I’m in the twilight of my Stylish Summer Vacation 2025. Sunday night, it’s back to Giant Eagle. I will get a couple of days off including the Fourth of July which I wanted. After a couple of years leaving early from the picnic at the Gaffron farm, I can stay and enjoy the fireworks. I will be paying for that time off in July when everyone else takes their vacations, figuratively speaking. It was the same thing last year and I also had a chip on my shoulder then.
Yesterday, I engaged in some retail therapy at South Hills Village. While I could have gone to Grove City and shopped, that wasn’t in the plans. Maybe if Cranberry High Noon moved to virtual because of the intense heat then it could have been a thing. I did outlet shopping last summer at Tanger, when I bought my Michael Kors purse set. Suggestions aside, my trip worked out. When you think about it, how rare is it to have a great mall shopping trip in 2025 when most of the local malls are gone or dead? Ross Park Mall and South Hills Village are definitely standing the test of time. Can you say the same about Westmoreland Mall and the Mall at Robinson? Only time will tell.
My first stop at the mall was the pop culture store Box Lunch. Here I found a lot of cool merch, including some Harry Potter and Peanuts. I also found themed merchandise of the Hogwarts and Snoopy variety while I was at Miniso, which just opened a store at Westmoreland Mall. I nibbled on some pretzel bites from the Auntie Anne’s kiosk (that would tide me over until I found a place to eat dinner). I got some deals at Bath and Body Works and then browsed at Old Navy (I still have gift cards to use and I’ll shop there online before the weekend and vacation is over).
I made a Target run for some stationery. I remember how much fun it was counting this store in my closing WIS years. I also needed some new notepads for Toastmasters meetings and events. These should cover me through the 2025-26 Toastmasters season. I also bought a new journal that I’ll roll out Labor Day weekend, just in time for the new Cutie’s Fall menu (debuts August 31). I’ll still use the “eyeshadow” journal for the month of July and the grid for the month of August. I’ll call my new journal the “bronzer” journal. I took my purchases to the car and then shopped at Barnes and Noble where I had some books in mind. These books I’ll hope to start later this Summer or at the beginning of Fall. Needless to say, I’m not at a loss for books. For dinner, I was thinking about Condado Tacos, but I settled for Eat’n Park. Both were equidistant to where I was parked. The artwork from what I saw was very cool. Either way, I had a good meal (Country Fried Steak). I returned home around 8.
This morning, I went to Cutie’s and had breakfast (a sausage and egg bagel with an iced coffee). Weather permitting, there will be outdoor Bible Study on Monday. I’m trending towards refreshers and matchas in July, and one of those drinks I’m thinking of is the cherry cheesecake matcha. Today, I’ll finish “The Third Gilmore Girl”. I was really happy with the book, learning about Kelly’s life and her acting experience, including her time on Broadway. Of course Dirty Dancing and Gilmore Girls will be how I know her best. From one matriarch to another as I just bought Tina Knowles’ memoir yesterday at Barnes and Noble. That’s one of the books I’ll be starting as Summer winds down, once I’m done with the Obama reads.
Saturday afternoon, we celebrated my birthday. We dodged the raindrops by staying dry on our porch. It’s been that kind of summer so far as the heating of the day gives way to showers and thunderstorms. Our spread consisted of pulled pork, a vegetable tray, and plenty of chips (with ranch dip). We also had corn on the cob, of which I had two ears, as well as potatoes and some charcuterie. For dessert, we had an ice cream cake which is what I requested.
I was able to get in the pool after missing a day yesterday due to my retail therapy experience. We played music trivia and tried to watch the Minecraft movie but failed. I got a big Mario cup (the vacationers got it while down at Universal) and an Old Navy gift card. Stylish shopping spree coming soon!
Friday is the Fourth of July and that means that it’s time for the holiday picnic at the Gaffron farm. I’m excited to spend time with family, catch up with them, and eat good. I was able to get the night off so I can stay to watch the fireworks as well. So far so good on the weather as July 4 is trending dry with summer-like readings in the mid 80s. Let’s hope that the forecast holds up its end of the bargain. Now that vacation is coming to an end, it’s time to look forward to the holiday weekend. As I stated earlier, I will pay for it as July marches on.Â
My next week off comes around Columbus Day weekend. The warm summer days will give way to changing leaves and pumpkin spice lattes. What can I look forward to in October?
I plan to visit some Toastmasters clubs including Johnstown on. I’ll spend a day in Pittsburgh and visit one of the museums. I’m also planning to drive up to Slippery Rock University for Homecoming. There’s also the Fall family picnic at Laurel Hill State Park. I’m going to enjoy the Fall menu at Cutie’s and look ahead to what they have planned for Christmas, take in all the color as the leaves begin to change, and celebrate my niece becoming a teenager. Fingers crossed I won’t have a conflict for the Fall Symposium, depending on what date it is going to go. Look for an upcoming blog post on recent Toastmasters events and upcoming Fall news. It’ll be the first time we’ve had speech contests in the Fall since 2017 when the conferences ended.
Stylish 🍒 