National Infertility Week 2023-Impact

This year has been full of new work adventures, adventures with my Girl Scout Troops and library adventures.  This week, however, is a time when I reflect on National Infertility Week and share a piece of my own journey.  You can find my previous blog here (although more are linked)

I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome).  When my husband and I first got married we tried for about 10 years to start a family.  This was through medication, doctor appointments, shots, and more.  Our funding could never cover IVF. Once we realized our journey was not going to include children of our own, I had to find other ways to have the same "experiences" that a parent might have.  6 years ago I was able to help Girl Scout Troop 1810 start a 3rd generation troop.

Last year I wrote about how I wanted experiences as a parent.  Experiences that might include going on vacations together, watching your child grow up, experiencing new things, attending after-school activities, participating in events, and more.  As I think about the experiences that I want, I am so thankful to have people in my life that allow me to have these kinds of experiences.  This year I had the adventure of taking one of my troops to New York and bridging on the Brooklyn Bridge.  I had another adventure of taking one of my troops to Canyon, Texas (my hometown)  

I would not change either of these experiences for anything, but it was not lost on me how important my trip to Canyon was.  I will never have the opportunity to take my own child to visit my hometown.  I will never have the opportunity to have my children meet my parents and see where I grew up. What I did have though- was a troop that was ready to go on an adventure!  We had an amazing time (you can read about it here) But the part that hit me the hardest was the first night there.  I grew up in the country with lots of acres of land.  My parents invited the troop out for stargazing.  My parents made homemade ice cream, and we laid blankets out in the field and watched the stars.  I am so thankful for my troop that gave me that core memory of experiences that I might not have had otherwise.  I will never have this opportunity with my own child, but thanks to my troop I was able to have it with over 15 girls and moms.

My last blog was called Experiences- and I have had many... this blog is called Impact.

Sometimes I get teary-eyed when I think about some of the experiences that I won't have, but I also get teary-eyed thinking about the impact I am making.  Parents have a huge impact on how children grow up and access the world and ideas. I am so thankful for the different organizations that I am with that are impacting my local community and beyond.  My 6458 Troop earned their Silver Award by hosting a whole Mental Health workshop for teens (and building a website) One of my Destination ImagiNation teams built a website and learned how to create switch-activated toys.  One of my Destination ImagiNation teams learned about Project PASS which is part of our district that works with students that are displaced or homeless.  They did a whole coat drive.  Part of my 1810 troop is also starting their Silver Award and are talking about how to help students with phone addiction (this is only a small list of the change these kids are making!)

There are times when I get super sad as I walk through the children's section at a store.  I still have a hard time going to baby showers.  I get in my feels on Mother's Day (I am human)  There are other times that I get super sad about the things I am not going to be able to have or to be able to do.  

There are other times when I look around and I get in my feels for the things I am able to do. I might not have a child of my own walk across a stage at graduation.. but in the meantime, I will take senior photos for seniors and watch my Nerdy Birdys cross the stage in June.  I might not have a child get an award at an end of the year function, but I have amazing parents that invite me to theirs.

If you have friends that are working through their own infertility journies- just know that some days it is really.. really.. really tough.  I am so very thankful for all the friends and parents that invite me into the lives of their own children so I can have experiences and hopefully continue to make an impact.

To those that are going through any form of infertility- know that I see you.. and I wish you luck on wherever you are in the journye.

New York, New York

 Did you just sing that in your head? I have been singing it since the end of February I think when Troop 6458 decided that is where they wanted to go.

Background:

-I run two troops.  This troop has been together since they were in elementary school and are now a troop of 5 girls that are in 8th and 9th grade.

-They just completed their Silver Award. They saw a need in their community for mental health and middle schoolers. They did research and put on a mental health workshop for middle schoolers that included a counselor and stations.  They also built a website and created a video. You can find it all here at No More Moping, Do More Coping

-Because of Covid- they have still been active, but there was a little more money in their cookie money account to cover this trip.

To prepare for this trip girls did research on different things that they wanted to do while in New York.  This was a girl-led, girl-run trip!

There were 5 girls and 3 adults that traveled. I am also first aid, CPR, and lifeguard certified along with all the other training required to travel with girls.

Money

The overall trip cost about $1450 per girl- The troop paid $1250 and the girls paid $200
This Covered:
-Flight
-Hotel
-Metro Pass
-Taxi to and from airport-hotel
-New York Pass
-The Met
-The Rockettes
-Dinner

Breakfast was in the hotel and lunch was on their own.

Block Planning

Our girls chose ALL the things- but Jen (one of the amazing moms) put it all together! Not only did she put it all together she helped us with which Metro Stations. 

You can find our schedule here

The green on the block planning means that we have paid for it, or if we don't show up and check in we will be charged for it.

Favorites (remember- these were all researched by the girls on what they wanted to see and do)

After doing research we found that the New York Pass was going to give us the best bang for our buck. Some of the things you could make reservations for are times. The New York Pass covered you unless you didn't show up.  If you did not show up and check in then they charged the card on file.

Our favorites were

-Bridging on the Brooklyn Bridge! We had our own bridging ceremony.  Girls just kept their vests in their backpacks.  I also chose to bring my nice camera with me to grab pictures.  I am SO thankful that I did!

-The Rockettes- this was not part of the New York Pass, but we were able to get group rates because we bought an extra ticket (which was still a better rate than regular tickets)

-Seeing New York from the Top of a building during the day and also at Night.

We did Top of the Rock during the day and Empire State Building for the Night

-Rockefeller Center Tour was fantastic!! One of the things I wanted to do was the Today Show.. and it just didn't fit into our schedule and they still had some Covid restrictions (or their website said that) Honestly- after all the walking and how jam-packed our days were I don't know if I would have been able to make it! BUT- we were on our Tour and I looked up and I thought I recognized the back of a head, saw a security guard, and walked a little faster.  Sure enough- it was Hoda Kotb I tapped her on her shoulder and said, I am with a Girl Scout troop from Texas, we love you.. can we have a selfie!

-The Catacombs Tour at the Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral was a great tour and super informative

-The Met had an awesome docent-led tour.

-Of course, we made it to Girl Scout Central!

Things to Know/Ideas/Other Thoughts

-We only took a carry-on and a backpack.  We didn't want to take luggage all across New York (Thank you Jen for encouraging this!)  These packing cubes from Amazon were a lifesaver

-The metro pass is amazing- We got a 7-day pass.  We needed  8 tickets, and that was part of the cost of the trip- however, buying at the actual metro station we could only use one credit card for 2 tickets! Thank goodness I had other adults that could help buy the other tickets. 

-Although we are a small group-we still wanted to make sure that everyone had a chance to be a buddy.  Rather than me choosing buddies for the day- I had an app do it for me! I used the app called Team Shake  This way the girls knew it wasn't me making the buddies for the day. Although we traveled together, the buddy system was for when we were walking (we DID NOT walk in buddies- because you don't do that in New York!) but our buddies were close to each other and would always do checks.  This was also great for pictures.  We encouraged the buddies for the day to be the picture taker for the other one.  

-We had the girls come up with their own Code of Conduct.  These are things they usually do anyway- but it is a good reminder- because you get tired, cranky.. and hormones! You can find our code of conduct here

-We usually communicate with parents of the troop by using Group Me- but we have also created a Group Me for the girls as well (that parents are in) so they could easily get a hold of us.

-Walk with Purpose- this was the saying that I used the WHOLE time we were in New York! Wear comfortable shoes and be ready to walk (and if you are taking the metro... walk flights of stairs)

-We didn't have very good success with the walking tours that were in our pass.  The first one was a Broadway walking tour in Times Square.  There was something going on- and the tour guide ended up losing us! The second one that we had signed up for was a SoHo, Little Italy, China Town tour- this one the girls decided they didn't want to walk anymore (and it was also the coldest day!) Both the tours we checked into to ensure our space was covered (and we wouldn't be charged double)

-Food- pizza is easy (and amazing) Juniors was a good place and so was the TickTock Diner.  We did have a NICE dinner one evening at Emilio Ballato-it was pricy- but it was AMAZING.  Our girls wanted to have one nice evening dinner- and this one did not disappoint.  They do not take reservations, and because of the size of our group we were automatically family-style. 

There were a few things that we didn't make it to, but there is so much that we did do! On the last day, we took the Metro to Natural History Museum and walked through Central Park to get to the Met.  Our feet were tired, we were tired, and it was our last day.  My co-leader mentioned to the girls that this was on their list of things they wanted to do.  The response back from one of the girls- Yes, this what we chose-but we chose this when we had slept 10 hours the night before, had not walked 7 to 9 miles for the past 3 days, and were eating Panera chocolate crescents as we planned.  We all laughed SO hard at this.

I have so many memories that I am going to cherish from this amazing adventure.  There are times when I get so sad that I do not have kids of my own, but because of these troops, I am able to have experiences that I would not have otherwise.  I am forever grateful that their families trust me to lead them and also go on adventures with them!  I know my other troop has Georgia and then overseas in their plans.

I leave you with my favorite picture (and now my profile pic on many of my accounts) that one of the girls took for me... on the steps of the New York Public Library!

Checking in on the #50by50

It has been a little over a year since I revisited my #50by50 list.  So, I thought it was time to see where I am at.

1. Book and pay for a vacation to Ireland
2. Take Mom to New York- The plan was to take my mom in November with my Girl Scout troop- but it didn't completely work out.  She will be attending with us virtually.
3. Go on a cruise
4. Drive Route 66
5. Camp in a national park
6. Float the river
7. Go on a Segway or bike tour
8. See the Grand Canyon
9. Go Fishing with dad
10. Take Girl Scout Troop overseas- This is on our radar for 2026 or 2027!
11. Go wine tasting in California
12. Attend a balloon festival
13. Go to New Orleans for the food
14. Indoor skydive
15. See a drive-in movie-This is on my Summer List- this keeps getting move to every summer! One day soon
16. Recreate our first date
17. Have a Christmas in July
✔18. Take a photography class-
19. Go to a horse race
20. Watch a meteor shower
21. Be an extra in a movie
✔22. Present at Texas Library Association Conference-I did it in 2022! It was a packed session- and I am on the docket to present in 2023!
23. Be recognized by the board-I just can't completely mark this one off yet
24. Grow vegetables
25. Cook a 3-course meal
26. Renew vows
✔27. Have family pictures taken-we sort of did this June 2021. We are getting together for my parent's 50th anniversary in November- so maybe another one then?
28. Recreate a childhood picture
✔29. Become a TALL Texan- I got accepted this year!! I will be attending in November
✔30. Go ax throwing-Marci and Cat went with me for my birthday! It was so much fun.
31. Visit the missions in San Antonio
32. View the Marfa lights
33. Visit Shiner Texas
34. Publish a book
35. Write an article for a well-known magazine
✔36. Meet Pam Munoz Ryan (and have an autograph and picture!) I have now had the opportunity twice- and each time I look like a giddy school girl
37. Have 3 months of bills saved
38. Sew a full outfit
39. Zipline
40. Rock Climb
41. Attend a high school reunion
✔42. Learn how to hand letter-I have been teaching myself how to do this.
43. Meet someone famous
44. Get a DNA Test
✔45. Get a gold ticket for Destination ImagiNation-they changed how they do Golden Tickets- but we made it to Globals last year- so I am counting this one as a check!
46. Attend a televised parade
47. Take the Amtrak train
48 Own my own car.
49. See a Broadway musical
50. Get new luggage

8 completely finished with the other ones on the horizon! I think I am making good progress. I can't wait to check some of these off with my Girl Scout troop.

#GS1810ToPaloDuro

Just like my blog title says- I have been a BUSY BEE! This summer I spent the month of June working as a librarian for summer school (Monday-Thursday), teaching swim lessons (Monday-Wednesday), and then lifeguarding Friday/Saturday. 

In September of 2018 our troop made a timeline of all the places they wanted to go and things they wanted to accomplish (they were Brownies- oh they were so little!!)

Our first big adventure would be to NASA (they have a fabulous sleepover!) We made it there in October of 2019. Our next big adventure would be to Canyon, Texas. We are in the Dallas area which makes Canyon about a 6-hour drive.  I was SUPER excited to take the troop to Canyon for several reasons.  The main one is- it is my hometown!  Canyon is super small-but there are some great things to do around the area.  Although I know the area and things to do- I wanted this to be girl-led.  We did research on the different activities to do in the area, we researched cost, and the troop decided how they wanted to spend their money and what to do.

The rest of this blog will be full of links/pictures/and information on how we made it happen!

A little bit of background: 

-This troop now consists of Daisy-Cadettes.  

-We took 17 (9 girls and 8 adults) people altogether (it was supposed to be 19- gosh dog Covid- but they did show up in all of our pictures!) 

-The troop paid for the girls- backpack/materials/museum passes/backstage tour/spray paint/TEXAS tickets/TEXAS BBQ/hotel/pizza on Thursday night.  The rest of the meals and souvenirs were on their own.

-We are based out of the Dallas area

-It was about $150 per person (without the food)

Here is our block planning for our adventure. Click on this link to take you to the Google Doc

Preparing for the Trip:

-Made LOTS of phone calls!

-asked all girls and moms to give me songs for a Spotify Playlist! You can find our playlist here

-printed pictures of our girls that couldn't go (Thanks Amber!)

-printed letters that spelled out Thank you troop 1810

-Purchased bags from Eddie Bauer (I purchased these for both troops because we will both be traveling)

-Had keychains made for each girl that had their name on it one side and troop number on the other side (Thanks Preserve the Moments)

-created water bottles- We had a virtual meeting two weeks before where we made our code of conduct and also talked about the importance of starting to drink extra water now.- I found this file on Etsy for our Water Bottles

-Created matching t-shirts- Thanks to Horizon Imprinting for our awesome TEXAS shirts. I also LOVED this file that I got off Etsy

-Created a travel binder for each girl- File 1 from Etsy  File 2 from Etsy

-collecting boxes of cookies to give to the different people that helped us out

Day 1-

We met at our usual meeting location and took our first Thank you picture. Each girl was in charge of a letter and we posed, loaded up cars, and were on our way! Each day the girls also wore matching shirts (we all wore the same shirts to the play TEXAS)

We stopped at Hardeman County Rest Stop for outdoor lunch and GORP making. If you are ever traveling through Texas, these rest stops are amazing.

Our next big stop was the Big Texan. Our plan was to have dessert here, but the wait was too long so we went in, shopped the gift shop, and took some fun pictures.

We then headed to the hotel to check in and for swimming! In March I became a certified lifeguard so I could make sure our troop was taken care of when we travel (that then turned into actual lifeguarding for the city- because there is a shortage of lifeguards)

We ordered pizza for dinner and then headed to my parent's house for stargazing and homemade ice cream. I grew up about 5 miles outside of town and let me tell you the sky is absolutely beautiful! This was probably also one of my favorite things that we did as well.  Here is my sappy piece- I have written about my infertility journey before- but this trip gave me experiences that I would not have had otherwise. I was able to take my troop and show them where I grew up.  We set out blankets and lawn chairs and ATE SO MUCH HOMEMADE ICE CREAM.  We were even able to watch the moon rise.

Day 2- We did group rate on this day for the museum/backstage passes/TEXAS Musical

For Day 2 we all wore our new purple Palo Duro Canyon shirts.  After continental breakfast, we headed to the Panhandle Plains Historical Museum.  I spent many hours volunteering for this museum. (some of our girls loved it.. and some of our girls were ehh)  Each group did lunch on their own and then we headed to Palo Duro Canyon for a van tour.  HUGE Shout Out to Park Ranger Bradley and his crew for a fantastic van tour.  Did I mention it was HOT???? This tour took about an hour and a half and we learned so much about the formations of Palo Duro Canyon and the different history.  During the summer they also have a fantastic outdoor musical called TEXAS. We opted for backstage passes and the BBQ beforehand. Our troop even got a shout out at the beginning of the play.

Day 3-

We opted for a little later start and made our first stop to the Canyon Square where they were having their Saturday Farmers Market.  We had lunch at Taco Villa (Taco Villa is one of those fast food places that you have to try at least once) and then headed to Cadillac Ranch.  I used my Cricut to make a trefoil so we could add it to one of the cars.  They do sell spray paint out there now, but I brought my own along with gloves and sharpie markers.  I just chose to bring black and white spray paint to make life easy.  After swimming that afternoon we had dinner at Feldman's Wrong Way Diner (they did a great job of taking care of our big party!) We ended the evening at the Snoball Stop (which was one of my FIRST ever jobs!) and had some fantastic snocones. 

 

Day 4

Was our final day.  We started our day at Journey Canyon Coffee Journey is owned by some AMAZING people. I had reached out to Stephanie a few months ago because I saw her in a pic of another girl scout troop.  She talked to our girls about owning a business, the different kinds of coffee.. and how to make coffee!! Not only that, the girls then got to make their moms a drink! The chef even came out and talked to the girls about making some of the sandwiches.  It was a fabulous way to end our trip.  Once everyone had their drink we were back on the road home. 

Each stop that helped us we got into your Thank You formation and I nabbed a pic. I used CANVA and have created little thank you cards that I am going to send the businesses (we also gave them cookies!) These pics I also plan to start posting on social media and tagging the businesses. It was super easy to do and looks so cute!

I don't think words can ever express my love for these girls and their families (and also Troop 6458) I am so very thankful that have allowed me to lead their girls in this crazy world.  Check out this shirt they got me that says Hello Sunshine and is signed by everyone!

Also a HUGE shout out to all those leaders that are leading troops, all the parents that make sure girls get to where they need to go, all the people that purchase Girl Scout Cookies or help with fundraisers.

Next up- 6458 is taking on New York!!

1810 has plans to head to Savannah, GA, and then eventually overseas!

A little disclaimer- I did stay with my parents (to save troop money) and also took my own car (it was the catch-all for all of the items)  I was able to drive if needed.  I also was able to have a coffee date every morning while I was there with some of my best friends who I don't see very often. I also had a chance to run into so many people that I know (welcome to growing up in a small town!) I also got to spend time with my parents (which was much needed!)

Next up for me-I start school tomorrow and I am headed to High School!!

Experiences- National Infertility Week

 This week I head to the Texas Library Association Conference which I am SUPER excited about! Number 22 on my #50by50 list is to present at this conference!  I made this #50by50 list so I could document the experiences I wanted to have and goals for myself.

This week is also National Infertility Week. You can find more information here.  I think the last time I shared my story was in 2019. You can find that blog here with all the different links to previous blogs.  As always, I write these blogs to share my own journey to where I am and what it looks like. I have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) When my husband and I first got married we tried to start our family. I have shed SO many tears over so much heartache.  I have often felt betrayed by my own body for why it can not do the things that I feel it should do.  We spent thousands of dollars and did lots of treatments and lots of medication.  We never got to the IVF stage, because that was not in our journey. We have now been married for almost 17 years and as I have grown older (and hopefully wiser) I realize one of the biggest things I was worried about was experiences.

These last two weeks have really helped me reflect on why I wanted kids.  I wanted kids to be able to grow into contributing members of society.  I wanted kids to be able to go to band concerts, choir concerts, athletic games, or anything that they wanted to be a part of.  I wanted to be able to listen to what they were going through and help them grow through it. I wanted to see them dressed in matching PJs at Christmas. I wanted to be able to travel with them and go on adventures. I wanted to be able to have a group of moms where all of our kids hung out together. This list could go On and On.  

But, as I was reflecting on the many reasons I wanted kids, I realized I just kept going on the experiences that I wanted. Sometimes, something is staring you right in the face.  I know that I won't have the experiences as an official "mom" or "parent" but I have been able to have experiences because of the activities that I attend at school- I go to the games- I go to the concerts- I want those kids to see me the stands and know that I am supporting them.  I am  able to have experiences because of traveling and watching kids grow through my Destination ImagiNation teams (did I mention that they are going to Globals)

But- most of my experiences have come through my Girl Scout Troops.  Girl Scouts is so important to me to help girls grow- but my two troops are a whole different level. 

This is only a small portion of my troop, but because of these amazing young women and their families- I am able to get the experiences I might not have had otherwise.  I have had the chance to watch them grow (some I have been hanging out with since they were in kindergarten and now they are 5th and 6th graders).  I have had experiences of dressing in matching clothes (I mean check out this pic) I have had SO many adventures with them (and we have even more adventures coming up like heading to Canyon, Texas.. and New York!)  Not only am I able to have experiences with these girls, I have also found a place with moms.  Instead of a #momsquad we call ourselves the groupies.  They don't look at me any different because I do not have a daughter of my own but trust me enough to help them become strong women in society (these girls are going to change the world)

There are times when I cry because I know that there won't be a child in my house that I can tuck in at night or one that officially calls me mom.  There will be some experiences that I won't be able to have.  But, there are oh so many experiences I am able to have because of the people I surround myself with.

I end with this- if you too are suffering from infertility- know that your journey will be filled with so many experiences- surround yourself with people that support you for who you are. I am SO happy for all the parents that are able to have children of their own, adopt, foster.. or have families in any way that they can.  I too have my sad times where I think of the things I will not have (I am human)

Thank you to those that are on my journey and allow me to have experiences that I might not be able to have otherwise. 

Lamar Would be a Circus Without our Teachers

I know I know.. Teacher Appreciation was the first of May, but guys- May was a doozy of a month! I LOVE helping plan for Teacher Appreciation.
Some previous Teacher Appreciation Blogs
*80s Theme
*Hollywood
*Around the World
*Camp
*Wizard of Oz (which was completely virtual)

This year with the help of April Richmond, Mary Anne Send and admin we used the Circus Theme (I finally watched the Greatest Showman and LOVED it!)

To prepare- I created my own little display in the library- My Mother In Law traveled with the Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers Circus (she is holding the snake in one of the pics.. and yes.. my husband also traveled with them when he was younger as well)

One of my FAVORITE things that admin did this year was personal shout outs.  They recorded a Flipgrid for each staff member with a short shout out of why/how they made a difference and then put that into a mixed tape. Each day during our DEN time they showed a video that had 10-20 staff mentioned on it for the whole school to see.

We used Canva to create daily reminders of what was going on.

Monday we created a concession stand and invited staff to come to grab sweet and salty treats.

Tuesday we had individual bags of popcorn with all the fixings (m&m's, seasoning) and sodas with add-ins such as cherry/vanilla and more. It was also May the 4th- so Star Wars Day

Wednesday The Ringmaster of Lamar (our admin) grilled and served hotdogs, brauts, and links.

Thursday we had Kona Ice visit- I LOVE a snowcone!

Friday we passed out Lamar umbrellas (which are huge!) to ALL of the staff.  We played circus music and hand-delivered over 100 umbrellas.

I can't wait to start working on next year!