The results are in from the 2024 Top Ten, and I am happy with the results. Toastmasters and Fun Fall Activities made the top five events of the year. Plus, I’m pretty happy with the lower half of the top ten. In fact, I’m enjoying my last Christmas coffee at Cutie’s before Christmas. Finding this cute gem of a coffee shop made #6 on my Top Ten countdown. They even held a Bible study on Monday nights.
Looking ahead to 2025, I want to be serious about getting back to church after dipping my toes in the water this Fall. I don’t care if my political views or fashion offend people. That’s not what it should have been about. I also want to enjoy more podcasts including great rewatch podcasts of all the ’90s shows I enjoyed, as well as The Office. Maybe I’ll go to Dunder Mifflin to beat my seasonal depression and listen to the Office Ladies podcast again. Also, that might be something I could look into is starting a podcast. What I would talk about is up in the air for now, pardon the pun.
Having two weeks off this year was my #7 moment of 2024. After about 15 years without a paid vacation, I was able to enjoy two weeks off in 2024. In the summer, I took day trips to The Rock, Indiana, Kennywood, and Tanger. I explored the Jimmy Stewart Museum and bought a new purse at Tanger during the summer. I went Christmas Shopping and celebrated 100 years of Toastmasters in my December vacation. Next year, I’ll still have my summer week off but I’ll be off in the Fall too. Maybe I can take a trip to SRU for Homecoming and do some leaf peeping in the Laurel Highlands. I just checked and I am off that Saturday so I might just do that. This year marks 20
Kicking off my countdown was a trip to Eat’n Park that saw me pick up a book on the history of the chain. In 2024, Eat’n Park celebrated its 75th Anniversary and released a book that covered the iconic Pittsburgh institution from its humble beginnings in 1949. It was worth the $20 when I purchased it after my meal. I started it in August and finished it right before Halloween. It sits on our bookshelf now with my other books on Kennywood. My cousin works for Eat’n Park in marketing and she made it into the book a few times. I even saw her in a commercial promoting the strawberry 🍓 desserts Eat’n Park comes out with in May.
Looking ahead to 2025, I won’t blog as much as least into Spring. That makes more time for reading which I was doing before I took on this challenge to post more blogs than I ever have. I finished all the Harry Potter books by August and then read a little about Kamala Harris and even got back into Barack Obama’s memoir before this writing season got crazy for me. I’m still not sure what series I’ll start next and we’re a week away from the new year.
My last post of the year will be #200 for 2024 and for that achievement I’m very proud.
Finally, it’s Christmas. All the gifts are bought and the presents are wrapped. You’ll have family visiting. First of all, I know that Christmas may be hard for those of you who have lost loved ones so it may be painful. I’ll go easy on you.
But, if you have a grudge against someone or even against yourself, end it or get over yourself. I had a couple of Christmases where I’ve been mad at someone for the way they treated me and carrying that burden into the holidays soured my mood. Put your differences aside and enjoy whatever it is that you celebrate. It’s a lot better when you’re not carrying whatever that burden may be.
Time for me to be that bigger person and end it.
Stylish 🍒 