Time to turn the calendar ahead to one of my favorite months of the year, October.

I had a great vacation last week and didn’t have any trouble getting back into the groove. The first two nights were a little rough but after that it was smooth sailing. I don’t want to say too much because I’ll recap the month of September in tomorrow’s blog.

Anyway, here’s what to look ahead to in October.

Fall Foliage will hit its Peak. I saw a little yellow on the trees in downtown Greensburg when I made me way to dinner tonight. I also spotted some orange while driving along Route 30 this afternoon. I expect it to be really beautiful next week as I travel to our Fall Family picnic. Mid to late October is when you can expect to see the best colors in Southwest PA.

Did I mention picnics? Next weekend is a big one for us with Annabelle’s birthday party on Saturday and the Gaffron Family Fall Picnic on Sunday. We are blessed this weekend with temperatures in the 70s and will hit the 80s for a good part of the upcoming workweek. That won’t be the case next weekend but it’s going to be nice to have a little touch of fall. I expect to see some amazing color on the trees next weekend.

The Fall Symposium remains up in the air for me until I see what next week entails for me at Giant Eagle. But if Friday night is open I will be there the next day. Awards will be handed out at the event for our Toastmasters who gone above and beyond during the year in District 13. Our speaking lineup looks amazing with one of our own doing a presentation. Whether I attend in person at Westmoreland County Community College or online in the comfort of my home remains to be seen.

I’m going back in time once again to the college years. Next month on the blog, we go back in time to talk about my experience learning to drive while I was living at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. We’ll also highlight Slippery Rock University homecoming and how and why it became part of my life long after I graduated.

We wrap up the dinner series in October as swimming season approaches and so Mr. Clougherty will be getting his team ready for the upcoming year. We enjoy doing this little tradition and this was our 11th year getting together and doing this. I had my own little tradition of coming up for water polo every Christmas Eve for over a decade. Tuesday we’ll meet at Primanti’s (rescheduled from September 28) and later this month at Kings or Oliver’s Pourhouse.

My two year anniversary with Giant Eagle will be drawing near. I got promoted to full time this summer. This month, we will look back on how far I’ve come and those last days at my old job.

Finally, I’ll be getting ready to stock up for winter as the month gets ready to draw to a close. I have a warm houndstooth coat 🧥 in mind but also boots and gloves 🧤. Don’t know what the season holds but, I know I’ll be ready when that chill in the air gets here. My journey is better than ever and I will soon be thinking about the holidays.

Tuesday night, I attended my first online Toastmasters meeting from the comfort of my laptop. I ordered a webcam off of Amazon last week. Overall, the meeting was a success and this made all the difference compared to using my iPhone or iPad mini. I’m looking forward to my next online Toastmasters meeting. My options include visiting Cranberry High Noon or Earlybirds, attending the Fall Symposium (still up in the air for now!), or having to enjoy Greensburg Toastmasters in the comfort of my own home this November. I want to plan an in person visit to CHN between Thanksgiving and Christmas (11/20 to 12/18)

I was gifted with my laptop from my cousin and her family last Christmas after I talked to Katie at our family reunion last year. She asked me about my blog and I told her I wasn’t posting as much, mainly due to limited resources. I told her that I was interested in buying a laptop after the holidays. This laptop has worked great for my blogs, for storing any pictures I may take with my camera, and now it works great for attending online Toastmasters meetings. Maybe my Christmas list to Santa (don’t judge) should include some accessories like a new laptop bag. Another microphone or a light may be in my future as well.

Back in 2020, the world was in lockdown mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the start of a period of up and down emotional roller coaster rides that would go until this most recent summer. Toastmasters wasn’t exempt from the lockdowns as well, as contests were cancelled and clubs would have to meet online for the foreseeable future. Enter the online platform known as Zoom. For over a year, our club had to meet online. It took a lot of getting used to, a lot of growing pains were dealt with, and a lot of people felt discouraged. Eventually, Greensburg would make the leap to hybrid (online and in-person) meetings.

I was dealing with a lot in 2021 despite some good experiences like turning 40 and attending Rob and Sara’s wedding. Changes were going on at work with the merger about to take place, and I was dealing with my own growing pains in my other journey. I was about to deal with other changes in my life, as well, as I would be leaving my job I had for 13 years and getting a job closer to home with more opportunity and room for advancement.

I achieved my Distinguished Toastmaster award in the Fall of 2019. Since then, I’ve gone through the motions in my journey. I struggled to adapt to the new technology when COVID forced us to do our meetings remotely. For a few years, my Toastmasters fire wasn’t burning as bright as it was and my light was starting to dim. I gave more of my energy to the new Laurel Highlands Toastmasters when I joined in early 2022. Being tabbed as the incoming president for my home club (Greensburg) gave me a new lease on life in Toastmasters. Using my laptop to attend Tuesday’s Laurel Highlands meeting helped me enjoy the meeting more. I’m finally starting to enjoy these hybrid meetings.

I finally had the opportunity to celebrate my achievement in person at the District’s DTM Gala in July of 2021. It was a great night as we all got together for the first time since the pandemic. We danced to disco music, even as the fire alarms forced us outside. It was one of the few other things that made 2021 good. Not to repeat myself, but it was a year of change. The dreary days we had in October of that year signaled the end of an era for me at my job, and I knew changes were coming soon. The mood was very depressing. I made some boneheaded decisions and invested my happiness in all the wrong places. Thus, that also led to my emotional roller coaster ride.

Fast forward to next year and, things are looking a lot better as the holidays approach. Christmas 2022 was COLD but in my heart it was WARM despite everything that happened (Benny being in and out of the hospital due to his health issues). I took my first paid vacation in 15 years and had fun Christmas shopping in Pittsburgh. I got back to blogging in January thanks to my new laptop. 2023 was looking good, and then the rains came again.

Benny was back in the hospital in February (on my sister’s birthday) and this time it would be a more prolonged stay as they tried to nip it in the bud with his health issues. That took its toll on me emotionally. In addition to that was the negativity spewed on TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. This once again led to me questioning my own journey but in the end, I emerged victorious. I wowed my friends at Summer Club Officer Training with my outfit and my Coach purse and learned once again not to change for everyone. Hopefully this rollercoaster ride is done.

Today, I continue to excel in my Toastmasters journey and in my fashion journey. The future looks bright, and I know I have lots of support but it all comes down to me and my own self-love.

Happy 100th blog of 2023!

I wrapped up my vacation on Monday and it’s back to Giant Eagle after a nice ten days off. Overall, I give my vacation a B+. It was great, but I feel there were things I wanted to do that I couldn’t. Regardless, this ten day vacation was very productive.

At the start of my vacation, we closed down the pool. I got to take a few day trips as the week began. Flight 93 was an educational but somber trip. The zoo was a lot of fun and I got to enjoy my aunt’s hot tub. We also had lunch at Rey Azteca and Frappuccinos from Starbucks. Instead of taking more trips as originally planned, I dialed it back and took the trip to get outside. Thursday and Friday took me to Mammoth Park and Twin Lakes. I also looked ahead to our big weekend coming up.

I spent my last waking hours of vacation catching up on the Halloween Baking Championship. Afterwards, I spent time upstairs going through clothes I’m putting away for the season. I also went through things I’m giving to Goodwill. One bag from today and two from a while back will be going there around midweek.

Summer clothes are getting put away, while sweaters will soon be the rule of the day. I’m keeping a few pairs of shorts and patterned shirts out, as temperatures will trend above average next week. However, they’ll go into the bin after mid-October, as fall foliage begins to really hit its peak.

I caught up with Rae this morning while watching the Halloween Baking Championship. She’s doing well and told me how much she supports my fashion journey. She’s looking forward to Halloween but not so much the cold weather that follows. Not only does she and her family support me, but so does most of my family.

I recently purchased some new fall outfits, including some cheetah print sweaters. These all should arrive just before our big weekend next Saturday. I’ll have a try-on blog up sometime next week with my new outfits as well as the overalls that I bought last month. I’m thinking either a Stars Hollow sweatshirt with my Gilmore Girls t-shirt or one of my new cheetah sweaters with jeans. The possibilites are endless.

Here’s to getting back into the groove this week at Giant Eagle and not exposing myself to the drama behind the scenes.

Happy First Day of Fall! Time to celebrate the change of seasons and the eventual change of colors on the trees. Did you go to the pumpkin patch or pick apples today?

My week off is now officially in past peak mode. I checked my schedule for the next week and it’s favorable, plus I know I have time off coming in a few weeks. For what it’s worth though, I enjoyed my time off. The near peak part of my vacation, saw me visit an old Toastmasters club of mine and drive to the Flight 93 Memorial, as well as spend the afternoon at the Pittsburgh Zoo. At the peak of my vacation, I made another trip to Somerset to have lunch with my aunt and spend time in the hot tub. I also attended my home club’s meeting. The plaza at the courthouse looks very nice.

As I began to descend the vacation mountain, I made a change of plans which benefited me in the long run. My original agenda had me going back to Pittsburgh and then to Indiana. Instead, I decided to stay closer to home. After a full day Wednesday, I wasn’t sure I wanted to stick with my trip to the Strip District and the Heinz History Center. I didn’t feel too bad making that change. I ended up going to Mammoth Park and walking around the lake. Along the way, I saw our pavilion where Annabelle’s first birthday was held. Early on, I saw the pavilion where the party will be in a few weeks. It’s looking to be a fun-filled weekend coming up.

Friday was another productive day as I shopped for Annabelle’s birthday gift, walked 2 1/2 miles around Twin Lakes, and enjoyed lunch in downtown Greensburg. I was going to drive to Indiana and make my second visit to the Jimmy Stewart Museum. As fun as those trips would have been, I was spent after a full day on Wednesday. Did I regret staying close to home? Absolutely not. Sometimes, you need to use part of your vacation to rest and that’s what I needed. Things worked themselves out in the end.

Let’s be honest. You need a vacation from your vacation and that’s what I did. I’ll get another when I go back to work early next week.

Today marked the first day of Fall and it sure felt like it! Moisture from Tropical Storm Ophelia made its way to our neck of the woods. The clouds and rain kept temperatures down for most of the day. Not nice if you had weekend plans outside, but for me it felt very relaxing just staying inside. The cool, overcast conditions even got me in the mood to listen to Christmas music. All I needed was a fireplace and a peppermint mocha or gingerbread latte. This weather also reminds me of the last day at my WIS office before we officially merged with RGIS. I would soon be on my way to Giant Eagle not long after that.

I’m not going to overkill the holiday tunes just yet though. The beginning of November will mark the official start of Christmas music season for me.

But seriously, happy First Day of Fall!

Only six hours left in Summer 2023! We officially welcome Fall (or Autumn) at 3am Saturday morning. In my travels yesterday and today, I started to see some reds and oranges on the trees. The best color will likely come around mid-October. Time to get started on those fall home improvement projects and schedule hayride and pumpkin patch trips. For me, I am in peak pumpkin spice mode.

Highlights from my Summer 2023 included having a hard time seeing ahead due to the smoke from the Canadian Wildfires. It got better as Summer rolled on, but June was not fun if you suffer from respiratory issues. As I was driving down US 22 to meet Mr. Clougherty for my birthday dinner at Burgatory, visibility was just terrible. However, we had it better than some of the bigger cities like Chicago, Detroit, and New York City.

I spent a good bit of my Amazon gift card money on books, including a storybook/cookbook by country music superstar Miranda Lambert. The book is titled “Y’all Eat Yet?” and has stories of her life growing up in Texas and going on tour. It also has some great recipes from her “Nonny” and the rest of her “girl gang”. I have one chapter left and will be finished next weekend. I ordered a similar book by Reba McEntire and it comes out October 10.

I also re-read Garth Brooks’ autobiography and learned of his success in country music, as well as watching his wife’s cooking show, “Trisha’s Southern Kitchen” on the Discovery App on my Roku. I also started the first book from Harry Potter, keeping up with my 11-year old niece who is reading the series as well. Just last week, I also began reading a memoir about the lady who voiced the Little Mermaid. Nice segue into Fall. Can you tell I love to read?

I spent the beginning of summer disheartened with my journey once again. This time, it had to do with negativity which was brought upon by TikTok star and transgender girl Dylan Mulvaney doing an ad for Bud Light. This made me want to buy their product even more. A lot of nasty things were said and I almost got rid of everything in my possession that was nontraditional because what was said about her offended me. I’m proud to be woke.

Fortunately, things turned around just as club officer training took place on June 24. I put together a nice outfit with a scarf and Coach purse included. Toastmaster Dana Mitnik taught me never to change for anyone, and he and another Toastmaster praised me for going against the status quo.

I purchased some new Fall outfits from Old Navy and did some try-ons for the blog and my social media accounts. I’ll be on later to look at a few more fall sweaters. I have a nice outfit in mind for the Gaffron Family Fall picnic in October, just a few weeks away. Time to slay those new fall fashions

I won’t delve too much into next month because that’s what next week is for in my Look Ahead to October. It’s back to work next week and the countdown to Annabelle’s birthday and the Gaffron Family Picnic is on, as well as the start of Peppermint Mocha and Gingerbread season.

We’ve reached Day 7 of my Giant Eagle Stay-cation, or about 6 1/2. So far, it has turned out good. I took time to get outside and walk at Twin Lakes. I’ll do the same today as I make my way to Mammoth Park. I watched football. I also got out of the house and embarked on a few adventures. I made a change of plans for the end of the week and will take it easy. I visited Achievers and went to my home club last night. Here’s a recap of what happened so far.

Closing down the Swimming Pool

Summer officially ends at 3am on Saturday, thus signaling the beginning of the Fall season. For us, our summer ended last Friday when we began the process of closing the swimming pool. It served us well this summer and while it’s nice to get it done, it’s hard to close it because you know cooler weather is coming. We removed the ladder on Friday. That’s the hardest part because it’s heavy due to the amount of water inside. On Saturday, it took a team effort, but we got the cover on. The plastic wrap and rope help secure it. Luckily, it wasn’t very windy.

Spending a Day at the Zoo

Tuesday, I took advantage of the nice weather and spent the day at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. It was my first time there since before the pandemic in 2020. I saw my fair share of animals. Highlights of my day included seeing the elephants and giraffes. The lions and tigers were either asleep or inside, as were the polar bears. I saw the sea lions as I wrapped up my day. In the aquarium, the sea turtles and fish were a sight to see as were the penguins and jellyfish. The place was very decorated for the Asian Lantern festival, going on through the end of October (Thursday to Sunday).

Remembering Flight 93 and Visiting Aunt Sue

Monday, Mom and I took up US Route 30 to check out the Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County near Stoystown. It was an hour long drive and first place that we stopped at was the Tower of Voices. These 40 chimes represented the 40 people aboard Flight 93 when it crashed in a remote field in Stonycreek Township on the morning of September 11, 2001. After we saw the tower, we went to the visitors’ center and read some of the headlines and facts and watched all the TV clips from that fateful day. It was sombering, to say the least.

I have family who live near the crash site who felt the impact just as much as I did. I was in math class that morning. My college was inside the Hiram G. Andrews Center, where I was residing at the time. I just had to go in the hall and back to my dorm to find out what was going on.

Yesterday, I drove up the mountain once again and visited Aunt Sue at her house. We hung out on the deck outside, hot tubbing (twice!), and ate lunch out at Rey Azteca. We wrapped our lunch excursion by stopping at Starbucks across the street and ordering frappuccinos. I kept my promise and stuck around until 3pm so I could see Benny when he came home. Soon after, I went home and prepared myself for my Toastmasters meeting that evening.

Before I close off the blog and publish it, may I comment on how much nicer it is to take PA 31 to and from Somerset? It’s more scenic and there’s a lot more to see. The turnpike is faster, but more scarier and seemingly always under construction. These drives to Somerset are going to turn more colorful in a few weeks when the yellows, reds, and oranges start coming out. Other ways home include PA 31 to PA 711 (through Stahlstown) to US 30 (in Ligonier) as well as PA 601 & 985 to US 30 in Jennerstown. Just don’t drive them in the winter coming from Somerset if the weather’s bad.

My Giant Eagle staycation continued Sunday with a guest appearance at one of my old Toastmasters clubs. I belonged to Achievers from 2012 to 2018 before taking the 2018-19 Toastmaster year off and rejoining in the Summer of 2019. The club met in different locations every month and then settled on Blairsville from 2019 until COVID hit in the spring of 2020. Since then, the club has met exclusively online.

Today we had ten people in attendance, including a Toastmaster from Wisconsin. Four of our members gave speeches and they were very creative and all of them varied by topic. I stepped up to the plate and evaluated our guest’s speech on “International Eat an Apple Day”. Hey, I learned something new on Sunday. Kris’s speech was very informative and I learned a lot about apples. I even mentioned our local apple and arts festival held in early October in Delmont. She was pleased with my evaluation and feedback and she was already preparing for her next speech.

I’m happy to see that the club is still in good standing. One of our members is celebrating 30 years in Achievers (that would be Mike, our club treasurer in Greensburg). Out of the ten who attended, three were current presidents of their clubs. I’ll attend sometime in the future when I have a free third Sunday.

My “journey” began two years ago and was one of many changes that I dealt with in 2021. I turned 40, changed jobs, and walked away from the church. After a couple of years away having needed time to think about my walk with God, I feel like I’m ready to go back. The Netflix series Queer Eye gave me inspiration as a non binary person to stay strong in my faith and love unconditionally. Even my adopted momma, a Christ follower herself, loves my fashion sense.

As I was looking for songs on Amazon music, and getting back into listening to Contemporary Christian, it was a reminder how much the church has been part of my life. I love the church but not the politics. I believe in God but not in the views of most people who go to church. While some have been OK with it, others have gotten downright nasty with me. We may not share the same views and that’s fine, just don’t be a bully. One need that I need to learn is that this argument goes both ways.

Listening to some of those songs and hymns reminded me how fun it was to be part of the choir at my old church and take part in the cantatas at Easter and Christmas. I’m starting to get a playlist of Christmas music together that takes me back to those days of attending practice and having dress rehearsals.

In addition it will set my heart on fire ❤️‍🔥 for Jesus once again.

This morning started out chilly. You needed something to keep you warm if you were going outside to do work. We performed the difficult task of closing down our swimming pool for the year. I only swam a number of times in the pool since I had so many other things calling for my attention but I made my swims worthwhile. Yesterday, we removed the ladder. This morning we took apart the filter and put the cover on. That took all five of us, including Annabelle who was eager to put plastic wrap on the cover.

This afternoon, District 13 had a council meeting. I won’t give away too much information out of respect for our members but we voted on some things that needed to be addressed. A business meeting, per se. The finance and accounting major in me enjoyed looking over the district budget and profit and loss statements. In attendance at the council meeting were our dignitaries from the District Trio to our Division and Area Directors. Also at the online meeting were club presidents (myself included) and educational vice presidents. To conclude, we had great attendance and over 50% of the clubs were represented.

Our newly Distinguished Toastmasters were also recognized. Two of them belong to my home club, Greensburg. Our club will soon be known as a “Club of Champions” with half our members achieving the highest honor in Toastmasters.

This evening, while Mom and Dad went to dinner at Rizzo’s last night with his side of the family, and with Katie and Annabelle off to Mammoth Park, I was left to fend for myself. I took advantage of the nice weather and walked around Twin Lakes. Afterwards, I had a decision to make on where to eat. I wasn’t up for going to the mall and Eat’n Park was busy. I decided to stop at the Kings right by my house. I was thinking Oktoberfest fare but was digging the country fried steak.

My experience there was very good. My server took excellent care of me, getting interested in what I was reading as well as complimenting me on my bag. There are four Kings left, way down from the 30+ stores that lined Western Pennsylvania when I worked there from 2006-2008. Business is still good at the Hempfield location, mainly for breakfast. Not sure about the other three stores in the company. None remain open in Allegheny County.

Thus, my week of vacation has truly begun and I plan on enjoying it no matter what I have planned.

Hey sorry for the lack of new material, yinzers. I’ve been away from the blog for a little bit, but I am coming out with more content later this month. My Giant Eagle staycation has just begun and with more free time this week, I am able to write more blog posts. I have a lot of fun things planned for my week off, in addition to posting amazing content for you guys.

I will be in the city a few times this week to check out the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium, as well as the Heinz History Center. I’ll spend time visiting family and friends (I’m hoping to connect with Paula and her girls at some point this week). I’ll be at my usual Wednesday night Greensburg Toastmasters meeting at the courthouse. I’ll also be continuing my 2023 Pumpkin Spice and Fall Drink tour at bakeries 🧁 and cafés 🍵 around Westmoreland County (and even in Allegheny county as well).

Not much has happened here in the last few weeks. We had a nice Labor Day picnic at our house complete with wonderful picnic food and a cake since it was my aunt’s birthday. We are getting ready for Fall 🍂 as we prepare to close our pool down for the year. This is just as hard for us as it is to take down Christmas decorations in January after the holidays have come to an end. We are experiencing a few cool nights as well with morning lows dropping into the 40’s. We should see a change on some of the trees soon but the best color around the Laurel Highlands arrives in mid-October.

Nevertheless, here’s to a fun-filled week off.

Sorry for the delay in content but we are back as we move closer to 500 blog posts. We take a look back at August in today’s edition of Stylish 🍒. There was a lot that happened and I can’t wait to share it with you all.

We are just a week away from vacation and I am looking forward to taking some time off and recharging. I have some fun adventures planned for my week of rest and I’ll cover those in more detail next week.

But for now, let’s recap last month.

Pittsburgh Pirates game with Mr. Clougherty

For my birthday, one of my presents was a couple of vouchers good for the Pittsburgh Pirates game of my choice. It had to be any day but Friday and Saturday. I asked Mr. Clougherty if he’d be interested and he said yes. He is a die-hard, loyal, long-suffering Pirates fan.

When Mr. Clougherty and I ate dinner at Burgatory for my birthday, we pored over the schedule to see what would work best for the two of us. I had to be aware of when he went back to school, and he had to take my work schedule into account, plus any appointments I had. We decided on the August 7 game vs. the Atlanta Braves.

The weather forecast did not look favorable, but the rains held off for the most part. We ate dinner in Market Square at Primanti Bros.. That location is great but nothing beats the Strip District Primanti’s. After dinner, we rode the T to the stadium, getting there with 15 minutes to spare. We enjoyed the experience and I got some insight on the young players called up from the minors. We had an hour and fifteen minute rain delay but we had fun nonetheless. We left early but enjoyed listening to the game on the ride home.

Pirates took a 6-0 lead early before Atlanta came back. The home team ended up winning, 7-6.

Night Turn Appreciation Week at Giant Eagle

August 20 to 26 was Night Turn Appreciation Week for Giant Eagle. This is where the store leaders throw a party and thank those who work behind the scenes late at night to make the store look great during the day. Our store leader made sure we knew how much we were appreciated for our hard work.

I got to experience this last year as we ate steaks and had a crab boil (surf and turf). We were gifted with plenty of tasty Giant Eagle treats and enjoyed ourselves outside. I never experienced anything like this at WIS outside of a few Christmas parties. At Kings, I got the opportunity to attend the company picnics at Kennywood. One of those years I got to be the dessert mascot known as the Frownie. I just wish I appreciated that more but I digress.

Our theme for Night Turn Appreciation week was a luau. We ate pulled pork, mango chicken, beef and cheese, and had fruit and vegetable trays.

First day of school memories

I posted some stories dealing with things related to school, as kids would be going back soon. For me I hit on such topics as back to school shopping, going back to my high school days. I also reminisced about my college days, talking about my first semester at the Hiram G. Andrews Center and the story behind why I went there. I also looked back 20 years on the journey to Slippery Rock.

Vacation for me starts next week. What I have planned so far includes going into the Pittsburgh area, and checking out such places as the Heinz History Center and the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. I’ll venture into Indiana and stop by the Jimmy Stewart Museum. My fall coffee tour continues and, I will modeling some more new fall outfits.

It will be a perfect time for me to unwind and just forget about life for a while.