thebabyperks

I have found that you learn a lot about yourself through reflecting on the past, it's what helps you grow in the future. As another year comes to an end, I thought I would go month by month on some things I did.

January:
Newspaper Competition: Each year our newspaper staff would submit stories and layouts to be judged. This turned into a field trip in January to Webster University where we would go to classes taught by local journalism professionals  and (hopefully) receive awards. 

Newspaper seniors (minus Nick) with our awards. Fun Fact: I'm holding the certificate of a student who had already graduated, but I did in fact get 2 recognitions.

February:
DECA Districts: Bethany and I placed third in HTDM (Hospitality Services Team Decision Making) at the district level which means we qualified for state. I actually dedicated an entire blog post to it, so definitely go check that out for more information about it! 

I would like to thank our Advanced Marketing class, constant text messages, and chips and queso for our DECA success.

LA Senior Trip: Megan and I took a senior trip to LA and it was incredible to say the least. I also vlogged it so, again, check that out. We went to Disneyland for a day, visited Hollywood, and went to the beach. 

This was my first time eating In-N-Out, it was truly a magical experience

Also my first time at Disneyland

Santa Monica Pier

Throwback to when we thought Bethany's luggage got stolen but we had actually just placed it at the wrong door.

The Lake of the Ozarks, man, what a time

Photo by Carla Cox

Photo by Carla Cox

Oliver was not dead, just defeated because of Uno

The fact that my first semester of freshman year is over is extremely terrifying-- I cannot believe how fast it went by. I feel like just yesterday I was walking with my mom around our neighborhood, talking about what college could be like and now I have so many stories, memories, and experiences.

There really is no perfect way to describe my first semester but I would definitely say it was a roller coaster ride. It was everything I expected, yet nothing like what I expected all at the same time. I mean life is not predictable, especially when you throw yourself in a completely new city with completely new people. 
With that being said, though, I met some incredible people this semester. I have found some of my best friends. I don't know how I would have made it through the school year so far with out them. There are too many of you to name but I am forever grateful for you all.  Thank you for the late night studying sessions at the library, weekends spent hanging out, and making me laugh so hard I cry at dinner basically every night.


One of the biggest changes I've seen in myself is how much more social I am. In high school, socializing was the bane of my existence (okay, it wasn't that terrible but it still wasn't something I enjoyed or honestly ever did after school hours or on the weekend). College has been much different. Even though I'm still an introvert, I have socialized so much more. I have found people (like I previously mentioned) who I really enjoy hanging out with, who understand who I am. As an introvert, social situations drain you, but with the right friend group being around people is a lot more exciting/manageable. It's sometimes hard to explain that, especially in an extroverted world where a majority of people want to be around others 24/7. At first I struggled with balancing always being around people, but now I know myself a lot better in what I can and cannot do. 
I also learned to not be afraid, to experience what college has to offer to the fullest. College provides you with so many enriching experiences, so many opportunities. Obviously you can't say yes to everything, but go out and experience life. The classroom can only teach you so much, go out and learn beyond the textbook. 
College is what you make out of it. It can be the best or it can be the worst. I totally understand needing a day to just recharge and relax from a stressful week, but don't let it turn into an entire semester of sitting in your dorm. There is so much to do and so much to experience. I cannot believe how fast my first semester went and I cannot wait for next semester.

Until next time,
Taylor xx 

So lists are kind of my thing, and you'll notice that if you've followed my blog for a while. I don't just enjoy making list posts for my blog, but I use them in my daily life for tasks I need to accomplish. Breaking down tasks into a list drives me to complete them in a timely fashion. My planner is full of lists. 

With my first semester of college wrapping up within the next two weeks, I've composed a list of "Christmas Break Bucket List" items to complete while I'm home over Christmas Break. I'm so excited to be home with my family for the Christmas season and I miss them a lot. So here are some of my Christmas Break Bucket List.

1. Visit St. Charles' Christmas Traditions
One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is the "Christmas Traditions" in historic St. Charles. My family has frequented the month-long Christmas Tradition events for as long as I remember. I love the storybook-like characters and the festivities. It is truly a unique, incredible experience. Last year I'm pretty sure we went almost every weekend because it was that fun.

Definitely check out the Christmas Traditions webpage to find out more.

2. Go to Painting with a Twist
I feel like these kind of businesses have really sprung up everywhere over the past two years. If you don't know what "Painting with a Twist", here's a quick overview: you book seats with your friends/family and an instructor guides you through a painting. There's a huge calendar online with what paintings are being  done each day so you can choose accordingly. I've done a few of these sorts of events before and I've always really enjoyed it. I really want to do a holiday-themed one though.

Here's a link to the O'Fallon store, but there are a lot of Painting with a Twist locations so you can find the one closest to you. 

3. Complete a Christmas puzzle
I am slightly obsessed with Christmas puzzles. Every year for the past four years I've done a huge Christmas puzzle. It originally started as a family thing but eventually turned into me doing the puzzle alone because once I start one I don't want to stop. Now that I will be home for a month, hopefully I can do a few of them. It's really cool now that I have a collection of Christmas puzzles because my dad put them in frames and hung them up in for the holiday season.

4. Bake so many Christmas cookies
One of the things I miss most about leaving home is that I don't have a kitchen at my disposal anymore. I used to bake food and share the recipes on this blog all of the time. I really hope that when I go home I can have a baking extravaganza (and I'll share some pictures with you all here).

5. Go to Picasso's Coffee House
While visiting Historic St. Charles, there's a good chance I'm going to stop by Picasso's. It is my favorite coffee house in St. Louis, partially for the location and partially because the coffee is incredible. Again, if you happen to have the opportunity to go to Historic St. Charles, go! I cannot stress it enough, this area of St. Charles is incredible.

6. Visit the St. Louis Premium Outlet
I'm not a huge fan of shopping but I love going to the Premium Outlet in Chesterfield. Part of my love for visiting this outlet mall during December is, again, the holiday atmosphere. It's such a great time in the year and I love walking around and visiting all of the different stores. 


I have so many more things that I want to do while I'm home over break but those were just a few of the things I really want to do. I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend!

Until next time,
Taylor xx