Two of the lifelong lessons I learned from Girl Scouts was tenacity and a "can do" attitude. Recently, I have been frustrated by a number of errors beyond my control that were impinging on my girls' happiness.

We were to attend a Girl Scout-sponsored event this weekend. Registration was three months ago and I had sent in our paperwork the day the registration period opened. Despite this, when I called to verify some information, I was told they didn't have our forms. More distressing that the mix up was the complete lack of a will to fix the problem. When I worked in business, I specialized in moving beyond the problem and the excuses to the solutions. That approach is what I wanted to do in this case. I wanted the take any one of the half dozen solutions that sprang to mind and move on to making things right.

Faced with a chorus of "there's nothing we can do," I hung up in frustration, called my co-leader, vented, and said, "I needed to get that out. I don't need anything from you but help with solutions." We talked and came up with two preferred plans and I hit the phone.

The planned activity that we were shut out of was a trip to an observatory and an overnight at a campsite. I called the observatory and left a message with their group coordinator. They were wonderful and when they called back the next day, they offered to increase their capacity to include my girls. In the meantime, however, I had hit solid gold.

I had tucked away a card for a private "star tour" guide. He has his own mobile telescope that rivals the one available to the public at the observatory. When I called (six days before our event date) and explained what was happening, he jumped right in to make it happen for out girls. The troop now has a private tour planned. Twelve of us will share one guide and several telescopes. The ratio at the observatory was 100 to 1.

Lacking the ability to duplicate the cabin camping quickly, I secured three inexpensive hotel rooms. I'm sure the girls would have enjoyed a overnight cabin camping experience, but the leaders are thrilled we'll have running water and beds. The girls' disappointment, if any, is likely to evaporate when they see the pool.

Even more exciting, the area that we are now traveling to for this event is well-known for its natural red rock formations. We are now leaving six hours earlier than planned and enjoying a hike as well. The best part of all of this is that the cost is just under the cost of the original plan.

None of this could not have happened without the flexible "let's make it happen" attitude of my co-leaders and parents. Not only did they roll with the news that our plans were completely altered at the last-minute, but they also fully endorsed expanding our trip to accommodate extra activities. Credit also goes to our star guide for also turning last-minute crisis into a fantastic opportunity.

Voila, lemonade from lemons!