This week brought with it a change of plans from what I wanted to accomplish. Sure, the day after Easter was good. A little chilly after that warm Saturday when I was sweating it out at the country club during the baby shower. Some of us saw snowflakes Monday and even into Tuesday (well away from the city).
It was simple. The gym was on my radar three or four days out of the week with a day or two set aside to take a long walk outside at one or two of the county parks. I was also planning to go see the new Super Mario Galaxy movie at the Westmoreland Mall annex cinema.
But, a wrench was thrown into those plans this week.
My car was having issues with the brakes and rotors as they were making noise. With a couple of days off in a row coming up, it was best to nip this in the bud. I didn’t want to hold out too long and risk further damage to my vehicle, or even miss the upcoming conference in May.
Thus, there were missed opportunities this week as I wasn’t able to entertain myself or meet my physical fitness goals. In spite of it all, I managed to have a good week. With next Wednesday and Thursday free in the week ahead, the plan is to go see Super Mario Galaxy on the latter day. I’ll visit the Beaver Area Toastmasters meeting on Wednesday night. It’s back to the gym Sunday and Monday before Laurel Highlands Toastmasters on Tuesday night. We’ll see what later next week holds for a coffee visit.
Five years ago, I received a wake-up call that had changed my life. I wound up in the hospital the week before Easter and learned that I needed to take better care of my health. With blood pressure levels off the charts, I was at risk for a serious heart attack or stroke. Fortunately, I’ve addressed that concern with medication and better mental health. I’m working on the diet and exercise part. In 2026, I’m waking up about planning for my financial future. For this former accounting and finance student and Slippery Rock grad, that should be a breeze, right? Eh, not so much.
Fortunately, I was able to talk to a financial advisor with my mom there to assist me. This is a guy she works with and he was able to help me too. I have CDs and that includes retirement CDs; however, I needed to get something that would garner a little extra money. Those financial instruments I have are making peanuts; thus, I needed something with a better rate of return. I was at the bank a few weeks ago. Thankfully, that visit a few weeks ago gave me some time to sleep on it. That way I could see how I wanted to draw up a plan to build my future wealth.
I’m grateful to be at a job that takes good care of me in terms of benefits (excellent medical, paid vacation, and close to home). My hours are consistent and my mental health has improved (some days that’s debatable). But I haven’t let myself get discouraged as I had in the past at my former jobs.
Making money moves to plan for my retirement also takes me back to my college days. As I stated earlier, I majored in Accounting at Penn Highlands Community College. Initially at Slippery Rock, I started out in that major before switching to Finance.
Despite the degrees, I’m happy being at Giant Eagle and am enjoying my hobbies. That includes my writing and any other interests I may want to pursue.
To make up for my car being worked on, Mom and I made plans to have lunch out. We met my Somerset aunt for lunch at Brady’s Restaurant in Acme. This was a nice little trip on a beautiful early Spring afternoon. Also, it shows me that you can find some nice little stops in the most rural areas.
Brady’s is a rustic family restaurant that opened for business in the 1960’s. It’s just a few miles from the Pennsylvania Turnpike and they had a lot of nostalgia and decor that helped it stand out. Check out this old cash register as we walked into the restaurant.
We knew what we wanted. Two salads and a reuben sandwich made for a nice Friday afternoon lunch. Afterwards, I was able to get a picture of the pond. It’s not too loud so you are able to hear yourself talk. The pie case is tempting because you know you’ll want to try a slice before you pay the check and are on your way. After this past week, I was a little bit pie’d out.
Overall I give it a 5 out of 5 and will be back in the future to try the weekend breakfast buffet.
Mom and I had some time to kill and we took the scenic route home past the fairgrounds. I discovered some other gems that I’ll discuss in the next blog.
Stylish 🍒 