Spring Baking Championship Is In!

Well, it took four years but, I am getting into the Spring Baking Championship. I started in mid-March with the latest season premiere, as the show has been on since April of 2015. Since 2021, I’ve been a regular viewer for the Holiday Baking Championship as well as the Halloween installment that airs in September and October. Halloween will take a back seat this year as I try something new instead. Jesse Palmer hosts the Spring Baking Championship and like former teammate Michael Strahan, Mr. Palmer keeps busy. Jesse also hosts the Bachelor and the Bachelorette. On Monday’s show, the bakers made cheesecakes and madeleines. I learned something new that night and that what a madeleine is. So far I’m enjoying this show. I’m also going to check out Buddy vs. Duff which ran for three seasons on Food Network from 2019-2021.

I was a little lax on podcasts in March, not enjoying the rewatch podcasts as much as I did in February. It was a bump in the road and I’ll be back. I’m looking forward to Monday’s Pod Meets World when they interview Nick Bakay (who was the voice of Salem on Sabrina The Teenage Witch). I know a lot of people who named their cats Salem in the ‘90s. The Office Ladies podcast from Wednesday was amazing and the show is back on my list to be watched. That along with a rewatch of Gilmore Girls, beginning around Easter week. Hey, Scranton to Stars Hollow isn’t a bad road trip either. They both get me away from the craziness going on in our world right now.

The Division Contest run is over and I was appreciative of the time off (I had Friday and Saturday off three weeks straight but not this past weekend). Despite missing yesterday’s contest, I still enjoyed myself and was able to hear some great speakers at the other contests I was able to attend. Some of the contestants will be moving on the District Contest on April 26, thus completing the slate for the upcoming speech contests. Yesterday in Division D, Bakery Square’s contestants competed in the Tall Tales and International Speech contests, among other clubs in Division D. I attended this contest in 2019 and 2022. Yesterday’s event was held in Downtown Pittsburgh at BNY Mellon.

After weeks of waiting, I received my long-awaited book in the mall that chronicled the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2024 season. This past season was fun to watch, unlike the previous one. While the Pittsburgh Steelers would disappoint in the end, the Eagles would ride their much improved defense and amazing running back to an amazing playoff run. The Eagles came off a lackluster end to the 2023 season, which included a wild card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The start to this season wasn’t good either. It paralleled how I was feeling for most of the Spring and about half the summer (it’s complicated so don’t ask). Watching the newly acquired Saquon Barkley on TV rack up yards and challenge a 40 year old record for rushing yards was fun too.

I’ll be finishing the John Hughes book very soon as I’m now at the end of his life, so around 2009 which is the year he passed. I look forward to my new season of reading and also growing spiritually again. Time to close off the blog by talking up Toastmasters.

While the dues are due period is coming to an end, we sit back and count down the days until the Spring Conference which is less than a month away. There’s still plenty of time for us to attract new members to our clubs. In the last blog post for March, I’m taking a few minutes to celebrate two of our clubs that just made Distinguished. Laurel Highlands Toastmasters just made Distinguished and looking to aim higher (we want to go for Presidents’ Distinguished). I will help when I complete my next speech which wraps up Level 2 in my Presentation Mastery path. Today, I also read that Western Maryland Toastmasters also became a distinguished club themselves. The club is just under a year old (they chartered at the end of May 2024). For them to achieve this goal is a testament to the hard work of the members and officers in the club. I plan to visit on April 10.

The Dinner Series is Back!

Thursday night marked the return of the monthly dinners that I have with Mr. Clougherty. We’ve done this tradition regularly since 2013 and aside from the few times we met on a different day, it’s always been a Thursday night. The swimming season ended early and so Kevin was free to meet me for dinner. I wanted the first dinner of the year to be at Kings. I left a nice review on Yelp and may return during the Lenten season to try another fish dinner. I ordered the shrimp dinner while Kevin got the K-Boy. We both had Apple Pie for dessert (I had mine with Cinnamon Ice Cream)

I felt that it was appropriate to start with Kings in memory of founder Hartley King, who died at the end of January at the age of 91. Kings locations were everywhere in Pittsburgh at one point and at its peak had over 30 locations. The sale of the company in 2015 was a sign that the restaurant wasn’t going to expand and eventually many of the stores we grew up going to closed their doors. They either sat abandoned, or they became a convenience store or different restaurant.

We made plans for 2025, and next month we will meet on the eve of the Spring Conference at Primanti’s. Also included this year will be Olive Garden, Hibachi, and Eat’n Park. I’m thinking about Texas Road House (Kevin has never been there) but I’m not sure yet. Hibachi might be our June destination. Last year, I celebrated my aunt’s birthday there as well as AB’s birthday so I may do the same myself. Before and during dinner, we have our usual talking points like the swim team and the sorry state of the high school. I need to remember to let the stale ones go, like my college years. I also talked about Toastmasters and said a few things related to the upcoming Spring Conference. It was hard to leave politics at home, but I did it. Last time we met before the presidential election. I’ve been accepting the outcome even though I don’t want to. Even stuff I agree with, I just ignore because it’ll get me wound up. Perhaps my John Hughes/Brat Pack book would have made better dinner conversation as Kevin was a young adult and student at IUP during that time. It would have been cool to talk about the Breakfast Club with him.

During this most recent two day off stretch, my heart was set on going to the local Christian bookstore and I did so Thursday afternoon. I’d been away for a while but stopped in for a little bit before I went to meet Kevin and found some good deals. One of them was a book that recently came out which was written by Christian music artist Rebecca St. James and her husband. I read her mother’s book a few years ago on my Kindle and I enjoyed learning about her life growing up both in Australia and adjusting to life in America. I recently learned that her brothers make up the band For King and Country.

It’s been a slow process, but my heart is beginning to come back to God. I attended the Bible study at Cutie’s a few times during the summer and went to Community Methodist Church in Harrison City. For a stretch during Lent in 2023, I also went back to Cornerstone. I am excited for the first Bible Study of the year at Cutie’s at the end of April (it’ll be a nice end to the Spring Conference weekend for me). I also bought a book for $5 written by a Presbyterian pastor. As I prepare to finish my John Hughes book, I look forward to this new season of reading in my life and getting back to church at some point this Spring.

I spent part of my Friday morning at Cutie’s picking my last drink option on the Lucky You menu before it switches over next Saturday to the In Bloom menu. While there I got a picture of the beautiful window display courtesy of @vjenningsart that is definitely in bloom for Spring. My Lucky Girl Latte was good even though it was missing the literal cherry on top. Understandable because the new menu will be making its debut next week.

Finally, the countdown to conference is on as we’re now less than a month away. My mood has greatly improved from last year and my “journey” is better when I’m not craving that drug known as attention. I’m more quiet about it now and whether or not I’m getting compliments, I should still be accepting of myself regardless.

Our Laurel Highlands and Western Maryland Toastmasters president has an amazing session planned during the Spring Conference and I’m going to make this part of my conference plans. I’m excited for the upcoming election of our District officers as well. After being a Toastmaster for nearly 15 years, I still have an appetite for learning something now at conference, meeting, or club officer training. I wasn’t sure that 2025 was in my plans last year, but I’m glad it is now.

Let’s Do This!

Celebrating Distinguished Status at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

What does the word distinguished mean? To be respected and admired for excellence. Synonyms for distinguished include: important, grand, imposing, and magisterial. That was the theme at our Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting last night.

The meeting started a few minutes late as we awaited the arrival of our president and vice president. But we got going really quick. Our jokemaster had us laughing with his riddles. At the beginning of the meeting, the Toastmaster confirms roles to make sure everyone is ready to go. If we need to double or triple duty, we get it done. A Toastmaster wears many hats. We also read the mission statement at the top of the agenda.

Laurel Highlands and Western Maryland Toastmasters are battling for who gets Distinguished first. I just heard the news that one of our members will be coming back, getting us our three members we need to qualify for Distinguished. My next speech should complete my Level 2 requirements and I will be giving that to the club. We have a chance to make Select Distinguished as well, as long as we’re giving speeches and submitting our education awards. Western Maryland meets tomorrow night and they too are close to being a Distinguished club. They chartered last Spring, just behind DuBois Toastmasters. I was going to visit this month, but pushed that back to April.

It was a family affair last night as our three speakers were all related. All of them gave great speeches including Jeniffer who displayed her art as part of her speech. These three speakers will evaluate at the next meeting on April 8, as Gary, Ryan, and I come up and deliver our speeches. Officer elections will also be happening soon.

We got a nice group picture after the meeting ended. We also celebrated the Imeses on their second wedding anniversary with a smorgabord of fruit, cupcakes, and brownies, as well as water. Here is the picture of our little Laurel Highlands family.

Our Toastmasters club has members whose faith in Jesus Christ is strong. While religion and politics aren’t subjects we normally discuss in Toastmasters, it’s nice to see that we carry this distinction at Laurel Highlands. I still believe in God but have been away from the church since the Fall of 2021 (save for a few visits in between). After three and a half years away, I’m getting interested in God once again and finding a church. There is a place in Greensburg (in the city) that I may go to when I have a free Sunday morning. It was recommended to me by a fellow Toastmaster.

Upon giving my speech on Cutie’s a few weeks ago, I have some of my members interested in going there for coffee. I was even asked about the Bible Study which is starting up at the end of April. It’s amazing that a speech about a local coffee shop in Greensburg has carried a lot of weight, even to people in Fayette County and Western Maryland.

Finally, this weekend wraps up the Division run of the speech contests in District 13 as Division D’s best will compete for a spot in the District contest in April. I won’t be there in person as my schedule has changed this week. But, I will be there in spirit and I know that social media will be buzzing with pictures from the contest. Whomever wins on Saturday, I look forward to hearing on April 26 at the Spring conference!

Division Cutie Speech Contest!

Saturday morning, I was on my way to my third speech contest in as many weeks. The Division C Tall Tales and International Speech contest was held at United Presbyterian Church in Blairsville. Just like the previous two divisional contests and February’s area contest I attended which was held in Johnstown, this one did not disappoint.

Division C has 19 clubs including some that have recently chartered in the last year like DuBois and Western Maryland, and is made up of four areas. The Division stretches from north to south and west to east. In the Tall Tales and International Speech contest, seven contestants from four areas participated. Area 21 was represented by Johnstown and Allegheny Mountains. Area 22 was represented by Penn State Pingers, Nittany, and DuBois (which chartered last April). DuBois meets on the first and third Wednesday, just like Greensburg Toastmasters. Area 23 was represented by Arconic and Ambassadors, and Area 24 was represented by Monroeville and BPMI.

The winners of the Tall Tales contest were our area directors for the Area 23/24 contest on March 7, 2020, the final speech contest in our District before everything shut down the next week due to the COVID 19 pandemic. We fist bumped and bumped elbows when coming up to speak because we weren’t sure if we’d spread the virus or not. That day felt like the closing days of the 1994 major league baseball season which would be impacted by the players’ strike that cancelled the World Series that Fall.

Sure enough, a week later, upcoming speech contests and the Spring conference would soon be postponed due to the fast spread of the virus into the United State. March 11, 2020, was the day that COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. It felt full circle as they were our contestants on this day and they will be the ones representing the district on April 26 at the District contest. We shared bits and pieces of that day, before and after the contest.

It felt good to be back at United Presbyterian Church, as one of my fellow members from Greensburg said to me. We held our Achievers Toastmasters meetings there at the beginning of the 2019-2020 Toastmasters year, before we were forced to hold online meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a very nice church in the heart of downtown Blairsville.

All the contestants gave great speeches and we had a few surprises as well. Some of these speeches I heard for the second time. The top two in each contest will represent their clubs in the District Tall Tales and International Speech Contest on April 26 during the District 13 Spring Conference. I was on the fence about attending this upcoming conference because of my mood last Spring. It was the first time I attended in-person since 2019 and while the venue was great (close to the casino), I was feeling down because of some mental health issues I created for myself. I had my Toastmaster friends with me at the conference but I was feeling unloved and nonexistent elsewhere. I was still feeling unaccepted in my journey as well, and I couldn’t accept myself.

Those feelings lingered into the summer and impacted my Summer TLI experience as well as my vacation. I came into that week off excited, having my early birthday dinner at the Olive Garden on a very hot June day. I set myself up for disappointment because of those same feelings of doubt and that distracted me from having a good time and learning more. I could excuse lack of sleep, but I wish I could have just enjoyed myself, at least at the onset of my vacation. Fortunately, things would turn a corner as the summer went and transitioned into Fall. At Winter TLI, my mood was much improved and I was on cloud nine after all of the compliments I received for my style. I also had a better time and learned a lot from the speakers and the sessions.

Coming up this week, opening day 2025 as the Bucs take the field in Miami with their Cy Young hopeful on the mound. Mr. Clougherty and I reconvene our Dinner Series at Kings and we’ll highlight the Buccos. I “attended” church this morning at ACAC (not my first time) and hope to visit a local church in Greensburg soon. I’m ready to get back into it.

Laurel Highlands meeting this Tuesday. I plan on giving them some more awards so they can become Distinguished.

Everything is Cancelled, or is it?

Last night, at my Greensburg Toastmasters meeting, I spoke about what things were like during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Downtown areas felt like ghost towns, and commuting on the Parkway was a breeze. Shopping malls were closed and events and weddings coming up were also canceled. You could still have a ceremony, just not a big one. Due to the spread of the virus, it was recommended to stay at home and stay safe.

For me, the layoff was just one of the major turning points I’d deal with over the next year. Eventually, I would be exiting my old job but that wasn’t on my mind in the spring of 2020. While working at Giant Eagle and hospitals meant you were an essential worker, I was non-essential at WIS.

While we were on orders to socially distance, stay at home, and wear a mask whenever we went out, it was also important to know that not everything was canceled. This made up most of my speech.

My speech started out on a down note but talking about those things that weren’t “cancelled” made it very uplifting. The only thing missing from my speech was some animated gestures. I was given the option to redo this, as the same project or as a different one. If I give it at Laurel Highlands, I’ll substitute some of those terms for things not cancelled (thinking Cheesecake is not cancelled).

During that time, I thought about what could have been. We all did. No one expected this to come and do the damage that I did. I spent a few those days early in the COVID lockdown making multiple road trips to Ligonier and even Johnstown and the Hiram G. Andrews Center. Summer was dramatically altered, though we didn’t feel it quite as much at home.

I found shows to keep my occupied. During the pandemic, the Office was one of the most viewed shows on Netflix, thus making the former show popular once again. I started Gilmore Girls before the pandemic, so I was well into the show’s seven year run by the time everything shut down in March. When Toastmasters suspended in-person meetings, I attended meetings online through Zoom. Some of those were Cranberry High Noon and Earlybirds. Others included Next Step, Dawn Patrol, and North Hills. I also took part in the meetings doing Table Topics. Our contest season ended with the area 23/24 contest in Oakmont on March 7 as the next week all hell broke loose. We soon learned that all divisional contests and the District conference were going to be postponed. I started a Financial Peace University course through my church the week that everything shut down (I even planned to drive myself to Boardman and Hermitage for work events just to attend this event in the evening). It would be postponed for at least the two weeks that Cornerstone was closed so that the facilitators could figure out how to run the course online. We returned to a condensed version of the program in April, doubling up lessons if we had to in order to meet the deadline.

To quote Dave Ramsey, this was a time in our lives when we lived like no one else. Unfortunately, it wasn’t for good in the Spring of 2020.

Closing off this blog, I’ll be starting my Stars Hollow Rewatch after Easter and will do all seven seasons once again. Will I enjoy it knowing what I know now? I also plan to have a list ready for watch for holidays and Fall. At least this time, I’ll watch it during the Fall unlike 2020 when I started in Winter and finished in the Summer with the Day in the Life. Maybe I’ll watch the four-part mini series on Black Friday. I plan to start Kelly Bishop’s memoir and reread Talking as Fast as I Can around Conference Week as well. I might even watch a few episodes of the show at Cutie’s (headphones in) or in the Little Stars Hollow I like to call Ligonier (or another perfect Hallmark town).

The Monday after the Spring Conference marks the return of the Cutie’s Bible Study and I am definitely looking forward to it.

Division Brilliant Contest Saturday!

After my coffee visit, it was off to the Cranberry Area Municipal Building for the Division Brilliant Tall Tales and International Speech Contest. I got there with plenty of time to spare. I almost slept in but luckily woke up and clock read 7:30am. I quickly got dressed and was out the door just after 8. For the first time in a while, I drove the PA Turnpike from Irwin to Cranberry. I didn’t really have to as I usually run US 30 to the Parkway (I-376) or take the turnpike one exit to Monroeville. I wanted my Convive visit to be worthwhile though so I took the quickest way there. It turned out I could taken my usual route.

We had a nice turnout and there was plenty of help to go around at the contest. When you have a great team available to assist, your contest is going to go well. The clubs represented at yesterday’s contest included Erie Insurance, Earlybirds, Cranberry High Noon, Cranberry Area, and North Hills. The Tall Tales speakers had us laughing and the International contest speakers gave uplifting speeches. I now know of two District 13 speakers who have podcasts.

I wasn’t my best on Saturday, still fighting off a cold. Plus, to make matters worse, my left ear popped somewhere between Allegheny Valley and Butler Valley. It does this when I travel US 30 going towards Jennerstown atop the Laurel Ridge. Despite the minor nuisances of coughing and not hearing well, I still heard the speakers pretty clear from my seat in the back of the room.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is not to believe what you see on social media highlight reels is all it’s cracked up to be. Influencers and others struggle just as much as we do and are just as human.

In Wednesday’s speech at my Greensburg club meeting, I will be talking about contest season. I will be emphasizing the more recent years. Before COVID in 2019, during in 2020 and 2021, and after from 2022 on.

While serving as a contest official, I learned a couple new tricks yesterday. Folding the paper gives you a clean slate as does writing the contestants’ names in the reverse order. The chief judge was prepared and she had a great team to boot. Even if I’ve helped out in 30 previous contests, I always pay attention so I can learn something new. I ran into one of my friends at the contest who was at previous TLI’s and conferences. She was the one with the cute Michael Kors tote. Since the last conference, I bought one too and she complemented the nice shade of pink. I’m learning not to expect compliments all the time and to be pleasantly surprised when I do get them. Also, if I like something that’s all that matters. Yesterday was like St. Patrick’s Day with parades going on. I wore my green in honor of the holiday, and because I root for the Philadelphia Eagles (Fly Eagles Fly), plus it’s one of the colors of my Alma mater (Go Rock).

We made runtime at the contest, ending at 1:53pm. Soon after, all the attendees were on their way home. Some of them had a long commute back to Erie. Others were local. I stopped for a quick lunch. While I could have gone somewhere in the Cranberry area, I took my time and settled on Chick-Fil-A this time around. Another missed Panera opportunity. If you’re asking why, I made this the running gag for the last two weeks. We’re trying to find a good spot in Blairsville for lunch on Saturday. I’ll get my Panera opportunity before the meeting on Wednesday when I eat at the mall.

This Saturday I’ll be attending the division contest. That opens up the possibility of a division sweep next week if I make it to Division D’s contest on March 29 in Downtown Pittsburgh. I’ve done well this year with contest attendance and didn’t expect to be off for the first two weeks. But it’s been a nice treat nevertheless. While my schedule may work on my favor, I won’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work out.

Finally, I registered for Spring Conference and look forward to seeing everyone on April 26.

Stylish Food and Drink Review—Convive Coffee Roasters

This morning, I attended the Division Brilliant International Speech and Tall Tales contest. Before that I stopped at a new coffee shop that I’ve followed on Instagram for a while. Cutie’s is my go-to for amazing coffee in Downtown Greensburg. However, I’ve been looking forward to visiting this place for a while. A perfect opportunity awaited when I was on my way to the contest this morning.

Convive Coffee Roasters has four locations in the Pittsburgh area. The original location is McCandless, and Mars is the newest. The Lawrenceville location would be perfect to walk down to from Children’s. Had I known that this place exited, I would have had coffee while I was visiting Benny and Aunt Sue while they were staying at Children’s.

I ordered a lavender latte off of the Spring menu as well as a blueberry muffin. Still needing some breakfast, the blueberry muffin came in handy. The inside is very roomy, with tables to sit at and even a couch. The Mars location does give off some Starbucks vibes. It has a drive-thru for those wanting coffee on the go. One of these days, I want to hit up Latte Lane or Roaming Bean if I’m traveling. They also have merchandise, including a Convive tote bag that I wasn’t ready to buy just yet. Maybe on my next visit. This may be a stop for me before my Cranberry High Noon visit in June during my vacation. One time, I’ll even try the original location in McCandless.

Service was excellent and I talked to the barista about some of our local coffee shops in downtown Greensburg. I also mentioned that today was my first time at Convive. I dropped Cutie’s and White Rabbit. We had a very good convo going. Service was quick and the help was patient and friendly. I saw a lot of people out for a morning run in this part of Mars/Seven Fields. The cafe in a prime location, and not far from there is a Dollar Tree (formerly Walgreens). The colors here in the fall would really make a visit here worthwhile too.

Food: 5

Service: 5

Atmosphere: 5

Grade: A+

Trading Dylan Mulvaney for Emily Gilmore!

It wasn’t easy, but I survived the time change yesterday morning. Now, I’m able to enjoy more time outside. With highs reaching 70, I’ll be sure to get outdoors and take a few walks this week.

On Saturday, when I closed off the blog, I looked back five years to when I watched Gilmore Girls. I actually did so before the pandemic, so I was well into the series when the layoff at WIS occurred in March. This Spring, I plan to rewatch the series. That show and The Office kept most people sane during the lockdown days in the Spring of 2020. Good morning, I need coffee In a IV with a side of Bears Beets Battlestar Galactica, please?

Now, I had pre-ordered Dylan Mulvaney’s book and was going to get delivered this week as it released. At some point I’d love to read it, but not now. I like Dylan and am inspired by her (yes, her) journey but, her journey is her own and not mine. I canceled the order today and instead ordered Kelly Bishop’s memoir, The Third Gilmore. I could have ordered that when it came out and it would have been a hit with my cousins at the Fall picnic. But it wasn’t in my interests at the time. Kelly’s book was also $6 less on Amazon (the hardcover version). I’ll start this in the Spring as well as reread Lauren Graham’s Talking as Fast as I Can.

I’m still in the book about John Hughes and have entered into the post-Brat Pack days. Pretty in Pink has been out for over a year, and Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles are distant memories. Success is fleeting and I’m reading about the actors who were all on magazine covers a few years ago that are now making the transition to adulthood. It reminds me of 2006 as I was exiting academia and making the transition to adult life. I wasn’t ready then and I worked for years to find myself. But, I’ve managed to right the ship and feel contentment at where I am now in my life.

Knowing what I know now, will I enjoy rewatching the series now that I know how bad that season 6 was? I think this time away will help me enjoy Stars Hollow once again. Looking forward to reading the book this Spring.

Division Awesome Contest Saturday!

Picture taken March 5, 2024, on a very warm late winter afternoon at Hempfield Park

Today marked the first of at least three divisional contests, all in consecutive weeks, that I’ll be attending during the month of March. Not sure if Division D will be in my plans on March 29, though I’d love to see those in the contest compete. This morning’s contest was amazing with three areas and five clubs being represented.

I got to my destination early. I thought the contest was scheduled to begin at 9am (it actually started at 10am with the briefings at 9:30am). Thus, I was one of the first people there. The contest was held at the West Allegheny Community Library in Oakdale. Fun fact: On one of the first episodes of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in 1979 after returning from hiatus, he visited an elementary school in Oakdale (McKee Elementary School) as part of that week’s segment. This was the fourth Division A contest I’ve attended since we went hybrid in 2022. Actually, it was completely in person. For the third time in seven years, it was held at the library. 2023 and 2024 were held at the Faith Lutheran Church in White Oak, former home of McKeesport Toastmasters. We had attendance from our other dignitaries and other different members, and that’s what I love about these contests.

The area contest run wrapped up last week as Area 13 held their rescheduled contest in Butler. Representing that area was Earlybirds, Beaver, and Mercer County Toastmasters. The winners will be competing at the contest this Saturday. Earlybirds changed locations since I last visited in 2020, moving from the downtown Y to LifeSteps. I saw some of Division B’s leaders today and some of the Cranberry High Noon members in attendance as well. Last Saturday, Area 33 held their contest and representing that area was Bakery Square and Woman 2 Woman Toastmasters. The winners of the latter contest will go on to Division D’s contest on March 29.

At Saturday’s event, speech contestants represented Bettis, Gwen’s Girls, Thermo Fisher, Priority Speakers, and South Hills. Gwen’s Girls and Thermo Fisher chartered less than a year ago. All the speakers did great and South Hills took both contests. The Tall Tales speakers all had me laughing.

Next Saturday, I will be in Cranberry Township for the Division B contest which runs from 11am to 2pm. I will leave early though as I’m going to visit a popular coffee shop in nearby Seven Fields that I’ve followed on Instagram, Convive Coffee Roasters. They have four locations including McCandless and Lawrenceville.

This week did me in as I was fighting a cough and cold, but that didn’t keep me from a Cutie’s date on Friday or the speech contest today. I was also fighting call offs at work as well, so I was definitely ready to leave Friday morning. After I left the contest on Saturday, I went to Settlers Ridge and had lunch. To improve the post-Toast visit, I would benefitted from being more equidistant. Eat lunch at Panera, Blaze Pizza, or late breakfast at First Watch. Afterwards, shop at Market District and Barnes and Noble or Michaels.

Maybe this past week and the lack of adequate sleep due to my usual anxiety contributed to questionable shopping and culinary decisions. However, my burger and fries at Red Robin were delicious.

Five years ago this weekend marks our last normal week ever before the global pandemic struck and turned everything on its ear. Before the pandemic, I was watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. I started after Christmas and finished in July with a Day in the Life. Maybe Kelly Bishop’s memoir is in my reading choices soon. The third Gilmore Girl also played the mother in Dirty Dancing. Most people watched Gilmore Girls or the Office during those uncertain times in 2020. I know I did.

I think a Stars Hollow rewatch will be coming soon. I may even watch an episode some afternoon in Ligonier, my little Stars Hollow, or at Cutie’s.

Going Back to the “Eye Shadow” Journal

This week has been nothing short of crazy. However, the universe is working in my favor this month as I’ll be off the next few Saturdays (barring a schedule change next week). I’ll be able to attend not only tomorrow’s contest but also the Division B contest next Saturday in Cranberry Township. These contests to me are like the World Quidditch Tournament was to Harry Potter and his friends. I can always watch the contests online but it’s more fun to attend in person.

Rumor is I might visit a new coffee shop along the way next Saturday. I’ll have more as I get closer to the day.

I also went back to the “eye shadow” journal for today’s blog and going forward until the summer solstice. That, or if I run out of pages. Whatever comes first. I gave my journal this name because it resembles an eye shadow palette. Maybe I should also call it the Easy, Breezy, Beautiful journal, or Born With It, or Because I’m Worth It. Ok I’m done with the makeup references.

Last week, I had a great Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting to wrap up February. We had four speakers including myself. A couple of the evaluators were fairly new to Toastmasters but they all did very well. Our Vice President Education spoke on Pathways (our Education program in Toastmasters) and I talked about Cutie’s, as I tried to interest some of my Fayette County and Western Maryland friends into making a drive to Greensburg for some to check out an awesome coffee shop. We also ate before the meeting, as one of our new members brought a crockpot with some meatballs, and some buns for little meatball sliders. Looking ahead, I will be at the next few meetings and will schedule a speech for the first meeting in April. I will not be attending the second meeting on the 22nd as I will be making an online visit to Johnstown Toastmasters. This will be on the heels of the upcoming 2025 Spring Conference.

The weather will be chilly, at least for the start of this weekend and then next week will really warm up. I don’t expect too many travel headaches tomorrow morning as I head out towards the other side of Pittsburgh. I might do a little shopping after the contest, maybe even grab some lunch somewhere in Robinson.

Dues are due. It’s time for me to reinvest in my growth. This weekend I’ll do just that as I renew my membership for both Greensburg and Laurel Highlands. Also, registration is now open for the 2025 Spring Conference. I will be signing up early to get the early bird rate and reserve my room. Even though I went to these conferences in the past making less money at my old job than I do now, it feels good for me to pay my own way and fund my own adventures.

Finally, 2025 for me is going to feel like a play on words. When you split it down the middle, you get 20 | 25. Where am I going with this? Let me explain.

For me, 20 marks the number of years I’ll be out of college (I graduated from Slippery Rock 🪨 🦁 in December of 2005). From there, I would be navigating uncertain waters and experiencing a huge wake up call down the road. This year’s homecoming in October occurs during my week off and I’ll be going. It’ll feel different for me now than it has in years past, when I longed to recreate the past.

25 marks how long since I’ve graduated high school and started college at the Hiram G. Andrews Center, eventually moving onto community college and then Slippery Rock University. I would become independent at HGA, learning life skills and getting my drivers’ license 🪪 while I was there.

Both colleges had and still have a special place in my life so many years later.

20 will also mark how long since I’ve been on social media. It’s funny that Facebook was once a site reserved only for college students. Knowing what I know, part of me wishes it would go back to that. If used carefully, social media isn’t a problem. I still use my page to post this blog and keep up with Toastmasters news as well check up on the family.

Last but not least, five marks how long it’s been since we had our last normal week. Next week at this time in 2020, all hell broke loose and that’s a future speech that I’ll be giving at an upcoming meeting.