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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!

Taking the Scenic Route!

This blog post is a follow-up to yesterday’s lunch date at Brady’s Restaurant in Acme.

Pennsylvania Route 31 has many attractions to offer, as does Westmoreland County if you look hard enough. Anytime that my family and I venture out to the Laurel Highlands, we get there by way of PA 31. Occasionally, when we go to Somerset, we’ll take US 30 past Ligonier and up the mountain to Jennerstown. Weather permitting, it’s a nicer drive than taking the Pennsylvania Turnpike. You can find many wonderful roadside attractions and places to eat when you take the scenic route.

The scenic route we took made me appreciate these moments that I have with my family. I was grateful for the opportunity to have lunch at Brady’s and catch up with my Somerset family. We thought about one of our loved ones on my Gramma’s side of the family who just passed away last week.

After lunch, we had some extra time on our hands and my mom drove through the foothills of the Laurel Highlands. We passed through the communities that make up Mount Pleasant Township. This little detour was nice and I enjoyed the time in the car spent with Mom.

Lesson learned: Cherish the moments you have with your family.

We passed by the Westmoreland County Fairgrounds, thinking about summertime and the county fair as well as the Christmas lights at Overly’s. We saw the beautiful Pitt-Greensburg campus and prefer that campus over the busier main campus in Oakland. Greensburg has some nice colleges and the coffee shops get great business from the students. We came through Southwest Greensburg and then made our way home. I took advantage of the afternoon to take a rest after that time well spent.

I spotted some nice attractions along that scenic ride home. Highlighted in the blog are three of them plus a few additional places.

Donegal Highlands

This wonderful course is set in the foothills of the Laurel Highlands and is not far from the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In fact we were three minutes from the Donegal interchange on Friday. This course has two nines which are different from one another. The front nine is links-style and the second being more parkland-style. Because it’s lower level, the course is prone to flooding and poor drainage following a major rain event. But, it has a relaxed atmosphere and is very scenic.

Copperheads Restaurant and Pub

Copperheads is a popular stop for those visiting the mountains or looking for a night out. Open until late, they serve standard pub fare in a casual setting.

Stone Villa Wine Cellars

This is a picturesque winery set on 150 acres in the foothills of the Laurel Highlands. The main highlight is the outdoor space which is perfect for those who love live music or who have a free weekend afternoon. I witnessed the large pond as we traveled home yesterday through the small towns. My mind was blown at how nice this place was. The wine selection includes a lot of sweeter, fruit-based varities. They also have a lot of reds and whites, as well as Chardonnay and Cabernet.

This was before we drove through Kecksburg and other non-incorporated communities.

Other attractions include the Norvelt Golf Club, Hillbilly’s (located in Donegal), and Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier (which has hosted major golf tournaments in the past).

My Plans Were Altered This Week!

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.

Three Coffee Shops I’d Love to Visit!

Easter Sunday went well for us! I took some time to rest early in the afternoon so I could have time to enjoy our company. We had an amazing spread with ham, potatoes, vegetable casserole, and rolls. Afterwards, there was plenty of dessert to go around. We had two of my grandparents’ Easter desserts, heavenly hash and coconut cake. In addition, there was also lemon meringue and cookies and creme pies. 

Later, we all gathered in the living room and watched Toy Story 2 on Disney+. Even though it may have felt random, it was a nice way to unwind after the big meal and we had just eaten. It was the cherry on top for the nice weekend that I had that started with the baby shower on Saturday. While eating our dinner, we enjoyed ourselves as we talked about The Pitt, which is my new favorite on HBO Max. My cousin hasn’t seen the show; therefore, she was able to get a little rundown of it, plus who our favorite doctors are on the show. For me it’s Robby, Evans, King, and Whittaker. 

Fun fact: The actress who portrays Dr. King is Bryan Cranston’s daughter. Speaking of Cranston, the new Malcolm in the Middle miniseries debuts on Hulu and Disney+ this Friday. Directing the miniseries is Ken Kwapis, who has ties to The Office. 

Everyone cleared out by 7:30pm. I say this even though it was a small gathering with nine total. Still, it was a great Easter. 

So far, in 2026, my coffee visits have consisted of those mostly around Greensburg. I’ve visited White Rabbit and Steep Mountain a few times, and once I traveled out to Ligonier where I met my cousin at Abigail’s. It was during that week of extreme cold after that big snowstorm in late January. Mainly, I’ve visited Cutie’s and the “Cutie Count” is now at nine for the year. Caleese Coffee in West Point has come in as my new favorite and so far, three visits have been made there. I’ll count my late December visit as a 2026 stop. 

The three new cafes I’ve had my mind on are in the Pittsburgh area. I’ve given them a follow and an occasional like on Instagram. These have been on my radar since 2024 (I’ve been trying to keep up with other Pittsburgh food influencers). 

The first is Groove Coffee, which is located in Murrysville. This is one that used to operate out of a camper and it was on the westbound side of US 22 in Delmont next to Donut Chef. Their present location is accessible to Duff Park and the PA Heritage Trail and is easily accessible by foot. I’m thinking about taking a morning walk out there and checking them out. Groove just opened its brick and mortar location last week. 

Number two is Latte Lane, which is in Cheswick. It’s not far from New Kensington and this one was a suggestion from a link to an article my cousin shared with me. Latte Lane opened in June of 2024 in the Cheswick Shopping Center. From the pictures I’ve seen on Instagram, there’s some nice artwork on the walls as well. This business used to be located in Harmarville, in a camper. It was near a building that used to be the Ponderosa. 

When I take my vacation in June, I might make this a stop en route to Cranberry on a Monday. 

Lastly, is the Roaming Bean. My introduction to the Roaming Bean came when I was at the Greensburg Night Market one Summer night in 2024. They recently opened a cafe in the Strip District not too long ago, located in the Strip District terminal. The Strip is on my radar for my June vacation and I’d like to include this jewel in my adventures. 

My outfit of the day for Easter Sunday. I didn’t wow like I did Saturday with that cheetah top. However, what I wore is my usual staple for holiday gatherings. A green sweater tank and a striped cardigan (with flare jeans). OK, I wowed myself. 

Finally, I enjoyed myself at the baby shower on Saturday! But there’s one thing I forgot to show off. I had a purse within a purse as I made my way out on Saturday. It was my big Michael Kors bag but inside was a smaller MK purse. I bought these as a set of three on my summer vacation in 2024. Both a cute pop of pink.

Cutie’s was my pre-shower stop and it was hoppin’ at 10am. This is where the smaller purse came in handy. It was busy as everyone came out on this warm Saturday morning before Easter. I got the Cadbury Egg Latte which I took with me to the shower. In addition, I also got a donut from the Mutiny Donuts food truck next door. I got a few compliments on the bag, but it would have been way cooler to show off the small purse within my big purse.

Celebrating the Parents to Be!

I was lucky enough to get Good Friday (and the following Saturday) off so I could have the opportunity to attend a baby shower for my “fashionable” sister and brother in law. Baby Chloe is set to make her arrival later this Spring and I can’t wait to meet my future niece. We arrived just before 11am at the Westmoreland Country Club armed with our gifts for Chloe as well as plenty of diapers. When I walked into the building, my adopted mom Paula was very happy to see me. 

For some of us, it was a nice memory to be back at the country club where we celebrated the wedding of Rob and Sara five years ago. The weather cooperated on that day. Major changes were beginning to take place in my personal and professional life and the buzzing only got louder as 2021 rolled on. I bought a big pack of diapers on my Target run on Thursday. As I arrived, I also entered my name in the drawing to win a prize. I also took a guess on how many Teddy Grahams were in the jar. We ate just before Noon. The spread was a breakfast buffet. This looked very similar to what I’ve had at Toastmaster conferences. That event is coming up soon and will be here before I know it too. 

I sat at the back table in the room, and got to meet some of the people from Sara’s workplace. She is an audiologist at HearingLife. I also reconnected with some of her other friends. There were people I celebrated Friendsgiving with as well as attended church with in the past. 

Before the shower, I made a stop at Cutie’s to enjoy a latte. The Mutiny Donuts food truck was parked next door and I was curious to try one of their donuts. Thus, I was well fed as I made my way to the country club. I got an Oreo donut from the food truck and it was very good. I enjoyed the donut with my Cadbury Egg Latte. I continued to drink the cute coffee drink when I was at the shower. Cutie’s Coffee also came with me to Blairsville as I drank my Bananas Foster Latte en route to the speech contest. 

We gathered around the balloon display to watch the parents-to-be as they opened their gifts that Chloe will love. I had sent mine to their place early in the week (they received it Thursday). It was a Winnie the Pooh pillow. That went great with the lamp that Mom sent them. The baby got lots of cute clothes and toys that she’ll love playing with. 

We played some games, including Bingo where we wrote the gifts that the baby got. There was a word scramble, and I got all but two right, plus Baby Price is Right. In the latter game, we guessed the prices of some of the baby clothes and accessories. The catch was that the prices were based on what they cost at Target, where the parents to be were registered. In the Bingo game, I wrote ‘diaper genie’ in one of the spaces. That’s the gift I got my sister when she was expecting Annabelle. 

My presence at the baby shower, and my outfit of the day, made Sara’s day. The outfit of the day was a pastel green blazer (which screams Easter) with a cheetah top. Wide leg jeans and Skechers completed the cute ‘fit that I was happy to put together for this wonderful event. 

On my way home, I took a side trip to Murrysville. The reason being was that I wanted to find this coffee place I’m interested in visiting sometime. I followed Groove Coffee for sometime on Instagram and Facebook and have always wanted to give them a try. They’ve operated as a trailer but have recently opened a cafe. Groove is on the eastbound side of US 22 and I’ll talk about them more in an upcoming blog (likely my next post). 

There are other coffee shops I’m interested in checking out in the future, and you’ll hear about them coming up this week.

Being Chief Technology Officers at Greensburg Toastmasters! 

No April Foolin’! We had our Greensburg Toastmasters meeting on Wednesday night. On this night, we were setting up the laptop so we could run our meeting online. Reason being, our tech person who sets up everything was on the mend (she would join us online). We were trying to figure out how to get everything to run, but we all worked as a team and got it all to work. The meeting kicked off around 7pm, and we immediately went into the speaking portion of the meeting. 

We didn’t mess around, and we still got the meeting finished on time. To me, that’s a win-win. 

After trying to get everything set up, I would agree that we are all Chief Technology Officers. I’m grateful that we have a laptop reserved mainly for our meetings, and for our newest member who helped us get into Zoom. For a future educational session at TLI, I feel that this should be on the agenda. Maybe have an exercise where we can learn to run a pseudo hybrid meeting so that we’re up to speed on this. That way, those novice tech masters will be ready when this situation pops up. 

Two speeches on the agenda from our seasoned Toastmasters and an April Fools Day themed Table Topics session made the somewhat abbreviated meeting enjoyable. Short and sweet, quick and to the point. There was no idle time as we kept the ball rolling Wednesday night. 

I gave my evaluation of the meeting, and I was sure to give everyone props for being patient. We took our time getting everything up and running. That’s why it’s best to get there early to have everything set up ahead of time. Our newest member led the Table Topics session, and I’m looking forward to the night that she will serve as Toastmaster. She’s going to shine as a club officer in the future.

Our agenda is all set for April 15. I’m not sure if I’ll be in attendance as I might be visiting the Beaver Toastmasters Club that night. Therefore, I don’t where my speech will land. Either it’ll be at Laurel Highlands, Greensburg, or even Beaver. I may not be back at Greensburg until after the Spring Conference. 

Our next two meetings are April 15 and May 6, and the Spring Conference begins May 15.

2026 Division C Contest Recap!

This morning I was at the United Presbyterian Church in Blairsville to attend a speech contest. This one featured some of the best from the Division that my clubs are part of and it did not disappoint. There was a wonderful spread lined up with donuts, cookies, a cheese tray, and most important, bottled water. I got to the church early as the doors opened at 9. 

As our officials were looking for volunteers, I stepped up to serve as the Sergeant at Arms for the Evaluation Contest. This was a familiar role to me as I also performed it for the Table Topics at the Fall Symposium last October. Just like that contest, I did my job very well keeping the other contestants occupied. The church kitchen was perfect as no one heard what was going on inside the speaking area. 

What did I see at today’s contest? A nice gathering of Toastmasters and family members in attendance to cheer on the contestants. Plenty of representation from different clubs in Division C and District 13. 

Not giving away who won the International speech contest, but I felt a range of emotions as I listened to the contestant. The first speech opened my eyes to the dangers of too much cell phone usage, and what to do with that time you spend looking at your screen. I heard a speech from one of the members who spoke about their autism journey. Another one provided me with humor and a few laughs as the speaker was introduced to a different culture. 

That answers the question as to what I heard while at the contest. 

At the evaluation contest, the model speaker spoke on a time when he wished have handled a situation differently. There were three things he talked about in the speech. I only got to hear one of the evaluations as I was acting as the contest Sergeant at Arms. I think to myself, what are some of those things that I wish I could have done differently. 

Some things on the list I have to go all the way back for. Within the last several years, I would say not leaving my church on bad terms. Taking it slow in my nontraditional fashion journey as I was getting established at Giant Eagle. Not being dependent on clicks on social media. Lastly, not overthinking and instead, learning to be more confident with myself.

We moved on to Ravalia’s where we had our post-contest gathering. It’s a beautiful restaurant that was the former Papa Sal’s we loved going to in the past. It has a great menu with different options. I was tempted to get a burger but decided to get a fish sandwich.

Congratulations to the winners and I look forward to seeing you compete on May 16 at the District contest.

Spring Cleaning at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

It was a full agenda Tuesday night at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters. Three speakers set to give their presentations. In addition, a tuneup for our evaluation contest as he hopes to bring home the gold Saturday. We had six in attendance at Connellsville, and three online. Our theme was Spring Cleaning, and our word of the day was growth. Our invocation talked about what it means to grow. In Toastmasters, we go to meetings to grow as speakers and as leaders. The feedback is constructive, and helps us in our future presentations. 

One of the suggestions from our general evaluator was to have the Club President do his role first if he’s invocator or wordmaster.

We began our trio of speeches with a project from our Vice President Education on what it means to serve beyond our club. Using presentation software, he discussed how we can participate in speech contests. He highlighted the roles, including that of the contestant. He also hit on leadership opportunities. His take home questions were, will we serve the club in the new Toastmasters year. Also, would we be attending upcoming events that represent Laurel Highlands?

I wrapped up Level 4 in my Presentation Mastery path with the main project on “Managing A Difficult Auidence”. While my speech was serious-sounding as it centered on the COVID-19 pandemic, it erred on the side of humor as well. The suggestions for improvement included me being a little more commanding and taking more control of the meeting. 

Our last speech from our Sergeant at Arms talked about “The Perspectives of Others”. It was an informative speech teaching to look at things differently and have a heart for others, as well as to be accepting. Overall it was a good night for speeches and that led into a good Table Topics session that tied around the theme of the meeting. I didn’t take part in it, but I’ll talk about my own Spring cleaning. 

Despite the up-and-down March we’ve had weatherwise, I’ve been able to crawl out from the doldrums. Those being brought on by the extreme cold of January. Building off of a more active February, I’ve stayed the course and have a regular gym routine going for me now. With the end of March being five years since my health scare, I’m finally starting to take charge of my life. 

Our evaluators were giving their initial feedback on a speech, and preparing for a competition. I’ve been at meetings where a member serves dual roles (like Toastmaster and General Evaluator) and when they evaluate two speeches. Our club president is practicing so he can be ready to compete on Saturday, and I believe that’s he more than ready. All speech evaluations were within time and ranged from 3 to 3 ½ minutes. Not too shabby. 

We wrapped up the meeting on time and we’ll see each other again on Saturday. 

Our next three meetings are April 14 and 28, and May 12. I’m looking at giving a speech at that May meeting leading up to Spring Conference.

Enjoying my Cutie Pebble Latte at Cutie’s!

I made good on my Sunday afternoon plans and the summerlike weather helped accentuate that. First it was off to Cutie’s for a Cutie Pebbles Latte. It was so warm that the garage door window was up. I enjoyed my drink outside and watched the world go by. Afterwards, I parked my car in the lot like I was going to my Greensburg Toastmasters meeting and walked around town. 

With a busy week ahead, I made the most of my afternoon. Thus, I was able to get my thirty minute walk in before the rain and thunderstorms made their way in. I walked down Main Street and on to Otterman where I just was, passing Caffe Barista along the way. Them and Cafe 993 in Manor are on my list of future restaurant visits. It was a nice Sunday to be out and about as people rode past on their bikes. Pennsylvania Avenue is looking good and night markets will begin soon, ushering in Summer. 

I made it home just as the sky began to turn ominous. 

Today, I put my speech together for Tuesday’s meeting. It’s going to be a little bit different as I’ll be evaluated on how I handle interruptions. Other club members will play different roles in the project. I’m mixing some bad news with a little bit of humor, so we’ll see how it goes. 

I have my dates set for when I want to speak. Eventually I’ll wrap up this path that I began in the Fall of 2024. However, I need to address some concerns going forward. In order to ensure success in my speeches and as a member of my clubs, I want to have my next project started by the end of the week.  

The next time that I want to give a speech will be around the middle of April. I want to get a rough draft of what I’m going to present by Friday. This will give me ample time to have everything ready to go by the 14th or 15th. It beats waiting until a week or even less to prepare. A little motivation helps.

A Well-Balanced Week of Activities!

The first full week of Spring will be keeping me busy, as I have a lot on my plate. I have a lot of needs, and some wants as well. I should be able to satisfy all of my requirements. The key this week is to mix business with pleasure. I have to make some moves to plan for my future, in addition to preparing a speech for Tuesday’s Laurel Highlands meeting. I also need to tie up some loose ends in order to meet my Toastmasters goals. This blog post does seem like a monthly preview, but in reality it’s looking like an active week ahead. I don’t mean that with the weather, even though Sunday is trending towards severe weather. 

Sunday will see me returning to one of my favorite coffee shops, enjoying some seasonal coffee. The menu will be changing over this weekend as Cutie’s begins to really think Spring. If the weather holds, maybe I’ll get a thirty minute walk around town. With an active week ahead, I need to get my exercise time in when I can. Sunday’s forecast is trending towards showers and thunderstorms later in the day. These storms are capable of producing damaging winds, heavy downpours, and you can’t rule out the threat of a tornado, either. 

The week ahead takes me to Connellsville for my Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting, and to Blairsville over the weekend. I will be there for our Divisional Speech Contest, and I’ll cover that in more detail soon. It’s the first day of the new Spring menu at Cutie’s and I’m trying to decide what I want to get. I’ll be down there just after it opens so I may be in the long line at 8 o’clock on Saturday morning. I’ll be sure to enjoy some festive coffee to usher in the Spring season.

I’ll miss the Spring Market Saturday morning, but I’ll be en route to Blairsville for the speech contest Saturday morning. Now unlike last year, the universe isn’t exactly working in my favor. I had luck on my side as I was able to attend three out of the four division contests in March. I am happy to attend my division’s contest though. In addition, I’ll be enjoying the first consecutive days off I’ve had since the end of December. It’s also the first free Saturday I’ve had since the Fall (December 6 was the last one I had off). That day I attended Winter TLI at Westmoreland County Community College. 

I have not put in my hat to ring yet but if I don’t help out, I’ll cheer on my fellow contestants. There will be plenty of speeches and evaluations to enjoy at this level just as there was at the area. A few of them I’ll definitely be rooting for.

Finally, the Dinner Series resumes on Thursday night and I couldn’t be more excited. We’ll have a moment of silence for a former teacher and coaching legend. Also, we’ll remember Kings as the Hempfield location closed the day after Christmas last year. It was a very heartless decision to close the day after a major holiday and I wish the employees had more notice. Valvoline and 7 Brew are going to eventually move into that location. 

Kevin and I will meet at Eat’n Park and I have my heart set on the Whale of a Cod as it’s lenten season. Our talking points will most likely include the pool and the upcoming renovations set to take place. We’ll reminisce about good times and all the memories of meets and swimming alumni past. The future for the team as they swim at other pools will be discussed as well. We’ll also catch up on life as we wrap up another workweek.

A Balanced Trio of Speakers at Greensburg Toastmasters!

The snow cleared on Wednesday, but the chill in the air remained as I made my way downtown for that night’s Greensburg Toastmasters meeting. We had a balanced group of members and guests in attendance at the Courthouse, as well as online. The three speakers who were presenting were all at different stages in their Toastmasters journey. 

Our first speaker gave her third speech and was beginning her path, speaking about St. Patrick’s Day  and the holiday’s history. I learned a lot about the holiday as I evaluated the speech. Our second and third speakers were far along in their Toastmasters walk and each gave a different speech. One is preparing for an upcoming speech contest next week. The other is tuning up for a presentation that he will be giving in front of a group. 

Our guests at the meeting included our speaker, who belongs to the Bakery Square Toastmasters club. He is also a member of the National Speakers’ Association. We also had a guest who came in person two weeks ago but was attending online for this meeting. 

Our Table Topics session, though short due to the sake of time, was pretty good. Only three speakers took part and we did a round robin Table Topics session. Usually we do that for an evaluation (in Achievers or when evaluating a contest speech at a meeting) but we tried it for the impromptu speaking Wednesday evening. The participant who went then picked the question for the next person who wanted to go. 

In addition to the two guests who attended online, we also had our Area 24 Director at the meeting as well. At the end of the meeting, we made plans as we work on leading Greensburg to success. I will be giving my last two levels in Presentation Mastery to them, and Level 3 will go to to Laurel Highlands. 

Downtown was busy Wednesday night with the Palace Theatre having a show. Those of us who came in person had no issue finding parking. Some of us parked in the lot (we were lucky) and others found spots off the street. Our division contest will be next Saturday in Blairsville, and contestants will be in attendance from across our division. The next two meetings are scheduled for April 1 and April 15. It’s up in the air if I’ll be speaking at Greensburg on the 15th. I may speak the night before at Laurel Highlands. Or, I might get that night off and attempt to get on the speaking schedule at Beaver.  I’ve been wanting to make a visit to that club.