Merry Christmas and Happy Festivus or however you spend your holiday. The top ten list is complete but, let’s recap the best events from 10 to 1. Like last year, I’ll use one sentence to describe them.

#10-I got a laptop for Christmas from my cousin and her little family so I could continue blogging.

#9-I was nominated for President of Greensburg Toastmasters in the upcoming Toastmasters year (7/1/2023 to 6/30/2024).

#8-I answered a full time bid at Giant Eagle and got it so I’m guaranteed 40 hours every week.

#7-Giant Eagle held a night turn appreciation dinner in August.

#6-I attended club officer training as well as Cranberry High Noon‘s 10th birthday celebration.

#5-Mr. Clougherty and I went to a Pirates game and ate dinner at Primanti’s.

#4-We continued our tradition of eating out once a month.

#3-I made frequent visits to Children’s Hospital to visit my cousin Benny who was recovering from a painful skin condition.

#2-I revisited the Harry Potter series and celebrated Annabelle’s 11th birthday.

#1-We held our annual Gaffron Family Fall picnic at Laurel Hill State Park.

A bonus to this top ten list would be that milestone that I achieved a few weeks ago, and that was reaching 500 blog posts. I’m proud to have stuck by this platform the last four years. I got too big too quick and was humbled by COVID. I fought health scares, job changes, and depression as well as the lack of a working laptop.

Another would be that I attended an amazing Friendsgiving event at my sister’s apartment. I brought a charcuterie board that I put together from a kit I bought from Giant Eagle. The event was amazing and I was happy to be around Sara and her friends. Sara and Rob get me and I have no trouble talking to them. When I have doubts about what people might say if they see how I dress, Sara always reminds me that, “It’s just fashion.”

We had our Christmas Eve celebration this evening at our house. Mom put together an amazing spread with turkey balls, meatballs, charcuterie, and plenty of Christmas cookies to go around. We got our Christmas miracle and that was Benny coming home from Children’s Hospital. He’ll have to go back to Children’s Hospital for outpatient therapy twice a week but we have him home now and his Mom can get back into a routine. I was worried that it would be a quiet Christmas or it would revert back to the last couple of Christmases (2020 and2021). However, it’s looking like a great holiday.

I saw my cousin Nik for the first time since 2019. He didn’t stay long but we got to catch up. Elizabeth and her friend stopped for a visit not long after Nik left. We talked a lot and we ate well. There will be plenty of leftovers to go around this week for sure.

I even touched base with Maura and Ashley wished them a Merry Christmas and we talked about my fashion journey (that’s what we’re calling it now). I also planned for tomorrow with Paula and Sara. I’ll be going over to Paula’s house to celebrate Christmas. I’m even excited that she’s putting me to work. I never get that at home. I can’t wait to catch up with my adopted Momma and play with my brodog.

I’m almost to my goal for this month. Have a wonderful holiday and I’ll see you this week with a recap of Christmas and a look ahead to January. I have big plans in place as we kick off 2024.

Our story begins in the summer of 2022. I was going through my crap at the time, trying to figure out Giant Eagle and questioning why I started my journey when I wasn’t getting much support. We attended the annual picnic at the farm and I enjoyed myself. My cousins showed their support for me as I broke down about what I was going through at the time, including the fact that I was shunned by some people for the changes that I made.

But this isn’t about the picnic nor is it that moment where my cousin and I both cried over how I was struggling in my journey, before she gave me some very kind words. This is about my cousin. Benny wasn’t feeling like his usual self and it would all come to light a month later when he started having seizures. My Mom and aunt went to Conemaugh Hospital before Benny would be flown to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. That stay would last two weeks and he would get many visitors along the way.

You see, Benny has a skin condition called Hidradenitis Suppurativa, or HS. It’s a chronic inflammatory condition that causes painful cysts under the skin, often in areas where skin touches skin (example, underarms and groin).

He came home and things were back to normal, for now. Fall arrived and he went back to school. We enjoyed Columbus Day weekend with Annabelle’s birthday at Twin Lakes and the family reunion. The holidays came and we broke tradition by hosting Thanksgiving at our house. It was one of the best holidays we had in recent memory. But prior to Christmas, Ben was in pain and could hardly move. Thus, he and his mom would be back at Children’s. We were praying for a Christmas miracle.

We got one as they came home (well, to the Holiday Inn Express) on Christmas Eve. It was a cold day with temperatures in the single digits, though not as bad as the day before. We sat with him in his room and watched Christmas specials from yesteryear. The next day, he and his mom celebrated Christmas with us.

But the euphoria would be short-lived as Ben went back to the hospital in February and would stay there through May. Now it was really time to nip this problem in the bud, once and for all.

I came to Children’s whenever I could. Mom did most of the visits and sometimes sat with Ben all day when his mom went home to get stuff. While a hospital room isn’t the nicest place to stay, Ben’s room overlooked the city skyline and made for some great views.

I visited on Mother’s Day and later that week to take Aunt Sue to Phipps to see the Billy Porter exhibit. We drove around Oakland and ate dinner at Primanti’s near the hospital. Glad I made that visit because the next week Benny came home.

He was able to enjoy the summer and part of the fall, including Annabelle’s Harry Potter themed birthday party and the Gaffron family reunion before going back to Children’s at the end of October. It looks like he’ll be there through the holidays. I’m going to visit them this Sunday and wish them a happy holiday.

Thursday night was the Free Care Telethon that raises money for Children’s Hospital, and Benny was on TV. How about that? Our little guy is a celebrity.

He’s been through a lot this year and hopefully the worst will be over soon and he’ll be back home and doing what he enjoys.

We’re officially into the top five events that made my 2023 memorable. Looking back at the first half, it hasn’t been a bad year so far. In spite of the struggles my family has dealt with, I got a laptop gifted to me by my cousins so I could blog more and have an easier way to attend online Toastmasters meetings; thus, not putting so much wear and tear on my iPhone. I was nominated President of my home club in Toastmasters and attended the Fall event as well as Club Officer Training. I applied for a full-time position at Giant Eagle and got it. Also, I enjoyed a nice feast for Night-turn Appreciation week thanks to our amazing store leader. I’m not done yet as I have more to talk about from 2023.

So without further ado, here is my #5 event of 2023.

On my birthday, my aunt gave me two free vouchers good for a Pittsburgh Pirates game of my choice. I thought about asking my dad, but I wasn’t sure how busy he’d be with his grass cutting schedule. I turned to Mr. Clougherty and he said yes. We would meet up later that week at dinner and celebrate my birthday.

At Burgatory, Kevin (Mr. Clougherty) and I picked a date for the ballgame. We decided on August 7 when the Pirates would host the Atlanta Braves at PNC Bank. Despite the losing culture that seems to hang around in Pittsburgh, PNC is one of the most beautiful ballparks in America. It would be nice to see a World Series there someday.

The forecast that day called for showers and thunderstorms, but we weren’t going to let a little rain ruin our fun that night. We even avoided traffic getting to the ballpark that afternoon. That night could be broken down into three parts. The first being dinner at Primanti’s in Market Square. We each enjoyed a Pitts-burger and got caught up on life. Next, we rode the subway to PNC Park. We got to the ballpark and found our seats, which were under the roof. That would come in handy when the rains came during the evening, around the sixth inning. We had an hour and a half rain delay and enjoyed the downtime. Even if the game wasn’t delayed, we still left early to beat the traffic and because Mr. Clougherty had an early schedule the next morning.

It was my first ballgame in eight years and it was a great memory to take from this past summer. The Buccos raced out to an early six run lead before Atlanta came roaring back. However, the home team held on for the win. It was great to share this gift with my longtime friend and teacher and the person who helped me to become better socially when I was in high school. Kevin (Mr. Clougherty) and I would see each other in a few weeks for our monthly dinner and another chapter in the Dinner Series.

It’s Christmastime and we are caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We spend money like crazy and throw budgets out the window. We’re in our kitchens baking cookies and decorating our homes while listening to the classic Christmas songs. It’s a time to be festive and forget our problems but…

It’s OK to not be OK and, I’ve been there.

Christmas can be a stressful time if you’ve recently lost a loved one or someone you care about is in the hospital. You may be dealing with job loss or marital or relationship stress. It’s OK to not be OK. For me, I dealt with sadness and depression over the holidays. I wasn’t where I wanted to be in life. I wasn’t in my safe space anymore. I didn’t know what the future held. The time of the year was the late 2000s.

I was going through a transition period in 2021 as I left WIS and started at Giant Eagle. My journey had just begun after I brought it to light and I wasn’t feeling like I was getting approval. I felt like giving up (just as I wanted to earlier this year because of the nasty words said about Dylan Mulvaney). But I went back at the eleventh hour and learned that if I like it, then that’s all that matters.

My aunt has always been a big part of our holiday celebrations and takes part in the Christmas Eve festivities with us. This year will be the first time she won’t due to her son (our cousin) spending the holiday at Children’s Hospital for a skin condition called HS. Last year was a Christmas miracle as Benny came home on Christmas Eve after being hospitalized for a week. It was short lived though as he would be back at Children’s by February and would be there for four months. For us, we’ll be sad they’re missing the holidays but happy he’s getting taken care of. It’s OK to not feel OK during the holidays.

I visited Children’s Hospital many times and I said goodbye. I celebrated two years with Giant Eagle and stayed strong in the face of adversity.

2023 was the year I came back to blogging, rekindled my Toastmasters fire, saw Super Mario Bros. at the theatre, and learned about Dylan Mulvaney. It was the year I continued to embrace my style and rock the cheetah print, and publish my 500th blog post. I learned not to change for anyone and I revisited Harry Potter and really enjoy it now. I’m in it for the long haul now.

I’m officially counting down the top five of 2023 and there’s still a lot to talk about. Some surprises but overall this year had a lot to offer. There’s still more to come this December.