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The First Three Days!

This morning, I logged onto Google Slides and gave myself an honest evaluation of the first three days of my Fall vacation. Some of the events and activities that I took part in made it a great three days. Friday, I watched the newest episode of the Great British Baking Show. With a busy weekend looming, we broke tradition and had pot pie for dinner. Those cheddar bay biscuits did it justice. There was plenty of pizza to go around as they ordered ten pizzas for Annabelle’s party.

Pictured above are the award winners from the Division C Humorous Speech Contest, with our District Director, Program Quality Director, and Division C Director

The weekend brought joy to me with a tripleheader speech contest at Westmoreland County Community College. Annabelle and her friends and family enjoyed the party at Hempfield Park and engaged in some sports. I spent the first two days trying to adjust my sleep pattern, which is hard when you work overnight like I do. Yesterday, I had an amazing time at Laurel Hill with the Gaffron Family reunion.

The highlights from yesterday were that I got to spend time with everyone and use my camera to get some great pics. The spread as always was awesome and having a fire to warm up to inside and make smores outside was nice too. I also took advantage of the opportunity to talk my cousin into a future coffee date at Cutie’s, and I even sold her on the idea of a coffee flight. That’s in the plans for November or December. So, it’ll either be Gilmore Girls or Christmas themed.

Multiple visits are still in the cards this week. Take two tomorrow on the Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew, and there will be another one Friday.

What has held back this week off from being perfect has been how I handled things. It’s OK to be angry when you drop the coffee you looked forward to trying but you don’t have to weave a tapestry of F-bombs as you’re driving down US 119. I was just getting over my little meltdown that I almost missed a compliment about my ‘fit from yesterday. Not wanting to let it ruin my day, I soon brushed it off unaware and tried to enjoy myself. I’m still trying to get into a normal sleep pattern so I was still a little tired. I promised to curtail the scrolling yesterday and it’s not a problem when you’re trying to keep up with NFL action. However, it is when you want immediate attention from everyone else on the socials. Other than a few hiccups, I enjoyed myself and sported some nice ‘fits on Saturday and Sunday.

My next report card comes out Thursday as I review my Johnstown experience as well as my recharge day from Monday.

The Holiday Baking Championship is back! I will be watching for the fifth season in a row beginning November 3. The show will have its season premiere just as the latest season of Great British Baking Show comes to an end. Like two ships passing in the night. I will tune in the Great Holiday Baking Show as well when the season concludes.

Finally, it’s Fall, but the holidays are coming as well as a new Christmas menu at Cutie’s. November 8 will be the holiday market as well as the launch of a new holiday menu. I’m fairly certain that you can still get your Fall flavored drinks up until the end of the month though.

Celebrating Family and Food: A Sunday Reunion Story

Today was our Gaffron Family Reunion at Laurel Hill. For the fifth year in a row, we had it at the indoor pavilion overlooking the beach. We had a decent turnout. While we missed some people who couldn’t make it, we were happy to see my uncle make it to the picnic. One of my cousins wasn’t able to attend, but he will be coming home to stay next week, after spending some time living in the Midwest.

We had a great spread, including a chicken tray that my Mom bought at Giant Eagle. My sister made pasta salad. We brought our 12 cup Keurig and I provided a 32 pack of K-Cups. Mom also made a sugar cookie bar, and there were cookies from DeLallo’s. Those cookies are so big that you may have to break them in half if you don’t want to eat the whole thing in one sitting.

Before I was on my way to the picnic, I stopped at Cutie’s to have some coffee. I was looking forward to a nice pumpkin drink. Unfortunately, my visit ended in tragedy. Just as I was getting into my car, I dropped my Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew on the pavement. I was so beside myself!

Now I know worse things could have happened, like someone hitting my car, or the drink spilling inside my vehicle. I could have been sitting in a hospital room or sick in bed because of a head cold. But I love my coffee dates at Cutie’s.

Maybe I could have sat for a few minutes to collect my thoughts before I set sail. It was a busy Sunday morning, and I wanted to get on the road. I did stop at Sheetz in South Greensburg and got a Pumpkin Spice Latte (only $2.99) so that was a band-aid on my boo-boo that was my spilled Cutie’s drink. I’ll redeem myself Tuesday morning as I treat myself to Cutie’s after the gym. It is nice to go during the morning instead of at 3pm, but I hated to piss away that first opportunity during my vacation week.

My mom’s cousin George, who’s the same age as Uncle Skip, had a computer set up complete with a slide show of old pictures of the family. Only a handful of us might have recognized who those Gaffrons were. It was nice to pick out some of our family members when they were little. Those who are still living and those who are no longer with us.

The kids all had a great time. Annabelle had a great weekend with her cousins, riding bikes and eating pizza. She enjoyed her first week of being a teenager. We built a bonfire in the new fire ring next to our pavilion. My cousin put together some “S’more cups” for those interested in making one. She had plenty of graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate.

We finished up sometime after 5 and cleaned up the pavilion. The indoor fireplace came in handy on this windy reunion Sunday. We could warm ourselves up as we enjoyed the old home movies and started to make plans for the holidays. Will it be a repeat of last Christmas Eve for us? Will I be invited to Christmas Day turkey with my second family?

I sported a new outfit at the picnic, with a white cardigan, leopard print top, and new jeans. All pieces are from Old Navy though the cardigan looks very LL Bean. The left boot and my lower pant leg sustained some splash back from the unfortunate pumpkin spice cold brew fiasco of this morning. But at least it blended into my shoe.

The first third of the vacation is complete. I’m headed to Johnstown Tuesday night.

Three Saturdays in October Series: A Speech Contest Like No Other

This morning at Westmoreland County Community College, Toastmasters from District 13 got together for a big event. The event was the Division leg of the Humorous Speech and Table Topics contest. For the first time since 2017, we held speech contests in the Fall. That was the year we stopped having the Fall Conference, going down to just one a year.

Just like that end of an era in 2017, this year marks the end of another. This is the last year for District 13 as it merges with District 10 to form the new Distinct 219. It’ll be exciting to see what happens next year as we join forces with the Akron/Canton and Cleveland markets.

Those competing in the three division contests who finished in the top two would advance to the District contest in two weeks. The number of contestants in each division varied. But overall, it was a great contest. The Table Topics varied for each division but the questions had us thinking.

The speeches lived up to their name and they definitely were humorous. For his first time, Gary of Western Maryland and Laurel Highlands did well and placed third in the humorous speech contest. Ryan finished second in the Table Topics contest and will be moving on to the District contest in two weeks.

This contest gave us a good barometer of who all will be competing in two weeks at the 2025 Fall Symposium Along with the keynote speaker, the event should be spectacular.

We had candy on the table to keep us nourished. Everything from little Tootsie rolls to hard candies. There were even a few Airheads thrown in. Just like every event, there were pastries. But if you wanted coffee, you were on your own. We had pizza and lemonade provided to us for lunch. I wonder if that was Rocco’s Pizza since we were in Youngwood. That unfortunately turned me off to the leftover pizza from the party that my parents got from Domino’s.

Today, Annabelle celebrated her birthday with her cousins and many of her friends from school and karate. This year, the venue was Hempfield Park and they had the party inside at the gymnasium. The kids had a good time and played some basketball and volleyball. While my absence was felt there, I did have a great time at the speech contest with my Toastmaster friends.

One of the best Table Topics questions from today’s competition was “what would your perfect age be?” This was for the Division D contest. A longtime toastmaster put a humorous spin on it and he just celebrated a birthday himself.

I wowed with my outfit today at the speech contest. Of course, I rocked the trademark cheetah cardigan and a green sweater tank top underneath. I’ve worn this on holidays when we’ve had company (Thanksgiving 2022, the last two Christmas Eves, and this past Easter). Maybe I’ll wear the red one when I have dinner with Kevin Thursday night. The cardigan has been worn at other Toastmasters events too and gets a lot of rave reviews.

Sweater weather is here and I’m ready to embrace the change.

My Gilmore Girls book arrived on Tuesday, the day of its release. The first chapter brings to life the understanding of the mother-daughter relationship and references some other famous TV moms including some from past 90’s shows. It also highlights how they found the actors to portray Lorelai, Rory, and Emily. I recently read Kelly Bishop’s memoir this Spring and she wrote about her experience on the show and the Netflix four part series from 2016, “A Year In The Life”.

I’ll bring “Meet Me at Luke’s” to the reunion to show to my cousins. My camera as well so I can get some good pictures.

In Her Birthday Era, In My Stars Hollow Era!

October is the month of birthdays in our family. We celebrate many relatives, cousins, and a niece who officially became a teenager as of Tuesday morning. For my Taylor Swift-loving niece, this week Annabelle is in her birthday era.

My Gilmore Girls book arrived in the mail on Tuesday. The show marked its 25th anniversary on Sunday and, even in 2025, remains a fan favorite. For most of us, the show (and The Office) got us through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The book was written by a literature and pop culture enthusiast. It will come with me on trips to Cutie’s and maybe on Sunday when I go to the Gaffron Family picnic. This season, I am in my Stars Hollow Era!

“It’s a lifestyle. It’s a religion!”

We celebrated Annabelle Tuesday evening with a cookie cake and chocolate ice cream. She also opened a few presents from us. Her birthday has fallen on a busy weekend for us the last few years, as we’ve held our Gaffron Family reunion too. In the past, I’ve gone to Fort Ligonier Days as well on that weekend. We’ve taken turns having the party at Twin Lakes and Mammoth Park. The most memorable party was a few years ago at Mammoth where the theme was Harry Potter. All the kids got to wear the iconic wizard’s glasses. Coincidentally, a few of my gifts to her this year were some Haribo gummies shaped like characters from Hogwarts.

In the last few years, we’ve graduated from the parks to other venues. Last year, her birthday party was at Brave with all her friends. Her cousins got introduced to karate while my cousins tried Cutie’s Coffee for the first time.

I’ve had fun watching Annabelle grow up and excel in school. The pandemic meant she would have to learn from home like many other kids. Just like my Toastmasters meetings, she also had to be remote when she was learning. She’s very active in the band, and we enjoy hearing her practice her (baritone) sax. She’s passionate about dogs and loves being around her family and friends.

Happy 13th Annabelle! We Love You!

Happy Birthday Gilmore Girls and Cutie’s Coffee!

2025 has been the milestone year for me as well as some iconic TV shows. This Spring, The Office celebrated 20 years. I just finished The Paper on Peacock and it keeps up well with its sister show. A few weeks ago was 40 years since The Golden Girls made its debut on NBC. It amazes how that show is still relevant even with today’s millennial audience. Today marks 25 years since the first episode of another iconic show that I’ll be talking about in today’s blog.

In case you missed it, the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont hosted the author of “Meet Me at Luke’s”, Kristine Eckart. Her book covers everything Gilmore Girls and includes other things related to the show. One of those being the Rory Gilmore reading list, as well as quotes from the iconic show that ran from 2000 to 2007. Give me a week or two and I’ll have my own review.

Last year, Cutie’s Coffee had a Gilmore Girls themed coffee flight and they will be rolling it out again this November. Maybe I can do this with my cousin or someone else. This month, they brought back the Harry Potter Flight.

Yesterday, Cutie’s celebrated its second birthday. What better way to celebrate one of Greensburg’s best cafes than to have a market? In case you’re wondering, I wasn’t able to attend either event, but if I would I’d have a great time regardless of where I went.

The Gilmore Girls event had a raffle to win a swag bag. In addition to the vendor market, the Cutie’s Coffee Celebration had free cupcakes and stickers. They also had goodie bags for the first 50 customers, a balloon backdrop, photo booth and more. I came in after the event and enjoyed a Cutie Carrot Cake Latte. My Cutie Coffee forecast is trending toward Pumpkin everything and Chai, including the Butterbeer Chai which I’ll enjoy next week during my vacation. It’ll be nice to stop in at 9 or 10am for coffee. I’ll bring Meet Me at Luke’s as well.

Now time to enjoy the first two episodes of Gilmore Girls!

Looking Ahead to Vacation

Vacation is less than a week away and the countdown is now on one hand. I have my itinerary all set from Toastmasters meetings to road trips and Cutie’s stops. Next Sunday is our Gaffron Family Reunion at Laurel Hill. The weather was perfect last year and we got to look at some old pictures thanks to our Gaffron Family from Guffey.

Last year I provided coffee from Dunkin’. Next Sunday, I will do the same. But, it will be in the form of K-Cups. Green Mountain, Donut Shop, and McCafe are on sale this week, so I will pick some up before I come home. My mother is bringing chicken tenders from Giant Eagle and making a vegetable casserole.

We all enjoyed ourselves last year and in the past years. I’ve come a long way since 2021 when I transitioned out of my old job and left the church. But I almost broke down last year because I felt overwhelmed and was hard on myself for the most pettiest things. So what is the key to having a great time on Sunday?

The solution is to move around and talk with everyone. It would have made my Christmas Eve experience a lot more worthwhile too. The weather looks great for Sunday so I will be spending time outside. Another suggestion will be to get plenty of pictures. I want to add pictures to the frame and collages to my stories this month. Third and last but not least, to relax and enjoy myself as it’s my week off.

One NFL team remains perfect; Penn State Falls

This weekend has been one of upsets in college football and blowouts in pro football. One team remains undefeated with the Eagles losing this afternoon at home to the Denver Broncos. Do the Bills stay undefeated tonight? If not, Miami’s undefeated season of 1972 still stands. Penn State goes from #2 to #7 to out of the Top 25. I get losing to Oregon in double overtime, but winless UCLA? Inexcusable! Their national title hopes may be shot, but hopefully this is the wake up call they need. But the question remains.

Is it time to move on from James Franklin in University Park?

Telling Myself I Can at Greensburg Toastmasters!

Wednesday kicked off a new month (aka Pumpkin Fall) and being the first Wednesday meant it was a Toastmasters night in Greensburg. Overall, it was a good night. We had one speaker as our Ice Breaker speaker wasn’t able to make it. Our President taught us to turn our I Can’t into our I Can and how to trim our words to make our speeches (and for me, blogs) better. We saw the return of one of our members after some time away. She served as our Timer. We had our four in-person attendees (me included) and three online. The club success plan is in, so we can qualify for Distinguished. We just need to get guests in the door and develop them into members and continue giving speeches.

Speaking of that, I’m leaning towards a return to giving prepared speeches again in November.

Our Topics master was creative with her questions and the Wheel of Topics. My question had to do with apples and what to do with them. Of course, the number one answer to that question is to make an apple pie. It also led me to reminisce about the annual Apple festival in Delmont. That’s actually coming up this weekend.

I went a few times in the late 2000’s when I worked at Kings and early on in my WIS career. The festival got a great turnout as it supported a local cause and also did good business for Kings that weekend. It was cool to see them making apple cider and looking at some of the farm machinery. My dad always enjoyed seeing the tractors at the old Harrold Fair ages ago.

It looks like perfect weather Saturday and Sunday if you’re headed out to Delmont for the festival.

Our next three meetings are October 15, November 5 and 19.

On Thursday, I finished the last two episodes of the Peacock series The Paper. Here’s my take on the show. I was skeptical at first that this could be anything like The Office. As the season went on, it got much better. You saw little comparisons to the iconic mockumentary here and there. Mare and Ned were my two favorite characters, Oscar was all right, and Esmeralda was an acquired taste. She was a bit over the top for me. As The Office put Scranton on the map, so will the Paper for Toledo. Fun fact: both cities are big Triple A baseball markets (like Allentown).

What’s next on my viewing list? I’ll continue with the Great British Baking Show and have some Halloween movie nights watching Beetlejuice and Hocus Pocus. Maybe the Nightmare Before Christmas will be on my list too.

Thursday Night football continued to impress as the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams did battle. The Niners built a big two touchdown lead but the Rams kept it close in the second half and forced overtime. With most of San Francisco’s starters out, Kyle Shanahan worked with who he had available and that’s why his team is 4-1 and ahead in the NFC West. The division looks very competitive and right now, it’s anyone’s race.

A quarter of the way into 2025, who’s the biggest surprise? I’d say it’s both the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars. Tied at 3-1, both teams have been impressive in the early going. If Houston can get it together, this could be a three team race like 2023 was for the AFC South. The biggest disappointment so far has been in the North, as injuries have hindered Baltimore and Cincinnati. The Ravens D is struggling, and Cincinnati’s offense is lost without Joe Burrow. The division might just be Pittsburgh’s to lose, but they’re an injury away too. So far the teams to beat are Buffalo and Philly, but both teams need to work on their certain flaws. The biggest takeaway (no pun intended) is that Kansas City isn’t dead yet. I’d like to see Jacksonville challenge them Monday night.

Finally, another mild weekend is on tap as we toy with the 80’s on Saturday and Sunday. While we will have perfect weather for any fall festivals you may want to attend, the workweek is a different story. Rain is in the cards (which we need). Following that, it will feel more seasonal as we look ahead to the end of next week. I’m not sure what next weekend will be like, but so far it looks favorable.

A Look Ahead To October!

Happy Spooky Season everyone! Welcome to Pumpkin Fall, even if the weather isn’t very Fall-like. As we turn the calendar to October, here are three things I’m looking forward to:

1) I’m excited to try some of the Fall Coffee choices at Cutie’s Coffee. Coming up to bat is the Carrot Cake Latte which I’ve had my eye on since they previewed the new menu back in August. On deck are some of the other pumpkin options that Cutie’s has to offer. The Pumpkin Cheesecake looks scrumptious, as does the Cutie Pumpkin and Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew. In the hole are the Chais. I’m getting serious Harry Potter and Hogwarts vibes seeing a pic of that Butterbeer Chai. OMG it’s Pumpkin season, so why not try the Pumpkin Snuggle Chai as well?

2) It’s vacation time starting next Friday. My week off runs from October 12-18. There’s a lot that I have planned but the three things that excite me about my week off include:

A) the Gaffron family reunion on October 12 at Laurel Hill. I’m still going to bring cookies but I might want to make something too.

B) One day during vacation, I want to go to either Downtown Pittsburgh or the Pittsburgh Zoo. If I go into the city, I’d love to visit the Andy Warhol museum.

C) Homecoming at Slippery Rock University. This trip is a special one for me as it marks 20 years since I graduated; thus, ending my college days. It would be my first real homecoming trip since 2017.

3) October 25 is the District 13 Fall Symposium. It will be held at the Doubletree Hotel in Pittsburgh near the Airport. The keynote speaker will be Craig Valentine, and I am excited for all that this event and what is on the agenda.

The tools to having a great week off will be to:

Find a balance between family time and everything that I have planned. Maybe Mom, Annabelle, and I can do something on the days that she’s home from school.
Don’t eliminate it entirely, but cut down on social media use during this week. It’s a crazy time that we live in politically, and looking at any links related to that will just leave me feeling discouraged. Even if I agree with what’s posted, I’ll still get depressed.
Don’t overthink! I know, easier said than done, right?

I’m also hoping to get out to Ligonier at least once while I’m off and enjoy life. Meet Me at Luke’s is out Tuesday and I am excited to read it. In fact, the best place to take it may be a coffee shop or quaint little town (hint hint). As I read through the chapters, I’ll give my review of the book.

This month is a wrap on the 2025 Dinner Series with Mr. Clougherty as he and I have dinner at Primanti’s close to home.

It’s Annabelle’s birthday month as celebrates a big one this year. Just in time for vacation, it’s contest time at WCCC as the division’s best compete for a spot at the District 13 Humorous Speech and Table Topics contest.

Finally, what’s a vacation week without Toastmasters visits? I’ll be embarking on a road trip Tuesday night to attend a Johnstown Toastmasters meeting. There’s a taco place on the way that I want to stop at. Plus, I’ll drive by the Hiram G. Andrews Center.

Online visits are also in the works with Cranberry High Noon and Country Roads meetings bookending the week. Of course, I’ll go to my home club on October 15.

Future Plans for Cutie’s Bible Study!

Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor backlash from others could stop Cutie’s from holding their Bible Study. On Monday night, those of us loyal to the cause attended one final Bible Study for 2025. It wasn’t at our usual place, but the venue was familiar to me.

The lesson was on discernment and was led by Victoria and Trevor. We all gathered at the pavilion near the Skate Park at Twin Lakes to hear from God’s Word. The picnic tables don’t beat our chairs but it was still nice to come together.

If I said this venue was familiar, it’s because we’ve had a few of Annabelle’s birthday parties here.

Discernment is the ability to make a smart judgment about something. In the Bible, discernment is the Spirit-empowered ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood, good and evil, and right and wrong.

There was no music and no Cutie Cart, but someone did bring water.

The study ended around 7, and then we made plans for the winter months. The popular opinion centered around having a Bible study in-house or on Zoom, as well as doing Small Group study. A couple of people suggested a Cutie’s Christmas Party. Sight and Sound Theatre even made it into the conversation.

Whatever the plans are for the upcoming holiday season and beyond should be exciting. I’ll stay posted on Instagram.

As planned, I made a visit to Cutie’s this afternoon for my Cherry Pie Chai and it was good as advertised. Even with this Fall starting out mild, the coffee has still been good. I’ll be trying some more Pumpkin flavored drinks as we turn the calendar to October.

Listening to a Pop Culture Aficionado on the Pod!

Early this morning, I listened to a podcast and the guest was Kristine Eckart. I dropped her name on the blog this week as her new Gilmore Girls-related book, “Meet Me at Luke’s” will be released next Tuesday. The name of the podcast was called “We Ship It”. The We Ship It Podcast goes into detail about the most famous couples of lit and culture history. Judging by this podcast, the hosts were probably going to ship Luke and Lorelai. Also, who was the better boyfriend for Rory. If you ask me what team I’m on, it’s going to be Team Jess.

In this instance, what does it mean to ship? In the context of relationships, to “ship” means to wish for or believe that two people or fictional characters would make a good romantic couple. This slang term, derived from the word “relationship,” is primarily used in fandom and online culture by fans to express their desire for a pairing, whether the pairing exists in the source material (canon) or is a creation of the fans (fanfiction).

On the podcast, Kristine talked about why Fall is such a romantic season. She also took part in a game of “Would You Ever” involving famous literary and TV couples. Jim and Pam made it in to the podcast as did Chandler and Monica. She wasn’t afraid to show her excitement for the release of the book and even announced who will be narrating the audiobook release. It’s Keiko Agena, who played Rory’s best friend Lane on the show. Kristine even talked about Harry Potter and what book or movie relates to Fall the most. That would be Prisoner of Azkaban. She also mentioned the Yule Ball from Goblet of Fire. Let’s be honest, we all know that Sorcerer’s Stone is an unofficial Christmas movie.

I don’t know if this guy is in the same category of pop culture aficionado, but on Instagram you have @retroblastfromthepast. This guy does videos that show what was on TV during a particular season and even on a day in history. He also tells you where the show placed in the ratings during that year. If you see his videos, please like, comment, and share them.

In other news, last week a couple of Toastmasters from the Johnstown chapter led a communications workshop for students in the Leadership program at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. Students from programs like Culinary Arts, Medical Office Technology, Networking, and Welding took part in it. Lots of fun exercises were featured in the workshop including impromptu exercises.

It warms my heart to see my old school get a mention whether it’s in the news or on social media. Also, they’re still making a difference in the lives of the students who attend. It has garnered a bad reputation for drama, but that’s everywhere.

Bible study is back Monday night, albeit in a new location. We are meeting at Twin Lakes and it’s at the same place we’ve had a few of Annabelle’s birthday parties. While I won’t be able to order cute coffee before my Bible Study, I may be down for some Chick Fil-A. I shall wait and see. Is this the last study for the year? Maybe. Not sure on that but at least we have a spot for tomorrow night.

After having read some not-so-kind words about my favorite coffee shop, I fought back on Facebook with kindness. I have nothing but praise for Cutie’s and all the other local cafes including Nico’s. That one I have yet to go to but Mr. Clougherty says it’s really good.

On Friday, I stopped in for a Caramel Apple Matcha Latte. Unsure whether to get it either hot or iced, since I drank my pumpkin spice latte hot, I picked the former. That was a good choice as I really tasted the apple and caramel. I didn’t make my usual Sunday trip because I was wrapped up in the NFL action. I’ll wrap up September with a Cherry Pie Chai Latte.

Finding a Gilmore Girls Superfan on Instagram!

Recently, I discovered a page on Instagram promoting a new book about Gilmore Girls. The book is being released on the eve of the show’s 25th anniversary. “Meet Me at Luke’s” is an illustrated guide to the show that chronicles the show over its seven year run. Gilmore Girls aired on the WB from 2000 to 2006. Its seventh and final season aired on the CW from 2006 to 2007.

For me, the show aired during the years when I was in college. I split time between attending Penn Highlands Community College in Johnstown and Slippery Rock University. I lived at the Hiram G. Andrews Center while attending community college.

The show became a favorite of my mom and then teenage sister. For me, I stuck my nose up at the series and preferred shows like Everybody Loves Raymond. I always envisioned a crossover where Marie and Frank would clash with the lavish Gilmore lifestyle.

But just before we went in lockdown in 2020, my opinion of the show changed.

I fell in love with the show the final weekend of the 2010s and got hooked. This show and The Office were a lot of peoples’ watchlists during the pandemic. Back to the book though.

“Meet Me at Luke’s has lots of insights, anecdotes, and lessons applicable to our own lives. Like the two books I own about The Office, this book sounds like it’s a deep dive into the iconic show. I remember Michael York had appeared on the show during the fourth season. He was an English professor at Yale and had a brief romance with Paris. He had just starred in Austin Powers in Goldmember. The author puts a lot of work and passion into this project and from the looks of it, she is what they would refer to as a “superfan”.

What is the definition of a superfan? A superfan is someone who is extremely enthusiastic, dedicated, and devoted to a particular person, team, product, or hobby. They often go above and beyond to show their support of that entity.

Kristine Eckart is a writer, pop culture aficionado, and bibliophile. Her passion is to use literature to change lives. She is the person behind the new Gilmore Girls book that will be coming out October 7. You can follow her at her Instagram handle @gilmorebookclub or online at gilmorebookclub.com. I’ll close off the blog with this special event that I can’t be at, but throw it out for anyone who’s interested.

On October 4 at the Mystery Lovers Bookshop in the beautiful town of Oakmont, there will be a Gilmore Girls themed event where you can meet the author. Trivia will start at 1:30pm followed by the book signing. I ordered my book and can’t wait to read it while I enjoy Fall coffee at Cutie’s or sitting in the Diamond in beautiful Ligonier.