Today was lucky number seven. It was my seventh time using Zoom and my seventh time visiting the Cranberry High Noon Toastmasters chapter. I arrived to the virtual meeting at 11:55 AM. Mike McKivigan started the meeting at Noon sharp and told us it was going to be a full agenda. Amit Grover served as Toastmaster and announced who the role players were. They gave a description of their role. Afterwards, it was time for Amit to introduce our speakers.

Linde Riley was up first and her speech was about her experiences living in New Mexico. She highlighted some key points, such as the Hot Air Balloon festival in Albuquerque, and White Sands State Park in the southern part of the state. She mentioned at the beginning of her speech that she lived in Santa Fe.

Rashmi Tavate was next and she spoke to us from India. Her speech was from the traditional manual. Her objective was to sell us a product. That was a 3-in-1 software package. She talked about its features, the price, and whether it was worth it or not. She had our attention and I was able to understand the speech very well.

Cristina Martin was our last speaker and she did a speech that required evaluation and feedback. She hit on videoconferencing and it couldn’t have come at a better time than now. I’m familiar with a few of the programs that she talked about. Messenger is probably the best one for me.

Up next was Table Topics and Shawndra Holmberg led the session. She went along with the theme for the meeting, which was practicing gratitude. We were pressed for time, so only three speakers were able to participate. Kathleen, Rahul, and Sarah all gave great answers to the questions that Shawndra provided. I’ll post some appreciation in the closing.

Dipali Gupta served as General Evaluator. She introduced Gauri, Bob, and Rahul as the evaluators. All of them provided some wonderful points of praise in their evaluations. They also gave the speakers things they can improve upon. Dipali gave her evaluation of the meeting and Tina evaluated Shawndra’s performance as Topics Master. Mike then closed the meeting with a little business and thanked me for coming. I’m not really a guest anymore as this was my seventh time visiting.

Time to close off the blog with some key points. I took these from today’s meeting. The things we take for granted we need to appreciate. We need to learn to be more content, especially if we identify as introverts.

To express gratitude, send a thank you note 📝 to a friend or colleague showing how much you value their presence. Keep a gratitude journal. Count your blessings and pray. Also, try meditating on passages of scripture in the Bible.

Remember to live your best life. Be your best you. ROCK out because you are worth it. Make tomorrow lovely. Put together a nice outfit and rock it even if no one’s paying attention.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you 😘 🤗.

This was supposed to be my weekend. I was going to be living it up at the Hilton Garden Inn in Southpointe. I going to run the gauntlet at the dinner on Saturday and have my Distinguished Toastmaster medal awarded to me by the former Toastmasters President. I was going to practice my 2000 dance moves, learning the steps to Bye Bye Bye by ‘NSync and forming my own DTM huddle that bettered the one that Cranberry High Noon had last year. I was going to celebrate my achievement with my District 13 Toastmasters family over a couple drinks 🍹. I was going to show off my medal to everyone at work and church. Oh what could’ve been.

In reality, I spent this week getting ready for new lessons in Financial Peace University. I read some of the books I downloaded onto my Kindle app. Shotgun Angels by Jay DeMarcus highlights his early life as well as his years with Rascal Flatts. I just downloaded their Greatest Hits CD onto my iTunes. Other books I downloaded included Everyday Millionaire by Chris Hogan and Love Your Life Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze, both good books pertaining to Wealth and Money 💴. Perhaps I’m going back to my roots. Both books are very informative and will help me as I work to achieve my future goals.

I’m starting to like country music again. I ordered some CDs last Monday that aren’t fairly new but it’s “classic” country that takes me back to my high school and college years. I’ve always been an on and off listener of country music. My parents listened to it a lot for years before switching over to classical music (Mozart, Beethoven, Bach). My sister has listened to country longer than most of us.

If you know me, I’ve always been a Jazz 🎷 🎺 listener and boy band/girl band enthusiast. I have a special place in my heart for the Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, and other groups that most people find cheesy. That kind of music is special and you don’t want to wear it down.

Getting into Financial Peace University now. Plans for Tuesday night include lessons four and five. We’re going to wrap up the baby steps and go into Buyer Beware and the Art of Negotiating. On Wednesday night, I will return to Cornerstone and take part in the prayer meeting for our country. Now back to tomorrow, I am going to attend the virtual Cranberry High Noon meeting. I’ve already reached out to Tina Kramer and Bob Johnson and told them I’m coming. Plus I also plan to come to Saturday’s Earlybirds meeting.

Today we had our first virtual Achievers meeting. 13 people showed up including Area Director Sue Mals. I served as Toastmaster with Fred Vornbrock and Christina Keener speaking. Christina’s speech had that Faerie Grace ring to it. It was very motivational. After the meeting ended, my officers and I, as well as Area Director, Program Quality Director, and Club Coach discussed the upcoming open house and other club business. We also hit on dues renewals and where our club stood stood with getting awards. We just need to get the membership up and we will get to Select Distinguished once again.

Time to close off the blog. I’m turning into an old pro with the Zoom meetings. It’s fun to visit Toastmasters meetings without leaving the house. I’ll be checking out the Cranberry High Noon chapter tomorrow afternoon. Not my first rodeo 🐎 there either. I’m also going back to my roots learning some of that personal finance and accounting that I studied in college. It took a while to get back to it but I’m excited to learn from Dave Ramsey in the coming weeks.

Monday is coming. Remember to live your best life. Be your best you. ROCK out because you are worth it. Make this week lovely. Remember that life happens, but coffee helps. Be positive and realistic in your endeavors.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you 😘 💋 🤗.

I think I’ve begun to get the hang of these virtual Zoom meetings. I attended my second one for Greensburg Wednesday night. We had a great turnout with 12 people in attendance. Faerie had a little bit of trouble with the audio but figured it out. With that out of the way let’s have a meeting.

Denise Pullen served as Toastmaster and introduced our speakers, Greg Burcz and Michelle Teague. While both their speeches were amazing, I want to commend Faerie Grace for her Table Topics theme.

She gave us questions that pertained to the COVID-19 lockdown. The object was turn our answers into a motivational speech. Faerie is an exceptional motivational speaker herself. I loved where she was going with this. She had six participants answer her questions.

Greg went first and hey, hats off to him for being on the front lines during this pandemic. Claudette was next and between her, Sam, and Greg, their questions really related to them. Faerie somehow knew the questions had them in mind. It was funny that most of them were odd numbered. My question was not so relevant to me since I don’t work from home but I answered it very concisely. Chuck and Mike rounded out the session. While my answer was well thought out, I feel that Mike was the best Table Topics speaker.

Yours Truly was next up to bat as General Evaluator. I introduced Jim and Chuck as speech evaluators. Sam gave a thorough Grammarian report and Ina gave her Ah Counter report. Michelle served as Timer. Everyone came within time this evening. We planned May’s meetings and I agreed to serve as Toastmaster on June 3.

My review of the meeting was to the point. We’re figuring out our best practices for these meetings still. Our speakers gave great talks. Faerie’s Table Topics session was motivational and amazing. Our evaluators hit on main points of the speech and provided room for improvement. We adjourned the meeting just before 8pm.

Time to close off the blog by encouraging all of you to be grateful for everything you have in this difficult times. Don’t forget to laugh because laughter is the best medicine. A smile is the best accessory that you can own. Use it.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

I arrived at the North Hills Toastmasters meeting around 6:45. Before that I did a little shopping at Kohl’s and Target and this little bookstore in McCandless Crossing (not really). I was greeted by the president of the North Hills chapter, Karl Matos, and a few other longtime members (Linda and Beverly). Dan Hurley remembered me from many of our other District events. Karl went over the theme for the meeting and had his officer meeting. It looks like he has a great slate of officers.

As Toastmaster, Rick Ley provided some great tips for these virtual meetings. He then introduced his role players for tonight’s meeting. The word of the day was Gloaming. Amir and Indra would serve as Topicsmaster and General Evaluator, respectively. We had three speakers on the agenda tonight.

Mike Hess talked about human trafficking and provided some alarming statistics. I learned tonight that Pittsburgh is #10 in the country in human trafficking. The call for action was to take 21 minutes a day to study this issue. Susan Meyer talked about the difference between being an introvert and extrovert. Both have interesting traits. After listening to her speech, I can say that I happily identify as an introvert. Joann Walk did a speech fromg the Better Speaker Series. She gave a thorough and detailed explanation of the roles and responsibilities of club officers and provided great examples. She closed with a great quote by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Next up was Indra serving as General Evaluator. He’s looking for a couple of books to read this summer. Karl evaluated Mike’s speech. He commended Mike’s call for action and suggested he improve his vocal variety to match his passion. Beverly evaluated Susan’s speech on introvert vs. extrovert. How does being an introvert affect your time management was the question she had. Mike Bummer evaluated Joann’s speech. Suggestions included balancing audio with video. She was super thorough and well invested in the topic. He included a quote by Elon Musk to counter hers by Huckabee.

Amir served as the Table Topics Master. He provided us with a great list of summer reading. A lot of good responses from our members and guests. I gave my take on The Audacity of Hope and other books I’ve read. Rick then called on his role players to give their reports. Tonight’s speakers were motivational from Mike’s speech on preventing human trafficking to Susan’s speech on introverts and extroverts. I was very polished as well.

I was impressed with tonight’s meeting and all the role players did an excellent job with their jobs. Chad Hudson closed out the meeting with some good humor. Karl adjourned the meeting at 9pm exactly.

I’ll close off the blog by encouraging you all to live your best life. Thanks Karl and Susan for the invite. I’ll be back soon.

It was a good Easter holiday, all things considered. I watched Cornerstone’s Easter service online (a majority of the members went to the parking lot to hear the drive in church service; however I stayed home). We ate Easter dinner around 3pm. Mom made Grandma’s stuffed chicken and mashed potatoes with stuffing. It felt like those past Easter Saturdays over at her house. It was a bittersweet holiday this year remembering those no longer with us. Annabelle had a nice Easter and got a couple of Easter baskets.

I did my Financial Peace lesson Sunday night. Chris Hogan and Rachel Cruze (the daughter of Dave Ramsey) taught me the importance of putting three to six months into an emergency fund. I was looking forward to the budgeting lesson Tuesday night with my group from Cornerstone. More on that later in the blog.

On the 11pm news, my wonderful Toastmaster friend Sarah Souri was interviewed on the way people have dealt with the Coronavirus and having to be in quarantine. She is a psychotherapist in the Wexford area. She said that staying connected to loved ones during this time would be crucial. Finding alternatives to typical Easter traditions like attending a church service online helps as well as keeping a schedule while at home. I’ve been reading, working on my blog, and just recently shopped on Amazon. Sometimes I get out and take a ride and that helps calm my anxiety.

Sarah’s Toastmasters and improv experience really came in handy during this interview on KDKA. We enjoy each other’s company when I visit her at Cranberry High Noon meetings. She loves my blog and my stylish attire.

I finally used my Amazon gift cards on Monday. Before that, however, I downloaded some books onto my Kindle app. A couple of them were by Chris Hogan and Rachel Cruze. I also downloaded another leadership book by Robert Iger and one by Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts fame.

The books I ordered included another country music book (Nashville Songwriter) and one about the history of Dick’s written by the son of the founder of the sporting goods chain. For those who don’t know, Dick’s Sporting Goods is based in Findlay Township and I believe they have a Toastmasters chapter in my District. I also decided to order some country CD’s. It’s mostly music from the late 90’s into my college years. I’m an on and off listener while my sister has always liked country.

Last night’s Financial Peace University lesson was done very well. Ed Malinowski led the discussion on budgeting. He went into detail on how to use the Every Dollar App. We all had questions on how to do a budget and he and Larry Klinger did their best to help ease the confusion. The first three baby steps are done. Time to move onto steps four through seven. It’s two lessons to cover them and they are important to know if you want to Live Like No One Else.

Time now to close off the blog. Part of having Financial Peace includes paying with cash. Where better to do this than when you eat out? I do that a lot, going to Chick Fil A, Sheetz, and my local establishments where I’ll spend a lot of my money once they reopen. I encourage you all to take an envelope ✉️ with cash in it next time you go to the grocery store or the coffee shop. I guarantee you’ll experience less pain even though it’ll hurt initially.

Remember to live your best life. Be your best you. ROCK out because you are worth it. You are born to fly, and in dreams you remember the soul has wings.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you 😘 🤗.

Today’s blog is part Stars Hollow, part Slippery Rock. I will do my review of Season Four of Gilmore Girls and Rory’s first year at Yale University. I’m also going to highlight the events leading up to when I started at Slippery Rock.

As for Gilmore Girls, I thought I’d be done with the show once Rory and Paris graduated from Chilton (Those Are Strings, Pinocchio). But as it turned out, season four was the best season so far. I was introduced to new characters (Jason, Doyle, plus the weird suite mates that lived in Rory and Paris’s dorm, and Asher). The storylines were good as well. Richard and Jason go into business, Lorelei and Sookie begin plans to open the Dragonfly Inn, and Luke’s drama with Nicole.

I think what stood out was Paris’s budding romance with Professor Fleming (Michael York). This was a May-December romance if I ever saw one. Richard and Emily’s separation was also a big storyline. Was it the ‘stache?

I first found out about Slippery Rock at a college transfer fair being held at the Greater Johnstown Career and Technology Center around Halloween 2002. I looked around for the school I’d call home the next four years. I planned on getting my Associates Degree in the Spring of 2003.

I talked to representatives from California (PA), Edinboro, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a nice green and white campus about an hour north of Pittsburgh. Clarion didn’t make it due to the inclement weather (Johnstown had freezing rain that morning) and Juniata and Penn State weren’t on my radar.

That night after I got back from class, I took my literature to HGA’s student union, The Annex. I reviewed it to find the best fit for me. California, Edinboro, and IUP looked enticing, but it was clear where I had my heart set on going.

One of the episodes from season four that stood out to me was “The Incredible Sinking Gilmores”. Richard’s mom (excellent acting by Marion Ross) takes Lorelei and Richard to task in the way she usually does with Emily. I could relate to this episode during my first year at my new school.

Both Lorelei and Rory felt like failures because of their struggles. Lorelei was losing money because the construction of the Dragonfly Inn was taking longer than expected. Rory was falling behind in a class and feared she’d have to drop one and she’d disappoint her grandfather, a Yale alumnus. I would go through my own set of growing pains at my new college come the Fall of 2003.

While the school was on Spring Break, my mom and I made our first visit there early that Monday. We met with an admissions representative in North Hall. I was quite impressed with what I had seen so far. We were introduced to the campus and I learned about some of the liberal arts classes that we offered. After our meeting, I left to go back to HGA feeling very confident that I would get accepted. We stopped for lunch at Eat’n Park in Butler and then we were on our way back to Johnstown. The next week I went home for Spring Break and filled our application for Slippery Rock University.

A week later, I received the good news that I had been accepted into The Rock. But tragedy followed the positive vibes that came for me. That weekend, my grandpap had a sudden heart attack and passed away. I went home on a snowy Sunday to be there for my Grandma. My family congratulated me on getting into Slippery Rock and mourned with me in my time of loss. It was a bittersweet final few days of March.

I’ve talked about the storylines and the characters. Time to close off the Stars Hollow portion by discussing the season finale. First of all, Sally Struthers and Liz Torres came up clutch in the Dragonfly Inn Test Run. Babette never fails at making me laugh. How did she know about Lorelai and Jason? From Miss Patty of course. Those two are perfect as the gossips of Stars Hollow. Even Tom (the foreman) cleaned up good. But the Dean and Rory portion of the episode had me bawling at the end. Yes we saw a little of him and Jess in season four. She goes home to get CD’s and catches up with Dean. Lorelei catches wind of their antics and reminds her than Dean is still married. Rory didn’t care and still had feelings for him. The episode and season ends with her crying on the front stairs.

The last week of April, my Mom and I went up to Slippery Rock for orientation. We arrived early and took our seats in the University Union. I was ready to learn more about the school I’d call home for the next four years. We took a walking tour of the campus after getting to know some of the people who were speaking. I saw the building where I’d have classes next fall and even got to sit in the classroom. It was a nice Spring day perfect for a drive up to Slippery Rock. However not everything was set in stone.

I still didn’t have housing set up and wasn’t sure if anything would be ready for the Fall. We kept our fingers crossed that something would come up and surely it did. Soon enough I had a place to live on campus. The countdown could now begin. I got my classes scheduled right before Memorial Day. Summer was now underway and in just a few months I was going to be calling Slippery Rock University home.

Time to close off the blog. Happy Easter and Resurrection Sunday. I heard a great sermon from my church this morning on their Facebook page. They even had a drive in service this morning that only lasted 35 minutes but from what I hear the parking lot was full. It’s a bittersweet holiday this year without my Grandma. Easter was always her favorite holiday. We’re making her stuffed chicken and mashed potatoes for supper.

Remember on this special day to live your best life. Be your best you. ROCK out because you are worth it. Don’t eat too much food (or chocolate) today and, don’t forget to laugh because laughter is the best medicine.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you 🤗 😘.

I’m sending this blog out first and the Season Four Gilmore Girls review will be released tomorrow.

I’d like to make this the first of a few virtual visits to the Earlybirds club. The next one will be a “what if” with a little Slippery Rock visit thrown in, just to show if I was meeting in person.

I’m no stranger to the club. I had visited three times before (Sept. 2013, Sept. 2014, and Oct. 2017) and all three visits preceded a trip to Slippery Rock, two for Homecoming. This was visit number four and it was my first online visit. I was greeted by Club President Jing Humphries, VP of PR Tina Kramer (also of the Cranberry High Noon chapter), and Division B Director Terye Carney. Once we got situated, we started the meeting. Tina led us in the pledge and was our inspiration master. She gave us some positive vibes in this trying time. JD Woolington was up to bat next and gave us an interesting word du jour in bamfuzzle.

Jing served as the meeting toastmaster and had the honor of introducing three great speakers. Roger King was up with his speech on the history of technology. It was part two of an evaluation and feedback project in Dynamic Leadership. Tina Kramer went second and did her Level 5 project in presentation mastery. The objective was to prepare to speak professionally. She talked about how Toastmasters Changes Lives. Amanda, a new member, gave her ice breaker and told us about a will and a way. She is working on getting her CPA certification and eventually would like to be a CFO. After our speakers did their part, it was time to introduce Rob Cobbett as our Table Topics Master.

Rob (and Walter J Smith who did a great job helping out) led a wonderful Table Topics session. Two guests participated (Sonia McKoy and myself). The questions were appropriate for the times.

Jing stepped in as General Evaluator and introduced Tina, Walter J, and Bill Reynolds as evaluators. They all did well even as Jing stepped in for Bill to evaluate Roger’s speech. She put on many hats this morning to make the meeting run smoothly. She is also a past district leader and served as District Governor in 2001.

Sonia and I gave our feedback on the meeting and we had some pointers for how the virtual meeting can be improved. We adjourned at 8:45am and the club conducted their business meeting soon after.

Thank you so much for a great meeting. The fourth time was the charm after I missed three good meetings (the Open House on October 26, the Christmas Party on December 21, and Pie Day on March 14).

This was my fourth time visiting the Earlybirds club. It’s second to Cranberry High Noon which I have visited six times.

Time to close off the blog with a shout-out to my favorite green and white school. You rock, Slippery Rock. Even as the campus remains closed due to COVID 19, Spring has spring and its beauty blooms from within. It’s a sign of spring in Slippery Rock when you see an April snow shower.

Remember the reason for the season this Easter holiday. Also remember to live your best life and be your best you. ROCK out because you are worth it.

It’s a great day. Breathe in the beauty and exhale gratitude.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you 🤗 😘.

I ate like a Gilmore this morning. Sausage Gravy on a biscuit with a fried egg 🍳. Drinking some coffee now. I feel like I’m at Luke’s.

It’s my first blog since Saturday. I know the week isn’t over but I did want to review some of the things I did so far this week. Let’s start with Sunday.

I attended my virtual Palm Sunday service on Cornerstone’s Facebook page. Around Noon, I drove off to Ligonier, my own little Stars Hollow, and had a picnic lunch in the diamond. I decided to eat like a Gilmore and had a bacon burger with Swiss cheese on a pretzel 🥨 bun. I also had onion rings. After my Luke’s lunch, I walked around town and then read like Rory, with my Shakespeare companion in hand.

That night, I watched the season four finale of Gilmore Girls finale. It was the Dragonfly Inn test run. I laughed at Babette and Miss Patty, but cried for Rory as she felt bad about her feelings for Dean.

The Summer of 2004 (in between seasons four and five of Gilmore Girls) saw me get a job at Park Classic Diner (real life) washing dishes. It was a long summer as I attended graduation a few weeks before I got hired and was in love. I sent a letter to a girl I liked and was awaiting hers in return. In a way I could relate to Rory at the end of that episode. Her crying as the credits came up was me on that last weekend before I went back to school. I was feeling down about being rejected and a group of my friends were going to the Michael W. Smith/Mercy Me concert in Burgettstown. But things were looking up as I returned to school later that week.

I attended my Financial Peace University on Tuesday night. There were about 18 of us. Our leaders all attended the Zoom meeting. We learned about the debt snowball and why a credit score is overrated. Dave Ramsey has a passion for cutting up credit cards that aren’t being used. I’m careful with using mine but I understand why some feel this needs to be done. This was a good lesson and I look forward to hearing Ed lead next week’s lesson on the Emergency Fund.

In Toastmasters, we’re planning a speaker showcase with all the top three contestants from Areas 21, 22, and 24. I’ve reached out to the contestants to gain interest. I also reached out to the Achievers members about making Michelle Teague our club coach. I think she’s got the job. She serves as Greensburg’s Vice President of Education with her husband Jim serving as President. They make a great team at Greensburg Toastmasters. I’m confident that the event will go over well.

I’ve also reached out to Jing Humphries about attending her club’s virtual meeting Saturday morning. She is president of the Earlybirds club that meets at the Butler YMCA downtown. She and Tina Kramer (who is the VPE for the Cranberry High Noon club) sent me the link. Terye Carney (current Division B Director) has reached out to me as well as she knows I want to visit more club meetings. Plus it makes great blog material (which she and other Toastmasters love). I have North Hills and of course, Cranberry High Noon, in mind as well. Exciting times are ahead and there will almost be in person visits coming as well.

Time to close off the blog. While it’s cold and also I could have attended the Good Friday breakfast (had it been able to go this morning), I’m grateful that I can be safe at home and work on good blog content. This weekend remember the reason for the season.

Remember to live your best life. Be your best you. ROCK out because you are worth it. See the beauty in every day. Finally, don’t eat too much chocolate 🍫 even though my sign says otherwise.

Happy Good Friday. Bye everyone. ❤️ you 🤗 😘.

Another day, another “what if” blog. I can twist these however which way I want to too. A month after an awesome Area 21 contest, it was back to Pitt-Johnstown for the Division C contest. Could Dave Jones repeat his success at home and advance to the District finals? Would Faerie Grace continue her inspirational run to greatness? Could Shanda Kelsch wow us once more with her heartfelt gift?

Before I made my way to Johnstown, I stopped for breakfast at Sun Dawg. Last time, my squad and I waxed poetic and nostalgic at White Rabbit over matcha 🍵 lattes and pastries. This time my new girlfriend (we officially became a couple the week before) joined us. I met my squad last fall after I moved back home and we’ve become fast friends. My girl and I met the same day of our coffee date.

I said this was a what if blog (so that means I can have a relationship if I want). She put together a nice outfit for breakfast (a skirt and sweater with boots) while my squad and I were more casual (or in my case, I was stylish).

After breakfast we parted ways. My girl and I kissed 😚 and I was off to Johnstown. We’d see each other tomorrow. It was a chilly morning but ain’t no stopping me. I passed by little Stars Hollow and drove up 271 to Menoher Blvd. to Goucher Street. I think you know where this is going. Has it been 20 years since I first walked through the doors at Hiram G? I arrived at UPJ around 11:45am.

I met up with Brett, Sue, and the Teagues. Soon to arrive would be the trio. Michelle complimented me on my stylish attire. I rocked my Gilmore Girls T-shirt with my whiskey boots 👢 and cognac leather jacket. I also had a new infinity scarf on. Is this how a Chief Judge dresses? If it’s the Stylish Traveling DTM then yes. Brett and I got our people together for briefing around 12:30.

The contest began just after one o’clock. All contestants made it. I sat with a close distance of the speakers. The Sokolowskis and Phil joined me. Brett introduced the dignitaries and went over logistics and roles. Now let’s have a contest.

The speaking contest was going to be tough to judge. The speakers were going to be that good. Faerie’s speech was very emotional 😭 and inspirational 🎈. She brought her balloon pump this time. Once again, Dave brought plenty of humor to his speech. He had me cracking up 😆 at the Area contest. Wade and Sanchita had a great story to tell as they looked to advance to District. Michael took into a day in the life at his job. This contest would be bookended with tear jerking speeches. Shanda really got us bawling 😭. That’s how powerful her speech was.

In the evaluation contest, Morgan Rhinehart served as model speaker. Our contestants had to give feedback of her speech. Elk County had a good group there to cheer her and Shanda on.

After the contest, I took my ballot counters and timers and we reviewed everything. Brett interviewed the contestants. Everyone had a good one minute story to share. The judges all signed their ballots and everyone came within time. After Brett wrapped up the interviews, the trio came up and spoke about promotions and the upcoming Spring Conference.

We then came back to the room and it was time to crown 👑 the winners. As I alluded to earlier, this was a hard contest to judge on both ends. In third place in the Evaluation contest was Sanchita Sarkar. Coming in as the runner up was Faerie Grace. Our 2020 Evaluation champion was *drumroll 🥁 please* Dave Jones. Could he possibly sweep again?

In the Speech contest, everyone was within time. Coming in third place was Dave Jones. Our runner up was Shanda Kelsch. Our 2020 International Speech champion was *drumroll 🥁 please* Faerie Grace. Greensburg was ecstatic as Faerie would be representing them at the District Conference on April 18 in Southpointe.

The contest wrapped up at 3:30 and we stayed and socialized for a while. I talked with the Trio and was in a few pictures with them and our champions. I got in the picture with our International Speech champion for Greensburg. She was absolutely amazing.

A group of us got together for dinner at Chili’s in Richland Towne Center. Fourteen in all. What a great day. It started with a breakfast date with my squad and ended with great fellowship with my awesome District 13 Toastmaster family.

Time to close off the blog. I’m enjoying doing these what if blogs. I do think it’s important to be yourself and be real. But it’s also fun to fabricate too. When the lockdown lifts we are all going to be out and about. I’m supporting all my small business friends in Ligonier, Greensburg, and Irwin. They’re going to need it. Stylish small business shopping spree coming.

The weekend’s here. Remember to live your best life. Be your best you. ROCK out because you are worth it.

Dance 💃 like no one’s watching. Sing 🎵 like no one’s listening. Live each day like it’s your last.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you 🤗 😘.

Oh Greensburg Toastmasters fam, how I have missed you!

Our last meeting was postponed due to the precautions we had to take for COVID 19. Therefore we tried our hand at having a zoom meeting.

Michelle Teague, our Vice President of Education, got the meeting all set up for us. She and Jim were the first ones to log on, followed by myself, Diane Svec, and Denise Pullen. Overall we had 12 people at the meeting.

Instead of the usual Toastmasters meeting agenda, we had Table Topics only this evening. Jim Teague served as our Toastmaster while Michelle served as Table Topics Master. The theme was Spring with a little bit of April Fools Day mixed in. With nothing else scheduled, we had full participation in Table Topics.

The virtual meeting so far was a big success. Everyone gave great responses to the questions. I had one that was centered around April Fools Day and what was the best prank I have received. I went with the one that Annabelle pulled on me yesterday. My sister texted me a link to get a special Mario Kart car. I clicked it and it was Annabelle wishing me April Fools.

Now if I were to pull a classic prank on someone, I’d make a “ lemon 🍋 sponge 🧽 cake”. But it would be some blue sponges with lemons on top. Nice play on words. I picked this one up from an episode of Mama’s Family. Mama’s neighbor brings over a cake stand with a cover and treats her to dessert. Turns out Iola pulled a fast one on Mama and she is less than pleased.

Getting back to the meeting, Chuck Dietz served as the General Evaluator and his feedback of the Zoom meeting was well received. He thought it was done very well. Very few trouble spots last night. Faerie Grace handled Grammarian/Ah Counter duties. She didn’t find too many errors. Denise Pullen served as timer. That role is a challenge because how are people going to see the cards or timing devices? Despite the abbreviated meeting, it was very well-run. I look forward to our full Zoom meeting on April 15.

Time now to close off the blog. Week three of this not being able to go anywhere has taken its toll on everyone. I’m waiting for the day when everything reopens. I’ve already planned a shopping spree in downtown Ligonier (hello Second Chapter books) and possibly Greensburg (gotta give Majesty the love). I’m leaning toward Small Businesses from here on out.

The weekend’s almost here. Remember to live your best life. Be your best you. ROCK out because you are worth it.

Don’t forget to laugh because laughter is the best medicine. Your smile is your best accessory and the best makeup you can wear. Friends are kisses 😚 blown to us by angels 👼.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you 🤗 😘.