This past weekend I continued my sampling of delicious fall features. Thanksgiving and Christmas came together on this seasonal mid-November weekend as I enjoyed the holiday coffee at Cuties. Also, I’m still not sure what the #1 turkey sandwich or feature will end up being.

Friday, I stopped at Cutie’s as I had the Peppermint White Mocha Pretzel Latte. It was a drizzly, dreary, dull Friday afternoon but I was feeling in the holiday spirit. I braved the rain and drove downtown. Hey, I’m more comfortable now with street parking. While there, I got some pictures of the Christmas tree and of course the window that is looking all festive. There’s just something about cooler weather and coffee that feels so right. That evening, my aunt came down for her Friday visit and we did some planning for our upcoming Hershey adventure later this week.

I went out Saturday night and had dinner at Primanti’s, eager to have their Primanturkey Sandwich. It was a nice night to be out and about. The Penn State game was on CBS and they maintained their #4 ranking in the polls after blowing out Purdue. Let’s do a review of dinner. Service was good. Busy for a Saturday night. I was seated quickly and got my order taken as soon as possible. I got the Pina Colada Duck drink. As our weather pattern becomes more unsettled, this drink had a nice taste of summer to it. Perhaps I shouldn’t have wished the hot summer to go by so quick. I was happy with my sandwich. It’s going to be hard to vote for the best one as the Pilgrim was better this year. I’m going to try a Dangeruss next time, likely the week I’m off for vacation.

Overall the experience was good and I give it an A.

After I finished my sandwich, I ventured out to the mall to see it in all its glory for Christmas. Light up night was last Friday and now it’s very festive inside. Check out this display near the casino as well as the Christmas tree where the train goes around.

If I felt up to it when I returned home, I would have even watched a Christmas movie.

Sunday, I returned to Cutie’s and ordered a Frosted Gingerbread Latte. I got my drink and went home so I could show my mother the little cookie that came on top of my iced coffee. Yes, I got both of these drinks iced. Friday’s Peppermint White Mocha Pretzel drink came with a white chocolate pretzel garnish. Both coffees tasted good and were crafted very well. Greensburg has the best coffee shops and Cutie’s has the cutest coffee flights. It’s Harry Potter and Cindy Lou Who season if you want to try one.

Overall, these fall and holiday tours are a win-win.

This time of year reminds me of a few years ago, as one of the longtime eras of my life was soon coming to an end. Changes occurred in the fall when my former employer merged with its competitor. After much speculation, I learned of my assignment. Despite an attempt to embrace change, things weren’t going to work in my favor.

At the end of October, we celebrated our last day as office 3609. Halloween, a new era would begin. We became a new office and I had to learn a whole new machine. I promised myself I’d try and make it work. At the same time though, I was spent and that week I began to apply at other companies.

The first few days were RGIS stores and the hours once again were inconsistent. 5-6 my first day, two my second day, another five or six a few days later. At least I ended my first week with people I was familiar with as well as a store I knew like the back of my hand. The first morning was the hardest but it passed pretty quickly. My best day was a CVS out in the North Hills. Some of our Rite Aids we trained people from RGIS so they got done fast. My days were soon to be numbered.

I applied at Giant Eagle and Goodwill, and thought about Target and Walmart if those first two didn’t work out. I also planned on looking into the hospitals (Excela and AHN) if retail didn’t pan out. I got called to do job interviews at the first two, and did an online interview with a recruiter. I went in person to Goodwill in North Versailles. If I had gotten hired there, I’d be working in Lawrenceville now. I got the call from Giant Eagle a week before Thanksgiving while on the road and I accepted the job. Next week will be my three year anniversary with Giant Eagle.

My last weeks at WIS, besides interviewing and applying for jobs, saw me attend a Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters meeting and have lunch with friends. I also attended a red carpet event for a new Toastmasters club in Connellsville which I actually joined a few months later. I also planned for a Friendsgiving event at my (non-blood) sister’s place in Johnstown. I also looked ahead to the future and whatever may happen. I was down to my last five stores and they were all Rite Aids, which I’d done for many years.

Those Rite Aids flew by and pretty soon, though it was unofficial, I’d be working at my last inventory that Wednesday a week before Thanksgiving. It was an easy day as most had been lately. I worked with a great crew and looked ahead to working at either Giant Eagle or Goodwill. I did my last tag, wished my crew the best, and left before Noon that day. That drive down I-376 past Robinson and all the stores I’d counted for so many years felt so bittersweet. It was truly the end of an era.

I was in my Friendsgiving Era that Saturday with my adopted sisters. We had fun. We did each other’s makeup (a precursor to Sara’s next job at Sephora). We played Cards against Humanity. We ate my pumpkin bread that I made. It hurt me to leave that night because my fashionable sister understands me.

I cleaned myself up and went to orientation Monday at Giant Eagle where I signed papers. The day after Thanksgiving I did training and got my schedule for my first week of work. As I got home from training on Black Friday, my parents were getting ready to decorate the house for Christmas.

A new era was about to begin and it would be one where I’d be close to home.

It’s November and that means that top ten posts will be coming to the blog very soon. I just thought that I would get the word out as that means we’re nearing the end of the year, and I’ll be counting down some of the events in my life that made news in 2024. Milestones included as you will see in these next few weeks.

The Stylish Top Ten Countdown begins December 9 and the number one event of 2024 will be unveiled on December 20. That latter date is likely to be on the eve of one of my milestones for this platform.

On Wednesday, I continued with my viewing of the Holiday Baking Championship and like the first show, this one also impressed. With so many contestants, it was on for over an hour (1 hour and 24 minutes to be exact). Next week shouldn’t be as long (42 minutes). Mom and I watch it on the Roku Tuesday or Wednesday night. Reasons being due to my work schedule and depending on when I have meetings.

The first part of show was all about the kids’ table and making an over-the-top dessert. The key was to make over-the-top cupcakes. The show has three judges who try the food and give their review. This episode had some youth helping, as in two from the kids’ baking circuit. Later on the bakers made Thanksgiving pies that were sure to be a hit after all that turkey and mashed potatoes. On this show I’ve picked up a lot of newer culinary terms that I didn’t know before. Also, the banter between Jesse and the bakers never fails to make me laugh. In addition to hosting Holiday Baking Championship and the Bachelor, he is also a football announcer for ESPN.

It’s a toss-up when you ask me about what my favorite pie is at Thanksgiving. We get ours from the Pie Shoppe in Laughlintown, about three miles east of Ligonier on US 30. In addition to pie, they also have amazing donuts as well. Anyway, my favorite flavor of pie is either cherry or peach. I’m warmed up to pumpkin pie a lot in the last few years as I’ve also fallen in love with pumpkin spice every autumn. A slice of pumpkin cheesecake from Eat’n Park would hit the spot too.

I was going to go to Cutie’s today but I moved that to tomorrow because of the weather. So it’ll become a weekend of Christmas coffee and turkey sandwiches. Two holidays collide this weekend and it will be on the blog so stay tuned for that.

Tomorrow is also the last blog in the Eras series as I chronicle the last days of my WIS era (once again) and transition over to Giant Eagle.

Tuesday night, I went to my Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. It was a small turnout with only four of us there but still a good meeting. Our last meeting three weeks ago had three and was held virtually on Zoom. I was the jokemaster and told some funny Thanksgiving jokes. Sharon gave a speech on the importance of relationships as the holidays approach. Gary doubled up as Table Topics Master and General Evaluator. His Table Topics questions had him asking us what we are thankful for. We started a little bit late due to some technology issues but wrapped up early at around 7: 10 pm. Our next two meetings will be set up as an open house and there will be food as well since we’re going to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. These are our last two meetings of the year since the fourth Tuesday in December is Christmas Eve. I’ll be doing a press release for the two meetings soon and promoting them on social media (Facebook) as well.

I’ll be presenting a speech at Greensburg Toastmasters the next two meetings. It’s an evaluation and feedback project in the Presentation Mastery path. What I’ll pick up from my evaluation Wednesday night I’ll use in two weeks. I may give this same speech at Laurel Highlands and use some of that feedback for my speech on December 4 at Greensburg. My speech is going to be titled “Five Years and Writing”, celebrating the birthday of my blog. As I approach a new milestone, I may most likely change the title to reflect that achievement.

Recently, as in early this morning, I discovered a new page on Instagram called @pacoffeehoppers. They’re two PA coffee enthusiasts who travel around in search of great little cafes and not just limited to Pennsylvania. They also posted from Connecticut as well. Coffee and Connecticut make me feel some serious Gilmore Girls vibes. The girls have been to all the local coffee shops in Greensburg as well as Irwin. I’ve picked up on other cafes in the state just by looking at their page. I even suggested a few places for them to try (Abigail’s in Ligonier and Silver Horse Coffee in Donegal). If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll find a good coffee shop next weekend in Hershey.

One era is coming to an end, even though I still have some pumpkin spice things lying around. A new era began last Friday when I had the Pilgrim sub from GetGo. Though pumpkin is still a Thanksgiving staple, I am officially on the Turkey Sandwich and Fall Treats mini-tour. As I learn to be thankful in November, I am indulging in some other savory feature sandwiches as well. Two weeks ago, we had a nice turkey dinner which I felt was a precursor to Thanksgiving.

Since I had two days off, I figured I would do another lunch date for myself. Today took me to Mad Mex in Monroeville, where I ordered the Gobblerito. Shocker. This is the third time I ordered the restaurant’s feature seasonal offering. My first stab at the iconic sandwich came in 2022, just a week before Thanksgiving, when I ate there with Aunt Sue and Ben. A chilly wind and snow flurries dotted the landscape outside that day but inside we were warm. Service today was quick as I knew what I wanted. The food was good as was my drink (I ordered a Cranberry Margarita to go with my lunch). The menu has a lot of other great options, but we know what I was there for. Grade: A+. Just a heads up, the Gobblerito was my winner last year out of the three sandwiches I tried.

Next week, I’ll stay local and make a trip to Primanti Bros. to try their Primanturkey Sandwich. Wherever we eat at in Hershey, maybe they’ll have a seasonal option as well. If I have time, I hope to try Eat’n Park’s turkey dinner or their turkey sandwich before Thanksgiving Day.

I follow a YouTuber who does holiday videos where he goes to stores like Five Below, Gabes, Kohls, and others. This is the same guy who used to film at closing Kmarts and Sears department stores. After lunch, I visited a few of these stores to check out what kind of Christmas items they had. I started with Five Below because I thought that they had an Art the Clown ornament there (they didn’t but they had Michael Myers and Chucky). They also had some cool T-shirts with movie quotes on them. Tinsel candy canes and trees were very colorful and would add a lot to someone’s outdoor display.

After Five Below, I went to Michael’s where I saw lit up trees and little Christmas villages. I have pictures that I’ll post to this blog from there as well. They’re getting ready to celebrate the season (and it’s only November 8). I gave myself a 25 minute time limit at each store before I made my way to the next one. The final stop was Gabe’s. While I didn’t find the same stuff that WallieB did on his video, the holiday home decor was really nice to look at, plus it took me back to my WIS days when I counted those stores on Sunday mornings. Fortunately, we didn’t have a lot of work during the busy holiday season so our slow period would be starting soon. Quite the opposite of what Giant Eagle is like for me during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I topped off the experience with a trip to Barnes and Noble next to Monroeville Mall. I found a few interesting books, including one on Kaufmann’s and a picture book on Kamala Harris from her journey to the White House as Vice President. I’m trying to find ways to stay positive after the election didn’t go the way I wanted it to. This week ended a lot better than it began. Only two more weeks until Hershey and three more until vacation.

Blogs return Monday and then it’s go time for the holidays and the countdown to 700 blog posts.

Yesterday afternoon, I woke up discouraged and with a heavy heart. I felt sad for my friends and family who are now feeling vulnerable because of the results of the election. It’s the same way my church friends felt in 2012 and 2020 when the republican nominee lost. My mother told me that “It will all be OK.” As hard as it is to accept, I’m taking those words to heart.

I reached out to a few of my friends from my old job who were deeply affected by the election results. I promised to keep in touch with them and they told me to never stop being who I am and to be safe. I posted a selfie while I was having dinner at Chick-Fil-A (Westmoreland Mall location) before my meeting. I also posted it in my stories and it got some good views. I was spread some joy on this very sad day for our country (depending on how you look at it). I’m pretty neutral as I have friends on both sides, but I still feel deeply affected. My parents are disappointed in the results, but they’re resigned to what has happened and accepting defeat.

How did I celebrate The Day After? I watched Annabelle play her guitar which had just come in the mail. The girl is musically talented, also playing saxophone in the school band and singing in the school choir. I’m excited to see what her plans are for the guitar. Maybe she’ll rock it like some of our favorite country music icons.

The weather yesterday really told the story about how most of us felt after the election. To most others, it was Morning in America (taking that from Reagan after his landslide victory in 1984). I know that it can’t always be 80 degrees and that any rain that we get this year is welcome. It could have been 30 degrees with six inches of snow, so there’s worse things in the world. I had a day of little sleep because of anxiety, and most of Wednesday was lamenting in the election loss. However, my mood began to shift on Thursday as I began to take mom’s advice to heart.

I went to my Toastmasters meeting last night. We had a small turnout but the atmosphere was nice. We had a guest in attendance as well and she even participated in Table Topics. Our club president spoke about headaches and the different ones that we can experience, as well as the remedies to getting rid of them. Our table topics focused on change and the questions as well as the answers to them couldn’t have been more diverse. We talked about the upcoming TLI/Club Officer Training and we ended with me planning our next meeting on November 20.

Finally, I’m in the midst of my two days off, fun times await this month, and I’m not letting the results of the election dim my light and squash my joy. On the agenda for tomorrow, I’ll be continuing my Turkey Sandwich tour at Mad Mex and having a Gobblerito. I’ll be looking at Christmas merchandise as well as Michaels and a few other stores. Plus, I’ll think about making a trip to the bookstore and look at some books that are catching my eye.

Monday, the Holiday Baking Championship made its triumphant return to Food Network. From what I saw in the first episode that I watched tonight, it’s going to be a great season. Watching it is also giving some ideas about what to by in my upcoming holiday haul.

It was a great way to forget about all of the Election coverage. Tonight’s episode focused on holiday bark, as well as cheese balls. For our Christmas Eve gathering, we always have a cheese ball with some chicken crackers. That’s been a tradition since we would go to my Grandmother’s on Christmas Day. On a future Market District run, I will be sure to buy one. I think I’m also going to try to make peppermint bark or buy some on my holiday haul, whenever that may be.

All of the treats made by the bakers were good. OK, some left a little bit to be desired like the trifle and the matcha. But all of these bakers have talent and are completing for that grand prize and no matter what it will be a fun eight weeks coming up. There’s always a theme for the show and this week’s was something to make for a holiday open house. Just like the recently finished Halloween Baking Championship, there are three judges the bakers need to impress, as well as the host, Jesse Palmer.

Holiday Baking Championship airs Monday at 8 pm on Food Network.

Hearing about cheese balls tonight has me wanting to visit an Italian market and look for things for a charcuterie board. I had success with this at Friendsgiving last year and also at our family reunion as well as on Christmas Eve. Here’s how ours looked last year for Xmas Eve and mine from Friendsgiving (sorry no pic). I got that one at Giant Eagle.

I got home from work this morning and felt terrified. I felt scared for women, for the LGBTQ, for disabled people, and for our country. But we’ll be OK. Four years ago those who felt devastated are elated, and those who felt elated are devastated. It all evens out. Instead of watching the news and reading the feeds on social media, do something good for your world and be the change that you want to see in it.

I talked with a couple of those terrified friends of mine and promised to keep in touch with them and move away from social media. She told me “We’re in this together”.

I’m going to look forward to my two days off, the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert in Hershey and quality time with my cousins, Christmas music, and my upcoming vacation.

Today is an important day that will decide the future of our country. This election season has been a crazy one just like every other I’ve dealt with since I was old enough to vote in 2000. I voted (early this morning) and I hope you did as well, whether it was in person today or by mail. I’m not writing to tell you who is better in my opinion but that I hoped you let your voice be heard today.

My polling place was already packed when it opened at 7 am. I was standing in line at 6:50 and was #20. My sister was #50 when she voted at 7:30 am. Usually during a primary or odd year election the line isn’t so long and I’m second or third. A lot is riding on this year’s race, and don’t let the ads tell you that. Do your research, people.

One silver lining from all of this is that the commercials come to an end after today, and we can all agree that’s a good thing. This is the first election I felt confident about who I was going to vote for. I’ve changed a lot in the last four years and know more about what’s at stake now than I did in the past.

This election has me more on edge than 2020 did. I’d sometime joke to myself, will life be worth living after the results are in? I may have to walk away if I’m in a crowd so I don’t break down. That’s what I should have done in 2012 when back then, I was surrounded by those who were anti- Obama. It’s hard for me to do that because I want to please everyone and I fear they’ll see the defeat in my eyes and try to tell me what for.

Case in point: As the results come in, just turn off the TV, don’t look at social media, and hope for the best. That’s all I’m going to say. Tomorrow or no matter when the results are final, I’m still going to continue being me and will not change for anyone.