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It’s Summer, But Fall Coffee is coming!

This week’s weather will start out hot and humid, as we add to our 90 degree days for the Summer. Late in the week, we get a break from the heat as we usher in August. While we try to stay cool this week, let’s look forward to Fall and some of the new Fall menus that will be dropping later next month.

What better way to welcome cooler weather than with Fall treats from Dunkin’ or Starbucks. I like the small coffee shops as well but seeing some of the features here has me excited for the new season. If you’re craving a Pumpkin Spice Latte, the first day you can get one at Dunkin’ is August 20 and a week later at Starbucks (their Fall menu launches August 26).

Cutie’s Coffee will launch their Fall menu on the last day of the month. To kick it all off, there will be a market in the parking lot that morning. I enjoyed all the Fall flavors last year (Pumpkin Spice included). I’m curious to know what kind of flights they’ll have. Last year’s were a Spooky flight, Harry Potter flight, and Gilmore Girls flight. The HP flight came with a cauldron, and the Gilmore Girls flight had stickers. Maybe I’ll express interest in trying a flight with someone this Fall. This is just part of what could be an exciting Fall season for me.

Greensburg Night Market is this Thursday and it will be first one of the year. The market goes all the way down Pennsylvania Avenue from Otterman Street to the police station. There are places to park but your best bet is to pick up the shuttle at the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. Lots of vendors will be in attendance as well as food trucks. I’m not sure if I’ll buy anything, but maybe I’ll run into some people I know. Last year, I tried a Peppermint Mocha from The Roaming Bean.

The next day I’ll be on a coffee road trip when I travel to Coffee Bean Cafe in Latrobe. Pittsburgh Steelers training camp is in full swing and while my plans don’t include driving down to Saint Vincent and watching practice, I still plan to make it a nice Friday afternoon. Coffee Bean has come up with some appropriate drink options to celebrate the start of camp. The Polamalu Punch looks good but I really have my eye on the Terrible Tiramisu or the Black and Gold Brew. Weather on Friday for the players will be just right, with highs around 80 and no heat or humidity.

Fall 2025 is shaping up to be a lot of fun, as new Fall menus launch and stores begin to look the part for the season. You can find Halloween candy at Giant Eagle and Spirit Halloween stores will be popping up soon, if not already. The old Dicks Sporting Goods next to Home Depot has the signage up so I may check that out as Summer begins to wind down. As temperatures start to cool down, and hayrides and apple picking are in the weekend plans, so too will the leaves also begin to show their color. October is the peak of Fall and during the heart of the season, I have a lot of fun things planned. It’s my vacation week in the middle of the month.

Annabelle’s birthday will be just before that and I’m not sure what the plans are yet nor do I know the theme. Our family reunion will be Columbus Day weekend. During the week, I’ll make some Toastmasters club visits online and in person, and visit one of the museums in downtown Pittsburgh. The vacation week ends with Homecoming at my alma mater (Slippery Rock University). I’ve gone up there many years but 2025 hits a little different as it will be 20 years since I graduated.

It’ll be sad to see vacation come to an end, but the plans for the week after include the District 13 Fall Symposium. More to come on that as we get closer to the first day of Fall.

Maintaining my Magnificent Speaking Streak!

Over the last year, I’ve given at least one speech every month at my Toastmasters meetings. Sometimes, if the schedule allows I give two speeches a month. I’ve done it in consecutive weeks as well. The exception has been the month of January, but I still consider this run to be successful, having spoken 11 out of the last 12 months. I’ve completed a path that I began in 2020, and have three levels of my next path done. I scheduled myself to speak at Laurel Highlands in August, giving the same speech from a week ago at Greensburg talking about change.

Sharing my story in a few of those speeches has been therapeutic and has helped elevate my mood. Being named President of the Greensburg club for the 2023-2024 Toastmasters year was the beginning of my Toastmasters rebirth, as my interest during COVID and I was adjusting hto a new work routine. Going ahead for 2025-2026, what needs to be done to maintain my streak and ensure success in my clubs?

One thing that needs work is more preparation time, and maybe I’m hard on myself for saying this. Since I have a schedule of when I want to speak going into September, I can take the week before that meeting and focus on the speech. Two weeks before (if available), write out the speech and start practicing it, and then in the week leading up to it, give it and work on the gestures as well. Even as I talk about change at my next meeting (August 12), I still want to be prepared and that may include working on eye contact as well as vocal variety.

Realignment is coming in Toastmasters and it’s going to mean major changes over the next couple of years. I recently saw it with the changes made in District 13. We are a broad area that includes Pennsylvania, as well as a few counties in Ohio and Maryland, and northern West Virginia. In April, we came up with a realignment plan that seemed to work for the new Toastmasters year, but about a week ago some other changes have taken place that in the long run, will benefit District 13. Division A had only three areas last year and an area with less than 4 clubs in good standing; thus, the division has been retired for this year. The amazing clubs previously in Division A have been thoughtfully reassigned to Divisions B, C, and D. I just learned of this a few days ago, and it makes sense to move Johnstown to Area 21 where it will be teamed with Indiana, DuBois, and Allegheny Mountains. The recently chartered Country Roads Toastmasters was going to be in Area 3 and moving it to Area 23 with Laurel Highlands and Western Maryland as well as Achievers-Jest Speaking also works out.

This realignment assures stronger divisions, better support, and sustainable growth. These changes are being done so next year’s Districts will have a minimum of 120–180 clubs each, and these recent moves will help strengthen our district and prepare for the future.

Everything is Falling into Place!

Wednesday night, our Laurel Highlands officers all got together for a meeting. We used Google Meet, which was a nice contrast to Zoom. I’ve been attending online meetings since 2020 (when the pandemic forced us to hold them virtually), and this meeting was good, even if we didn’t cover everything in the allotted hour. We also have a WhatsApp account for Laurel Highlands, which I need to familiarize myself with.

Our president put together a great agenda, including all the officer roles and other things. The speech contests for fall were mentioned as well. More on those to come as well as the Fall Symposium and when the date will be set. All of our officers are doing a great job so far in this young 2025-26 Toastmasters year. Being a first-time Treasurer in Toastmasters, I will grow into the role. I haven’t done this job since serving in it for my Campus Crusade for Christ chapter at Slippery Rock University (way back in 2003 and 2004). Some 20-plus years later, I’m older and wiser and a little more serious about the role. I have two officers who’ve served as Treasurer (both are the current presiding officers for their clubs) who can offer assistance, if I need it.

I thought Wednesday night would have been a disaster at work with three of the people who do tags on vacation this week. I’ve been doing tags more this year and stepping up my game, as a matter of fact. The universe worked in my favor though as we just had sale tags to work with and the amount was small. We’ll pay for it though next Wednesday. We even got some of the health and beauty tags started (except for cosmetics). The hardest week out of this stretch is over halfway done and I’m not overly concerned now. I’m starting to see Fall-flavored coffee and Halloween candy in store.

Half-time of Summer 2025 is officially underway and school starts in less than a month. Before long, I’ll be enjoying a tasty pumpkin spice drink.

Together We Win at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

Tonight at our Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting:

We had a fun-filled agenda with three speakers, and great Table Topics questions focused on Leadership.
Our invocator shared with us the story of when he first joined Toastmasters, and also his recent achievement in his path (Level 5 in Innovative Planning)
We planned our officers’ meeting for tomorrow night, which would be on Google Meet and promised to be informative.
We also planned our agenda for our next Laurel Highlands Toastmasters meeting. The next three meetings are August 12, August 26, and September 9. I will be giving a speech at the meeting on the 12th.

We had a second time guest in attendance. Will attended a previous meeting and it was nice to see him come back. Our VPE even volunteered him for the role of timer. We got feedback from him about the meeting and how much he liked it. Upon getting home, I got an email that he submitted his membership application to join our club, thus giving us 15 active members in Laurel Highlands. We will be Smedley Distinguished (25 members, 10 goals, and have our club success plan up by September 30) by the end of the Toastmasters year.

What a difference a few months made, weatherwise. When I came down here for the second May meeting at the end of the month, it was damp and it was chilly. I would have preferred the upper 30’s and snow flurries over that chilly rain. Thankfully the next week, the weather turned a corner as we welcomed the month of June. I had some hot weather for my week off, thus giving me plenty of swimming opportunities. Yes, there were showers and thunderstorms but overall it was a better June vacation than 2024 was. Tuesday night, I had a nice drive down to Connellsville. Not raining at all, though not too humid either.

I gained a wealth of information from our three speakers, as well as our Table Topics speakers and evaluators. We set a record for most times using the word of the day, which was conundrum. Public speaking should never feel conundrum. Relax, it’s only Toastmasters (R.I.O.T.)!

The meeting ran on time, give or take a minute (6:01pm), and it ran smoothly with all roles being filled. I took on the jokemaster role and told a very funny joke that had the members laughing. Afterwards, I introduced our first speaker. We had enough time at the end of the meeting to hand out awards from the previous year. I won two medals, was named Most Improved Toastmaster, and embarked on a magnificent speaking streak that began last August. Our new members also got certificates as well. We had photos taken with our awards too.

Seeing a full agenda at this meeting and people eagerly signing up for roles for the August 12 meeting is a sign that the club is doing well. It’s a nice contrast from not too long ago, when our core five or six members carried the club. It’s also nice to not have to persuade people to sign up for roles. But, there is still room for improvement. We need to make Base Camp our friend and look at the agenda for roles we can take on for the next meeting. I have speaking dates scheduled through September, and may speak when I go to Johnstown’s meeting in October if there’s room on the agenda. I’ll touch base with the club in September when I confirm the date.

Smedley Distinguished. We’ve got this!

Looking Back at my Quarter-Life Crisis!

I’ve been “A Promised Land” for about a month and made it close to the halfway point. By now, it’s 2009 and Obama has been president for a month and is trying to get the economy out of the Great Recession that started in the Fall of 2008. I’ve read up on the collapse of the big banks and subprime mortgage crisis, and finished the most recent chapter by learning about the struggling auto industry. While this post isn’t about the book or politics itself, this blog starts off by talking about my life in the late 2000’s and my quarter-life crisis.

In the Spring of 2009, I turned in my Kings attire as I made the decision not to come back and see what WIS had to offer. Looking back, would that have been a smart decision? Back then, it was a reprieve for me from where I was before. But, I feel that it’s still a temporary fix for me as I try to figure out what I want to do with my life. I came here because Kings cut my hours in the Fall of 2008 to the point where I wasn’t going to manage to sustain myself. Same old story at WIS as I didn’t work five days a week in the beginning and my hours were inconsistent. I still had student loans from Slippery Rock to pay off, but part of me wanted to go back to school to achieve another degree. I didn’t care about taking on more debt either. Looking back, I only wanted to do it because then, I felt my Slippery Rock experience was mediocre as I put my eggs in one basket. I’d pay off my loans later that year and be debt-free, but I was still experiencing growing pains in my life and at work in 2009 & 2010.

Ah, life before Toastmasters… and the blog… and everything else.

Early on, the lack of hours was so bad that I almost did reapply at Kings. I eventually decided to stick it out at WIS even though going back to the restaurant business wouldn’t have hurt. Needing work, my sister came to WIS with me for a little bit, but they didn’t give her hours and eventually, she got a job working in the Deli at Giant Eagle. Funny how things work out as I’d go to work for the company myself (albeit in a different department) after many years at WIS.

My late 20’s were a dark time in my life. I missed being in school because it was my safe space, and by the time I found myself it was too late and I graduated college. As bad as 2008 was with the Great Recession, 2010 was even more of a kick in the ass to me. The only good thing to come out of that year was going to my ten year high school reunion around Thanksgiving (crazy to think I’ve been out of high school 25 years now!).

Things started to stabilize by 2011 and most of 2012. But it became clear that I was going to need to drop some of my fixations and just accept things as they were. That day would come in 2013, when I took the time to walk around the Slippery Rock campus. That morning, I was attending a memorial service for someone I knew at church when I was a student there.

I’ve had issues at work in the past but since coming to Giant Eagle, I’ve brushed off a lot of that drama as tempting as it is. These days, it’s less stress and more success and the success is winning out!

Who Moved My Cheese at Greensburg Toastmasters?!?

Wednesday night at our 100% virtual Greensburg Toastmasters meeting, we had two speakers (myself included). My speech was titled “Who Moved My Cheese?” as you can see from the image. Not only did I speak on the book and the experience of reading it for one of my classes at Slippery Rock, but I also discussed change in my own life from the last few years. Some of the events included:

Adapting to online attendance at Toastmasters meetings and events during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
Being in a Toastmasters slump after achieving my first Distinguished Toastmaster award in 2019.
Having to engage in a new routine and change my habits after getting bad news at the doctor’s office in the Spring of 2021.
Leaving a job that I was at for over ten years (I worked at WIS for 13 years). This was a change that was necessary. In the beginning, it was stressful as my “cheese” was moved and I had to venture through a new “maze”. As 2022 rolled on, I started to see the benefits and had more success.

Overall, the speech went very well, with a few minor suggestions for improvement. I do need to change my habits when it comes to preparing my speeches. I don’t really practice until a week before and even then, I still get bogged down with life. I think I’m going to give this speech again at Laurel Highlands on August 12. If there’s room on the schedule, I may also speak on it at the Johnstown Toastmasters meeting, when I visit them in October during my week off. I’m also considering a re-read of “Who Moved My Cheese” this Fall.

For Table Topics, we answered questions from another book, “How to Make Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. In the business meeting, we discussed the use of a laptop which will be paid for with funds from the club treasury, and set a date for our officers’ meeting. It will be after our first meeting in August.

Moving from Toastmasters to other news, I recently learned that the Shop’n Save in Penn Hills will be closing after 34 years. This location served the community of Penn Hills,as well as Plum. The owners will now focus on their other store, located along PA 286 in the Holiday Park Shopping Center in Plum.

Obscure as this sounds, these two stores were some of the last inventories I’d perform working for WIS. It was just after the merger with RGIS and right before I got hired by Giant Eagle. I ushered in the short-lived era working in the traditional division for that district. I tried to make it work, but like everything else in my life in 2021, the handwriting was on the wall.

Finally, getting into my reading for the week as my focus is on the former First Family. I’m getting to the halfway point on both reads now and making good on my promise to finish “A Promised Land”. Reading a few chapters a week, I’d like to have both that and “Becoming” done by the end of August. I may push my timetable to finish the former President’s book to the early part of September. By next week I should at 50% or better on both, so I want to fit in the photo books as well. Those are “Obama: An Intimate Portrait” and “Michelle Obama: A Photographic Journey”, both of which (as well as “Becoming”) I got in 2018. The former president’s photo book was a Christmas present from my parents.

Re-reading “Becoming” has proved successful. Feeling more motivated now, I will also get “A Promised Land” done. I’m looking forward to starting Tina Knowles’ “Matriarch” this Fall.

Prioritizing Faith at Cutie’s Bible Study!

The forecast didn’t favor an outdoor Bible study. It poured Monday morning and rain was forecast between 4 & 5 o’clock. That didn’t stop Cutie’s from holding their outdoor event. For the first time in six weeks, people gathered in the parking lot for a long awaited study. The subject: Faith.

Our speaker Monday night was Cutie’s barista Victoria, and in the lesson she talked about the importance of prioritizing faith. There were four main points in the lesson. The first one is that faith is the only way to please God. Second, faith makes the Word of God come alive. Head knowledge without a heart belief leads to a powerless walk with God. Third, faith transforms how you live. True faith changes the way that you pray. Fourth, without faith you miss the heart of the Gospel. We closed the study by reading a few verses from Matthew 8. Due to the rain, there was no worship before the sermon. Just a safety precaution.

The next Bible Study (weather permitting) will be July 28. If the weather trends inclement, it will most likely be livestreamed.

In other news, Pittsburgh-based WORD and WPIT have recently ended their long time music formats. This was a cost-cutting move by owner Salem Communications to avoid going bankrupt. The new format is Christian talk-based , thus complementing WPGP-AM 1250 (formerly WTAE-AM).

I came across WORD-FM when I attended Slippery Rock University and involved in the Campus Crusade for Christ chapter there. I made a lot of friends there and they listened to 101.5 (especially during the weekend when the station played music). The genre found a bigger presecnce in the Pittsburgh market when K-Love got a station (replacing FROGGY 98 in the Summer of 2009).

While there are people who are disappointed by this as it was a unique format, I look at this as a cost-cutting move to save money. I felt more sadness losing the original B-94 in the mid-2000’s (it came back in October 2007 before becoming 93.7 The Fan); the same can be said when 90.5 WDUQ dropped their jazz format in 2011 upon the sale of the radio station to Essential Public Media. If you’re in the area, jazz can now be heard on a subchannel of WDUQ as well as WZUM-AM 1550 (the latter’s studios are located in South Park and the station is licenses to Braddock).

It’s Summer, but Back to School and Fall are Coming!

Summertime weather is forecast this week, but scenes like this aren’t far away

Last night at work, I began to notice signs of change. It’s still summer, but I’m seeing back-to-school displays up front. In the back of the store and going into the backroom, I discovered boxes Halloween candy and Fall treats. These will go in the seasonal aisle as summer progresses. I have yet to see anything Pumpkin Spice.

It’s July 13 so for the kids, keep enjoying your summer vacation. We are getting to the midpoint. For my niece who will be starting the seventh grade next month, that’s where she is now. She had band camp this week at Wendover (with a concert yesterday morning), and next week is theater camp and volleyball camp. A road trip is scheduled for the first week of August.

It’s summer, but Fall isn’t far behind and Cutie’s is getting ready for the season. The Fall menu comes out on August 31 during the heart of Labor Day weekend, and that morning they’ll have a market in their parking lot to help launch the new menu. Cutie’s is also helping out the community this summer with a wishlist that people can look at to shop for teachers as they prepare to set up their classrooms for the upcoming school year. I looked at the list and might lend a hand as well. I’ll ask one of the baristas on my next visit.

The vibes it brings reminds me of shopping for kids at Christmas, but who had a parent that was faced with a difficult situation. We took a tag off of the tree and fulfilled that child’s wishes. I usually shopped at Kohl’s or Target but sometimes went online when I couldn’t find what I was looking for.

LOOKING AHEAD TO MY NEXT VACATION

My next vacation isn’t until October, but right now we are in the heart of the vacation season at work and at home, and this stretch will run through early August. Having a healthy balance of things to do with relaxing at home and spending some of those hot days in the pool made my summer vacation in 2025 better than it was in 2024. There were things I could have done to make some of my days better but they were minor improvements. One suggestion would have been me going to Slippery Rock first and then, going down to Cranberry for the Toastmasters meeting. Afterwards, getting lunch before going home.

In my fall vacation plans I have the family reunion at Laurel Hill, Homecoming at Slippery Rock University, and a Pittsburgh trip to visit one of the museums. The one I’m interested in visiting is the Andy Warhol museum. I’m also going to make an in-person visit to the Johnstown Toastmasters meeting. Maybe if there’s room on the agenda, I’ll speak as well.

I’ve made many Homecoming trips over the years before ending the tradition in 2018. The reason that this year’s Homecoming is special is because it’s 20 years since I graduated from the Rock and finished my academic career. I will surely make this one count.

SPEAKING ON CHANGE AT GREENSBURG TOASTMASTERS

Wednesday night, my Greensburg Toastmasters meeting is virtual. I will be one of the speakers and, thus, extending my magnificent speaking streak. This should be 11 out of 12 months that I gave at least one speech a month. It’s not much but it’s something to be proud of. The title of my speech is “Who Moved My Cheese”. I’ll highlight the book with the same name, and I’ll also be talking about change in my life as I focus on 2021. This was a major transition year for me. We will return to the Courthouse on August 6.

FALL OUTFIT TEASE FOR A PUMPKIN SEASON HAUL IN AUGUST

Recently, I ordered some clothes online at Old Navy as I begin to put together a Fall wardrobe. The cheetah sweater is returning for its third year. I was trying to beat the clock and get 50% off to which I had success. I scored a new cardigan, a new jacket, and some flares. Therefore, I’ll be bringing the flare when Pumpkin Spice season comes in September. I’ll do a try-on this weekend (my mini-haul is set to arrive Thursday). I’ll set aside my gift cards for a Fall Haul later in August or the early part of September, as caramel apples and hayrides begin to invade my thoughts.

BIBLE STUDY AT CUTIES (WEATHER PERMITTING)

Finally, I’m praying for good weather Monday evening so we can have Bible Study outside. We haven’t been so lucky the previous two times so here’s hoping the third time is the charm. Should we livestream again, I’ll be at Cutie’s Thursday and then switch over to weekend visits. The next visit may not be so far away.

Fourth of July at the Farm 2025!

Friday was the Fourth of July which it meant it was time for the annual picnic at the Gaffron farm in Guffey. The farm opened at 4 with the food being served at 5. We arrived a little bit after the doors opened with our cooler full of pop and beer and a cookie bar. Everyone brought something good. I supplied the Coors Light. It’s always nice to catch up with all of the Gaffron cousins and that’s exactly what we did. For me, I talked about work and our new contract that we’ll have for the next four years. That, and all the work drama which never seems to go away. It’s just something I have to learn to ignore, as I put up with enough of it in my 13 years working at WIS.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for the festivities at the farm. No rain and no humidity made for perfect viewing when it came time to light the fireworks. The boys all did a great job setting them off. We have a video of the fireworks 🎇 from my cousin Emily’s husband, and Matt also got some nice video of the light show as well. It’s not required, but bringing a chair to the farm always helps. If not there’s always the big picnic table.

I also discussed my magnificent speaking streak and talked up Toastmasters, including the recent success of some of the clubs in our district. Speaking in front of my clubs has greatly improved my confidence and elevated my mood as I struggled last summer at the beginning before things stabilized in August. That set the stage for a great Fall season where I posted lots of content.

I talked about the rereads of my Obama books and hope to finish by August. I’m thinking early September for Barack’s “A Promised Land” as it’s a longer read. I started one by Glennon Doyle and I know that her audience is female so please don’t judge. I discovered her podcast on a collab that she and her wife did with the former First Lady and her brother. I do like to break status quo though , me of the cheetah print, cropped everything, and designer purses. I’ll be reading her latest book through the Fall and ordering Untamed as Summer winds down. This is one of the reads I picked up during my vacation when I shopped that Friday. This book, along with Matriarch by Tina Knowles. I heard Glennon and her squad as well as Tina (mother of Beyonce) on the IMO podcast.

I’m a lot better off now than I was three years ago when I was still picking up the pieces from a bad breakup in 2021. It’s not so much that I missed WIS, as I was in a better place with more opportunities for advancement. Not to mention I was close to home and not traveling every day, not knowing when I would be home. To make matters worse, I was missing my support system that included people I used to work with, and those who always got me. To tell you the truth, my cousins also get me and I don’t give them enough credit for that. Loving yourself is the most important thing as my cousin taught me at the picnic back in 2022. Also, it’s best to be you no matter what the talking heads think, even if your favorite authors aren’t part of your status quo.

When you’re at the farm for the 4th of July, you know you’re going to have a great time. I didn’t get to talk to everyone but I still enjoyed myself and I ate well. The Scotch Eggs were very good as well as the Haluski. I also put down a few pieces of pie. Again, the fireworks were well done as always. I’m so blessed that I was able to get the night off and enjoy the festivities instead of watching the time. Coincidentally, that’s why this last vacation went well too. I was having fun and not whining about how many days have gone by, and it was a good balance of having stuff to do and just relaxing at home by the pool.

It’s been a pleasure to write about my life on this platform and this blog post sets a milestone. I always enjoy a celebration and I figured that this post talked about that. While I won’t treat myself to cake today, I’m about to have a drink at Cutie’s.

Happy 800 blog posts to me!

New Beginnings at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters!

Tonight marked a year of new beginnings at Laurel Highlands Toastmasters. We had a great program that was sure to please and, it was an important night as the club held officer inductions for its new officers. Some of us were in person for the meeting, while others were virtual. Those who were inducted at the meeting will get their pins at the next meeting on July 22. I will be in person for that one. I was virtual since I had an appointment before the meeting. No worries though as it was very productive. The agenda had two speakers, table topics, and an important evaluation session as we reviewed the speeches and our General Evaluator did the same for the meeting.

Cosmas, our Vice President Education, gave an ice breaker and talked about having to grow up at an early age. Ryan, our presiding officer, spoke about his plans to lead the Laurel Highlands Club to Smedley Distinguished. Since I served as his evaluator, I’ll highlight a few of those points I picked up from his speech.

He gave praise to our club for having a successful year and finishing Presidents’ Distinguished, but also how to improve from there. He explained how we can get those 25 members to finish Smedley Distinguished. This is something all clubs are trying to achieve, and finding the best way to achieve that goal. At Laurel Highlands, we may hint at going online. Ryan also talked about setting up a WhatsApp for the club (I got the link for it today).

Our Table Topics session also centered around new beginnings, and four of us answered the questions that were given to us. Mine was to “Think of something that was so challenging, yet when you went ahead it turns out to be amazing.” Answering this question, I thought about a time back in high school when my teacher and mentor had a great opportunity for his introverted sophomore student. It was to join the swim team as a manager. That week I took the time to sit on it and I nearly squandered the chance to try something new, but in the eleventh hour I came through. It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my young life so far.

As the person responsible for giving the Word of the Day and trying to keep the word close to the theme of the meeting, the word I chose was Genesis. It wasn’t used very much last night but that’s ok. We concluded our meeting a few minutes before 7pm and then had officer inductions afterwards.

It’s important that meetings run on time, and this one wrapped up right at 7:30. Also, guests should be welcomed and allowed to express why they come visiting and if they will be willing to return in the future. We had two guests in attendance including the president of the newly chartered Country Roads Toastmasters. Terre participated in Table Topics. Prince also attended the meeting, our youngest guest in attendance at 12 years old.

Our next meeting is July 22. I will speak at the first meeting in August on the 12th.