So far this Fourth of July/birthday weekend hasn’t been too bad. In spite of the annual picnic being cancelled due to rain, we still had a good time on Sunday. Last night we put together a bonfire outside and made our very own mountain pies. They were very good. It brought me back to the days when we’d have bonfires at my Gram’s house during the Summer. I had both a pizza and apple flavored mountain pie. I had my country music on in the background and felt relaxed. I ended the night with a smore and then I crashed around 10pm. On my days off, I get up earlier than I used to in order to make it easier to go to bed on my nights off. Instead of 3am, I try to fall asleep sometime after midnight.

The results are mixed, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I’m so happy I was able to enjoy myself last night. Most nights when I’m off it’s easy for me to retreat upstairs and just fall asleep. I’ve been taking more time to stay downstairs until everyone goes to bed. It’s hard to be on different sleep schedules sometimes but we manage. I’m getting better at keeping myself occupied, either by reading, playing Switch, or watching one of my shows.

I’ve experienced some small victories lately in my mental health journey. However, the biggest one came Friday night at work. Just like that I’m able to turn off my past failures like that. The payoff is that the eight hours go by without me having an anxiety attack. I’m confident that this upcoming week and month will go smoothly, despite losing key people to vacation. It’ll be tough, but we’ll get by.

Part of my problem is I worry about doing a bad job at work and I’m constantly reminded of the way things were at my old job. Early on, I was good at pissing people off. Not on purpose, but it just always happened no matter what. Eventually things got better and I started to really enjoy the job before COVID hit and that’s when it went downhill. I wasn’t the problem, but the frustration of others’ with their lives that led to that animosity.

Yesterday, I changed the topic of my speech and I think it sounds a lot better than what I originally had planned. This topic will better fit the Art of Storytelling theme for my Level 3 in my path. The title is “Cast of Characters” and without going into further detail, touches on my experience at the Hiram G. Andrews Center. I break down my cast of characters into four groups and give a little scenario involving each. I will re-purpose this next Tuesday at Laurel Highlands and give the same speech, but it will touch on my time at Slippery Rock University.

I’m looking forward to a great Toastmasters year and leading the Greensburg club to success. I’m also excited for the second half of Summer and our trip to PNC Park on August 7. Atlanta’s got the best record in the league right now, so it’ll tough for the Bucs but we’ll see a good team on the field regardless. I don’t want to wish summer away but vacation will be here before I know it and so will my fall reading projects.

Look for some Summer and Fall Fashion pics from me soon.

Just like that, welcome to the second half of 2023.

It felt like we were just celebrating the New Year and now it’s almost the Fourth of July. I really don’t know what this month has planned for me other than, I’m beginning my term as President of Greensburg Toastmasters. First meeting of the new Toastmaster year is this Wednesday, July 5. I have plans for a successful year for our club.

The last couple of nights have seen a breakthrough for me. I struggle most nights at work with anxiety and that toys with my emotions. Friday and Saturday saw me be free of that and it really made a difference in my performance. Last Saturday at TLI I dressed nontraditionally and carried one of my Coach purses. Not a big deal if you think about it but being my unique self really impacted how I presented myself. As 2023 goes on, I will continue to come out of my shell more and more.

Last year at the farm saw me have one of my breakthrough moments of the year. I talked to my family about my journey and they all gave me their support. My cousin listened to what I had to say and we both cried together as she gave me some very kind words of affirmation. A few things she told me were that I was beautiful, that I was an inspiration, and to never stop being me. Her husband gave both of us tissues to dry our tears (that was a very kind gesture from him).

I had to go to work that night, so I missed the fireworks 💥 but it was still nice to visit with everyone. The picnic at the farm was my #1 event of 2022, along with Annabelle’s 10th birthday and the fall picnic on Columbus Day weekend.

As always, I’m looking forward to Toastmastering in July with Greensburg and Laurel Highlands. I just got some gift cards from Amazon and Old Navy. I’ll make some nice purchases with my Amazon (I still have some left over from when I used mine for Christmas). I’ll be looking for a mix of summer and fall outfits with my Old Navy gift card. What outfit of the day will we see from James’s Closet? (I smell a new segment).

I’m looking forward to finally spending time in the pool after having not gone in yet this year. Also, I’ll be looking forward to dinner at Rizzo’s with Mr. Clougherty at the end of the month. Of course, I can’t wait until August 7 as the Pirates play the Braves at PNC Park. It’ll be my first game in almost a decade.

What fun things do you have planned for the summer?

When you’re in college and the school year is about to come to an end, you now have options. One is to work the whole summer to make money and pay for school (tuition, books, room and board); have an internship lined up that will help you get real world experience; or, take summer classes and get those electives out of the way. Of course, you’ll need to balance a part time job with those summer classes or that internship.

For me, I chose option number three.

In the summer of 2001, while living at HGA, I decided to enroll in summer courses at the local community college. It was a win-win for me at the time because I would still see my friends at HGA and, knock off a few credits so it would be easier for me to graduate. Most college classes are fifteen weeks during a normal semester. During the summer, they’re condensed into five weeks. Therefore, I had a lot to learn in a short amount of time.

My classes ended up going well that summer and I got to meet students from other universities, like Ohio State and Penn State. These people were in the same boat I was, saving money and time by taking these classes during the Summer, instead of paying more at their school for the same class during the Fall or Spring semesters. It helps to do your first two years at community college or a branch campus (Penn State New Ken or Pitt Greensburg, for example) before transferring to the main campus, if that’s what your plan is.

That was the only summer that I was on campus. Every other semester, I went home and either worked or did nothing. My first real job, actual job, and summer job was working at the old Park Classic Diner. In those days, I couldn’t wait to go back to school once August rolled around. I look back on my college days and always thought of school (whether it was HGA or Slippery Rock University) as my safe space and my comfort zone. Hence, why it was so hard to be away from it, especially after I graduated in 2005.

Knowing what I know now, I’d have appreciated working at Park Classic Diner a whole lot more. I would have Maybe it would have become a stepping stone to something better down the road. In those days, I would have taken any work experience I could get.

It’s hard to believe but we are at the halfway point of the year already. So much has happened so far in 2023 and we still have six months to go. While I reviewed the first five months of the year in my “41 so Far” blog post, let’s take a look back on some of the things that shaped the month of June. After that, we will take a look ahead into the month of July, which starts tomorrow.

Pride Month

June 1 marked the beginning of Pride Month. For me, this month helps me to celebrate those near and dear to me who are part of the LGBTQIA+ movement. Over the last year, I’ve become a huge fan of the Netflix series Queer Eye and just wrapped up the seventh season last week. The experts who make up the Fab Five continue to impress me and while it’s hard for me to pick a favorite, they’re all good in their own way.

Some of my friends also took part in Pride Month festivities, including my old co-workers as well as a friend of my sister’s. I wish I would have taken part in the festivities (either with Ashley and Maura, or with Rob, Sara, and Kit). Due to my work schedule, it would have been hard to find time. Also, I once again let the opinions of others tell me that I need to move away from this lifestyle.

The critics and voices in my head told me “You Can’t.” I told them, “WATCH ME”. Even though Brogan and Donald wished me a happy Pride Month, I just wasn’t feeling it on June 1. To add insult to injury, the personal attacks on Dylan Mulvaney and how wokeism is destroying our country affected me personally and I fell into depression. But, just as my journey was about to come crashing down, it came right back up and just in time too.

Summer TLI/COT

The other two highlights of June are Toastmasters-related. This past Saturday was Summer TLI. TLI is short for Toastmasters Leadership Institute, or Club Officer Training. Our chair and her team put together a great program. We learned a lot about the things important to Toastmasters, including how to do our roles effectively.

The biggest takeaways from this recent TLI were the benefits of using LinkedIn and MeetUp, which I used to find the event CHN Toastmasters was holding for their tenth anniversary. Also, the importance of the Club Success Plan, Moments of Truth, and the Distinguished Club program were highlighted by our immediate past and future District Director. We’re still digging out from the COVID-19 pandemic, but for me my Toastmasters Spirit is burning once again.

I’ll highlight my Toastmasters journey in my speech on Wednesday night, including going through the motions the last few years.

Happy Tenth Anniversary, Cranberry High Noon!

Monday, I attended the tenth anniversary celebration for the Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters. It was originally going to be held outside but moved indoors due to the threat of rain. Smart move. In attendance were two thirds of our District Trio, as well as the Division B Director and Area Director. We met Toastmasters past and present who belonged to Cranberry High Noon at one point. We learned of all the members who served as President of the club, and celebrated those who won awards and the club itself for achieving Presidents’ Distinguished honors.

As always, I made plans for future visits in September and am going to try for a November/December visit.

Coming Back Every Time

Just as I thought my days of dressing non-traditionally were done and over with for good, it all came right back to me. Just like when Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk prayed to God to take away his gay, I wanted to have my nontraditional style taken away from me. Even though I was a pioneer and an inspiration and icon to people, I was trying to do it to please my parents and other people.

Then I picked out a nice outfit for last Saturday’s TLI and chose one of my Coach purses (the blue, hardly-ever used one that I’ll take to meetings). I also wore my leopard scarf.

My style wowed Dana Mitnik, who introduced me (by my nickname) to Cassie, incoming Divison B Director. He encouraged me to keep being true to myself and encouraged me in breaking down boundaries.

We will take a look ahead to July and what it has to offer, later this weekend.

Not my first trip to this Burgatory but overall it was another great dining experience. Mr. Clougherty met me at approximately 5:15 and we were quickly seated. I took advantage of the custom burger options and ordered an amazing burger. It was a Wagyu Burger with Gouda Cheese and Chipotle Horseradish and some other tasty toppings.

Kevin praised me for getting full time at Giant Eagle and brought me down from my soapbox. I let all the negativity about Dylan Mulvaney and wokeism (seriously is that even a word) get to me. It was enough to get me to almost abandon my journey once again.

Even though I almost came crashing down I came right back up again and rocked my outfit at Summer TLI. I knew Dana (Mitnik) would call me out if I didn’t bring the flare. I’m sure it will make Brogan, Donald, and Dana (Kubistek) feel good that I’m not giving up on my journey. Others will the say the same too.

Anyways, back to my meal. Our server took great care of Kevin and me and suggested an awesome shake to which I took advantage of ordering. The Strawberry 🍓 Funnel Cake Milkshake complimented my burger perfectly. That and the russet potato chips.

I always suggest ordering a custom burger and a shake, and you have the option whether or not to have alcohol added. Bacon Mary? Sounds good.

Overall experience at Burgatory: A+. Fourth time eating here and yet to be disappointed with the meal or the service. Bonus points: We met an former swimmer Kevin coached so it was nice to catch up and have him introduce me. I also hung out by the fountain and checked out an indie bookstore.

It’s in a busy retail complex so it make take some time to find parking depending on the time of day.

I got a voucher good for two tickets to a Pittsburgh Pirates game for my birthday. Kevin and I picked a game to attend and it’ll be the contest against the Atlanta Braves on August 7. I was smart in picking one that wouldn’t interfere with work or other appointments. Even though I was tempted to blow off tag night at work.

Kevin and I scheduled our next dinner date in the 2023 Dinner Series and it will be July 27. We will meet and eat at Rizzo’s in Crabtree. I was inspired after the swim team held their banquet there this past Spring. I wish we would have gone there more with Grandma and our family back in the day. I might even be able to score a free jar of Rizzo’s Spaghetti Sauce (we also sell it at Giant Eagle).

Happy birthday to this icon tomorrow. Here’s to 42 but, then again, age is just a number. Here’s where I celebrated my birthday two years ago. I’d love to get back here sometime soon.

Part II of the Summer TLI blog picks up at the Club Officer Training Sessions and goes on through to the last general sesssion. Nate Stephens led the Presidents’ Training while Bob Johnson and Jing Humphries led the Club Success (which included a panel discussion led by our event chair and Area 24 Director/incoming Division C Director Mary Ellen Vornbrock).

For the Presidents’ Training, Nate used TOASTMASTERS as an acrostic and ended the session with Table Topics-related questions pertaining to challenges Presidents face in their clubs.

Take Charge;

Organize–Plan Ahead!

Achievements

Strategize a Club Success Plan

Training–encourage all officers to get trained. Greensburg had all seven of its officers attend yesterday.

Monitor DCP Goals–I plan on sending my awards to my Vice President of Education to get us closer to my goal of Presidents’ Distinguished. I also share the DCP standing at the business meeting prior to adjourning.

Assessments–Moments of Truth

Share the work–In other words, delegate

Try New Things; also, Themes

Execute Club Officer Meetings

Read District 13 Emails and Newsletters

Spot Talent whom you know will benefit from Toastmasters.

After lunch, Bob and Jing taught us about some very important acronyms in Toastmasters. Those are the DCP, the MOT, and CSP. In the panel discussion that Mary Ellen led, Russell Drake gave us some more acronyms which were tied to the Moments of Truth. Our panelists, Angela, Bob, and Russell, answered questions pertaining to the Club Success Plan. A lot we learned in just over an hour.

We ended the training session a little after 2 o’clock and we were on our way, eager to take what we learned and apply it to our clubs.

Yesterday we had a sort of birthday picnic for me with the most family we’ve had for an event in quite a while. My cousin and her family were home from Eastern PA and the boys were excited to spend time with Cousin A. The spread was perfect with chicken strips, buffalo chicken dip, pasta salad, and so much more. We also had a red, white, and blue marble cake from Giant Eagle.

At a future date, my mom will treat me to lunch at The Olive Garden. This Thursday night however, Kevin and I are celebrating my birthday at Burgatory in Murrysville.

On my day off Monday, I drove up to Cranberry Township to help the Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters club celebrate its 10th anniversary. The club chartered in 2013 and has always been successful. I attended my first meeting as a guest in December of 2016 and since then have become an unofficial member of the club.

My favorite meetings as a guest will always be the December 2019 meeting before Christmas when I promoted my blog. I was greeted very nicely that day and treated like family. November 2021 was another fun meeting as well when we went to Chen’s for lunch.

The speakers highlighted the history of the club and presented awards to the members, as well as inducted the new members. We heard from the club sponsor and club mentor and one of the original members as well. We had some time for table topics. The 10th anniversary celebration was up there with the awesome Laurel Highlands red carpet event and DTM Gala events from 2021 as great ways to celebrate our fellow Toastmasters.

I look forward to seeing how this new team of officers will do in making Cranberry High Noon a successful club. I’ll be planning a September visit during my vacation week, and possibly December.

Time to close off the blog and as I do I will promote Cranberry Township’s retail scene. When I visit Cranberry High Noon, I usually take some time before or after the meeting to stop somewhere so I get the most of my time up there. Sometimes I make a Target run or shop at Michaels or ULTA in Cranberry Mall. Today, I checked out the open-air Streets of Cranberry a few minutes from where our meeting was. It’s a nice little mix of restaurants, gift shops, and clothing stores. I stopped at Old Navy (didn’t buy anything but I looked around for a few minutes). I found a nice little coffee shop and had a cold brew before I made my way to my destination.

If you’re read my blog from two weeks ago that I was going to abandon my gender nonconforming adventures, kindly disregard it. I’ll keep the post up but don’t believe it. I wasn’t loving myself enough and felt depressed. That included all the negativity toward Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney as well as others’ opinions on my journey.

Let’s get one thing straight, the word “woke” is so stupid and the way it’s used is unacceptable. If I ever come across it, I will shut you down.

I’m not ending this adventure yet (if I ever end it) because it would be a wasted opportunity since I didn’t look into finding a community or therapy. Therapy is my next step but I’ve held back since I’m worried that I would put my family on blast. I have support, especially from my Giant Eagle and WIS families (my store leader and present and past coworkers, as well as my adopted sisters).

I almost changed my appearance for Saturday’s TLI but then thought it was going to be too expensive to uproot my whole wardrobe in such a short time. I loved the outfit that I picked out for the event, including my leopard scarf and my Coach purse. Toastmaster Dana agreed and he was proud that I stayed true to myself. Both Dana’s would tell me the same thing. The incoming Division B Director agreed with me and I loved her Michael Kors purse as well (I’m still interested in a three in one set I saw at Christmastime).

Leaving the event yesterday to head home, I knew I had to keep on doing this no matter what anyone says or thinks. Family included.

When you really want something, you play through the pain.

Lessons learned: Don’t change for anyone. Be True to You. Stay true to you.

Today was Summer 2023 Toastmasters Leadership Institute which was held on the Westmoreland County Community College campus in Youngwood. Our theme was FORGE ahead to Success. The program was executed very well by our area director and her team.

We had amazing club officer breakout sessions and presentations by our exceptional group of Toastmasters. The breakouts for club officers were held both in person and hybrid. The same could be said for our first presentation on Meetup and LinkedIn. Great job TJ (in person) and Colleen (online). I used the Meetup app to confirm an event coming up this Monday, celebrating the Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters 10th anniversary. You’ll see a blog on that event coming up this week.

TJ Rose and Colleen Bynum taught us to Frame our goals and Overcome our fears of using social media. We were given the stats on Meetup and how to RSVP for events, including Toastmasters meetings. Hence, how I found out that Cranberry High Noon is holding a picnic in celebration of their tenth anniversary. I’m no stranger to LinkedIn but I could probably benefit from using it more as it’s tied to Toastmasters. Meetup is beneficial in that it helps with membership and aids in the Moments of Truth. It’s also great for the community.

TJ is Area 3 Director (he is incoming Area 21 Director) and belongs to the Johnstown Toastmasters club as well as the Achievers club. Colleen is a member of the Bayview Club as well as the Achievers Club. She recently competed in the District 13 Table Topics contest.

Angela Rogers of the State College Toastmasters club was our next presenter. She taught us to Rise to a new take on Pathways. Using a small piece of paper, she asked us what our purpose was in Toastmasters, as well as how we could use that purpose in our club officer role in the coming year. Also, she asked how we could leverage Pathways and how we could promote it.

I’m definitely making a habit of signing up for more speeches so I can keep myself accountable in my club and be a good example to my members. I have a speech scheduled for July 5, which will help me get my Level 3 in Dynamic Leadership. We’ll get those educational goals early so we can get a jump on the Distinguished Club Program. The biggest takeaway from Angela’s session was that Change is beneficial. If you don’t evolve with the times, you’ll become extinct.

Kids, the word of the day is Change.

Change is inevitable, and I’m looking at it outside my window right now as I see some rain falling. We’ve been dry for the past 19 days, so any rain we get in the near future will be beneficial. The extended forecast has chances for precipitation over the next week, so bring on the rain.

I’m 19 days away from turning 42 and with another birthday comes the second half of the year (that’s what happens when you’re born right in the middle of the year). The new Toastmaster year begins on July 1 (the day after my birthday). That means we’ll see a change of the guard in our district leaders and in those who serve at the club level. For me, I will be serving as president of the Greensburg club.

I recently was told that I would become a full-time employee at Giant Eagle (not bad after a year and a half working there). That will also bring some changes with it. It means I’ll always be guaranteed 40 hours a week even during the slow periods in January, February, and March. It also means I’ll get added call-off time for bereavement (five days) and other added benefits. Change is good.

With another birthday approaching, I’ve decided to make some other noteworthy changes as well. Gender nonconformity was a big hit for me around the time that I turned 40 in 2021. While it’s not going away completely, I am going to take a break and restructure; thus, I’m going to “play it safe”.

For now it’ll be less prevalent in my fashion as I go back to dressing more traditionally. I decided to make this change in my journey as I wanted to take on a more conservative, business casual look as I prepare to lead my home Toastmasters club.

I credit people like Hunter Schafer, Harry Styles, Billy Porter, and Jonathan Van Ness for their style and their journeys (though I do believe Harry is straight). While it would have been nice to emulate them, I’m going to take this time to reflect on my journey and pursue new interests. It’s best to go into a new year with a clear mind.

One thing that has been piquing my interest, in addition to my love of reading, is books on home decor and design. Even though I don’t have a home of my own to design, I still want to keep up on the subject. Plus, I have inspiration from my mother who has had books on this subject as well as on crafting.

I’m looking forward to getting these books when they arrive this Fall and some of the authors include a design expert, Instagram influencer, and a country music star.

That right there, is change I’m looking forward to.

The school song is a special part of our senior year. It’s the lyrics we remember as we walk in our commencement ceremonies and accept our diploma. The message in the song is what we take with us as we finish high school and move on to the next adventure in our lives.

For us after we finish high school, we either: go on to college; off to the workplace; or, get shipped off to the military branch of our choice.

My class song when I graduated in 2000 was “I Will Remember You” by Sarah McLachlan. While it was a fitting song for our graduating class, it wasn’t necessarily the best choice of song. I say this because the song was used to remember the victims of the Columbine High School shooting a year prior. Therefore, the song brought with it a dose of sadness.

When I look back at my graduation year, I think a more appropriate song for our class would have been “Graduation (Friends Forever)” by Vitamin C. It’s a fun upbeat tune that reminds us of all of the good times we had in high school with our friends. What is the future going to hold for us? Will we be successful? Are we ready to grow up and take responsibility?

We must learn never to take these moments for granted and enjoy every minute of being young, because it’ll be gone before we know it. I learned that the hard way as my college years had come and gone in the blink of an eye.

Other popular graduation songs include “These Are Days” by 10,000 Maniacs and “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life” by Green Day. I say this because they are the songs of the Hempfield Area class of 1998 and 1999, respectively. Green Day’s song will always remind listeners of the last episode of Seinfeld.

“Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds is appropriate as well, plus it reminds me of The Breakfast Club. “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack is a great graduation song too with a great message. Who wants to look back on the years and wonder where those years have gone?

There are many great songs so it was hard to pick a few. What was your senior class’s graduation song?