by Guest Girl Scout Blogger Kaitlyn Daniels

This girl’s dreams just came true. Those who personally know me, know that I have been an avid Girl Scout for over twelve years. As I take the next step in my life, I have graduated high school and will be taking the next step in my life by starting college. I recently entered in the Girl Scouts’ Cookie Pro Contest, and surprise–I won! It seems rather fitting that I get to go on one last adventure, as a final farewell to this life-changing program.

The Contest

When I heard that Girl Scouts had released a new comic contest, I could not wait to get doodling about my journey throughout the program. Due to me being an Ambassador, I had to write two full pages of comics to be considered an entry in the contest. I decided on creating a comic that was based on all my time as a Girl Scout. I made sure to include all those who helped me become the woman I am today, as well as those who were members in my troop 20409. I documented cookie booth memories, troop meetings, and my Gold Award ceremony. Just a few weeks ago, I received an email stating that I had been selected as one of the twenty-four girls chosen to go to California! I absolutely could not wait to get packed; I was so ecstatic!

Welcome To Hollywood

The plane rides were long but beautiful. When we finally landed with a total flying time –not to mention layovers– of 9 hours, I got to get my first real look of California. When I first took in the view, I realized immediately why it is called ‘Sunny California.’ Unlike in East Tennessee, California has very low humidity and much fewer clouds, trees, or any type of shade for that matter. My family got chauffeured to the Marriott Hotel where we waited to be checked in to our room. At around five that night, all the Cookie Pro winners met downstairs in the banquet room for a meet and greet style dinner and received our itinerary for the next few days.

Fun With Friends

My fellow Ambassadors became my group for the next four days. I met Alex from Huntington Beach, California; Katie from Marinette, Wisconsin; and Fatima from Dallas, Texas. The first day was spent doing ice breakers and learning about each other. Next, we broke into groups and completed a timed exercise where we dress one of the team members as a superhero with only duct tape and newspaper. We all shared ‘swaps’ that represented where we traveled from. Mine represented the peacock from my council’s local Camp Tanasi and I wrote a short story to go along with it. Each morning we met downstairs for a delicious outdoor buffet-style breakfast where we talked and watched the palm trees sway in the light breeze. On day three, we got to spend the day having lunch around the well-known fountain from the TV show’s introduction of Friends.

Warner Bros. Studio

On the second day, we loaded onto the charter bus and headed to Warner Bros. Studios. When we arrived, we stopped for photos and then headed into Studio 24 known for the Friends series. Inside we waited quietly and watched an episode of Fuller House being filmed. Actress Andrea Barber, known for her role of Kimmy Gibbler, came out and introduced herself to us and told us about the set and her job. We got autographs and pictures with her and then she gave us Swaps from her and her daughter’s Girl Scout troop. DJ Tanner even made a quick appearance as she had to get back to her directing. Next, we watched an episode of DC Superhero Girl that has never been published and met the show’s creator, Laura Foust. After this, we got lunch and had our caricatures made. We then got onto tour buses and learned about the entire studio lot. One thing that stood out to me was that when filming winter scenes, every leaf is removed and the snow is potato flakes and pieces of plastic. Then if they have to film a summer shot next, they zip tie felt leaves to the trees. A whole lot of work is put into making the scenes look just right. I got to see the Batmobiles and take a stroll through the Prop shop, where film props can be purchased. Next, we got to go and take pictures on the Friends and Big Bang Theory sets. Overall, we had an absolute blast! We then headed to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I saw the Hollywood sign and a ton of actors and actress stars. We had a scavenger hunt list to find celebrities who were also Girl Scouts to make it a little more interesting. Finally, we all headed to Dave and Buster’s for a great dinner and fun arcade time. When we got back to the hotel we went to the pool where the movie Incredibles 2 was showing.

Look for part 2 coming soon!