Today we started a brand new sermon series at church called “Advice for Aliens”. Naturally we kicked it off with a clip from Men In Black starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.

In the Bible this morning, we turned to the Book of Daniel. He was not only a prophet but also an alien 👽. He was an Israelite taken captive as a teenager; he lived the rest of his earthly life on frozen soil. But he was extremely successful.

Daniel can be broken up into two parts. Anyone familiar to Daniel knows about the Fiery Furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar, and the Lion’s Den. That’s the first half. Daniel, like Jeremiah, was not just an alien, but also an amazing prophet.

Daniel became a top level leader in two empires and did it without changing who he was to please the enemy. His secret would be revealed in later years in a message delivered to him by an angel. Sounds like a good reading project. The message can be found in Daniel 10:19.

Christ followers too are aliens 👽, meaning they are not of this world (Luke 17:16). We also referred to Psalm 73 and 1 Corinthians 15:13, 16-20.

Five simple things that formed Daniel’s daily life are also the keys to living a successful alien life. They are:

• Don’t fear
• Understanding how precious you are to God.
• Peace
• Be encouraged
• Be strong.

Paul says that our citizenship is in Heaven. Peter calls us aliens in the first verse of his first letter. Heaven is our real home as followers of Jesus Christ however we live here on Earth 🌍 until that day we are called home. The five keys given to Daniel must apply to us too. This will be a good sermon series and I look forward to continuing with it.

Today was the day I was waiting for. It was the day I got to show off my clothes to all of you.

I went online to JCPenney.com and ordered an assortment of clothes from socks to V-neck T-shirt’s. I also ordered a couple of woven shirts that go great with khakis as well as a sweater. I spent Saturday afternoon putting together outfits and trying on my clothes and they all look good on me. Another stylish clothing party coming in February (not as big but I am going to rock my blazers and red leather jacket). I want to have some nice outfits for the contests and Spring Conference. Here’s the pictures of me modeling my new stylish attire.

The Dockers shirts are good for Toastmasters meetings. I’ll pair them up with khakis and either canvas or boat shoes. I like rocking the V-neck t shirts with jeans 👖 and boots 👢 or sandals. The Polo sweater goes good with jeans or chinos and boots or dress shoes 👞. Here’s more pictures.

I love wearing patterned socks. They go great with anything I wear. This brings me to nine pairs so far. I loved my cardigan I got for Christmas so much that I sprang for another one at oldnavy.com.

I’m so proud of this wardrobe update and I love you all for the support you give me by reading my blogs. I love my squad who applauds me on my attire and make my workplace better just by being there. We don’t always work together but when we do it’s always awesome. Squad goals: Style and blog like me.

I’m looking forward to ordering my blazers and red leather jacket in February and that will be it for a while on clothing. But online is definitely the way to go anymore. Brick and mortar stores are an endangered species. Even JCPenney and Macy’s aren’t immune.

I look forward to showing off my new threads. That’s it on the stylish blogs for now. Toastmaster time coming up with the contests and makeup TLI next week.

Enjoy your weekend. ❤️ you.

Tonight I am celebrating having finished season one of Gilmore Girls, which I did on Tuesday. I thought I’d be crazy to enjoy the show but I did.

I’ll rate the show by my favorite characters and talk about the episodes that stood out.

I think that Lorelai and Rory have a great bond. Having had a kid at 16 and running away from a wealthy family, the main character has turned out well despite everything that’s happened. Rory gets accepted into a fancy prep school. So, Lorelai needs to humble herself and ask her parents for money. Lorelai’s relationship with her parents has been strained so it’s a tall order. The price to pay is Friday Night Dinner with her parents.

The supporting characters do well. Sookie is the cook at the Independence Inn where Lorelai is the executive director. Lane is the aspiring rockstar and Rory’s best friend. Luke is the owner of the diner and Lorelai’s friend who gives her advice. Michel is the grumpy concierge who puts up with Lorelai’s antics. Then there’s Emily and Richard Gilmore, the parents who worry about how their daughter is raising their grandchild.

The second episode stands out as it’s Rory’s first day at Chilton and her mother arrives in shorts, a T-shirt, and cowboy boots. There’s also the one where Lorelai and her boyfriend Max (who is Rory’s English teacher) have a romantic night in the middle of a snowstorm. Rory meanwhile is stranded at her grandparents during the winter storm. Later on, we finally meet Rory’s Dad, Christopher. He’ll be in later episodes of the series. The meeting with Lorelai’s and Christopher’s parents is stormy as they argue over the events that led to Rory being born out of wedlock and plans being ruined.

Sally Struthers has a recurring role as Lorelai’s neighbor, Babette. Too bad they couldn’t get Rob Reiner to play her husband but by then he’s a famous director. Liz Torres plays the owner of the dance studio, Miss Patty. She was a boarder on All in the Family.

Overall, this show has a wonderful cast of characters who are great in their own way.

The setting is quaint. A small town in Connecticut between Hartford and New Haven, Stars Hollow reminds me of downtown Culpeper and even Ligonier. Now I want to spend time in Connecticut.

The writing is good for the first season. We will see if it’s just as good as the series goes on.

Overall I’m happy with the show and I look forward to season two and what it brings.

I’m drinking my coffee as I work on this blog.

Watch for my Stylish Outfit Party tomorrow. Enjoy your Friday night. ❤️ you.

I was never a fan of Gilmore Girls when it aired on the WB. I stuck my nose up at the show for the longest time. I couldn’t understand why folks enjoyed this show and thought it would be funny if they collaborated with, say, Everybody Loves Raymond. Frank and Marie at Friday night dinner? They’d complain so much it’d be hilarious. Ray would whine at Luke’s over how unfair Debra treats him. Robert in Stars Hollow? Everybody loves Raymond better than me. Woe is me. Ok, enough of that collaboration which is just silly to me now.

20 years after its premiere on the WB, I’ve had a complete change of heart about the show and absolutely adore it. I just finished season one on Netflix and will start season two Sunday night. I’ll do my review of the show on tomorrow night’s blog. Today is about the awesome Gilmore Girls Merch that I just purchased.

I picked up this book at Barnes and Noble on Monday. I’ve finished a chapter so far so I don’t know much about it but she did write it during the making of the Gilmore Girls reboot. I’ll let you know more.

I ordered this calendar on Amazon.com Monday and it came yesterday. It comes with stickers so you can plan your events. It also has quotes from the show as well as photos of my favorite pair. Is it hard to believe I used to despise this show with a passion?

I took a selfie of this picture last night. I absolutely love this T-shirt and want to get it as a sweatshirt in a future Stylish Shopping trip on Amazon. I’ll take another pic when I get the infinity scarf 🧣. This will go great with my leather jacket, jeans, and boots 👢.

Another Stylish Gilmore Girls blog tomorrow as I give my review of season one and talk about my favorite characters so far. The Stylish Wardrobe Update blog will be this Saturday. I’ll take pictures of me trying on all my new clothes.

Have a great night guys. Weekend’s almost here. ❤️ you.

Christmas came again two weeks after it occurred.

I made plans to update my wardrobe, which I do annually. I took the easier route and shopped online where most of my stuff would be available.

After a week and a half, my packages arrived in the mail. Here’s how I made out.

I liked my Polo sweater so much I bought another one. The woven shirts will go great with my Old Navy Khakis. I brought back the V-Neck T-shirts. They’ll go great with the blazers I’m buying on Amazon before I jump into contest season.

I just love patterned socks. I already have six pairs and am growing my collection.

I’ll be modeling my new wardrobe and putting together some great outfits this Saturday. Keep it tuned to the Stylish Traveling DTM.

Stay tuned tomorrow as I blog about my Stylish Gilmore Girls merch. Here’s a selfie of me rocking my Lorelai and Rory T-shirt. Have a great night. ❤️ you.

So stoked for this week’s coming blogs, but you have to get through the workweek to read them.

Friday’s blog will center on my newfound love of the Gilmore Girls. I’ll have finished season one and give my review of the show so far and who my favorite characters are. I might even model the new T-shirt I’m buying on Amazon if it comes in time. I’m excited to start season two and watch the whole series.

I’m blogging as fast as I can.

I need my coffee ☕️.

I think I found something that irritates my Dad more than Donald Trump.

Saturday is the big day. I’ll have my new clothes and I’ll be rocking them. Mostly some V-neck T-shirts (I wore one in Ashtabula when I was on the overnight and looked too casual). I also got some woven shirts that will go great with khakis. Here’s the pic.

Yeah I love rocking the patterned socks. I think the Amazon items will go great with one of my leather jackets or jeans. I’m hoping to find a pair of white or black jeans to pair them with. But I can’t wear white until Spring.

It’s Monday but Friday’s coming. ❤️ you.

It’s my first church visit for the new year and new decade. What better treat than having a prolife speaker there to share the message? It’ll get us in the mood for the March for Life later on in January as well as in May in Harrisburg.

Happy Pro-life Sunday. I admit that video leading up to the sermon made me emotional 😭. It’s ok to cry no matter who you are. Looking forward to the new sermon series next week.

First off I want to give a shoutout to the worship bands at Cornerstone. These guys do an amazing job week in and week out. I attended church in the Loft this morning and Jeremie, one of the worship leaders, just killed it this morning. I heard some familiar tunes as well.

I met Daniel Ritchie this morning in the lobby when I walked in. His books all sold last night but luckily the church has put some on back order. I signed up for a copy and it will be there next week. He even signed a 3 x 5 index card with his feet. If you’re asking why, it’s because he has no arms.

Daniel shared the story of his birth, having been born without limbs. Despite the odds, his parents didn’t give up on him. He talked about life growing up without any limbs. He also shared some funny stories. Despite his physical handicaps, he lived a normal life and did normal everyday things that most or all of us take for granted.

Ritchie and his family grew up in North Carolina. He is an avid Carolina Panthers fan.

He travels the country to speak to other church group and is a motivational speaker.

He always wondered why he was different when he was growing up. Why he didn’t have any limbs while others did. He struggled with doubts and insecurity 😟.

He said in his message that GOD shows His love to us no matter. Ritchie is pro-life because GOD is, not because of political platforms. He encouraged us to Believe that Jesus is the Son of GOD, but to also beware of the enemy who will steal, kill, and destroy. In GOD all things are made and He knew what He was doing when he created Daniel.

Ritchie shared his pro-life views and addressed how bad the problem has gotten with infanticide. His view of pro-life is not just being for the birth of babies no matter what risks come with the pregnancy. His view of pro-life is to take the Gospel to places unknown and spread it to those who really need it.

Daniel Ritchie’s life is one you can’t put a price on. I can’t wait to read his book when I get it next week.

Enjoy your week ahead. ❤️ you.

Yesterday my dad took advantage of the warm January weather to take down Christmas lights. This meant the end of the holiday season. My mom will take the weekend to remove the rest of the decorations in the house. Thus, every season has its beginning and its end.

We will move on to the next big holiday, Valentine’s Day 💕. Stores are already peddling their wares even before Christmas has come. I understand you need to promote your products. But one holiday at a time.

I’m not one to celebrate the holiday that centers around love. I hope to eventually but in my life it’s never stood out to me as a holiday worth ushering in.

However I am a sucker for good chocolate and I surprised my friends with a lot of sweets at Christmas. Hope you enjoyed that stylish gift exchange, Ashley, Maura, Chase and Emily. We’ll have to do it again.

It’s sad to see to a beautiful holiday end. Christmas makes the snow much more enjoyable. Plus it’s hard to see all that Christmas product on clearance. However that is the best time to buy it for next year. After that you just want to count down the days until Spring gets here. 78 days as of this blog.

Let’s take the holidays and throw around the spirit all year long. Not just at Christmas but Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and every special day year round. Easier said than done right?

Enjoy the first weekend of the NFL playoffs.

❤️ you.

A short blog today covering some upcoming Toastmaster Events and other things.

Next Saturday since I’ll have all of my stuff from JCP in the mail, I’m going to show off my new clothes. This will be better explained in pictures than words. I’ll lay out some outfits for some great photo opportunities.

The middle of January is going to be swimming in Toastmasters functions. The 15th is my upcoming club contest. I’m participating in both the International Speech and Evaluation contests. If I place second or better I will move on the area contest March 7 in Oakmont.

January 18th is the Division C TLI makeup training being held at the Monroeville Public Library by Gateway High School. The training will run from 9 to 12. I’ll be serving as Toastmaster and speaking on the club officer training as well as my DTM journey. The next day will be my monthly Achievers meeting, so it’ll be a busy Toastmasters weekend.

Aside from modeling my new stylish attire and being busy with all things Toastmasters, I also want to think about getting my name out there. That Ashtabula trip made me realize that I’m longing for someone in my life 👩. Maybe I’ll place an ad online seeking a SWF. We’ll see what happens. That’s a project for late January.

That’s all I have for today. I’m just filling you all in on what’s going on in my life. Until next time ❤️ you.

Now there’s a blog title that speaks to the most stylish of us all.

There are times that most of us are all dressed up and have nowhere to go. Tonight was a good example. I was dressed in my usual stylish attire of jeans and sweater and boots 👢 .

Upon coming downstairs, my dad asked me if was going somewhere and I told him I wasn’t. I don’t think he approved of me wearing shoes in the house. I turned my nose up at that. It’s 2020 and I’m not worried about what people think anymore. Actually it was good inspiration for the title of my second blog tonight.

It’s a new year and that means a new me. I proposed a moratorium on visiting my Alma maters, but doesn’t mean I can’t talk about them. It will be 20 years since I started college so that’s getting its own blog later this summer.

All dressed up and nowhere to go. That ends this year. I’m going to devote more time in 2020 to going out on Friday nights. A great example would be grabbing dinner 🍽 and a drink 🍹 at Sun Dawg (open until 9 on Thursdays and Fridays). I want to attend more concerts (either in Pittsburgh or at the Palace 🎭). I want to get together with friends and have dinner together instead of going solo. I want to do more movie nights complete with popcorn 🍿.

My brick and mortar shopping days are mostly done. I’m not trying to contribute to the demise of these institutions but it’s easier to shop online because you can find merchandise easier. Maybe the same goes for Target and Giant Eagle and grocery shopping. I lead a pretty busy life so Target pickup and Curbside Express might come in handy once in a while. As for eating out, I’ll stick to my local eateries and once in a while hit up a chain (so I can use those Red Robin and Starbucks gift cards).

Other things I’m doing in 2020

I’m living at home but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be independent. I’ll take the time to look around to see what works best.

I’m using my Amazon gift cards to update my wardrobe. I want to keep that stylish appearance going strong.

I’m celebrating with all the new Distinguished Toastmasters in District 13 and running the gauntlet at the upcoming Spring Conference.

It’s going to be a big 2020 and I’m excited where things end up. Happy New Year. ❤️ you.