Cookie Mania

For Girl Scouts all over the United States, cookie season kicked off yesterday!  It's no different in my house, as Emily sets her sights on her order goal for the 2012 cookie sale.  In Colorado, all troops are selling cookies directly this year - there are no order sheets here!  My dining room table is covered with colorful (and tempting!) cases of cookies of every variety.  Tagalongs, Trefoils, Thin Mints, Savannah Smiles, Samoas, Dulce De Lece, Thank You Berry Munch, and Do-Si-Do's are piled high, just waiting for the buyers to snatch them up.

Yesterday morning, Em and I loaded the wagon with cases of cookies and set out around the neighborhood.  This is the first year that Coloradoans have been able to get their cookies immediately, and they couldn't have been happier.  Most people responded, "You mean, I can order them, and have them RIGHT NOW?" I pulled the wagon, walking behind the little girl that used to ride in it.  She's growing so fast that I can hardly believe it.  We've gone from onesies to flared jeans, pink t-shirts to training bras.  How does the time go by so quickly?  Before I know it, she'll be starting middle school, then high school, then college.  I watched the breeze ruffle her brown hair, watched her smile and giggle when a homeowner said that they'd love to buy some cookies from her.  These moments are important ones, as she learns the value of hard work, of pounding the pavement in search of a goal and reaping the rewards.  I remember my own days of selling Girl Scout cookies in Stratford, Connecticut.  At the time, I believe cookies were still about $1.50 a box, and it seemed like an enormous sum in 1973.  Regardless, selling those cookies left me with a feeling of pride and accomplishment, and I hope that Emily will get the same thing out of this experience.

We left a lot of Smoky Hill homeowners with boxes of cookies and huge smiles, but the biggest smile was on Emily's face, as we counted up the money at home and figured out how many boxes we'd sold.  If you see us out there, dragging the wagon behind us, stop and say hello.  Buy a box of cookies or two, and help us to remember these magical moments of being mother and daughter - bonding over cookies and a job well done.