It’s a season I live for. It’s contest season.

It’s my season.

My season fell short last year due to COVID-19, ending at the area level. I had been looking forward to the Division contests, and they ended up being cancelled due to the pandemic. Same with the Spring conference. Pretty soon, all Toastmaster clubs would have to meet virtually.

We held our Fall Symposium online in September. I attended the awards ceremony that morning and heard my name being called for the Spirit of Toastmasters award. I was ecstatic, to say the least. A few months later at the Winter Club Officer Training, the three of us who won the award took part in a panel discussion to answer questions related to Toastmasters (membership, education, etc.)

Two years ago, quitting Giant Eagle was the right thing for me. It wasn’t going to work out, and that was OK with me. It meant I could keep my flexible schedule and take off for the upcoming speech contests. I attended all four division contests and the District conference. I had the time of my life. I was motivated to finish what I started and get my Distinguished Toastmaster award.

I finally got it in October of 2019 and we had the ceremony during our open house that same night. I even got a proclamation from Ted Kopas and got to meet Jessica Rafferty. Both unsuccessfully ran for office in Westmoreland County in the 2019 election.

Having the meetings via zoom provides a benefit if its own. An opportunity to attend speech contests from the comfort of my own home. I’ve been stepping out of my comfort zone and attending contests in other divisions. Area 13 Director Fred Vornbrock has even suggested that I visit clubs in other states or overseas. That’s going to eventually come for me.

My contest tour got kicked off on February 4 when I attended the Area 15 contest and it continued that weekend with Area 12 and my own Area 24. I’ve been reporting on the contests for Stylish and Trendy. I’ve also taken the winning speech and applied the material to my daily life. The table topics questions have all been awesome and I’ve used them for my blogs too. I just watched Aladdin Saturday night because Jim Teague won the Area 24 Table Topics contest with it. I’m still not sure what the answer to the question would be for me. Perhaps a Disney quiz will help me here.

My future plans this month include my District Leadership Committee work as well as some upcoming area contests. Area 13 is this Wednesday. I attended that contest last year and hoped that I’d see the winners compete in March at the Division level, but we know what happened there. Area 22 will be this Saturday and that will be the last contest that will decides who competes at the Division C contest. I plan on attending some dual area contests next week and possibly a couple in Division D the first week of March before we start the Division round on March 13.

This year is already setting a records. Most area contests attended in my Toastmasters career. Happy almost tenth Toastmasters anniversary. One thing’s for certain, I’m really enjoying myself with these contests even if it’s on a virtual platform.

It’s a season I live for. It’s contest season.

It’s my season.

We heard three great speeches at the Area 4 Contest. Topics ranged from Rick Hays’ speech about his life and family (his Dad was a lawyer for U.S. Steel) to Jack Burt’s speech on how he found “A New View” on a certain class of people.

Viba Ranganathan of the Pittsburgh Toastmasters 144 gave the best speech, “Good Excuse”. In her speech, Viba talked about how fear is the biggest thing keeping us from doing what we want to do. For me, I struggle with fear more than anything.

My friend Sara and her mother Paula have given me the confidence to be me. I don’t need to apologize for me being me anymore. Sara has instilled in me “to be proud of being unapologetically ME” and to not be embarrassed of my fashion sense. If no one agrees with me, I’m grateful that the girls have accepted me for being myself. I’m so blessed that they have also adopted me (unofficially) into their family.

Maybe that’s why I enjoyed Jack’s speech as well. He was able to gain a new understanding of how people who are gay live their lives. Over the years, he has really come to accept the lifestyle. It’s prevalent in his family as well. Both Jack and Viba’s speeches tied into the contest winning that North Hills member Dawn Fratto gave last Saturday at the Area 12 contest.

🙌Congratulations to South Hills President, Area 4 Director, and Speech Contest Chair Dominic Gray for conducting a wonderful Speech Contest Event. It was a fun speech showdown between Pittsburgh Toastmasters and South Hills Toastmasters!

This was a great team effort! Thank you to the members, volunteers, contestants, and guests!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻. I had a great time at the ending chatting with Marci and Dominic, and introducing myself to Area 2 Director Julia Wick of Moon Toastmasters.

Corliss and Jack will advance to the Division Awesome Table Topics contest on March 14. Jack and Viba will advance to the Division Awesome International Speech contest held on the same day. Here’s a photo of our contestants. All of them did a great job today.

I’m looking into attending Area 2’s contest on February 24. It will be a joint contest with Area 33 in Division D.

It’s been a great early start to contest season and there’s more to come.

Bye District 13 Toastmasters Family. ❤️ you.

Today at the Area 4 Table Topics and International Speech contest, the question was a really good one appropriate for the contest.

What Color Best Represents You?

Our contestants answered the question and all have great responses.

Rick Hays answered the question saying he was a mix of Blue and Orange. Even though life could be stressful at times, he’s usually cool and tranquil (calm, cool, and collected). More of the blue there.

Jack Burt chose yellow. In his speaking roles this morning, he had a bright disposition and was very happy. Yellow is the color of sunshine 🌞(which we’re missing a lot of right now) and Jack is certainly a ray of sunshine. I really enjoyed his speech this morning as he gained “A New View” on something. It’s something I’m thinking about a good bit 🏳️‍🌈 on too.

Corliss Gunn-Ray chose Green. It’s a color not too loud, not too soft, just right (like Baby Bear’s porridge 🥣). Green is the color of Spring, the color of money 💰, and the color of my Alma mater (Slippery Rock University). But it’s also calming.

I’m going to answer this question two ways. Yellow represents me (just as it does Jack) because I’m always bringing cheer, warmth, and optimism to everyone around me (even though they may not always accept it). I’m a ray of sunshine in a world that is full of dark clouds.

My other color is one I’m really proud of and this is pink. I wore it last week on my coffee date. It’s the color of a cute sundress 🍒 perfect for summer. It’s the color of my water bottle. It’s a pastel type of color and one I love 💗 a lot. Pink represents people who are caring, emotional, and sympathetic. I exhibit a lot of these traits.

As my friend told me last week, Be Unapologetically YOU. I’ll add to that, don’t be embarrassed because the world will adjust.

Fashion is nothing to be ashamed of. Have a great weekend. ❤️ you.

Third area contest in four days. Some great feedback from yesterday from my favorite people. A much needed coffee date in my little Stars Hollow with my little sis/fashion buddy. I call that a perfect weekend.

Let’s begin with the ending in mind. Today’s Area 24 contest was another great event. It was more of a Table Topics contest with five contestants. The question was a great one, especially if you loved Disney. All the answers were very diverse from Beast to Nemo to Cinderella and Genie and even Dumbo 🐘. Not sure how to answer one. I hope to have an answer by midweek.

The winner was the one who chose Aladdin and Genie because, let’s face it, he’s a comic genius, likes to have fun, and will grant you all the wishes. Congratulations Jim Teague and Dana Mitnik and best of luck as you move onto the Division C International Speech and Table Topics contest.

Denise Pullen’s speech taught us that the best company to have is a dog. This speech made me think of my friends who are dog owners. Paula Mason and her shorkie (Shitzu-Yorkie mix) and the girls from Adventure à la Mode (Erin and Ashley) and their dogs (Stella and Charlie Girl). Also, can’t forget my cousin Liz Gaffron and her Marnie.

Yesterday’s Area 12 Speech contest was awesome, but it was the who that had me #EmbracingJoy.

I planned a trip to my little Stars Hollow (Ligonier) for coffee at Abigail’s Coffeehouse this afternoon with my fashion buddy/little sis Sara Newsom. It was more about catching up.

I like to carry accessories with me and wear my clothes a little different. She and her mother Paula Mason have adopted me into their family and let me feel comfortable to be myself. We waxed fashion sense during our visit. I showed her the Coach bag I’m eyeing up as well as a cute cherry print sundress perfect for summer. Of course my scarf stole the show.

I’ll be hooking up again with Sara and her husband Rob in March at their place for dinner. But to get in, I need to watch Jane the Virgin (I’m going to watch a full season) and I have to buy my Coach bag. I’m going to download HBO Max to watch Gossip Girl. Both shows are Sara and Rob’s favorites.

Check out my blog from yesterday (Don’t Fear What Other People Think of You) for more on yesterday’s amazing speech contest.

I’ll close off this blog with a quote from my fashion buddy Sara Newsom. “Fashion is nothing to be ashamed of”, and “Be proud of being unapologetically YOU”. I always have a great time with her and Rob and can’t wait until March.

She and mother make my day with the encouraging words they give me. They’ve adopted me into their family and for that, I’m grateful.

All in all, a perfect weekend. All because of the company I keep.

This morning’s International Speech contest taught me a lot.

Some people have a secret.

Some have a fear of missing out.

We can find inspiration anywhere.

We need to have empathy.

We can feel empty despite doing everything right.

Finally, we need to be SMART, especially when it comes to firearms.

I’m so glad I was not a judge in this morning’s contest, but rather an attendee.

Today’s area contest brought all the feels. A great Table Topics contest was the perfect way to kick today’s festivities. The question was “What trait was reinforced during 2020”. Perspective, Priorities, and Patience were the answers. I wrote a blog this morning about the trait reinforced in me during 2020.

Chad Hudson served as our contest chair and Linda Young was chief judge. They put together a great team that helped this contest run smoothly. Beginning this blog with the end in mind, Chad asked for feedback from the District Trio, a few of our Division Directors, and past dignitaries (including me). We talked about how great the event was, how great the speeches were, and some of the answers to today’s table topic question.

The speech topics ranged from social issues (transgender people and gun safety) to life during the pandemic, and living your life for others instead of yourself. Every speech was amazing and not a bad one in the bunch. Not a dry eye either. The last one really got to me. People need to pay attention to the dangers of firearms. The acronym Joe Schmitt used was very informative. As gun owners, we need be SMART for our children.

Dawn Fratto’s speech ended up winning first place. What I picked up from the award winning speech was that we’re always trying to fit in. Despite all she had to endure, she began to rise from the ashes (like a phoenix). Despite living a successful adult life, she felt empty despite doing everything right.

We have a fear of what other people think. We worry that we are not going to be accepted unless we fit a certain mold. Here’s my personal story.

I was having coffee in Ligonier with my friend Sara this afternoon, and one of the things we talked about was fashion. I like to carry accessories with me and wear my clothes a little different. She and her mother have adopted me into their family and let me feel comfortable to be myself. It hasn’t been easy as I speculate on how my family might react, especially my parents.

Sara calls me her big brother, and also her fashion buddy. I’m also starting to introduce her to some of my blogger friends. One of these days, I’ll even introduce her to Team Trendy (she went to high school with Emily Parker).

We are all different. Don’t ever tell yourself you’re not good enough. Celebrate where you belong. It’s high time I drop the “married to my job” and “married to Toastmasters” tags and other labels that people have bestowed upon me.

All in all, the speeches were great and hard to judge. I’m glad I didn’t judge this contest. It opened my eyes, put things into perspective, helped me to prioritize, find inspiration anywhere, and made me cry 😭.

Big thank you to Chad Hudson, Linda Young, Jing Humphreys, Stephanie Scott, Patti Thor, Bob Johnson, John Sinclair, and all who attended to make this contest a success. Plenty more to come in this season.

It’s a season I live for. It’s contest season.

Good morning. I had attended the Area 12 International Speech and Table Topics contest this morning. The table topics question asked of the contestants this morning was “What personality trait of yours was reinforced during 2020?”

To answer that question, I would say loyalty is the trait that for me was taken into perspective in 2020. Three areas where loyalty was most prevalent in 2020 were:

Family and Friends— They were healthy for the most part with only a few quarantines around Christmas. We all did our part and were in this together.

Community—I began to invest myself in Greensburg, and started to follow small businesses on Instagram, as well as other bloggers. I’ve gained some good friends in the process.

Occupation—We had a two month layoff and returned to work in May. We remained steady for the most part even as we shut down other non essential businesses around Christmas. However, I’ve also begun to realize self-care is just important as staying busy.

Enjoy your Saturday, everyone. ❤️ you.

Pathways is an exciting, flexible and interactive way to develop your skills and help others in your club develop theirs. It will help you learn communication and leadership skills that you need to succeed. It gives you:

• The opportunity to build up to 300 unique competencies
• 11 specialized learning paths to choose from
• Online content, so that you can learn anytime, anywhere
• Real-world, transferable skills

Here are the 11 paths that you can choose from:

We have an incentive in Toastmasters for all of our members.

On October 22, 2020, Toastmasters International sent out an email to members that included its appreciation to you in the form of a free path.

Any Toastmaster who renewed their membership for the October renewal period by December 31 will have automatically received a free Pathways path! To redeem your free path, visit your Toastmasters profile, click the “Choose A Path” button, and follow the normal path selection process. You must redeem your free path before March 31, 2021. This is a great way to motivate members to get going in the paths and help their clubs achieve their educational goals. This will have an impact on whether or not clubs will be eligible for the Distinguished Club program.

For more information about the free path, please see frequently asked questions. 

Once the path has been selected, members may take as long as they want to work toward their personal objectives. Don’t wait! You are investing in yourself.

Pathways has worked for our members in District 13. They have worked up through the ranks to complete their paths. Some of our members have taken well to the new education program.

Shanda Kelsch is a member of the Elk County Toastmasters club. She placed second in the area 21 speech contest last February. If not for the pandemic, I feel she could have gone all the way to District with her speech. Recently, she completed her Level 4 in the Visionary Communication Path.

The Visionary Path was created to help build skills as a strategic communicator to launch a long-term personal or professional vision. The projects on this path focus on developing skills for sharing information with a team, planning communications and creating innovative solutions to problems while building skills in speech writing and delivery.

“While Levels 1 and 2 helped me understand myself better as a leader and a communicator, levels 3 and 4 have helped me to develop those skills further,” says Kelsch, current President of Elk County Toastmasters. “Level 3 taught me how to connect with people, inspire a team and how to network but Level 4 brought my education up to a whole new level by teaching me how to more effectively use online media, public relations strategies and managing projects with a team. It has been an interesting experience.”

Shanda will continue her education on the Visionary Communication Path over the next few weeks gaining knowledge in High Performance and Ethical Leadership and Leading in her own Volunteer Organization.

“My education with Toastmasters won’t end once I have completed my last few assignments. I plan to continue my education by enrolling in the Strategic Relationships Path so that I can further hone my skills as a leader in interpersonal and business communication and in running and building businesses and other organizations.”

Elk County Toastmasters meets at 6:30pm on the first and third Thursdays of each month online and in-person at St. Boniface School in Kersey.

Great work, Shanda, and keep working hard in your Toastmasters journey and in your other endeavors.

In the Presentation Mastery path, Cranberry High Noon President Tina Kramer has learned to moderate a panel discussion. That’s exactly what she did at December’s Toastmaster Leadership Training. Along with her team, Tina showed us tips and tricks on “How to Make Our Online Meetings Rock!”

Division B Director and Earlybirds member Jing Humphries is working in her third path, Strategic Relationships. She, along with Virda Perry, Terye Carney, and Tina, put their skills to the test for the breakout session on online meetings at TLI and both club officer training makeups.

For me, I’m just starting in my path. Right now, I’m in the dynamic leadership path. I’m told one of the paths includes writing a blog which I’m what I’m doing now. Over the last few years, I’ve taken it upon me to be more inspirational and I’ve done that with my #EmbracingJoy posts on Facebook. I’m also more passionate about my community and embracing my style. We’ll see where my paths take me. Even though I have my two paths, could I possibly take advantage of a free path by March 31?

That concludes this Pathways blog. For some, it’s a fresh start. For others, they may have mixed feelings. It all depends on how you go about it and how you can adapt to change. If you’re a longtime toastmaster, raised on the traditional education, you may have some growing pains and opinions on the new program. If you’re just getting started you may see how fun the new package is and teach a thing to our veterans.

To my boss babe friends, you will be getting some sweet shoutouts.

It’s January but we will be celebrating a holiday in February that caters to love, chocolate, and flowers. In this holiday blog, I will be highlighting my own Valentine’s Day haul and shouting out my favorite local shops that have sales and events related to the holiday. But be honest, is it Valentine’s Day or Galentines Day? Are you looking for someone who’s the Ann to your Leslie? Or, is it all about spending the day with your special someone and taking them to a candlelit dinner? I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day myself but I am definitely in it for the candy, and I’m happy to promote all these awesome things that are going on.

Let’s begin in downtown Greensburg on South Pennsylvania Avenue. There are couple of fun events planned on Valentines Eve, February 13. One is at the Trendy Bunny Studio.

The shop will be hosting A Very Trendy Valentine’s Party! There will be treat stations for the kids, a photo drop for families, activities for the whole family to enjoy, and exclusive products on sale during the event. The event will be held from 10AM to 6PM, Saturday, February 13. There will be some fun products for sale that will be exclusive for the Valentine’s Day Event! These are limited availability! Here’s a few of them.

The hours for the event have been extended to provide time and space to follow all CDC guidelines. The usual hours for The Trendy Bunny Studio on Saturday are 10-3.

Also that day, Masterspieces in downtown Latrobe will be hosting an exciting event. Mark your calendars to TREAT YO SELF! Courtney will be hosting a Parks & Rec Galentines Day event. From what I’ve heard so far, the event is going to be a blast! Not only will the shop have limited edition Masterspieces Parks & Rec themed goods, there will also be special guests @bite_confections, @christinaelizabethconfections & @withlovecharcuterie ! Who doesn’t love charcuterie or confections on Valentine’s Day?

The event will run from 10-2 on February 13. Also at Masterspieces on January 31 is a pop-up event with the girls from Elizabeth Von Boutique.

How cute are these Valentine’s Day boxes Wight Elephant has?

These adorable boxes & bags were made available EXCLUSIVELY during last night’s FB live! What’s inside? It’s a mystery!! These will make great Valentine’s & Galentine’s gifts! 💕

In each gift are 6-8 items all wrapped in a darling little box or dolled up in a cute Valentine bag all ready to go to your special someone, or to treat yourself to a fun surprise 😉. Stock is very limited.

How about this cute outfit perfect for Valentine’s Day?

This look is stunning😍❤. you need to celebrate #Valentines (or #Galentines) is an adorable sweater, a good pair of jeans, and some totally 🔥 matching accessories! 🙌🏻⁣.

Finally, let’s talk about my Stylish Valentine’s Day haul. I started it by shopping at Michael’s on my way home from work. I bought some decor to make my place stand out. While February is all about this special holiday, it also stands for Black History month. Here’s the first fruits of my Valentine’s spree. How sweet is that cherry print photo box?

No Valentine’s Day is complete without candy or chocolate 🍫 🍭. On one of my Target runs, I came across a great deal. 3 for $8 on assorted candy. I also picked up some Dove chocolate. To hide it from little kids, I put it in this sweet gift bag I saved from a year ago when I gave my coworkers their Valentines Day chocolate.

I have it in me to do one more Valentine’s Day run before the calendar changes to February. Maybe one more Target run or even Dollar Tree. My windows could definitely use some heart decals or some candy hearts. Maybe a box of Valentine’s and I can send them to my boss babe friends.

Happy Valentine’s or, if you prefer, Happy Galentines Day. May your hearts be filled with love and your flowers fresh 🌹. May you find the Ann Perkins to your Leslie Knope.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

This is a blog about the Distinguished Club progress our Divison B clubs are making. To learn more about your club’s performance, visit dashboards.toastmastersclubs.org. Leading off the blog, a few items from last Saturday’s TLI makeup training.

This past Saturday, Earlybirds Toastmasters Tina Kramer and Jing Humphreys presented “Tips and Tricks to Make Your Online Meetings Rock!” at the makeup TLI. They educated the group on the hybrid and online meeting best practices and various Zoom tips, including: how to pin a Timer, spotlight a speaker, share your screen and create and manage breakout rooms. I had the pleasure of attending their session at December’s Club Officer Training. Their presentation and tips can be found on the District 13 website here: https://d13tm.com/events/tli/.

Cranberry High Noon members Rahul Bagal and Amit Grover deserve a shootout for their exceptional work leading the District 13 Toastmasters VPPR training during the club officer makeup training on Saturday. in addition to being a member of Cranberry High Noon, Amit also serves as President of Aspinwall Toastmasters. Rahul and Amit’s full presentation and training materials can be found on the District 13 Toastmasters website: https://d13tm.com/events/tli/.

The Distinguished Club Program (DCP) was established by Toastmasters International as a general measure of club success. Each year the Distinguished Club Program recognizes club achievements in education, membership growth, club leadership and club communication. This measure is not the whole of what makes a club successful, but it does reflect the activities that required for success.

To help members achieve their personal goals, clubs are encouraged to define a mission statement and create a Club Success Plan, which for many clubs will be based on the targets outlined in the Distinguished Club Program. The Distinguished Club Program, therefore, has the duel benefit of helping both the club and its members.

Distinguished Club Program Goals
In the Distinguished Club Program, there are ten goals that serve as targets to help a club become a stronger organization.

Education Goals: Up to six of the Pathways Level goals below
1.	Four members complete Level 1
2.	Two members complete Level 2
3.	Two more members complate Level 2
4.	Two members complete Level 3
5.	One member completes Level 4, Level 5 or DTM
6.	One more member completes Level 4, Level 5 or DTM
Membership Goals
7.	Add four new members
8.	Add four more new members
Officer Training Goal
9.	Have a minimum of four officers trained during each of the two Club Officer Training periods
Administration Goal
10.	Submit one membership dues renewal report and one club officer list to Toastmasters International before the deadline

By achieving a certain number of the targets in this program, a club can earn one of three levels of recognition:

Achieve five of ten goals	=	Distinguished Club
Achieve seven of ten goals	=	Select Distinguished Club
Achieve nine of ten goals	=	President’s Distinguished Club

In Division B and District 13, our community and corporate clubs are here to help our members become better speakers and leaders. Cranberry High Noon leads the way with 30 members and nine goals. This shows signs of a healthy club and one area where CHN really excels is in membership. They have gained ten new members in the new Toastmasters year and for the eighth year in a row, will achieve Presidents’ Distinguished honors. Cranberry Area and Promasters are in the running as well but will need to grow membership and gain achievement to be eligible for the DCP.

Other clubs in Division B that have done well are North Hills and Aspinwall. North Hills is a healthy club with 31 members and on their way to Presidents’ while Aspinwall is on their way to Select. Eriez is a possible candidate for Select Distinguished but will need to grow membership. Earlybirds won Presidents’ A year ago but will need to get to 20 or grow by a few more to be eligible. Clubs that are struggling are eligible for a club coach.

Membership Requirement
To be eligible for recognition under the Distinguished Club Program, a club must end the Toastmasters year on June 30 with twenty or more members OR with a net increase of at least five members since beginning of the Toastmasters year July 1.

Repeating from earlier, any club member can track how his or her club is doing in the Distinguished Club Program by visiting the Dashboard on the Toastmasters International website.

Next DCP blog (for Division B and other District 13 clubs) will be up in April.

A great night was had at Greensburg Toastmasters’ club contest. Michelle Teague served as our contest Toastmaster and Mike Dalton would be our vote counter. We kicked off the night with the International Speech contest.

We heard three amazing speeches. Three speeches with a message attached to each one. The first speech by James Teague about his daughter taught us to “Hang in there, things will get better.” The lesson in the second speech by Chuck Dietz “Break A Leg” was that “Everything will turn out OK.” Denise Pullen spoke about “The Company You Keep”. In it she talked about the best companion to have with you in this time of exile are a good book, a board game, blanket, and a devoted dog.

In Table Topics, the question Michelle asked of us was one thing we wanted to accomplish for 2021. Diane Svec, Greg Burcz, myself, and James Teague were the contestants. How did I answer the question?

I talked about my goal being that I want to start building my retirement nest egg as I near a milestone birthday. For me to start getting serious about building wealth, I need to take control of my money and start budgeting. I’m blessed with insight from experts in the Dave Ramsey family like Dave himself, as well as Chris Hogan and Dave’s daughter Rachel Cruze and Christy Wright. All these folks are knowledgeable in the fields of personal finance, retirement planning, and business. I’m currently reading “Retire Inspired” by Chris Hogan and “Know Yourself Know Your Money” by Rachel Cruze.

The winners from tonight’s contest will advance to the Area 24 contest on February 7. I’m happy to report that James Teague swept both contests and will represent the Greensburg chapter. Also placing were Greg Burcz and Chuck Dietz. Overall it was a nice turnout and Michelle ran this contest very effectively.

On to Area 24 in two weeks.