End of the year trip, second year Daisies

Guess who's Daisies were among the top earners in their Service Unit?  If you guessed mine, you deserve a Thin Mint (if you have any left).  Seriously, my girls ROCKED cookie sales this year! I do, in part, credit the planning we did.  It kept them focus and on the goal at heart.  Our end of the year trip was 100% paid for by their cookie funds.  The parents had to pay nothing.  Yes, you read that correctly, our parents were on the hook for zero dollars!

Our fun filled day started out with a trip to the Birthplace in Savannah.  If you ever have a chance to visit, plan in advance so you can reserve a spot at one of their programs (they have them for all levels).  It was SO much FUN!  The girls got to play a few games and took a mini-tour of the house.  After the tour, they got to go to the carriage house to do a few arts and crafts.  They wouldn't let us adults in though (it was a surprise).  It did give me a chance to slip into the gift shop to buy some Birthplace pins and patches (still using cookie money).

Next up, lunch time!  The girls opted to eat at Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's restaurant).  It was sooooo good!  We got there a little early, but it was ok since they have a waiting area for people about to be seated (by the way, make reservations in advance!).  While the girls were waiting, I left my trusty co-leaders with them so I could slip into the gift shop to buy them some patches and pins.

The next activity of the day was a trolley tour of the city.  It was fun, but it was also a nice break in the day (we had to leave our hometown at 7 AM and we didn't get on the trolley until nearly 3 PM).  A few girls did snooze for a bit, but I was not about to wake them!

So, what do you when have a troop of awesome girls who raised SO much cookie money?  Treat them Build-A-Bear, duh!  It was a surprise though.  I knew it was something all of them had wanted to do, but we simply said that after the trolley, we had a special activity for them to do.  We all pilled into our cars and made our way to the mall.  Once safely inside the mall, we had them close their eyes and we lead the way.  We then told them to open their eyes, and we (the adults) had to hold our ears.  I would have loved to let them get any bear they wanted, but we did have a budget.  They all got a bear and all opted for the Brownie uniforms.

Our day was finished off with a meal in the food court, and very quiet cars (they all slept on the way home!).  We didn't get home until 9:30, but, it was worth it.  The girls all had a blast!

We still had cookie money leftover too!  We used the leftovers buy the girls their Brownie vests (and all the necessary patches), re-register all of the girls and our troop product managers for next year, and saved the rest for a few activities for next year.  Ok, I have to brag just one last time- my girls ROCKED it!