The Summer That Wasn’t!

The 2020 Series continues with us in May. After eight weeks off, our office and others at WIS went back to work. It’s nothing like Spring with cold temperatures and snow flurries in the air. It feels weird going to work now as there are conditions and precautions. Masks become mandatory and temperature checks have to be done. It’s very eerie indeed and things don’t seem to be getting better. Thankfully, our OfficeMax in Bridgeville doesn’t last long. But it was a precursor for what we were up against in the months to come.

Most of us came back on Mother’s Day Weekend, but a few wouldn’t come back until mid to late June. A few of our people didn’t come back at all, moving onto greener pastures. Some of our stores really enforced the masks while others were laid back. Anyway you slice it, everyone would be totally divided on this issue as well as how our administration (state and national) was handling the crisis. Plus, the debate had risen over whether or not we were essential workers (like the hospital workers, for example).

Meanwhile, in Toastmasters, we were starting to get acclimated to holding our meetings online. I was somewhat used to Zoom as we had used it for our Financial Peace University meetings. I didn’t have a computer like most others did though so it would be tricky to take part in meetings but, I made it work with my iPad and later my iPhone. Let’s just say it was an acquired taste.

At home that summer, there wasn’t much Annabelle and Katie could do. Big events were cancelled and you couldn’t go to Kennywood or Idlewild. Well, you could but there were restrictions and reduced hours. Malls began to open their doors back up but hours were reduced and you couldn’t sit anywhere. We had our pool and that’s about as good as it was going to get. I was able to go to the Olive Garden for my birthday. Menus were different than what we were used to as they were thrown away after every meal.

Summer events that we enjoyed like the Arts and Heritage Festival and the Westmoreland Fair would be cancelled. My former church’s annual community service program, Uncommon, wasn’t going to go this year. The start of baseball season was pushed back to the end of July and would be 60 games. The Summer Olympics were postponed until 2021.

At work, I was still falling for my crush after she had returned in late June, sporting her now pastel pink hair. My fashionable sister got married in May but it was a small wedding. She’d have a nice one next year to make up for it and I would be there to celebrate with her and her husband. We were beginning to make up work lost during the layoff in Spring. My last year in my 30’s had begun.

Despite having limited choices for what to do this summer, I still took vacation in July with my aunt and Benny. We went to Erie and spent time in the pool, but we did other things as well. They went to Waldameer for the day and met up with my cousin and her little family. I went to a bookstore and drove around downtown Erie, stopping at the landing and looking at the beautiful view. We went to Presque Isle multiple times. We made the most of our time there.

The year 2020 taught us about red, yellow, and green and that they weren’t just for stoplights. We couldn’t shake hands, hug and kiss, or go out to eat. Schools had to resort to distance learning and this would hit home for us when Annabelle had to be home schooled in the coming school year. Working from home really became commonplace in 2020 as the virus raged on. The pandemic would be the death knell for some movie theatres, as well as malls that were already dead. JcPenney announced closures in 2020 including Century III Mall, which meant the mall would be closed for good.

Coming up this weekend, I’ll be talking about Century III and some of my memories of that place as the wrecking ball will be coming soon.

My fashion journey began to heat up as the summer began to wind down. I started buying bags as well as scarves and got some compliments. You can credit my crush or my sisters (who all have great fashion sense); but, they all just had a hand in bringing it to light.

Getting Out of my Comfort Zone

The blustery, cooler weather that has taken over this first week of Spring has given me the opportunity to work out indoors. Last week, I spent a good amount of time outside and I even wore a tank top since it was so warm by March standards. This week I’ve had more time to go to the gym. Usually, I don’t always have much time to spend there. Sometimes I only have 30 minutes. Other times, I have an hour. Making the effort to emerge from my comfort zone and drive there is a victory itself. My Apple Watch keeps track of my progress and I always have it with me for every workout.

I’ve made more progress this year in my fitness game than I have in the 10+ years I’ve belonged to Planet Purple. When you look at the last five years, I’ve really stepped up my game in 2024. I didn’t even go to the gym from 2020 to 2022 and started to turn a corner year early in 2023 before other commitments took me away. I walked a lot during the warmer months and, to be fair, I should have made exercise a top priority after my health scare in March of 2021. One of the days, I’ll take the time to do a hydromassage on one of the chairs. When I’m home, I’d like to take the time to practice yoga or pilates, or find a spot where I’m not disturbing anybody and dance. I’m kind of limited here, so I’ll try to teach myself when I can.

While I’ve begun to put my effort into my fitness game, I’m doing the same in my fashion journey as well. I’ve started to ditch the sweatpants more often and have begun planning my summer wardrobe. Just last week at my Toastmasters meeting, I wore my cheetah cardigan and didn’t even feel the need to hide it. Did I feel confident? Yes. Did I need others’ approval? No. That shows how far I’ve come in the last few years. I’ve taken two steps ahead and three steps back. Did I want to give up? Yes, on multiple occasions.

At Saturday’s Division Contest, I got some encouragement from some of my friends in Johnstown Toastmasters. One of them encouraged me not to walk away from my fashion journey (in addition to Toastmasters and my blog). Is it frustrating when I feel like I don’t get approval? Absolutely. Do I get discouraged? Every day, it seems like, but I keep moving on.

When I feel like I want to give up, I tell myself to remember why I started doing this in the first place. If you know me, you know this has been a thing for me since I was in middle school. I’ve come to terms with a lot of things I’ve done in my past. It’s not a crime but rather, the way I’ve reacted. But I’ve learned not to think too much about things and it’s benefited me in the long run. While the attention from others is important, it’s more important to love yourself.

The end result is that I’m happier with myself than I’ve been in a long time.

My First Conference in Five Years!

For many years, Toastmasters conferences and Slippery Rock homecoming have always been yearly traditions for me. From 2003 to 2018, I was present at all but three homecoming celebrations (2011, 2013, 2015). I always made a fun Saturday out of homecoming and reminisced about my days on campus at Slippery Rock. In the early post-academia era, I wanted to go back because it felt like a safe space to me and I wanted to make up for what I felt wasn’t a good enough experience. This was before I blogged regularly and started my fashion journey. From 2011 to 2019, I was always a regular attendee at the Toastmasters conferences in my District. I also attended one in Ohio. What happened?

Slippery Rock Homecoming was a longstanding tradition for me. I started in college and ran with it for a long time, even after I graduated. Eventually, the tradition got stale for me and a new one would take its place in the District 13 Fall Symposium. The same was true with educating myself as that finally wore itself out as well.

I attended almost every conference in my District with the first one I missed being in the Spring of 2018. The last time that I attended an in-person District Conference was the Spring of 2019. You all know what happened a year later. Life changes also played a part, as I have not attended the last two conferences. However, that streak will come to an end as I just registered for the 2024 Spring Conference slated for May 3-5 in Washington, PA. I won’t be far from Tanger Outlets and The Meadows and, just a drive to and from the city. As we get closer, I’ll look back on past conferences and maybe even do a top five. There will be a full weekend’s worth of blogs, including my plans for after the conference on Sunday.

Yesterday was the Division C International and Humorous Speech contests, which were held at the First United Methodist Church in Blairsville. All of our contestants gave a great performance and both sets of speeches were a mix of funny and heartfelt. I got to spend time with some of our amazing Toastmasters in Division C. The District Trio all showed up as well to encourage our speakers and award the winners. While I attended the first two contests, I will likely miss these next two since they’re in the morning and I’ll probably be asleep.

While I was at the contest, I made plans to attend some upcoming meetings in April. I’ll be attending Johnstown’s meeting online on April 9 and in the future, I’ll go up in person. That will take place sometime in the summer or early Fall. With my schedule pretty much set, I’m usually off Thursday nights and that gives me the opportunity to attend an upcoming Indiana Toastmasters meeting. That will also be online. My new webcam that I got in September has made attending virtual meetings easier but I still like getting together in person.

While we were between contests, I had the opportunity to talk to some of my friends from Johnstown Toastmasters whom I met at December’s club officer training. When I make it to an in person meeting, there will be a seat at #thegirlstable waiting for me. That phrase might just rank up there with the famous DTM Huddle from five years ago that I coined at my last in-person District Conference.

Over the last few days, I’ve started to come around and have no longer been having to hide myself. The end result is that I’m feeling more confident. It really helps when you love you, even if others “like” you.

Staying Home and Staying Safe

It’s March 13, 2020. We’ve just learned about all that is happening. Events are being cancelled and people are being asked to quarantine for 14 days if they think they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus. I’m at a Target in Monaca and it will be one of the last days I work until May. On my schedule, stores were cancelling left and right to keep their employees and us safe as well. My last day would be tomorrow at the Office Max in Greensburg. It was a short, easy day and I was home quickly. Better stock up on that hand sanitizer and toilet paper, people.

That night at church, everyone was addressing their concerns over the coronavirus. We took the necessary precautions while greeting guests and members so that we wouldn’t expose ourselves to the virus. Church would be closed for two weeks and all church events would be cancelled, including the Financial Peace University course that I was taking. Eventually, that class would be moved online and live-streamed. All church services would also be live-streamed for the foreseeable future. As we stayed home and stayed safe, we would be introduced to a new medium that I’ll get to in this blog.

That was a weird Spring and the year would only get weirder from here on out. Here is a six pack of facts as I navigated this new normal.

1.) Masks became mandatory as did social distancing, and six feet apart became a household term. Remember the previous year when I attended the Spring Conference and watched my Cranberry High Noon friends celebrate their achievements. They formed what I would call the DTM Huddle, and that became a popular term between me and some of my Toastmaster friends. Mom stayed home and used her sewing machine to make masks, while Dad made his own hand sanitizer.

2.) While we had no inventories scheduled, WIS wasn’t entirely shut down. A few of us agreed to help out Rite Aid with merchandising and putting product on the shelf. The Rite Aids we helped stock were in the North Hills of Pittsburgh and in Cranberry Township and Seven Fields. This was actually a precursor to what I’m doing now at Giant Eagle.

We did this for two weeks beginning at the end of March and going until just before Easter. By then, the outbreak was worsening and it was best for us to just stay home. Thus, I was officially out of work for a month.

3.) I discovered Gilmore Girls at the end of 2019 and started watching the show on Netflix. By the time COVID hit, this show really became my companion. Everytime I turned it on, I had to have my coffee (because Lorelai loves coffee). I even began to consider Ligonier my own little Stars Hollow, in addition to the perfect Hallmark Christmas Town.

A lot of people began watching the entire run of The Office during COVID too.

4.) Since I didn’t have much to do at home as well as keep myself busy while Annabelle was doing distance learning, I made time for road trips. A few times I drove out to my Little Stars Hollow and eat lunch in the Diamond that I picked up from Sheetz. I began listening to old school country music from my college and high school days) and even drove up to Johnstown a few times.

5.) I would be introduced to an online platform called Zoom that made it possible for us to attend group meetings. We used it for our Financial Peace University meetings when they reconvened after a few weeks off and it was also our means of having Toastmasters meetings for the foreseeable future. Because of Zoom, I began to attend more club meetings in the District. While this became a convenient way to attend meetings for those out of town or out of state, meeting virtually began to make me feel disheartened.

6.) The pandemic and the cancellation of stores were just a few of the many factors that were the beginning of the end of my employment with WIS. All big events were postponed but rescheduled. Many summertime festivals would be shut down for the next few years because of fears of the virus spreading.

The class of 2020, whether it was college or high school, made it through one of the most trying times that this nation has ever faced. Instead of enjoying your senior year, you had to stay home and avoid contact with your friends. No way you were going to any graduation parties.

For me it was back to work on May 9. While I got to see some of my friends, I knew there would be conditions and restrictions.

Did I really want to come back?

They Like You, But Do YOU Love You?

You’re active on social media and you’re doing your latest unboxing or showing your subscribers and followers your latest skin care or beauty hack. The video gets many likes. Where do these likes come from? Your subscribers who just follow and don’t even know you personally. Your YouTube channel or Instagram page may have over a million subs and you have a nice car or house or designer bags (I’m talking Gucci or Louis). But are you really happy? All the likes you’re getting or all the fans who started following you may not be worth the misery you’re truly feeling on the inside. The perfect life you live may not be so perfect after all.

Over the last few years, I’ve embarked on an interesting journey of breaking status quo and coming out as non-binary. My inspirations have included Harry Styles and Jonathan Van Ness. Am I happy? I’m trying to be but, I feel like I need approval because I’m taking on something different. Have I felt like giving up? Absolutely, because I’m not getting encouraging words directly handed to me and because of negativity that I’ve read in social media comments and on video. See last year‘s Bud Light fiasco for the answer to that latter question. Or, as I’m reading in the news, that one of my favorite non-binary celebs has been labeled as unbearable and having rage issues.

I broke into depression early in 2022 because I was away from my support system, as well as other issues I was dealing with. As I mentioned, I wasn’t getting approval and thought to myself what the point was? Things began to turn around that summer but early in 2023, new problems surfaced in my life. One was that I took the attacks on Dylan Mulvaney personally even though my journey was different than hers. The other was dealing with a family member being in the hospital for a prolonged stay. While I still struggle at times, I’m slowly starting to realize that my approval is all that matters.

It may be your taste in music (my tastes vary), your journey (whatever it may be), or something you enjoy taking part in that others may fear (i.e. public speaking).

If you like it, that’s all that matters.

I want to inspire people, but I don’t expect everyone to follow what I do. It may not be the thing that interests them. But I don’t want them to discourage me because they don’t like it or out of fear of what MAY happen. I realize that I need to take my own advice here, but don’t let someone’s rejection or negative opinion steer you away from doing something you love. This also applies to wearing an outfit that you know you’ll slay, even if no one else is watching or agrees.

In a recent post, I talked about some of the “pillars” that make up this blog as well as my life. Fashion, fitness, and food are three of them. There’s also faith and finance. One pillar that is also present though I don’t want it to be is fear. For many years, that’s one I haven’t been able to shake.

Fear and anxiety has been a constant in my life for years, and has held me back from achieving what it is I want to do.

As I close off the blog, I have some words of wisdom for me and for those of you reading this. When you feel like giving up, as I wanted to do when I wasn’t getting the return on my investment that I wanted, remember why you started in the first place. Whether your post gets a thousand likes or one like, remember that while they may like you, it’s important for YOU to love you. Appreciate all the nice words when they come around and, look for joy in everyday situations.

Remembering Big Break and other SRU memories!

Many of you who went to college remember how you spent that week off in between known as Spring Break. You either:

Went home and worked for a week at the job that put you through college

Did community service projects, or if you were like I was during my time at Slippery Rock, or:

Spent it on a warm beach in the panhandle of Florida sharing your faith with other fellow Spring breakers hoping to win them over to Christ.

For me, I did the last one. When I came to Slippery Rock in the Fall of 2003, one of the first things I asked about was what faith-based organizations were on campus. I belonged to a lot of them in my first semester.

I spent a lot of my time and energy at the Rock being involved in a non-denominational organization called Campus Crusade for Christ. While most kids abandon their faith when they get to college, I began to build mine when I arrived at the Hiram G. Andrews Center in the Fall of 2000. I went to church while I was in Johnstown and began to listen to more religious music by my last year there. I also sported a holier-than-thou attitude while I was starting out in my walk with God. So I was hungry for more when I got to Slippery Rock on that warm and humid day in August of 2003.

One of the things I was told about when it came to “CRU” were the trips that they took. That school year of 2003-2004, I took plenty of trips with this organization and made many friends. Here’s where my Campus Crusade adventures took me:

A weekend retreat in the Fall to Camp Sequanota (a camp that my cousins worked at and attended for many summers).

An event over the holidays called Christmas Conference which was held in Washington DC. I attended workshops, met many CRU staff members and students, rode the subway through the DC suburbs, and shared my faith with other people near the Washington monument.

A big Spring Break event called Big Break that was held in Panama City Beach.

Out of the three events I attended that first year with CRU, Big Break was the one I loved going to the most. It was a week on the beach in the warm Florida sun listening to worship music, learning from speakers, and sharing our faith with other beach-goers. We were the light in the dark Spring Break climate that inhabited the beaches along the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast. Our emcee for the week wowed me with his humor and his parodies of popular songs and he had a girls’ name. I’m dating myself as I type this so I don’t remember exactly everything as it’s been 20 years since.

Being real, that trip to the panhandle was a break away from a stressful first year adjusting to a new school with a more stressful course load than I was used to. I had made more friends in that first year at Slippery Rock than I did in my three years in Johnstown and the Community College. But, the things which I took for granted while in Johnstown weren’t really at my disposal when I got to Slippery Rock. When the week ended, I was happy I got to go but sad that I had to leave and come back to cold and snow on the ground. I always say that getting there is the fun, and getting to ride down to Florida in a coach bus was always interesting, even though I didn’t get much sleep on the way down and coming back up. I’ll say one thing about the South though, and that is there are a lot of Waffle Houses and other breakfast houses.

I went back the next year but it wasn’t as fun as the year before and we had a much smaller turnout. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast the next summer, Spring Break became a time for cleanup and so students went down there to help out and volunteer their time the next couple of years. I graduated from college in December of 2005 without a clue of what to do with my life and no job leads. That would tell the next few years of my life and the remainder of my 20s. For years, I questioned whether or not SRU was the right choice for me.

Knowing what I know now, I would have worked more to raise the money needed to go on these trips and, I would have taken my foot off the gas and split my attendance at these events over the two years to save money. Also, I think I took the advice to not stop being a Christian a little too far. I know now that joining a faith-based organization helps, but living a Godly, moral life is even better.

Happy Birthday Paula!

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This blog is a special birthday blog going out a special lady of whom I am proud to call friend and sometimes, Momma. I may make her sigh sometimes with an occasional swear word or questionable post on Facebook but, most of the time, I impress her with how well I slay my outfits. Paula and I go back to 2008, when we met at Greensburg Alliance Church. I always visited on Monday nights, mainly to see her and her daughters. We have gone through long periods of not seeing each other but, our friendship has never suffered. Here are a few things I can speak kindly of when it comes to my friend and adopted Momma, Paula.

I got an invite to her daughter’s wedding in the Spring of 2021. I was one of the first to RSVP. When I told her about the invite she reminded me, “You’re family, of course you’ll be there!” It was one of the greatest events I got to attend and one of the few good takeaways from 2021.

She loves unconditionally which I’m grateful for. I have my own distinct style (I’m non binary) and love designer bags and accessories. When a friend of hers shot me down for how I dressed, she responded back that she loved and supported me and that I matter.

She has a strong faith in Jesus Christ which has gotten her through some tough times. Of course, I’ve also helped her and her daughters through some hard times as well. I am a believer even though my church attendance has been on hiatus since the Fall of 2021.

Her girls are my besties and I am the same to them. I learned the word slay from her fashionable daughter and how to create shitposts (sorry for the language, Momma) from her fabulous daughter.

Happy anniversary of your 29th birthday, Paula!

The Last Normal Week

Recognize something like that? That could save your life in 2020.

This week four years ago began the last normal week we would experience before everything shut down. The COVID 19 outbreak was spreading like wildfire and cases were already being confirmed out west. Precautions were already being taken in big cities like Seattle and San Francisco. There was talk of March Madness being affected as well as the start of the Major League Baseball season.

I started the week as I usually did, beginning another workweek at WIS. I came off the heels of another great Toastmasters area event, the last one before the Division contests would begin. We took precautions and fist bumped rather than do the traditional shaking of hands. After the contest, we met at nearby Oakmont bakery and caught up on life.

Let’s go back a few weeks, though. I mentioned area contests and there were two memorable ones in Cranberry on a Thursday night and Saturday morning in Johnstown. I braved the snow to make my way to both events. My fashion journey was just beginning (before I broke status quo) and I was asked if I had a fashion designer friend. I met up with some of the Elk County Toastmasters after our contest at Applebee’s.

Let’s now go even further, back to 2019. It was an up and down year that started out with me going back to my old job and learning that my grandmother had cancer. Coming back to WIS meant I was able to take off my weekends and enjoy the contests and upcoming District conference. I watched some of my friends in the Cranberry High Noon club celebrate their high achievement by doing a “DTM Huddle”. However, things got worse in the Spring as my Grandma’s health took a turn for the worse and one of my main co-workers quit after a bad night. It was a quiet summer in which I took vacation close to home and went back to my Grandma’s house. I was now living by myself after her passing early in June.

That Fall everyone who quit came back and for once, I enjoyed my job. But that wouldn’t last long. I got my Distinguished Toastmaster award, celebrated with my club during our Open House, and received a proclamation from a representative. Most memorable was our overnight work trip in Ashtabula which started my fashion journey. I ended my longstanding SRU Homecoming tradition and attended my first ever Fall Symposium with District 13 Toastmasters in October.

I started my blog just before Thanksgiving, and posted a lot early on in 2020, which brings us to March.

It’s late in the week, the last normal week of our lives before things changed forever. We’re learning news of the Coronavirus at work and at a conference call as our upcoming Spring Conference may be affected. That Friday I’m at Target in Monaca and I learn that upcoming events have been cancelled. Who knew that it would be the start of two months off of work and conditions coming after we would come back? The Office Max in Greensburg the next day would be the last event we’d have for a quite a while.

Soon after, all upcoming Toastmasters events and other major gatherings would be cancelled. We would soon be introduced to Zoom, which is how we held our meetings and trainings for the next year. The Major League Baseball season was pushed back, and March Madness was cancelled. My fashionable sister and her fiancé were getting married on May 16 but it would have to be a small ceremony. Terms like social distancing, six feet apart, and quarantine became household names. Masks, mandates, and work from home would soon become the norm. Hand sanitizer and toilet paper flew off the shelves.

The country and the world was officially in lockdown.

The Pillars of my Blog!

With warm springlike weather forecast early this week, I took advantage of the downtime I had and spent some time outside. I made it out to Hempfield Park twice this week and took time to get some steps in. The end result is 1.5 miles both yesterday and today. Maybe a little more today but getting outside in the sun does a lot not only for your physical health but your mental health as well. More clouds than sun (however, no rain) the next days but I’ll use my time later this week to work out at Planet Purple.

With me beginning to stick to a regular exercise routine, I’m starting to fulfill the fitness pillar of this blog.

The mild springlike weather of early this week has encouraged me to lose the jacket as I spend time outdoors. On my walks the last two days at Hempfield Park, I’ve been able to walk around the park in a tank top. My gym outfit has gotten the mileage as I run on the treadmill or work on my extremities and more sportswear fashion is coming. This includes some pieces for my summer wardrobe. Where else but Old Navy? It’s a great weekend to spend some of my Super Cash and it expires Sunday.

Thus, I am fulfilling the fashion pillar of this blog.

This month is a big month for fish fries, and even though I’m not planning on going to the fire hall I will go to a few restaurants around the area. I will make it to Eat’n Park at some point this month to try their Whale of a Cod. In the future, I’m hoping to do breakfast at Waffles INCaffeinated (South Side) or Tupelo Honey (Station Square). This may occur after I finish up Spring Conference in May. I just haven’t set in stone anything post-conference yet.

Tonight my pre-Toast meal took me to GetGo for first leg of my Fish Sammie tour. I ordered the Captain fish sandwich with a side of hush puppies. So far so good but I have a few other places to try before I pick the best fish sandwich on this tour. I still have to try the Whale of a Cod from Eat’n Park at some point this month. I’ll announce the best fish sandwich and best coffee at the end of March. My Irish Creme Latte was good Sunday morning. This week, I’ll go for the matcha 🍵.

Eating out and trying new things, and one of these days actually getting to make something that I like. That is the food pillar of this blog that I’m fulfilling.

I might make a Market District run after the conference either in the South Hills or in Robinson. From Washington, it’s easily accessible to get to both. Plus, I can use my team member discount.

Valentines: A February Recap

Now that the calendar has turned to March and the number of days to Spring keep dropping, here is my recap of February.

It was a better month than expected with content. I originally wanted to post a handful of blogs, but had enough to talk about to make two handfuls. While I’m behind the 8-ball a bit this year compared to last year, I believe I’ll come out ahead of last year and even set a record for blog posts in 2024. I wanted to make up for lack of content in 2022 (mainly due to the lack of technology), hence why I wrote so many blogs early before cooling off in the Spring.

2020 is my record year with 154 but it has to be noted that I posted more early before cooling off in the second half of the year. Also, does that year really count as everything was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic? If anyone’s keeping score, I had 60 blogs posted by the end of February. A few weeks later the world would shut down. I’ll have a blog up next week looking back on quarantine times.

I was able to score a few days off and took advantage of a beautiful Sunday to visit Aunt Sue and Benny. We ate lunch at the Pine Grill restaurant and then I visited for a few hours. We just sat on the sun porch and kept warm by the fireplace. Getting there was the fun on this chilly but dry February day as I drove up PA 31 getting there and down US 30 coming home.

I finally finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and moved on to the next book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I’m also caught up on the movies. I plan to have the first seven books done by the summer. There’s also the newest book (The Cursed Child) and Fantastic Beasts which I’d like to read as well. In addition to Harry Potter, I’m occasionally reading other books as well.

In Toastmasters, we held our area contests in District 13. All contests were held online. I only attended the one in my area and cheered on our competitors. The divisional round begins this week and runs through the rest of the month with contests every Saturday. I also returned to in-person meetings at Laurel Highlands after being online for the last few months. I plan on visiting Johnstown’s club online in April.

I put up a few food reviews as I ate at Chili’s and Don Patron before my meetings on Wednesday night. March will be all about finding the best fish sandwich and deciding what the best St. Patrick’s Day/Easter drink was. I got an Irish Creme coffee this morning at Cutie’s and it reminded me of the cappuccinos I used to order from the Hiram G. Andrews Center in their student-run store. I can’t wait to post what my favorites were and it will be tough. I also ordered some activewear from Old Navy and I have a nice gym outfit now. Don’t know what March holds but I might buy more activewear or even some summer clothes or a mix of everything. Time to use those gift cards from Christmas!

Whatever the week holds, I’m ready to style, profile, and slay!