Getting BOLDer: Friendship & Aging

Ginny, SOTF #3537, shares with us all here-

“When women get together as a group, it is immensely powerful.” Annie Lennox

I often remind the young women in my life how important their women friends are. I tell them I understand they are working, raising a family, keeping a house. But, trust me, I tell them...you are going to need your peeps. I did the same thing. I put a husband through medical school while raising my older daughter and working full time. I had girlfriends, but when we moved away and started a practice, I had to start over. This time I had acreage to tend to. A much larger house. A growing medical practice that kept my husband busy and kept me entertaining. I had a teenager in cheerleading and choir and drama. And then we had another baby. My friendships were selective.

When that marriage ended, I had to start over yet again. New jobs, new friends, navigating a new life. I remarried and we relocated several times for his work. After a while, starting over became more challenging and I ended up becoming somewhat isolated. My husband was my only source of socialization and he was working sixty hours a week. Then...he died suddenly.

In Need Indeed

When I was at the hospital, I called my ex-husband to ask medical questions. At one point he said, “You need to call someone to come be with you. You shouldn’t be alone right now.” My mind drew a blank. I told him, “I don’t have any friends. I don’t know who to call.” It wasn’t true, of course. I had plenty of friends. I just hadn’t kept in touch with them for so long, I felt awkward calling. I ended up calling one of my long time friends and she dropped what she was doing to run to my side. I was never so grateful as I was when she walked in that room.

Women’s Friendship Month

September is Women’s Friendship Month. It’s a wonderful time to celebrate the Sisterhood we find here with Sisters on the Fly. Many of us come to this organization looking for friends because we’ve lost ours along the way. We might be a little older, and a little wiser, and we recognize the importance of having good friends we can count on in the tough times and celebrate with in the good times. I am struck by the generous, friendly nature of the many Sisters I have met in the five years I have been involved with SOTF. I have heard wonderful stories of selflessness and sacrifice given to other women...complete strangers really, save for a number behind their name. When a Sister was in an accident, others drove overnight and sat with her until her husband could get there. Sisters come help when a camper breaks down and keep their fellow Sister company till it’s fixed. Sisters have gathered to help a town in Texas clean up after a hurricane. I am comforted by that. I know someone will have my back in one way or another should the need arise. And I’ll have hers. I don’t know of very many organizations that give you that sense of “family”.

Healthy Aging Month

September is also Healthy Aging Month. As we age, we are often faced with medical crises that could have been largely prevented with a healthy lifestyle and regular maintenance healthcare. When I became a widow at 59, it was six years too early for Medicare. Insurance was expensive with a large deductible. I put off a lot of routine medical care and now that I am 65, I’m paying the price for that. I’ve had doctors appointments every week since the first of June and that really ate into my camping time!

Keep On Trucking, Baby

I’ve heard it said, “When you stop, you drop.” Moderate exercise, a healthy diet, adequate sleep, and maintaining personal interests and friendships go a long way toward keeping healthy and happy as we age. Something as simple as setting a timer periodically throughout the day to remind yourself to drink water can improve your health, ward off illness, and keep your brain functioning better because our sense of thirst diminishes as we age. Sometimes we have to be the instigator and reach out to others instead of waiting for them to reach out to us. In other words, it takes a little work, a little effort, a little attention to get and maintain healthy relationships as well as healthy bodies and minds.

Create Community

When I spoke at the International Conference on Positive Aging in Washington, DC, I met some extraordinary women who are pioneering innovation for healthy aging. One idea that particularly struck my fancy was communal living. I have long been a proponent of the Tiny House Movement, hence my love for all things camping. There are places where clusters of these tiny homes are being built around a central building that contains a kitchen, restroom, guest room, library, a dining/conference room, and a large, comfortable living room. A communal garden with sitting areas and manicured pathways connect the little houses to one another for easy visiting. This allows women to age in place, have their own space, and be a contributing member of the community at the same time. I have had wonderful conversations with other Sisters about this subject and we only half-jokingly refer to the “Sisters on the Fly Retirement Community”. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Women’s Friendship and Healthy Aging go hand in hand. Sisters on the Fly is a great place to find the friends you need and the activities you like to keep you healthy and joyful as you age. Think outside the box. Come up with ideas to keep us involved with camping and outdoor adventures well into our “golden years”. I don’t know about you, but I want to slide into my grave sideways with a hearty “Yee-haw...what a ride!!!”

Till then, get out there and have more fun than anyone, my dear Sisters!

With much love and gratitude,

Ginny

Post contributed by blogger, Positive Aging Expert & Motivational Speaker,
Ginny McKinney, SOTF #3537
Marshmallow Ranch Blog

"Girl Time-" The Benefits of Female Friendships

We love this insightful article written by a Counselling Psychologist with her very comprehensive list of the benefits of having girlfriends in your life, ladies.

Here are a couple of those:

· There aren’t any taboo topics while talking to them. We can talk just about anything — if things are good, they are excited for us; if not they encourage and support us in whatever we are going through.

· Even if we don’t say anything, they can read our mind, and never fail to show us compassion.

· They walk with us through everything — death, divorce, illness; are each other's cheerleader, offering a helping hand and reminding us of the "glass half full."

· They infuse in us energy and optimism

Read the whole article HERE.

Getting Bolder: Change is in the Air

Ginny, SOTF #3537, shares with us all here;

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” e.e.cummings

OLD SCHOOL Sentiments

Remember what it felt like as a child at the end of summer? The air changed. The colors became muted as the end of the growing season hit. Nights became cooler. Locusts began their incessant call as daylight waxed to evening. We stayed outside till the street lights came on...milking every moment of joy we could from each day. School was right around the corner. Maybe we had our new book bag purchased. Maybe we had new shoes. Maybe our moms were busy sewing dresses or knitting sweaters or socks to send us into a new season. Whatever was going on in your individual world, you knew a change was coming. Something new. Something fresh. Something unknown. It was simultaneously exciting and terrifying. And...inevitable.

Change of Season

Thus we have August. The “dog days of summer”. Heat shimmers off the asphalt during the day. Nights hold a velvety warmth for an hour or so before the chill brings you closer to the fire or you grab a wrap for your shoulders. You know your camping days are numbered now. What felt like an endless stretch of time before you turns into a sense of urgency to get out there and get some fun under your belt while you still can.

No Better Time than NOW

I was fortunate to find the Sisters in late spring. When I joined, I had an open calendar, a new camper, and unlimited time to spend traveling, meeting new friends, and exploring new places. My husband had just died in March so my time was now my own for the very first time in my life. As a method of coping with his death, I signed up for every event I possibly could and I have to tell you...that was singularly the best thing I ever could have done for myself. I had instant support, yet there wasn’t any of this “hand-wringing pity” you so often are faced with as a grieving widow. Instead, I had empathetic listeners who sat respectfully while I shared my story, reached out and gave me a hug, then immediately said, “Hey, a bunch of us are going hiking in a little bit. Wanna join us?” It was exactly what I needed. Acknowledgement of my pain...encouragement for my healing.

Jump in With Both Feet

The fast paced, frenetic schedule I set up for myself when I first joined soon morphed into a more laidback stretch of time. I relaxed into the comfort that comes when you arrive at an event and recognize someone you met earlier in the year. You get a little time and experience under your belt and before you know it, you start to recognize the newbies. The ones who are currently sitting in the seat you sat in not so long ago. This is one of the very best times to be a Sister...when you can reach back and offer the same love and encouraging support to those coming up the ranks behind you. It gives you such a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment to have learned new skills you can now share.

Growing Up & Growing Confident

Sisters on the Fly has grown so much since its inception nearly two decades ago. There have been growing pains, surely. But the basic premise of the whole endeavor has withstood the test of time. Sisters have come and gone as not every group is the right fit for everyone. I am here to tell you, as a member of five years, you will get out what you put into this organization. If you are looking for someone to cater to your every whim, you are in the wrong place. But if you are willing to roll your sleeves up, pitch in where needed, step out of your comfort zone, and be willing to put yourself out there to meet new people and learn new things, you are going to thrive with these gals.

Take Ownership & Make it Yours

If there aren’t enough events in your area...host some. If there aren’t enough events with your area of interest, create one. The Wranglers in your area are there to answer your questions and to guide you through the website to teach you how to find events. While some Wranglers host events, they can’t be expected to plan, organize, and carry out every event in your area. We Wranglers depend on our area Sisters to step up and be brave and BOLD and schedule the kinds of events you want to go to. We’ll help in anyway we can by answering questions and pointing you in the right direction.

Sisters on the Fly is entirely what YOU make it to be. There are large events all over the country that are often “bucket list” trips to aspire to. There are yearly events that are a bit competitive to get into because so many Sisters want to return year after year. That’s why we have gone “back to basics” and we are encouraging lots more small, free, impromptu gatherings. No muss, no fuss. Just camping, gathering around the campfire, sharing our Sisterhood with other like-minded women. I don’t know about you, but I kind of enjoy the smaller gatherings more anyway. You have the opportunity to really get to know your fellow Sisters on a deeper level. There is more time to bond. There is more time to laugh. There is even more time to nap or read in a hammock or stand in a river. Not every minute has to be planned out to make a SOTF event successful. This isn’t a competition to see who can put on the biggest show. Far from it.

Step in & Step Up

So, we’re winding down the camping season. Why not step in with both feet and start something new? We have recently had a huge surge in new memberships with the video released by The Travel Channel. Take advantage of that uptick in the number of Sisters available to have more fun than anyone with. You will never regret having fun with a bunch of women who have magically become girls again!

With much love,

Ginny

Post contributed by blogger, Positive Aging Expert & Motivational Speaker,
Ginny McKinney, SOTF #3537
Marshmallow Ranch Blog

Getting Bolder: Facing Adversity

Ginny McKinney, SOTF #3537, contributed this post:

We are getting bolder! We are stepping out of our comfort zones with every bend in the road…with every parking job in a tight spot…with every trip over hill and dale. So, how do we stay bold in the hard times when we face adversities we never dreamed of? How do we maintain that momentum when life hands us a curve ball?

I started this journey with my feet in the fire right after I lost my husband. I didn’t have years of camping under my belt when I set off on that three-month journey into the wilderness and backroads of Colorado, alone. What I learned, I literally learned by the seat of my pants with the help of some wonderful, patient Sisters along the way.

I think, perhaps, being blissfully unaware of some of the finer points of towing 7,000 pounds of metal and plywood through rush hour traffic on an interstate going 55mph between two semis protected me from getting the screaming meemies that time in Kansas. Or coming down Wolf Creek Pass. Or sleeping in a Walmart parking lot in the middle of nowhere. You have to remember, I was also dealing with “grief brain,” so give me some grace. It wasn’t too long till I got a real understanding of how everything worked and I became a pro. But oh…those first few trips were scary in hindsight.

Then a major change came into my life. I sold my house…and 95% of my “stuff” and moved across the country. I’m currently in the process of copying old posts from my blog over to my website so they aren’t all on Facebook. In the process, I have been revisiting some of the times when my boldness was seriously threatened. The downsizing and selling process itself was agonizing. Contract after contract fell through. Half of my precious items, the “stuff” I seriously couldn’t part with like my late husband’s golf clubs, were stolen from the storage unit I had rented. I had to box up, clean, negotiate contracts, sell my large items, and give the rest to charity…alone. I know…some of you have always done that kind of stuff alone. But I hadn’t and it was a serious challenge to my ability to cope, especially while grieving.

What saved me was my little camper…and my Sisters. I had parked my trailer out on the curb in front of my house. HOA? Ha! I’m a bold widow, make me move! I crawled into my little haven every night...exhausted and praying for another day of boldness so I could get through this. My Sisters called me out and we gathered around campfires and they fed my heart. And God fed my soul…keeping me going through that particular storm till I came out the other side.

Then…there was the drive across country. I traded in the little camper for a behemoth because I planned to live in it for a few years. Although the sales guy showed me how to hookup and unhook, he didn’t make me actually do it myself. It was vastly different than the little camper. Much heavier. Consequently, as I drove across the country…300 miles at a time…I always booked a pull through site so I didn’t have to back in or unhook. Somewhere in Indiana, the alarm on my storm watch app started screaming at me. Tornado! I looked at the radar and sure enough, there was an angry red band marching right at me at an alarming rate of speed. When I checked into the campground earlier, the clerk told me they were expecting severe storms and if I heard the tornado sirens, I needed to head for the cement bath house. I had looked at said bath house when I got to my site and thought it would be far safer to just unhook the camper and hit the road in my F-150 than it would be to cower in a cinderblock shower.

It started pouring the rain as soon as I pulled into my site. Try as I might, I couldn’t get that camper unhooked. I was jumping up and down on the hitch. I was pounding it with a hammer. I was losing my religion and cussing like a sailor. Soon, I attracted the attention of some shady looking characters standing out by an old camper across the way. They had been watching me for some time and if I wasn’t actually screaming “WOMAN ALONE”, it was pretty darned obvious. I do not like to look like a damsel in distress, so I took one more might crack at that hitch and…BAM! It let loose like butter! The men were now within thirty feet of me. I stood up and said, “Got it! Thanks!” They seemed to be considering their next move when I stood up on the receiver and made sure they saw that three-pound hammer I was wielding. They may have been perfectly innocent, but if they weren’t…I was prepared to go down swinging. And they knew it, too. They smiled toothless grins, yelled “Good job!” and turned away, not knowing my heart was in my throat and my knees were shaking.

When I was safely back in my camper, I looked at the radar again and if anything, the storm was bigger…and faster! I was frozen. Could I outrun a tornado in my pickup? Had I waited too long and now I’d have to make a mad dash across the campground and sit like one of the Three Little Pigs waiting for the Big Bad Wolf to huff and puff and blow my house down? I put out a frantic message on Facebook. (Grief Brain, remember?) Immediately, a friend of mine texted… “GO TO A HOTEL, NOW!!!” I hadn’t even thought of that. I threw some things in a bag and ran out the door, locked my house on wheels, and took off leaving my $30,000 investment to the whims of Mother Nature.

I was never so happy in my life to find a hotel within just a few miles. They had a vacancy and I had no sooner closed the door to my room when the mighty storm hit. It turned out to have downgraded from a true tornado, but I haven’t been in many storms that fierce. I was ever so glad I wasn’t sitting in TOW-Wanda under all those trees. I didn’t sleep all night as the storm raged outside. I kept repeating to myself “Be bold in the face of danger!” Morning dawned cold and gray with a steady rain pouring down. I got back to my camper and found it sitting on an island in a lake of water several inches deep. I was exhausted and there was no way I was going to hook up and start hauling in that condition. I went back to the office, signed up for another night, checked the radar and saw the storm would be past in just a few hours with no more threat of tornado activity. I crawled in my cozy bed in my big comfy camper and slept for the next twenty hours!

As I reread those stories of 2014, I was reminded that sometimes being bold means you stand up tall with a three-pound hammer against two strange men. Sometimes it means you hold tight to some steering wheel as double and triple semis pass you on either side. And sometimes being bold means, you retreat to the trenches and sleep the sleep of the dead, only to rise the next day and do it all over again. Be bold…stay bold! And rest when you need it. You’re a SISTER!

With much love…

Ginny

Post contributed by blogger, Positive Aging Expert & Motivational Speaker,
Ginny McKinney, SOTF #3537
Marshmallow Ranch Blog

Sister #1 Gets Knee Deep in Sheep

A SOTF blog post contribution by founder Maurrie Sussman, Sister #1

Oh my gosh, ladies, I just had the most wonderful adventure! Some ranchers here in Absarokee, Montana, asked me if I would like to come help with the shearing of the sheep this past Saturday.

With bells on my toes, I headed out, knowing nothing about sheep or their shearing! Years ago, my dad told me that he thought I should go into sheep ranching; that cattle were too big for me to wrestle! He had just met a woman in Wyoming who had a small sheep ranch and he was sure ranching was my destiny…well, of course life got in the way and THAT never happened but… here I am:

There I was headed to the ranch, clueless. When I arrived, I found a small group already knee deep in sheep! My helpful job consisted of encouraging (aka pushing!) the sheep up a ramp into the trailer’s little doors where four of New Zealand’s finest, shirtless, strong-bodied men were ready to wrestle the sheep into shearing position.

Now if you turn a sheep on its back, it goes into a trance and gets docile. The “wrangler” can grab it, turn it every which way but loose, holding it so that the sheep is not hurt, shearing every inch of fleece off its body. Stand the sheep upright now, then give it a little shove and out the back door. Then the sheep wrangler pushes the wool out of the trailer to some other help. Then he grabs another sheep and starts all over. Four men sheared 500 sheep in about 5 hours with one break. Two girls gathered and stuffed the fleece into two different piles- body fleece and belly fleece (inferior). They stuff and haul and stuff and jump in the bags, like stomping grapes! Awesome strength and I was so enamored with their strong bodies and their bright eyes and healthy laughter.

I was instructed to go and meet the girls on the other side of the trailer. Two strong-built women in their middle 20s greeting me and asked if I knew anything about shearing. I’ve told you all here- no, I did not. So Mariah introduced herself and told me all about herself and what she does along with her friend Margaret. For three months in the spring, the two of them head out with the team of four guys to a group of ranchers who have employed them in advance. Have any of you seen the parade of cutters coming down the back roads of North or South Dakota? They stop and cut the wheat for each rancher along a path. Then move on. It is amazing to watch. Well, it’s same thing with the sheep shearers.

There is a specific time for shearing. It is just before spring so that the ewe can be bred without being encumbered by layers of fleece. Being that I only have seen the cattle breed… cow or heifer by the bull. They keep both sexes apart until breeding season and then bring the bulls or rams into the female area and they then breed. The ranchers then separate the two groups once again.

After spending 5 hours with these girls, I told them what I do and they were just as tickled about my job as I was with theirs. Lots of questions both ways. Both of these girls are also fire fighters with the Forest Service. One builds trails for the Forest Service in Wyoming and the other trained and had the most accomplished team of all women fire fighters in Wyoming. Clear eyes, bright smiles, happy women being fulfilled in their lives. I loved it and them. I had goose bumps to be with them and to listen to their lives. No idea if either was married or anything personal about them. I did give each my card and told them to keep me posted if there was an adventure they were doing that we may attend with them. They assured me I would hear from them.

It was a magical day for certain. I met some of the local ranchers who wanted to know my family name. I laughed and said I was a stranger here, only been here for 11 years. Each woman talked to me about their history and family ranches. It was awesome. Next year I will learn more.

Sister # 62 Spotlight

"Glenda has been with Sisters on the Fly member forever. She is one great and loyal Sister to us and to you all. We could celebrate her life forever and never quite pay her back for what she has added to our wonderful world of Sisters on the Fly. I see that beautiful head of red curls and remember her Good Witch crown and gown on an event in Kansas.... She promised we, together, would go to the Moon and back. I am counting on that." Maurrie Sussman, SOTF # 1

"G!", as most of us know her, is the type of person you consider yourself honored to know. Her ability to listen and make you feel loved and cared for is like no one I’ve ever met. With her spotlight landing in the month of February, the month of love… it’s the perfect fit!

G! joined SOTF in 2003. She had just quit her job at the Arkansas Department of Human Services and sold her dream car to stay home and care for a new grandbaby when she met some Sisters that were camping in their vintage trailers. She was hooked! She had to have a trailer and she craved that kind of adventure! Her first trailer (The Circle G! Bunkhouse) and Sister event changed her life forever and helped mold her into the outgoing and confident woman we all know and love today.

In 2009 Sisters on the Fly created its Wrangler program that brought to SOTF the local touch it was missing and a key point of contact for members both new and old to reach out to. Along with Kris Brown, our National Wrangler, G! is the last of the original group. She first jumped in and Wrangled both Arkansas and Missouri and as those areas grew, she passed on her Missouri duties. Although she just stepped back as the Arkansas Wrangler, she’s still our Facebook Wrangler and is a huge asset and help to our Events department. If you needed help publishing your event, G! was likely the gal who took care of you.

G! loves working with Sisters and being a member of SOTF. The excitement of new sisters and helping girls get out on adventures makes her happy. She never wants to forget the feeling she had when she set out on her first adventure, pulling a trailer for the first time, from Arkansas to Arizona!

G! loves crafting and teaching others. She makes glass beads and has taught at the Arkansas Art School and Museum. She is a jewelry designer and makes one of a kind pieces using her glass beads and heirloom quality finds. She knits, does art journaling, is learning how to watercolor on tiny canvas, and loves making and sending handmade cards. She resides in Arkansas with her husband, Gary, and her home is often filled with the love and laughter of their grandchildren.

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

"I met Glenda, “G” #62, at the first SOTF Giddy up 2007 in Arizona. The rest, as they say, is history. You want to talk about Sisters on the Fly, just mention Glenda “G” and most of us have heard of her or have been lucky enough to know her personally. She has the biggest heart and giving personality. She can hold your hand and make you feel loved, and also stand her ground when things are amiss. She is such a giving soul. Her family is her #1 priority and her husband is her greatest supporter. I am lucky to have Glenda as a friend and cohort in crime!!!! It makes each day a surprise!!!" – Kris Brown, #474

"G! has always been a great supporter of SOTF and I am blessed to call her my friend. I love her to pieces!" – Becky, #2

(This blog post article was contributed by Nicole C, Sister # 5578.)

My Sister Story: Bonnie, Sister #5380

"I first saw Sisters on the Fly at the Country Living Show and thought, 'Wow, this is for me!' I grew up camping and traveling all over the United States. My husband and I did the same with our children. But it took four years for me to join, and I'm kicking myself now! I purchased a 1969 Lakeland and had it repaired. It's named after my grandmother, Grace, who was always the first one in the ocean or the lake, telling us how 'invigorating' the water was. She would have loved this." - Bonnie, Sister #5380

This story originally appeared in Sisters Get Thier Kicks on Route 66

Photo by Irene Rawlings, from Sisters on the Fly

An Homage to the Breast Cancer Survivors of Sisters on the Fly

We are so pleased to announce the release of the Sisters on the Fly 2017 calendar!

While this calendar has everything you need to plan your year, including inspiring images of adorable vintage campers to get you excited for each new month, there is something very special about it.

The 2017 Sisters on the Fly calendar is an homage to the breast cancer survivors of our group. That's right, the calendar proudly features members of Sisters on the Fly who have survived breast cancer, joyfully modeling in front of their or other Sister's vintage trailers.

Each calendar page features a theme that is fitting for the month or the season, with the Sister and her trailer both dressed to the hilt in full celebration mode.

In addition to being an incredibly inspiring item for your year, proceeds from the sale of these calendars go to Casting for Recovery, the national nonprofit that supports breast cancer recovery.The women are dressed to the hilt and so are the trailers in the theme of the month or season.

Please support Sisters on the Fly's efforts on behalf of Casting for Recover, by ordering yours today!

The Golden Season

This is prime-time for camping and many of our Sisters are out there making the most of the season. Check out these photos by Gale Sheppard from a recent Sister trip.

Getting Bolder: From Princess to Queen

“I’m not a princess…I don’t need saving. I’m a queen…I got this!” - Anonymous

One of the things I love the most about the Sisters is how quickly we stand up for one another. The other day, I was browsing Facebook and was on a page dedicated to women who love to camp. Someone posted the following question…”Is Sisters on the Fly really worth the $70 membership fee?” Sister after Sister commented how much they get out of their membership…”It’s $70 well spent!”…”It’s an investment in yourself and you’re worth it!”…”I have great memories!” I’ve seen others post comments that it is singularly the most important self-care decision they have ever made and I couldn’t agree more.

I was especially taken with the response by Rachel Reid, Sister #5568. Rachel commented that she doesn’t have a fancy, schmancy job (she works at K-Mart) and she felt she wasn’t able to tow her own camper. She has made wonderful friends, she has never felt pressured to do something she didn’t want to do, and she always comes away from events with a “huge smile, full belly, and a ton of funny stories.” Rachel joined the Sisters on the Fly in 2015, so she is relatively new. It took a lot for her to spend that $70 to join when she knew no one. She was working two jobs and wearing herself out…self-care was way down her list of priorities. But you know what they say…”All work and no play makes a girl cranky!” Her daughter had left for college in the fall of the previous year and she found herself feeling a little empty. How many of us have been there, right? Rachel met Nancy Eads, Sister #4520, through another glamping group during an online Christmas exchange. Nancy told her she was a Sister and encouraged her to join. Oh, Rachel loves all those vintage campers. The fact that they are dressed up like doll houses for big girls was very appealing to her. But that $70 loomed in front of her. Finally, she decided to take the leap and join. She went to her first even in the Fall of 2015…the Buckeye Bash. Rachel went by herself, totally stepping out of her comfort zone. She rarely traveled alone. She met Nancy face-to-face for the first time after corresponding for months through e-mails and Facebook. Not surprisingly, they really hit it off. We all know that feeling!

As so many Sisters experience, Rachel felt empowered after her first trip with the Sisters. She was going crazy trying to decorate her ’77 Airstream…her 27 foot personal doll house she calls “Pricilla”. She gets to take her to this year’s Buckey Bash in Logan, Ohio at the Hocking Hills KOA. (Sorry…this year is full. You’ve got to sign up early for this fun gathering!) She was greeted warmly by the event hostess. She was sure she had that deer-in-the-headlights look most newbies have when they go to their first event. She thought to herself, “Boy, what have I gotten myself into?” She soon felt at home and that night she sat around the campfire with everyone else, laughing and carrying on.

“I personally think the Midwest Girls are the best! I became instant friends with them all.” Rachel said when I interviewed her. “The day of the camper tours, I so excited. I couldn’t sleep the night before. Nancy and I stayed up late giggling like a couple of school girls.” Oh…we do have more fun than anyone, don’t we? Rachel went to the Christmas party and the Sisters sat there talking for hours. Her first event this year was Saddle up in Pigeon Forge…another event I have on my bucket list. She went to the Cabela’s event in Tennessee. Her best friend, Tera Ashby, Sister #6685, took her to the Kicking Back event at the Lake for her birthday just a couple of weeks ago as a surprise. Rachel bought Tera her membership as her birthday/Christmas present. Now she’s hooked, as well! Rachel has lots of colorful stories, but you know…what happens with the Sisters, stays with the Sisters! She almost had a Bigfoot experience at Buckeye Bash. I want to know more about that! She saw a bobcat at the Pigeon Forge event. In Columbus, she hugged a bear. OK, it was mounted…but still, a bear! She also has gone ziplining with the Sisters. These are all amazing adventures Rachel would never have had if she hadn’t taken that big step, invested in herself and joined such a wonderful group of women. “You never know what you’re going to get into!”, Rachel exclaimed.

We’ve all gone to Sister events and have seen the gals that put themselves out there. They are brave and wonderful and they sparkle. And, there are those who keep their tiaras under wraps. Maybe they are just a little shy. Maybe they are going through something difficult that we can’t see. Maybe just being there took absolutely every shred of courage, and money, they could gather. I always try to meet everyone at an event and make sure every Sister feels included and welcome. That’s one of the very best things about Sisters on the Fly. We are inclusive. It doesn’t matter if you work at K-Mart or if you retired as a CEO of a major Fortune 500 company. We all put our boots on, one foot at a time and we are equal around the campfire.

When I went to my first Sisters event, I was a very new widow. One of the things I remember the most was Diane Smith, Sister #16, greeting me. She was welcoming and made me feel I was born to be a Sister. She talked me through my first parking job…teaching me how to put my hands on the bottom of the steering wheel and push my elbows in the direction I wanted the rear end of the trailer to go so I could back into the perfect spot by the river. She talked me through unhooking and setting my jacks. She introduced me to half a dozen other gals and I was off and running. We all have an afinity for our first Sister friendship. Diane will always be that special Sister-friend to me.

We all have different stories of how we came to the Sisters, but there’s one thing we have in common. We aren’t princesses…we don’t need saving. We are queens…we’ve got this!

Ginny McKinney, Sister #3537

Follow Ginny, Author, Blogger, and Speaker at Marshmallow Ranch

Stay tuned to this spot as we explore the transitions that we encounter in this march through life. I’ll be featuring some amazing women as we discover the myriad ways we Sisters adjust to the changes thrust upon us. I hope you’ll grab a cup of coffee and sit a spell by the fire with me.