Making Greensburg Toastmasters Fun Again!

Last night we held our Greensburg Toastmasters meeting back at the courthouse after going 100% virtual last time. We had eight in attendance, four in person and four online. Two of the attendees were District Leaders, that being our Area 24 Director and our Program Quality Director. I was able to give our Area Director the meeting time and the Zoom link for our meeting as it was his official area visit. While we have our dedicated members, we need to get membership up in order to qualify for not just Distinguished, but Smedley Distinguished. We started that process by working on the Club Success Plan and will have that submitted by the September 30 deadline. 

We had two speakers on the agenda and they did well. Sam spoke first and asked us, “What Slows You Down?”. I’ll answer this question myself momentarily. Jim spoke about the events leading up to his knee replacement surgery. Both speakers will continue their presentations at our August 20 meeting. With heading to Philadelphia for the International Convention, I’ll be evaluating the second part of Jim’s speech next meeting. 

At our officers’ meeting, we discussed the Club Success Plan, as I alluded to earlier. My plans between now and the end of 2025 are to finish Levels 4 and 5 in my Presentation Mastery path. In addition, we also did a SWOT analysis for our club. We are a tight knit group and we have our core members who attend regularly. While we are a great club, we can most definitely use new members who we can groom as future leaders for our club. We may bring back the Moments of Truth as a Table Topics session this Fall, as well. 

We need to work on inviting people to our meetings and the website needs to be updated. That has been addressed and we’re working on that. Greensburg is the county seat of Westmoreland County and we can definitely attract new members. I can talk up Toastmasters at Bible Study Monday night and promote it on Facebook as well as this blog, as I’m doing right now. 

I believe we’ll be Smedley Ready by June 30 and have this club booming!

The answer to the question, “What Slows Me Down?” is distractions, plain and simple. What better place to find distractions than on social media. I’m not knocking it as social media can be very useful. But it is also a double-edged sword. 

The “socials”, as like to refer to them, have their positives and negatives. 

The positives of social media are: 

  • That you can find out about an event at one of your favorite places (Cutie’s 2nd Birthday, Fall menu launch).
  • Get news or weather on the go.

The negatives of social media are: 

  • Views which may be different than yours.
  • Looking at people’s profiles and realizing that your life isn’t as good.

I know there’s many answers but I chose a few. One for me is that I like people to make a fuss over me and when I don’t get attention, I get discouraged. The story of my fashion journey. *Sigh*

Finally, I ate a pre-Toastmasters dinner at Kings Family Restaurant in Hempfield. I figured I want to enjoy a meal here while there’s still time, you don’t know what you got until it’s gone. I still hope that Kevin and I can meet here in September. From the marquee, it said that wraps were the feature item. I took advantage and ordered a Buffalo Chicken Wrap. My meal was good and the service was excellent. I saw the employees all working and doing a great job. 

A once vibrant chain with over 30 locations has dwindled down to three. 

Raising Cane’s tomorrow!

Erie Week

Tonight is our first Greensburg Toastmasters meeting in three weeks and first in person since the beginning of July. The extra week always throws me off and it will be the same feeling in a week at our Laurel Highlands meeting. I just get busy with other things and forget what I’m supposed to do for whatever club. I still get it done last minute though. I am scheduled to be Table Topics Master at Greensburg tonight, and will reschedule my speech at Laurel Highlands for the next meeting on August 26. That is a very special day for me as it’s a big anniversary. It’s the date that I checked in at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. How appropriate to use that day give a speech about big change in my life. Going off to college and being on my own is definitely a relevant topic.

Summer vacation is winding down for most kids and parents as school starts in the next few weeks. This week my family is taking a road trip to Erie. It’s more of a mini-vacation. I won’t highlight the trip too much, so I’ll highlight one of my first time visiting the City by the Lake. It was the summer of 1997, and we drove up for a day before coming back the next day. We stayed at a two-star motel called the El Patio. This place is long gone and has been replaced by a Sheetz.

In the evening, we took a boat ride and got a guided tour of the Lake. We headed back home the next day but not without shopping in Grove City. This trip wasn’t just an one day excursion to Erie, it was also my introduction to outlet shopping. Fun fact: Erie is where KDKA meteorologist Ray Petelin worked before coming down I-79 to Pittsburgh in 2011. Hey Ray!

Shit’s getting real at my store as Fall is beginning to take over. We’re going from peak to past peak on summer and it’s past peak for summer vacation. I saw pumpkin flavored Pop Tarts. Starbucks and Dunkin’ have their Fall coffee on display (near Bakery and as you walk in to the store). Green Mountain and McCafe also have theirs in Dairy, and don’t forget the Halloween and Fall-themed cereals.

I’ll be planning a Pumpkin Spice shopping spree within the next week or two. What better place to shop than Market District? Road trip coming soon! Maybe that new store in East Liberty will be opening soon (at that new shopping center at Shady and Penn where the old Giant Eagle was).

Driving Up the Mountain: 25 Years Later!

It’s hard to believe, but later this month will be 25 years since we packed up my things and checked me into my dorm room at the Hiram G. Andrews Center in Westmont, just outside of Johnstown. That weekend was a changing of the guard as I would be away from my home for the first time in my life. I’d still come home over the weekend but during the week I’d live at the school and take my classes. 

That Saturday we drove up to the school and got me checked in. My aunt and sister drove to Ames just down the road (remember them) to pick up hangers so I could hang my clothes on something. That night we ate dinner at Ryan’s by the Galleria. That place is gone and the Galleria has really changed as malls have been on the way out. I’m really dating myself, but Richland Mall was still around in 2000, though just the K-Mart and Ames were the only stores still open. 

It was hard for both my mother and me as we parted ways that weekend. We were both dealing with a new season in our lives. I would be home for the holiday weekend on Friday. 

Fun fact: the resident assistant who did my paperwork and checked me in is still at the school, albeit in a different position. 

While I was going to give a speech next Tuesday at Laurel Highlands, I think I like to postpone it until the next meeting on August 26. I’m going to speak about my first semester at HGA, and what better day to speak about it than the exact day that I moved in and started to live life on my own? 

It didn’t have to happen, and I was more than qualified to attend the local community college. I couldn’t leave this out of the speech but my mom thought it was better for me to attend HGA so I could learn to be independent. It was a decision that has shaped me into who I am today. I joke that while Slippery Rock was a great experience, HGA has the upper hand. 

I’ll have plenty more content for this speech in a few weeks, but I feel that this is a start. I can also add more to future blog posts as I consider making this a weekly blog series. Going off to college is a big transition and it definitely was for me in 2000, as I had only been a social person for a few years at this point. But even then, I was dealing with anxiety (which had been a big thing for me in my late teens and throughout my 20’s). It’s a subject that I’ll save for a different blog post down the road, but still it’s something that I wanted to share here. This affects how I present myself even in 2025 and it’s a side of me you may not have seen. Once I collect some facts, I can share this with Dr. Liz, who has her own mental health podcast. 

While Fall is popping up and it’s tempting, I’m waiting until the end of the month to have my first Pumpkin Spice Latte. I am getting excited for the launch into Fall coffee and cooler weather.

Greensburg Night Market/Coffee Bean Visit!

Being the last Thursday of the month, Greensburg held its monthly night market. That meant downtown was going to be packed. The growth of this event has been so phenomenal over the last few years. I went a few times in 2020 to support small businesses during COVID, as the local restaurants and shops needed a lifeline more than ever. 

No doubt, it was a crowded house Thursday. I got there around 6:45 and stayed until 8:30, picking up the shuttle at the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. I still enjoyed myself even though I didn’t stick around for the whole time. I walked the four blocks, just browsing. While it’s a good way to get your steps (slowly), it’s also nice to shop. 

The night market has food trucks, multiple stops for beer and even coffee. You can buy all sorts of things from plants and healthy juice (kombucha) to home decor and pet accessories. During this time, the shops and cafes will be open, so you can get deals and grab a bite to eat, as the foot traffic from the market adds to their business. 

The next time I plan to visit, I could have had a plan for what I wanted to shop for and where I wanted to eat. Past night market trips had me eating an amazing grilled cheese from the Pickled Chef. Also, doing my research and knowing what I wanted to buy would make for less time walking around feeling lost. These minor improvements will make for a better experience next time I want to go. I would like to go again at the end of October if my schedule agrees. 

Other upcoming markets this weekend include the Vintage Market on Sunday at St. Clair Park, and the First Sunday Market at Bella Terra Vineyards in Hunker. The next Greensburg Night Market is August 28, and the Cutie’s Market is August 31. 

“The Next Day….” (in Spongebob Narrator voice)

Training camp is in full swing now at Saint Vincent College. Local coffee shop Coffee Bean Cafe (located on the westbound side of US 30) not only serves amazing coffee, but sandwiches and pastries as well as other food and merchandise. 

I had one of those Steeler-themed coffee drinks on my radar. The next time I visit, I’d like to treat myself to breakfast. A sandwich or bagel with cream cheese would be perfect. I enjoyed my Black’n Gold Brew as there was a nice variety of drinks. This place gave me some Rooster’s vibes. Rooster’s was the coffee shop I went to in Slippery Rock back in June during my vacation. 

With my drink halfway done, I took it with me and drove off to my next destination. Ligonier was quiet and not too crowded for the first day of August. I read a few pages in “Becoming” and the jazz playlist I found en route to my Laurel Highlands adventure was perfect for the cooler, less humid weather that ushered in August. It’s funny how we welcomed that June warmth after that damp, cool May, yet that 73 degree day on Friday was just right. If you love it hot, don’t worry, we’re back to the summer heat next weekend. There’s still plenty of summer left. 

Even a quick stop in Ligonier can be therapeutic. It’s fun to walk around, shop, or grab a bite to eat. But, even watching the world go by while sitting in the Diamond has its perks. It’s still summer, but Fall will eventually get here, and that means Fort Ligonier Days in October, before the gazebo gets decorated for Christmas, and families and couples schedule holiday photo shoots in the Diamond. 

I wrapped up my adventure with a trip down PA 711 through Stahlstown and then on to PA 31 very close to Donegal. I could have turned left and come out right by the Sheetz. I passed through the main drag of Mount Pleasant before making my way home on US 119. 

The end of this month marks 25 years since my arrival at HGA to begin my ascent into higher learning, and I’ll definitely have a piece about that in this blog.

At my Wits’ End at Cutie’s Bible Study!

Don’t let the title of my blog post fool you, as I had a good time at Bible Study at Cutie’s Monday night. For the first time since early June, we were able to have everything outside. It may have been humid but the weather worked in our favor. 

The title of Monday night’s message was “I’m at my Wits’ End”. We opened our bibles to Psalm 107, verses 24-30. For those of us who were experiencing frustration and ready to give up, this message was for us. While listening to Trevor speak, I thought about a time when I was confused or puzzled about my direction in life. Look no further than my early post-academia days, during a global pandemic,  or as I was transitioning into my current job. 

I had just hit my stride at Slippery Rock and had begun to find myself, when I had graduated from college. In the latter years of my time at WIS, I was breaking away from the traditional way of doing things just as COVID hit (in 2020) and as we were getting ready to merge (2021). By the time I found myself, I left and had to establish myself at Giant Eagle. As I was torn from those whom I considered family, I also found myself at my wits’ end as I needed their encouragement and approval. As 2025 is past the halfway point, I need to work on self-love more than ever. 

I’ve dealt with a lot of trials over the course of my life and still do. But I’ve also had a lot of victories. All of these have been big and small. No matter the size of the loss or trial, or the victory, it’s important to give thanks to God for all of these t things.  

The next Bible Study is August 11. In the upcoming month, I want to study the Gospels and the book of Proverbs, in addition to my other reading. 

As the Fall menu launches on August 31, maybe a sneak peak is in the future. I hope to try the Blueberry Cinnamon Toast Crunch Latte and maybe another refresher. I’m also planning on visiting a few cafes in August, including Friday’s visit to the Coffee Bean Cafe in Latrobe where I will have one of their training camp specials (the Toasted Touchdown looks good, as well as the Terrible Tiramisu and Black and Gold Brew).

It’s Summer, But Fall Coffee is coming!

This week’s weather will start out hot and humid, as we add to our 90 degree days for the Summer. Late in the week, we get a break from the heat as we usher in August. While we try to stay cool this week, let’s look forward to Fall and some of the new Fall menus that will be dropping later next month.

What better way to welcome cooler weather than with Fall treats from Dunkin’ or Starbucks. I like the small coffee shops as well but seeing some of the features here has me excited for the new season. If you’re craving a Pumpkin Spice Latte, the first day you can get one at Dunkin’ is August 20 and a week later at Starbucks (their Fall menu launches August 26). 

Cutie’s Coffee will launch their Fall menu on the last day of the month. To kick it all off, there will be a market in the parking lot that morning. I enjoyed all the Fall flavors last year (Pumpkin Spice included). I’m curious to know what kind of flights they’ll have. Last year’s were a Spooky flight, Harry Potter flight, and Gilmore Girls flight. The HP flight came with a cauldron, and the Gilmore Girls flight had stickers. Maybe I’ll express interest in trying a flight with someone this Fall. This is just part of what could be an exciting Fall season for me. 

Greensburg Night Market is this Thursday and it will be first one of the year. The market goes all the way down Pennsylvania Avenue from Otterman Street to the police station. There are places to park but your best bet is to pick up the shuttle at the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. Lots of vendors will be in attendance as well as food trucks. I’m not sure if I’ll buy anything, but maybe I’ll run into some people I know. Last year, I tried a Peppermint Mocha from The Roaming Bean. 

The next day I’ll be on a coffee road trip when I travel to Coffee Bean Cafe in Latrobe. Pittsburgh Steelers training camp is in full swing and while my plans don’t include driving down to Saint Vincent and watching practice, I still plan to make it a nice Friday afternoon. Coffee Bean has come up with some appropriate drink options to celebrate the start of camp. The Polamalu Punch looks good but I really have my eye on the Terrible Tiramisu or the Black and Gold Brew. Weather on Friday for the players will be just right, with highs around 80 and no heat or humidity. 

Fall 2025 is shaping up to be a lot of fun, as new Fall menus launch and stores begin to look the part for the season. You can find Halloween candy at Giant Eagle and Spirit Halloween stores will be popping up soon, if not already. The old Dicks Sporting Goods next to Home Depot has the signage up so I may check that out as Summer begins to wind down. As temperatures start to cool down, and hayrides and apple picking are in the weekend plans, so too will the leaves also begin to show their color. October is the peak of Fall and during the heart of the season, I have a lot of fun things planned. It’s my vacation week in the middle of the month. 

Annabelle’s birthday will be just before that and I’m not sure what the plans are  yet nor do I know the theme. Our family reunion will be Columbus Day weekend. During the week, I’ll make some Toastmasters club visits online and in person, and visit one of the museums in downtown Pittsburgh. The vacation week ends with Homecoming at my alma mater (Slippery Rock University). I’ve gone up there many years but 2025 hits a little different as it will be 20 years since I graduated. 

It’ll be sad to see vacation come to an end, but the plans for the week after include the District 13 Fall Symposium. More to come on that as we get closer to the first day of Fall.

Maintaining my Magnificent Speaking Streak!

Over the last year, I’ve given at least one speech every month at my Toastmasters meetings. Sometimes, if the schedule allows I give two speeches a month. I’ve done it in consecutive weeks as well. The exception has been the month of January, but I still consider this run to be successful, having spoken 11 out of the last 12 months. I’ve completed a path that I began in 2020, and have three levels of my next path done. I scheduled myself to speak at Laurel Highlands in August, giving the same speech from a week ago at Greensburg talking about change. 

Sharing my story in a few of those speeches has been therapeutic and has helped elevate my mood. Being named President of the Greensburg club for the 2023-2024 Toastmasters year was the beginning of my Toastmasters rebirth, as my interest  during COVID and I was adjusting hto a new work routine. Going ahead for 2025-2026, what needs to be done to maintain my streak and ensure success in my clubs? 

One thing that needs work is more preparation time, and maybe I’m hard on myself for saying this. Since I have a schedule of when I want to speak going into September, I can take the week before that meeting and focus on the speech. Two weeks before (if available), write out the speech and start practicing it, and then in the week leading up to it, give it and work on the gestures as well. Even as I talk about change at my next meeting (August 12), I still want to be prepared and that may include working on eye contact as well as vocal variety.  

Realignment is coming in Toastmasters and it’s going to mean major changes over the next couple of years. I recently saw it with the changes made in District 13. We are a broad area that includes Pennsylvania, as well as a few counties in Ohio and Maryland, and northern West Virginia. In April, we came up with a realignment plan that seemed to work for the new Toastmasters year, but about a week ago some other changes have taken place that in the long run, will benefit District 13. Division A had only three areas last year and an area with less than 4 clubs in good standing; thus, the division has been retired for this year. The amazing clubs previously in Division A have been thoughtfully reassigned to Divisions B, C, and D. I just learned of this a few days ago, and it makes sense to move Johnstown to Area 21 where it will be teamed with Indiana, DuBois, and Allegheny Mountains. The recently chartered Country Roads Toastmasters was going to be in Area 3 and moving it to Area 23 with Laurel Highlands and Western Maryland as well as Achievers-Jest Speaking also works out.

This realignment assures stronger divisions, better support, and sustainable growth. These changes are being done so next year’s Districts will have a minimum of 120–180 clubs each, and these recent moves will help strengthen our district and prepare for the future.

Everything is Falling into Place!

Wednesday night, our Laurel Highlands officers all got together for a meeting. We used Google Meet, which was a nice contrast to Zoom. I’ve been attending online meetings since 2020 (when the pandemic forced us to hold them virtually), and this meeting was good, even if we didn’t cover everything in the allotted hour. We also have a WhatsApp account for Laurel Highlands, which I need to familiarize myself with. 

Our president put together a great agenda, including all the officer roles and other things. The speech contests for fall were mentioned as well. More on those to come as well as the Fall Symposium and when the date will be set. All of our officers are doing a great job so far in this young 2025-26 Toastmasters year. Being a first-time Treasurer in Toastmasters, I will grow into the role. I haven’t done this job since serving in it for my Campus Crusade for Christ chapter at Slippery Rock University (way back in 2003 and 2004). Some 20-plus years later, I’m older and wiser and a little more serious about the role. I have two officers who’ve served as Treasurer (both are the current presiding officers for their clubs) who can offer assistance, if I need it. 

I thought Wednesday night would have been a disaster at work with three of the people who do tags on vacation this week. I’ve been doing tags more this year and stepping up my game, as a matter of fact. The universe worked in my favor though as we just had sale tags to work with and the amount was small. We’ll pay for it though next Wednesday. We even got some of the health and beauty tags started (except for cosmetics). The hardest week out of this stretch is over halfway done and I’m not overly concerned now. I’m starting to see Fall-flavored coffee and Halloween candy in store. 

Half-time of Summer 2025 is officially underway and school starts in less than a month. Before long, I’ll be enjoying a tasty pumpkin spice drink.

Together We Win at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

Tonight at our Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting:

  • We had a fun-filled agenda with three speakers, and great Table Topics questions focused on Leadership.
  • Our invocator shared with us the story of when he first joined Toastmasters, and also his recent achievement in his path (Level 5 in Innovative Planning)
  • We planned our officers’ meeting for tomorrow night, which would be on Google Meet and promised to be informative. 
  • We also planned our agenda for our next Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. The next three meetings are August 12, August 26, and September 9. I will be giving a speech at the meeting on the 12th. 

We had a second time guest in attendance. Will attended a previous meeting and it was nice to see him come back. Our VPE even volunteered him for the role of timer. We got feedback from him about the meeting and how much he liked it. Upon getting home, I got an email that he submitted his membership application to join our club, thus giving us 15 active members in Laurel Highlands. We will be Smedley Distinguished (25 members, 10 goals, and have our club success plan up by September 30) by the end of the Toastmasters year. 

What a difference a few months made, weatherwise. When I came down here for the second May meeting at the end of the month, it was damp and it was chilly. I would have preferred the upper 30’s and snow flurries over that chilly rain. Thankfully the next week, the weather turned a corner as we welcomed the month of June. I had some hot weather for my week off, thus giving me plenty of swimming opportunities. Yes, there were showers and thunderstorms but overall it was a better June vacation than 2024 was. Tuesday night, I had a nice drive down to Connellsville. Not raining at all, though not too humid either. 

I gained a wealth of information from our three speakers, as well as our Table Topics speakers and evaluators. We set a record for most times using the word of the day, which was conundrum. Public speaking should never feel conundrum. Relax, it’s only Toastmasters (R.I.O.T.)!

The meeting ran on time, give or take a minute (6:01pm), and it ran smoothly with all roles being filled. I took on the jokemaster role and told a very funny joke that had the members laughing. Afterwards, I introduced our first speaker. We had enough time at the end of the meeting to hand out awards from the previous year. I won two medals, was named Most Improved Toastmaster, and embarked on a magnificent speaking streak that began last August. Our new members also got certificates as well. We had photos taken with our awards too. 

Seeing a full agenda at this meeting and people eagerly signing up for roles for the August 12 meeting is a sign that the club is doing well. It’s a nice contrast from not too long ago, when our core five or six members carried the club. It’s also nice to not have to persuade people to sign up for roles. But, there is still room for improvement. We need to make Base Camp our friend and look at the agenda for roles we can take on for the next meeting. I have speaking dates scheduled through September, and may speak when I go to Johnstown’s meeting in October if there’s room on the agenda. I’ll touch base with the club in September when I confirm the date. 

Smedley Distinguished. We’ve got this!

Looking Back at my Quarter-Life Crisis!

I’ve been “A Promised Land” for about a month and made it close to the halfway point. By now, it’s 2009 and Obama has been president for a month and is trying to get the economy out of the Great Recession that started in the Fall of 2008. I’ve read up on the collapse of the big banks and subprime mortgage crisis, and finished the most recent chapter by learning about the struggling auto industry. While this post isn’t about the book or politics itself, this blog starts off by talking about my life in the late 2000’s and my quarter-life crisis. 

In the Spring of 2009, I turned in my Kings attire as I made the decision not to come back and see what WIS had to offer. Looking back, would that have been a smart decision? Back then, it was a reprieve for me from where I was before. But, I feel that it’s still a temporary fix for me as I try to figure out what I want to do with my life. I came here because Kings cut my hours in the Fall of 2008 to the point where I wasn’t going to manage to sustain myself. Same old story at WIS as I didn’t work five days a week in the beginning and my hours were inconsistent. I still had student loans from Slippery Rock to pay off, but part of me wanted to go back to school to achieve another degree. I didn’t care about taking on more debt either. Looking back, I only wanted to do it because then, I felt my Slippery Rock experience was mediocre as I put my eggs in one basket. I’d pay off my loans later that year and be debt-free, but I was still experiencing growing pains in my life and at work in 2009 & 2010.

Ah, life before Toastmasters… and the blog… and everything else.  

Early on, the lack of hours was so bad that I almost did reapply at Kings. I eventually decided to stick it out at WIS even though going back to the restaurant business wouldn’t have hurt. Needing work, my sister came to WIS with me for a little bit, but they didn’t give her hours and eventually, she got a job working in the Deli at Giant Eagle. Funny how things work out as I’d go to work for the company myself (albeit in a different department) after many years at WIS. 

My late 20’s were a dark time in my life. I missed being in school because it was my safe space, and by the time I found myself it was too late and I graduated college. As bad as 2008 was with the Great Recession, 2010 was even more of a kick in the ass to me. The only good thing to come out of that year was going to my ten year high school reunion around Thanksgiving (crazy to think I’ve been out of high school 25 years now!). 

Things started to stabilize by 2011 and most of 2012. But it became clear that I was going to need to drop some of my fixations and just accept things as they were. That day would come in 2013, when I took the time to walk around the Slippery Rock campus. That morning, I was attending a memorial service for someone I knew at church when I was a student there.

I’ve had issues at work in the past but since coming to Giant Eagle, I’ve brushed off a lot of that drama as tempting as it is. These days, it’s less stress and more success and the success is winning out!