Tonight on KDKA, the weather team gave their prediction for the upcoming winter of 2021-22. Before that was to happen, Ray Petelin gave his review of last winter. It was right on the nose, except for December and February.

His prediction for November was spot on, but for December, he was way off. December saw 26.5” in the Pittsburgh area and one of the snowiest Christmas days that I can remember.

The first day of the month saw a sizable amount of snow. I was working in Wilkinsburg that day and roads were mainly wet. I had to clear off my car at multiple times before heading home. The next day as the snow moved out felt really cold. I had worked in Blairsville the next day and ventured out to Ligonier afterwards to my favorite coffeehouse known as Abigail’s. Here’s the calm before the storm and after the snow hit in little Stars Hollow.

The second storm hit on Dec. 16 and dropped nine inches of snow in Pittsburgh. We were counting the second leg of Lowe’s in Bethel Park and while it was calm on our arrival, by our 10:30 break it was coming down. By the time we finished at 1:30, everything was covered. My coworkers were cleaning off their cars and trying to make the treacherous drive home. I know I had a hell of a time navigating 88 through Castle Shannon. It took me more than an hour to get back home. A perfect night to hold our Toastmasters meeting online.

The third storm came on Christmas Eve and dropped plenty of snow the next morning. If you were dreaming of a white Christmas, you got your wish. Five inches of snow for one of the snowiest Decembers on record.

January was predicted well, but February saw twice the predicted amount of snowfall. We kicked off the month with a good snowstorm but a week later we really had quite an adventure getting to our destinations.

February 9 was a difficult morning for travel as our guy showed up an hour late. Accidents were everywhere on the main roads. Vehicles getting in accidents, cars landing in ditches, it was a crazy day to be out on the roads.

March was quiet while April saw a few blasts of snow on April Fools’ Day and on the 21st.

Ray’s prediction for this winter sees two inches of snow for November, which ramping it up to ten inches in December. January will be the snowiest month with 17”, while February will have 12”. Winter is the shortest season and February is the shortest month, but both of these seem to last forever. March and April combined will see 5” of snow. Remember, March of 2018 ago saw some big snows after a warm February.

Tomorrow may see the first snowflakes of this season but, it won’t amount to much.

I’ll close off the blog with a quote from my favorite snow lover.

I want to start off today’s blog by saying “Happy Halloween”. Hope all you trick or treaters filled up your Halloween buckets. The ones from McDonalds were always my favorites as a kid. If you got a chance, I hope you watched “It’s the Great Pumpkin 🎃 Charlie Brown. Hopefully your Halloween haul didn’t include a rock 🪨.

Now that October is coming to and end, and the leaves are finally showing some color, let’s look ahead to November. I apologize for not getting this preview out sooner. I’ve been focused on the changes going on at work and for now just taking it a day at a time. Today went pretty good though.

I’ll have a warm weather outfit/dress blog coming up this week. I found some cute dresses and tunics to keep warm in as the weather begins to turn cold and we start to see the first snowflakes. I’ll also give my take on KDKA’s Winter Weather Forecast which is set to air tomorrow night.

This weekend is the Holiday Market in Ligonier. It will be Saturday afternoon from Noon to 4pm where the summer market is usually held. These last two months are a fun time to be in Ligonier. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in little Stars Hollow, especially as Thanksgiving nears and the town celebrates Light Up Night. Here’s a few pictures of the little Hallmark Christmas town from last year.

With some extra days off next week, I’ll be attending a couple of Toastmasters events. Next Monday is Cranberry High Noon’s Open House and the following night is the big red carpet event at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters. I was hoping I’d be able to attend this event and it looks like my wish is going to come true.

I’ll be giving a speech at my advanced Toastmasters club on the 21st. It’ll be about 2021 and the big events of the year (Rob and Sara’s wedding, my 40th birthday, and gender nonconformity). Might have to focus on one though and we know what that one will be.

Of course we will celebrate Thanksgiving four days later. I’m going to highlight some of the delicious food we’ll be taking with us to Somerset. Oh, and tomorrow night starts the Holiday Baking Championship on Food Network. Looking forward to all the fun competitions and see who will come away with the title.

During the holiday weekend, I will be in Ligonier for Light Up Night and I will shopping for Coach and getting my Christmas list ready. Oh, and begin decorating for the holidays. I’ll have my tree up and some gingerbread men ready to eat.

I just started watching Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas so, I’m already in the Spirit.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

Yesterday marked the end of an era. After 13 years as office 3609, we will be splitting into to offices as part of buying our competitior, RGIS. The Dollar office will stay mostly intact with a few coming over from Johnstown and Wheeling. The Traditional crew joins most of the RGIS office with office 551 (Johnstown). Only a select few were picked for traditional. We’ve all got mixed feelings about our new assignments. I think these first few months should be fine. Things are starting to slow down for the holiday season anyway. Dollar crew will have next to nothing and have been urged to file for unemployment. We’ll still have Lowe’s and Rite Aid to keep us busy.

I worked my last day at part of 3609 at a Rite Aid in Lawrenceville, with an exceptional crew to send me off. This was a nice change from counting 7-11 at the airport.

I’ve been friends with Maura and Ashley since they were hired in the Spring of 2018. Their first store was the JCPenney at Century III Mall and they survived that marathon store. I’m proud of how far they’ve come over the years and how our friendship has really grown. The girls and others in the office have been like family to me. With the breakup of our division, I feel like I’m losing my family. Not just family, but I feel like I’m also losing my support system. We’ll still keep in touch by phone but not having them there everyday won’t be the same.

Maura sent a group text to those of us who are moving to traditional. It was very heartfelt and emotional 😭. Tom, my boss for the last three years and our manager for the last eight said we were family and that the people were the best part of the job.

On this last day, I also opened up to Maura about my gender nonconformity. It started when I told her about the sweater dress from Target I’m interested in buying. It began to turn emotional as I explained my journey and where it began. It started in high school and continued through college as I was up and down with my sexuality. It went away as I graduated college and began to experience life in the real world. After so many years away, everything came to light two years ago.

It was an overnight work trip to Ashtabula and it was my coworker who was wearing a pink dress. It became an innocent crush, as we had also talked about at Bud Murphy’s over dinner a few months later. When asked yesterday, I told Maura that I identified as queer, possibly bisexual. I felt like crying as I poured everything out.

With regard to Harry Styles, Hunter Schafer, and my “twin” Sara Newsom, Emily Swager and her fashion sense have been an inspiration.

Maura was worried how different it might be in traditional and that people might not be as understanding about my gender nonconformity. She told me her and Ashley would always be there to support me. I have a lot of support in addition to the girls. But if things get rough, Maura and Ashley and Tom will be the first people I turn to. Maybe down the road I can transfer to the Dollar crew. I’m so thankful for my support system in this season.

I’ll evaluate things at the end of November. There shouldn’t be much change since we won’t be that busy anyway. The first month is a poor barometer. I think by the end of January I should have a better idea as to where I stand, and definitely by the end of April (which will be six months).

Some places I will apply at (I’m still putting in applications) are Target, Walmart and Excela. If Giant Eagle, I’d like it to be a leadership development position. I’m interested in learning more about how to do makeup and might consider applying at Sephora or ULTA (I wish we had one in Greensburg). I even watched a YouTube video on what to expect working at ULTA and want to view makeup tutorials.

I’m interested in Say Yes to the Dress 👰 so I wouldn’t mind working at one of those places either (Miller’s and MB Bride are both local; Modern Elegance is in Ligonier).

I said yes to the dress 👗 too, in a different way.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

Back with some real Toastmasters News and Notes after devoting last week to the Fall Symposium awards. Let’s start with the Toastmasters Throwback.

Today’s Toastmasters throwback deals with the unexpected loss of the District’s founder, Carroll Freeman. It was up to the new District Governor and his leadership to keep membership in the wake of the former District Leader and first International Director’s sudden passing.

Check out this Table Topics question which was submitted by the East Liverpool Ohio chapter. The membership gave their testimonials as to why they are a Toastmaster and why they are facing this fear of public speaking head on. From East Liverpool on to the other nine clubs in District 13, everyone chimed and honored the memory of the man who helped form the District. The piece in the throwback is from the Jeannette chapter.

Last week, some of our prestigious District 13 Toastmasters got together virtually and celebrated the 97th anniversary of Toastmasters International. Stephanie Scott served as the event chair and it looks like a nice turnout from the District. The trio all attended plus some past District Directors and Governors and a few longtime and passionate Toastmasters members.

Cranberry High Noon presented to the local rotary club last week, Cranberry Township Sunrise Rotary. Area 13 Director Tina Kramer and Club President Linde Riley represented CHN by speaking about leadership and communication opportunities. Cranberry High Noon recently won Division B Club of the Year at the 2021 Fall Symposium and is a perennial contender for Presidents Distinguished club every year.

Monday the club held its Halloween party during the 12pm meeting.

Ale Perez won best costume and Mike McKivigan won best story.

Willie Mae Starr White led table topics and used a wheel to choose the next speaker. Great idea Willie Mae.

Cranberry High Noon will hold its open house on November 8 in person as well as virtually. The club meets at the Cranberry Municipal building in the Franklin South room.

Finally, it’s almost time for the big red carpet event at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters.

I’m really hoping that I can attend this event on November 9. This red carpet event is not to be missed. There are only a few seats remaining for the big event. I’ve been really wanting to attend a club meeting but it’s been hard to with my work schedule. Regardless of whether or not make this event, I plan to attend a regular meeting on November 23.

I had the opportunity to meet the faces behind this new Toastmasters chapter in Fayette County at the DTM Gala held at Westmoreland County Community College. They’re a budding club and I hope they have continued growth in this Toastmaster year.

Ok one more upcoming event. Division D is holding a trivia night event on November 4. If you’re feeling smart, join us for this fun event. It will be virtual and only those in Division D clubs can attend since space is limited.

Have a great weekend everyone. ❤️ you.

It’s been a few days since I’ve written any content and I promised a little more Toastmasters News and Notes since I devoted Thursday’s blog to the awards ceremony. That will be coming.

After three busy weekends that included a birthday party, family reunion, Ligonier Days, and Slippery Rock Homecoming, a weekend of doing nothing was just what I needed. A little rest and recharge before things heat up again in November. I’ll cover that preview in an upcoming blog post.

It’s still been an active weekend though despite being close to home. Friday night we had company over, ate pizza and watched The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast on Disney+. I modeled my shackets for the family and they loved both the red fringe and the plaid. Even Sara was asking me where I got the cozy plaid shacket.

Saturday morning I fought a few raindrops and ate breakfast at Sun Dawg. I’m always after the specials and this one did not disappoint. I had a Banana Cream Waffle and a cup of coffee. My Amazon haul came when I pulled in the driveway. It was my red and leopard print blouses, a book on makeup by Bobbi Brown, and—I said that right—a dress. I’m pulling out all the stops with my gender nonconformity this year. I’d try them on later but, for the afternoon, I went through some stuff I didn’t wear anymore. It will go to Goodwill sometime this week. I also enjoyed a Hallmark Christmas movie before getting ready for church. I would be attending a new place of worship tonight.

I was “embarking on a church tour” and my first stop was Community Church in Harrison City. As soon as I walked in, I ordered a caramel latte from the cafe and took my seat. I was in for a more laid back, acoustic service which was more intimate. Keith Kaufold was the guest speaker. He was from the Eighth Avenue Place, a new church in Homestead. His message was from the heart and I may have shed a few years. Last night May have changed the game for me. I’ll definitely be back for another service.

I modeled my latest clothing haul from Amazon, including the dress 👗, which fit nice as an XXL. If I continue buying clothes on Amazon, I’m only buying Goodthreads (even though the leopard print cardigan and blazers have been good outfits for me). I tried on the red and leopard print blouses and styled them with my leopard print and holiday scarves.

After the holidays end and I want to shop for more cute outfits, I’m going to try Old Navy, Target, or discount stores like TJMaxx or Ross. I’m confident shopping for bags and cosmetics, why not clothes too? I’m done worrying about people judging me and saying things on social media. It says more about them then it does me. People need to shut up and mind their own business and quit being douchebags.

Have a great week everyone. I hope you enjoyed the content. Appreciate you. ❤️ you.

I sure missed a great Fall Symposium last weekend, but I was busy enjoying myself at my Alma mater. Once the rain cleared, it became a nice day albeit somewhat cool. But this is October after all.

From what I heard, the 2021 Fall Symposium was a huge success. Both keynote speakers did a great job and awards were handed out to some prestigious members of the District.

I was at the Homecoming festivities at Slippery Rock University on Saturday when I got word of the award winners via email 📧. I posted it on my Facebook while eating lunch with the alumni 👩‍🎓.

Congratulations 🎉 to the award winners. Pittsburgh Club takes the win in Division Awesome (I need to check that club out); Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters in Division Brilliant (congrats once again; they’ve adopted me as a member just like Paula and the girls have adopted me into their family; I think CHN has made Presidents Distinguished every year), PENN HILLS TOASTMASTERS CLUB in Division Confounding once again (the famous From Extingushed to Distinguished club from a year ago) and H.E.L.P.S on Smithfield in Division Dynamic (I believe that might be Dana Mitnik’s other club he belongs to).

As for individual awards, I want to give a huge shoutout to Nick Cecchetti for winning Area Director of the Year. He helped lead Area 24 to success with Presidents’ Distinguished clubs as well as his work helping launch the Laurel Highlands Toastmasters club. Marci Antion wins Division Director of the year. Her home club (South Hills) and Pittsburgh both achieved Presidents Distinguished honors in 2020-21 Michelle Teague won the Spirit of Toastmasters along with Dr. Elizabeth Carter. Both women are enthusiastic and deserve the award. I did Greensburg proud with that one last year. Now she gets to represent our home club with the Spirit of Toastmasters award. We can do it again next fall!

I would love to share what Michelle posted after her Spirit of Toastmasters award win. This includes the note written by our past District Director for 2020-2021, Patti Thor, DTM.

Warning – long post.

Wow! Just, wow!

Yesterday was a typical mid-October Saturday. Tons of events, only so much time in the day, and I was booked for two speaking events, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. One of the events I could not attend was the District 13 Toastmasters Fall Symposium.

It was a long and busy day. Imagine my surprise when my husband Jim handed me a box and told me it had arrived earlier in the day. Inside of it were two items: a card and a box. Here’s what the card said:

“Dear Michelle,

Congratulations for being selected to receive the Spirit of Toastmasters Award! It is a distinct honor for any member to receive. You were nominated for this role by many on the district leadership team.

You were an amazing help to me every week as we navigated not only the district leadership duties but all of that during a global pandemic. Your keen insight and quick wit provided much needed relief from the tension of 2020 and helped inspire forming the Jest Speaking club.

You were always willing to step in as Toastmaster of the Day or timer, whatever was needed in the moment. You’re an inspiration to every member with whom you work.

I can say that 2020-2021 was a more spirit-filled Toastmasters year in District 13 because of Michelle Teague, Administration Manager.

Thank you and congratulations again,

Patti Thor, DTM, PDD

2020-2021 District 13 Director”

Inside the box was a beautiful plaque with the following engraved on it:

“Spirit of Toastmasters Award

Michelle Teague, PM, MS

2020 – 2021

In honor of your support of

District 13 members & leaders

with your selfless service,

joyous team spirit and

inspirational leadership.”

Thank you to Patti Thor and the D13 leadership team for this honor. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have served with all of you. I truly appreciate being honored with this award. It means so much to me.

And thank you to my Greensburg Toastmasters club for all of their support last year. I could not have been nearly as successful without them.

Lastly, Fred Vornbrock congrats on Toastmaster of the Year. I think both Fred and Nick deserve a round of applause for their work in leading their areas to Presidents Distinguished. Fred stepped in mid season and did a bang up job as Area Director. He also serves as Corporate Liaison for the District and he and his wife Mary Ellen served as club mentors for the new Laurel Highlands Toastmasters.

Last night we presented Michelle with her Spirit of Toastmasters award and she gave an awards speech and read the card from Patti. We all congratulated her and then proceeded to have a great meeting.

Another great weekend has come and gone. This weekend I passed up Fall Symposium for my longtime tradition of Homecoming at Slippery Rock University. I seemed to regret it at first because I learned that the parade was cancelled due to rain. Should I have attended the Fall Symposium and give up on Homecoming? Absolutely not. I was still doing this and neither rain nor snow nor sleet would be stopping me. 

I got there around 9:30 and ventured around campus in the rain. That windbreaker came in handy. I changed wardrobe as I made my way to the alumni tent for lunch. As I sat down I changed into my mint blazer and toted my pink Coach purse as I got lunch from the catering service. I won a door prize for answering one of the questions correctly. I bought a new sweatshirt and T-shirt at the book store and drank some Starbucks coffee. I could have gone home and labeled this day a bust but I continued to suck it up and got my ticket for the football game.

The football team was unimpressive in a loss to IUP. I got some compliments on my pastels and chatted on Messenger with second momma Paula. She made the afternoon much better. Once the game ended I made my way home and I got to hear about Mom’s trip to Harpers Ferry and Winchester. My cousin was a gracious host and it felt like this was a trip worth taking.

I shopped (online) at Nordstrom Rack and bought my shackets. They’ll be delivered in a week or two. My Instagram and beauty buddy Vanessa will be so happy when she sees pictures of me modeling them in an upcoming fashion blog. Here they are.

Later this week I will ordering these blouses on Amazon that I can’t wait to wear with my infinity scarves. The red blouse will look great with my leopard print scarves and the leopard blouse will have me slaying 🔥 🔥 🔥. It’ll look great with a Coach purse and a blazer. I’m also going to say yes to the dress 👗 meaning I’ll wear one. No wedding bells anytime soon for me.

Sunday was a quiet day and the highlight of the day was my Achievers meeting. We had two great speakers and we had a visit from our Division Director who gave his two cents and also participated in the meeting during our Round Robin evaluations.

Next week begins my “church tour” as I will attend services Saturday night at Community United Methodist Church in Harrison City. After so much activity the last few weeks, it’ll be nice to have to do anything this next weekend. Looking forward to the Fall Festival at Greendance on Halloween and upcoming fun events in Ligonier in November. Those will be mentioned in an upcoming blog post.

Life begins at 40 and with changes coming at work, it’s time for me to make changes in my life too. Is a career in beauty or as a makeup artist in my future? It’s possible. I’ll be firing up makeup tutorials on YouTube and studying up. Exciting times ahead. Believe IT.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

It’s been a few years since I attended Homecoming at Slippery Rock but today I made my return to the green and white school.

2021 even with its hardships (my health scare, my uncle’s passing, uncertainty at work due to the WIS-RGIS merger, fear of some people’s opinions over my being different) has gone well so far. Some of the great stories of this year include: Rob and Sara’s wedding, turning 40, Greensburg Toastmasters achieving Presidents Distinguished, finally celebrating my Distinguished Toastmaster award, and the best would be embracing my gender nonconformity.

Today instead of learning at the Fall Symposium, I made the drive up to Slippery Rock for the annual homecoming. It was nice to celebrate it after not being able to a year ago due to COVID.

It started out a little disappointing because there was no homecoming parade due to the weather. There was severe weather this morning in the area but overall I feel it was just a precaution. Still with the rain the parade could have gone on. I arrived at 9:30 and took a walk around campus. I signed up for the alumni lunch which they hold in the tent right by the football stadium. John Greaves continues to play the tunes during homecoming as their official DJ. There was great food which was catered by the university and beer from North Country Brewing. Most of the day I’ve been spending dodging the raindrops. I stayed dry in the tent ⛺️ during lunch. There were a lot of carnival games and even rides in the tailgating area which I never saw before.

After lunch I made my way to the Bob (the new University Union named after the university’s former President. He was my president when I attended in the mid 2000s. I bought a T-shirt and sweatshirt from the bookstore and then got my Starbucks fix. I ordered an Apple Crisp Macchiato.

I then made my way down to the stadium for the football game against IUP. It was halftime by the time I arrived and Slippery Rock was down 24-7. The 2021 Homecoming Court was announced and so were the winners. A chosen group of Slippery Rock’s best alumni were honored. The marching band put on a great show.

One of the color guards looked like Jason Momoa. I was in full gender nonconformity mode today with my mint blazer and matching scrunchie and pink Coach purse. I chatted with an alum and she was all about my jacket and Coach purse. I mentioned the color guard to Paula and that got us started chatting on messenger. She even changed her theme to Love and that got us started on a tangent as well. We talked about what our messenger themes would be.

I made my way home in a good mood after one of my better homecoming experiences in a long time. Forever I was remembering my college days and wanted them back. This was the first time I’ve actually felt content at where I am in life.

I think my homecoming experience was reborn today and I owe all of that to the recent success in my life.

Tomorrow morning is the 2021 District 13 Fall Symposium. Many of my fellow Toastmasters have already signed up and should have a great time via Zoom learning how to be social and find their voice. I have great memories from the past couple of years attending these events. 2019 had me enjoying Aaron Beverly fresh off his world championship and hearing great presentations from our own Fred Vornbrock and District 10’s glitter ✨ queen Jenilee Taylor. Last year I was only there for the awards ceremony but it was worth it to hear my name called for the Spirit of Toastmasters award. I also got to show off my bling, or my DTM medal.

While tomorrow is the fourth annual Fall Symposium, being held virtually, I will not be in attendance. I will be enjoying an old tradition that seems reborn this year because of everything happening in my life. I’m choosing Slippery Rock Homecoming over Fall Symposium. Nothing personal.

The question is: Why am I attending homecoming which seemed played out a few years ago over Fall Symposium which seems more interesting?

My decision to drive up to Slippery Rock instead of sitting at home for the virtual Fall Symposium could have been weather related. The forecast does call for scattered rain showers especially in the morning. It shouldn’t be a washout for the afternoon football game vs. IUP (Slippery Rock’s biggest rival). But despite the wet weather I’m enjoying my Saturday in green and white, or mint (my blazer and scrunchie will match).

The reason I’m going to the Rock tomorrow is because I’ve felt like I’ve achieved success over the past few years. I finished the requirements for Distinguished Toastmaster in 2019. I started my blog (and I’ve really become passionate about it this year as it’s grown a lot). I’ve gained a love of fashion and, I’ve embarked on a quest of gender nonconformity. The result is that I’m happier and more confident than I’ve ever been and I’ve found myself.

For the longest time, I went to homecoming to relive the past (I chased education for the longest time because I always felt my time in Slippery Rock was so disappointing; I thought going back to school would fix that). After enjoying high school and the first leg of college, I got lazy when I came to SRU. I took a lot of things for granted. Once I finally hit my stride, it was all over. I played Coulda Woulda Shoulda forever. Now I’m happy with how it all turned out. Go figure.

Eventually the tradition got old and I needed to take a few years off. There are homecoming celebrations that I could have missed but it is what it is. Obviously last year was awash because you know, COVID.

Not sure if this will be back to being a yearly thing. Only time will tell. Tomorrow, I’m going to celebrate my happiness, confidence, gender nonconformity, and of course my Alma mater.

For my Toastmasters friends, enjoy Fall Symposium. I’ll be there in spirit.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

The time has come. It’s Fall Symposium weekend in District 13 Toastmasters. For those of you who signed up, I hope you have a great time Saturday morning. I hope the Tech team does it magic and posts portions of the event to the District 13 Toastmasters YouTube channel. I won’t be in attendance as I will be en route to Slippery Rock University for their annual homecoming. More on why I’m attending that in tomorrow’s blog post.

Registration is now open and is $15 for Toastmasters and $25 for non-Toastmasters. There will be an awards and recognition ceremony during the event. The District will celebrate the 2020-2021 achievements and accomplishments of our Toastmasters family and friends. If you missed last year’s ceremony, it was posted a few days later to the District YouTube channel. I enjoyed playing back how I won the Spirit of Toastmasters award and showing off my DTM medal and Spirit of Toastmasters award.

Featured speakers will include Jackie L. Gartner-Schmidt, Ph.D., and Karen Issacs, DTM. Dr. Gartner-Schmidt is co-director of both the University of Pittsburgh Voice Center and the Upper Airway Exercise Breathing Center. Ms. Isaacs serves as the Region 6 Advisor.

Isaacs is a Business Consultant with over 30 years ofexperience at a major health insurance company. Karen holds a B.S. in BusinessAdministration from Duquesne University and a Certificate of Paralegal Studies from College of Mount St. Joseph College (Cincinnati, Ohio). As a Professor of Otolaryngology, and Director of Speech-Language Pathology-Voice Division at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Jackie’s clinical and research focus specializes on care of the professional speaking voice, as well as clinical effectiveness of voice therapy and respiratory retraining.

Karen joined Toastmasters in 2004 to improve her communication skills and found copious opportunities to utilize and develop her leadership skills. Jackie is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences and has also presented a TEDx Talk on voice and perception.

It’s a joy to have both ladies presenting at the upcoming Fall Symposium.

Monday night saw another excellent meeting at PROMasters!

Past International Director and Distinguished Toastmaster Russell L Drake started the meeting off with his speech “How to Make Quicker and Better Decisions”. This presentation was full of tips and tricks that people can use for making any decision, big or small, short-term or long-term.

Next was past District 13 Humorous Speech contest winner Sally Chopping who entertained everyone with her speech entitled “British is a Foreign Language”. I would have loved to have heard that speech.

Table Topics Master extraordinaire Elizabeth Burnette challenged the club to answer questions that people ask (but probably shouldn’t). All the participants were so gracious, and turned what could have been a disastrous conversation into a positive and uplifting one. Thanks for giving me inspo for a future Table Topics session perhaps.

Toastmaster Jackey Collier, Timer Catherine McCarron and President Stephanie Scott ran the meeting. That’s quality District Leadership there.

The next meeting will be via ZOOM on Monday, October 25th!

Finally, a big shoutout to the Bayview Toastmasters Club for achieving nine of the ten annual performance goals in just 90 days! That’s a lot of awards and new members!

When asked how they did it, club president Siva Devarapalli said: “Teamwork. We knew it would be very challenging, but we agreed to try it. A special shoutout to Fred Vornbrock and Mike Bloeser; their experiences helped define our strategy and execute it flawlessly. We frequently met to discuss progress, found solutions to our barriers, and we did it. It was hard work, but we had fun!” Bloeser is a past District Governor.

Charter member and immediate past president, Mike Bloeser, added: “As a club, we’ve achieved President’s Distinguished before, but we’ve never earned nine goals in the first quarter. As a Past District Governor (Director) Mike notes: This is historic.”

Chartered in 1991, Bayview just celebrated their 30th Anniversary this past May. The club was formed as a community club, hosted by Hamot Hospital (what is now UPMC-Hamot). Bayview has produced several District 13 leaders over the past 25 years. Club membership had waned recently, and due to the pandemic, meetings are only held virtually. Special recognition goes to former club coaches Chad Adams and current Area 15 Director Bandana Raj, as well as most their recent coach, Fred Vornbrock!

Congratulations to everyone on their recent achievements! Your fellow Toastmasters look forward to helping you celebrate your success during the Hall of Fame at the 2021 District 13 Fall Leadership Symposium on Saturday, October 16, 2021.

The District 13 Leadership Team looks forward to celebrating with its members. Keep up the great work!