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A Time of Transition at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

Last night was an big night for us at our Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. We were going to be nominating new officers for the 2025-26 Toastmasters year. Our President, Sharon, will be representing the District beginning July 1 as our Program Quality Director and I look forward to seeing what she has planned. We’re already looking ahead to Fall as well, more to come at a later date. Ryan will serve as President and he could very well be tasked with the goal of leading our club to Smedley Distinguished. That’s one of the new designations coming into the new Toastmasters year. It will require the 10 goals that would get the club to President’s Distinguished but a minimum of 25 members. We will get there at Laurel Highlands next year.

For the first time in my Toastmasters journey, I will be serving as Treasurer. I have plenty of people to answer my questions if I need to know what to do to properly carry out my duties next year. Our club Treasurer at Greensburg will become President of that club next year.

We had a nice speaker mix last night with an ice breaker and two mentoring speeches. Four guests attended as well, with two online and two in-house all excited to learn more about Toastmasters. Our President got us fired up for the meeting and stressed the importance of attending the meeting on this night. Out of our 14 members, we had enough in attendance for a quorum. The election of new officers did not take long at all, and it was a very smooth process.

Looking ahead, we have Summer Club Officer Training on June 21 at Westmoreland County Community College in Youngwood, but members will have the choice of attending online as well. Thus it is a hybrid (in person or online) event. Our last meeting of the year will be at Bud Murphy’s on June 24. I’m hoping we will celebrate as a President’s Distinguished Club.

Next Friday there is a demo meeting at the Panera Bread in Morgantown which is putting together by our Area 3 Director/Club Growth Director-Elect , along with one of our members at Laurel Highlands. This club will bring Toastmasters back into northern WV, if it charters. It will also benefit West Virginia University and the surrounding community. If I’m off, I’ll consider taking a drive down to Morgantown to attend this event. What’s needed to get this club off the ground: 20 members and so far a good number of people make up part of that magic number. Some volunteers are still needed. I’ll be reaching out to Greensburg via email tomorrow and get the word out about this event.

We are a great club representing many nations, achievements, and interests at Laurel Highlands. We will make history this year when we get to President’s Distinguished, and next year when we get to Smedley Distinguished!

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My First Blog Post

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

Looking Forward to the Season of Luck!

Before we look ahead to March, let’s take a quick look back at February.

For starters, the month is ending warmer than it began. The last week of January saw snow and extreme cold. We challenged records by staying below freezing 18 days straight. Nowhere near 1977’s record cold though. We saw a warming trend as we got later into the month. February 10’s mild weather felt like a breath of fresh air as I drove down to Connellsville for the Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting.

February was also more active than the last month. I made it to the gym about three or four times a week, and I’ve begun to develop a routine there as well. Also, I’ve gotten used to the elliptical and may make that my go to machine for cardio. In addition, when the weather allowed me to, I took the time to walk around Hempfield Park. Valentine’s Day and today provided perfect opportunities, even though today was definitely the better as I saw less snow on the ground.

March will begin with snow showers and a wintry mix for some, before it warms up and we see multiple rain chances. This week will be very mild by early March standards. Keep in mind, Spring (which begins on March 20) doesn’t equal warmer weather. We’re up and down with warm days that make it feel like summer, and cooler days that can bring about a few snow flurries. Severe weather becomes the big weather story, and that sometimes means the threat for strong winds and tornadoes. The growing season begins to take shape and yardwork starts to get done. Landscaping projects are in the planning stages.

March Madness starts in the middle of the month, so you’re glued to the TV to see if your brackets will hold up. There could be big money riding on it. If you’re a baseball fan, you have Spring Training to get excited about.

Well now, I may have made a mistake on the calendar. This is never like me. First time for everything I guess.

I thought Easter Sunday was March 29 and it’s a week later. This may open the door for me attending the Division Contest in Blairsville. I was worried I might not go to a contest until the Spring Conference so this might my opportunity. The next week is Good Friday, and that’s always a busy time at the store. It makes more sense for me to be there which brings me to the opportunity cost.

An opportunity cost is a term I learned in my Economics class a long time ago. It means the value of the next-best alternative given up when making a decision. Attending this contest means that the trade off is missing a party for a friend of mine. But, I’m also prioritizing work during an important time there (Easter).

February saw a return to Cutie’s with three visits. I also made stops at White Rabbit, Steep Mountain, and Caleese. March is going to see more Cutie’s visits plus a stop at Caleese. I am in love with that Leprechaun Lotus.

Focused on Success at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

Tuesday night, I made the drive down to Connellsville for our hybrid Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. We had seven in attendance, with three including me in person and four online. Our theme was “Focused on Success”.

Right now, we are focusing on success as we get credit for our awards. Goals that we want to focus on are growing membership and retaining our existing membership base as well. March is coming, so we would like to focus on reinvesting in our future and the club as well.

I signed up for Toastmaster and introduced our speaker who gave a great Innovative Planning on the 5 M words important to us. Our founding member and Program Quality Director Sharon gave the invocation and included me in it too. She complimented me on the sweater that I was wearing. Thanks, it’s Old Navy.

That made me feel good and boosted my confidence. I do this journey to be an inspiration to people to be their authentic selves. If you are curious, I was wearing my Leopard Print sweater.

We had double duty at our meeting with Ryan and Cosmas serving multiple roles. A first that I witnessed at Laurel Highlands (or any meeting) was the Round Robin for a Speech Evaluator. Reason being is that Ryan is representing the club in Saturday’s Area 23 Evaluation Contest. All of us in the club gave him feedback to improve his performance in lieu of taking home first prize.

We scheduled our officers’ meeting for the next night, and our president was able to take notes on What’sApp.

Our next three meetings are March 10, March 24, and April 14.

Farewell, Fab Five!

Well now, after eight years and ten seasons, the makeover show Queer Eye has wrapped up its run. The tenth and final season was released on Netflix on January 21.

The revival of the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy began in 2018. Five “experts” were called to help a person make some changes in their live. The experts were Karamo (Culture), Bobby (Design), Tan (Fashion), Antoni (Food and Wine), and Jonathan (Grooming). The person who got nominated underwent that special treatment for a five day period.

I began watching the series in the Fall of 2022, just about a year after my big life transition. I caught up on the previous seasons fairly quickly, beginning with the Atlanta seasons and then going into Kansas City. These two cities encompassed 2018 and 2019, pre-pandemic. I was able to enjoy the New Orleans run of seasons seven and eight when it came out in the Spring of 2023 and again in the Winter of 2024.

After season eight wrapped up in early 2024, the original Design expert, Bobby Berk, left the show to pursue other projects. Fans were upset and I wasn’t even sure I would continue to watch. I kind of had an idea what was going on behind the scenes, but I wasn’t going to let that phase me. I have Bobby’s design book and another book that covers the show. I got this as a Christmas gift in 2022 along with the laptop I’m using to work on these blogs.

Berk’s replacement, Jeremiah Brent, is well known for his show on TLC that he was on with his husband. Brent has been a solid replacement for Bobby. Brent’s husband is Nate Berkus. Perhaps you’ve heard of him too.

I could talk about all of the heroes whose lives have been changed by the Fab Five. For the sake of giving you more, I’m only going to mention a few from the later years. Remember the saying that less is more. Billy is from the ninth season which took place in Vegas. He worked as a children’s librarian, and was very creative and authentic. As iconic as he was, his home definitely required some attention. Fab Five to the rescue!

From the D.C. run, the episode that really stood out to me was “Coming In Hot”. Hello, this is almost me to a complete T. At least that’s my opinion of myself. Kate was the nominee. She was a firefighter and a single mother to twin girls and one feature about all three of them was their red hair. Kate was definitely a tough nut to crack, especially early on as Karamo, Tan, and Jeremiah could never seem to get through to her. It was so frustrating.

She has dealt with her share of trauma and loss. Her family experienced a serious house fire in 2019. The scene where Jeremiah takes her and her daughter forging really hit me good. She breaks down as she holds on to trauma and grief and it’s up to Jeremiah to give her some tough love. It isn’t until she meets up with Antoni and JVN that her mood starts to shift for the better. Jeremiah had said, “You have to be willing to change and that we (the Fab Five) can only do so much”. People can compliment me on my fabulous sense of style all they want, but it’s ultimately up to me to love myself.

The Fab Five paid their tributes to the show in the closing credits throughout season ten. As the credits rolled, it was hard for me not to get emotional as I witnessed the experts break down. I’m not crying, you’re crying. Great show and I’m going to miss it.

Retail Therapy Coming Soon!

While my Cutie’s visit was just me yesterday, I still made the most of my Sunday afternoon. The snow didn’t keep me from going to downtown Greensburg, as it was mostly gone by the time I woke up. I wasn’t able to meet up with friends, but that meant the opportunity was there to brainstorm some ideas for upcoming blog posts. That, and beginning the next chapter in my NPR book.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and that’s exactly what I did. I even turned those ideas into a blog post, which I’m working on this evening and tomorrow morning. As for my drink I ordered the Pistachio Latte, since that seems to be all the rage right now.

Overall, the drink and the afternoon were a 5/5.

Lesson: Your plans may not work out the way you want to, but adjust and make the most of those opportunities nonetheless.

It’s the last week of February, so I’m going to look ahead to what March has to offer in this upcoming blog. From March Madness to speech contests and plenty of great coffee, it’s going to be a great month. With longer days comes the opportunity to take trips to the park and get some outdoor walks in. If the weather is nice, a picnic may also be in the plans. March is a time for new beginnings as we change the clocks and the seasons.

Queer Eye recently wrapped up after an eight year run on Netflix. The final season was released on January 21 with five episodes. The season takes place in Washington DC. I finished the ninth season tonight which took place in Vegas. Thursday night is a series wrap for me watching the show. I’ve enjoyed every season and I’ll post what the best episodes were over the series’ run. At least one recent episode from the later seasons has really resonated with me.

Christmas is two months behind us now as we are in the last week of February. In two weeks, we will Spring ahead and cherish the longer days. I think it’s time to engage in some retail therapy, thus putting my gift cards to good use. My reading list is set for the Spring as I’m set on what I’m going to buy. I’ll either go to B&N or use my Amazon gift card this week. I’m going to begin Where We Keep the Light as we approach Spring and the Jazzmen by the time we reach April.

I proudly voted yes to retain the three Supreme Court justices (Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht) this past November. Fittingly, I’m saying yes to learning about the three Jazzmen (Satchmo, Duke, and the Count) as well as enriching myself about my Governor’s story. Three Shades of Blue and a book about the First Lady of Song are on my list for the Summer.

Besides reading, I’m also going to look for some more activewear as I keep up my gym routine in 2026. In addition, I want to keep my wardrobe updated and maintain my stylish, chic appearance as well.

As we welcome the month of March and warmer weather to follow, I would like to live up my New Year’s Resolution of finding new interest. But, in order to achieve that goal, I need to learn to practice patience and take time to grow in my journey. It’s like being out of college or at that age and you’re eager to begin at the top. You want that great, high paying job but don’t understand the struggle to get there. I need to learn that everyone starts somewhere, even at 44. Great things take time.

Reflections of Summer at Allegheny Mountains Toastmasters!

On Thursday night, I attended the Allegheny Mountains Toastmasters club via Zoom. I came because I wanted to cheer on one of my good friends who was speaking about her Toastmasters journey so far. I met Dr. Liz and her husband last year at the Area Speech Contest that was being held in Johnstown. As a matter of fact, that will have been exactly one year ago tomorrow.

The Area Contest is next Saturday in the same place, but due to work commitments I am unable to attend.

Liz’s presentation was very thorough and informative. She began her path in the Summer of 2023 and shared with us how Toastmasters has helped her. She also talked about the Speech-a-thons that she held last year. I attended the second one in April via zoom. Her husband also spoke as well. I got to learn a little bit about him and what he does for a living.

As Liz reflected on her path last night, it reminded me of the time I also shared the same speech. I began my path in July 2020 and reflected on it in September 2024. I’m no stranger to speaking, having joined Toastmasters in June 2011. The end of this year will mark 15 years for me. It took me eight years to achieve my Distinguished Toastmaster, getting the award in August 2019.

In that time since getting my DTM, I dealt with a lot of things. Discouragement has probably been the biggest factor due to COVID and having to get used to the new medium. Other factors include:

Burnout following my Distinguished Toastmasters achievement.
Job transition as I left a longtime place of employment.
In my journey, I’ve also dealt with feelings of rejection.
Trying to gain acceptance upon coming out (I’m still unsure whom I identify as)
Impatience from trying to get attention and growing too fast in my fashion journey. I should have taken a step back as I was getting established in my new job back early in 2022.
Insecurity from lack of self-love and other things.

Despite all of this, I completed my path and am still thriving in my Toastmasters journey. After some time away from giving speeches, I plan to begin another magnificent speaking streak this Spring.

Our Table Topics Master kept with the theme of Summer, and presented us with some warm and sunny topics. I ranked the seasons from favorite to least favorite. While Summer is not #1, it’s still up there. While Winter isn’t at the bottom, I choose as my least favorite. Yes, the days are longer but you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. March and April can still present opportunities for snow to fall. As we learned last May, it can be a cool month. The warm weather teases are nice, but don’t get too attached, especially in PA. At the end of the night, I even won Best Table Topic speaker.

As a bonus before we moved onto the evaluation portion of the meeting, Phil asked us what we least like about Summer. Everyone gave some interesting answers. A majority said it was the heat and humidity.

We had a round robin evaluation as the club all gave their feedback on the awesome speeches from the Kopcos. We wrapped up at 7:15 and I thanked Liz for the invite.

De-Stressing at Greensburg Toastmasters!

Last night, I went back to Greensburg Toastmasters after having missed the prior meeting. This was due to doctor’s appointments and the need to rest up for work. We had two guests in attendance, one who’s been part of Toastmasters in the past. The second guest was new to Toastmasters.

We had an amazing agenda lined up with two spectacular speakers. One gave part of a keynote address that he’s going to be presenting in front of a group. The other speaker taught us how to de-stress from politics. Our Table Topics master asked some of us what we would do in certain everyday situations.

In total, 11 people attended the meeting (nine members and two guests). We made the necessary adjustments and I was pleased with the new workspace. Extra lighting helped too.

Four of us who were at the meeting, consisting of three members and one guests, had a connection to one of the former clubs in District 13. Out of the three members and one guest, we were part of the old McKeesport Club. This club ran from 1951 until 2024. I served as a club coach and member of the McKeesport Toastmasters club from March 2016 until January 2020.

When I was in the club, they held their meetings at Faith Lutheran Church in White Oak. The church hosted the Division A Contest two years in a row (in 2023 and 2024). That March 2024 divisional contest would be the last event that the club was part of. On the 31st of the month (the next day), the club suspended operations after nearly three quarters of a century. Low membership was likely one of the key factors, as the club had only six members around that time.

Still, it was a fitting sendoff for the longtime club. McKeesport was also the home club for one of the past District 13 Directors.

I’ll close it off by talking about Anna Lisa’s speech. She presented a speech on political de-stressing and it was a good one. She taught us two things we can do that will help us not to go crazy when having a political discussion with someone.

I learned that we cannot change their mind no matter how hard we try. Instagram has a social media platform called Threads and there is a lot of political posts on there. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed on that or any other social media platform if you’re not careful.

Two tools she mentioned in her speech were a mantra and a physical activity. The mantra is to say this: Thank goodness we agree to disagree agreeably. The physical activity: breathe in for about four seconds. Following that, breathe out using your mouth. As you’re breathing out, make sure that the tongue on the roof of your mouth.

When the discussion is over and you go your separate ways, just remember this:

I know I’m right!

We wrapped up the meeting at 7:50 and some of us enjoyed the rest of the evening. Our next three meetings take us into March and the beginning of Spring. Thursday night, I’ll be attending the Allegheny Mountains meeting.

Reading Newsweek During My College Days!

I’m into the Morning Edition part of my NPR book now. The show debuted in 1979, and I’m at the part around the beginning of Ronald Reagan’s presidency.

Reading this book and familiarizing myself with the shows and personalities of NPR takes me back to my senior year of high school. Also, that summer before I started college. One of the biggest transitions in my life at the time was coming, and that would be me living away from home.

Around this time, I was listening to 90.5, which was Pittsburgh’s jazz station at the time. They had a smooth jazz channel but that format didn’t last long. In 1996, I was more into the hits that were being played on B94. Also, the station was part of Duquesne University.

I got a subscription to Newsweek from my Gramma around my birthday in 2000. It was the perfect time to get that subscription as we were entering into a big presidential election season. Al Gore was running against George W. Bush. I was educating myself on the candidates and their running mates, Joe Lieberman and Dick Cheney.

How good it felt back not to be ostracized for whom I was voting for. I should have learned to tell people to mind their own business.

We would have a new president no matter which party won. I took Government during my senior year, before the election season really kicked off. Therefore, it would have been interesting to follow the race in class. That 2000 presidential election was also known for the ‘chads’ that were of the hanging, dimpled, or the pregnant kind. Amazing how that headline still sticks with me 25 years later. It decided the election though and why third party voting is useless.

While I spent my senior year listening to NPR and the jazz selections on 90.5, I was also interested in the genre as well. Once I arrived at HGA, I was limited. I wasn’t able to pick up most of the Pittsburgh stations in Johnstown. This was 2000, before online streaming really took off. But I was able to get accustomed to the different radio stations the town had to offer. I listened to a lot of Power 99.1 (now Rocky 99) and 96.5 The Mountain (now 96 Key). The frequencies switched by the mid 2000’s, just as my college era was ending.

Closing off the blog, I’m planning to buy Governor Josh Shapiro’s new memoir within the next week. Not sure if it’ll be Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or locally (Completely Booked?). I’m saying yes to learning more about our Governor, and also when it comes to reading about the Jazzmen (Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie). I’ve been perusing the books on Amazon and plan on buying them soon. Maybe I’ll start once I get to halfway on the NPR book. I’m trying to limit my intake of books on political figures, as I easily get triggered from all I see on social media.

Looking well ahead (late Spring, early Summer), I have another book I’m interested in is “Three Shades of Blue”. This is another jazz-centered read that goes into the cool jazz era. The author has also penned biographies on Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. He also co-wrote with Jerry Lewis and John McEnroe.

My Visit to the Westmoreland Sleep Center!

On Thursday, I had an appointment at the Westmoreland Sleep Center. I was referred to them by the kidney doctor whom I visited the week prior. It was a quick visit and I learned a lot from the doctor there. My appointment was at 3pm. As I usually do, I arrive early, and was able to meet before my scheduled time.

I’m familiar with sleep apnea but here’s a definition and I will talk about this in future blogs as well. Per Wikipedia, it is a sleep-related breathing disorder. Many factors can contribute to sleep disruption and poor ventilation. It is a chronic condition and complications include, but are not limited to, heart attack and stroke. I’ll be doing more research to contribute to future posts.

The Westmoreland Sleep Center is located on Pellis Road, just a few minutes off of U.S. 30. From Greensburg or Jeannette, just take the Pleasant Unity exit off of U.S. 30. If you’re coming from town or from Latrobe, turn at Humphrey Road.

The main office is at Pellis Road, but there is a secondary location at the Fay-West Medical Commons in Scottdale. There are a lot of medical offices along this stretch, including UPMC Outpatient Care and other specialists.

I have a sleep study scheduled in April, with a follow-up a few weeks later. I’ll stay overnight there while they monitor my sleep. I’m interested to see how this will work, as I’m used to sleeping during the day (7:30am to 2:30pm). A sleep study is a non-invasive, overnight diagnostic test that records brain activity, eye movement, heart rate, breathing, and muscle activity to evaluate sleep quality. Conducted in a lab or at home (for apnea), it helps diagnose disorders like apnea, insomnia, and narcolepsy by monitoring sleep cycles.

I’m just getting this done now as it was brought up by the kidney doctor whom I went to see. I would have done it a while back if I had better insurance, or even after I started at Giant Eagle. My sleep habits could be one of the key contributors to my blood pressure being high as well.

Finally, I’m reading through my book on NPR and have arrived into the ‘80s. This brought about the start of Morning Edition and the network’s move into the new decade. While I began listening to NPR around my senior year, it’s fun to learn about the history of the network as well.

Going forward, I’ll have read the book in its entirety sometime in the Spring. I’m planning to buy Governor Josh Shapiro’s new memoir. It was released a few weeks ago during our period of extreme cold after the big snowfall we received.

I’m saying yes to learning more about our Governor, and also when it comes to reading about the Jazzmen (Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie). I’ve been perusing the books on Amazon and plan on buying them soon. Maybe I’ll start once I get to halfway on the NPR book. I’m trying to limit my intake of books on political figures, as I easily get triggered from all I see on social media.

The Bags are Back!

For those of you rooting for me in my nontraditional fashion journey, the rumors of its demise have been greatly exaggerated again.

But first, Tuesday’s weather brought with it a Spring preview. For me, it was a nice drive down to Connellsville for my first in person Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting since September. 55 degrees in February is a heat wave compared to what we’ve had over the last few weeks. Even with this warm stretch, this has still been a cold winter (still nothing like the late 1970’s though).

Winter came back midweek and we had some snow yesterday as I visited the Sleep Center. More on that to come so please leave the comments to the weather or encourage me to be me.

Along with the recent February thaw, which is decreasing the snowpack every day, I’m also getting back into Toastmasters. My resurgence began Monday with the “Lunch and Learn” session online and continued Tuesday night at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters. I’m also getting my stuff sent so I can get credit for our home club.

With the thaw in our weather and in my mood so I can enjoy the things I love, something else is hot again.

I’m jumping back into my nontraditional fashion journey. Monday night, I dusted off my Michael Kors bag and brought it to work and did so again at Tuesday night’s meeting. I brought it again Wednesday night. I want to take on other hobbies this year, but being nontraditional and writing makes my heart happy too.

The mild stretch continues next week as we reach the 50’s. However, it comes with the chance of showers. The warmup also raises flooding and ice jam concerns. I’ve been noticing the snowbanks gradually melting on my way to and from the gym. Is Winter over? Not by a long shot, and we will see several shots of snow and cold before it’s all said and done. But it won’t be as brutal.

I learned a lot on Monday at the Lunch and Learn session online. With membership, it’s all about the three R’s (Renew, Reward, Recruit). With Public Relations it’s the three P’s (People, Progress, Pride). Maybe feeling idle for the month of January and taking that week off last week was what I needed. What about Greensburg? How can I help in these aspects of my home club? Who can benefit from Toastmasters?

I visit the local coffee shop in town and ask myself that question. I think the Baristas could benefit as well as some of the clientele. The latter ranges from college students to teachers and influencers. We have Westmoreland Hospital in town, and over on Pellis Road some other medical offices. Who can I reach and help become a better communicator?

I had some Coach purses gifted to me from a friend and fellow Toastmaster. Later this winter I’m going to clean them up and maybe use them when I go out and about for coffee this coming Spring.

My February coffee tour needed to be retooled a bit this week due to my appointment at the Sleep Center, but it all worked out. I went to Caleese this morning before going to the gym. The place was awash in sea of red, pink, and cards and chocolates. You know, for those looking for a cute Valentine’s Day gift last minute. I was dressed like it was Saint Patrick’s Day. I’ll remember that when I go for coffee on March 17. My drink of choice came from the featured holiday menu, the Tira-I Miss You latte.

I saw the cutest little Yorkie at Caleese this morning and even got to pet her. Thor, be jealous. I could have made the trip yesterday but it is what it is.

At Cutie’s, the St. Patrick’s Day menu is coming out next Saturday. I’ll be there next weekend to show Sara what it’s all about. It’s way cooler than any cafe in the South Side. It’ll be nice to catch up on life and everything else.

Time to make plans for the Spring!

Wearing our Hearts on our Sleeves at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

It felt good to drive down to Connellsville on Tuesday night for my Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. It felt even better telling myself that I’m all in after a January slump. Whether or not I honor that remains to be seen.

Meeting online is nice but it has its setbacks. I can’t tell you how good it was to meet in person for the first time since September. Plus, we had a guest who’s familiar with Toastmasters. Nick came to us from New England and is now one of our newest members.

This meeting brought a couple of rare occurrences with it as well. We had a speaker get evaluated twice. Our club president is competing in the evaluation contest at the end of February. He needed the practice. In addition, he also gave feedback to our guest whose speech counted as his ice breaker speech. Now comes the task of choosing a path.

The theme for our meeting was “Hearts on our Sleeves”. The Word of the Day was LOVE, but it wasn’t used too much. Love is stronger than hate. I saw that displayed at the Super Bowl Sunday night.

We had a fun table topics session that had everyone laughing. We picked a card and read the question out loud and someone gave their answer. In addition, we also gave a thirty second response on how we can build membership. That’s the thing we need to work on to achieve our goal to be a Smedley Distinguished club in 2025-2026. We stand at 14, so we’ll need 11 to meet the requirement.

Right now at the point in the Toastmasters season, I stand at 5-5, and I will be putting all the chips in to ensure a great end to 2025-2026.

An officers’ meeting is coming up soon and the main topic will be membership.

Before the Laurel Highlands meeting on Tuesday, I attended a training session online. In attendance were some of our dignitaries as well as other members and two from District 10. The point of training was on membership and public relations. Area 23 Director Autumn did the PR training (I attended her TLI training) and Club Growth Director Lorie did the Membership training.

Three things I learned from both the Membership and PR trainings:

Membership–Renew, Reward, Recruit

Public Relations–People, Progress, Pride

Visiting five other clubs is something that’s not new to me, as I’ve visited other clubs plenty of times. Cranberry High Noon holds the most visits as I’m almost an unofficial member of the club. I’ve also visited Earlybirds and Johnstown, as well as Western Maryland (online). This June, when I’m off, I plan to visit South Hills in person.

This was what helped jump start my week and refueled my Toastmasters ride. While I’m not sure I can make the contests, I will be registering very soon for the Spring Conference. It will be the final event for District 13 as they get ready to merge with District 10 to form the new District 219.

The next training session is February 23. Our next three Laurel Highlands meetings are February 24, March 10, and March 24.