NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN UP DAY...and some fun

We got up and hit the road early so we could go to Long Beach and help clean up the neighborhood.

We were some of the first people to arrive. We registered, got our gear and hit the streets to clean up.

Jesse and Nikki had other plans so they were not able to join us. But, we missed having them with us.

Before we even left the parking lot, the girls started to spot trash. They were ready to start cleaning up our world.

We gathered at Cesar E. Chavez Park. So we started our clean up right across the street from the park. They didn't want us to actually clean up the park area because they have grounds keepers to do that.

We found a lot of trash right over by the freeway on ramp. People must just throw their trash out the window as they get ready to get on the freeway.

The girls were actually having fun and got excited when they found big items of trash.

Under bushes we found tons of trash. The wind may have blown a lot of it there. Some was pretty old.

We were able to see first hand the items that wouldn't break down. Things like Styrofoam, plastic and tin.

We also learned how trash can really add up. While it may seem like no big deal to toss out one piece of a candy wrapper, it really adds up when lots of people think the same way.

We talked about how the trash just piles up and destroys our Earth so that is why we really push recycling. That way, some of our trash gets reused and made into other things, rather then laying in a big pile somewhere.

It was a pretty warm morning. It got up to 82 degrees. But the girls keep on working hard.

Each one was a trooper and they even turned into sort of a game about who could find the "mother load".

A big item, like the one Maureen found, is what they would call the "mother load".

The worst piece of trash we found was a dirty diaper. Now who would throw that out in the bushes? Sad and stinky.

While the rule was, we only had to fill up one bag per group in order to get our free ticket to the Long Beach Aquarium, the girls decided to collect one bag for each girl.

Way to go girls! Don't stop at the minimum requirement. Do more when you .

We also discussed how a lot of the trash ends up going down our storm drains and ends up in our Oceans. This of course kills our sea life.

We came across one storm drain that was a prime example of how much trash ends up there. They saw how it clogs up and also causes the streets to flood during the storms.

Going along a fence of an empty parking lot lead us to a lot of trash too.

After two hours and filling up three large bags of trash that ended up weighing 17 pounds we were tired and ready to have lunch.

We turned in our gear and picked up tickets. Everyone is excited about getting to go to the Aquarium soon. They said it will be even more fun knowing they get to go because they helped to make our World a little bit cleaner.

We headed into the park and had a picnic lunch. It was nice to get to sit in the shade and rest a bit.

After eating and resting up, the girls wanted to play a little while.

I have no idea what they were playing but they all knew and together they entered into some kind of fantasy world that adults are not allowed to enter.

It was fun to sit back and watch them play and get along so great. They are all such good girls.

There was no fighting. Only helping each other and having fun. Just like Girl Scouts should be.

They took turns pushing each other on the swings, shared stories with each other and laughed a lot.

I really do get happy when I see the girls having a fun day and yet they also learned a lot. Today was a prime example of how helping out can also be a fun thing.

I wanted to thank Trinity's Grandma and Grandpa for going with us and helping out too. They were great!

When we left, we drove by and saw all the trash that was no longer on the streets because of us and others who cared enough to get up early and lend a helping hand. It made us feel good to know we did a good thing today.

Later that afternoon, I went to Ralph's and met up with Nikki for a cookie booth sale. She was not able to go to the clean up in the morning with us because she had a softball game. She did great too! Got a hit and helped the team score!

Way to go Nikki!

Nikki's favorite cookie is the Lemonades. She loves the taste of the shortbread that has a hint of lemon flavor in the icing it's dipped in.

Because she was so passionate about this cookie, she was able to get others to buy this kind and we sold out of them.

Nothing makes a great seller then someone who really believes in the item they are selling.

Even though the neighborhood has been flooded with cookie sales for weeks now, she still was able to sell 35 boxes of cookies while we were there.

We still have a few more sales to do. This is our last week to sell as many cookies as we can. We have done so well and have sold more then twice as much as last year. I'm so proud of all the girls.

We have such a great troop! I really do love each one of these girls. They are all so special and kind hearted.