Friday was the Fourth of July which it meant it was time for the annual picnic at the Gaffron farm in Guffey. The farm opened at 4 with the food being served at 5. We arrived a little bit after the doors opened with our cooler full of pop and beer and a cookie bar. Everyone brought something good. I supplied the Coors Light. It’s always nice to catch up with all of the Gaffron cousins and that’s exactly what we did. For me, I talked about work and our new contract that we’ll have for the next four years. That, and all the work drama which never seems to go away. It’s just something I have to learn to ignore, as I put up with enough of it in my 13 years working at WIS.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for the festivities at the farm. No rain and no humidity made for perfect viewing when it came time to light the fireworks. The boys all did a great job setting them off. We have a video of the fireworks 🎇 from my cousin Emily’s husband, and Matt also got some nice video of the light show as well. It’s not required, but bringing a chair to the farm always helps. If not there’s always the big picnic table.
I also discussed my magnificent speaking streak and talked up Toastmasters, including the recent success of some of the clubs in our district. Speaking in front of my clubs has greatly improved my confidence and elevated my mood as I struggled last summer at the beginning before things stabilized in August. That set the stage for a great Fall season where I posted lots of content.
I talked about the rereads of my Obama books and hope to finish by August. I’m thinking early September for Barack’s “A Promised Land” as it’s a longer read. I started one by Glennon Doyle and I know that her audience is female so please don’t judge. I discovered her podcast on a collab that she and her wife did with the former First Lady and her brother. I do like to break status quo though , me of the cheetah print, cropped everything, and designer purses. I’ll be reading her latest book through the Fall and ordering Untamed as Summer winds down. This is one of the reads I picked up during my vacation when I shopped that Friday. This book, along with Matriarch by Tina Knowles. I heard Glennon and her squad as well as Tina (mother of Beyonce) on the IMO podcast.
I’m a lot better off now than I was three years ago when I was still picking up the pieces from a bad breakup in 2021. It’s not so much that I missed WIS, as I was in a better place with more opportunities for advancement. Not to mention I was close to home and not traveling every day, not knowing when I would be home. To make matters worse, I was missing my support system that included people I used to work with, and those who always got me. To tell you the truth, my cousins also get me and I don’t give them enough credit for that. Loving yourself is the most important thing as my cousin taught me at the picnic back in 2022. Also, it’s best to be you no matter what the talking heads think, even if your favorite authors aren’t part of your status quo.
When you’re at the farm for the 4th of July, you know you’re going to have a great time. I didn’t get to talk to everyone but I still enjoyed myself and I ate well. The Scotch Eggs were very good as well as the Haluski. I also put down a few pieces of pie. Again, the fireworks were well done as always. I’m so blessed that I was able to get the night off and enjoy the festivities instead of watching the time. Coincidentally, that’s why this last vacation went well too. I was having fun and not whining about how many days have gone by, and it was a good balance of having stuff to do and just relaxing at home by the pool.
It’s been a pleasure to write about my life on this platform and this blog post sets a milestone. I always enjoy a celebration and I figured that this post talked about that. While I won’t treat myself to cake today, I’m about to have a drink at Cutie’s.
Happy 800 blog posts to me!
Stylish 🍒 