It would be easier to look for Sonic than a real hedgehog!

In case you haven't heard (which would mean you either live under a rock, aren't my Facebook friend, or have blocked my posts), we're in the process of finding a hedgehog for Kayla for her 16th birthday (yeah...the age of surprise birthday parties and gifts is apparently behind us.) So let me tell you what I've learned.

1. Searching for "hedgehog" on craigslists gets you lots of video games, a trimmer, and one hedgehog home (which we're planning to buy...which will prove to be the easiest part of this entire process.)


2. You can't just go to the pet store and pick one up the morning of said birthday. According to the local pet stores "yes, we do sell hedgehogs but we only get them occasionally, we never know when we're going to get them, and we already have a waiting list."


3. From what we've learned, we should be trying to get a hedgehog from a licensed breeder. Yes, licensed. By the USDA. As in the federal government. So in a bass ackward way, we the taxpayers are paying government employees to oversee the hedgehog industry.


4. To me, buying from a licensed breeder is much like buying a race horse; the selling point is that they track lineage to insure there's no inbreeding. I wonder who the "Secretariat" of hedgehogs is, because I really want one of her offspring! But, I also know that they handle the hedgehogs from birth and tend to provide happier hedgehogs, and isn't that what this is all about?!?!


5. Hedgehogs are not cheap. Our budget went from X to 2X and now 2X+T+M where T=time and M=mileage.


6. But it's not just about finding a breeder. We need to find a breeder who actually has a litter or one on the way, because apparently this isn't a year-round business. And, again, there are waiting lists. Plus you to have wait for them to be weened from their mothers (anywhere from 8-10 weeks.)


7. So off to hedgehogbreederalliance.org I go to find a local breeder. Silly me, I thought local would be Richmond. Turns out THERE ARE NO HEDGEHOG BREEDERS IN RICHMOND!!! As a matter of fact, there are only FOUR REGISTERED BREEDERS IN VIRGINIA. Good Lord this is not going to be an easy process.


8. So now we're in the process of finding a breeder within reasonable driving distance (and reasonable has begun to include parts of North Carolina) who has a litter which will be available sometime between now and the end of May because we want hedgie to be adjusted to it's new home before Kayla heads to Florida for her one week of summer vacation.

This is proving to be NEAR IMPOSSIBLE but I'm not about to give up at this point! What started out as a pro-active exercise assuring that we had Kayla's gift in time for her birthday has turned into a full-time job learning more than I ever wanted to know about the breeding habits of hedgies, creating a page of notes about various breeders & hedgehog availability, and accepting the fact that her birthday gift is likely going to be late.

But I've also learned that hedgehogs are adorable! I'm in love already, and haven't even found one yet. They are teeny tiny (especially when they're born) and I just know he/she is going to bring a lot of love into our house.

How one night changed everything

In September of 2000 I was working full time, had a 9-month-old baby, and my daughter had just started kindergarten at Echo Lake Elementary School. A flyer came home from school about Girl Scout Recruitment Night. I remember walking into the school cafeteria that night and thinking "I'm going to be a part of this." The part of the Girl Scout Promise "to serve God and my country" resonated with me.

Looking back, it is amazing to see just how much my life is still impacted by my involvement as an adult Girl Scout volunteer. I haven't been directly involved in Girl Scouts in a few years now but people still associate me with the organization and scouting in general (cub, girl & boy) because of the connections I made as a leader and service unit director.

It is amazing how the relationships formed through Girl Scouts are intertwined with my life. I have worked with fellow leaders in the "outside" world, socialize with them, volunteer with other organizations, etc. People call on me for scouting advice or contacts. Sitting in the stands at Tucker football games, I am surrounded by fellow Girl Scout leaders. I am comforted with the prospect of going to Holman Middle School next year knowing I am familiar with so many Springfield Park families because of my involvement in Girl Scouts.

Unbeknownst to me when I registered my daughter for Girl Scouts so many years ago, I was planting roots that would become MY community.