a horse would approach, she would jump back. She tried and tried, but just couldn't bring herself to keep her hand steady and sure. I had her put her hand on top of mine and I showed her how to feed him. She was amazed! It still took a while, but after she got comfortable, she tried it on her own. A little more time and she had those horses literally eating out of her hand.

By the end of our time there, the half-frozen half-soggy carrots were long gone and the girls were running around harvesting grass with their bare hands and letting those horses slurp up every last blade. They looked like old pros. I don't know what was more magical ... watching a fear slowly melt into adventure or seeing how quickly girls can be trained by horses!
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Friday, September 14, 2007

Michael Wallis meets the Girl Scouts


Today I had the pleasure of meeting Michael Wallis, author of Route 66 (and one of the voices on "Cars" as I was told). One of our Girl Scout troops is working on a project that involves Route 66 and the Sapulpa museum. The opportunity arose to participate in an interview with Mr. Wallis on KTUL Channel 8, right here in Tulsa. He was so impressed with the girls! After spending an hour together, he asked Kathryn, "Is this typical of Girl Scouts?" She bragged on the quality of our girls - especially the ones who stay with Girl Scouting into their high school years - how they are amazingly dedicated, capable and strong young women who are going to be great leaders. Mr. Wallis had some ideas to help the girls continue their project, so I am looking forward to hearing how this story develops!
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Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Words from Lou Tice


"I have found that the best people to associate with are those who do two important things at the same time. They act as a mirror that reflects your good points while accepting you just as you are. They also expect excellence from you and continually encourage you to use your full potential. In other words, they see the good in you that sometimes you don't even see, and they tell you about it, often.

These are the people who bring out the greatness in others and these are the people you want to make a regular part of your life."
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Monday, July 30, 2007

Socks and Seeds and Dirt ...


OH MY! Like a stocking stuffed with a dirtball ready for a seed to find new life ... I'm planting myself into a new opportunity. Now I think these little character grass heads (the girls were making them during the Summer Rec program) might be more interesting to watch day-to-day than my new venture! BUT - I am honored and excited to see what sprouts up as I step up as the Chief Communications Officer of Magic Empire Council. Girl Scouting has become such a wonderful place for my purpose to flourish.

Now don't get me wrong ... I haven't been job hunting! In fact, I was very tempted to stick with my wonderful little space as it is. I have the best of many worlds this way. I can work part time in an office. I can travel and do photography part time. I can work from my home office part time. I can take on design and marketing projects at will.

But my department head is taking a step that will enable her to be a stay-at-home mom, which is such a beautiful thing for her new family. I think that is admirable, brave, and wonderful. I find it ironic that her step away from the position and my step into the position both allow us to be home with our families more. No, I won't need to travel so much. And yes, I will miss that terribly. Hopefully I will still do some here and there. But in the meantime, I can pour my passions into one place. This is where I'm taking my own leap ... and hopefully helping others fly, too!
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Everyone Deserves The Chance To Fly


As someone told me lately, "Everyone deserves the chance to fly!" The lyrics to Defying Gravity are so alive in my consciousness today with that phrase in particular resounding in my head. Suddenly it's as if my personal mission is defined by a Broadway musical! I have to laugh. But seriously, that phrase feels like a description of what I want to do ... and not just for myself, but really to give wings to others. With the advent of certain opportunities, there is much swirling in my mind. When those words were spoken to me this morning, the recent "Wicked" New York adventure and the Branson escape (note photo above) came together in a little moment of green ... more later! But in the meantime, I just have to say this: GREEN GIRLS ROCK!
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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Karen's Lilly


A beautiful moment in a not so beautiful day ... well, some of it really was good, but overall? It was chaotic. At the moment, I am deeply tired, stuck in my office (waiting on my 2nd roadside service call of the day), and worried about being ready to leave for New York at 4:30 am! I was going to do a leisurely night of packing and enjoy a little time with my son. I'm sure he's fine just hanging out with his PS2 but I wanted to have at least one mom moment before I go!

ANYWAY ... my coworker, Karen, brought her Lilly blooms by earlier knowing how I love to get my camera around flowers. Ironic, today I delivered my first photography exhibit and it's all flowers! So, it brought some stress relief earlier to break out my camera. Now I'm thinking I need to do it again. I'm about to stress bust!
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Saturday, July 07, 2007

Sprinkle and Stir


I had a danceline instructor known for her #1 phrase: "SPARKLE & SHINE!" At Girl Scout day camp, my daughter learned a new phrase: "SPRINKLE & STIR!" Though I can't imagine it being said with the same intensity and gleaming smile, I have a feeling this carries with it a much more practical benefit!
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Camp Tenkiller Wildflowers


I have hundreds of photos of girls at daycamp ... and could have stayed HOURS to take more photos of nature! The hillside was awash with wildflowers and grasses. I can see why this camp is a favorite of many! I'm debating whether to make my first camping trip there with or without kids! I have this crazy idea that I could stay there for a week, mix my own paints with petals and bark, and come back refreshed with solitude and a meaningful piece of art.
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Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Two thoughts about arrows ...


Yesterday ...
I saw girls shoot a bow for the first time. These were girls from different backgrounds, different experienes, etc. One little girl shot this arrow that landed just outside of the inner black ring on her first attempt and BEAMED the rest of the time I was there. Evidently her older sister was in the group because a comment that came from the ones watching was something like, "Hey - your *slam* sister isn't *slam* with this! She's good!" And to hear the cheers from the whole group (sister included) warmed my heart. Girl by girl, each of them tried their hand to the encouraging remarks from the other campers. It was wonderful to hear the support pouring out. Even one girl who seemed to prefer being alone found a smile ... and then two, then another and another ... each easier than the last. It was a wonderful moment to witness!


Today ...
Naturally, there are more than enough analogies about arrows. But I have to admit that seeing the preparation that goes into something like this inspires me to think of how prepared I am in my own space to hit my own targets. Honestly, I probably end up doing things backwards. All the preparation gets postponed until I "have time" and in the meantime, just meeting deadlines or tying up loose ends eats up all the time and I rarely ever feel truly prepared. I guess now I have a picture ... not only of preparing to hit my own targets, but the extra step of the preparation needed to teach others to hit their targets as well.
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Wednesday, June 06, 2007

These Rough Workdays!


Summer is here, and fortunately a little one wanted to go to the office with me today. We needed a quick photo of a Brownie and a Junior Girl Scout! So we took a little walk down to the Girl Scout Store, borrowed their samples, and snapped a few (well, ok, a lot of photos). I told her she might get to help me today ... and she did! What a rough job!
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