Finally a blog that highlights the Stylish in Stylish Traveling DTM. As I tell you when I close off the blog, put together a nice outfit and make your smile your best accessory.

When it comes to clothes shopping for me, my main go to place is JCPenney (most of my wardrobe is from there as a matter of fact). I do shop online at Amazon.com (my leather jackets are from there). Over the last few weeks, I’ve developed a fondness for shopping at Old Navy. Not that I haven’t always bought clothes from there already.

Even though their demographic may be catered mostly to young adults (as well as juniors, children, and babies), I love the way their jeans fit. I have four pairs of Levi’s from JCPenney. Two of them I wear for work and one I’ll wear summer only. I usually buy a size 42. When I bought jeans from JCPenney, after while they feel a little snug (and I don’t put them in the dryer). However I don’t mind rocking a pair of tight jeans every now and then.

I buy the same size jeans at Old Navy and they have a little bit of stretch (I also own two pairs of khakis and they fit perfect). Here’s an example. I’ve bought size 42 bootcut jeans from there and I need a belt otherwise they’re going to fall down. Perhaps a 40 might fit better. I prefer to hike them up (I know it sounds weird but it is what it is). I also like pegging them so they don’t get wet (my jeans are so long I feel like they’re almost bell bottoms).

I love coordinating my outfits when I go out or go to Toastmasters meetings. Dark wash jeans with a light wash denim jacket or light wash jeans with a stylish V neck top. The possibilities are endless. The probability of putting together a great outfit is infinite. I’m planning another old navy shopping spree soon. I need a flag tee and I like their totes as well. Can’t have too many of those.

My last clothing haul was very successful. I love my new tees (Old Navy has the best patterns and they go great with shorts or jeans). I might buy stock in their chambray shirts because I love the way that they look. They’ll go great with the jeans that I’m going to buy from Old Navy.

Before I close off this style blog, let me tell the four reasons why I love Old Navy and why you should shop there.

1- They have great deals.

2- They have something for everyone.

3- I love their jeans and can make a perfect outfit from anything I buy there.

4- Their clothes are stylish and look great on me. I work hard so I like to look nice.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

Credit goes to ateagueofyourown.com for the inspiration for this article. Check out their website and get in contact with them if you need help assessing your life situation.

Flexibility is important in your life choices. Life is a contact sport. It is not scripted. Flexibility is required in this day and age. During these difficult times it’s essential to have a little wiggle room in your plans. We don’t know what’s going to happen. We don’t know what to expect. You have to be ready no matter what.

One of the great things that you can do to help you maintain flexibility is to try out this exercise called improv comedy. Using improve comedy helps you build your mental flexibility muscles. Three different schools in the Pittsburgh area teach improv comedy and some of my fellow District 13 Toastmasters friends are really into it. Shoutout to Chuck Dietz, Nate Stephens, and Sarah Souri.

This one is for my friend, Kevin Clougherty. When preparing for classes this fall, he might have to work off of multiple scenarios. He might have to use multiple scenarios all together.

Employers value flexibility. In my job you almost have to be flexible. Your comfort zone is your worst enemy. You might switched from one place to another at the last minute or even added at a moment’s notice. This is done to please the needs of the customers (the accounts that we serve). As a situation changes you must learn to adapt, to improvise, and to overcome.

Adapt to changes and have a backup plan in place. Have a fallback plan just in case things don’t work out the way that they’re supposed to. It’s helpful in life and in your career path.

To learn to be flexible and to learn to adapt to change, check out ateagueofyourown.com and read “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson.

Have a great night everyone. Weekend’s almost here. Next week is the Fourth of July 🇺🇸.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

Here are ten ways to increase your personal level of flexibility:

1. Diagnose Before You Respond – Make sure you take the time to examine the task, the needs of the situation, and the capabilities of the individuals involved. Then, choose the best way to respond to each one.
2. Take Time Out – During the day, step back from your work and assess your approach to leading your team. Do you believe that you are using your time well and that people are committed to your mission? If the answer is “no,” stop and make some adjustments to your methods.
3. Plan Ahead – Schedule time in your calendar to create your plan and share your vision with the team. Assess which areas would benefit from your team members assuming greater responsibility, and then help them set specific goals related to their areas of contribution.
4. Clarify Expectations – Periodically review expectations with your team members. Be clear about what you expect from them in terms of performance and behavior, and ask them what they need from you.
5. Select the Best People – Build a team of talented individuals who are trustworthy and reliable. Understand their knowledge, abilities, and talents, and then put those assets to work.
6. Ask for Feedback – Ask your team members if they feel that their talents and abilities are being put to good use and what you could do differently to enable them to perform at their peak.
7. Build Allies Within the Business – Identify others in the organization who are affected by the work of your team. Build strong relationships with those who can help, mentor, and support you in your efforts.
8. Sharpen Your Facilitation Skills – Develop your ability to manage conflict and reach consensus in a group setting. Learn how to focus the group’s attention on the topics at hand and lead them to a mutually acceptable agreement.
9. Manage Your Time Effectively – Anticipate likely scenarios and start working on projects early. Allow enough time for you and your team to learn, experiment, and solve problems together.
10. Help Others Set Effective Goals – Ensure that your team’s individual goals clearly support the overall vision. All goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, aligned, realistic, and time-bound

Feeling grumpy 🌧? I’ve learned of five ways to turn that grumpy demeanor into one that spreads cheer 🌈.

The first thing to do when life has you down is to go for a walk. For me, that means taking a walk around the high school, downtown Greensburg, or Twin Lakes. One thing I learned is that those who were diagnosed with clinical depression didn’t feel that way after taking a 15-30 minute walk.

The second thing to do when your heart is filled with rain is to listen to positive, encouraging music. Your eyes will start to see things in that same way. Listen to educational things as well. A podcast that you enjoy (Gilmore Guys or a pastor whose preaching you really enjoy). It gives you a purposeful feeling. If you listen to music that is the opposite, you will experience feelings of negativity.

The third thing to do when it’s easy to do nothing is to do something. For me that could be playing some Mario Kart, working on a blog or upcoming speech for Toastmasters, trying on new clothes that I just bought, or baking a cake. Get up and do something productive. Make your bed. Tell yourself positive affirmations every morning. Speak life into your day.

The next thing is not just to do something but to do something that you’re passionate about. I have plenty of inspirational books that I can read. I can get in my car and get a cup of coffee (or matcha 🍵 latte) at DV8, White Rabbit, or Sun Dawg. Afterwards I’ll go to Old Navy and try on some clothes that I’m interested in buying and put together a nice outfit. I’m planning my vacation to Cape May that’s coming up this July. The thing you’re passionate about doing may cost money. Spend money on yourself. Invest in yourself.

The fifth and final thing to do when life gives you lemons 🍋 is speak to all of your senses. Get your feet comfortable. For me that means putting on my patterned socks and my boots 👢. It’s summer but pumpkin spice season is coming soon enough. Sniff candles or test lotions at Bath and Body Works. Create your own aromatherapy. There’s your sense of smell.

Your sense of touch could involve playing with bubble wrap or petting a unicorn 🦄 on someone’s ugly Christmas sweater. If you’re get hangry, make yourself a nice meal. If it’s mid morning, a breakfast bowl of turkey sausage and scrambled eggs sounds good. Maybe a salad 🥗 with some shredded Asiago cheese and lots of greens during your story. Always have a glass of water. They say eight glasses of water a day is the way to go.

As I conclude the blog let’s go over those five steps to contain your grumpy demeanor and bring out that cheery demeanor.

1- Walk (Tell yourself your life is great)

2- Listen to music or a podcast.

3- Do something. Be proactive.

4- Do something that you’re passionate about.

5- Speak to all of your senses.

Thanks to Faerie Grace for the inspiration for tonight’s blog.

Bye everyone. ❤️ you.

The inspiration for tonight’s blog comes from CMOE and A Teague of Your Own. Visit ateagueofyourown.com to learn more about how my friends Jim and Michelle Teague can help you succeed in your endeavors.

Not everyone is going to adapt to your sense of style or your direction. To get everyone on the same page, you will need to modify your style of leadership.

Situations will differ from individual work to projects that will involve the entire team. Sometimes, leaders will have make an immediate decision that will impact their team and their company. Meanwhile, other leaders make buy some time when it comes to the decision making process.

Increasing your flexibility as a leader will allow you to be more effective when working with diverse individuals and responding to a variety of situations. It’s an absolute necessity in today’s environment. Leaders must respond nimbly with great speed. Isn’t this what Table Topics prepares us for?

A leader’s ability to be flexible is primarily related to the personal relationships that he or she has with others. A flexible leader draws people into the conversation and gives everyone the opportunity to share their views. Flexible leaders are comfortable facilitating and contributing, rather than dominating, into the conversation. A flexible leader accepts input from the group and takes constructive criticism well when a point that differs from their original opinion comes up. They listen to any suggestions that their colleagues offer for improvement. It’s just like our evaluations we get, the feedback we receive after we give a speech or take on a role in our Toastmasters meetings.

I’ll have ten ways that you can increase your flexibility coming up in tomorrow’s blog.

This is another private blog. Some things are best left told in confidence.

First of all, I had a great time at Bud Murphy’s with Maura and Ashley. It was a long time coming but it was worth it to hang out with the girls. I did receive a nice compliment beforehand from a woman about how I dressed. My leather jacket, boots 👢, and scarf 🧣 got rave reviews from this female I never met before last night.

This night was a month or two in the making. Before that, I spilled my guts to Mr. Clougherty and while that felt good, this dinner date was more important. I don’t care what the consequences would be.

We talked about our day and then I got down to business. I wanted to talk about the September overnight in Ashtabula. Even though no one else cared, I was a little more sensitive.

Maura also complemented me on my attire and I told her why I dressed up when we would go out for dinner on the overnight trips. While everyone dressed normal, one decided to look stunning.

Emily, the girl from Uniontown whom Chase was hanging out with, was wearing a dress. I then realized how silly I looked when I saw her looking all gorgeous. Maura told me that Emily always wears dresses. But it was a turn-on for me and since then I have had a crush on her.

I admitted to the girls that I was still attracted to Emily and they promised to keep it a secret.
Not to repeat anything, but seeing Chase and Emily happy made me realize that I longed for someone myself. The events of that night ignited a passion in my heart for learning about relationships and marriage.

I’m thankful that Maura and Ashley were good listeners. My cousin Katie also heard me out It’s because of her that I’ve been posting to my blog. The girls (Maura and Ashley as well as Katie) didn’t tell me that it was stupid for me to have a crush on someone, much less have feelings for them so young. For all of them to go easy on me was exactly what I needed.

I’m glad Maura was able to get Chase to come to the Greensburg Rite Aid that day. Because of him and Ashley having come back, I’ve seen our friendships grow. Adding Emily to that mix makes the circle bigger.

The loneliness I experienced after Grandma died probably helped drive this crush turned attraction. God works in mysterious ways. Therefore I’m thinking the Lord is using ChEmily to fuel my interest in intimate relationships and marriage.

Last week, the three of us saw a lot of each other. Emily and I exchanged compliments on our leather jackets, I told her and Chase ” ❤️ you” when I left the Dollar General in Scottdale. They told me the same thing in return. After the Erie Lowe’s, Maura and I couldn’t stop talking about the tree Chase bought for their apartment. Maura said it was a cute tree. I told him on Thursday when we left that he and Emily make a cute couple.

We finished our dinner and I felt thankful the girls and I did this and we would plan something soon. We parted ways by saying ❤️ you and went our separate ways.

This is from October but this explains how I’ve been feeling the last couple of months.

10/24/19–Today on break I opened up. We were at our Dollar General in rural Carmichaels in Greene County. But first…

I’ve been patiently waiting to move back home, but had to wait on my sister to have the rugs put in. Once I move back home and get settled in, I’ll feel a little more at ease.

However, the loneliness has begun to get to me. It’s been five months since Grandma fell and eventually passed away. Some days are better than others, but lately it’s been hard.

In the last month, I’ve also been fighting back a crush at my workplace. But I’m not going to admit that it is a crush. I don’t want to betray the trust of one of my good friends in the process.

We were on an overnight in Ashtabula last month. After counting the Lowe’s that afternoon, we had checked into our rooms at the local Red Roof we were staying at. We met up in Mark and Twan’s room waiting to go to dinner.

Two of the girls from Uniontown walked into the room. One was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. The other was wearing a pink dress. The blonde looked stunning and it’s been hard for me to forget that night ever since. I knew that Emily liked Chase but I’ve been smitten with her for the last month.

I’ve been lonely for most of the summer and seeing her all dressed up that night set off those feelings. It didn’t help that I was wearing gym shorts and a T-shirt. It didn’t matter to anyone but it did to me. The loneliness I’d been dealing with exacerbated things too.

I was sad 😞 over the recent loss of loved ones within the past year. Seeing Chase happy with Emily made me realize how lonely 😔 I really am. I never told Maura that day because I didn’t trust her to keep a secret; plus her, Ashley, and Chase are thick as thieves.

Those five minutes I got it off my chest today didn’t seem like much. For Maura to listen to me made me feel good. I thanked her at the end of the day before I went home and we hugged. I told her and Ashley ” 💕 you” as Maura always does with me. We would make plans to hang out soon.

It was a great day for a Christmas Party, if you didn’t mind the snow.

I had the liberty of attending two parties yesterday. The first one I had to dodge snow squalls to get to but I got there.

At first it looked like it was only going to be a handful of us there. The big bosses (John, Tom, Sarah) plus Bobby, Tyler, and myself. Tyler had the holiday tunes playing and Tom was loving my stylish attire. Pretty soon, the snow let up, and more people showed up.

Chase and Emily pulled in. Chase looked festive in his ugly Christmas sweater. Emily with her cake was looking stylish in a skirt and heels 👠. The girls and Chuck were next to arrive. Maura and Ashley had their plate of cookies and Chuck surprised us with his plate of vegetables. Josh and his girlfriend were last to show up. Now it was a party.

We stood around and talked for a bit before the pizzas came. Then we sat down and ate. We laughed, we cried, we talked shop. Maura wowed us with her ugly sweater and the unicorn 🦄 sticking out of it. Ashley and I looked more festive with our Stylish Christmas sweaters. Chase entertained us with some exceptional singing. Emily shared her dessert with us. I praised her for her sense of style and told her that it started rubbing off on me.

Tom got a picture of all the ugly sweaters and the people wearing them. Chase and Maura tied for most ugliest sweater, Ashley and I tied for most stylish sweater. Maura and I rocked our boots 👢 very nice. Tom said I was dressed the most stylish out of everyone, but I felt that Emily rocked her outfit just as well. Here’s the Stylish (or ugly) Christmas sweaters of Pittsburgh.

At 6pm, it was off to the Greensburg Toastmasters Christmas Party. Michelle and Jim laid out a nice spread with the cookie table and the four pizzas. We sat around and ate and socialized like we always do in Toastmasters.

Around 7, Faerie led us with a great Table Topics session centering on Christmas traditions. Everyone gave some great information about other countries and how they celebrate the holidays.

I am wowed by the trees and different Santa’s I see when I check out the PPG Wintergarden every holiday season. Plus, in the past, students have crafted some pretty neat gingerbread houses that have been shown during the holidays.

Later on, Chuck played some classic Trans-Siberian Orchestra tunes on his guitar along with a few popular hits. With our help, he was able to get the lyrics down great.

We played a game to end the party. The person who says left passed it that direction, same with right and across. We played the game well and had a lot of fun with it.

Here’s the ugly or stylish Christmas sweaters (well, some) of Greensburg Toastmasters.

Like the holiday party with WIS, I think I passed for most stylish Christmas sweater, along with Kim. The Teagues of Jim and Michelle won the ugliest sweater contest of the night. Loved the gorillas 🦍 you two.

These last few days have partied me out, so I was happy to chill tonight. Have a great night. One week until Christmas. ❤️ you.

It was a Toastmaster Weekend to remember.

For the first time in my Toastmaster career, we had Winter TLI in December. It was nice to see Westmoreland County Community College decked out for Christmas 🎄.

We had a great turnout for our Winter TLI as 143 people showed up though it did seem like there was almost 200 there. Our chair Elizabeth Carter kept the event moving and everything was on time. I helped out by purchasing wraps from Walmart for the box lunches and picking up six cases of water. Because a Toastmaster needs water during their training.

The Spring Conference chairs Jim and Michelle Teague got me to sign up early to help out with the event. They got a good list of sign ups on Saturday and more will be on the way. This makes me think it’s going to be a great conference.

Our day started with a presentation by Sarah Andreas. One of the things that stood out from her talk was that we had to list three things about ourselves. A couple of the things I mentioned was that I’m stylish and that I’m insecure. She talked about some of her books which she had for sale at her table.

From the first keynote speaker it was off to our Division Breakout. Our Division C Director, Brett Aristegui, led a marvelous session and introduced the current and past district leaders including me. We got an opportunity to sign up to help out with upcoming speech contests and TLI makeups. I’m putting my hat in the ring and helping out all across Division C and with all four Division contests once again. From State College to Johnstown and Oakmont, I’ll be everywhere this contest season.

I then attended Club Growth Director Bob Johnson’s session on Retaining and Gaining Members. We broke off into teams and did some brainstorming on how to maintain membership.

Carol Snyder and I ran the secretary training and we had 12 people show up. It was a Q&A session more or less. We got enough done to accommodate the hourlong session.

I stayed in the room and took part in Nate Stephens’ Effective Evaluation session. We evaluated a speech and played Evaluation Bingo. We learned what a good evaluator and bad one do.

The workshop wrapped up with Fred Vornbrock leading a Dale Carnegie Training that we all enjoyed.

At the end of the day, I got high praises on my blog by the Division B Director, Terye Carney. She encouraged me to keep working on it and not give up. I had multiple people complementing me on my stylish attire. The houndstooth scarf was a big hit.

The next day at Achievers, we had a small turnout but two great speeches. Jim Teague gave his icebreaker and broke it down into three phases. Fred Vornbrock gave a speech about the idea of having a speech-craft event and asked us all for advice.

Jim and I discussed the possibility of his wife joining Achievers and I said I ask her to join. We also talked about a dedicated Johnstown member as a possible new addition to the club.

Yesterday was a day off for me. So naturally, I made the drive up to Cranberry for my visit to the Cranberry High Noon club meeting. I was so impressed with the greeting I got. Everyone was so happy to see me (this was my sixth visit to the club since I began attending in 2016). I even got called my new blog name. They even wanted the link to my blog.

The meeting itself went well. Three excellent speeches, a great Table Topics session (where I gave my 20 things I want to in 2020), and great evaluations from seasoned members.

After the meeting, we had some baked goods and socialized. One of the members even asked me how I picked out my stylish clothes every day. I did mention the reason why I started dressing nicer. She thought it was nice that one of my coworkers inspired me to dress more stylish.

I spent time last night reading over the comments from my visit. Definitely one of my best trips ever and one of my best Toastmaster weekends ever. Thank you for letting me get in on the picture as well.

One week to Christmas. ❤️ you.

Well today was the day. After pushing back the gift exchange a week due to conflicting schedules, we were finally going to do it.

Chase texted Maura and I yesterday about getting together. I was definitely up for it because I had gotten the idea across to everyone back at the beginning of the month. While the girls were unable to hook up with us, Chase and Emily agreed to meet me. We had lunch at Penn Station Subs next to Valley Honda. Ordering was a breeze. We then took our seat and hung out.

I’m always a little careful because I don’t want to act like I’m on another level. Chase always insists and says that that he and Emily love having me around. The fact is that I’m grateful for their friendship this year and for that of Ashley and Maura too.

All of them have helped me in some way. It wasn’t an easy year for me as I lost my Grandma to cancer and in September, my cousin passed away. Having the girls around to talk to helped me feel like I’m not alone. Having Chase come back made me enjoy my job. Getting to know Emily helped make me a better person.

We ate our subs and I opened my gift that they got me. It was some Ghirardelli chocolate 🍫 and a bucket to keep a candle in. I was grateful for the gift. 

We each told each other what we got and it sounded like we all had a nice Christmas. We even expressed our interest in the Gilmore Girls (and I never could stand that show when it was on the WB but I enjoy it now).

We then left for Penn Center but not before I gave Chase and Emily their gifts. They loved what I got them (there’s enough candy there for a movie night at their place). We decided that we should make plans to meet up once a month for dinner and Chase said he was up for that.

We got through our pharmacy very easily. More standing around than working but we still got paid for it. Once Zach excused us it was time for the girls to receive my gifts and for them to exchange with Chase and Emily. Maura and Ashley received my gift bags and loved them very much. I put a cat toy in everyone’s bags since they all have cats. I think my gifts went over well with everyone. Before parting ways we did a group hug. Here’s my fun loving friends.

In 2020, I hope we continue to maintain our friendship. I wish the girls the best of luck as they get ready for their wedding and Chase and Emily as they begin to ascend the company ladder. Best of luck to me as I make the most of my new blog and try and promote it so I can make money off of it. Also as I try and find true love 💕 in the New Year; and, as I consider looking for a place of my own.

One more blog before we go Stylish. Have a great last weekend of the year (and decade).

❤️ you.