This week’s era is tough to pick because I just ended my Dinner Series era Thursday night with Mr. Clougherty. It’s Fall and I’m trying to get into the habit of decluttering everything in my life. I still read books, though I can afford to get rid of a few. I need to put away my summer clothes, but I’m being sluggish on that. Not because of the warm weather, but because I haven’t had the time. If I stay focused, it will take no less than thirty minutes to get rid of everything. Easier said than done.

I’m soon going to enter my End of Eras, looking back on leaving a job I held for a long time. I’m comfortable now at Giant Eagle and don’t miss traveling for work the way I used to. It’s nice to be five minutes away though, especially in Winter. But I still like to look back on this era because I spent a lot of time getting to see different places every day. It was an 13 year era book-ended by two difficult first years (growing pains) and two difficult final years (COVID).

Looking back on the Dinner Series era, my favorite dinner experience with Mr. Clougherty this year was EDO Hibachi. I’ve been there three times this year and each time has been enjoyable. We recently went there for Annabelle’s birthday. Second would be Eat’n Park where I got to show Kevin the book on Eat’n Park’s history that I just finished. Honorable mention goes to my birthday dinner at Olive Garden, though I think I ate too much now and could have used half that dinner for my 2:30am lunch at Giant Eagle.

I’m going to be in my Top Ten era soon as I start to gather up some of the best moments of 2024 and put them in my countdown. It’ll be one of my final blog posts of 2024 and will go up either before or on Christmas Day. I can’t wait to share them all with you.

Today’s title sounds like a great name for a restaurant that serves all kinds of wraps. If you’re a Slippery Rock graduate, think of Cyber Fresh in the University Union. My favorite wrap was a Spinach Buffalo Chicken wrap with Buffalo sauce. Afterwards, wash it down with a smoothie from Taylor and Byrnes. Good times from 20 years ago.

Getting back to today’s post, this week was one of saying goodbye. What I mean, is I said goodbye to some of my traditions. The Dinner Series wrapped up on Thursday night. Mr. Clougherty is entering his busy season with the swim team as the season starts soon. Thus, our dinners will have to wait until next Spring.

We ate at Primanti Bros. in Greensburg. We started our season in early May and I felt it was appropriate to finish where we began. We enjoyed our sandwiches and hammered out our usual talking points (swim team, nonexistent high school renovations, and the presidential election). I also talked about my recent Gaffron family reunion at Laurel Hill. When I talked about how I nearly broke down because of my attitude, Kevin simply reminded me that I was being too hard on myself. That, and plus I don’t give myself enough credit for everything that I have going for me in my life.

Kevin ordered the roast beef sandwich and I ordered the corned beef. You may think I also had a beef with myself as I just mentioned. It isn’t a nice dinner without a good drink, and I had a Very Cherry Duck drink (comes with own rubber duckie). My next time at Primanti’s I’ll be getting the Primanturkey sandwich as part of the Turkey Sandwich and Thanksgiving mini tour. Date and location to be determined.

On Friday, I’ll wrap up The Story Behind the Smile, which talks about the history of Eat’n Park. I’ve had fun learning about this iconic Pittsburgh institution which turned 75 in 2024. It’ll have its place on my bookshelf along such best sellers as Becoming by Michelle Obama and my books on Kennywood written by Charles Jacques, Jr. I’m hoping that Brian Butko book on Kennywood gets written soon as the most recent book is pretty outdated. Eat’n Park will also be a stop on my Turkey Sandwich tour as I try out their Turkey Dinner. Date to be determined but it will be close to the holiday. This will likely be a local trip.

Speaking of wrap ups, the Office Ladies podcast is at least ending the rewatch portion of their podcast as Angela and Jenna are on the show’s series finale. The are plans to continue the podcast after the last episode rewatch. I started watching the Office in 2022. Most found it during COVID but I didn’t as I focused on Gilmore Girls and other shows. I stopped watching after season six and with it, I quit on the podcasts as well. I will return to Dunder Mifflin in 2025 as I’ll start watching the episodes and podcasts after the holidays come to an end. I’ll also be rereading the books on the show as well (Off the Deep End and Office BFFs).

Bakery Square Toastmasters celebrated their fifth anniversary on Thursday. It seems all of the good things happened for me late in 2019 (getting my DTM, the birth of my blog and my journey, and a new Toastmasters club). I didn’t attend as I was having dinner with Mr. Clougherty, thus enjoying our last dinner of the year. If he cancelled, I would have considered attending this event. I was at one of the first meetings in October of 2019, before COVID. Even though I missed the party, I will be at an in-person meeting during my vacation week in early December.

Even as the world went to hell, I’ve been determined to keep those good things going in my life.

Finally, I’m in my eras this Fall, from Autumn Leaves to Fall coffee at Cutie’s as well as Fall gatherings. The cooler weather and this time of year reminds me of the End of Eras as well. Coming up in this series, I’ll look back on the end of a long-running era once again that provided much needed change in my life. My pumpkin spice era is about to draw to a close and usher in the Turkey Sandwich and Thanksgiving Era.

In just a few weeks, the Christmas music will be playing too as malls light up for Christmas.

It was a beautiful 78 degree day, very warm by late October standards. I took advantage of the nice weather and had a Cutie’s date with myself. Still ordering off of their fall menu, I got the White Chocolate Cinnamon Pretzel Latte. Hence, the inspiration for the title of today’s blog. I parked on the street for the first time, being brave (it’s not hard, I just never do it). The Pumpkin Spice and Fall Treats tour is drawing to a close soon as just a few weeks remain. My Turkey Sandwich mini-tour begins next week, as we turn over a new month. Fall is going by fast too. I’ll finish what I started by topping it off with a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Toastmasters celebrated its 100th birthday on Tuesday. While Greensburg didn’t have a meeting, Laurel Highlands had one. It was our three person meeting that was mighty even with the SMALL turnout. Also having meetings that night were South Hills and Johnstown. Cranberry High Noon held their meeting on Monday and they also celebrated Toastmasters’ centennial anniversary. I’ve never been to a South Hills Toastmasters meeting (maybe in the future) but I’ve been to Johnstown. I was there last September. Looking at Dashboards, which shows the performance from the District level down to the club level, membership has dropped off from its initial base at the beginning of the year on July 1. Despite the small turnout at my meetings and feeling tempted to give up, I’m continuing to dedicate myself to my clubs. I’m also getting up there and giving speeches. I’ve just begun my newest path and am working through that first level.

Thursday begins two nights off in a row for me at work. Having consecutive nights off at Giant Eagle is rare for me, and I want to make these days count. The key to victory and a relaxing two day reprieve (easier said than done) are not to get in my own way. Again, easier said than done for me. It happened at Spring Conference and also for about the first few days of my vacation in June. I’m too hard on myself and I hear those voices telling me it’s a bad idea or I’m going to embarrass myself. I’m better about my journey when I don’t do things for attention or try too hard to seek acceptance. I enjoy experiences more too when I’m not looking back at the past.

My next stretch or two or more days off in a row will likely be when I go to Hershey a week before Thanksgiving. Time to think positive and stay awesome so I can make the most of my upcoming trip as well as my vacation.

Tonight at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters we held an online meeting with only three in attendance. We could have easily cancelled the meeting but went through with it and we still had a good meeting. We dispensed with Table Topics and had a stealth General Evaluation. Sharon and I spoke and evaluated each other’s speeches. Ryan came on the beginning and gave us the word of the day. He also introduced me and I introduced Sharon. I give us all props for agreeing to hold the meeting as even the smallest Toastmasters meeting can be one of the best.

I spoke about the history of Eat’n Park and talked about the book on the restaurant, “The Story Behind the Smile”. I put a lot of details into my speech and it was hard to cover 75 years in 7.5 (minutes). I could have limited it to two things, one being my work experience with Park Classic Diner, or a speech about their community involvement or even Smiley. The speeches were done and we talked about some club business before wrapping up at 7pm. We decided last minute to hold it online and that was a good thing as it would have been a waste to drive down to Connellsville for nothing. I also got to watch the latest Halloween Baking Championship and that series will wrap on Monday.

On Friday, I took a nice drive to Ligonier, taking advantage of my day off. It was a nice day with wall to wall sunshine. It was little cooler than this week’s weather but perfect for October. In a few weeks, that gazebo in the Ligonier Diamond will have a Christmas tree to adorn it and families will be scheduling sessions in the Diamond. Ligonier will turn into the perfect Hallmark Christmas town. While there, I walked over to Second Chapter Books. These days I don’t buy books like I used to as I’m focusing on what I have now and also I enjoy writing more on this platform.

While in Second Chapter Books, I found some interesting reads that I mentioned in Friday’s blog. I talked about staying in the fantasy genre but David McCullough’s books catch my eye too. Perhaps I’m more into history like my dad and my uncles. One is on the Johnstown Flood of 1889 and another is on 1776. The two I saw on Friday were on Paris and the Brooklyn Bridge. A nice Christmas gift would be a collection of his works, maybe four or five. My dad read the Johnstown Flood book a long time ago. Robert Jeschonek is another great author and historian, covering Johnstown. I was looking at his Penn Traffic book on Friday as well. His other works include Glosser Bros. as well as the long gone Richland Mall.

Another book I saw in this little gem in Ligonier was on Squirrel Hill after the events of the Tree of Life shooting in 2018. This read also looked very interesting and highlighted the predominantly Jewish town not too far from the city of Pittsburgh. The author focuses more on the residents than the tragic events of October 27, 2018, and it’s definitely worth a look.

In my Eat’n Park book last week, I focused on the next to last chapter which covered how the restaurant navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospitality industry was affected greatly by the events of the pandemic and Eat’n Park was no exception. The company made sure its employees and managers were taken care of. Takeout windows (which debuted in 2008 at Monroeville) became essential during COVID, and there was a plan in place long before 2020. Eat’n Park did all they could to ensure long term success after exiting the pandemic. I’ll be wrapping up the book this week and tomorrow, I’ll revisit that chapter.

After an active weekend that included our family reunion and Annabelle’s birthday party at the karate studio, this immediate past weekend was much quieter by comparison. Sometimes, that’s what is needed. This week ahead will be busy, and also it’s a wrap for one of my summertime traditions.

Mr. Clougherty and I have our last dinner meeting of the year coming up Thursday night. We’ll finish where we started our season and that is Primanti’s. Downtown Greensburg will be a little crazy due to the night market that evening. If the market ran during our Toastmasters meeting, we could just have our meeting online. I enjoy my friendship with Kevin and that we can still get together. Once November gets here, he will be busy with swimming. I come up with talking points to discuss with him and this week will likely be centered around the Election.

I’m also going to finish the Eat’n Park this week and continue with my Obama and Kamala reads as we near the big day. Tuesday night at my Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting, I will be giving a speech on Eat’n Park, highlighting some of the things I learned from reading “The Story Behind the Smile”. It will be hard to condense 75 years of history into a five to seven minute speech but I’m working on it.

Finally, I’m in my End of Eras series this month and next month. I’ll post a blog every Friday highlighting a special era of my life or one that has ended. I’ll also have some autumn leaf pics up as well. There’s some beautiful trees in the parking lot of my Giant Eagle that I want to get pictures of while we have our best color. Some of the higher elevations are beginning to go past peak, so it’s only a matter of time before trees go bare and the snow starts to fly. Maybe I’ll work it around my Cutie’s visit tomorrow afternoon after I wake up.

On my day off today, I took advantage of the beautiful 64 degree day and drove out to Ligonier. Even though it bleeds red, I still love my little Stars Hollow/Hallmark Christmas town. This will the first of multiple visits between now and Christmas. Leaf peeping is at its peak right now as the color is perfect at this time in the Fall season. With the lack of rainfall this year (hard to believe when April was so wet), some may say it isn’t a good season for color. While that may be partially true, you just have to look for and take the small victories where you can find them. While in Ligonier, I also stopped at Abigail’s and treated myself to a pepperoni roll and a Caramel Apple Latte (iced)

When I drive out to places Ligonier or Somerset, one of the best practices I use to get my time out being there is double how long it takes me to get somewhere. For example, Ligonier is a 40 minute drive, so I’ll spend an hour and twenty minutes hanging out there. Most of that time I’ll be taking in the scenery that makes this small town what it is. That gazebo in the middle of town will soon be adorned with a beautiful Christmas tree.

After I finally completed Wednesday’s blog a few days later, I took a little stroll over to Second Chapter Books and spent about fifteen minutes shopping. Some of the reads I was interested in were two books by local historian David McCullough (one on Paris and the other on the Brooklyn Bridge), as well as one on the history of Penn Traffic written by the same guy who wrote about the history of Glosser Bros. My time in Ligonier wound up around 4:20. Perfect timing as I had a few minutes left on the meter. I went over time though and snapped a few pictures of the spectacular color in town (near the Y as well as the Presbyterian Church).

Finally, let’s talk about some of the beautiful foliage I saw this week. Yellows lit up my drive into Laurel Hill on Sunday as I was on my way to our family reunion. Also on Friday, as I passed Latrobe en route to my destination, some of those yellows and oranges really popped out on Route 30 near Kingston. Both experiences saw vibrant color. Right now is a great time to get out there and see the leaves. It’ll soon be past peak in Somerset County so get out there and enjoy it while you can. This time of year is when I enjoy being in my Autumn Leaves era.

Last night at Greensburg Toastmasters, we had fun. Whether it was the speeches, getting the technology, or taking part in the last Moments of Truth Table Topics. Both of our speakers were coming to us virtually. Would they be able to join us?

We had a small turnout and it was a good thing we got Zoom to run, otherwise we’d have a small meeting centered around the Moments of Truth and Table Topics. It was Wednesday and on this day I was wearing pink. I won’t always wear pink, but when I do I’ll make sure I look good. My Sergeant at Arms complimented me for my shirt matching my bag. Our area director was also in attendance (via Zoom) and she loved that we were using the MOT theme for Table Topics. She gave her report following the meeting via email.

Our speakers both did well with their projects, which were informative and humorous. We got a late start but it didn’t feel like it and we caught up really quickly. I led the Table Topics session and picked the perfect people to answer the Moments of Truth related questions I came up with. I planned our agenda for the next meeting and Hillary did great on her first time serving as General Evaluator and Timer. We’ll talk about Winter TLI in our Officers’ meeting which is coming up October 24.

I’ll be speaking at both meetings in November as well as this coming Tuesday at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters. I should have the speeches done for my Level 1 in Presentation Mastery by Thanksgiving at the rate I’m going. Again, I want to challenge myself to step out of my comfort zone in Toastmasters.

My second vacation is coming soon. It will be right after Thanksgiving, during the first week of December. I’m starting to get a clear picture of what I want to do with my week off. I will definitely be visiting a few Toastmasters clubs. I will be visiting Cranberry High Noon as well as Bakery Square Toastmasters, and my own meeting at Greensburg is that week too. That Saturday is Winter TLI at Westmoreland County Community College. I also plan on getting Christmas shopping done. I’m leaning on doing that following the Bakery Square meeting and going to the South Hills to shop. I’m now interested in going to the Greensburg art museum for an event and even making a return trip to Indiana. In addition to all that I just mentioned, I’ll be watching Christmas movies (classics and Hallmark) and doing some Christmas baking as well. This week won’t be as warm as June, but it will be festive.

The Pumpkin Spice tour is still going on for a few more weeks. Locally, I’ve done very well, mostly frequenting Cutie’s, the newest coffee shop in town, with a few visits to the other local cafes in town. Friday, I plan on taking advantage of the nice weather and traveling to Ligonier. Just like last year, I shot too high trying to plan this tour and take it outside of Westmoreland County and should just learn to keep it local. It’s that Fear of Missing Out that social media only makes worse. I just read that the Pilgrim is now being made at Getgo and I plan on getting one very soon when I kick off the Turkey Sandwich and Dinner tour. That’s set to begin November 1 and will overlap with the end of the Pumpkin Spice tour by a week.

Finally, I’ve really been enjoying the Fall coffee menu at one of Greensburg’s finest coffee shops. I probably doubt I’ll get an opportunity to enjoy a Spooky coffee flight or Gilmore Girls coffee flight; however, I’ve been very happy with the choices that I’ve made so far. From lattes to matcha to chai tea, I’ve had some great tasting fall coffee so far this Fall season. I’ve also enjoyed the seasonal coffee and treats I’ve bought from Giant Eagle and Market District. Pumpkin Spice Latte, you began my tour and it’s only appropriate to end it with you. Date to be determined but it’ll be between Halloween and the week after.

The new Christmas, or Holiday, coffee menu at Cutie’s rolls out on November 9 and I am beyond excited about what’s going to be offered.

In Tuesday’s blog, I did a review of the book I’m reading about Michigan’s 2023 season where they win the National Championship. This despite all the battles they faced, like not being good enough to win it all. There was also the drama going on with coaches being suspended due to NCAA violations that occured at the height of the pandemic. That too could have been a distraction. In Wednesday’s blog, I wanted to talk about the some of the battles I faced during that same time period. This all coming off of a successful run in the mid to late 2010’s, which rivaled my Hempfield and HGA years (1996 to 2003).

In 2020, I battled isolation and the new normal as I had to deal with social distancing, herd immunity, masking and other new terms because of the global pandemic. All the plans I made for 2020 were dashed like that. It didn’t hit me at first but when it did, I crashed hard. I also battled the status quo in my fashion and started wearing scarves and buying bags.

2021 I battled getting older as I turned 40. I also dealt with health issues as I had to be hospitalized for high blood pressure. I also went up against change at work as we were merging with our competitor, and we lost some key faces in our office. By the end of the year, I was gone from WIS. I also encountered disappointment as my Christmas plans were dashed due to the latest strain of COVID.

In 2022, it was depression and new routines I was going up against. I started my new job and didn’t have the support system I did a year prior. I thought I found myself but alas, it was back to the drawing board. Even though the year started bad, it got better as it went on. The holidays were much better for me than the previous two years, but it still wasn’t a happy holiday for some people. I had my first paid vacation in 15 years when I took a week off in December.

In 2023, I was battling the critics and myself, as well as worry. It was a bridge year for me as well. We made plenty of visits to Children’s to see Benny that year, and I dealt with self doubt in my journey once again. But I prevailed over the haters.

In 2024, I was battling against myself once again. My way of thinking was really unnecessary and took away from some of the great times I’ve had this year. As I’ve learned to love myself and not rely so much on attention, it’s brought for me a change in attitude when it comes to my journey.

Despite all the wars I’ve been up against, I’m still here and that matters.

Last week, I followed in the footsteps of my cousin who has started to do book reviews on her blog and did one of my own. I reviewed The Story Behind the Smile, which covers the history of Eat’n Park going back to its humble beginnings in 1949. I will finish the book next week. Today, I’ll be summarizing what I’ve read so far in the sports book Michigan vs. Everybody. This book chronicles the 2023 National Championship season of the Michigan Wolverines football team.

So far I’ve only read a few chapters of the book on my Kindle. What I’ve learned so far is that Michigan was determined to win it all after coming up short in ‘21 and ‘22. They made it to the College Football Playoff and lost both years.

Jim Harbaugh came to Michigan in 2015. It was the school where he played quarterback in the mid ‘80s before he started a lengthy NFL career. His biggest hurdle was beating Ohio State. He finally got over the hump in 2021. There was a petition for his dismissal as coach following the pandemic-shortened 2020 season but he had his contract restructured and came back.

The team was full of superstars that led Michigan in 2021 and 2022 to the playoff. The losses to Georgia and Texas Christian hurt but Michigan was hungry to win it all in 2023. NCAA violations that happened during the COVID dead recruiting period sidelined Harbaugh and other coaches but the interim guys were ready to fill their shoes. Michigan last won the title in 1997 when they were co-national champions with Nebraska. Cornerback Charles Woodson won the Heisman Trophy that year.

I am just starting into the 2023 season and will write more at certain points. Reading about the Harbaugh era Michigan teams, I’m reminded of how the past year went for me. My 2023 was a lot like ‘21 and ‘22 Michigan. It was a good year and I had success but I came up short. 2023 was like a bridge year for me. 2020 to 2022 for me was a lot like the Steelers seasons of the late 90s and 2000. Mediocrity and regression. For me there was also fleeting interest in my old job before things eventually went downhill.

More on this in my next blog.

This isn’t my first book on Michigan football as I’ve read other books about the program. I’m not a Michigan fan either so Ohio State, Michigan State, and Penn State fans can rejoice. I just like reading about teams that are successful.