I’ll start off the blog by wishing Gram a happy birthday on what would have her 95th yesterday. I remember many great Mother’s Day picnics at Shawnee and Berlin with my aunt, uncle and cousins. The holiday just isn’t the same since she passed in 2006.

Mother’s Day picnics at Shawnee were as much tradition as Great Grandma’s birthday dinner at Olive Garden

I was remote for Tuesday night’s Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting since I had a cold and wanted to play it safe. The club is making history in its first year as the first Toastmasters club to charter as a hybrid club. Last night they made history when had their first officer elections for the upcoming year.

The slate looks really good for next year with current Area 23 Director Ryan Jacobs leading the way as Club President and Sharon Joseph coming down to serve the big role of Vice President Education. Her drive and passion for Toastmasters make Laurel Highlands one of the most exciting clubs in District 13.

Nick Cecchetti will maintain his Technology Officer role in the club. Judy Eans will stay on as Vice President Public Relations. I nominated myself as Sergeant at Arms for Laurel Highlands. I’m excited to see our newest Toastmasters serve in their roles next year.

Shelly Hendricks accepted the position of Treasurer for next year. In my home club, Mike Dalton has held down the role every year. Danielle Doerfler will be our Vice President Membership and Angela Saunders will be Secretary. I’m planning to take that role at Greensburg for next year. Only thing we need to look for at my home club is a Club President.

Since this was the club’s first year, they didn’t have an immediate past President to take over the role of nominating officers for next year. Distinguished Toastmaster and Club Mentor for Laurel Highlands Dana Mitnik assumed that job last night and handled it professionally.

Last night’s theme was “The Need for Uncommon Leaders”. The Table Topics session and Invocation tied into this.

Our club is picking up many great new members who will be an asset to Laurel Highlands and hopefully, make it a club worth talking about. We even have a new member joining us from Cumberland, Maryland.

I predict even more success in Year 2 of the Laurel Highlands Toastmasters Club.

Recently my mother brought to my attention one of my former coworkers from my old job. He worked there in the early 2010’s and, to say the least, was not very nice to me. After he left at the end of 2013, he ran into trouble with the law. Without getting into it due to respect for privacy, he found himself up the creek without a paddle.

He made feel ashamed for who I was as a person. He felt he was doing me a favor, but he wasn’t. The reason I bring this person up is because I felt I came into my gender nonconformity at the right place and the right time in 2019.

After so many years where I struggled not to internalize things at work, I was finally at a good place in my life and at WIS. With a pandemic looming just a year away, the good feeling wouldn’t last long. But I had what I needed right there and it was more than enough.

While you may think my gender nonconformity journey began with the Ashtabula trip in September of 2019, things came to light then. It didn’t begin in 2015 either. I wasn’t quite ready but I did get some style points for my little Amazon crossbody (until Dad had a problem with me wearing it and I was scared into submission).

Believe it or not, you have to go all the way back to the mid 1990s to hear of the first tales of my gender nonconformity journey. So this adventure is almost 30 years old. It was also big during my high school years well into college. I just didn’t know it at the time. You may think I had homosexual tendencies. But for a long time I kept quiet about it.

Had I started this journey back up in 2013, it wouldn’t have lasted. My coworkers (albeit a few of them) would have ripped me to shreds. He already made fun of me for my selfies that I took in 2010. I felt so bad from the impact of that teasing so I gave up. I imagine he’d bash my blog too had I started then.

I came back onto my journey at the right time, but I also had the right people there to support me on my adventure. Ashley and Maura were there to give me encouragement along the way, my sisters Rae and Sara were there to love and support me and tell me to “be me”. All my friends on Instagram have encouraged me not just on the gender nonconformity journey but also in my mental health journey. It’s why I am able to connect with great local Instagram bloggers like thebombshellsuite and joyfullyyoursamanda. I’ve also had the right girl to inspire me as well.

It was an innocent crush in the fall of 2019 when Emily wowed me with her fashion sense when we were in Ashtabula for work, rocking a pink dress. She became an inspiration for me to dress more stylish. Eventually, I fell in love with fashion and mentioned everything to Maura when I came out in October of 2021. It was our last day as an office before merging with RGIS.

I feel I’ve been living my best life with my gender nonconformity. My place of employment is one that is LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 friendly. But my family has expressed concern. They raised me to not be ridiculed and they’re worried that I’ll set myself up for that again if I continue embarking on this journey.

I was picked on a lot in my elementary and junior high years and even while I was working at WIS. I understand my parents’ concern, even though my cousins are mostly on board with it.

But it’s 2022.

I’m happy.

I’m living my best life.

I’m not making destructive decisions like doing drugs or being an alcoholic. I’m not living recklessly. I’m taking care of myself since my health scare.

That’s all that matters.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

Hello. I know you haven’t seen too many blog posts lately. Don’t worry about me because I’m all right. It’s been a busy Spring with work and I’ve been pursuing other interests.

Here’s some of the things that have kept me from blogging over the last month and a half.

I’ve been hard at work teaching myself Spanish. My Duolingo streak is now at 28 days and I’m about to go into the next league. My bilingual skills have improved greatly with this app and will continue to do so as long as I keep putting time in to practicing every day, even if it’s only five minutes a day.

I’ve been watching The Office on Peacock. My adopted family loves the show and so it rubbed off on me. Thank my fashionable sister and brother-in-law who have been the inspo for getting me to watch the show. If watching the show hasn’t been enough, I’ve also been enjoying the podcasts related to the show.

The Office Deep Dive with Brian Baumgartner and Office Ladies with Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey have not failed me at all. I get great insight from all of them on all things Dunder Mifflin. Did I stutter? That’s what she said. I’ll also be buying the books very soon. Welcome to Dunder Mifflin and Office BFFs (comes out May 17). Fun fact is that Creed Bratton performs the opening music for both podcasts.

Work has kept me busy as I’m beginning to get my full time hours back at Giant Eagle. Having lost three employees recently, we’ve been working hard to try and keep the flow going overnight. Despite the forecast for storms, we shine every night. I’ll be approaching my six month anniversary there at the end of the month.

When I first took the job, my adopted momma Paula commended me for accepting the tough schedule of 10pm to 6:30am. She said I have to have Mason blood to do well with those hours. Having Mason blood means being a hard worker and loyal. I came in right after Thanksgiving and knew I was going to be hard at work from the start. It made those slow times we dealt with in February and March much easier to handle.

Now that I’ve been able to shake the past out of my system, things have gone much smoother. It’s not easy when you’re attached to a workplace you were at for almost 15 years and those coworkers have been like your closest friends and family. I still keep in touch with the girls (Maura and Ashley) to see how things are going at WIS. There’s still work to be done since the merger, but the Dollar side is going well and they got Eric and Zach back.

Tomorrow I’ll be talking about my gender nonconformity journey. It’s still going even though I’ve been quieter about it since the new year started. I’ll highlight my journey so far and how I was in the right place at the right time when it started. I also the right girl there to inspire me.

Also, a look back at my fashion buddy’s big wedding day and what a fun time that was last year.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

It’s been a while but…. I’m back.

Apologies for the lack of blog posts this month. I took on some other interests including learning a foreign language on Duolingo. I’m going for 30 days in a row and right now I’m at 18. I am also in the Sapphire League and likely moving up to Ruby by next week. I’m very proud of myself for learning a new skill.

Blogs will return in May as I put some other hobbies aside. I also want to focus on my Toastmasters involvement. I recently put my name in for Vice President of Membership at my new club, Laurel Highlands Toastmasters.

Believe it or not, I’ve posted more this April than I did last April with this being my fifth blog. I didn’t write at all last year at this time.

Today’s video is something I haven’t posted in a blog before and that’s a reaction to a video or news story. Since 2019, I’ve been following Dhar Mann on YouTube and enjoy his content. Over the years his work has run longer, he’s come up with different themes, and his channel has grown to over 10M subscribers. Yes his work is a little too overdone and clichéd but, some of it really speaks to me and last night was one of those videos.

The video takes place in a bakery in the plaza (it’s one of the sets used in Dhar Mann’s videos). The shop owner and his employee are talking and he looks over at two women in a bridal shop. Immediately he is disgusted by their same sex relationship, thinks their upcoming marriage is an abomination and causes a scene. The seamstress is mortified and tells the bakery owner to leave. His employee apologizes for her boss’s behavior

When the employee serves the drag queen (who deserves an Emmy for her great acting work), she talks about her dream of having her own bakery and the drag queen gives her some words of wisdom. Soon after, the owner pulls the same stunt on Kyla and calls her names. The drag queen is offended and leaves.

After refusing the same sex couple from the dress shop once again. Kristen (the employee) boldly admits that she’s part of the LGBTQIA+ community and plans to open her own bakery. She hits some road bumps and even wants to give up but her drag queen friend encourages her to keep going, which is what she does. She just needed that target market. That boost is what she needed to be successful. She even takes over that spot where the bakery was. Like every Dhar Mann video, this one ended happily ever after and the bully got their just desserts (no pun intended).

It’s about time Dhar Mann tackled this issue. I’ve seen bullying and mean girls and those who don’t stay with their significant others during their worst times. As someone who recently came out as LGBTQ 🏳️‍🌈, I saw the hurt the lesbian couple was receiving and felt it myself. I’ve gotten mostly praise for my gender nonconformity, but know there will be someone out there who will tear me down for my lifestyle. It’s time to stand up for what we believe in, no matter the risk. If we stand up for what we believe, we can achieve.

Just like Kristen’s T-shirt, don’t be afraid to “Be You” 🌈.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

Sorry for the lack of blog posts this month. I‘ll attribute that to a lack of interesting content, plus taking on other hobbies. Being busy with work and other interests, it’s not easy to take the time to research a topic either.

I’m learning Spanish through the Duolingo app (love that little owl 🦉) and recently decluttered with more to come. I’m reading two good books as well. A Promised Land by Barack Obama and the History of Jazz by Ted Gioia. I’ve loved jazz music since 2000 plus I grew up on Weather Channel music as a kid which was essentially smooth jazz or jazz fusion.

May is also strawberry month and Eat’n Park has many great desserts on their menu. I’d like to order a slice of strawberry 🍓 pie or a strawberry milkshake with some whipped cream. I have my Betty Crocker cookbook so I might make a visit to the “Stylish Kitchen” and look for a good strawberry shortcake or cheesecake recipe.

While I like strawberries and May is the month for 🍓, my favorite fruit is cherries 🍒.

But one thing that deserves a mention in my
blog would be the importance of mental health. In addition to my fashion and lifestyle posts, this may be something to talk about. Plus, May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Look for mental health posts through the month of May on this blog. I’ll try to sprinkle some personal stories in as well.

It’s something we cannot take for granted. If you feel lonely, try to leave the door open instead of closing it. It’s the best open door policy you can give yourself. Also, and this is my own advice I should be following, talk to someone, be it a good friend or professional.

Please subscribe to my blog at stylishdtm.com.

On New Year’s Day 2022, I treated myself to a nice shopping trip. It wasn’t the same as past annual New Year’s Day shopping trips which would take us to Borders in Monroeville or Barnes and Noble in Greensburg. The weather was miserable and nothing like January 1 should be. I prefer sunshine and a little snow on the ground from an earlier winter storm that week after Christmas.

I stopped at South Hills Village and walked into the ULTA Beauty which was behind the mall in the annex where Dicks Sporting Goods was once located. This wasn’t my first trip there as I’d visited the one in the new Block at Northway last summer. I got some great deals on bath and body type things such as a loofah (I swear by those things in the shower, some hand soap, and a Toy Story themed shower set. For the first time all year, I got to make use of my ULTA haul.

I’m also going to use some of my makeup from my ULTA Beauty box that I got for Christmas from Rob and Sara. What a fun gift exchange that was, plus we got together and had lunch in Ligonier at the Wicked Googly during IceFest. I got Sara a Burt’s Bees set and Rob an Office page a day calendar. I’m really into the show and I have them to thank for that.

I spent that day talking about my new job but also my old coworkers from WIS too. One of these days we’ll get Sara and Rob to meet them. We also saved my pink Coach purse from getting destroyed as my leopard print scarf got stuck. Luckily we sacrificed the scarf to save the bag and you can’t even tell.

I had a wonderful time visiting family at my house on Easter. We had a nice turnout and my aunt came to visit as well. My relatives from Berlin came as well.

Because I had to rest up for Giant Eagle last night, I couldn’t do too much with my ULTA Beauty box. I was able to try the sheer lip gloss however and I did paint my nails for the first time since we were at IceFest. We’ll try again when I have dinner with Mr. Clougherty Thursday night.

Has it really been three years since we last had an in person Toastmasters Conference? Has it been that long since we got together for a fun weekend? Has it been three years since we got to hear great contest speeches that were just amazing and left us with a tear in our eye and many laughs?

Yes it has, and the upcoming conference on April 29 is long past due for those who are hungry to meet up in person once again.

The conference will be held at the Pittsburgh North Marriott in Cranberry Township.

Coming off the heels of the greatest contest season since 2019, the District 13 Spring Conference is a great way to bring everyone back together after two years of six feet apart and social distancing. The event doesn’t plan to disappoint with the Evaluation contest Friday night and plenty of fun 🤩 scheduled that evening. Saturday morning will feature the first live parade of banners since the last great conference three years ago.

There will be workshops where those attending can take what they learned back to their clubs. DTM Melissa McGavick will be the keynote speaker at the Conference. Don’t forget the amazing District 13 International Speech contest in the afternoon. The evening’s banquet will celebrate 80 years of District 13 and all of the Toastmasters who earned their DTMs (present and past). Plus, there’s a special Sunday event going. “From Speaker to Trainer” will be held that Sunday at 9am.

The 2019 Spring Conference was definitely up there in my Top Five of 2019. I didn’t do one but I will post a future blog on some of the great things that made the year before the pandemic special. A great Toastmasters contest season, getting my DTM, starting my blog, and an overnight work trip that changed me are definitely up there.

2019 was a year of Toastmasters, tragedy, good friends, and fashion (accentuated by a cute pink cherry dress).

It was the last sane year before the everything went to crap in 2020. It was my year. Now, let’s talk about how great that conference was.

I arrived Friday afternoon and checked into my room at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott in Moon Township. That evening a group of District 13’s finest hung out in the hotel lobby. This replaced the popular Friday fun night that was a big part of past District conferences.

The next morning we had breakfast and were treated to a wonderful Parade of Banners. We heard wonderful keynote speakers and were blessed with wonderful contests consisting of Tall Tales and the International Speech contest. That weekend, we really found the words. That was the theme for the 2019 Spring Conference.

It was the final contest Charlie Wilson competed in before he passed away in April 2020. Jim Teague competed in the contest as well with a speech that involved a fruitcake. It was the final conference for me before I would be awarded with my Distinguished Toastmaster in September of that year.

We had a great turnout for new DTMs that year. Four members from Cranberry High Noon got their Distinguished Toastmaster award. That conference I coined the term “DTM huddle” when I saw the wonderful CHN members achieve their great awards. One of my favorite terms I came up with in 2019.

The night ended with some great disco dancing. For newly minted DTM Sarah Souri, that would be a great way to cap off a great confernice weekend.

The last great conference before the world shut down in 2020. Enjoy this year’s Spring Conference if you plan on going. It’s hybrid (virtual and in person) and we will be “Facing the Future”.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

Earlier this week my cousin brought it to my attention that I hadn’t posted for a while and expressed her concern. While I’ve been busy with other events in my life, I appreciate Katie for reaching out to see how I was doing. That evening the Laurel Highlands Toastmasters asked me about my blog and inspired me to keep going, and that’s what I plan to do. I will keep getting content out to you guys and continue to hone my wonderful writing skills.

Recently I attended my third District 13 Toastmasters division contest in as many weeks. It’s been a great contest season and Division D was well attended. All the contests ended with a group of us going out to eat. First it was Mad Mex, then it was Papa Sal’s, and following the Division D contest, we ate at the Oaklander in the Marriott near the University of Pittsburgh campus.

In the last month, I’ve started watching The Office on Peacock 🦚. I was inspired by my sisters (Rae and Sara) who enjoy the show. Two years ago, it was Gilmore Girls; last year it was Jane the Virgin and Gossip Girl; now it’s The Office (and Parks and Rec this summer).

So many of my friends have watched the show when it was on NBC and when the pandemic started in 2020. The characters all play off each other well, whether it’s Michael being incompetent or saying something stupid, or Jim pranking Dwight, or Kevin just being childish. I’m only into Season Three so I have a ways to go before I really give my full opinion of the show.

In addition to watching The Office, I’ve taken on the task of listening to podcasts related to all things Dunder Mifflin. Brian Baumgartner interviews the actors and staff involved with the show on The Office Deep Dive, and Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer review the episodes on their Office Ladies podcast. I also ordered a book which will be out in May written by the Office Ladies called “Office BFFs”. Creed Bratton performs the opening music for both of these podcasts and he’s a pretty good musician. I’m only in Season Three but so far I’m a Dundie for life.

I also finished the first season of Bel Air on Peacock. The show is dedicated to the original actors from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air (and in loving memory of James Avery). It’s a more dramatic take on the original show but it’s just as good. Jeffrey Townes (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the actor who played Jazz) does a podcast related to the Peacock series. I think I might try that one out as well. I plan on coming back for Season Two.

Our theme for Tuesday night’s Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting was Spring into Action. One way I’m doing so is learning a new skill. As I’ve begun the process of decluttering, my mind has become more clear. It’s easier for me to focus on other things now.

I recently opened “A Promised Land” by Barack Obama. For a long time having belonged to conservative churches, I’ve felt I had to hide any book related to Obama or things that those most people didn’t agree on that went against their ideology. One time at church, one of my friends saw the cover of “The Audacity of Hope” and told me to “Get that socialist away from him.”

So far, I’m enjoying the book. I’ve also read “Becoming” by Michelle Obama and it was well worth the money.

I’m back to listening to jazz music full time as well. It’s been an on and off thing, as I’ve always listened to CCM music and other genres. I like a little CCM music now and then but I did it mostly to keep up appearances. It’s my third time reading it, but I just bought “The History of Jazz” by Ted Gioia. It’s a new edition which recently came out in early 2021.

I don’t want to give up my gender nonconformity either as I worked really hard to find myself last year. While I’ve had to establish myself at Giant Eagle, I’ve brought it back in bits and pieces with my bag, scrunchies, and sometimes my nails 💅. I’d love to show my cousins my ULTA Beauty box that Rob and Sara got me for Christmas. Time for me to wear some that lip gloss.

My new skill, by the way, is learning a new language. Duolingo is an amazing and affordable way to learn the language of your choice. Plus that little owl 🦉 is so cute. It breaks my heart when you make him cry because you’ve been inactive for a while.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you. Haven’t closed with that in a while.

This is not a post about 2020 or last year, although I did have my own pain to deal with during those times. A global pandemic and a health scare are nothing to sneeze at though.

Before the late 2010s and the present day would see me living my best life, there was the early 2000s and The College Years.

This post is about March 2006, the beginning of my own personal “pain era”. I had been out of Slippery Rock a few months and I was still in my grace period for my student loans (which weren’t going to be a lot to pay back). My first “job” failed miserably as I lasted three weeks at Reese Teleservices but I tried again with Xentel.

It was a quiet few months where the Steelers got “one for the thumb” and I was embarking on my job search. I also applied at the new Target in North Huntingdon, which was getting ready to open in February, as well as Walmart. I was also making an attempt to apply for jobs in my field. I got a few calls but had little success so far.

But in March 2006, I was going to get a big wake-up call.

I was busy ramping up the job search when I got the news that my Great Grandma was put in a nursing home. I wasn’t driving at the time and my Dad started panicking with everything going on. It began to get very overwhelming. I needed to start driving immediately. Eventually I was hired by Xentel as I gave telemarketing one more chance. It would still be a while before I took the wheel, however.

While working at Xentel, I also applied at Kings Family Restaurant in Hempfield as they were looking to hire a Prep Cook. I aced the interview and was actually hired. I was very excited to start this job but Xentel wasn’t having any of it.

My biggest regret during this time was turning down this job offer to stay at Xentel. I was a lackluster salesperson who didn’t turn many sales and after a few months there, was let go; thus beginning my summer of unemployment. As I was taking civil service tests on top of looking for work, I began to feel entitled and would turn down menial work just to hold out for a better work. I thought my degree would save me but knowing what I know now, that’s not the case.

I’ll have a future blog post on my Summer of Discontent at a future date.

As Spring rolled on, I didn’t have the confidence to show myself or talk to anyone. I never returned voicemails either. I was so ashamed all because I had was a college graduate looking for work.

Back then, the College Years felt like the best years of my life. Now that graduation came and went and that they were over, I began to feel depressed and despaired.

I used to follow the YouTuber known as McJuggernuggets. You may remember the staged video where his dad shreds his video games with a lawn mower. Back in 2006, I felt the way that he would when his beloved Psycho Series ended in 2016. I went through the motions trying to find myself as my academic life came to an end and my real world life had yet to really take off. He tried to recreate the Psycho Series in the way I did the same recreating my past and college years.

If things couldn’t possibly get any worse, they did. Gram went into the hospital at the end of the month. She was at Forbes Hospital in Monroeville for a few weeks before she would be sent to Woodhaven Care Center, near the hospital. We spent time visiting her there before taking her home to our house, where she’d spend the summer. More on my jobless summer coming at a later date.

I spent 💰 💰 💰 on a suit for a job fair that was less than successful. I checked out companies that were looking to hire but none of them got back to me. My lack of work experience would be my undoing (unless I was looking for work in food service).

Give credit to 2006 for my downfall but the cracks began to show during the summer and into my last semester of college.

To Be Continued

Last week The Local 724 Podcast sat down with the guys from 4TheCity Church. I was looking forward to this upcoming episode when I first heard about it on Instagram a week prior. This is the story of 4TheCity Church—which is looking to a big footprint in the city of Greensburg.

(Credit goes to 4TheCityChurch.com)

4TheCity Church exists to magnify Jesus by making disciples who share and show the transforming power of the gospel and plant churches that multiply in the city of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and to the ends of the earth. Their mission is making disciples who share and show the transforming power of the gospel.

In sharing and showing Jesus to others, we share and show the transforming power of the gospel. Because this gospel is the power of God, it is of first importance to us, and we make sharing and showing the transforming power of the gospel our mission.

Pastor Scott Rising and Pastor Kevin Giddings have come to love Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and they are very excited about starting a church in the city! But what they are starting in Greensburg is just a continuation of the journey God has had them on for many years.

Several years ago Scott began attending a large church in the Kittanning area where the lead pastor there took him under his wing. In his hometown of Indiana, as Scott was sharing the Gospel, before long, he had a core group of people who started gathering together, which eventually became a campus extension of his home church. Scott planted his first church several years before the genesis of 4TheCity Church. He is continuing in ministry as the lead church planter—4TheCity of Greensburg—tasked with casting vision for the church and preaching.

Kevin has been in ministry a bit longer than Scott (approximately two decades). Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Kevin started full-time ministry serving the church through community outreach and church planting as a young adult in Texas. Whereas Scott will be the primary visionary and preacher, Kevin will be tasked with church operations.

When Scott had the vision to start 4TheCity Church in Greensburg, he talked with Kevin about teaming up together since they were already very effective as a ministry team. Kevin was on board immediately, and the drive to establish a new church in Greensburg began.

The endeavor Scott and Kevin are starting—the launching of 4TheCity Church—might seem daunting. However, they are stepping out assured in the knowledge that God loves Greensburg. They are ready to make His love known to every person living there.

The vision of 4TheCity church is to plant churches that multiply in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and to the ends of the earth.

4TheCity church is located on West 4th Street in the same building where Stage Right theatre company is located. Services are at 10am on Sunday.