This week has been nothing short of crazy. However, the universe is working in my favor this month as I’ll be off the next few Saturdays (barring a schedule change next week). I’ll be able to attend not only tomorrow’s contest but also the Division B contest next Saturday in Cranberry Township. These contests to me are like the World Quidditch Tournament was to Harry Potter and his friends. I can always watch the contests online but it’s more fun to attend in person.
Rumor is I might visit a new coffee shop along the way next Saturday. I’ll have more as I get closer to the day.
I also went back to the “eye shadow” journal for today’s blog and going forward until the summer solstice. That, or if I run out of pages. Whatever comes first. I gave my journal this name because it resembles an eye shadow palette. Maybe I should also call it the Easy, Breezy, Beautiful journal, or Born With It, or Because I’m Worth It. Ok I’m done with the makeup references.
Last week, I had a great Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting to wrap up February. We had four speakers including myself. A couple of the evaluators were fairly new to Toastmasters but they all did very well. Our Vice President Education spoke on Pathways (our Education program in Toastmasters) and I talked about Cutie’s, as I tried to interest some of my Fayette County and Western Maryland friends into making a drive to Greensburg for some to check out an awesome coffee shop. We also ate before the meeting, as one of our new members brought a crockpot with some meatballs, and some buns for little meatball sliders. Looking ahead, I will be at the next few meetings and will schedule a speech for the first meeting in April. I will not be attending the second meeting on the 22nd as I will be making an online visit to Johnstown Toastmasters. This will be on the heels of the upcoming 2025 Spring Conference.
The weather will be chilly, at least for the start of this weekend and then next week will really warm up. I don’t expect too many travel headaches tomorrow morning as I head out towards the other side of Pittsburgh. I might do a little shopping after the contest, maybe even grab some lunch somewhere in Robinson.
Dues are due. It’s time for me to reinvest in my growth. This weekend I’ll do just that as I renew my membership for both Greensburg and Laurel Highlands. Also, registration is now open for the 2025 Spring Conference. I will be signing up early to get the early bird rate and reserve my room. Even though I went to these conferences in the past making less money at my old job than I do now, it feels good for me to pay my own way and fund my own adventures.
Finally, 2025 for me is going to feel like a play on words. When you split it down the middle, you get 20 | 25. Where am I going with this? Let me explain.
For me, 20 marks the number of years I’ll be out of college (I graduated from Slippery Rock 🪨 🦁 in December of 2005). From there, I would be navigating uncertain waters and experiencing a huge wake up call down the road. This year’s homecoming in October occurs during my week off and I’ll be going. It’ll feel different for me now than it has in years past, when I longed to recreate the past.
25 marks how long since I’ve graduated high school and started college at the Hiram G. Andrews Center, eventually moving onto community college and then Slippery Rock University. I would become independent at HGA, learning life skills and getting my drivers’ license 🪪 while I was there.
Both colleges had and still have a special place in my life so many years later.
20 will also mark how long since I’ve been on social media. It’s funny that Facebook was once a site reserved only for college students. Knowing what I know, part of me wishes it would go back to that. If used carefully, social media isn’t a problem. I still use my page to post this blog and keep up with Toastmasters news as well check up on the family.
Last but not least, five marks how long it’s been since we had our last normal week. Next week at this time in 2020, all hell broke loose and that’s a future speech that I’ll be giving at an upcoming meeting.
Stylish 🍒 