How do you follow up a great weekend with your sister and her friends? You publish your 500th blog post, attend club officer training, and celebrate with a great dinner at Burgatory!
Today’s Winter TLI was the first in person event I attended for that season since December 2019, just as this blog was being birthed. It was a great experience and I learned a lot that I can bring back to my club and even use for my upcoming speech Wednesday night. I met up with some Toastmasters from Johnstown, some I met in person for the first time, and one who has ties to my old college.
The presenters did an excellent job, despite some of the hiccups in the technology. For the club officer breakouts, I attended the vice president education, and learned that you can attend a different breakout other than your own. I served in that capacity twice before and may be interested in doing it again at Greensburg next year. Lots of changes are coming in the upcoming Toastmaster year and there is a lot to learn in that role. The culinary team at WCCC did a great job as always, providing us with a yummy continental breakfast and lots of coffee, as well as a good lunch.
We ended the training on a fun note, as Toastmasters in our district did their own spin on America’s Got Talent, called Toastmasters Got Talent. We saw juggling, a great performance from a violinist, a Zumba workout, and many more. When the day goes fast, you know the event was worthwhile and that’s what I’ll say about this Winter TLI.
From the first presentation, I took down some important notes and will put these in my speech and apply these not only to Toastmasters, but also my writing experience, as well as my fashion journey.
I’m learning to acknowledge and embrace imperfection. Our speaker referenced celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford, and our imperfections are what make us beautiful. We must pay attention to our words/thoughts, but also we must ultimately stop seeking approval. It’s OK if we’re not yet ready to make that leap. I thought I found myself in 2021 and I did but more work needed to be done.
In terms of my blog, one of the things I’m doing is taking a risk by doubling my content for December. But I’m also realizing that speed is not important as I contemplate taking a break from posting content in January and February. I’ll most likely do very little just to focus on my reading and on my fitness journey.
To celebrate 500 blog posts, I had dinner at Burgatory. I’m no stranger to the place as I’ve eaten there before with Mr. Clougherty. It’s always fun to make my own custom burger. In addition, I ordered the best shake to complement my burger (which was very good by the way). It was a milk and cereal shake with fruity pebbles for sprinkles. Afterwards, I went to Monroeville Mall which was kind of a mistake. I’d have been better off looking at lights in Penn Township and North Huntingdon and playing some classic Christmas music reminding myself of past holidays with Gramma Gaffron.
Looking ahead to next week: Christmas shopping and a visit to Ligonier to see the Diamond all lit up.
Stylish 🍒 