My first ever blog!
I don’t know about you, but I am definitely ready for spring to come! As much as I like to look at the snow, I’m tired of it. Thankfully the snow has not stopped me from doing my job as I travel around New York State representing the Organization of Triangle’s as our State Representative.
Just weeks before Triangle Convention began the members of the 2015-2017 Junior Advisory Council were still finishing some last minute touches for the weekend. And I, being the procrastinator that I am, was still being fitted and picking up my red gown for the weekend. Once Triangle Convention wrapped up, my work was only just beginning. Just four days after we left the Villa Roma, I was up in Binghamton to represent Triangle at the Order Eastern Star of the State of New York’s Grand Sessions where I spoke about 14 year old Sybil Ludington and her heroic 40 mile horseback ride during the Revolutionary War to warn her father’s local militia the British were coming. I have been a Triangle girl since I was twelve and I still get nervous speaking in front of large crowds. Nevertheless, I made it out alive and was so proud of myself. I feel so lucky to be able to talk about such an influential woman in history. When I came up with my my theme “Lead Like a Triangle Girl” I already had a list of women in my mind I wanted to talk about. Finding inspirational, courageous, life-changing and accomplished women of history was the easy part, but deciding who to speak about first was tough. I chose Sybil Ludington, not knowing we once had a Triangle named after her in Brewster, NY. I believe it was fate and the perfect start to my term! But wait it gets better: State Director Mrs. Turri lives just around the corner from Sybil’s statue which resides along the path she took during her ride. Taking a picture next to her statue was a great ending to my first event as State Representative, don’t you agree?
Next I went to Glens Falls where members of DeMolay, Triangle and Rainbow met at 
Winterfest Weekend to hang out and have fun. With only a small group this year we went snow tubing Saturday morning at Tubby Tubing. 
This was our first timing at Tubby Tubing I believe everyone enjoyed going down the various trails. Saturday night we had dinner at Golden Corral and then everyone was very eager to head to Sky Zone, an indoor trampoline park.
For my next visit I squeezed back into my red gown on March 2nd when I spoke about Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross to the members of Royal Arch, while representing the Organization of Triangles, Inc. at their Grand Convocation. 
Clara was a battlefield nurse during the Civil War who traveled to Switzerland and brought back the idea of the Red Cross. She presented the idea to President Chester Arthur, who loved it and the American Red Cross was born. But wait, it wasn’t that easy for her! She had originally suggested the idea of an American Red Cross to President Rutherford B. Hayes years earlier and had been rejected. Thanks Clara for your perseverance and not giving up on something so amazing!
Well that’s just the start of my travels as State Representative. Make sure to follow me on Instagram at @ootnystaterep as I travel around the state. Thanks for reading!
Abby Forman
State Representative 2017 – 2018
