This first of two weekend blogs will take a look back at our Night Turn Appreciation meal and our meeting Wednesday night. I’ll talk about staying true to myself in my fashion journey. Also, Mr. Clougherty and I resumed the Dinner Series at Don Patron.

Wednesday night we celebrated our store and our crew with an Italian feast from Rizzo‘s and Denunzio’s. When I say Rizzo’s has great food, I mean it. Our store leader did a great job with the spread and thanked us for all of the hard work that we put in every night. We have a great store and I mean that. We had our meal in the cafe and it looked very decorated for us. The best part of the meal was the gnocchi and Chicken Parmesan from Rizzo‘s. We all were awarded with a gift bag that had snacks and a Giant Eagle gift card. That will go towards my Fall shopping spree this week.

For my meeting on Wednesday, I picked out a nice outfit. This time, I stayed true to myself and wore it instead of changing my mind at the last minute. Maybe I’m turning a corner and starting to love myself more. I also did it for one of my friends who, along with her husband, is moving out east. The advice I give to myself in my journey is that I’m not doing this for the attention. I’m doing it to be an inspiration.

As for the meeting, we had three good speakers. Our table topics centered around the Moments of Truth and I will be doing that again at our next meeting on September 4th when I lead the Table Topics session. I am two speeches away from completing my level 5, and I will have a lot of fun reflecting on my path as it’s taken me over four years to get here. Four years that have been marked by: changes to our way of life, adjusting to a new normal, transition in my own life, and just learning to love myself, being me, and not caring about what others think.

Thursday night Mr. Clougherty and I met for dinner at Don Patron. The lot and the restaurant can get crowded at dinner sometimes, and that’s what it was like that night we were there. But our experience there went very well. We had excellent service and our food got to us in a reasonable amount of time. Like the night before, I filled up pretty fast but I finished my dinner. As for the food, it was good. I got the chili relleno with rice and refried beans. I ordered a Bud Light draft for my drink. Food and drink options were very plentiful. The atmosphere was perfect and Thursday’s experience gets a 5 out of 5.

The dinner series is wrapping up soon but we will meet two more times. Next month Mr. Clougherty and I will go to Eat’n Park. I am enjoying my book that I got from there last week on the company’s 75th anniversary, learning a lot about the history of the great Pittsburgh institution. October will either be Primanti’s or Kings. I like comfort food and who knows how much longer I’ll have to enjoy Kings, but either place is good.

Finally, August has gone fast, thus accelerating the countdown to when the kids go back to school. By comparison, June and July seemed to move slower, and that was good for me since I was on vacation the last week of June. This coming Thursday, I’ll be going on my fall shopping spree, stopping at Aldi and Giant Eagle (or Market District if I’m feeling lucky). I’ll put my list together this week so I know where to go for what, and what I’m buying.

I’ve never been to the new Aldi in Greensburg (which has been open a year), and I’ve been told they have a big pumpkin spice display. I have gift cards to spend from Giant Eagle, so why not buy something fun with it. After going to my local Aldi, I’ll make a road trip out of it and head to Murrysville, Monroeville, or somewhere in the Pittsburgh area.

Despite the title, this blog is not a preview of the upcoming NFL season. I’m a lifestyle blogger and I want to call myself a fashion and food blogger as well. But more often, I’ll call myself the former.

As I write today’s post the sun is setting (figuratively) on another summer vacation for kids and college students and the like. School bells have started to ring, with some districts starting classes on Monday and Tuesday. Thursday is the first day of middle school for my niece, and we’re all nervous here at home as she starts her first few days at West Hempfield Middle School.

I’ll be posting about my upcoming Pumpkin Spice and Fall Treats tour and where and when I’ll go. Plus, when am I tasting my first PSL and what has me excited about the upcoming Fall season.

How cute is this Gilmore Girls flight from Cutie’s Coffee Company? I’m so pumped to try the Fall menu and may go down there this weekend to choose one of the many options. However, I won’t be getting a Pumpkin Spice Latte as I’m not ready for one just yet. I want someone to go with me so we can enjoy that flight together. It would be perfect to drink in Ligonier as well.

In addition to Cutie’s, I’m going to try a few other places this Fall. One of those will be Oakmont Bakery. I’ll also look into some cafes that are worth the drive, possibly in Butler as well as in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. I’m going to go local as well, as Greensburg has some awesome cafes, including White Rabbit and Steep Mountain. I’ll also visit Abigail’s Coffeehouse in Ligonier. There are a few cafes in the Alle-Kiski region that I follow on Instagram that I wanted to check out last year. However, my plan never got off the ground. My game has improved this year and I’m looking forward to highlighting some great cafes on my tour.

The tour begins this weekend and will run through early November. From there, I’ll do another mini tour where I try a Thanksgiving feature. Another Mad Mex trip to try the Gobblerito will in the plans as well.

What is it I look forward to most about Fall? I don’t want to say it’s the cooler weather because that is a sign of the season that follows. However, there are so many fun activities that go along with Fall. It’s the start of football as the season kicks off right after Labor Day, or just before if you’re a college fan . It’s the leaves starting to change colors, with the best time for viewing around mid-October. Columbus Day weekend is always a time for celebration in our family. It’s sitting in the Diamond in Ligonier having coffee, reading a book or, working on a blog post. Fort Ligonier Days also falls on the second weekend of October, and I’ve attended in the past. The Apple and Arts Festival in Delmont takes place on the first weekend of the month, and it’s fun to try the food and look around.

In the past, it was always homecoming at my alma mater that made the best memories for me. Driving up to Slippery Rock on a beautiful, crisp Saturday was always fun. I drove up early and spent the day there, checking out the parade on Main Street, buying a sweatshirt in the bookstore, and watching the football game in the afternoon. Since then, new traditions have replaced the old.

Finally, the hardest part about Fall is closing the pool as summer draws to a close. Even if we hit 80 (or even 90) degrees at the end of the month, we feel it’s best to strike while the iron’s hot and get it done. It’s also knowing that the chill of winter is just around the corner, but we won’t worry about that until closer to Thanksgiving and just embrace the changes as they start to come in September.

The Summer of 2024 has gone by fast. Kids will be back in school soon, and some districts start this week. Look for my back to school shoutouts this week on the socials. Along with that comes a forecast for the first day of classes. I’ll see my niece off to school this week as well as she starts her first day of middle school. Where has the time gone and how is she almost 12?

Later next week, I’ll be making a Giant Eagle or Market District run to pick up some Fall food items, including some Pumpkin Spice coffee. Since I’m interested in learning to cook or bake, I want to try this Pumpkin Spice cookie mix from Duncan Hines. Looking at all the Fall stuff, there’s a lot of things that I’d love to try. However, I don’t want to overdo it.

I ordered some new clothes with my Old Navy Super Cash and they came this weekend. Therefore, I’ll be trying on my new outfit. I have some great ‘fits planned for Wednesday and Thursday. I have more to get as I have a gift card which I got for my birthday and it’s 50% off through Monday. With more Super Cash coming in October, they may go towards a stylish coat for winter.

I am officially down to the closing weeks in my Harry Potter reading. A year ago I was just getting started with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. To get this far, has been an accomplishment for me. I tried my hand at Harry Potter before, in 2018. I downloaded the books onto my Kindle for Free (through Kindle Unlimited). I finished the first three books and was ready to start the fourth in December 2018 when I stopped. I never got back to it until last year.

I have watched all of the movies up through Order of the Phoenix. I will watch Half-Blood Prince tonight and the Deathly Hallows part one and two over the next two weeks. I was inspired by a few people to read the books, including a few of my family members. At the end of the month, I’ll reveal what I liked best about the series including what my favorite book was. I’ll also rank the Dark Arts professors, and talk about a few of my favorite scenes from the movies. I may even reveal who my favorite of Hagrid’s pets is.

What’s the plan going ahead? With the election season heating up, I want to reopen Kamala Harris’s book from 2020 and read that, as well Barack Obama‘s first four years of his presidency. I’ll throw in some inspirational reading as well.

I heard about the position this morning that I applied for a few weeks ago and while I didn’t get it, I’m not disappointed. I would have been happy either way and while the decision has been made, I can now look forward to the upcoming Fall months. I’m in a good place and I have a lot going for me. Content will be picking back up in September and go strong through the Fall and into the holidays.

Whatever happens, it’s all for the best.

Finally, we’re taking a look at the week ahead. It’s Night Turn Appreciation week at Giant Eagle. The choice of food this year is Italian and it’s coming from Rizzo’s. Also, it’s another chapter in the Dinner Series as Mr. Clougherty and I have Mexican at Don Patron. I’ll make plans for my Pumpkin Spice Latte and Fall Treats tour which starts August 30, highlighting where I’ll be going. It’ll be a mix of local and worth the drive trips with plenty of Cutie’s visits thrown in.

Happy first day of school this week for most of you!

In this first of two weekend blog posts, I’ll talk about a new opportunity that may come up for me at Giant Eagle. Also, I’ll highlight my road trip to Somerset on Thursday. I’ll talk about the kind words I got at Dollar Tree last Sunday on my outfit and why I do this journey. Finally, I’ll talk about a new book I purchased on the history of a Pittsburgh Institution we all know and love.

Last week, I applied for a position at my Giant Eagle. If it get the job, I’ll stay put at Hempfield and be the Night-turn Lead. I would earn a couple of dollars an hour more, so there’s an incentive. We’re losing a couple of employees on our crew, and I’m hoping we can hire a few new heads soon as the holidays approach. It’ll be a new challenge for me if I get the position and it comes with more responsibility, but this was one of the things I wanted to consider doing.

I came to Giant Eagle after a long-running career at WIS because I needed a change. I wanted some more advancement opportunities as well and Giant Eagle is good for that. I was unhappy twice with my workplace, one time being in 2014 and another in 2018. Giant Eagle came up in the conversation both times. I considered it the first time and actually worked there the second time, but for only a month. I went back to WIS because it was more convenient and I had unfinished business to take care of. The third time applying has been the charm!

I had my interview for the new position this week and I’ll know by next week if I get it. If I get it, great. If not, that’s great too. I’m in a good place and I have a lot going for me.

Thursday night, I had my usual night off and took a road trip to Somerset to visit family. I took the scenic route down PA 31 past Hidden Valley as I always avoid the turnpike between New Stanton and Somerset. That ride will be beautiful in the Fall as leaves begin to change in October. We ate dinner at Yamato (our favorite place in Somerset) even though Jennerstown had a couple of places that looked good too. Afterwards, we drove out to Berlin to get ice cream from this cool place that looked like a caboose (Ice Cream Junction). It made me think of that place I got coffee from at the Night Market (The Roaming Bean) last month as well as that mobile coffee trailer on US 22 (Groove Coffee). The latter one just moved to Murrysville after being in Delmont along that same stretch of 22. I capped off my visit by spending some time in the hot tub. Next time I visit, I’ll learn to cook as I want to try and make this a thing. Foods I want to try to make include spaghetti and meatballs, grilled cheese, apple pie, and some other things as well. I’m also on the fence about looking for a place of my own as well.

Last Sunday, I went to Mammoth Park and took advantage of the nice weather and low humidity. On the way I stopped at Dollar Tree to pick up supplies for one of my clubs. When I was checking out, the cashier complimented me on my outfit. I was told I looked ’80s or ’90s chic. I’ll probably wear the ‘fit tomorrow when I have Sunday coffee at Cutie’s. I appreciated the kind words yet I almost let myself get in the way again.

I do this journey to make myself happy, and to be an inspiration to anyone who just wants to be themselves. At least I know this now instead of doing it for the attention like I initially did. Had I taken my own advice in 2022, I would have saved myself a lot of heartbreak and wouldn’t have felt as depressed as I did then. I’ll take every compliment I can, but ultimately I need to be happy with myself and my purchases.

Finally, I went out to breakfast at Eat’n Park yesterday morning. This is common after I do bloodwork. While I won’t give a review, I will talk about one of the purchases I made that I was pretty happy with. 2024 is the 75th anniversary of an amazing Pittsburgh institution, and that institution is Eat’n Park. It’s also the place where I got my first job years ago (at one of the Park Classic Diners). While I’ve moved on to another great Pittsburgh institution, it was nice to get my start at this place. I’ll enjoy the book very much and learn something from it. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Children’s Hospital.

The week and the month are just about halfway over as the weekend awaits and the countdown is on for kids to go back to school. Next week at this time, it will be officially be a school night for Hempfield Area kids. The nice, not so humid weather of this week gives way to muggy and rainy conditions for the weekend. But here’s what’s happened so far and what I’m looking forward to.

Monday I attended another Bible Study at Cutie’s. The weather couldn’t be more perfect than it was on Monday night. Two weeks ago we saw a rainbow as we were leaving. Monday night it was a beautiful sunset that reflected off the buildings in downtown Greensburg. The study covered reconciliation and repentance. We spent a lot of time in the Gospels. After a couple of weeks away from the Bible, that’s where I’ll be heading next. I’ll start with John and then move on Matthew, Mark, and Luke. I’ll also read the book of James.

This time I ordered a drink at Cutie‘s before the study began and it was a good one. The summer menu had some great drinks on it and pretty soon, it’ll be time to make way for Fall. Maybe some pumpkins will adorn the windows of the shop. Whoever does the art for the windows at Cutie’s does an amazing job.

I think I know what my first drink will be off of the Fall menu when it begins next Saturday. My Pumpkin Spice Latte and Fall Treats tour will begin Labor Day weekend. Oakmont Bakery is in my plans for the tour as is another place up in the Allegheny Valley. The tour will run up through early November. Giant Eagle and Market District have their fall flavors of coffee up now as well as some treats that make you think of cooler weather. Also, as I was exiting work this morning, I saw Cinnamon roll flavored popped cakes (rice cakes). I will be doing a Fall treat haul very soon at one of the stores.

I’ll be planning another Turkey sandwich tour in November just as I did last year. Can the Gobblerito from Mad Mex win it for me again?

In addition to planning my Pumpkin Spice tour which begins in a few weeks, I’m also planning my agenda for Greensburg’s meeting and a speech for the following Tuesday at Laurel Highlands. Let’s continue to build off of that energy I had last week at Greensburg.

It’s going to be a bittersweet meeting as two of our members are moving and won’t be meeting in-person anymore. Despite the move, they will still be a part of our club virtually. We will losing our Zoom master and that means our President will likely take over the position since she brings her laptop. This position has been commonplace since COVID and is an important one to the club. I know our club will continue to thrive, regardless.

Finally, tomorrow night is the premiere of the first block of episodes from season four of the hit Netflix show Emily in Paris. I’ve watched the show since January of 2022 and have been impressed with it. The characters are all awesome in their own way. I won’t put any spoilers up but I do look forward to what this new season has to offer. I’m not a Netflix binge watcher, so I will spread it out with one episode a week. With the next half of season 4 set to premiere a few weeks later, I should have the series complete by early October.

I continue to thrive with my French on Duolingo as well, having almost 60000 points from lessons. Bon Appetit!

It’s been a beautiful weekend so far and the drop in humidity has made it feel very comfortable outside. It makes it easier to sleep as well. I’m taking advantage of the September-like weather while it’s here and going to Mammoth Park for a walk. With everyone out today, I’ll stop at Getgo and have a little picnic for myself as well. Going to Mammoth will bring back memories of last year’s Harry Potter themed birthday party for Annabelle, though it was much cooler last year for that event. That shot of cool air came on the heels of Indian Summer weather a few days prior.

This week I seriously contemplated cutting back on my social media use. Three reasons why I’m doing this are because first off, it’s election season. Everyone on Facebook will be spewing their vitriol to verbally attack who’s running for President; thus, trying to guilt me into voting for the other person. Second, the algorithms on Facebook and Instagram are just terrible and the suggestions have nothing to do with my interests. That, plus the ads are repetitive and just annoying. Third and lastly, social media just is a huge time waster for me anymore and, to be honest, the notifications section isn’t what it used to be. As for YouTube, I just use it to watch highlights from last year’s football games to get myself ready for the season. In the time I waste on the socials, I can use that to declutter my life or look up something good to make from my cookbook.

In June when I was on vacation the last week of the month, one of the days I went to Tanger and purchased a 3-in-1 Michael Kors purse set. One tote and two crossbody purses, in pink. I’m looking for something that’s easy to wear around a coat once cooler Fall weather arrives. Thankfully I kept my Coach purses and I can use that pink one with the cherry charm. Now I have something I can use for meetings (the tote), going to the store or work (the Coach), or coffee (the crossbody). Good coordinating there, Stylish 🍒!

Finally, let’s look ahead to this upcoming week. After taking advantage of the amazing weather this afternoon into the early evening, what is on the agenda for Monday. It’s another Bible Study Monday at Cutie’s and the weather looks perfect. Last time we had a few sprinkles but it didn’t affect the event. This time I’ll walk in and get coffee before the study. The message was great two weeks ago, so I know I’ll be in for a treat. They will be celebrating their first anniversary on October 13. Cutie’s has become my favorite coffee shop in downtown Greensburg, though I like them all.

Tuesday is a Toastmasters night with Laurel Highlands holding their meeting. Wednesday I will be putting together Greensburg’s agenda for the 21st. Thursday, I am off; therefore, I will be taking a road trip to Somerset and visiting family. It will be a nice visit, I’m sure. Getting there is always fun as I will either take US 30 through Ligonier or PA 31 through Mount Pleasant or Donegal to get there.

Further ahead we will have a nice sendoff for two of my friends who are moving east. Also, I’m looking forward to dinner with Mr. Clougherty at Don Patron, Night-turn Appreciation night at Giant Eagle, and the first day of school.

Last night at our Greensburg Toastmasters meeting, I felt like I had a long awaited thing happen to me. I felt like I had a perfect meeting. I have finally made it to the last level of my path that I started in the Summer of 2020. I plan to finish the Dynamic Leadership path in September and have my speeches lined up over a three week period.

I talked about my experience serving as President of Greensburg Toastmasters last year. I also highlighted my Toastmasters history, going back in 2011. The Toastmaster of the meeting introduced me by saying that it wasn’t my first rodeo. I’ll highlight parts of my speech on this blog post.

What was special about tonight’s speech was that I sounded perfect on stage, and not relying on my notes. I really sounded like a seasoned Toastmaster up there last night. I put a lot of planning into that speech and the end result looked great. The same would go for Table Topics and I really like how we applied what we talked about at our officers’ meeting last month. We centered our Table Topics session around the Moments of Truth and I’m glad we’re continuing this at our next meeting.

My story took place early in the Spring of 2023. We just came out of our regular meeting and started planning for the new Toastmasters year. We had solid leadership from the Teagues the last four year and they guided our club through one of the most trying periods (that being COVID). They were very confident that I would continue leading the club to success as the next club President.

I had no problem building my team as most of my officers retained their roles for 2023-24. All I needed was a Secretary and Sergeant at Arms. In my speech, I stressed the importance of attending club officer training and where it fell in the Distinguished Club Program.

My club had its ups and downs, as guests and members came and went. Whether we had fifteen or five in attendance, we always made the most of our meetings. I always tried to set the best example, whether it was giving a speech or running a meeting that was fun, educational, and uplifting. Most importantly, I made sure my meetings ran on time.

The lockdowns during COVID meant meeting in person were no exception to the rule, either. We had to adjust and Zoom was going to be the wave of the future. I was going through the motions and dealing with my own issues but I came back around and learned to embrace the platform. That was around the time I accepted the nomination to serve as Club President.

In the NFL, a quarterback has a passer rating that highlights how he performed in a game. The number for achieving a perfect rating as a QB is 158.3. That’s how I felt Wednesday night at my meeting as I was firing on all cylinders. I even picked up pointers from Hillary’s evaluation. I even inspired one of our guests to come up and do a Table Topic question. Our speeches came from both ends of the Pathways spectrum as Hillary was working on her Level 1 and I was working on my Level 5. My speech evaluator Karen gave me excellent feedback on my speech as well.

Finally, I have a date set for when I’m going to sip my first Pumpkin Spice latte of the season. I’m looking at August 30, which is the Friday before Labor Day Weekend. Last year, I hinted at doing a Pumpkin Spice and Fall Coffee tour and unfortunately that fell through. I’m going to try my hand at it once more this year. I made it two weeks last year before things got busy but I made up for it with my Thanksgiving sandwich mini-tour in November.

Cutie’s is on my list. I’m tempted to try everything on their Fall menu, not just Pumpkin Spice. I’ll do my PSL and Fall Treat tour over a nine week period starting August 30 and going up to October 27. I want to include local cafes in Greensburg. Some road trips will be thrown in as well. The Pittsburgh suburbs, Cranberry, Butler, Kiski Valley, and Ligonier come to mind. I also sense an Oakmont Bakery trip to try some tasty Fall treats.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte and Fall Treats will begin as the Harry Potter reading tour comes to a conclusion.

In the previous weeks and those upcoming, I’m going to be busy. I’ll be filling the void at work for those on vacation. In Toastmasters, I’ll be fulfilling my officer duties in two clubs and giving speeches so my path will reach its long awaited completion. I’ll also exercising at the gym or walking at one of the parks, or getting my swimming time in while summer is still going strong.

What these all have in common is that I’m taking charge in my life.

Taking Charge of my Health

One thing I took charge of this week was sending for a form so I can fulfill my wellness requirements by September 30 to get the best prices on my insurance premiums for 2025. Not doing so means I’ll pay more. Once the forms are sent I’ll do my bloodwork and have my doctor sign off on everything. I did this last year too and learned that all was well with me.

Taking Charge in Toastmasters

It’s also time for me to take charge in my clubs that I belong to. One way I’m doing that is by completing the requirements for my last level in my original path, which I started in 2020. I’ll begin to road to my long-awaited completion Wednesday at my Greensburg meeting and schedule myself three weeks apart. I’ll then schedule a speech at Laurel Highlands the last Tuesday of the month and then complete the path in September at Greensburg.

In Laurel Highlands, I’m putting together guest packets for our members and that includes an application for membership, as well as some other pamphlets. We’re expecting a good number of guests at our upcoming meetings. It’s time to get the club to where it was when it chartered three years ago. I also want to promote the club in the community and in Fayette County. The name is Laurel Highlands which means we can reach out to Uniontown as well as Nemacolin Woodlands as well as Fort Necessity. There’s plenty of people in these three groups who can benefit from Toastmasters. In the case of Nemacolin, these people deal with a lot of high end customers too, from the front desk and in culinary to the spa and the casino.

Taking Charge of my Future

Finally, it’s time for me to take charge of my future. Changes are coming at work with a few in our department moving up or stepping down. In the last weeks, bids have been going up at our store. I may apply for the one (Night Turn Lead) as it’s a nice hike in pay and it’s more responsibility. It’s also a challenge but it’s one feel I may be ready for.

Speaking of taking charge of the future, I did that three years ago when I applied online for a job at Giant Eagle. Changes were happening at WIS when the merger with their competitor RGIS became official. I just turned 40, learned that things weren’t going to be in favor of me and was just ready to move on. I applied online for jobs at Goodwill and Giant Eagle, and had Target and Walmart in mind too. If nothing came about with those companies, my next plan of action would have applying at Excela Health and the new hospital in Jeannette (Allegheny Health Network). I interviewed with Goodwill and Giant Eagle a week before Thanksgiving.

I went out for a ride that Friday before Thanksgiving. I was driving on US 40 between Uniontown and Farmington when Giant Eagle called. I accepted the offer. It was the best decision I made and I’m proud to work for a great company. I have it made with a great store and a great team.

Best part, you can’t beat the commute.