And with that, 2023 begins. But let’s look back at this past holiday season so I can catch you up.
Excuse me as I experiment with fonts for my blog posts.
In November, just before Thanksgiving, I celebrated my one year anniversary with Giant Eagle. It’s a blessing being so close to home after traveling to other stores for 13 years to do inventory. I took a week off not long after Thanksgiving and it was my first paid vacation in over 15 years. That dates back to my Kings days. Fun fact: I’ve been employed by three Pittsburgh-based companies going back to 2004.
While on my week off, I visited Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters; finally put my Aristicuts gift card to good use that I got for my 40th birthday; visited my aunt in Somerset and had lunch with her; went to Ligonier to hang out in the Diamond, and; did my Christmas shopping in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. Overall, it was a complete week off for me. However, next year’s week off will be warmer as I use it to go to Delaware for my summer vacation in June. Is it summer yet?
I heard lots of Christmas music and played some of my favorites over and over. “The Christmas Waltz” was a favorite of Gramma Gaffron’s during the Holidays. I also played “This Christmas” by 98 Degrees a lot. I even played that often overplayed Mariah Carey Christmas album with that often overplayed song that gets so much airplay on the radio. Fun fact: The Backstreet Boys released their first Christmas album this past Fall and it’s the first one to feature a cover of “Same Auld Lang Syne” originally performed by the late Dan Fogelberg. I actually. It’s liked it. It’s a break from the overplayed Christmas tunes you hear on WISH 99.7 and 3WS (94.5).
We got hit with some bitter cold air just before Christmas and the situation turned tragic in Buffalo with blizzard conditions wreaking havoc. We got off easy in Pittsburgh but it was more frigid than snowy. You could complain but many more folks had it way worse than we did. My cousin came home from the hospital on Christmas Eve (actually they went to the Holiday Inn Express in Greensburg above the shopping center since they were celebrating Christmas with us). That was a great present right there.
My Christmas 2022 went a lot more smoother than Christmas 2021. No one was sick. I got some great gifts including gift cards for Old Navy and Target, JCPenney and DQ, as well as Amazon. I would have risked COVID last year to celebrate Christmas with my adopted family. We extended our Christmas into New Year’s Eve as we opened presents at Aunt Sue’s holiday celebration. I got the Queer Eye book from Aunt Sue, as well as a laptop from Katie and Brendan so I would be able to blog more. I also got complemented on my style from my cousins and was told I was “slaying it”.
I didn’t get out much in 2022, so I want to do that more in 2023. More coffee dates are on the horizon even if they’re with myself. I plan to do more restaurant reviews and that includes one for Guy Fieri’s restaurant in Westmoreland Mall located inside the Casino. Look for more food reviews, as well as fashion as I pick out my outfit of the day and look fab. These will be more abundant. There are other topics that will be discussed as well.
I hope to make it out to more Toastmaster events in 2023. With my new laptop and the purchase of a webcam it’ll be easier to sit in on more virtual meetings. I’m making plans to attend the District 13 conference in the Spring as well as club officer training in June (the latter will be before or after I get back from vacation).
I’m excited to go to the beach for the first time since 2018 (ah, pre-COVID). As Spring and my trip gets closer, I want to buy some nice accessories and outfits perfect for the shore. We’ll be going to Delaware this time but I’ll still highlight Cape May in some of my upcoming posts this Spring because I’ve gone there in the past for vacation.
So far that’s what I have in terms of planning for 2023. No matter what’s on the agenda, it’ll be a better year than 2022 was (no matter what happens).
What will make 2022 better than 2023? More self love and who better to inspire me than this quote from culture/lifestyle expert Karamo Brown of Queer Eye fame?
Stylish 🍒 