Stylish Summer 2025 Vacation Report Card (so far)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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





RISE and SHINE at Summer 2025 TLI!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Bites and Pints at Kennywood!

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

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

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

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

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


Summer Solstice at Greensburg Toastmasters!

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

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

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

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

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

How I’m Spending My Summer Vacation!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Having a Bagel at Cutie’s!

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon going down to the Driver’s License Center. I was there to renew my license and get a REAL ID. I’ll need one of these if I’m boarding a flight in the future. My driver’s license expires on my birthday, so I’m glad I got that taken care of. It was a warm day and I found myself waiting for a few hours until my number got called. Patience is most definitely a virtue if you’re getting your picture taken or obtaining a REAL ID. Luckily, the building didn’t close until the last customer was called, they just locked the doors. I left at 5:30, so I was there for a while, having arrived  just after 3:00. It’s all done and now I’m set for the next four years. 

I began my rewatches of The Office and Gilmore Girls once again. I tried to start in mid-April but got sidetracked. I’m determined to watch them both once again and celebrate their milestones in 2025. I also started rereading A Promised Land by former President of the United States Barack Obama, and I promise myself that I will read it until the very end this time. I’m also rereading Becoming by Michelle Obama. I bought this book in November 2018 right after it came out and it was the best $56 I spent, as I also got the picture book about the former First Lady. These are my summer reading projects and this Fall, I might buy her new picture book that not about politics, but some of the fashion choices she has gone with throughout the years, including her time in the White House. The book is simply titled, “The Look”, and it comes out on November 4. The question is, do I buy it then, or ask Santa and wait until December 25? 

I made a trip to Cutie’s this morning and, for the first time since my initial visit in January 2024, I did not order a featured coffee from the seasonal menu. Cutie’s has evolved with a limited breakfast menu on the weekends and recently started serving New York style bagels. The flavors consist of plain, blueberry, and cinnamon raisin, and will vary as Cutie’s tries different ones. I got the blueberry bagel with cream cheese and an iced coffee. 

It hasn’t been a trip to Cutie’s this Spring without reading a chapter in “The Third Gilmore Girl”. I’m into the Gilmore Girls part of Kelly Bishop’s story, learning about the passing of Edward Herrman and Kelly’s experience on the show. I read about how she dealt with the loss of her former co-star and how she processed that grief. I also learned about how Netflix produced the four episode series to show where everyone’s character was since the show’s ending in 2007. I’d sit in the Ligonier Diamond and read this book or watch an episode of the series, thus enjoying myself. This show did deserve at least one more season in my opinion.

Bible Study is still on for Monday evening unless they say otherwise. You never know with this weather pattern but it doesn’t look to be a total washout this weekend into next week. I’m feeling Carnival/County Fair vibes with my upcoming coffee choices, including the Funnel Cake and Nutty Drumstick latte. I’m also trending towards Cutie bites next Sunday, a precursor to my afternoon agenda as I plan on going to Kennywood for Bites and Pints. Here’s one of my blog titles for next week: “Cutie’s Bites and Kennywood Pints”.

Finally, the countdown to vacation is on. Shit’s getting real as I’m a week away from my first vacation of the year. The other will come in mid-October as the colors change and fruity refreshers will be replaced with pumpkin spice lattes. My plan for the speech I’m giving Wednesday night will have me talking about how I’m spending my summer vacation. One of those scheduled events on the agenda is Summer TLI next Saturday morning at Westmoreland County Community College. I’m looking ahead to reuniting with my Toastmasters friends, applying what I learn at the officer breakout sessions to my role in my home club, and enjoying a nice lunch. Is my speaking streak going to continue? I believe so as I have speeches scheduled for the first few months of the new Toastmasters year (so, for now through September).

Transformation at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

Tuesday night was our final Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting of the year. I’ll explain that a little later. The meeting started at 6:05pm due to some technical issues but we made up for it at the end as Cosmas gave his evaluation of the meeting.

The theme of the meeting was transformation. I pulled triple duty tonight, serving as the joke master, topics master, and timer. My joke centered around the theme of the meeting, as did my Table Topics questions which were about change. Do we see change as good or bad? I remember learning about that in the book, “Who Moved My Cheese?” in my first semester at Slippery Rock in the Fall of 2003. I threw in some great questions at the end, especially the one about Daylight Savings Time which I saved for our guest.

Our husband and wife team from both Laurel Highlands and Western Maryland Toastmasters were our speakers for the evening. Gary gave a presentation on Pathways and his handout was very helpful. Sharon spoke on love languages and emotional intelligence. At the end of the meeting, I made reference to my speech I gave at Greensburg Toastmasters from three weeks ago on my speaking streak. With next Wednesday’s speech at my home club, I’ll have given a speech at least once for ten of the last eleven months. The lone month in that streak when I did not speak was in January. I didn’t bring up the fact that getting up on stage and speaking has also helped elevate my mood, as my summer started off with me feeling discouraged. As I stepped up to the plate and presented my speech, it led to a great Fall season.

Our guest who was in attendance was at the launch meeting for the prospective club, which was held in Morgantown on Friday. A relatively new Toastmaster, she will be taking on the role of presiding officer for the Country Roads Toastmasters club. At last check, the club was at 12 members so it may have grown since then. Clubs need 20 members to charter and so far, things are looking good.

Our June 24 meeting will be an end of year celebration at Bud Murphy’s. It will be a great time for our club to get together and look back on the previous year and all of our achievements. Before that, we will get trained on June 21 at the District 13 Summer Toastmasters Leadership Institute. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone and kicking off my vacation week. This coming Tuesday we will meet up on Zoom and transform our officer roles to our successors. In the plans for October is the Fall Symposium, and there will be more news on that as we move through the Summer. At the end of the meeting, we talked about the importance of applauding our speakers every time they come up to talk as well as a strong handshake. We highlighted this at the end of our last meeting.

But, what a difference two weeks has made in terms of the weather. At our last meeting, it was cool and damp and we were stuck in the 50s. To be fair, I’d have taken mid to upper 30’s with snow flurries (in October or November). Yesterday was partly sunny and in the mid-70’s. Today has been even better, and that motivated me to take my first swim of the year. We opened the pool exactly one month ago and it took me that long to take my first swim, no thanks to the cool, wet weather. Thursday is looking just as promising for me to get back into the water. Friday may bring a few showers with it and start a pattern where we rain chances, but every day won’t be a washout. I’ll be making a Cutie’s visit Friday morning (I’m off Thursday and Friday). I’m trending towards a bagel or even a strawberry eclair crunch cinnamon roll.

This coming Monday is Bible Study at Cutie’s. The weather forecast for early next week is trending toward showers and thunderstorms, but it won’t be a washout. Despite the threat for wet weather, I’m still going list the event as questionable leaning towards probable and it will be a game time decision. Looking ahead, it will also become more humid, which could fuel those afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Air you can wear. Welcome to Summer.

An Amazing Launch in Morgantown!

On Friday evening, a launch was held at the Panera Bread in Morgantown for a prospective new Toastmasters club. This club can help the community as well as the students and faculty at West Virginia University. The response was amazing as it attracted many guests in person and online (from all over the world). The incoming District 13 Trio was in attendance helping out with the launch, as well as members from Laurel Highlands and Western Maryland Toastmasters. Country Roads Toastmasters could very well charter as Friday’s launch turned out to be a huge success. If I had this week’s schedule last week, I would have made the drive down to Morgantown and had an opportunity to meet some new people; thus, growing my Toastmasters network.

I was planning my upcoming Cutie’s visits as well as what I’m planning to order. Originally, I was going to wait until Thursday since it was my next day off but I have some things to take care of. Nice to see that I have my priorities in line. Therefore, I stopped this afternoon after waking up around 2:30. That helped me determine what book I wanted to read today. If I stayed home, I would be starting my reread of Michelle Obama’s Becoming. If I went for coffee, I was going to continue in Kelly Bishop’s The Third Gilmore Girl. I went with the latter and I was in luck as today’s chapter talked about her time on Gilmore Girls. As you know, Gilmore Girls and coffee go hand in hand. I ordered a Caramel Pretzel Latte, in case anyone’s interested. Next, I want to talk about the crazy weather that I dealt with while enjoying my cute coffee. That too was a deciding factor in how I planned my Sunday afternoon.

While at Cutie’s, the rain was coming down in sheets. In fact, there was a tornado warning until 4:15pm for Westmoreland County. I decided it was best to wait it out until the storm passed. I was sitting near the garage door window and that wasn’t safe either if rotation started to occur. Was it worth the risk going out on a Sunday afternoon. Well, I knew that it was raining but I had no idea it would get this ugly. As I left Cutie’s to head home, I got soaked head to toe by passing motorists who were hydroplaning going up Otterman Street. I waded through the rushing water getting into a car and drove through a downpour going up Otterman Street. Just as I got onto US 30, the rain came to an end and all of a sudden, the sky brightened up. I’ll be back on Friday morning to try a bagel.

Vacation is now less than two weeks away. Some things may already be set in stone like our last Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting of the year at Bud Murphy’s, and dinner at Hibachi with Mr. Clougherty for my birthday. I’ll be doing Bites and Pints at Kennywood and engaging in some retail therapy later in the week. There’s a chance that I’ll make it to 800 blog posts by the end of June as I give a report on my adventures every day on this platform.

I just hope that this summer vacation is an opportune time to cut down on screen time and enjoy life. I just ordered some activity books to keep me occupied. I also hope that I can stay healthy and not make myself miserable, or act out for attention.

Feeling Like Summer at Greensburg Toastmasters!

I follow a few friends on the socials who live in West Virginia, and on their pages I’ve seen these iconic swings that the state is known for. They say almost heaven and there a sign in the shape of the state next to them. I’m from Pennsylvania and we boast of the mountains as well as many hills and valleys (and there are a lot of hills in Pittsburgh if you look at some of the Instagram pages that I follow). Sometimes it’s nice to poke fun at it all. These Almost Heaven swings can be seen all over West Virginia, primarily at the state parks like Blackwater Falls, at Oglebay, and even near the state capitol. This is something that I might end up putting on the bucket list. For now, on to today’s blog.

Last night was our Greensburg Toastmasters meeting at the Courthouse. Unlike the last meeting in the hallway, this time we were down in the jury room. The weather was much better than two weeks ago and thirty degrees warmer. We won’t like those 70s we’re seeing in the look ahead this weekend and into next week. We began on time and ended before our 8pm run time. Two speakers led the way with their amazing speeches, the first being on Chinese medicine given by our Sergeant at Arms, and an awesome Storytelling speech given by our Club President. That speech was on a young girl and Jamestown (VA) in 1607. When I heard the names, I knew she was referencing Pocahontas.

Our Table Topics master gave us some wonderful summertime topics to talk about and everyone fully participated. We spun the wheel and talked about the topic that was picked for us. My choice was the mountains, and that’s what inspired me to come up with this open to the blog. It’s always fun to come up with something when your topic is something you’re not familiar with. It’s like when we pick a number and have to give our own meaning that we don’t know the definition. It’s good for many laughs, sometimes. I saved the day and made sure we planned our agenda for the final meeting of the Toastmasters year, which is on June 18.

We registered everyone who is going to Summer TLI on June 21. It’s a hybrid event so there will be some attending at Westmoreland County Community College and others learning from home. I like going there to learn and meet up with old Toastmasters friends while meeting new ones. I made an impression back in December with my fashion (everyone loved my cheetah cardigan).

Will I slay my fashion at the upcoming TLI? More importantly, will I stay out of my own way and avoid a repeat of last summer‘s event? Stay tuned on June 21 to find out.

It’s a wrap for two of my books this week. I bought both of these at Majesty earlier this Spring and got a lot out of them. One was by Rebecca St. James and her husband that talked about their lives including their music careers and what growing up in Australia and California was like. Two of Rebecca’s brothers form the band For King and Country. I’ve seen Trans Siberian Orchestra in concert, and from what I’ve read, For King and Country also put on a great show. The book ends with Rebecca and Jacob (Cubbie) talking about marriage and raising their young family.

This weekend begins my summer reading project with Becoming by former First Lady Michelle Obama, and a Promised Land by former President Barack Obama.

Enjoying The Third Gilmore Girl!

Enjoying a cute coffee drink and my new book on a beautiful day in downtown Greensburg.

The forecast for this week has done a complete 180 compared to last week. Wednesday’s high is slated to hit 87. What a difference a week makes, or even five days. It seems like the cool, wet weather went out with the month of May when I turned the calendar over to June on Sunday morning.

I was concerned that the haze from this latest round of wildfires would add insult to injury but so far, that hasn’t been the case. Monday and Tuesday and even today have been downright spectacular. I wonder if any locations hit 90 today. We had great weather for Bible study on Monday at Cutie’s and I got out and took advantage of the sunshine by engaging in a long walk at Twin Lakes Tuesday night.

Last night, I went to Chick Fil-A and got a chicken sandwich meal to take for a little picnic dinner at Twin Lakes. I also got those famous waffle fries and a Coke (Zero), enjoying it with a side of music and dogwatching 🐕. My friend Autumn from Western Maryland Toastmasters recommended the pineapple 🍍 dragonfruit lemonade so I hope to get that next time I’m there. Thank you Autumn for that tip. I put in three miles on Tuesday night and I enjoyed the latest chapter in one of the books I’ve been reading. That would be The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop, and that’s what I’m going to cover next.

I began reading Kelly’s memoir in April and learned lots about her Broadway 🎭 career including her best show, A Chorus Line. Last night, I learned about her role in the iconic 1980’s film Dirty Dancing. This movie is still very much a favorite even in 2025. She went from a small role to playing the mother of the main character (Jennifer Grey). If you’re a Gilmore Girls fan or a Patrick Swayze fan, this is your movie. It was also one of the first projects that Wayne Knight was in (before making us laugh as Newman on Seinfeld). I finished the chapter early this morning. I’m taking this read nice and slow and next week, will get to learn about her best role in my opinion, and that’s playing Emily Gilmore on Gilmore Girls. I want to make sure I’m reading that chapter while enjoying coffee somewhere, preferably Cutie’s.

Fun fact: I was going to read Dylan Mulvaney’s Paper Dolls book when l changed my mind and ordered this instead. While I appreciate Dylan and her journey (yes, I called Dylan a girl), Kelly’s story is worth the money and I’m glad I made the switch!

So far this June is shaping up to be better than the last two or three have been. But this is me we’re talking about after all and something will put me in a bad mood, whether it’s a social media post or something else.