Almost halfway through the countdown now and we are talking about some of the fun Toastmasters events that I attended this year. Even as I was working at Giant Eagle and didn’t have weekends off, I was still making time to attend the club officer trainings. I don’t have as much time to attend the division contests in person so I do what I can. Next year, I will attend my first in person conference in five years.

Every event that I attended in 2023 was special in a way, and I got to meet some new people. With me accepting the presidential nomination for Greensburg, Summer TLI was one event that I was looking forward to attending.

In June, I attended club officer training and all my officers showed up in person and online. We had great attendance for the event. While I learned a lot from the event, a lot of crazy things occurred in my life leading up to the big day. Aside from Benny’s four month long hospital stay and the haze from the Canadian wildfires, I was questioning things once again in my fashion journey. This time it was Dylan Mulvaney and the Bud Light controversy. It didn’t help that some of the biggest right wing voices in the world said a lot of nasty shit either. I was ready to give up and almost got rid of a lot of my wardrobe but in the eleventh hour I went back. I rocked a nice outfit and a scarf and one of my Coach purses and enjoyed myself. My Toastmasters friends Dana and Cassie encouraged me not to change for anyone and praised me for breaking status quo.

A few days later, I took advantage of Meetup (which I learned about that same morning) and attended the tenth anniversary of Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters, which was a lot of fun.

The Fall Symposium was one that I attended out of pure luck. I didn’t sign up until I saw my schedule the week before the event and, everything was in my favor. I learned about humor with one of our own members in the Greensburg club, and our Toastmasters won awards for their hard work and dedication throughout the Toastmaster year. We had a group photo taken of all the Distinguished Toastmasters in District 13

Last week’s TLI was as good as the summer event. I got to meet some new Toastmasters from the Johnstown club as well as a few I already knew. Biggest takeaway involved some of the points our speaker talked about in his presentation on the Growth Mindset. I attended a different club officer breakout, though I kind of wish I sat in on the Presidents’ training again. We ended the day by watching some of our most decorated Toastmasters show off some of their talents. Two of our members sang karaoke to Love Shack by the B-52’s, and our Johnstown members reenacted a play. We also had a Zumba workout. I got encouragement on my fashion journey from Sandi, Rachel, and Barb of the Johnstown club. I also found out that Barb and I have ties to the Hiram G. Andrews Center, and she made Johnstown Magazine’s list of Most Influential People of the Year for 2023.

After the holidays, contest season will be in full swing and we’ll get to hear District 13’s best.

Today’s top ten continues at Giant Eagle and focuses on our night turn appreciation dinner that our amazing store leader put together for us this past August.

Last year, I got to experience the awesomeness that is Night Turn Appreciation Week. It’s a way to thank our people who work overnights to make sure that the store is well-stocked for customers the next day. Our higher ups came to the event as our store was one of their many stops that night. They offered us their thank you for our hard work and dedication to make Giant Eagle a success. Our main course at last year’s event was surf and turf. Plus, we were all given a goody bag of tasty Giant Eagle treats (chips, pretzels, beef jerky, etc.). The only appreciation meals we had at my old job were a few pizza parties and a few times we went bowling as well, but that was few and far between.

We changed store leaders last September and for this upcoming event, ours went all out and put together an amazing spread. We had pulled pork, mango chicken, beef skewers, trays of fruit, vegetables, and beef and cheese, and punch. I even wore a patterned shirt to look the part of someone attending a luau. We even got complementary leis to put around our necks. Sorry, no grass skirts or coconuts though.

The big shots greeted some of us in aisle #1 (condiments, canned fruits, salad dressing) and introduced themselves. We’ve had some turnover since last year so they wanted to meet some of the newer folks. A few of our deli/prepared foods and produce workers took part in the event as well. There was plenty to take home as I had a container of pulled pork to take home as well as a few pieces of mango chicken.

Other Giant Eagles took part that night and celebrated as well. It’s nice to get commended for all the work these people do every night. I will find a picture of our overnight workers to post on this blog. There might be one floating around somewhere. But to close off the blog, here’s a message from our store leaders thanking us for our hard work and dedication to make Giant Eagle a great place to work and shop at.

In the Fall of 2021, my employer, WIS International would merge with its competitor, RGIS. That meant we would see changes across the board, from office numbers to new equipment, and breaking up a crew who were like family to me the last few years. We got our assignments, and the changes weren’t going to be in my favor. I considered my options, and seriously felt like making a career change.

Just after the changes took place, I began applying elsewhere. I put in applications at Giant Eagle and Goodwill. I also considered Target and Wal-Mart, as well as Allegheny Health Network and Excela (now Independence) Health, which had hospitals in the area. Far cry from the days when I held out for the perfect job or dreamed of going back to school for a useless degree to get out of a job I didn’t like. I would score interviews with Goodwill (in person) and Giant Eagle (online and over-the-phone). Giant Eagle hired me a week before Thanksgiving and I accepted the offer.

The job would be part-time at the beginning with the option to apply for a full-time position if it became available. 20 or 40 hours a week, I was going to make this work. The first time I applied I was unsuccessful. I did it again this past Spring, with better results. I applied online thanks to the help of my night crew leader. A few weeks later, I had my interview and I aced it. By the beginning of summer, it became official. I was now full-time.

I worked part-time for so long and was frustrated with my life, especially early on after college and at the beginning of my time with WIS. Eventually, I learned to appreciate WIS and actually left a part time job with Giant Eagle to come back. That would actually work out in the short-term. I knew when I was finally ready to leave.

For a long time, my hours were inconsistent, my pay varied, and I never knew when I would be done or when I’d be home. It feels good to work close to home, knowing when I’ll be done, and having great benefits. For almost 15 years, I didn’t have a paid vacation, in addition to inadequate health care. Sometimes, I was fearing for my life in bad weather conditions or a sometimes hostile working environment. As much as I enjoyed the people who became family, the job would take a toll on my mental health. Twice I thought about leaving WIS for Giant Eagle due to unhappiness at my old job. The third time was the charm and that’s because of the changes due to the merger. Please don’t take this as an attack, because I enjoyed working there for a long time.

Everyone pulled for me and they were thrilled when I got the full-time position. I was guaranteed 40 hours even when things slowed down in winter. Things are finally beginning to look up for me after so many years of coming up short. Next year, I’ll get two weeks of paid time off.

I’m grateful to be employed by a company that offers room for advancement, takes care of its employees, and is supportive of its workers. I think I made the right move in late 2021.

That’s exactly what I’m doing. Not just in my fashion but in life as well. Today I drew a few designs for a logo for my blog. I drew a shield 🛡️ with the four things that will define my blog. Lifestyle and fashion are the two main stars, but fitness and food are the others going into 2024. Now on to today’s feature presentation.

This morning I took advantage of my morning off and rode with Mom up to Somerset to run some errands for Aunt Sue. It looks like Benny will be at Children’s through Christmas and into next year. The drive to Aunt Sue’s is also fun (and I’m not saying that in a dramatic way) because Mom doesn’t take the Turnpike but PA 31. Mount Pleasant is still a quaint little town and has its small-town charm. The Levin Furniture is still there as well as my friend’s bakery, Maisy Cakes, which specializes in French macarons.

From Mount Pleasant you begin to climb the mountain and come into Donegal. As we drove up PA 31 the snow became more visible and temperature dropped a few degrees, keeping that snow in place. It’s not far from my favorite little Hallmark Christmas town/little Stars Hollow, known as Ligonier. Not far from the big ski resorts, Donegal and Stahlstown could both be used in a few scenes if a movie were to be filmed in Ligonier.

Fun fact: Bear Rocks was almost the site of a ski resort a la Hidden Valley. The idea was nixed when it was built on the wrong side of the mountain and wouldn’t be able to keep up the snow like Hidden Valley or Seven Springs. The rest is history, but a nice little summer resort or camp would have fit in down there.

Our stops included picking up some things at Benny’s school (Somerset Jr./Sr. High School). Included in it was a Somerset High School shirt for Benny to wear. From there, we stopped at Aunt Sue’s house to pick up a few things including some clothes. The renovations look great and the sun porch looks like a brand new room in the house. We won the day by making sure the cats stayed in the house and they did. On our way home, we stopped at Moo Echo to pick up things for our charcuterie board we’re putting together for Christmas Eve as well as jam for Mom to make her almond thumbprints with. 

We almost took a scenic trip home past the Fairgrounds because we were behind a slow-moving truck but we were able to pass it and get home. The journey home is faster than it is getting there. I watched some Disney Christmas shows and then settled down. Tomorrow I go Christmas shopping and looking ahead I’ll be making a Market District run for Christmas Day. 

On Saturday at TLI I learned a lot from our presenters. Some of the things that our first speaker talked about I will use in my speech at tonight’s Toastmasters meeting. Also, I might consider running for Vice President Education at Greensburg next year. I attended a different officer training than what I’m doing this year. That is something you can do if you’re not an officer or you have interest in that office next year.

The #9 event of 2023 took place in March of this year. But before I go into detail on what took place, let’s go back to 2019. Things were going great in my life. I was enjoying my job for the first time ever, I just attended a great Toastmasters conference in the Spring and finished all my requirements for my Distinguished Toastmaster award. I also started this blog and my fashion/LGBTQ journey was born. 2020 was looking like a carbon copy of the year before. Everything was in place and then… it all went to crap. COVID hit and we were soon dealing with a global pandemic. The country was on lockdown and everything would soon be cancelled.

Meeting in person for anything was going to be out of the question and that all future Toastmasters events. Eventually, the words Zoom, hybrid, and social distancing would make it into our vocabulary. My interest in Toastmasters began to wane over the next few years even as we went back to in person events and meetings. Everyone was figuring out Pathways, but I wasn’t. I was sporadic in my speeches and the magic was fading away just months removed from my DTM. I still shone in my Toastmasters glory as I won my Spirit of Toastmasters award in 2020 and took part in the panel discussion at Winter TLI in December of that year. Maybe I just needed a break too. Eventually things worked their way back around.

In March of 2023, my Toastmasters fire would be rekindled. After our meeting, I was tabbed to lead the club for the upcoming Toastmasters year (2023-24). The club was in good hands with Jim and Michelle alternating as President the last four years. However it was time for new blood and I was definitely up to the task. Michelle led the club to Select Distinguished in 2022-23 and I promised to get us to Presidents’. I was officially on my back and as a result, I got to enjoy the Division Contest in White Oak that following Saturday. We are closing in on our fifth goal which will get us to Distinguished.

I attended both trainings and we had perfect attendance from our officers plus the Teagues and our division director Mary Ellen. We knocked off #9 on the Distinguished Club report. I also attended Fall Symposium and have plans to go to my first Spring Conference since 2019. I think Greensburg needs to form its own DTM huddle this coming May.

October was an active month in the beginning and then it was quiet in the second half (due to sickness and the weather). November was quiet weatherwise (with some snow flurries at the beginning and end of the month) but for me it was active. We weren’t able to stick to our original Thanksgiving plans like we wanted to, but that worked out for me. We will have a good holiday, even if one of our loved ones has to spend it at Children’s hospital. I learned how not to set myself up for disappointment and that’s what made Christmas 2022 better than the last two.

November, nevertheless, had its good moments though. Here’s some of the highlights, and there were more highs than lows.

I took advantage of a great Sunday afternoon and drove out to Ligonier (after I woke up). It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the perfect little Hallmark town with the Christmas tree set up in the gazebo. I soaked up the late afternoon sun (it was around 3 o’clock when I arrived) while watching life pass by on PA 711. Light up night would be a little over a week later and, while I didn’t take part in the festivities, I made plans to come up on one of my nights off to see the Diamond all lit up. I remember coming up in 2020 and witnessing a marriage proposal, right in the midst of COVID. Definitely a perfect spot for family holiday pictures.

That week got better as I received an invite to Friendsgiving from my fashionable sister. With my Thanksgiving plans falling through for my family, I was able to adjust my work schedule, so that I go to Rob and Sara’s that Saturday. At Giant Eagle, I bought a cheeseboard and a kit to take to the party.

Before I knew it, Friendsgiving was upon me and while looking for the apartment, Sara found me and gave me a big hug. I got to meet my squad, some new and some I met before. I ate well (seriously, this spread slayed) and talked all night, getting to know Jen and Kit a little better. Sara got to meet my family (in pictures) and we waxed fashion sense. Her tofurkey was amazing and I wish I got to eat more. At the end of the night, it was hard to leave because ny sister gets me and knows that I have a lot to offer. We’re hoping to meet up over the holidays and have breakfast with Mom and Uncle S. and/or do gift exchange.

Finally, I embarked on a mini turkey tour eating the seasonal sandwiches. First up was the Pilgrim from GetGo Cafe and Market. It was a little bit messy but tasted very good. Great ratio of turkey and stuffing to gravy. A week later, I went to Mad Mex in Monroeville at the Miracle Mile shopping center. I ordered the Thanksgiving favorite, the Gobblerito. The cranberry sauce was a nice complement to the Gobblerito as was the drink. Then the Saturday before Thanksgiving, I went to Primanti’s to try their Primantutkey sandwich. Overall it was tough to pick a winner but it was the Gobblerito.

When I hit the send button on Thursday, it was my 500th blog post. Yesterday morning marked 600 days of Duolingo. It’s been a year of milestones.

How do you follow up a great weekend with your sister and her friends? You publish your 500th blog post, attend club officer training, and celebrate with a great dinner at Burgatory!

Today’s Winter TLI was the first in person event I attended for that season since December 2019, just as this blog was being birthed. It was a great experience and I learned a lot that I can bring back to my club and even use for my upcoming speech Wednesday night. I met up with some Toastmasters from Johnstown, some I met in person for the first time, and one who has ties to my old college.

The presenters did an excellent job, despite some of the hiccups in the technology. For the club officer breakouts, I attended the vice president education, and learned that you can attend a different breakout other than your own. I served in that capacity twice before and may be interested in doing it again at Greensburg next year. Lots of changes are coming in the upcoming Toastmaster year and there is a lot to learn in that role. The culinary team at WCCC did a great job as always, providing us with a yummy continental breakfast and lots of coffee, as well as a good lunch.

We ended the training on a fun note, as Toastmasters in our district did their own spin on America’s Got Talent, called Toastmasters Got Talent. We saw juggling, a great performance from a violinist, a Zumba workout, and many more. When the day goes fast, you know the event was worthwhile and that’s what I’ll say about this Winter TLI.

From the first presentation, I took down some important notes and will put these in my speech and apply these not only to Toastmasters, but also my writing experience, as well as my fashion journey.

I’m learning to acknowledge and embrace imperfection. Our speaker referenced celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford, and our imperfections are what make us beautiful. We must pay attention to our words/thoughts, but also we must ultimately stop seeking approval. It’s OK if we’re not yet ready to make that leap. I thought I found myself in 2021 and I did but more work needed to be done.

In terms of my blog, one of the things I’m doing is taking a risk by doubling my content for December. But I’m also realizing that speed is not important as I contemplate taking a break from posting content in January and February. I’ll most likely do very little just to focus on my reading and on my fitness journey.

To celebrate 500 blog posts, I had dinner at Burgatory. I’m no stranger to the place as I’ve eaten there before with Mr. Clougherty. It’s always fun to make my own custom burger. In addition, I ordered the best shake to complement my burger (which was very good by the way). It was a milk and cereal shake with fruity pebbles for sprinkles. Afterwards, I went to Monroeville Mall which was kind of a mistake. I’d have been better off looking at lights in Penn Township and North Huntingdon and playing some classic Christmas music reminding myself of past holidays with Gramma Gaffron.

Looking ahead to next week: Christmas shopping and a visit to Ligonier to see the Diamond all lit up.

I got the message about a Friendsgiving get-together a few weeks before and I was hoping to attend. The universe worked in my favor and I was able to work the night before Thanksgiving; thus, it helped open up Saturday night for me so I could attend.

For the party, I bought a charcuterie board and a cheeseboard kit. I knew it would be a big hit at the Friendsgiving that my fashionable sister was holding. The board came from JCPenney and the kit from Giant Eagle. After a long, hard, couple of weeks at Giant Eagle, with lots to do to prepare the store for Thanksgiving, I felt like I was going to have earned this night off.

On Saturday, I woke up excited for two reasons. Number one, I came downstairs and saw the Christmas tree all decorated and the house looking very festive. Mom helped me put together my amazing cheeseboard. I educated my dad on charcuterie and explained that we had it at our family reunion. Number two, I was going to see my sister for the first time in almost two years and celebrate Friendsgiving!!!

I had no trouble finding the place as my GPS on my phone helped lead the way. When I got to the place, I had to call Sara so she could show me where I was going. She came out to guide me and gave me a big hug when she saw me. I returned the favor and even got some outfit inspiration from her as we made our way to her apartment. When I came in, I introduced myself and set my cheeseboard down. Sara then gave me a tour of the apartment and introduced me to everyone there. Some I knew from church, others I met for the first time. Her and Rob were excited to see me wearing my cheetah sweater, wondering if that was going to be the outfit that I picked out.

I was reserved at first due to me not being used to being out much. But, I gradually emerged from my shell and soon after, really enjoyed myself. It’s not easy when you’re home all the time and it’s hard to talk about your interests because there’s other things going on. But I digress. I had fun getting to learn about Sephora, meet everyone, and talk about life. It was nice to let my hair down for once.

The food was amazing. I provided the cheeseboard. Also included on the menu were mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, salad, and the guest of honor, tofurkey. I was skeptical at first but the tofurkey tasted really good. I wish I got a few more pieces. Here at home, we already finished off Thanksgiving but have Christmas and turkey balls to look forward to as the calendar turns to December. Don’t fill up on sides though, because we have dessert to look forward to. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and chocolate cake truffles would satisfy our sweet tooth. I had a slice of the pumpkin cheesecake and a few of the chocolate cake truffles. Thanks to Kit for the decadent desserts.

The South Side is quite the neighborhood and Rob and Sara have a lot at their disposal. When I visit again, we are definitely going to Hofbrauhaus for drinks and I am getting a tour of the South Side. I might want to try Melting Pot or Hard Rock Cafe (in Station Square) or Cheesecake Factory (in South Side Works). We’re going to set a date to get together for a meal and to exchange gifts. We might even include Momma in our adventures.

This was a special blog because not only as it for a special event, but it’s also a milestone. This will be my 500th blog post when I publish it today and I wanted to highlight Friendsgiving as the main topic. I started on this platform just before Thanksgiving four years ago. While I’m happy to achieve this milestone, it hasn’t been easy getting there. 2020 was marked by a global pandemic, but I also got too big, too quick and peaked in the early stages of COVID. 2021 saw a health scare, and big changes in my life, but I was able to keep writing and made it to 300 at the end of the year. 2022 was a step back as I tried to figure out a new routine and didn’t have technology available. 2023 has felt just right as I’m at a pace I can easily attain, although it’s had its share of obstacles too.

My roadblocks to 500 have included discouragement, doubt, sickness, discontentment, and depression. Sometimes I felt my life was not interesting enough so I didn’t post as much. But through it all, I’ve come out on top. Thank you to all who enjoy my content and continue to support me in this endeavor.

Special shout outs are needed as well. My cousin Katie has a blog of her own, and she has inspired me in my blogging journey. She started hers a few years before me and always has the best content. Reading her stuff is a joy and I’m thankful for her support of my blog. Thanks to her and her little family and their gift of a laptop last Christmas, I am able to continue doing what I enjoy and achieve this milestone.

Two other people also deserve a big shout out, and that’s Sara and Rob for their hospitality on Saturday night. I knew that it meant a lot to them having me at their Friendsgiving because I’m family. The food was the chef’s kiss, and the fellowship among friends and family was worthwhile. Sara was happy to see me and she enjoyed hearing about the people who I used to work with at WIS. Of course, she and I waxed fashion sense. I even showed her pictures of my family, as well as my outfits. I told her my dilemma, that some people don’t get my style. She told me that, “It’s just fashion.” That’s what I love about my sister.

I left after 11, as everybody was gone by then. I don’t know why I stick around so long with Sara and Rob. I did it at Friendsgiving and then after Ice Fest. But it’s so hard to leave after spending time with them because they get me. Sara and I both wish we were each other’s siblings. In this journey, I am also grateful to have some family who is supportive.

Finally, if I had to choose a favorite blog post, it’s still going to be the ones talking about my crush from WIS from 2019. That experience got me started on my fashion journey and it made me pay attention to my style. It also made that pink cherry dress seem popular, at least in my opinion. It was an innocent crush, but it was still a good time. Even now, I still think about that night and about her.

After the turkey and the sides are all put away, and when the shoppers stand in line at 4am at Target, it’s time to decorate.

The day after Thanksgiving for my family is traditionally the day we like to get the decorations out of the attic. We form an assembly line and get all the boxes stored in the kitchen or downstairs. Black Friday is the day that we put up our Christmas decorations and we continue throughout the weekend. Mom has Christmas pictures of Annabelle that she puts up on the table as well as her many snowglobes. I added my nutcracker to the table this year, and my peppermint mocha ornament to the living room tree. Go for it, it is peppermint, gingerbread, and egg nog season!

I woke up Saturday afternoon to see the trees decorated in the living room and out front. Throughout the weekend, Dad took advantage of the dry weather to put up lights outside. He programmed the timer that activates the lights at a certain time and keeps them going for however many hours. He did the same for the lights going upstairs. By the end of the weekend, the house was looking very festive.

Our house isn’t Clark Griswold material, but I say we come pretty close. Sometime in December, I’d like to embark on a tour of Christmas Lights in Penn Township just as I’ve done in the past with my mom. I’d also like to try to include a tour of North Huntingdon, and time and weather permitting, Larry’s Lights and Overly’s.

Finally, Ligonier Light Up Night was this past Friday. It looked like a great turnout and the Diamond looked like a scene from a Hallmark Christmas movie with the crowd and the Christmas tree lit. Is there any indication as to why Ligonier is known as the perfect Hallmark Christmas Town?

Now enjoy my photos of the lights and decorations.