Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

Hey there, fellow Cub Scout parents, family members, and supporters! Please allow me to introduce myself - my name is Raelyn Altier, and I will be taking over the blogging duties from Mrs. Amanda Macik. I am also the Popcorn Sale "Kernel" (see what they did there!), and a member of the Parents' Club and Pack Committee. My husband, Jim, is the cub master, having taken over the reigns from Mr. Tom Stripe. 

Jim and I could not be from more opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to scouting. I have next to no experience with the Cub Scouts organization - I have a younger brother who was involved with Scouts back in my hometown, but my memories are pretty limited to the Pinewood Derby that was held annually at the local mall. My husband, on the other hand, began his scouting career when he was in the 3rd grade. He worked his way through Cub Scouts, then went on to Boy Scouts, and finally earned his Eagle Scout while in high school. After that, he and his parents continued supporting the local council here in Niles in various capacities for years.

With the guidance of the former leaders of the Pack - Tom, Craig, Amanda, & Allison - Jim and I, along with Steve & Christina Signor, have been working to try to come up with ways to keep the boys of Pack 135 enthusiastic, motivated, and engaged in helping to make this our most successful year yet! We can't do it alone, though - we encourage all of you to get involved!! I can't stress this enough...we need your help!! They say it takes a village to raise a child - the same can be said for Cub Scouts, as well. We realize that everyone is extremely busy these days...with multiple children in multiple activities (ours included), we know just how chaotic life is. The Pack meets just once a week for an hour. We do occasionally have other outings that we schedule on weekends, but we try to spread them out over the year, so that we don't overwhelm anyone. 

So, let me tell you a little more about myself. As you may already know, I'm a wife, mother/stepmother, and a registered nurse. What you may not know is that I'm an amateur motocross photographer, a wannabe Food Network star, and I want to be Ree Drummond (AKA "The Pioneer Woman") when I grow up. I was born and raised in a small town named Toronto (and you can bet I've been asked my whole life if I'm from Canada). It's right along the Ohio River, between East Liverpool and Steubenville. I moved to Niles in 2014 - right after I graduated from nursing school and right before Jim and I were married. I have a son, Brandon, who will be entering 4th grade in a couple days (yay for routines!!) and who will be one of our Webelos this year. I also have 3 bonus sons - Jimmy, 25, and Chris & Mike, 14 year old twins who are currently freshmen at Lakeview High School - and another of the canine variety - our miniature beagle, Sprocket.

Anyhow, enough about me. Tell me about you!! Please let me know if there is anything that we can do to help you and your scout! I will try to keep the blog as up-to-date as I can during the year. I will be updating soon with details of our popcorn fundraiser and a calendar of events. Hope to see y'all at this year's roundups - please stop by and say "hi"!!

Looking forward to a great year!!
- Raelyn