New Summer Reading

Upon coming home from my shopping trip last Friday during my vacation, I moved some books around on my shelf to make room for the new ones that I just bought at Barnes and Noble. Some of those books sit in a tub under my bed waiting to go to storage or somewhere else. Maybe a church or Goodwill.

While cleaning up my bookshelf, I came upon a small book written by Good Morning America host Robin Roberts that I must have bought on one of my Target runs. Called Brighter By The Day, I’m only a few chapters into the book and so far I’ve read some interesting things. The book came out in 2022; therefore, it’s just after the COVID-19 pandemic. Robin talked about life during the lockdown in those first chapters. The book is broken up into three parts and right now, I am currently reading about The Joy Mindset. Later on in the month, I’ll have a blog post highlighting some of the things I learned. 

One of Robin’s books that I really enjoyed was “Everybody’s Got Something” where she shared her breast cancer journey. “Top of the Morning” was about the battle between Good Morning America and Today and how GMA ended the NBC morning show’s dominant run at #1. As of the time that this book came out, Good Morning America is still the top morning show. I read both books in the mid 2010’s as I was still interested in that topic. I still had dreams of going back for a post-bac degree, even though by that point I’d accepted my time at Slippery Rock. 

A few times a year, I get a magazine from my alma mater in the mail. In it are some interesting articles about alumni, current and retired professors, and events and goings-on around campus. There was a great article about a former professor who attended the church I went to when I attended the university in the mid 2000s. Dr. Thomas Gaither was a Biology professor at Slippery Rock University for nearly 40 years. During the early 1960’s, he was very involved in the civil rights movement and had been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and Mike Wallace. He passed away just before Christmas in 2024.

On the back of the magazine was a promo for Homecoming which will occur in mid-October. Coincidentally, that’s my week off from Giant Eagle and I am looking forward to going (barring any conflicts). This year marks 20 for me since graduating from Slippery Rock, just it also marks 25 since I began my college adventures at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. 

It’s been a fun-filled Fourth of July weekend for my family and we all love to celebrate. We had a great time on Friday at the Gaffron farm (and I’ll go into more detail in Thursday’s blog since that will be the milestone blog post). We capitalized on the warm weather on Sunday with a picnic on our back porch. We’ve had our pool for ten years and I’ve been getting in more in 2025 than in years past. On Thursday, my relatives had a nice pre-4th celebration at their “tropical oasis”. Not far from there is the house where my mom and aunt and all my uncles grew up. Lots of memories have been shared there and you always felt welcome. 

Now that the Fourth of July holiday has come to an end, it’s easy to start thinking about Labor Day and Pumpkin Spice season. There’s still plenty of summer left so enjoy the pool and all of the summer festivities. I’m hoping to make it out to the Greensburg Night Market later this month and enjoy some refreshers from Cutie’s.

First Meeting of the Year at Greensburg Toastmasters!

Greensburg Toastmasters meeting via Zoom— 7/1/2020

Last night, we held our first Toastmasters meeting of the 2025-26 year, and our first with our new officer roles. For me, it’s year 15 coming up (June 1, 2011 is my anniversary). I’ll post the meeting recap on Facebook as well as my blog. The thumbnail that I’m using up top is from our meeting five years ago online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In my upcoming July 16 speech, I’m considering speaking on this experience in the project that I’ll be doing. 

We had a small turnout tonight due to the Fourth of July. The Four DTM’s of the Greensburg Club. One speaker and three table topics questions. The meeting wrapped up at 7:10. Our new Vice President Education spoke on volunteering and tied that into Toastmasters. I was busy taking down notes as I was the speech evaluator. Our Table Topics master asked us what our favorite vegetable was, and I answered with butternut squash.

In our business meeting, we entertained the idea of investing in a laptop that we’ll use for meetings only. I suggested a Google Chromebook which is what I own. We talked about how we’ll do executive meetings, and that’s likely trending toward online via Zoom. I’ll post a pic from the meeting on social media even if it’s just a picture of the banner. 

Our next meeting on July 16 will be 100% virtual.

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, and I’m excited to see everyone, including the midwestern Gaffrons. I have a 15 pack of Coors Light ready to go. The last couple of years we’ve gone to the farm, I’ve had to leave early to go to work at 10, thus missing the fireworks. This time, I’m able to stay as I got my request approved. Tomorrow’s forecast is looking great and will be the last dry day before the humidity ramps up for the weekend and into next week. The air you can wear is making a comeback, and with it the threat of pop-up showers and thunderstorms. 

Keys to a great night are for me to enjoy myself, enjoy the company and visit with everybody, and enjoy the sights and sounds. I’d love to get some nice pictures around the farm too. After so many years of not going to the farm, it’s been a regular thing for us over the last decade, save for 2020 and 2023. 

Our Bible Study was going to be held outside at Cutie’s on Monday but due to the forecast trending wet, plans changed that afternoon. Our leader focused on Psalm 139 and talked about how we choose the flesh over the Spirit, and how we are constantly battling between good and evil. Those seasons of hardship that we deal with can either make us or break us. Choose the former over the latter (my words). We discussed the Parable of the Last Son, and wrapped it up with a summary of the reading in Psalm 139. Next Bible Study will hopefully be at Cutie’s and is scheduled for July 14. 

Today I made a Cutie’s visit. I have done so Monday for Bible Study but the rain changed those plans. Thus, my schedule was set for this week. I ordered the Fluffernutter Latte and could really taste the marshmallow and peanut butter. It’s the beginning of a nice couple of days off (Fourth of July included) and I want to enjoy them. While there, I began a new chapter in our former President’s memoir “A Promised Land”. I’m hoping the third time’s the charm. The plan is to have this book and the reread of the former first lady’s book (Becoming) done by the time school starts in August.

My next Cutie’s visit will either be this Sunday or next Thursday and my drink of choice will be the cherry cheesecake matcha.

Making Headlines!

Making headlines today, my vacation has come to an end. Sometimes your time off has to end for the next one to begin, and that will be in October. By then I’ll be trading the pool and the fruity drinks for autumn leaves and pumpkin spice lattes. I needed a vacation from my vacation, and now I have the Fourth of July to look forward to, and that weather forecast for Friday is looking good. Dry and seasonal. Perfect for the fireworks at the Gaffron farm.

Also making headlines, my dinner plans with Mr. Clougherty are up in the air for the foreseeable future. That’s because Kings may be on the way out in Hempfield. The property has been subdivided and is under contract for redevelopment. Valvoline Instant Oil Change has acquired half of the property. Kevin and I can meet for the next few months before swimming season takes over in November. But, we may have to reshuffle our meeting spots though he and I are very flexible when it comes to moving things around. I planned to meet at Hempfield Kings for our September dinner but who knows how much longer they’ll be around? If they have a closing date, I want to have one last meal, even if it’s just me.

Making headlines in Toastmasters? This amazing celebration for the Western Maryland Toastmasters club which achieved Presidents’ Distinguished.

On Thursday night, the Western Maryland Toastmasters club held its end of the year celebration at the Comfort Inn and Suites in LaVale. The club chartered last May in and its first year made history by achieving Presidents’ Distinguished with nine goals. At the event, there were Outstanding Toastmaster and Leadership Award winners as well as Most Improved Toastmaster and Toastmaster of the Year. Chick Fil-A in LaVale catered the event as well as a cake that I’m sure was tasty and from what I read, looked amazing.

New club officers were inducted. The incoming president of Western Maryland Toastmasters and new Area 23 Director shared her story and vision for the year ahead. Toastmasters changes lives and has done a lot for Autumn, whom I’ve had the opportunity to meet at the Spring Conference, at the recent Summer TLI, and at a Western Maryland meeting back in April (I attended virtually). I know that stepping up to the plate and sharing my story through speaking at Greensburg and Laurel Highlands has helped me as well.

Recently, two new clubs chartered in District 13, and one of them got there very quickly. Calgon Carbon (chartered 5/6/25) and Country Roads Toastmasters (chartered 6/22) are the new kids on the block.

Country Roads Toastmasters held their demo meeting on June 6 at Panera Bread in Morgantown and were already on their way. Just a few weeks later they got their charter. People attended in person and online, and the virtual attendees were from all over the country and the globe. They join NED APA all stars and Thermo Fisher as new clubs in the 2024-25 Toastmasters Year. Calgon Carbon will be in Area 2 next year with other corporate clubs, and Country Roads in Area 3. Welcome to Division Awesome, our new clubs!

Will the Mounties Club and the prospective Kittanning Club make headway? What other new clubs are in the works in 2025-26? We shall see.

Part Trois: The Final Days of my Stylish Summer Vacation 2025!

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. 

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 Summer Vacation 2025 Report Card, Part Deux

I’m past the halfway point on my Stylish Summer Vacation 2025 with just a few days left to enjoy my time off. The past weekend was great. How did midweek go? It’s been a little more laid back, with some great dining experiences along the way. 

Tuesday night, we celebrated the success of the Laurel Highlands Toastmasters club during this past year. The club made history by achieving Presidents’ Distinguished, making history in their young existence. We met at Bud Murphy’s from 6-8 on Tuesday, ordering appetizers for our group with a few of us getting an entree as well. I had a grilled reuben and it was really good. Bud’s is a very packed place and does great business. It’s recommended you try their pizza. We celebrated our success, and we made plans for the 2025-2026 Toastmasters year which begins July 1. We’re looking to make history again and finish Smedley Distinguished (achieving all 10 goals, having 25 members) 

Wednesday, my family and I indulged in lunch at the Olive Garden and while it could have been an uncomfortable experience with the heat, it was a good lunch nonetheless. For the six of us, we got a lot of food for what we paid, including my sangria and our appetizers. It was a humid day and the summertime thunderstorms made their return. The contrast in the temperature and the weather between the end of May and the end of June has been outstanding. We were cool and damp towards the end of May, but we’re coming out of June warm and humid. It almost wrecked my Spring but I made a nice turnaround in June even with the severe weather. The wildfire smoke hasn’t been as bad either.

These last few days have been about swimming and also eating out. Thus, trying to beat the heat. I’ve swam for five straight days, and we’ve reached the 90s five straight days. Two streaks that will be snapped today as we hit 86 or 87, and I’ll be engaging in some retail therapy and may not have time for a swim. I enjoyed my monthly dinner with Kevin which doubled as my birthday meal. I kept with last year’s tradition with dinner at Hibachi. It’s so cool watching them make your food and getting entertainment up front. I’m quite used to it by now. I might be trending towards downtown next month and the Pourhouse since the Night Market will be a week later. 

I’ve been enjoying my Obama reading as the third time will be the charm with “A Promised Land”. I plan to read the whole thing this Summer. “Becoming” is just as good the second time around. I plan to finish “The Third Gilmore Girl” tomorrow. 

Yesterday, my cousin sent me a link for an article in the Tribune-Review about small-town coffee shops. A few in Greensburg were mentioned (DV8 and Steep Mountain). I’m biased, but Greensburg is the city of cute little cafes. I was going to do a coffee tour last summer, inspired by some of those Instagram influencers I follow, but couldn’t quite get an effective ground game going. The other cafes mentioned were 1833 Coffee and Tea in Freeport, and Empress Coffee in Avonmore. I think I’ll be making a trip to 1833 as well as Latte Lane in Cheswick are in the plans this summer. It’ll be nice to try something different once in a while. Here’s the link to the article if anyone’s interested. 

https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/perking-up-how-the-arrival-of-a-coffee-shop-can-get-a-small-town-buzzing/

There are opportunities in opening up a cafe in a small town like Freeport, Avonmore, and even Ligonier, but the threat of Starbucks and Dunkin’ is always there.

Going ahead in Toastmasters for 2025-2026, my schedule is set for when I want to give a speech through September. As it looks right now, I might be set to complete my Presentation Mastery path by this Fall. Once I complete this path, the plan is to start on two more paths. I’ll do one at Greensburg, and the other I’ll do at Laurel Highlands. This is something I picked up from the Vice President Education at Laurel Highlands and Western Maryland, Gary Imes.

But I need to start thinking about the Leadership portion as well as there are requirements for me to get my second Distinguished Toastmaster award. I was one of the last in 2019 to get my DTM the traditional way, through the manuals. About six months before COVID we celebrated my achievement at Greensburg. With my participation in Toastmasters much improved over the last couple of years, I would like set the goal to achieve my second DTM and I know I have the support I need to reach it.

Stylish Summer 2025 Vacation Report Card (so far)

So far, I’m four days into my Stylish Summer 2025 Vacation. Has it gone well? What could I have done better? I think it’s gone pretty well. Like the Summer of 2024, it’s been a scorcher. Unlike last year, my mood has greatly improved (even though it could have spiraled with the cool, wet end to May). I think that stepping up to the plate and giving more speeches at my Toastmasters meetings has really boosted my confidence. 

Friday, I enjoyed myself at Kennywood for Bites and Pints and I  rode more than I did in a long time. There was a stretch that I didn’t make it out to the park and that was around COVID. Saturday I had a great time at TLI/Club Officer training but I could have benefited more from getting to know some of the new faces in attendance (as I did Monday when I visited Cranberry High Noon). The day went well and I learned a lot, from the officer breakouts and presentations. I enjoyed my trip to Cuties and my drink, post-TLI, but wished I’d have gotten a refresher instead. I still have July and August though to enjoy the summer menu.

Sunday was a perfect day to get in the water, as I stayed in the pool for most of the afternoon. That was going to be our original Bites and Pints day but it would have been too hot to attend. I was going to have breakfast at Cutie’s before that too and I had the perfect name for my blog already picked out. “Cutie’s Bites and Kennywood Pints”. Yesterday I took a road trip up north, to Cranberry and then to Slippery Rock. It was a nice experience but there was room for improvement to make this trip better, which I’ll get to after I summarize the day’s events. 

I’ve been attending Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters as a guest since 2016 and the club has met at different locations. Pella Windows and Doors was the first one, followed by the Cranberry Area Municipal Building, and Hope Lutheran Church on Rowan Road. Their new home at the Dutilh Church on Dutilh road, next to a Quality Inn. You can get there by turning off of US 19. It’s a beautiful church and a convenient location for the club to meet at. The last two had me traveling down US 19 for a time and that road can get really congested sometimes. There were three speakers on the agenda, and two of them were completing their level ones in their Pathways. Our last speaker gave a presentation using his experience as an area manager at Amazon. Every speech gave us something to think about and take with us. Two of the speakers will be leading Cranberry High Noon as President and Vice President Education next year. Despite the full agenda, we got done by one o’clock and soon after, I was on my way. 

After leaving Cranberry, I set off to Slippery Rock. It was a straight shot up I-79. Thinking about the weather even late last week, I contemplated putting off this trip when I learned that the forecast was trending toward hot and humid in the mid 90’s. I still kept my word and pulled it off. Though there are some things I could have done to make the daytrip better, due to the heat. 

I just want to toss out some numbers in this blog and I’ll make you millennial folk feel old when you read these. It’s been 20 years since I graduated from college and went off into the real world. I received my degree in December of 2005. It was a cold day on campus when we had commencement at the Morrow Field House. This year (in five days to be exact) I will be twice as old (44) as I was when I arrived at Slippery Rock (22). August will mark 25 years since I began college at the Hiram G. Andrews Center 

You may wonder why I didn’t attend WCCC and that’s because my mom wanted me to be on my own. I learned to be independent and had a lot of life experiences there. 

Damn, the 2000’s were such a long time ago. What does soon to be 44 year old me tell that person in their 20’s? That’s another story for another time. 

While I enjoyed my adventure on Monday, and had coffee at Roosters Coffee Bar for the first time, this trip would have been better if I reversed it. Monday was a really hot day and the sun was beating down on campus. I could leave the house a little early, around 7 or 7:30 and go to Slippery Rock first, before heading to Cranberry for the Toastmasters meeting around 11, thus giving me time to find the place and get there safely. After the meeting, I might have lunch somewhere in Cranberry or Wexford; thus, buying me a few hours of time and beating some of the traffic coming through Pittsburgh. But overall it was a good day, and I was fighting a losing battle trying to stay cool.





RISE and SHINE at Summer 2025 TLI!

Saturday morning was the annual Summer TLI event at Westmoreland County Community College at Youngwood. The theme was “Rise and Shine” and a wonderful program loomed ahead. 

The best parts of the event on Saturday included a skit by the South Hills Toastmasters players. This followed a song played by one of Greensburg’s own which he performed on his keyboard. A couple of Toastmasters from other clubs helped out with the skit. It was reminiscent of Toastmasters Got Talent from Winter TLI in December 2023. The theme was Creating Club Quality and was a tale of two meetings, one that wasn’t organized and another that was well-prepared. Which one do you think has the best impact on club quality? Overall, the song and skit were a great way to begin the training. 

Our training session for Vice President Public Relations was informative. Our facilitators Stephanie Scott and Autumn Jose tag teamed the session and did a great job. Autumn used her VPPR experience at Western Maryland to make the presentation a success. She and Laurel Highlands/Western Maryland VPE Gary Imes added some helpful PR/Pathways materials into the program. I remember that education guide from Gary’s speech just a month ago. Autumn also passed around some material like the end of year newsletter that covered Western Maryland’s first year. They will be having a celebration on Thursday at the Comfort Inn & Suites in LaVale, MD. I’ve attended a couple of online meetings and enjoy the setup. One of these days I’ll attend in person. There may be interest in starting up a club in neighboring Garrett County, MD, as well.

I’ll return to my TLI recap in just a few minutes, but I’ve got some exciting news to share. The Laurel Highlands Toastmasters club recently achieved President’s Distinguished honors. They were one of the first clubs in Toastmasters to charter as a hybrid club (in 2021), making history. They’ll do so again with this high honor. We’re confident that they will achieve Smedley Distinguished in 2025-26. I’ll explain that momentarily. I like the connections they are now making with West Virginia University, as we have two members in the club who are new officers beginning on July 1.  

In its first year of existence, Western Maryland Toastmasters has also achieved President’s Distinguished. Sharon will be passing the torch to Ryan Jacobs at Laurel Highlands, and Autumn Jose at Western Maryland. I know that both presiding officers will lead their clubs to ten goals and Smedley Distinguished. 

So what is Smedley Distinguished? It’s a new distinction beginning in the 2025-26 Toastmasters year. The requirements for a club to be Smedley Distinguished are: they must have 25 members. Select and Presidents’ Distinguished will change as well. Select must have 20 or a net growth of five, and Presidents’ will require clubs to have 20 members. Also, to qualify for Distinguished, club success plans must be submitted to Club Central by September 30th. Above all, clubs must also be in good standing. 

Country Roads Toastmasters, a club that held a demo meeting back on July 6, is going to charter as they have their 20 members. Congratulations to the District and Cosmas (who is trying to get a club started again in West Virginia). West Virginia had four clubs at one time, from Morgantown on down to Clarksburg and Bridgeport. A new Toastmaster that attended our most recent Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting as a guest, will serve as Country Roads’ first president. Maybe West Virginia University can provide a meeting room at some point, when the meeting room at Panera gets too crowded. 

Back to TLI. Lunch was served. After a delicious plate of chicken parmigiana and scalloped potatoes with a slice of peach pie, I went back into the main room, the Student Achievement Center, for the afternoon sessions. Incoming Division A Director Dawn Carnegie led a session on “Building A Healthy Team” and talked about emotional intelligence. She gave us words and asked us what came to mind when we heard them. I picked up a lot of good information. I met Dawn at Winter TLI and she complimented me for my cheetah sweater. This time I wore a striped sweater and a pink top (which I got a compliment for too).

We’d wrap up the afternoon with a session with our Division Director. My division will be led by Carly, from Area 22. A lot of changes are coming, including a totally revamped Area 23 that includes Laurel Highlands and Western Maryland. ESL and Ambassadors are going to Division D, and Arconic comes to our area in Division C. Country Roads may end up in Area 23, or maybe Area 3 with Pittsburgh, and South Hills.  

Winter TLI in December saw me with a much improved attitude from that Summer workshop as my mental health took a huge hit in Spring and early into Summer. Though getting compliments helped even if I wasn’t expecting it. I love getting attention for my journey on social media and when I don’t get it, I feel discouraged. I curbed my social media use and plan to do that more as the week goes on. That’ll get my mind off of the craziness going on the world too. Everything that happened last summer was self-created drama.


Following that lackluster start to the summer, I began the process of wrapping up the path that I began during COVID and thus, began my magnificent speaking streak. In one of my speeches, I talked about the growing season. In another, I recalled the things I learned at Summer TLI including the Club Success Plan and incorporated all of that into my speech. Doing the Moments of Truth as part of Table Topics helped too. At the end of the Toastmasters year, I have three levels complete and I’m going into 2025-26 very confident in my Toastmasters journey

Bites and Pints at Kennywood!

Tonight, we drove out to Kennywood to check out the Bites and Pints Food Festival, which goes on now through the end of the month during the weekend. Here, you can try food from different countries such as Greece, Italy, and Mexico. In addition to Bites and Pints, I also got to ride a few roller coasters.

 I had a great time walking around the park and even rode a few of the iconic rides like Noah’s Ark and the Turtle. We started off the night by eating some food from one of the booths and then riding the train which is still enjoyable as we learned about the history of the park and got to see the steel mills along the Monongahela river going over towards Homestead. I guess Thomas Town didn’t work out and that’s just fine with me. My dad and I rode the Thunderbolt and I wrapped up the night with a spin on the Skyrocket. The park has changed over the last several years and time will tell if the new owners can bring it back to its glory days. Dollywood seems like a nice place to visit as well. 

I went to the Mexican booth first and ordered the Tostones Rellenos, which has plantains and garlic shrimp as well as mango salsa. My parents each got a slice of pizza and Mom got the fried zucchini from the Italy booth, which she shared with each of us. Tasted just as good as what I’d get at the Italian Oven. After my ride on the Thunderbolt, I visited the Poland booth where I got kielbasa sliders and sample of Polish lager. It didn’t taste too bad. 

Overall, I rode five times and ate twice. That’s more than I’ve done in a long time. I don’t go as much as I used to when I was younger. Due to my health scare in 2021 and motion sickness, I’ve treaded lightly with some of the more intense rides. COVID kept me away as well as the hours were limited. This three-hour tour was a great start to my vacation week, which officially begins tomorrow. 

We stopped at Dairy Queen in Irwin on our way home. Two strawberry cheesecake blizzards and an Oreo blizzard. I would soon rest up for Saturday’s Toastmasters event. 


Summer Solstice at Greensburg Toastmasters!

At Wednesday night’s Greensburg Toastmasters meeting, we closed out the 2024-25 Toastmasters year in style. Mike and I were the speakers. My magnificent speaking streak continued as I made it ten out of eleven months getting up and talking in front of the group. Our Table Topics master asked us what we would be doing on the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice. 

In spite of the title of the blog, I will be spending my Summer Solstice engaging in the amusement park atmosphere of Kennywood and enjoying food from different countries. I’ll also be drinking beer and maybe riding a few rides as well. My niece will be returning from her trip to Universal Studios in Orlando and will have a lot to share from her experience. I can’t wait to here about Harry Potter World and Super Nintendo World. I won’t have too much time to recover from Bites and Pints though as I’m off to Westmoreland County Community College Saturday morning. The occasion being Summer TLI. 

The Toastmasters year has been good to some clubs in our district, as we’re starting to see Select and President’s Distinguished come up. It’s been good to me as well. This year has seen me give more speeches than I have in a long time. I finished a path that I started during COVID, beginning a new one that Fall. One of my clubs just made President’s Distinguished and a new club in our District is about to get there; thus, making history in the closing days of the 2024-25 Toastmasters year. A new club may charter in Morgantown, Not sure on that quite yet. I’m really proud of myself for the progress that I’ve made over the last year, reflecting on my path and starting anew. I’ve completed three levels in just nine months. I didn’t know where I was in my Toastmasters journey and at last summer’s TLI during the Club Success Plan session, completely drew a blank. But I’ve managed to get it together and plan for more success in the 2025-26 Toastmasters Year. 

We decided to do Bites and Pints on Friday instead of Sunday because of the intense heat coming our way. It’s just easier to go then instead of struggling with the heat and humidity on Sunday. Regardless, we’ll still have a blast.

This upcoming vacation will see me spend a lot of time in the water with the forecast trending toward 90s and hazy, hot and humid conditions outside. I’ll be visiting restaurants next week with a trip to Bud Murphy’s Tuesday night and my birthday dinner at Hibachi on Thursday night. Just added to the mix was Hillbilly’s in Donegal on Wednesday. I wanted to try this place since seeing it on Instagram and some of those whom I follow like it too. This will inspire one of my upcoming coffee orders at Cutie’s, the Cutie Cowgirl.

How I’m Spending My Summer Vacation!

Cheers to my upcoming week off! Looking forward to a great evening at Kennywood to kick it all off!

My plans changed Monday night. All set to go to Bible study, the forecast trended towards rain and thunderstorms (which never came), our study was virtual. Some of us who attend every other Monday got together and had a watch party. Gianna led the study and started it by reading a couple of verses in John 15. Other scripture was used as well. She talked about the importance of abiding by God. Instead of the hour long study that we’re used to, it was only a half hour and live streamed on the Cutie’s Coffee Bible Study Facebook page. The next Bible Study falls on my birthday, June 30. It’ll be a nice close to my week off and a good segue into my Fourth of July 🇺🇸 plans as we celebrate at the Gaffron farm.

Early this morning, while I was at work, I switched on the YA JAGOFF! Podcast. I’ve listened to this local podcast before and heard some great yinzers. This most recent one was a nice treat as I got to hear KDKA meteorologist Ray Petelin and his daughter. Not only is he the best meteorologist in Pittsburgh, but he and Elizabeth have a segment on KDKA every Saturday morning called “Hey Ray” which shows the duo performing some cool science experiments or teaching us about the weather. John and Rachel are the hosts of YA JAGOFF and I really enjoyed this part of the most recent podcast. 

This was a porch tour the hosts did which raised money for a great cause (Zachary’s Mission, which supports families of children with medical issues). This fund helps provide basic necessities, financial assistance, and programs that nurture emotional well-being to those families in need.

Wednesday night at my Greensburg Toastmasters meeting, I’ll be giving another speech that will satisfy my magnificent speaking streak. That will make it ten out of 11 months that I’ve gotten up to speak and I’m proud of the efforts that I’ve made this year. I’ll be discussing my upcoming week off, which begins Friday when I go to Bites and Pints at Kennywood (originally, we were going to go Sunday but the forecast is trending hot and humid). That’s just one of the events I’ll highlight in my speech. Also included are Summer TLI and also, engaging in some retail therapy (I’m leaning towards South Hills). 

My upcoming week off gives me an opportunity to celebrate. One way I’ll do that is by getting together with my club at Bud Murphy’s and celebrating our successful year at Laurel Highlands, as well as having dinner at Hibachi with Mr. Clougherty for my birthday. With the forecast trending more hot and humid next week, I’ll make time to get in the pool, and remember to stay hydrated. 

Finally, the keys to a great week off for staying out of my own way, curtailing my social media use, and focusing on the present. Last year I let all the negative self-talk and lack of self-compassion bring me down. On Friday, I’m going to Kennywood to enjoy Bites and Pints and focus on that before I look ahead to Summer TLI the next day. I’ll enjoy TLI and learn a lot and afterwards make a post-training stop at Cutie’s. There, I’ll enjoy a latte and read one of my books (I’m going to read the penultimate chapter in The Third Gilmore Girl.

A few weeks ago, I tried to limit my social media use and I succeeded part of the time. One of the challenges that I’m presenting to myself is using Duolingo than one of those three apps that I can’t get away from (Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube). I cry for attention on the socials (mostly the first two) and when it doesn’t come, I get discouraged and this summed up part of my summer vacation last year.