The year 2020 is almost over. Good riddance. It’s been a hard year with COVID, social distancing, and a crazy election year. But 2020 also had its moments where it was wonderful.
The blog was really beginning to take off. I was hoping to grow my relationship with my work family before COVID hit. But things turned out for the best thanks to social media.
I was so excited about upcoming Toastmasters speech contests and the conference, and then the pandemic shut everything down.
2020 taught me to find new interests, develop a routine, and appreciate my community and local businesses. My work has taken me around most of SWPA and even beyond. In the past I would go to Pittsburgh and shop. This year was different. I started to hang out more in downtown Greensburg, Latrobe, and my new favorite hotspot, Ligonier (my little Stars Hollow).
Oh yeah, I discovered Gilmore Girls in 2020. Around the holiday weekend just before New Year’s Eve, I began to get into the show. I watched all seven seasons on Netflix. It really related to me this time around. The series ran during my college years. I didn’t have as much interest for it when it aired on the WB. Now I’m a huge fan of the show and would definitely rewatch the series. I’ve accumulated so much Gilmore merch this year. Can you say fanatic? Here’s my latest Stars Hollow find.
Downtown Greensburg had a grand opening for a store that would have a major impact on me later on this year. On March 6, the Trendy Bunny Studio opened it doors to a packed house. The line to get in stretched all the way back to South Pennsylvania Avenue. The place consisted of three women, three businesses, and big dreams. For a long time, I followed Trendy and another business (Masterspieces) on Instagram and learned about them by following their posts and watching their videos. Eventually we began to share common interests. Alisha and I both love Gilmore Girls. She wanted to be like Lorelai and I wanted to be like Rory.
When COVID hit in March, Trendy was shutdown along with everything else. They were only open a week before being forced to close. But they persevered though it all and reopened in June. This pandemic would teach me to appreciate small businesses and to support my local everything.
This summer, due to COVID-19, was uneventful. Our Cape May trip was cancelled as my family worried we’d bring home symptoms. Therefore, we settled for Erie. It was still fun but nowhere near as fun as the shore. The end of August marked 20 years since I’m started college. Rather than try to relive it all again and again, I felt it was best to just let it go once and for all and leave the past in the past. My walk around HGA on Labor Day Saturday marked the end of an era. Just as last year when I retired my SRU homecoming tradition, so I did the same thing with Johnstown.
Just as I wrapped up my visits to the past, I began to shop small and support my local everything. My visit to Masterspieces on Labor Day Friday was awesome. I got to meet Courtney’s family and hooked up once again with Kelsey. We had met up a week before at the Greensburg Night Market. She did a pop up that night. We talked about night market and this visit would be a turning point.
I worried that people would look at me weird because of how I presented myself. But everyone made me feel confident. I learned how to “Be Me” and I made out pretty well that night. The Mister Rogers book and Shop Local tumbler are still two of my favorite purchases from Masterspieces.
My visit to Trendy the next day would be the first of many. I introduced myself to Jen and Lacey and got to know more about the business. We talked about life and I learned that we’re all Hempfield graduates. Soon after, in subsequent visits, I got to meet more of Team Trendy. The girls have all become wonderful friends of mine.
In September, the Trendy Bunny Studio held a blogger event. I read about it on Instagram and while I knew most of Team Trendy (I’d meet Juliet a week later), I got to meet some other new faces and start following their pages and reading their blogs. One of those is Joyfullyyoursamanda, and boy does she have a story to tell. She has had her struggles with depression and isn’t afraid to talk about her mental health. But she started her page to spread joy, and I’m blessed to call her friend, just like I am friends with Team Trendy.
Amanda posts those things that bring her joy, also known as #joyspotted. Her passion for finding the joy in every day has encouraged me to do the same. She’s one of many Instagram bloggers and boss babes whom I’ve had the opportunity to befriend this year. Others include Kati (LondynnKate Photography) and Bria (accidental_farmgirl).
Here’s some pics of Team Trendy from their big events this year. Halloween, Small Business Saturday, and Christmas.
The District 13 Awards Ceremony was last Saturday. It was held virtually. The awards ceremony was held first before the main portion of the Fall Symposium. I was recognized for my DTM and as an added bonus, I also won The Spirit of Toastmasters award. I was quite surprised when my name was called. But visiting other clubs paid off as well as my passion and personality. Cranberry High Noon won club of the year for Division B and, along with Earlybirds, is one of my most visited clubs in District 13.
In December at our Club Officer training event, we had a panel discussion about the Spirit of Toastmasters. The three award winners all answered questions that pertained to membership, education, and other related topics. The theme was a Christmas Carol, so the panelists dressed like the Spirits of Toastmasters Past, Present, and Future.
I’m going to close off the blog by talking about how much I love going to Ligonier. It all started during the pandemic when I needed something to keep me busy. I made it up there a few times in the Spring. I walked around Main Street, ate lunch in the Diamond, and sat in the gazebo. Once the restrictions were lifted, I was able to go in some of the shops and look around.
Ligonier is pretty at Christmas. I can’t say that enough or don’t go there enough to appreciate it. The Diamond is just stunning with all the decorations and when it’s all lit up. I took many pictures this holiday season. Here are just a few.
Merry Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and be grateful for what you have. Remember that Christmas is not about the presents under the tree, but the people you’re close to. You don’t know what someone’s going through, so be good to them this holiday. Remember when someone helps you out to pay it forward in the future.
Happy holidays everyone. ❤️ you.
Stylish 🍒 