Our October 17th weekly was very enjoyable, with everyone pitching in to ensure things went smoothly. The theme of the meeting was "Change," in honor of autumn and the upcoming holiday, Halloween. As Toastmaster-of-the-Day, Loni briefly detailed a few strategies she has found help when you find yourself faced with unexpected or sizable change. She closed by sharing the following quote:
Doug gave his Icebreaker speech, entitled "Things I've Done, Places I've Been." We learned about his life as a musician, with emphasis on the iterative nature of music practice. This lead to an explanation of how he spent several years in Brazil, outside of his comfort zone in a new country where most don't speak English. This was both his first speech in Toastmasters and the first speech within the "Visionary Communicator" Pathway. Congratulations, Doug!
Christine served as Table Topics Master, asking a number of great questions designed to stimulate the minds -- and mouths -- of those who volunteered to respond. Usamah described his personal worth in terms of helping his son to grow into a loving human being, one who cares for other people. Joann shared the view that sometimes giving up is the right decision and that doing so doesn't mean you didn't learn something along the way or change the lives of others. Loni shared how Toastmasters had made something seemingly impossible -- the task of speaking in front of a crowd -- possible. And Doug explained that it is difficult to say who one is since every person has so many different facets and are even sometimes different people in different situations.
- Best Speaker: Doug
- Best Table Topic Speaker: Loni
- Word of the Day: temper
Loni receiving Best Table Topics from Sally 
Doug receiving his Icebreaker ribbon 
Allison receiving her Secretary officer pin
Thanks to all who contributed to a fabulous meeting and hope to see you all again soon!