Three Coffee Shops I’d Love to Visit!

Easter Sunday went well for us! I took some time to rest early in the afternoon so I could have time to enjoy our company. We had an amazing spread with ham, potatoes, vegetable casserole, and rolls. Afterwards, there was plenty of dessert to go around. We had two of my grandparents’ Easter desserts, heavenly hash and coconut cake. In addition, there was also lemon meringue and cookies and creme pies. 

Later, we all gathered in the living room and watched Toy Story 2 on Disney+. Even though it may have felt random, it was a nice way to unwind after the big meal and we had just eaten. It was the cherry on top for the nice weekend that I had that started with the baby shower on Saturday. While eating our dinner, we enjoyed ourselves as we talked about The Pitt, which is my new favorite on HBO Max. My cousin hasn’t seen the show; therefore, she was able to get a little rundown of it, plus who our favorite doctors are on the show. For me it’s Robby, Evans, King, and Whittaker. 

Fun fact: The actress who portrays Dr. King is Bryan Cranston’s daughter. Speaking of Cranston, the new Malcolm in the Middle miniseries debuts on Hulu and Disney+ this Friday. Directing the miniseries is Ken Kwapis, who has ties to The Office. 

Everyone cleared out by 7:30pm. I say this even though it was a small gathering with nine total. Still, it was a great Easter. 

So far, in 2026, my coffee visits have consisted of those mostly around Greensburg. I’ve visited White Rabbit and Steep Mountain a few times, and once I traveled out to Ligonier where I met my cousin at Abigail’s. It was during that week of extreme cold after that big snowstorm in late January. Mainly, I’ve visited Cutie’s and the “Cutie Count” is now at nine for the year. Caleese Coffee in West Point has come in as my new favorite and so far, three visits have been made there. I’ll count my late December visit as a 2026 stop. 

The three new cafes I’ve had my mind on are in the Pittsburgh area. I’ve given them a follow and an occasional like on Instagram. These have been on my radar since 2024 (I’ve been trying to keep up with other Pittsburgh food influencers). 

The first is Groove Coffee, which is located in Murrysville. This is one that used to operate out of a camper and it was on the westbound side of US 22 in Delmont next to Donut Chef. Their present location is accessible to Duff Park and the PA Heritage Trail and is easily accessible by foot. I’m thinking about taking a morning walk out there and checking them out. Groove just opened its brick and mortar location last week. 

Number two is Latte Lane, which is in Cheswick. It’s not far from New Kensington and this one was a suggestion from a link to an article my cousin shared with me. Latte Lane opened in June of 2024 in the Cheswick Shopping Center. From the pictures I’ve seen on Instagram, there’s some nice artwork on the walls as well. This business used to be located in Harmarville, in a camper. It was near a building that used to be the Ponderosa. 

When I take my vacation in June, I might make this a stop en route to Cranberry on a Monday. 

Lastly, is the Roaming Bean. My introduction to the Roaming Bean came when I was at the Greensburg Night Market one Summer night in 2024. They recently opened a cafe in the Strip District not too long ago, located in the Strip District terminal. The Strip is on my radar for my June vacation and I’d like to include this jewel in my adventures. 

My outfit of the day for Easter Sunday. I didn’t wow like I did Saturday with that cheetah top. However, what I wore is my usual staple for holiday gatherings. A green sweater tank and a striped cardigan (with flare jeans). OK, I wowed myself. 

Finally, I enjoyed myself at the baby shower on Saturday! But there’s one thing I forgot to show off. I had a purse within a purse as I made my way out on Saturday. It was my big Michael Kors bag but inside was a smaller MK purse. I bought these as a set of three on my summer vacation in 2024. Both a cute pop of pink.

Cutie’s was my pre-shower stop and it was hoppin’ at 10am. This is where the smaller purse came in handy. It was busy as everyone came out on this warm Saturday morning before Easter. I got the Cadbury Egg Latte which I took with me to the shower. In addition, I also got a donut from the Mutiny Donuts food truck next door. I got a few compliments on the bag, but it would have been way cooler to show off the small purse within my big purse.

Celebrating the Parents to Be!

I was lucky enough to get Good Friday (and the following Saturday) off so I could have the opportunity to attend a baby shower for my “fashionable” sister and brother in law. Baby Chloe is set to make her arrival later this Spring and I can’t wait to meet my future niece. We arrived just before 11am at the Westmoreland Country Club armed with our gifts for Chloe as well as plenty of diapers. When I walked into the building, my adopted mom Paula was very happy to see me. 

For some of us, it was a nice memory to be back at the country club where we celebrated the wedding of Rob and Sara five years ago. The weather cooperated on that day. Major changes were beginning to take place in my personal and professional life and the buzzing only got louder as 2021 rolled on. I bought a big pack of diapers on my Target run on Thursday. As I arrived, I also entered my name in the drawing to win a prize. I also took a guess on how many Teddy Grahams were in the jar. We ate just before Noon. The spread was a breakfast buffet. This looked very similar to what I’ve had at Toastmaster conferences. That event is coming up soon and will be here before I know it too. 

I sat at the back table in the room, and got to meet some of the people from Sara’s workplace. She is an audiologist at HearingLife. I also reconnected with some of her other friends. There were people I celebrated Friendsgiving with as well as attended church with in the past. 

Before the shower, I made a stop at Cutie’s to enjoy a latte. The Mutiny Donuts food truck was parked next door and I was curious to try one of their donuts. Thus, I was well fed as I made my way to the country club. I got an Oreo donut from the food truck and it was very good. I enjoyed the donut with my Cadbury Egg Latte. I continued to drink the cute coffee drink when I was at the shower. Cutie’s Coffee also came with me to Blairsville as I drank my Bananas Foster Latte en route to the speech contest. 

We gathered around the balloon display to watch the parents-to-be as they opened their gifts that Chloe will love. I had sent mine to their place early in the week (they received it Thursday). It was a Winnie the Pooh pillow. That went great with the lamp that Mom sent them. The baby got lots of cute clothes and toys that she’ll love playing with. 

We played some games, including Bingo where we wrote the gifts that the baby got. There was a word scramble, and I got all but two right, plus Baby Price is Right. In the latter game, we guessed the prices of some of the baby clothes and accessories. The catch was that the prices were based on what they cost at Target, where the parents to be were registered. In the Bingo game, I wrote ‘diaper genie’ in one of the spaces. That’s the gift I got my sister when she was expecting Annabelle. 

My presence at the baby shower, and my outfit of the day, made Sara’s day. The outfit of the day was a pastel green blazer (which screams Easter) with a cheetah top. Wide leg jeans and Skechers completed the cute ‘fit that I was happy to put together for this wonderful event. 

On my way home, I took a side trip to Murrysville. The reason being was that I wanted to find this coffee place I’m interested in visiting sometime. I followed Groove Coffee for sometime on Instagram and Facebook and have always wanted to give them a try. They’ve operated as a trailer but have recently opened a cafe. Groove is on the eastbound side of US 22 and I’ll talk about them more in an upcoming blog (likely my next post). 

There are other coffee shops I’m interested in checking out in the future, and you’ll hear about them coming up this week.

Being Chief Technology Officers at Greensburg Toastmasters! 

No April Foolin’! We had our Greensburg Toastmasters meeting on Wednesday night. On this night, we were setting up the laptop so we could run our meeting online. Reason being, our tech person who sets up everything was on the mend (she would join us online). We were trying to figure out how to get everything to run, but we all worked as a team and got it all to work. The meeting kicked off around 7pm, and we immediately went into the speaking portion of the meeting. 

We didn’t mess around, and we still got the meeting finished on time. To me, that’s a win-win. 

After trying to get everything set up, I would agree that we are all Chief Technology Officers. I’m grateful that we have a laptop reserved mainly for our meetings, and for our newest member who helped us get into Zoom. For a future educational session at TLI, I feel that this should be on the agenda. Maybe have an exercise where we can learn to run a pseudo hybrid meeting so that we’re up to speed on this. That way, those novice tech masters will be ready when this situation pops up. 

Two speeches on the agenda from our seasoned Toastmasters and an April Fools Day themed Table Topics session made the somewhat abbreviated meeting enjoyable. Short and sweet, quick and to the point. There was no idle time as we kept the ball rolling Wednesday night. 

I gave my evaluation of the meeting, and I was sure to give everyone props for being patient. We took our time getting everything up and running. That’s why it’s best to get there early to have everything set up ahead of time. Our newest member led the Table Topics session, and I’m looking forward to the night that she will serve as Toastmaster. She’s going to shine as a club officer in the future.

Our agenda is all set for April 15. I’m not sure if I’ll be in attendance as I might be visiting the Beaver Toastmasters Club that night. Therefore, I don’t where my speech will land. Either it’ll be at Laurel Highlands, Greensburg, or even Beaver. I may not be back at Greensburg until after the Spring Conference. 

Our next two meetings are April 15 and May 6, and the Spring Conference begins May 15.

2026 Division C Contest Recap!

This morning I was at the United Presbyterian Church in Blairsville to attend a speech contest. This one featured some of the best from the Division that my clubs are part of and it did not disappoint. There was a wonderful spread lined up with donuts, cookies, a cheese tray, and most important, bottled water. I got to the church early as the doors opened at 9. 

As our officials were looking for volunteers, I stepped up to serve as the Sergeant at Arms for the Evaluation Contest. This was a familiar role to me as I also performed it for the Table Topics at the Fall Symposium last October. Just like that contest, I did my job very well keeping the other contestants occupied. The church kitchen was perfect as no one heard what was going on inside the speaking area. 

What did I see at today’s contest? A nice gathering of Toastmasters and family members in attendance to cheer on the contestants. Plenty of representation from different clubs in Division C and District 13. 

Not giving away who won the International speech contest, but I felt a range of emotions as I listened to the contestant. The first speech opened my eyes to the dangers of too much cell phone usage, and what to do with that time you spend looking at your screen. I heard a speech from one of the members who spoke about their autism journey. Another one provided me with humor and a few laughs as the speaker was introduced to a different culture. 

That answers the question as to what I heard while at the contest. 

At the evaluation contest, the model speaker spoke on a time when he wished have handled a situation differently. There were three things he talked about in the speech. I only got to hear one of the evaluations as I was acting as the contest Sergeant at Arms. I think to myself, what are some of those things that I wish I could have done differently. 

Some things on the list I have to go all the way back for. Within the last several years, I would say not leaving my church on bad terms. Taking it slow in my nontraditional fashion journey as I was getting established at Giant Eagle. Not being dependent on clicks on social media. Lastly, not overthinking and instead, learning to be more confident with myself.

We moved on to Ravalia’s where we had our post-contest gathering. It’s a beautiful restaurant that was the former Papa Sal’s we loved going to in the past. It has a great menu with different options. I was tempted to get a burger but decided to get a fish sandwich.

Congratulations to the winners and I look forward to seeing you compete on May 16 at the District contest.

Spring Cleaning at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

It was a full agenda Tuesday night at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters. Three speakers set to give their presentations. In addition, a tuneup for our evaluation contest as he hopes to bring home the gold Saturday. We had six in attendance at Connellsville, and three online. Our theme was Spring Cleaning, and our word of the day was growth. Our invocation talked about what it means to grow. In Toastmasters, we go to meetings to grow as speakers and as leaders. The feedback is constructive, and helps us in our future presentations. 

One of the suggestions from our general evaluator was to have the Club President do his role first if he’s invocator or wordmaster.

We began our trio of speeches with a project from our Vice President Education on what it means to serve beyond our club. Using presentation software, he discussed how we can participate in speech contests. He highlighted the roles, including that of the contestant. He also hit on leadership opportunities. His take home questions were, will we serve the club in the new Toastmasters year. Also, would we be attending upcoming events that represent Laurel Highlands?

I wrapped up Level 4 in my Presentation Mastery path with the main project on “Managing A Difficult Auidence”. While my speech was serious-sounding as it centered on the COVID-19 pandemic, it erred on the side of humor as well. The suggestions for improvement included me being a little more commanding and taking more control of the meeting. 

Our last speech from our Sergeant at Arms talked about “The Perspectives of Others”. It was an informative speech teaching to look at things differently and have a heart for others, as well as to be accepting. Overall it was a good night for speeches and that led into a good Table Topics session that tied around the theme of the meeting. I didn’t take part in it, but I’ll talk about my own Spring cleaning. 

Despite the up-and-down March we’ve had weatherwise, I’ve been able to crawl out from the doldrums. Those being brought on by the extreme cold of January. Building off of a more active February, I’ve stayed the course and have a regular gym routine going for me now. With the end of March being five years since my health scare, I’m finally starting to take charge of my life. 

Our evaluators were giving their initial feedback on a speech, and preparing for a competition. I’ve been at meetings where a member serves dual roles (like Toastmaster and General Evaluator) and when they evaluate two speeches. Our club president is practicing so he can be ready to compete on Saturday, and I believe that’s he more than ready. All speech evaluations were within time and ranged from 3 to 3 ½ minutes. Not too shabby. 

We wrapped up the meeting on time and we’ll see each other again on Saturday. 

Our next three meetings are April 14 and 28, and May 12. I’m looking at giving a speech at that May meeting leading up to Spring Conference.

Enjoying my Cutie Pebble Latte at Cutie’s!

I made good on my Sunday afternoon plans and the summerlike weather helped accentuate that. First it was off to Cutie’s for a Cutie Pebbles Latte. It was so warm that the garage door window was up. I enjoyed my drink outside and watched the world go by. Afterwards, I parked my car in the lot like I was going to my Greensburg Toastmasters meeting and walked around town. 

With a busy week ahead, I made the most of my afternoon. Thus, I was able to get my thirty minute walk in before the rain and thunderstorms made their way in. I walked down Main Street and on to Otterman where I just was, passing Caffe Barista along the way. Them and Cafe 993 in Manor are on my list of future restaurant visits. It was a nice Sunday to be out and about as people rode past on their bikes. Pennsylvania Avenue is looking good and night markets will begin soon, ushering in Summer. 

I made it home just as the sky began to turn ominous. 

Today, I put my speech together for Tuesday’s meeting. It’s going to be a little bit different as I’ll be evaluated on how I handle interruptions. Other club members will play different roles in the project. I’m mixing some bad news with a little bit of humor, so we’ll see how it goes. 

I have my dates set for when I want to speak. Eventually I’ll wrap up this path that I began in the Fall of 2024. However, I need to address some concerns going forward. In order to ensure success in my speeches and as a member of my clubs, I want to have my next project started by the end of the week.  

The next time that I want to give a speech will be around the middle of April. I want to get a rough draft of what I’m going to present by Friday. This will give me ample time to have everything ready to go by the 14th or 15th. It beats waiting until a week or even less to prepare. A little motivation helps.

A Well-Balanced Week of Activities!

The first full week of Spring will be keeping me busy, as I have a lot on my plate. I have a lot of needs, and some wants as well. I should be able to satisfy all of my requirements. The key this week is to mix business with pleasure. I have to make some moves to plan for my future, in addition to preparing a speech for Tuesday’s Laurel Highlands meeting. I also need to tie up some loose ends in order to meet my Toastmasters goals. This blog post does seem like a monthly preview, but in reality it’s looking like an active week ahead. I don’t mean that with the weather, even though Sunday is trending towards severe weather. 

Sunday will see me returning to one of my favorite coffee shops, enjoying some seasonal coffee. The menu will be changing over this weekend as Cutie’s begins to really think Spring. If the weather holds, maybe I’ll get a thirty minute walk around town. With an active week ahead, I need to get my exercise time in when I can. Sunday’s forecast is trending towards showers and thunderstorms later in the day. These storms are capable of producing damaging winds, heavy downpours, and you can’t rule out the threat of a tornado, either. 

The week ahead takes me to Connellsville for my Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting, and to Blairsville over the weekend. I will be there for our Divisional Speech Contest, and I’ll cover that in more detail soon. It’s the first day of the new Spring menu at Cutie’s and I’m trying to decide what I want to get. I’ll be down there just after it opens so I may be in the long line at 8 o’clock on Saturday morning. I’ll be sure to enjoy some festive coffee to usher in the Spring season.

I’ll miss the Spring Market Saturday morning, but I’ll be en route to Blairsville for the speech contest Saturday morning. Now unlike last year, the universe isn’t exactly working in my favor. I had luck on my side as I was able to attend three out of the four division contests in March. I am happy to attend my division’s contest though. In addition, I’ll be enjoying the first consecutive days off I’ve had since the end of December. It’s also the first free Saturday I’ve had since the Fall (December 6 was the last one I had off). That day I attended Winter TLI at Westmoreland County Community College. 

I have not put in my hat to ring yet but if I don’t help out, I’ll cheer on my fellow contestants. There will be plenty of speeches and evaluations to enjoy at this level just as there was at the area. A few of them I’ll definitely be rooting for.

Finally, the Dinner Series resumes on Thursday night and I couldn’t be more excited. We’ll have a moment of silence for a former teacher and coaching legend. Also, we’ll remember Kings as the Hempfield location closed the day after Christmas last year. It was a very heartless decision to close the day after a major holiday and I wish the employees had more notice. Valvoline and 7 Brew are going to eventually move into that location. 

Kevin and I will meet at Eat’n Park and I have my heart set on the Whale of a Cod as it’s lenten season. Our talking points will most likely include the pool and the upcoming renovations set to take place. We’ll reminisce about good times and all the memories of meets and swimming alumni past. The future for the team as they swim at other pools will be discussed as well. We’ll also catch up on life as we wrap up another workweek.

A Balanced Trio of Speakers at Greensburg Toastmasters!

The snow cleared on Wednesday, but the chill in the air remained as I made my way downtown for that night’s Greensburg Toastmasters meeting. We had a balanced group of members and guests in attendance at the Courthouse, as well as online. The three speakers who were presenting were all at different stages in their Toastmasters journey. 

Our first speaker gave her third speech and was beginning her path, speaking about St. Patrick’s Day  and the holiday’s history. I learned a lot about the holiday as I evaluated the speech. Our second and third speakers were far along in their Toastmasters walk and each gave a different speech. One is preparing for an upcoming speech contest next week. The other is tuning up for a presentation that he will be giving in front of a group. 

Our guests at the meeting included our speaker, who belongs to the Bakery Square Toastmasters club. He is also a member of the National Speakers’ Association. We also had a guest who came in person two weeks ago but was attending online for this meeting. 

Our Table Topics session, though short due to the sake of time, was pretty good. Only three speakers took part and we did a round robin Table Topics session. Usually we do that for an evaluation (in Achievers or when evaluating a contest speech at a meeting) but we tried it for the impromptu speaking Wednesday evening. The participant who went then picked the question for the next person who wanted to go. 

In addition to the two guests who attended online, we also had our Area 24 Director at the meeting as well. At the end of the meeting, we made plans as we work on leading Greensburg to success. I will be giving my last two levels in Presentation Mastery to them, and Level 3 will go to to Laurel Highlands. 

Downtown was busy Wednesday night with the Palace Theatre having a show. Those of us who came in person had no issue finding parking. Some of us parked in the lot (we were lucky) and others found spots off the street. Our division contest will be next Saturday in Blairsville, and contestants will be in attendance from across our division. The next two meetings are scheduled for April 1 and April 15. It’s up in the air if I’ll be speaking at Greensburg on the 15th. I may speak the night before at Laurel Highlands. Or, I might get that night off and attempt to get on the speaking schedule at Beaver.  I’ve been wanting to make a visit to that club.

Be Careful How You Come In!

Yesterday, I braved the cold weather and occasional snow squall and went to White Rabbit for my weekly coffee visit. I got the matcha latte, found my table, and watched the world go by. Tonight, I’m back in town for my Greensburg Toastmasters meeting. 

Why am I mentioning these two instances where I go downtown in the same paragraph? Let me explain. 

When I was leaving to go to White Rabbit yesterday afternoon, I saw that the price of gas had gone up. In the news right now, you’re probably hearing a lot about the war in Iran. Keep reading, this isn’t a political blog and I’m not going to give my opinion. 

Everything present and past has me so triggered, to the point that it will ruin my experiences as I go out and about. It had me coming in hot. Now what does coming in hot mean? Coming in hot is a phrase that figuratively means to approach a situation in a state of anger and tension. 

Now, I’m not coming home after a crazy night at work feeling this way. This is how I get from reading things on social media. I say things I don’t really mean (we’ve all done it) and sometimes put it in the comments (before deleting it). 

Almost two weeks ago, I posted a blog reminding my readers to be careful how they start their day. I saw an article on Facebook, politically centered, and it got my blood boiling. I won’t get into detail, but it did throw off my entire day.

Fortunately, I blew off that steam and had a relaxing visit at White Rabbit. I ordered a Matcha Latte and watched the snow fall and the world go by. I’m getting pretty far in my NPR book and later this week I’ll begin that new memoir from our governor. 

Lesson learned: Don’t come in hot. Instead, be calm, cool, and collected. Also, I’m continuing in my nontraditional fashion journey (when I almost quit earlier this year). Therefore, in addition, I will be brave, confident, and chic.

I finished up Queer Eye a few weeks ago with the final few episodes. Last week I started watching the medical drama The Pitt on HBO Max. I’m only two episodes in and so far I like what I’ve seen. While I’ve only seen a few episodes, I think it’s crazy that each episode covers an hour of a hospital worker’s shift. I’ll have a more thorough review at the end of the month and later in April when I finish the first season. There are two seasons with a third season coming (likely January 2027).

Finally, I want to talk about a writing project I’ve had my eyes on for a while. It takes place during my vacation in June 2024. I was excited to take my week off from work and had some fun things planned. But that Spring, a storm was brewing in me emotionally.

I had embarked on my nontraditional fashion journey since 2021. It hasn’t come without bumps in the road, however. I wasn’t getting clicks on social media that I needed to feel “approved”, and that summed up my 2022. That, plus I came into the year with a few chips on my shoulder. There was the Bud Light controversy in 2023, and I let the talking heads and their opinions get to me. I almost gave up right then and there, but went back at the last minute.

In 2024, it was more of the same as I wasn’t getting clicks. In addition, I let some negative thoughts numb me emotionally. I was at TLI at the beginning of my vacation in 2024 and for the most part, it went well. On the outside.

On the inside, I wasn’t feeling it, and that hindered what was an amazing experience at my club officer training.

In this journey, bravery and confidence has mixed with fear and uncertainty. It didn’t help that the Presidential election results were not in my favor. Yet I didn’t fold up and die.

While I’ve been looking for approval and acceptance from others, I need to find it within myself.

No acceptance or approval needed. Just self-love.

A Better Week Than Last!

This weekend and the start to the new week have begun a lot better than the last one. Maybe it’s because of the time change, but I digress. We are in the last week of winter before Spring officially makes its arrival Friday morning at 10:46am. But, winter will make at least one final appearance early this week before the change in seasons. 

Yesterday, I took advantage of the mild weather and checked out that new park that opened just off of Mount Pleasant Road. It’s located above the Weatherwood Nursing Home Complex. The park is currently a work in progress as one phase of it has been completed, with newer buildings in the planning process. The second phase is set to be complete in the Fall of 2027. 

What is operating though, is a playground and exercise area, and there is a walking path which ends close to Cedar Street. You can see the exit and US 30 Westbound from the path. There is also a splash pad which will get used a lot more when summer comes. This community park (I soon learned the name is Founders Park) will be a nice addition to Hempfield Township. 

The reviews on Google and comments on Facebook aren’t worth reading. Check out the park for yourself and give your own honest opinion. 

I reinvested in my future this weekend! Toastmasters Club Dues need to be paid by the end of the month and I took advantage of the online self-pay to renew my membership at my two clubs (Greensburg and Laurel Highlands). I’m four speeches away from finishing my Presentation mastery Path and I’m trying my best to lead our clubs to success. Completing one of my levels will help Laurel Highlands on the path to hopefully, Smedley Distnguished.  In addition, completing the Presentation Mastery Path will get Greensburg to Distinguished as I’d give them my last two levels.

Thus, a lot is riding on getting these projects done over the next few months! 

I’m looking ahead to the upcoming Division Contest next week, and need to get on the ball to register for the upcoming Spring Conference in May. 

I seem to be getting an exercise routine down now by scheduling time at the gym and outside, weather permitting. Thursday through Monday are days I’m setting aside to work out. I’m trying to get that ratio of gym time to outside time around 3 to 2, or 60/40. The three days I’m at the gym will be for arms, legs, and cardio. One for each day. Before and after I’m done, I also walk the Westmoreland Mall Annex, going from Planet Fitness to EDO Hibachi, and from the gym to the movie theater. That gives me fifteen free minutes to add to my exercise ring. 

My next challenge is to visit another Planet (I have a black card) and walk before and after my visits. Norwin Town Square or Latrobe are on my radar.