Last night a few of us Toastmasters got together for a potluck dinner at the home of Ron and Sarah. We brought our salads and desserts while they had the main dishes covered. I arrived around 5:30 as did Nate and Laura. Emily and Jing came a little later but when they did, it was a party. Here’s us during the disco dancing portion of the night.

Ron and Sarah put together such a nice spread. We ate outside on the deck and talked Toastmasters shop as well as life. Some of us Toastmasters hadn’t seen each other in person since the pandemic started a year and a half ago, so it was nice to finally talk face to face. One of the subjects that got a lot of attention at the dinner table was improv which Sarah and Nate and Emily were passionate about.

It was a perfect night to be outside, especially after all the rain and thunderstorms that hit the area hard the last few nights. After we finished dinner and drank our wine 🍷, it was game time. Sarah let us choose between Catch Phrase and Pictionary (I haven’t played that in a long time). Some of us were artistically changed so the consensus leaned toward Catch Phrase. We made it so much fun with how hard the questions were. There’s definitely no easy way around that game without giving away the answer.

After sitting around for a bit, we decided to go some karaoke. Jing and Sarah gracefully performed “The Rose” by Bette Midler. They almost did “Wind Beneath My Wings” as well. Sarah and Laura performed “The Sounds of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel. We capped off the night by singing “Lyin’ Eyes” by the Eagles. I think all of us did pretty well. If we get together at Christmas, we need to rock our ugly Christmas sweaters and do Holiday Karaoke.

The best part of the evening was all of us doing disco dancing. Sarah loves Disco and our DJ Tyler played some classics at the DTM event a few weeks ago. Our dancing set off the fire alarms at the Community College. She and Ron picked the best songs for us to dance to. We made our way off the deck and into the grass for this fun night of dancing. I really loved how the did “The Hustle” to another song. Here’s all of us getting down on the disco floor (or grass, call it what you will). I’m just sad we didn’t end the night with “Last Dance” by Donna Summer.

Sarah suggested that I get my adopted family to do a disco night with me. I think the girls would be on board with that.

Overall it was a perfect night and I hope we can do something like this again soon. Maybe for Steelers vs. Packers or during the holidays. But it was nice just get together and socialize for the first time in forever.

If 2021 has taught me anything so far, number one is that health is important. Who knows where I’d be or let alone even be here if not for scheduling that doctor’s appointment. Things are a lot better now for me after that health scare.

Number two is that people’s opinions don’t matter. This has been the year that’s been a long time coming. It’s the year of me being gender nonconforming. If you think this is a phase or it just happened a few years ago, you’re wrong. This has been on my mind for years. It goes back a really long time. It’s just the way I feel.

Part of that gender nonconforming adventure I’ve embarked on this year has included buying my Coach purse (I was so proud when I bought it in February), eventually moving on to fashion and purchasing some cute cardigans and blazers in leopard print and pastels. I rocked that blouse and leopard cardi at Rob and Sara’s wedding.

I caught some heat for my outfits earlier this summer when a friend of a friend on Facebook criticized me for wearing women’s clothes. My adopted mom came to the rescue and praised my style and would be there for me no matter what. I’ll admit I do worry about the one person who will bring me down instead of the 99 who will complement me for doing this. Recently, I got some kind words from my longtime friend Rocco whom I met at Slippery Rock. His wife Kara also did the same. Glad to have these two on my side.

2021 has been the year of me shattering the glass or, gloss, ceiling. What am I talking about? I made my first visit to ULTA Beauty yesterday and I actually bought something. It was a four pack of Burt’s Bees lip balm. I was so proud of myself and it would warm me up for when we do our ULTA adventure this Fall. They’re part high end makeup (Lancome and Bare Minerals, like a Sephora) and part drugstore makeup (they have brands like L’Oréal and Cover Girl as well as Wet’n Wild. Be ready to drop a couple Benjamins here if you want a great experience. I did see some Gilmore Girls themed makeup and bath products though which I thought was way cool.

From there I shopped at Target. Whereas I felt confident in ULTA, in Target I seemed to be a little off. Maybe it was me worrying about people staring at me looking at makeup. I did feel a little bit awkward and unprepared in this section even though I knew where everything was (I planned well). The voice in my head was telling me to give up and drop this charade. But I got through it. I brought the drugstore brands like I see in Rite Aid. Some Maybelline, some Cover Girl, and a few products from e.l.f.

I bought some foundation and concealer as well as lip liner (Maybelline), lipstick 💄 👄 and blush (Cover Girl), and the brush and sponge were from e.l.f. I’ll learn to use these by watching YouTube videos. Hopefully, we can set a day soon to do our ULTA/Target run. We’re going to rock our red blazers as we. But overall it was a fun experience and I got to fill up one of my makeup bags.

My next gender nonconforming adventure will be Labor Day weekend when I go to one of the outlets to buy some more Coach.

Appreciate you. Be you. Do you. 💕 you.

Today I worked in McCandless and since I was close, I made plans to visit The Block at Northway afterwards. I would check out ULTA since Sara and I are going to shop there in the Fall and make a Target run to buy some makeup. Those experiences I’ll talk about in the following blog.

After I left work I went shopping at Old Navy (one of my personal favorite stores) and then it was off to lunch at Wahlburgers in the Block at Northway. I was hoping it was worth the money and worth the hype. Here’s my review of this hip new chain that is run by the Wahlberg family (including Mark and Donnie).

I walked into Wahlburgers after touring the Block at Northway (the mall looks so nice and it was the first time I’d been in there since they completed it). I was seated quickly by the greeter and the server took my order within a matter of minutes. It was a busy Friday afternoon lunch rush so I was patient with the staff. I had my lunch in good time. The server was friendly as well. I give service a 9/10.

The food was slightly above average. I loved the basket that the fries came in. The burger I ordered was “Donnie’s Choice”, a BBQ burger with white cheddar, jalapeños, barbecue sauce, bacon, and avocado spread. The flavor was there (I didn’t really taste the avocado spread though) but the portion size was a little small compared to my last couple of meals (the fish sandwich at NPL was hard to top as well as the Reuben from Morelands). We’re all due for a letdown sometime. I also the fries could have used some seasoning salt (like Red Robin). I give the food a 6.5/10. Taste was great but size was fair.

The noise in the restaurant gave off the impression that was a busy place (it was lunchtime after all). It was cooler indoors then it was outside. It didn’t impact my dining experience at all though. I give the atmosphere a 7.5/10 overall.

I fell in love with the decor. Above where I was seated, it shows every movie and act Donnie and Mark were a part of. For my New Kids on the Block fans, there is mention of the band. I noticed a lot of Steelers memorabilia as well. Here’s a nice picture of the Wahlberg family. I didn’t know the brothers came from a big family either. The things that you learn. I give decor a 9/10.

The menu looked pretty packed. There’s many things to choose from. This place is known for its frappes as well. That root beer float would have hit the spot on a hot day. I’ll give their fish sandwich a try as well. I believe in love and second chances and I’d like to give Wahlburgers another go around sometime. Maybe I’ll try the one in Robinson next. I give the menu a 9/10.

Overall, my first experience at Wahlburgers wasn’t bad. A few kinks here and there but I’m definitely giving this place another try. Maybe when we do our ULTA trip I can talk Sara into coming here. We will see. Final Grade: B-

Can you imagine if District 13 covered the whole state of Pennsylvania in this day and age? You would have to delegate responsibility to other Toastmasters and District Leaders, and eventually you have to split the Commonweath up (kind of like what they did with North Carolina (District 37 and District 117).

In 1943, the District was beginning to take shape. A demo meeting was held in Charleroi to a large audience and it formulated interest in new clubs in the foreseeable future. Jeannette and (original) Greensburg were able to have meetings together and there was interest in forming a club in Waynesburg. Greene County Toastmasters anyone? They could meet at Waynesburg University or possibly in Carmichaels.

We tried to charter a Mon Valley Toastmasters club back in 2014 and they met at a nursing home in California PA. The chapter had potential (and it could have succeeded if we had been able to get more of our other veteran members involved). One of the problems was California University of Pennsylvania, and another was the local economy in the Mon Valley.

Efforts to get the club off the ground fell through, and Mon Valley TM was officially dead. Let’s hope Jest 🃏 Speaking can grow their membership and charter soon. It looks like Laurel Highlands Toastmasters is going to do great.

This back to school blog is brought to you by Kohl’s, JCPenney, and Giant Eagle (just kidding but I did find some great deals in the circulars that I wanted to share in today’s post. I’ll also talk about my back to school shout-out tradition starting in just over a week as kids go back to school.

The calendar is already at August and summer is flying by. It’s almost time for kids to go back to school. JCPenney and Kohl’s are among the retailers having some great back to school deals.

At Kohl’s, tees for kids are $10 and under. SO and Sonoma jeans (sizes 7-20) start at $17.99. Athletic shoes (for gym class or for class) are $65 and under.

JCPenney is getting into the back to school game as well. The coupons in this week’s ad can help net you 50% off. Look for the best brands to help you kick off the school year in style.

Get great deals on activewear from brands like Champion, Puma, and FILA as well as Xersion. Levi’s are 30% off through August 29, and all Arizona brands are 50% off. Save money and look good when classes start. Find great things for your bedroom or dorm room to make them pop for the Fall semester.

You can also find great deals at the JCPenney salon or JCPenney optical. Haircuts start at $12 and glasses start at $39.99 (one pair) or $69.99 (two pairs). This special runs through September 18. Make sure to log on to jcp.com to schedule appointments.

Giant Eagle is also your place for back to school savings. Your kids will want their lunch to be a cut above the rest on the first day of school. Check out some of these deals. Market District salad blends or Microgreens $1 off. Any two Jif peanut butter or Smucker’s nature fruit spread also $1 off. Same with Giant Eagle multigrain bread or Giant Eagle hazelnut spread. Chewy granola bars and French’s mustard 50 cents off. Get great deals on Snack Pack and Chef Boyardee too.

Tide and Downy products are $5 off if your kids need to do laundry while they’re away at school. Wouldn’t hurt to give them quarters ($20) either.

Back to school shout-outs are coming back soon and it’s a joy to post these on my social media accounts as well as the blog. I started doing these in 2018 and continued the tradition the next year. I’m looking forward to bringing them back for 2021 after a year off due to COVID.

Look for more great content coming this weekend. I’ll be previewing ULTA for our fall shopping trip, doing a cosmetics run at Target, and if I’m feeling lucky I might have lunch at Wahlburgers.

Appreciate you. Do you. Be you. ❤️ you.

In December, I went out to dinner with my friends from Ligonier. While sitting down and eating our meal and hanging out, Sara and I caught up (she introduced me to Rob since this was our first time meeting up) and we talked about our favorite shows and fashion. I even got suggestions on what to watch next. Sara suggested Jane the Virgin and Rob suggested Gossip Girl. I told them I’d think about it.

Fast forward to February and Sara and I were meeting up for a coffee date at Abigail’s coffeehouse. We caught up and talked about fashion and Coach (the purse, not the sitcom). She asked me if I considered watching Jane yet. I hadn’t but that day she got me to start watching it as well as Gossip Girl. The deal we had was I watch Jane and Sara would start watching Gilmore Girls (I brought my Gilmore Girls tote that day). She also wanted me to buy my Coach purse and put together a nice outfit for our next meetup.

Our conversations on Facebook and Instagram have revolves around Jane and our favorite episodes and characters. Just this past Friday, I finished up the series. I cried because of how beautiful it ended. I know, straight out of a telenovela right?

In this week’s feature blog, I’m going to talk about the show. I’ll dish on my five favorite episodes. I’ll also pick my four favorite characters (three main, and one recurring). You’ll be surprised at who I pick. Finally, I’ll conclude with the three storylines that made the series stand out. For my friends who love Jane the Virgin, I think you’ll enjoy this upcoming blog.

Here’s my fave five Jane the Virgin episodes in the order that they were aired.

Chapter Four: The Villanueva women love to do everything together. They’re a tight knit unit, and that also includes watching their favorite telenovela, the Passions of Santos. Xo realizes she needs to tell Jane something important but doesn’t know the perfect time. While in the dress shop, Jane meets her real father, and breaks down in tears 😭. #crylikeaVillaneuva

Chapter Eighteen: What else can I say? Rita Moreno is in this episode. I’ll be checking her out on the Netflix version of One Day at a Time. She stars as Liliana De La Vega, Rogelio’s doting mother. She takes a huge dislike to Xiomara, thinking Xo isn’t good enough for her baby boy.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Britney Spears is the main reason why this episode is so great. I like the part where Jane has a complete fangirl moment when she spots Britney in the Marbella. The narrator dreams up a fantasy where Jane dances to Toxic with Spears and her dance team. Also, Rogelio’s ongoing feud with Britney had me busting out laughing. Seems like some people just can’t get over themselves.

Chapter Forty Four: Jane’s wedding day (the first time around). All the drama leading up to Jane’s big day made this episode very special. Rogelio loves his daughter and made sure that her wedding would go off without a hitch. The father-daughter dance scene at the wedding was so lit as well as Bruno Mars making an appearance. It definitely took away from the sadness felt at the end of the episode.

Chapter Ninety Four: What started out as a fun game night turns into a sweet marriage proposal. I thought this was a really cute episode and, for Rafael, it was a feel good moment watching him pop the question to Jane. For her, it was redemption after the whole mess with Michael coming back into her life and causing a rift between the two of them. Can’t wait until the wedding finale.

Here’s my four favorite characters from the show. You’ll be quite surprised at who I didn’t pick.

Jane—She’s the star of the show. She loves her family and loves romantic novels. She aspires to be a writer. Jane’s life was turned upside down when she was accidentally artificially inseminated. She was torn between her two men but, in the end, she picks the right one.

Petra—She had the biggest character development out of all of them. She really grew on me as the series went on. Petra is very misunderstood and deep down, has a heart and is human. She had a love-hate relationship with Jane but I love how they bonded towards the end.

Rafael—He was baby daddy for Jane and Petra. He was very loyal to Jane even when he was married to Petra and when Jane went back to Michael temporarily. He becomes a loving father to the girls and Mateo. Despite everything that they went through to get there, RAF proposed to Jane and would marry her in the finale.

Luisa— She was notorious for ruining Jane’s perfect life by accidentally impregnating her because she couldn’t get past her own personal problems. Luisa dated a crime lord for the longest time and was the bane of her brother’s existence for most of the series. She comes through in the end when she saves Jane and Rafael’s lives by pushing her ex-lover to her death.

Here’s my three favorite feuds to close off the blog.

Petra vs. Magda—Petra’s mother did not treat her good at all. The two had a stormy relationship throughout the series and Magda did anything she could to undermine her daughter and ruin her success. Even worse, she favored Petra’s twin (Anezka) over her. In the end though, Petra gets the last laugh.

Rogelio vs. River—These two had it out for each other. The telenovela star vs. the activist. They’ve had some funny moments and Rogelio accidentally injures her a few times. The best was when he burned off her eyebrows when she was eating dessert. Ro does get River reunited with her daughter Pond Juniper (P.J. or girl Rudy as Rogelio referred to her.)

Rafael vs. Michael—The two men in Jane’s life who both loved her the same. Jane dated Michael and then she became accidentally artificially seminated. She was pregnant with Rafael’s child. These two had their fights during the series. Michael’s return really drove a wedge between Jane and Rafael. Eventually, Jane realizes her relationship with Michael isn’t it once was and in time, gets forgiven by Rafael. He’s so loyal to have to deal with her.

That wraps up my review of this great show. The characters all played well off of each other and the storylines (besides the three posted) were always good. It doesn’t quite have the feel good charm of Gilmore Girls, but it’s still very cute and it didn’t go downhill the last few seasons.

Oh by the way, I’m on Team Rafael for life.

Jafael 4eva!

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

Recently, my little sister/fashion buddy Sara and I agreed to move our shopping trip to ULTA back to the Fall. We attributed the move to our busy schedules (work for me is busy right plus Sara had to work that day too and was understanding). We’ll likely shop at the same location we agreed on when we planned this event at my birthday lunch early in July. We can wear our matching red blazers when go to ULTA.

Before our ULTA trip this Fall, I plan to use my birthday money I got from Paula to buy some makeup 💄. I’ll buy something fashionable when I shop at the Outlets on Labor Day weekend, as well as some more Coach.

So what am I looking for in terms of cosmetics? Pretty much everything. I want to shop for the best brands but want to make the most of my $25. I’m interested in foundation and concealer, but also lip gloss, lip balm, and lipstick 💄. It wouldn’t hurt to try some blush either. My choices might just shatter the “gloss” ceiling but, I want to make sure I’m being respectful to our animals and not buying any products that test on them.

I wasn’t kidding about going against gender norms. #BeYOUtiful. #crueltyfree.

I’m aware that beauty products can only do so much and may not work in the long run, but I want to give it a try. I still need to schedule an appointment at AristiCuts to get a pedicure done as well as other work I might want done.

So what will I buy with my Amazon gift card? I still want to put that money toward a couple of blazers but things hit a snag when the ones I wanted would take three to six weeks to arrive. I guess those two day deliveries spoiled me. Staying true to what I want, I’m not giving up the search for a nice blazer or any other amazing fashionwear.

When I make my purchases, you’ll read about the try-ons and see my selfies. Just a fair warning, it may blow your mind to see me being gender nonconforming but hey, I’m being me.

Last night we held our first Greensburg Toastmasters hybrid meeting. It didn’t go off without a hitch. We had our struggles at the beginning, trying to get the virtual crowd logged into Zoom. The Courthouse’s public WiFi wasn’t cooperating with us.

We started 15 minutes late and we had two excellent speakers. Our table topics were all about cliches. It was nice to see everyone in person and to be able to talk face to face with guests and members. We welcomed two new members last night too. One will be giving their ice breaker speech at our next meeting on August 18. We also heard from our Area 24 Director, Yasmin Brown, and in her email, mentioned club contests. It won’t be long until contest season is upon us.

District 13 was born on September 1, 1942 when members from the four clubs got together at the Greensburg YMCA. They also elected their first district officers. The first District conference was held on October 15, 1942 at the Penn Albert Hotel in Greensburg (near the Amtrak Train Station 🚉)

Each club gave panel presentations and, save for Jeannette’s presentation, these could be used today at a Toastmasters event. The afternoon keynote speaker was from District 10 in northeastern Ohio and was also serving as an International Director for Toastmasters. The big treat was the main keynote speaker being the founder of Toastmasters, Ralph Smedley. He congratulated those on attendance as they helped form the newest District in Toastmasters.

Other notable guests included the heads of Greensburg’s Rotary Club, Lions, and Kiwanis clubs.

I got some great news late last week from our club President Jim Teague that starting this Wednesday we would have in person meetings at the courthouse again.

This will be a hybrid meeting coming up Wednesday night, so people will still be able to attend remotely, but hopefully we can get people to show up at the courthouse so we can see them in person. We’re hoping to have some guests and get a great turnout for Wednesday’s meeting.

Times were tough during World War II. With many folks serving their country overseas, this was a perfect way to gain members in times of war. It still exists in Toastmasters today. Virda Perry and I almost started one for the Harley Davidson dealership in Greensburg in the Fall of 2017 but efforts fell through. I’d like to do this in the future, however.

I think with all the car dealerships you see along US 30 near Westmoreland Mall, those sales associates, parts dealers, and others employed would really benefit from a SPEECHCRAFT program. It’d also be a great way to gain new members in Toastmasters

The establishment of the Washington PA Toastmasters in 1942 led to the establishment of District 13. We celebrated the District’s 75th anniversary at the final Fall Conference in October of 2017 at the Hilton Doubletree Hotel.

It was an emotional and bittersweet weekend.

Time for the first of three Stylish and Hungry trips to Murrysville. These aren’t new to me because I’ve had dinner (or my birthday lunch) here with Mr. Clougherty. Today’s S&H segment takes me to North Park Lounge. Next month will be Moe’s and then September takes me to Burgatory.

I met up with Alvin, a fellow church member from Cornerstone and one of the leaders on the front line ministries. We met up so he could get to know me better. I thought it was for a completely different reason but he assured me that it was not that. We did chat for a time on the culture of today as well as society. We also talked about our plans for Uncommon. I don’t have anything in mind yet. It’s the same weekend as the Banana 🍌 Split Festival in Latrobe (which I may cover in an upcoming blog).

But why you are here is you want to read about my dining experience at North Park Lounge. I got there and took my seat across from Alvin. Our server took our drink orders and soon after we chatted our food. For as busy as it was, she was very efficient and did a great job checking up on the two of us. Plus we got our food within a decent time. For service I give a 9.5/10.

The food was worth the money and the wait. Alvin ordered this Caribbean salad that he always gets when he eats there. It took me a while but I ordered the fish 🐟 sandwich (had it with fries and coleslaw as well as Tartar sauce and cocktail sauce). Never a bad experience here and there’s always something good to order from the menu. Oh, and they had actual menus, not the paper ones. For food, I give a 9.5/10.

The ambience was great. The weather had a lot to do with it was well as sun was shining with a cool breeze. It was probably the most perfect summer day I could ask for so far this year. Inside was perfect too. It’s a sports bar, so the TVs and the neon give off a nice touch. The tables were perfect for advertising as well. Ambience is a 9.5/10.

The decor was perfect for the setting. Lots of pictures and hey, I loved the lights as well. The tables were colorful and creative. As I just said, perfect for the advertising and also, for publicity. A great way for companies to get business. Decor gets a 9.2/10.

The location itself is very built up. Lots of other restaurants and shops in the area. You can definitely make a day out of it shopping here. Plus, Monroeville is only five minutes away.

One thing that I think would be cool is to have one of those trivia things on your table or even a table top video game (like in Pizza Hut with the old school Ms. Pac-Man)

I’m definitely coming back to this place. Never disappointed when I eat here.