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Taking A Vacation From My Vacation

Last week was nice. I got away for a bit from work and took time to recharge. It took me a while to get into the groove of a normal sleep schedule but I got there. While my week off didn’t take me on some faraway adventure, I still enjoyed myself as I traveled to the Laurel Highlands on several occasions. I wrapped up the week at Slippery Rock University where I enjoyed Homecoming activities and marked 20 years since graduating from college.

This week was also nice because it gave me the opportunity to take a vacation… from my vacation. I’m back to my usual routine now, though it took me a while to come back. That just goes to show you how great my week off was.

I’m looking forward to meeting up with my fellow Toastmasters this Saturday for the District 13 Fall Symposium. This is the fourth time I’ve gotten involved. One of those four times was down in Maryland with District 18 six months before the world shut down. After that, it’ll be time to work hard and get ready for Thanksgiving and eventually, the holiday season.

The Fall Symposium is a continuation of the Three Saturdays in October miniseries and also the conclusion. The first Saturday was the speech contest and last week was Homecoming at Slippery Rock. I’ve been fortunate to have everything fall into place. If the Toastmasters Fall event had been last Saturday, I would have gone to Moon over Slippery Rock.

Thus, not wanting to repeat history from several years ago.

The weather this week has done a complete 180 turn from what we saw. From Augtober to Ocvember here in the Pittsburgh area. Not saying it’s cold enough, but a few places high up have seen snow flurries today.

First snow of the year, close to Seven Springs.

In the Greensburg area, it’s been overcast and chilly. The rain we’ve had though is helping with the drought situation. A cool, damp day is definitely welcome in the latter part of October. It makes Fall feel like Fall and makes my Gilmore Girls viewing experience so much better. After struggling with the rewatch, I’m moving through season 1. Sometimes it’s hard to rewatch, knowing what you know from watching it before.

This month I’ve been discovering new podcasts. While my experience has been rewatch podcasts from classic 90s and 2000s shows, my interests have shifted over to fictional couples and books.

Enter the We Ship It podcast.

As I made my way to and from Homecoming last Saturday, I enjoyed some Gilmore Girls-related episodes. On this podcast, the hosts talk about whether or not they like the couples on the show. One in particular talked about all three of Rory’s boyfriends over the run of Gilmore Girls. It was a “Rory Roundtable”. They gave their opinions on Dean, Jess, and Logan and who was the better boyfriend. Coming home, I listened to “Lorelai and Luke” and “Rory and Lane”. A more We Ship it episode featured the author of “Meet Me at Luke’s”, which aired prior to the release of the book.

Another pod that I recently discovered is a rewatch for the Great British Baking Show, and I had to be careful not to click the most recent episode. I did good though and listened to the review of “Meringue Week”. The hosts of “The BakeDown” are former Great British Baking Show contestants and offer good insight in their reactions. Since I’m watching the most recent show tonight, I’ll have something to listen to en route to Moon or coming home after the Fall Symposium.

Reflections on a Meaningful Fall Vacation

Saturday marked the final day of my Fall vacation. I’ve had a great week off as I’ve been pretty active for most of it. I attended Toastmasters speech contests at Westmoreland County Community College. We had our family reunion on Sunday at Laurel Hill in the same pavilion we’ve had the last five years. I took some road trips to the Laurel Highlands, starting with Johnstown on Tuesday night. I came past the Hiram G. Andrews Center and thought to myself how independent I was yet scared, 25 years ago. Thursday I ventured to Latrobe and Ligonier. I saw the Mister Rogers exhibit at the Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent, and spent the afternoon in Ligonier.

Yesterday, I left my house early, around 7:30am, and made the hour and a half drive up to Slippery Rock for their annual Homecoming celebration. The schedule has worked in my favor this year, and this wasn’t just any Homecoming. This year marks 20 years since I graduated from college. I was comfortable and didn’t want to graduate. None of us are ready when the time comes. I had a hard time accepting my past but eventually did. For a long time, I was always in the shadow of college, and wanted to make up for things that I didn’t accomplish.

Truth is, I’m happy with the experience now and wouldn’t change anything. Who knows how different things would be if I didn’t go or I stayed a year or two longer? This blog has been good therapy for me and has helped me write out my feelings.

For a long time, Homecoming was a tradition for me. It met its end a few years before the pandemic. I felt some regret missing the first Fall Symposium that my District held in Erie. It was best, however, that I found out on my own that the tradition had gotten stale.

The weather gods blessed me with some great weather during my Fall vacation. It was overcast and a little bit chilly on Sunday when we had our Family reunion. Luckily, we had two fires going to keep us warm. I was happy to get outside and enjoy the sun on Thursday in Ligonier, and again yesterday up at Slippery Rock. The beautiful weather made for a nice ride home on I-79 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

My day yesterday started out with a stroll around the North End of campus getting some pictures of the old buildings. I then got my chair and found a great spot to watch the parade. This year it took on a different meaning seeing the Slippery Rock marching band perform. My niece is in the band at West Hempfield Middle School and she plays the baritone saxophone. The campus bus was in the parade and that too has a different feel in 2025, as my dad drives part-time for the school district.

Having been to many Homecomings, I’ve been aware of the changes on campus and have seen many buildings come and go. The residence halls there during my time are mostly gone or other uses now. The student housing has moved over to the southern end of campus, having gone up long after my time there was complete. The campus has never been more beautiful though.

At the SGA Bookstore, I browsed around. While I didn’t need anything, I bought Annabelle a present. It was a Slippery Rock Marching Band t-shirt. It was also a good deal at $12. Who knows, maybe it’ll help her decide on where she wants to go to college.

I couldn’t see everything in the time I was there and could have found ways to improve upon the day. I enjoyed a nice parade, but I have also devoted more time to enjoying the game. It was our bitter rival IUP, and it was a comeback win for The Rock.

2025 has been a year of anniversaries and celebrations. I graduated high school and started college 25 years ago, and finished my academic career 20 years ago. I did pine for it to continue for years after though. 2026 will be a different beast, as I pursue some new interests. I’ll still be pushing some milestones, though.

The Penultimate Day of Vacation!

Friday felt like a day of rest after a busy afternoon on Thursday. I needed it since I was resting up for my trip to Slippery Rock the next morning. I watched a couple of Gilmore Girls episodes from season 1. The snow in Stars Hollow looks so pretty. In the afternoon, I took off on a little shopping adventure.

This week I’ve made multiple trips to Michaels. I needed some pens for my journal. The felt tip pens are nice but the color ones are more beautiful. I think my sister and I might have to go together some time, as she’s always looking for yarn 🧶. This time I got a case to keep my pens in so I don’t lose them It may be a little unorthodox but it’s something.

As I might have posted earlier in the blog, I’m trying to take up some newer hobbies in 2026. I’ll always have my blog and my writing, but I would like to take up some other things too. Second to writing would be photography and my camera has gotten a good workout during my week off!

I bought a sketch pad in June and yesterday a how to book on drawing. A Michaels gift card might be something I want for Christmas if I’m serious about taking up drawing. While I was there, I checked out some of the Christmas garland as well as some of the Christmas trees.

From Michaels it was off to Barnes and Noble. I didn’t get any new books as I’m concentrating on other reads. I’m currently in Matriarch, finishing We Can Do Hard Things, and begun a romance novel titled, “If It Makes You Happy” that’s set in the ’90s. This book also gives me serious Gilmore Girls vibes. I bought a couple of bookmarks and a new tote. I even put my romance novel in the front. My heart was full as I arrived home after my retail therapy yesterday. My Old Navy haul also came early this week and my clothes feel great. I had a ‘fit ready to go for today but decided last minute to go Green and White for my Slippery Rock adventure.

I embarked on a shopping adventure on Friday, but first coffee. I stopped at Cutie’s and was hoping to have a Pumpkin Chai but they were out so I got a Pumpkin Cheesecake Latte instead. Just as good and it went perfect with my new romance novel. The Harry Potter flight is the most popular coffee flight out right now. The Gilmore Girls flight makes it return on November 1. I’m hoping to try a flight for the first time and introduce my cousin to one of Greensburg’s best coffee shops. The new Christmas menu launches a week after on November 8. I’m excited to see what will be offered.

Last year, just after the presidential election, I had lunch at Mad Mex in Monroeville. The Gobblerito was good as was the Cranberry Mule I had for my drink. Afterwards, I went to a few places in the area to check out Christmas decor. To me, that felt therapeutic after the week I dealt with (the results of the election didn’t go the way I wanted them to). Michael’s had their little Christmas village, and Gabe’s had some iconic movie-themed stuff. It did me some good to be out and to get my mind off of all the doom and gloom I was reading all over the socials. Overall a good day, even if it was only a temporary fix for my emotions that were running high.

Wrapping Up The Dinner Series at Primanti’s!

After spending the later half of the afternoon in the Laurel Highlands, I was off to Greensburg to meet Mr. Clougherty for our last dinner meeting of the year. We met at Primanti’s as originally planned. Kevin is busy coaching middle school and had a meet at McKeesport. We met for dinner at 6. Thus, I had some extra time to be in Ligonier on Thursday.

For our last dinner, we had quite the feast. I ordered a corned beef sandwich with a kosher dill pickle and a pina colada (with a little rubber duck floating on it). The technical term was Tropical Pina Duck drink. Kevin also ordered reuben fries that we shared. We were so full that we couldn’t finish it. Nevertheless, we split the order in our take out containers. “If that was my last meal, I’d tell the warden to bring on the lethal injection”. That quote is from The Simpsons and Dr. Hibbert. That’s how I was feeling too. I ate pretty damn good last night.

The reuben fries were almost Gilmore Girl material.

Evaluating the middle of my vacation is what I’m doing now. So far the vacation has held up fine. I had a much needed day of rest on Monday after that busy weekend. I made my first trip to the gym in almost a year and it was the first of three in a row. I came away sore, but No Pain, No Gain.

Tuesday, I redeemed myself at Cutie’s and enjoyed my Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew in the morning. In the afternoon, I took off for Johnstown where I would attend the Toastmasters meeting that night. I enjoyed dinner at Tire Hill Taco and had a nice chat with the owner before enjoying my meal. I noticed a few pavilions where I could have enjoyed my food. Greenhouse Park or the church grounds would have made an ideal picnic place. The meeting itself was enjoyable, where I heard three great speeches and connected with a few people who work at the schools I attended in Johnstown.

Wednesday, I slept late and it was well worth waking up at 9:30am. Either it’s early in the morning on my nights off or middle of the afternoon, but the mid to late morning wake up did me pretty well. We had our Greensburg meeting and it felt good to just come home and not get ready for work. Grade for Monday to Wednesday, an A-minus.

Visiting the Neighborhood and My Little Stars Hollow!

My original plans for Thursday as I was still on my week off were to go into Pittsburgh and visit one of the museums. I was thinking about going to the Andy Warhol Museum. But between the cost of admission and parking downtown, I was looking for a more cost-friendly option. The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium was my next option and I almost went with that. But I wanted to visit Ligonier at least one day while I was off.

Enter the Mister Rogers Exhibit at the Fred Rogers Institute at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.

Now I’ve always wanted to learn more about our favorite neighbor, and in 2020 I bought a book about the history of the show. This book was released around the time that the “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” movie with Tom Hanks was released.

It’s a small exhibit that takes less than an hour to check out but it’s worth the time. It’s FREE but a donation is suggested if you help keep this exhibit going. The Fred Rogers Institute opened in 2008 and is close to Chuck Noll Field, the training camp home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. When you walk in, go up the stairs to the second floor and the exhibit is on the right. You can read about Fred Rogers’ childhood as well as learn more about the guests he had on his show over the years. I watched the videos and learned about the musical gifts of Yo-Yo-ma and Wynton Marsalis, as well as some of the behind-the-scenes of the show. I looked at the cases that contained the things which made Fred iconic: the Trolley, his puppets, and of course his cardigans. I read the quotes that we all remember.

After taking the time to view this homage to amazing human and mentor and neighbor, it was off to my happy place. My Little Stars Hollow and the Perfect Hallmark Christmas Town.

A beautiful Fall day means a drive to Ligonier is in order. Coincidentally, my sister was working in town yesterday but our paths never crossed. She did have lunch at Abigail’s, where I sometimes go when I’m in my Little Stars Hollow. Brace yourself, I’m in a Gilmore Girls mood and I Smell Snow.

I brought my new Gilmore Girls book and got a nice photo op as I sat in the Diamond. I like to sit there and watch the world go by and pretty soon that gazebo will have a nice Christmas Tree to accentuate it. But first, I made a trip to Second Chapter Books.

Yesterday, the rom-com novel I ordered arrived in the mail for me. It was perfect timing as I got out of my car just as the Amazon van came down my driveway. I began it while passing the time and will take it when I make my Cutie’s visit on Friday.

We had our Toastmasters meeting Wednesday night and it was nice to just come home and not go to work. I bet I was missed though since it was our tag night at the store. Here’s a quick recap.

We had two speakers. Our Vice President pinch hit and gave a speech talking about the changes coming to Pathways, our education program. These changes are similar to what I had to accomplish in the traditional days. Examples are performing club roles and doing canned speeches (e.g. Successful Club Series). The theme of Table Topics involved Everyday Situations that we may deal with.

Finally, good news from Division C! All Club Success Plans have been submitted, clubs are all in good standing, and clubs met the requirement for officers trained. The area directors have done well.

Finding a College Connection at Johnstown Toastmasters!

My recap of Tuesday night’s Johnstown Toastmasters meeting is coming but before that, my “cold open”. It took me a while, but I’m on my way with the Gilmore Girls rewatch. I started it last Sunday, the 25th anniversary of the Gilmore Girls pilot. Currently, I am working my way through season one.

This afternoon, as I left the gym, I wanted to find a good Gilmore Girls playlist to listen to on the way home. Coincidentally, I would stumble across a new podcast related to the show, but it talks about the music on the show. The pod is simply titled, “Gilmore Girls Soundtrack”. At around 22 minutes, the episodes are easy to get through.

Last night, I visited the Johnstown Toastmasters club as I planned on doing on my week off. We had to fill some holes on the roster, as the Toastmaster couldn’t make it. I took over as the Word and Joke master. My word of the day was “Symposium” and my jokes were related to Fall. Our speaking lineup was amazing, with three speakers presenting topics that had us in awe and in stitches. One of those three speeches was a humorous speech about growing up in a rural setting and having a sense of adventure. I recently heard this one at the division contest and it was just as funny Tuesday night.

The other speeches talked about national parks. This was the first speech of the night and I complimented Sam on providing details on some of the iconic parks in our country. Also, he gave a nod to our state parks which I liked coming off of our family reunion on Sunday. Dave’s High Performance Leadership speech really connected with me, however.

Recently, the Johnstown Club President and Vice President Education did a workshop at the Commonwealth Technical Institute at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. Just hearing that school’s name made my heart happy. They worked with students from programs such as welding, culinary arts, networking, and medical office technology. The workshop featured speaking tips, fun impromptu challenges, and helpful feedback. Dave even mentioned Tinkertoys in his speech. This was a good one and I had to give them as well as Kurt a round of applause for working with these students and helping them build real world and public speaking skills.

I also learned that Kurt is an education supervisor at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. I didn’t think twice about talking to him about my history with the school, even though I was there in the early 2000’s. To me it still feels like yesterday but to others it is a long time ago. Kurt also collaborated with Dave and Barb on this project. One of the guests in attendance also connected with me.

Carole is the Director of the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Foundation. She mentioned that in a Table Topic and like Dave’s speech, memories of my time in Johnstown opened up. Carole was happy to know that I am an alumnus of the Community College. I took classes at the college while living at the Hiram G. Andrews Center.

It was on to Slippery Rock from there for me after graduation.

Before my meeting, I ate dinner at a little place called Tire Hill Taco. Tire Hill is part of Conemaugh Township in northern Somerset County. Also included in the township are Jerome and Davidsville as well as plenty of countryside. I found out from the owner that it’s a refurbished Subway and it used to be a gas station as well. We had a nice conversation and the food was good. I got the burrito but the tacos are a great deal too. There is a little park nearby that overlooks the Stonycreek River and I could have taken my food and ate at one of the pavilions. I also could have eaten at the pavilion that was on the church grounds. That would have been a nice surprise for the Johnstown Toastmasters to see me there. They knew to expect me though.

I came home by way of US 219 and US 30. Not too bad this time of year but just wait a few months. I arrived home at 9:50, making sure to message those in the club of my safe arrival.

It’s Anybody’s Game in the NFL in 2025!

So far, the 2025 NFL season is proving that it’s anybody’s game and that parity reigns supreme. I followed the game very closely last year and even enjoyed the Thursday night games (some of the divisional rivalries). The difference in 2025 is that there’s no juggernaut so far. The last two teams to go undefeated have lost two straight. Any given Sunday someone can lose and it shakes up the game and the odds in Vegas.

The one-loss teams are the ones to watch. The Buccaneers and Packers in the NFC, and the Colts and Steelers in the AFC. Judging by the standings in the AFC, it feels like 2007 minus the undefeated high scoring Patriots team. The front runners from last year all have their flaws, even though KC is regaining their old form. Look out NFL, Chiefs Kingdom may be back! Even as I listened to 93.7 the FAN, there’s a chance that Mike Tomlin could be the only coach remaining in the AFC North after 2025. We’ll see what happens. If any coach is out in that division, I point to Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland.

I used to go to CBS Sportsline and ESPN for my NFL news and notes, but things have changed. On Instagram, there are a few pages that I follow that cover the sport just as well. One of those is @nflroundtable. On this site, the reasons for why every team won or lost are explained. Also included are superlatives for some of the teams and the players who shined, as well as takeaways. Even Special Teams and Offensive Line players of the week are mentioned. These are positions just as important as the quarterback.

Another page that I follow is @thewenzelperspective. This site has different types of power rankings and doesn’t just include team power rankings. The snaked rankings are cool though, just saying. Their summaries are just as good as @nflroundtable but very brief and also to the point. No sugarcoating things here.

Finally, it’s a football night in Pittsburgh as the front running Steelers look to pull away from the rest of their division. They’ve been fortunate with injuries to Jackson and Butrow but so far they’re the team to beat in the AFC NORTH.

The First Three Days!

This morning, I logged onto Google Slides and gave myself an honest evaluation of the first three days of my Fall vacation. Some of the events and activities that I took part in made it a great three days. Friday, I watched the newest episode of the Great British Baking Show. With a busy weekend looming, we broke tradition and had pot pie for dinner. Those cheddar bay biscuits did it justice. There was plenty of pizza to go around as they ordered ten pizzas for Annabelle’s party.

Pictured above are the award winners from the Division C Humorous Speech Contest, with our District Director, Program Quality Director, and Division C Director

The weekend brought joy to me with a tripleheader speech contest at Westmoreland County Community College. Annabelle and her friends and family enjoyed the party at Hempfield Park and engaged in some sports. I spent the first two days trying to adjust my sleep pattern, which is hard when you work overnight like I do. Yesterday, I had an amazing time at Laurel Hill with the Gaffron Family reunion.

The highlights from yesterday were that I got to spend time with everyone and use my camera to get some great pics. The spread as always was awesome and having a fire to warm up to inside and make smores outside was nice too. I also took advantage of the opportunity to talk my cousin into a future coffee date at Cutie’s, and I even sold her on the idea of a coffee flight. That’s in the plans for November or December. So, it’ll either be Gilmore Girls or Christmas themed.

Multiple visits are still in the cards this week. Take two tomorrow on the Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew, and there will be another one Friday.

What has held back this week off from being perfect has been how I handled things. It’s OK to be angry when you drop the coffee you looked forward to trying but you don’t have to weave a tapestry of F-bombs as you’re driving down US 119. I was just getting over my little meltdown that I almost missed a compliment about my ‘fit from yesterday. Not wanting to let it ruin my day, I soon brushed it off unaware and tried to enjoy myself. I’m still trying to get into a normal sleep pattern so I was still a little tired. I promised to curtail the scrolling yesterday and it’s not a problem when you’re trying to keep up with NFL action. However, it is when you want immediate attention from everyone else on the socials. Other than a few hiccups, I enjoyed myself and sported some nice ‘fits on Saturday and Sunday.

My next report card comes out Thursday as I review my Johnstown experience as well as my recharge day from Monday.

The Holiday Baking Championship is back! I will be watching for the fifth season in a row beginning November 3. The show will have its season premiere just as the latest season of Great British Baking Show comes to an end. Like two ships passing in the night. I will tune in the Great Holiday Baking Show as well when the season concludes.

Finally, it’s Fall, but the holidays are coming as well as a new Christmas menu at Cutie’s. November 8 will be the holiday market as well as the launch of a new holiday menu. I’m fairly certain that you can still get your Fall flavored drinks up until the end of the month though.

Celebrating Family and Food: A Sunday Reunion Story

Today was our Gaffron Family Reunion at Laurel Hill. For the fifth year in a row, we had it at the indoor pavilion overlooking the beach. We had a decent turnout. While we missed some people who couldn’t make it, we were happy to see my uncle make it to the picnic. One of my cousins wasn’t able to attend, but he will be coming home to stay next week, after spending some time living in the Midwest.

We had a great spread, including a chicken tray that my Mom bought at Giant Eagle. My sister made pasta salad. We brought our 12 cup Keurig and I provided a 32 pack of K-Cups. Mom also made a sugar cookie bar, and there were cookies from DeLallo’s. Those cookies are so big that you may have to break them in half if you don’t want to eat the whole thing in one sitting.

Before I was on my way to the picnic, I stopped at Cutie’s to have some coffee. I was looking forward to a nice pumpkin drink. Unfortunately, my visit ended in tragedy. Just as I was getting into my car, I dropped my Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew on the pavement. I was so beside myself!

Now I know worse things could have happened, like someone hitting my car, or the drink spilling inside my vehicle. I could have been sitting in a hospital room or sick in bed because of a head cold. But I love my coffee dates at Cutie’s.

Maybe I could have sat for a few minutes to collect my thoughts before I set sail. It was a busy Sunday morning, and I wanted to get on the road. I did stop at Sheetz in South Greensburg and got a Pumpkin Spice Latte (only $2.99) so that was a band-aid on my boo-boo that was my spilled Cutie’s drink. I’ll redeem myself Tuesday morning as I treat myself to Cutie’s after the gym. It is nice to go during the morning instead of at 3pm, but I hated to piss away that first opportunity during my vacation week.

My mom’s cousin George, who’s the same age as Uncle Skip, had a computer set up complete with a slide show of old pictures of the family. Only a handful of us might have recognized who those Gaffrons were. It was nice to pick out some of our family members when they were little. Those who are still living and those who are no longer with us.

The kids all had a great time. Annabelle had a great weekend with her cousins, riding bikes and eating pizza. She enjoyed her first week of being a teenager. We built a bonfire in the new fire ring next to our pavilion. My cousin put together some “S’more cups” for those interested in making one. She had plenty of graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate.

We finished up sometime after 5 and cleaned up the pavilion. The indoor fireplace came in handy on this windy reunion Sunday. We could warm ourselves up as we enjoyed the old home movies and started to make plans for the holidays. Will it be a repeat of last Christmas Eve for us? Will I be invited to Christmas Day turkey with my second family?

I sported a new outfit at the picnic, with a white cardigan, leopard print top, and new jeans. All pieces are from Old Navy though the cardigan looks very LL Bean. The left boot and my lower pant leg sustained some splash back from the unfortunate pumpkin spice cold brew fiasco of this morning. But at least it blended into my shoe.

The first third of the vacation is complete. I’m headed to Johnstown Tuesday night.

Three Saturdays in October Series: A Speech Contest Like No Other

This morning at Westmoreland County Community College, Toastmasters from District 13 got together for a big event. The event was the Division leg of the Humorous Speech and Table Topics contest. For the first time since 2017, we held speech contests in the Fall. That was the year we stopped having the Fall Conference, going down to just one a year.

Just like that end of an era in 2017, this year marks the end of another. This is the last year for District 13 as it merges with District 10 to form the new Distinct 219. It’ll be exciting to see what happens next year as we join forces with the Akron/Canton and Cleveland markets.

Those competing in the three division contests who finished in the top two would advance to the District contest in two weeks. The number of contestants in each division varied. But overall, it was a great contest. The Table Topics varied for each division but the questions had us thinking.

The speeches lived up to their name and they definitely were humorous. For his first time, Gary of Western Maryland and Laurel Highlands did well and placed third in the humorous speech contest. Ryan finished second in the Table Topics contest and will be moving on to the District contest in two weeks.

This contest gave us a good barometer of who all will be competing in two weeks at the 2025 Fall Symposium Along with the keynote speaker, the event should be spectacular.

We had candy on the table to keep us nourished. Everything from little Tootsie rolls to hard candies. There were even a few Airheads thrown in. Just like every event, there were pastries. But if you wanted coffee, you were on your own. We had pizza and lemonade provided to us for lunch. I wonder if that was Rocco’s Pizza since we were in Youngwood. That unfortunately turned me off to the leftover pizza from the party that my parents got from Domino’s.

Today, Annabelle celebrated her birthday with her cousins and many of her friends from school and karate. This year, the venue was Hempfield Park and they had the party inside at the gymnasium. The kids had a good time and played some basketball and volleyball. While my absence was felt there, I did have a great time at the speech contest with my Toastmaster friends.

One of the best Table Topics questions from today’s competition was “what would your perfect age be?” This was for the Division D contest. A longtime toastmaster put a humorous spin on it and he just celebrated a birthday himself.

I wowed with my outfit today at the speech contest. Of course, I rocked the trademark cheetah cardigan and a green sweater tank top underneath. I’ve worn this on holidays when we’ve had company (Thanksgiving 2022, the last two Christmas Eves, and this past Easter). Maybe I’ll wear the red one when I have dinner with Kevin Thursday night. The cardigan has been worn at other Toastmasters events too and gets a lot of rave reviews.

Sweater weather is here and I’m ready to embrace the change.

My Gilmore Girls book arrived on Tuesday, the day of its release. The first chapter brings to life the understanding of the mother-daughter relationship and references some other famous TV moms including some from past 90’s shows. It also highlights how they found the actors to portray Lorelai, Rory, and Emily. I recently read Kelly Bishop’s memoir this Spring and she wrote about her experience on the show and the Netflix four part series from 2016, “A Year In The Life”.

I’ll bring “Meet Me at Luke’s” to the reunion to show to my cousins. My camera as well so I can get some good pictures.