Girl Scout Troop Bucket List

This weekend, my Girl Scout troop is becoming alumnae members at our end-of-year celebration. I have been their Girl Scout Troop Leader for ten years, and I can’t believe it’s coming to an end. It’s been an amazing ten years, and the girls are each off to do great things in their future!

Last summer, we did an epic trip to Europe (read about Iceland here, Italy here, France here, and England here), and we had spent the previous two years doing a lot in preparation for that trip. I knew this year could really just focus on us doing fun things and spending time together. Last June we made a bucket list of all the things they wanted to do together this year. Here were the things they wanted to do…

Troop Photoshoot

1. Get dressed up for dinner out
2. A weekend getaway to Canada
3. Slumber party at Julie’s house
4. A winter weekend getaway
5. Brunch and farmer’s market
6. A spring weekend getaway to a national park

I’m happy to say we completed the bucket list!

And here’s some snapshots and a quick recap of each activity…

For our Troop Photoshoot, I scheduled it for the same time my dad would be in town. He takes such nice photos, so I was excited to have him take pictures of our group. They turned out so good and I’ll always cherish them.

I opted for a camping theme, and set-up a tent, brought some fun props, and had the girls dress in “classy camp” style.

Our next bucket list item was getting dressed up for dinner. I found a vegan restaurant in Seattle that was perfect because it was a nice restaurant and would have something for everyone (two of the girls are vegan). It was a delicious dinner with even better company!

To make it extra special, I brought a little bouquet of flowers for each girl, and had that as our centerpiece for the meal.

In November, we traveled to Canada to check off another item on the list. We took the Victoria Clipper (a highspeed ferry that travels between Seattle and Victoria, B.C.). to Victoria and spent the weekend exploring the city, eating great meals, shopping, and relaxing (one night the girls were all in bed asleep by 9!). It was a wonderful getaway.

A slumber party at my house was next on the list, so we scheduled that for December and I made it our holiday party. We made bath bombs, made caramel apples, watched Christmas movies, and did a gift exchange. It was a perfect way to kick off winter break! And Penny loved it too 😉

In January, we traveled to the little Bavarian town of Leavenworth, Washington for our winter getaway bucket list item. We rented an adorable little house with a nice hot tub, and spent time watching the Olympics, relaxing at the cabin, and exploring town.

I had each girl bring her favorite snack to share with the group, and apparently we’re all partial to yellow snack food (see the pic below). ha!

Next on the list was a trip to the farmer’s market and brunch. This was such a fun day, and I loved exploring the vendors with the girls and picking out things to take home to our families.

Our brunch spot was a local favorite of mine, Portage Bay Cafe, and I had their amazing avocado toast with crab. It was so yummy!

The last item on the list was a spring getaway to a National Park. When I asked the girls if they wanted to camp, they said “yes, but only in a cabin.” ha! We had originally planned to go to North Cascade National Park, but it was still closed for the winter, so I made a quick change in our plans and found us the cutest little beach-front cabin near Olympic National Park instead.

We had a great time hiking in the park, relaxing at the cabin, and enjoying the hot tub (I always try to rent a place with a hot tub!).

Last month, one bonus get together was the girls coming with me to the Girl Scout Luncheon. The luncheon is a wonderful event that happens every spring, and the girls have been coming with me for many years, so I was so excited that they could come one last time.

I brought flowers and a G.I.R.L. (the luncheon’s theme) pin for each of my table guests.

So as you can tell, we fit a bunch into our final year. Each bucket list item was filled with lots of time together just enjoying each other’s company, which is exactly what I had wished for.

My hope is that they’ll look back on this last year fondly, and appreciate all the time we had together before they go off and chase their dreams.

Now you’ll have to excuse me while I go wipe away my tears! I’ll be back next week sharing all the details of this Sunday’s end-of-year party.

Have a wonderful weekend, and party on!
JW