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The Past Peak of Summer!

Summer began on June 21 this year and will end on September 20. Around the end of July and into August marks the peak of summer. The luster of summer is still here but it will be fading soon as kids prepare to go back to school in the weeks ahead. School shopping is big in the department stores and in the grocery stores as well. The most popular characters, school supplies, and everything your child needs to do well this year are all on sale.

The Erie vacation came to an end yesterday as the weary travelers made it home after a fun time at the Lake. My cousin’s wedding shower was not too far from where I had a few of my Toastmasters conferences. Young A got to check out the Maritime Museum and the Brig Niagara. I was a little bit older when I visited Erie for the first time but I always enjoyed the adventure. School starts on August 20 at Hempfield Area but the 7th and 8th graders get a reprieve.

Their first day is August 21. Back to school for a day and then the weekend.

My take on Summer 2026 so far as we have reached the peak and start to head down the mountain:

It hasn’t been the washout or bust that everyone has claimed it to be on social media. Has it been hot? Some days have been oppressive in terms of the heat. Has it been humid? Yes, very much so and that is why I look forward to Fall in six weeks.
There have been good days and bad in terms of the weather. Our family’s Fourth of July picnic ended early, even though some stayed until the end and watched the fireworks. We dealt with the power outage at our store. The middle of July brought with it major wildfire smoke. It was worse than June of 2023. Fortunately the rain a couple of days later washed that all away.
There’s still six weeks of Summer to go. Still plenty of time to enjoy the pool and go to the beach.

My schedule changed this week, but it still worked in my favor. In addition, I learned a new skill at work with a visit from our new regional manager coming Friday morning. It got me the weekend off. I likely will see my next weekend when I take vacation in October.

Coffee visits have changed for August due to me working Thursday night. I’ll be visiting Caleese on the Trail in Export this week. I’m going to choose one of their Around The World drinks. Also coming up this month is a visit to White Tree Cafe and Coffeehouse. I’d like to pair that with a stop at Completely booked and admire Irwin’s small business scene.

I was doing to do White Rabbit Thursday afternoon but with the schedule change, I’ll push that visit back to later on in the month. The last Thursday of August continues my Dinner Series with Mr. Clougherty and we won’t go far from where we were in July. Plaza Azteca is our choice for dinner and I look forward to our time together. It’ll be a special day as we celebrate 30 years of friendship (he was one of my teachers on my first day of high school). That first day was August 27 (1996).

New fall menus roll out in the latter half of the month. Dunkin’ on August 19 and Starbucks on the 25th. My go to shop rolls theirs out on tbe 29th.

Magnificent Speaking Streak 2.0?

It’s been a few days, but I’m back to writing and ready to embark on this journey. The countdown to a thousand blogs starts today. Since I’ve been off the grid for a few days, what is new with me?

Last Friday I visited the Dick’s House of Sport at Westmoreland Mall. I was in the neighborhood and decided to check it out. Other than being a sporting good store with accessories and clothing, the amenities I checked out were out of this world. The rock climbing wall is worth a look and a pass is worth the money if that’s your cup of tea. I finished my visit checking out the golf simulator. The added amenities are a nice touch to the store and the new anchor should help bring more traffic into Westmoreland Mall. The Dick’s wing (formerly Sears) saw its most activity since Sears closed its doors in early 2019.

Other things that stood about the House of Sport were the chair shaped like a baseball glove, and the photos that represent Pittsburgh well. The Clemente Bridge leading into PNC Park and the view of Heinz Field (yes, I said that). I’m excited to see how they do, and may check out the Going Going Gone when it opens in the Fall.

Two years ago on this exact night, I began a special run that I’d like to call my magnificent speaking streak. It started at the August 7 meeting as I was getting ready to finish the “path” that I began during COVID. I took some time off, citing burnout after achieving my Distinguished Toastmaster award and feeling discouraged in the early days of the pandemic. Things improved slightly as I transitioned into my current job and accepted the nomination of club President at Greensburg.

I found myself mired in another emotional slump in the Spring of 2024 and that lasted into the first half of summer. Around this time two years ago, those negative feelings wore off and opened the door for a great rest of 2024. Even the results of the Presidential election couldn’t keep me down.

Could ‘Magnificent Speaking Streak’ 2.0 begin at the next Greensburg Toastmasters meeting on August 19? I’m banking on it as I finish up the last couple of speeches in Presentation Mastery. That should help matters on the road to Distinguished and higher in my clubs.

I’ve been behind during this first week of August, but I’m slowly starting to catch up. I’ve had my mind on appointments and both of them ram back to back. I won’t go into detail but I am making some changes to improve my health. This week had me contemplating things. Tuesday night was Bible Study at Cutie’s (instead of the usual Monday). With a night off, I got a thirty minute outdoor walk in following the study. In my travels in downtown Greensburg, I spotted someone getting their senior pictures taken. Due to my appointment Wednesday and feeling the need to rest up for work, I made the decision to call off my Toastmasters meeting that night. No worries as my club President emailed me the agenda for our next meeting on August 19. Delegation is key.

This week was the annual trip to Erie for Mom and family. They’ve gone up for the last few years, staying for a few days. Stops along the way included the Grove City outlets and the spillway in Linesville (near Pymatuning State Park). This spillway is interesting as the ducks walk on the fish. It’s always a sight to see. There have been plenty of days at the beach and at Presque Isle State Park, as well as a day at Waldameer for cousins A and H. We’ve ventured up to Erie for getaways since the late ‘90s. This is the last hurrah for summer as A will be starting school in a couple of weeks.

For me, I’m going to start planning for our Cape May trip in October. From 2009 to 2018 (save for a couple of years), I’ve made this trip. Half of them were with my aunt and the other half with my parents. This will be my first time going to Cape May since the COVID-19 pandemic (my last time in Cape May was in July 2018). Except for one year when we went in Spring, all my trips to the Jersey Shore were in Summer. This will be my first Fall visit. I’d like to see how decorated this beach town is at Christmas.

The Cape May adventure will be a nice way to celebrate writing my 1,000th blog post.

Previewing New Books in August!

Here we are in the closing days of July. It was an active month with power outages, bloodwork, and learning from my mistakes in my officer role. Summer is flying by and in just a few weeks, teachers will be setting up their classrooms. Parents will take their kids back to school shopping and counting down the days until the first day.

Hempfield Area is back to school on August 20. A, your summer vacation is officially on notice. Hard to believe she’s starting eighth grade. Greater Latrobe starts August 24, and Norwin starts a few days later.

In the stores, back to school and Fall are beginning to win the battle. Summer merchandise and food is officially on clearance as they try to clear it all out. I’m seeing Pumpkin everything make its way into the stores. An end cap of Fall flavored coffee has me dreaming of a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Halloween candy is already out at Giant Eagle. Spooky season is coming, like it or not.

Before you know it, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here.

August has no major holidays. Should back to school shopping be considered that?

I talked about my shows that I’m watching in August. Out with The Pitt, in with Stuart and King of the Hill. The Paper and ‘90s House are coming in September, and eventually Great British Bake Off.

August also brings with it visits to a few familiar and new cafes. I might plan breakfast in Export, including a visit to Caleese on the Trail.

I should be wrapping up The Jazzmen in a week or two, before debuting Three Shades of Blue. I bought the latter book at Barnes and Noble in May along with Jane Austen’s Bookshelf. Three Shades talks about the work that went into the bestselling jazz album “Kind of Blue”. I’ll be making the switch from Armstrong, Basie, and Ellington to Davis, Coltrane, and Evans. The shift from Big Band to Cool jazz is going to became a reality very soon. I think I have a future blog title in mind.

Next week I’m going to preview some of my new upcoming reads as we head into the past the peak and soon to be past peak of summer. One of those books will be from my District Director and another from Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman. I’m going for the hat trick on Chapman’s book as this will be my third of his. I’m on my second Matthew West book, which is on taking part in a 40 day prayer journey.

A Ligonier visit is planned for one of these days off coming up, where I may preview one of my books and enjoy some time in the Diamond.

Taste of Fall at Cutie’s!

The calendar may read late July, but some coffee shops are already looking forward to Fall. This week brought a sneak peak of the new Fall menu that is coming to local coffee shop Cutie’s Coffee. Some of the features include the Caramel Apple Butter Latte, as well as Carrot Cake and Maple Cinnamon Roll lattes. I went with the first choice. For the last hour of the day, the second floor was hoppin’. If Fall flavored coffee wasn’t your choice, there’s always the summer menu. The new Fall menu rolls out on August 29, with a morning market as is the tradition with Cutie’s.

The Around the World menu made its debut at Caleese on Friday. Looking at the menu, some of the choices looked really neat. I would like to try one of the Horchata specials. This special menu gives off some EPCOT vibes, as I thought about my Disney trips years ago. Next month I will be checking out the new location in Export (Caleese on the Trail), and may include breakfast with that as well.

Coffee visits will resume on August 6. The reason for that being appointments that I have the first week of the month that I want to focus on. I need to include more potassium-rich foods and limit or cut out those with phosphorous, The latter will be easier said than done. It’s going to be a time for adjustment as I learn to sleep with a CPAP mask, and do more with less.

In the plans for August are a trip to White Rabbit and a stop in Ligonier. This summer is flying by.

Currently I’m in Matthew and will be finished by next week, just as we turn the calendar to August. During my week of appointments and the Erie trip, I’ll begin reading Mark. In addition, I’m going to begin a 40 Day Prayer journey with a new book from Matthew West. That coincides with me reading Mark and Luke between August and the last weekend of Summer. In a few weeks, I’ll be previewing the new Steven Curtis Chapman book that I bought this Spring. Steven and his wife co-wrote “Still Here”. This book chronicles their 40+ year marriage and all the good and bad and tragic events. Still Here completes the author trifecta that began in the Fall of 2010 with Choosing to See. Just as I previewed Jane Austen’s Bookshelf in Ligonier, I may also preview this book in Ligonier. If not at the library, I may sit in the Diamond and read it there (maybe I’ll enjoy a cone from the Ligonier Creamery as well).

This summer is flying by quickly and soon the kids will be back in school. Hempfield Area kids go back on August 20th, with the seventh and eighth graders starting a day later. For Mr. Clougherty, he doesn’t have to worry about that as he’ll officially be retired. He will continue to coach swimming, however. Summer is beginning to come down at my store as the Halloween stuff is already coming out. I can already taste the Pumpkin Spice and see the colors changing on the leaves (in my mind).

With the season going by so fast, it’s important to make August count as we change the calendar this weekend. I didn’t swim much in July, due to the smoke and unsettled weather. August looks like it’ll be average to above normal weatherwise. It’s also time to begin the process of downsizing as I begin to adapt to having less. I got rid of a few bags of clothes in June and plan to do away with more in September. I’m going to include accessories and books I don’t read anymore. We’ll see where this takes me.

After the Erie weekend, my aunt and I will start thinking about our Cape May trip. We will be going in the middle of October, during my vacation week.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe!

This week has been one of new beginnings with new shows and season premieres. Monday began season two of King of the Hill on Hulu and Disney +. Last night was the series premiere for The Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. I turned on HBO Max just after the show premiered at 9pm, and was impressed with what I’ve seen from the new show. It makes good use of the recurring characters from the iconic CBS show. Bert and Denise are from later seasons, with Kripke and Stuart appearing earlier in the series. On the podcast that I watched later on, I learned a little bit more about the character who always took joy in poking fun at Sheldon. I read that there will be cameos from actors who appeared in the original series, but I’ll keep that a secret. The first episode sets the tone for the new series.

The rewatch podcast is hosted by Felicia Day and someone familiar to the Big Bang multiverse. That would be Mr. Wil Wheaton. You may remember him from such shows as Star Trek: The Next Generation and a voice actor in Teen Titans. He’s kept it together since his child acting days, and became a fan favorite on the Big Bang Theory. He was definitely one the best recurring characters (appearing as himself) and his character development was excellent. To go from an archenemy of the main character to one of his close friends is nothing short of a good character arc.

Interviews include those with people involved behind the scenes as well as the main cast. The first episode had the hosts interview the big names behind the show. It’s safe to say Chuck Lorre has an extensive resume going back to the ‘90s (Cybill and Dharma and Greg). Bill Prady has not only been involved with the new show and Big Bang Theory, but also Gilmore Girls. Zak Penn is a screenwriter who has been involved with such films as The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers. Later on, the hosts interviewed John Ross Bowie, who portrays Barry Kripke. The speech impediment isn’t a real thing, as that was incorporated into the show. Fun fact: Bowie and Wheaton are close friends in real life.

I’ll watch this show as new episodes air, thus staying caught up with the series.

I’m only a few episodes away from wrapping up season two of The Pitt. This latest season has pulled out all the stops, from IT systems failing to momma drama, and everything else. I’m looking forward to Season Three, which should come out in January. With the season about to end, how do I beat my Pitt withdrawal this Fall? The rewatch pod which really began with the second season has been insightful. Good interviews of the cast and those who make the show.

Exit Dr. Robby, enter Hank Hill and Stuart as summer peaks and back to school sales begin. As I finish The Pitt, I’ll focus on King of the Hill and Stuart Fails to Save the Universe. September should bring the new season of The Great British Bake-off on Netflix and The Paper on Peacock. We’ll see if season two of the latter is just as good. My inner nostalgia is calling as ‘90s House premieres on HGTV later in August (new episode premieres a day later on HBO Max). Some big ‘90s stars will be part of this show including the Lawrence brothers and Melissa Joan Hart.

Looking ahead to the weekend and beyond…

New coffee features at Caleese and Cutie’s with the Around the World menu at Caleese and a fall preview at Cutie’s. Hard to decide where to go.
A look ahead to August as this summer just keeps flying by.
New stores opening up at the mall!

Return of the King (of the Hill)

The first Bible study at Cutie’s in almost two months (due to inclement weather) did not disappoint.

I made sure I kept my calendar open Monday night for Bible Study. The forecast agreed for once, even with all the smoke we had Thursday and Friday and the heavy rain and storms Saturday. The forecast trended hazy but nothing like late last week. We studied Romans 12, and the Bible Study was led by our wonderful Vic. She always brings a lot of passion when giving the Message.

Romans 12 is a good passage of scripture to read if you want to live in this world. I took a Sunday school class on that chapter of the Bible. Both the teacher of our class and the presenter knew their stuff. I had a book about learning to live as a Romans 12 Christian, but I might have given it away.

We had a nice turnout for Bible Study and the weather was perfect. The rain held off for a day, and the overhyped storms we were supposed to have on never left their mark on Westmoreland County.

There will a sneak peak of the new Fall menu this weekend, and I’ll be heading down to Cutie’s Saturday after I wake up. Nice way to get a walk in downtown as well.

Monday morning I watched the first episode of the new season of the King of the Hill reboot. The long-running FOX series ended its original run in 2009 or 2010. In syndication and on social media, it got plenty of views. There had been talk of rebooting the series for some time. That dream became reality when season 14 brought us back to Arlen. It’s not the same when you realize some of the original voice actors have since passed. The rebooted show grows on you, just give it time.

Just like last year, this season also has ten episodes. TV shows are a lot different now than they were 30 years ago. Plus, I’ve discovered so many shows on these streaming channels. The Pitt is a great example and so is Queer Eye 🏳️‍🌈 👁️. I’m watching one episode of King of the Hill per week to start out. I will do two episodes once I wrap up The Pitt in a few weeks, running through August.

The reboot is one of the most aired shows on Hulu right now. I always read in the comments on social media that Peggy is definitely not well-liked. While she’s not the worst cartoon mom of all time, I can see understand the negative opinions towards her character. This new season will feel like the original series in a way.

King of the Hill also airs on Disney+.

Trying the PB Cup Latte at Caleese!

The forecast for today has been dry, yet somewhat hazy. However, it’s not as bad as Thursday and Friday. In fact the AQ was more moderate depending on your location. With a day off and an amazing weekend feature at one of my locations, I wasn’t passing this opportunity up.

The PB Cup Latte is one of the features at Caleese Coffee this weekend. This is the only time to get it and it was definitely calling for me. The drink comes with Peanut Butter, Mocha, Peanut Butter Cold Foam, and is topped with Reese’s Crumbles.

My review coming as I finish this drink but so far it looks really good. Here is a pic.

The week ahead is Toastmasters-free. No big deal as it’s just how the calendar worked out. This can happen around major holidays, especially during Christmas. However, I’m not standing pat this week as I continue to search for roles and get the word out to some of our members. The next time I’ll have a week with no meetings is at the end of September. Our District 219 Director and founding member has a new book on Amazon. The name of it is From College to Corporate and Beyond and I plan to include it on my reading list. We’re hoping to have an officers meeting soon to discuss goals for the 2026-2027 Toastmasters year.

The Pitt watch party continues for me as I’m down to the last three episodes of season two. This season has brought the drama, from the computers shutting down, to the presence of the new attending physician. I’m still not 100% on Al-Hashimi but the actor does well. The Pitt is good at bringing diversity to the table. Langdon and Santos’ beef is just insane. It’s a complete 180 from how Dr. King looks at him. I’ve learned some lessons from watching the show, and the latest is from watched Mohan struggle to separate her personal life from her work life. Dr. Robby admonishes her on this and reminds her that the hospital is the four walls and her “personal problems” should not enter that forcefield. While I don’t have at home issues, I do have anxiety and other concerns that get in the way. I need to teach myself to leave those where I left them.

The rewatch podcast for the show is amazing and the hosts are very knowledgeable. I like how Dr. Patel and Hunter (Harris) recap the episode, talk to the cast members or producers, and a medical expert. Whether you’re a medical student, a health nut, or are interested in the show, this is a good podcast to check out. The problems that Dr. Robby and his staff have apply to all of us, including that of mental health. I like how The Pitt touches on this and other real life problems in the industry. Last night’s episode, for example, hit on the issue that rural hospitals are facing with all of the cuts.

Weatherwise, things turned out a lot better today. The hazy, smoke-filled sky of Thursday and Friday has left (for now) and the storms of Saturday are a distant memory (until Tuesday). It felt less humid and a little bit like early September. Hello Pumpkin Season? After my Caleese visit, it was off to fulfill my exercise ring requirements. With outdoor activities a little more tolerable today, I took a walk around Downtown Greensburg. There will plenty of exercise time this week with no meetings, including before my dinner with Mr. Clougherty Thursday night. I think a road trip is in order this week. Not a big one, just a trip to Export to find that new Caleese location. I’m going to have a drink there sometime in August. The coffee schedule sees me going to Export and maybe back to Latte Lane or up towards the Alle-Kiski valley.

The weather is agreeing for Cutie’s Bible Study Monday night. I’m not sure what the message will be, but I’ve been reading my Bible as I study Matthew. Since I enjoyed my PB Cup Latte at Caleese and will be back this weekend, I’ll take it easy tomorrow night. It feels like early September today and that gets me in the mood for a little Fall preview coming Saturday. Featured drinks from what I had seen on the socials include the Caramel Apple Butter Latte. The Carrot Cake Latte and Maple Cinnamon Roll will be on my list for late September/early October.

Later on this past week had me feeling down, with the wildfires and severe weather the last few days. The next three weeks bring their own anxiety but I will get through it. I’ll be continuing my downsizing throughout the summer as well. Now for my review of the PB Cup Latte.

I really tasted the Peanut Butter cold foam and the mocha and loved the little pop of Reese’s crumbles. At the end, I enjoyed sweeping up the little bit of Peanut Butter with my straw. Overall, a very good drink and I enjoyed it during my walk around downtown Greensburg. Grade: 11/10.

Fun Features at Caleese and Cutie’s!

I’m looking forward to sharing some of the fun drinks that my favorite coffee shops have to offer next week. But first, let’s recap Wednesday night’s Toastmasters meeting.

It was a hot one Wednesday, pre-wildfire smoke and poor visibility. But I still came out to my Toastmasters meeting that evening. I made sure my hotspot was ready to go after last week and it came in handy this time. Looks like we’ll be using it in the future. I think at my next Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting, I’ll bring my laptop to get a jumpstart on planning the agenda. We had our online attendees back with us on Wednesday night, plus one of our guests returned. I’m hoping that we’ll get to hear her ice breaker soon.

On the agenda, we had two experienced speakers. Both of them came up with interesting topics. Our President shared his Toastmasters journey which began in 1982 and not at the Greensburg club, but the Monroeville club. The latter club meets at the library now, but in 1982 the meetings were held at the Denny’s Restaurant on US 22. Our online attendee gave a speech on meditation and talked about what was better: prayer or meditation. The audience all gave interesting answers. I would end up evaluating the speech later on. Our Table Topics centered on the 13 colonies. We picked a state (one of the original colonies) and shared what we know about it. Had I picked New Jersey I’d have talked a good deal about the beach town at the bottom of the state. I’ll be heading down there this Fall during my vacation week for a quick getaway.

Later on we had a very thorough review of the meeting from our general evaluator. Afterwards, I planned our next meeting which is three weeks away on August 5. Plenty of time for preparing that elevator speech. I’ll be reaching out directly to a couple of members to see if they’re interested in roles. I got the agenda prepared as soon as I got home from the meeting and sent it yesterday morning. This is a habit that I’m getting into for both of my clubs.

Some news and notes from our business meeting, and one of those tidbits is a dues increase that’s coming in August. If you want to invest in your future at the same rate you’ve been paying, then pay your dues by August 3 to get the current rate. At our officers’ meeting, we discussed membership practices as we get guests and look for prospects to join our club. Our president (who has served as Vice President Membership) put together some guest packets for those future visitors.

We had nine in attendance with a near 50/50 split between in person and online guests. Our next two meetings are August 5 and 19, and the International Convention is slated for August 19th through the 22nd in Vancouver. Contest season is heating up as well, and we’ll be hosting a contest or sending a member to the event. The fall contest will be Humorous Speech and Table Topics.

The weekend special at Caleese is the Peanut Butter Cup Latte. I saw this and told myself that I have to have this. The feature drink is only available today through the weekend. I’ll make it up there either tomorrow or Sunday (hopefully I can get one at 3pm on a Sunday). When I go, I’ll bring my laptop if I have a blog to finish up. This would be my first time taking the computer out, and I’ll finish up another chapter in ‘The Jazzmen’. Next month, I’ll visit the new location in Export near the Westmoreland Heritage trail. If I’m feeling lucky, I may include breakfast at Wade’s Breakfast and Grille. I discovered them on Instagram this morning.

Pictures courtesy of
Caleese Coffee and Cutie’s Coffee Company

Fall is coming early to Cutie’s! The Fall menu makes its arrival at the end of August but there will be a sneak peak next weekend. After seeing the choices on social media, I’m debating over what to try. It might be the Caramel Apple Butter Latte.

Bible Study is scheduled for Monday night, weather permitting. The forecast is trending dry but fingers crossed that the air quality will be better than it was today. There is a fall preview, and the new menu rolls out August 29 (with a market in the parking lot). Additional parking is coming soon, along with the new Otterman Square. The Christmas in July flight runs through the end of the month.

Know It. Speak It. Live It at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

Tuesday was our first Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting of the year. En route to Connellsville, I wasn’t sure how the meeting was going to go. New to FreeToastHost, I didn’t have an agenda prepared. One reason could be that I am used to doing things different at Greensburg. As I walked in the room, I saw our founding member and tech officer hard at work getting the room set up. I explained my predicament to both Ryan and Nick, our two engineers in the room. Ryan encouraged me to RIOT (Relax, It’s Only Toastmasters). We had a guest at our meeting, TJ. While waiting for our president, we got to know our guest and the line of work he’s involved in. We also introduced him to Toastmasters and explained the meeting process.

As our Toastmaster prepared the agenda for the meeting, we had a few openings. We had a slot for a speaker as one of our members wasn’t able to make it that night. Our guest stepped in and gave his ice breaker speech that night. This is the first time that’s happened in the club (or any club I’ve been a part of). We learned a lot about our guest’s career in real estate and how he splits time between living in Uniontown and Pittsburgh. Later in the meeting, TJ officially joined our club as a member. We welcomed him with open arms. Our two speeches were diverse. One from our guest who took QA for us to know him better. The other from our founding member, President and new District 219 Director. She had us write on a 3 x 5 note card the three things that we’re good at. One I included was doing math. It’s a subject that isn’t popular with most students, but in school it was one of my strong suits. Duolingo has helped refresh my memory when it comes to this subject that I excelled at in the past. Nick provided us with a different take on Table Topics. With the help of his computer, our vice president membership listed three questions for the members to answer. Of course, we could use our own question and that’s what I did.

Why should you join Toastmasters?

Cosmas gave his word, or phrase, of the day. He encouraged us to Speak Up. I think District 13 speaking legend Charlie Wilson had that phrase on a license plate.

Towards the end of the meeting, our President instilled mentors for the new officers to help them do their roles effectively. I have three Vice Presidents of Education to turn to. Primarily, it’ll be Cosmas as he recently held the role. In addition, I’ll also turn to Ryan and Gary who have also done the role. Gary is serving as Treasurer for both of his clubs, just like I’m doing as Vice President Education for both of my clubs. Ryan helped clear things up for me and showed me how to edit the agenda. I’m confident everybody got it, as it was sent at 7:35 yesterday morning. I’m all set to edit the agenda for August 11 and other meetings going forward.

So, a potential disaster turned into a great night in Connellsville. That Chernobyl turned Three Mile Island in my mind was nothing to worry about. I’m grateful that everyone understood and having a good tech guy really helped along the way. All of us are now set and we have our goals in place for the new Toastmasters year. I gave my treasurer what he needs for the year, so he’s set too.

I was on my way by 8pm to get ready for another night at the Eagle.

Why Ligonier was a Wake-up Call!

I wasn’t one of the lucky ones to make it out to the railroad yesterday to see the famed Union Pacific train go by. However, some of my family members found a great spot to see it. The train passed through Altoona on Friday and made stops in Derry, Greensburg, Jeannette, Irwin, North Huntingdon, and Trafford. My family saw it in Penn Twp. It was a sight to behold and if I can find videos on YouTube, they’ll be worth watching. This blog isn’t about the Union Pacific, and I will read up on the iconic steam locomotive and its history.

My stop in Ligonier was nice as I got to catch up with my cousin and enjoy a nice birthday lunch. It was also much needed, in my opinion. I’m not always one to let loose as I’m pretty tight when it comes to my schedule, and that goes back to my college days. When my cousin entertained the offer for us to have a meal, I knew I would want to make some time. With my work schedule and somewhat busy lifestyle, it’s not always easy. I changed things up on Friday, sleeping a little bit later in the afternoon, and that seemed to work out for me.

Some days after a night off, I might have a Toastmasters meeting or Bible Study (during the summer). We might have family visiting early in the afternoon or later in the day. Those are the times when I can adjust my sleep schedule to lay down early or later so that I’m rested up for work. After my experience on Friday, there’s definitely more of that coming in the future. Maybe another visit to Ligonier, a special trip for coffee up north (Cheswick, Vandergrift or Freeport), or a walk on the Westmoreland Heritage trail are in the future for me. They don’t always have to be on my day/night off.

Switching to Toastmasters, I’m definitely taking on a challenge serving as Vice President of Education for two clubs. It’s one of the most critical roles in the club (even more so than President) and I’m learning that I need to be on the ball this year. As people complete their paths, I’ll need to approve the paths as soon as possible so we can get credit. I also need to get into the habit of sending agendas out early so people can sign up early. I’ll have emails sent by Friday for both of my clubs, even though Greensburg has an extra week.

I’ve been in Toastmasters for 15 years, but even the most experienced members still have room to learn and grow. While watching the Big Bang Theory spinoff Young Sheldon, I’ve learned a few things about myself. Sheldon’s college professor Dr. Linkletter reminded him as he was falling behind in his abroad classes:

“Shut up and Listen”
“If You’re the Smartest Kid in the Class, You’re not Learning anything”

I’m not new to the position but I feel serving as Vice President Education this year will definitely be a learning experience.