If four things could sum up the month of November for me, it would be turkey sandwiches, great holiday coffee, great football, and going to Hershey for the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert. Even a cold at the end of the month which I’m over now hasn’t sullied the month for me.

I started my turkey sandwich tour on November 1 with a Pilgrim sub and was impressed with the ratio of turkey and gravy to stuffing and cranberry sauce. The next week I went to Mad Mex in Monroeville and ordered my Gobblerito along with a Cranberry Margarita. I also visited a few stores to look at their Christmas merchandise. Lastly, it was off to Primanti’s for their Primanturkey sandwich which I ordered with a Pina Colada flavored drink. In addition I had a yummy Thanksgiving dinner before the beginning of November and again at Thanksgiving (my mom was able to get her free turkey from Giant Eagle). While all the sandwiches were good, nothing beats a good homemade turkey dinner. I was even able to get three days worth out of all the food last week.

Cutie’s launched their holiday menu on November 9 and I was there to try some of the amazing flavors. I began with the Chestnut Praline and then worked my way to the White Chocolate Pretzel Mocha. On my last visit two weeks ago, I had the Gingerbread Latte. How I’ve missed you the last two weeks, Cutie’s. I’m overdue for a visit or two this week while I’m off.

Lots of great football was to be had in November, both in the pros and on the college circuit. The Steelers took care of business in November (we’ll look past that loss to Cleveland) and look better with Russ at QB. The defense is playing well and Tomlin just can’t have a losing season despite all the shade critics throw at him. Kansas City lost its first game of the year at Buffalo, so the old Dolphins and their fans and Chiefs haters could pop their champagne. What more can I say about Detroit? They’re having a historic season, even though I like Philly’s chances in the NFC a little better.

It’s not just the football, but also the weather that goes with it. As long as it’s not a lot, snow and cold weather make for the best football. Just look at the game two weeks ago in Cleveland, won by the Browns. In Buffalo, the conditions may not be right for San Francisco, but they’ll be perfect for the Bills Mafia as their team continues to roll coming into December. The Bills can accomplish what the Jim Kelly and Marv Levy Bills couldn’t in those Super Bowl years. They can win the AFC East five years in a row.

Finally, it’s not a look back at November without the fun trip we took to Hershey to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra. We beat the snow coming out of Somerset and south central PA and made it to our destination. The first night we were in Hershey we saw the Hershey Sweet Lights (located near Hersheypark where the Christmas Candylane was going on). I got some great pictures of the lights and we got to hear some good Christmas music. Saturday was the big day as we met my cousins and enjoyed the show, lights and all. We even ate dinner at an upscale Italian restaurant in Harrisburg. Sunday, we wrapped it all up with lunch at Funck’s and a visit to Chocolate World. My cup runneth over that weekend before Thanksgiving. I may have gotten a cold that I’m just about over now. I was worried that I might have lost my vacation (I didn’t though). As long as I don’t set up for disappointment and filter out the voices in my head, it should be a good second vacation despite the snow and cold weather.

Here are some things that define what December will be like. I am taking my second vacation and included in this week off are Christmas shopping as well as club officer training, or Winter TLI. I’ll also do some grocery shopping for Christmas. I have enough in perks to make a few free trips to the store. I’m also going to be writing as I’m posting every day until Christmas.

This week of vacation will be more laid back compared to the summer due to the cold weather and the snow. I’m just getting over a cough and cold as I write this, all on the heels of my Hershey weekend. June saw me take some road trips to Slippery Rock and Indiana. December will see me take it easy, watch some Christmas movies, and do some Christmas shopping. My winter vacation will start with a day of watching football and rooting for my Steelers. My summer vacation opened to such excitement, but early on I got in my own way and it took me until halfway into my week off to get it together.

There’s lots of baking to look forward to. Mom bakes lots of cookies for Christmas as well as her brickle. Pretty soon, she be getting her stuff together for turkey balls which we have on Christmas Eve. Here at home, the decorating is just about done and the trees are up and looking very festive. I’ll show them off in a future blog this coming week. Mom and I will continue watching the Holiday Baking Championship as it gets down to the last few weeks.

I’m getting into the habit of watching Christmas specials and movies in December. I found Muppet Family Christmas on YouTube yesterday. Talk about a lost holiday gem. The collaborations were amazing, between the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock (if you were an 80’s kid you know what I’m talking about). Look for a blog post on some of those amazing holiday specials from years gone by. Maybe a top ten of Christmas specials and movies sounds better than a top ten of what happened for me in 2024. What do you say?

Finally, this is going to be a big Christmas Eve for us with the company we’re expecting. Last year was difficult for my family but hopefully this Christmas will be better. For me it was good because I was able to spend Christmas Day with my adopted family. I hoped to do it in 2021 but we couldn’t get together because of the latest strain of COVID. We ate turkey and shared the laughs at the dining room table. My fabulous sister and I had fun talking about some of her best shit posts. My fashionable sister showed me her new Kate Spade bag. The only thing that would have made it better was watching some Christmas episodes of The Office.

This year, we’re having my cousins over and the little ones will be having fun. We’ll have our usual guests as well. Last year, my mom put together a charcuterie board for the first time ever and it was good. We’ve had them at our last couple of family reunions and I brought one to Friendsgiving. It’s become quite the thing.

Friday marked a huge milestone in this blog. It didn’t seem like that long ago that I posted the 500th or 600th blog, but here I am. If you think about it, this is the 200th post within a year. That’s pretty impressive too.

Over the five years I’ve written on this platform, I’ve dealt with my own life changes, a pandemic, and loss of loved ones. I’ve celebrated family members and spent time with them as they had their own struggles. I’ve gotten familiar with Children’s Hospital, and I’ve learned to be me and live my best life. Over the course of 700 blog posts, there are a few that really stand out, even the ones I posted in 2019 before COVID hit. Without further ado, here’s three of my favorite blogs from the last five years.

Friendsgiving tops the list of memorable blog posts. My fashionable “sister” put together these gatherings a couple of times and they’ve both been memorable. The first time was in 2021, just as I was transitioning over to Giant Eagle from WIS. I got to enjoy a vegetarian feast but it wasn’t that bad. The second time was last year and I was able to enjoy life in the South Side. Once I found my way to her apartment, we had a great time. The second Friendsgiving blog post was my 500th post and one of the top events of 2023.

Five years later, the blog about me talking about my innocent workplace crush is still memorable and I still do read it once in a while. We were on an overnight trip and when we went to dinner, one of my co-workers (who was added to the trip) was wearing a cute pink dress. I immediately fell for her though I kept it a secret for a couple of months and that was killing me. I didn’t want to embarrass myself nor upset the person she was taken with. However, I could probably take him if he wanted to fight in the parking lot. I had dinner a few months later before Thanksgiving with two of my co-workers. Once I told the girls and they were cool about it, I felt better. But the memories of that Ashtabula overnight trip will always live on.

I’ve done restaurant reviews on my blog and they’ve been helpful. I have given some fair reviews and maybe ones I was a little hard and could have done better on. I started this with the Ligonier restaurants in the summer of 2021 and eventually moved into Greensburg and other locations. There’s still a few places I’ve never been to that I’d like to check out.

I’ve also done top ten blogs at the end of the year that highlight the best from that year. Last year’s was a tie with the birthday and reunion weekend and Friendsgiving 2023. The latter was because it was a milestone blog post for me. When I look back at 2021, my nontraditional style and the changes in my life were two of the big stories for me. However, I would say the Gaffron Family Reunion and Rob and Sara’s wedding both tie for #1 event of that year.

I had the pleasure of attending the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert a week before Thanksgiving. Also, since I spent the weekend in Hershey that we planned back in September, I worked the week of Thanksgiving. I actually agreed to it this year since I worked Christmas night the year before at Giant Eagle. It doesn’t matter though, as I’m getting holiday pay for it.

Mom and Dad went up to Somerset for the afternoon while I slept in. I was in the middle of my five day stretch before I would take my week long vacation at the beginning of December. They had dinner with Aunt Sue and Ben before coming home. I treated myself to a turkey dinner after I got up and watching the Lions and Bears do battle on CBS. You can see by the picture I’m using the thumbnail that I did a great job putting this together. I know it feels like I was spending Thanksgiving alone but I didn’t mind.

I was dealing with a cold as well that I picked up just as I came back to work Tuesday night, so I was happy to rest up. The house was starting to look very festive for Christmas but Dad still had a little work to do. It was my third year at home eating Thanksgiving turkey and I didn’t mind it one bit. I did it last year when Mom and Dad went to Children’s to deliver a home cooked Thanksgiving meal. The year before that still feels memorable to me. Not because COVID wasn’t as bad, but because I was climbing out of the hole I was in earlier in 2022. Having company there made it feel like a great holiday and, thanks to one of my coworkers, I got to watch the Christmas Story sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas. It’s definitely worth watching this holiday.

This thumbnail is of me, enjoying my birthday dinner at the Olive Garden. My week off was starting very soon and I was very excited for what was to come. Would this be a great week off? Only time would tell.

My week-long vacation is set to start this weekend. This will be the second time this year that I’ve had a paid vacation. I just celebrated my third anniversary with Giant Eagle, thus I have a third week off of work coming up. I’m just coming off of a mini-vacation where I went to Hershey and had a great time listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra. In today’s blog, I’m going to give a summary of these vacations and offer suggestions for improvement.

I took my first week off at the end of June. I had so much to be excited about. It was Summer and it was hot. So, I was definitely looking forward to being in the pool a lot of the time. I also had some little trips planned that week and that included a shopping trip to Tanger Outlets in Washington PA. In the beginning, it was hard for my body to get used to the change in my sleep schedule. Summer TLI came early and while I was learning a lot, I was having a hard time staying focused. I was fighting some negative feelings that were self-inflicted.

Eventually, I got it together but I think I should have validated myself more. I wanted to take and get. In reality, it’s better to give and not expect anything back in return.

This past weekend, I went to Hershey to see Trans Siberian Orchestra with my cousins. The trip was something my aunt and I had been talking about since the beginning of September. It began with some anxiety, and none of that was tied to the elements that I had to face while getting to Somerset.

My schedule changed at work and I made the mistake of looking at it the day that I left for Hershey. That was a big mistake. For a time, I also thought that I had lost my vacation which was scheduled for the first week of December. My thinking turned to despair as I speculated that I wasn’t good enough to work at Giant Eagle. At least early in the trip I was fighting my emotions, just as I did back in June. It turned out to be a great weekend in the sweetest place on Earth.

This time I didn’t expect anything in return and I wasn’t desperate for attention. I felt good coming home that weekend, and then I got sick within a few days of Thanksgiving. But the good news was that I didn’t lose my vacation and will begin it this Sunday. It’s just that everyone took Saturday off. All I need to do now is just get through these next five days at Giant Eagle and I am home free.

Regardless of how many compliments I get on my outfit or my accessories, none of it matters, unless I compliment myself and accept myself.

The time has come to review the best of 2024. There’s a lot of things that were worthy of being in the top 🔟 for the year. That includes major events in our country and our world. I take a look back on what made my year and go from there.

January and February weren’t much to write home about. We had our share of snow events. I made my first trip to Cutie’s and also made a failed attempt at a Vision Board for 2024. I watched a lot of NFL postseason football including the Super Bowl. I was at the halfway point of Harry Potter finishing the Goblet of Fire and beginning the Order of the Phoenix.

March was the beginning of important Speech contests. I was able to attend three of them including my division contest in Blairsville and the last one in White Oak. I did a fish sandwich tour during lent and included Whale of a Cod in my itinerary. Also, Benny went back to Children’s for another extended stay and we’re hoping this will be it for those times he’ll be away for weeks on end. 

April was a very wet month. Pittsburgh saw more than its fair share of rain. I visited Indiana and Johnstown Toastmasters online. I did a 2020 series in the blog this Spring which chronicled that year like no other through my eyes. Also, the Johnstown Toastmasters club celebrated its 70th anniversary at Hoss’s in Richland Township. 

April was wet, while May was stormy. Southwestern PA saw more than its fair share of tornadoes, including one that damaged a church in Washington County. Mr. Clougherty and I reconvened our dinner series at Primanti’s and Oliver’s Pourhouse. I attended my first in person conference in five years at the Doubletree in Washington at the beginning of the month. Just before Memorial Day, I attended Night Market in downtown Greensburg and it has grown so much. But I was feeling sad because I wasn’t getting the validation and attention I wanted in my journey, although I needed to learn to love myself more. 

Next week, we’ll look back at summer and fall and see what events were the Best of 2024.

The final day of our Hershey trip meant we’d be heading home. We made the most of our morning at our hotel in the waning hours. I didn’t swim but I made it to the arcade which was on my floor (it was to the right when you came out of the elevator). You need a card to work the game and the minimum amount of credits is 20 which will cost you $5. I like the old school video game cabinets and one of the games there was Ms. Pac Man, which I played a couple of times. I also did a round of skee-ball and got a decent score. Instead of getting tickets that you can trade for prizes they’re put on your card. Ten grand will get you the hot dog maker.

We checked out at Noon and went to lunch at Funck’s located in Palmyra, just over the Lebanon county line. They had great food and even a buffet (up until 2:00pm). I was tempted to try the buffet but ended up ordering the turkey wrap. It wasn’t a Thanksgiving feature but it was still good. The onion rings were a nice compliment to the wrap, but could have had petal sauce for dipping. We received excellent service and the atmosphere was great, and the menu had plentiful options. While Macaroni Grill gets a B-minus, Funck’s gets an A-minus. I got a few pictures of the decor before we parted ways. My cousins went back home while we would be en route to our last destination before we got back on the turnpike to go back to our homes.

We made it to Chocolate World and while we weren’t long, we bought ourselves enough time to shop. Lots of cars were there like Saturday and I’m sure it was for Hersheypark. Chocolate World is the world’s biggest candy store and it surely lives up to its name. You can take a tour and learn how chocolate is made, and even make your own candy bar. I bought a Pot of Gold sampler. Gardner’s and Sarris candies also make awesome samplers too as does Wilson Candies in Jeannette. I also bought a bag of peppermint bark bells. I could have gone for some deals but I think I did pretty well for myself. I also bought a tote and a Hershey’s bar that I ate on the ride home. It was cotton candy flavored and very sweet. The tote is pretty sweet and has all of the Hershey’s brands on it. We were now on our way home to Somerset and Greensburg. If I would have done this trip on my own, it would have been a three hour drive.

While at the hotel, I picked up some brochures in the lobby that I thought my family might enjoy. There was one on Chocolate World as well as Knoebels, which is in Central PA near Selinsgrove and Lewisburg. I also got pamphlets on Gettysburg and Lancaster as well as Daniel, which is showing at the Sight and Sound Theatre through New Year’s Eve. South central Pennsylvania and the Capital Region do have a lot to offer and I was close to some of my fellow Greensburg Toastmasters who just relocated to the York area.

I got home just after 6:00 Sunday evening, enjoyed some football, and relaxed. Dinner was a burger and a bratwurst. I am currently listening to some Trans Siberian Orchestra right now and reflecting on how great this weekend was.

The second day of our Hershey trip was the best, because it was the day of the concert. It was a full day that started with breakfast at the hotel. Breakfast was all right, but nothing to write home about. In past hotel stays, I always liked making my own Belgian waffles but haven’t done this since COVID. This place had a conveyor belt that churned out pancakes. They also had breakfast sandwiches that were OK, but didn’t have a lot of taste.

After spending some time at the pool, I got myself ready to start the day. The plan was to meet my cousins between 2 and 3. On our way there, I saw where the Milton Hershey School was located, as well as one of the roller coasters that was operating. The Christmas Candylane was going on, after all, and that meant that Hersheypark would be all lit up for Christmas as the sun went down. That’s probably why there were so many cars at Chocolate World, as they were all at the park.

We all met up after finding our parking spaces and getting through the crazy traffic. We entered the area and made way to our seats for the show. It was chaotic getting in there but we got in and found our seats which were floor level. The arena is home to the minor league hockey team, the Hershey Bears. They have a long history in the league and are currently the farm team for the NHL’s Washington Capitals.

The show had begun just as we took our seats. The music and lights were great, as were the special effects. A lot of work goes into these shows and a separate part of the band was also performing at a show in Seattle at the same time as our concert yesterday. The story I felt didn’t relate to the show itself but I was able to excuse that. Something like the Christmas Story or the Polar Express would have been better. Also, for the money we paid for the tickets, the seats were pretty uncomfortable. For being floor seats down near the action, they could have been a little more relaxing. However, I was able to look past the faults of the day. The music sounded great and I was familiar with some of their work through listening to the songs on the radio at Christmastime. I posted video from my phone onto my socials and sent it to my mom via text message.

My outfit of the day was a knockout. I wore black pants and a striped turtleneck sweater with black boots. All my fits did very well this weekend. My cousins were impressed with my style. I’m trying to be me and validate myself but some days it’s just so hard and I used to want to give up when I felt no one was listening. I got outfit pics Friday and Saturday, but none on Sunday. Maybe I just forgot is all. The teal sweater came from Target (a few years ago). Everything else? Thanks, it’s Old Navy.

Our post concert meal took us to Macaroni Grill in Harrisburg. My cousins know how to pick great places to eat. I mentioned to Abby some Pittsburgh-based food influencers if she’s interested in finding a great spot to eat in the city sometime. We even waxed Texas Road House as they’re new to eating there and how great their rolls and cinnamon butter are. I also mentioned Burgatory, and how you can make a custom burger as well as the amazing shakes.

I enjoyed my dinner (I ordered the fettuccine alfredo with shrimp) which also included bread with pesto sauce. Even though the food was great, some other issues sullied the experience for us a little bit. But I felt like I was in good company being there with my cousins as well as Aunt Sue and Ben. Judging by the upscale shops in the retail complex, it gave off Mount Lebanon or North Hills vibes. This place reminds me of Bravo, which has five locations in the Pittsburgh area.

The appetizers were amazing as my cousins ordered mozzarella sticks and bruschetta. To go with my fettuccine alfredo, I also ordered a bowl of lobster bisque. I didn’t get dessert like everyone else but the cannolis and tiramisu looked yummy. Had I ordered dessert, I’d have went with the New York Style cheesecake.

We capped off the night by swimming in the hotel pool until closing.

On Friday, we arrived at our hotel around 5:30 and got checked in. As soon as we got our rooms, we made plans for what we wanted to do. We ate a big lunch in Breezewood at Bob Evans, so we weren’t in a hurry to eat. I looked up information on the drive-thru Hershey Sweet Lights that were taking place Friday night.

The Christmas Lights were separate from the Christmas Candylane at Hersheypark, which also had lights. We went to that back in 2016 between Christmas and New Year’s. While riding roller coasters in December wasn’t really cool, we still had a great time. The hotel we stayed at? Not so great but at least Mainstay Suites made up for that disaster.

The light displays were really beautiful, almost similar to what you see at Overly’s. Both the Hershey Sweet Lights and that began on Friday night. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for opening night at Overly’s with the snow that fell on Friday (a little more there than in Pittsburgh).

I agree that we should have planned ahead and got the better deal online, but it all worked out. I took plenty of pictures as we passed through all of the sections and saw the lights. We wrapped up the trip with a Sheetz run across from the hotel.

The MainStay Suites has a lot to offer. For starters, the first floor has an awesome pool. Just above that on the second floor is an arcade, complete with games, as well as a pool table 🎱 and a small basketball 🏀 court, in case you’re interested in shooting hoops. Benny swam until the pool closed at 10:00. Not too long after, we all settled down and got ready for bed.

Here’s some pictures of the lights to close out the blog. I hope you enjoy them.