thebabyperks

 Woah!

I haven't shared this part of my life on my blog too much just because (like always it seems) I've been struggling with defining my voice and blog's purpose in this post-grad space (even though it's been almost two years since I graduated college).

As I'm sure you're all aware — I got married!

I'm hoping to put together a more in-depth vendor review soon but for now I thought I would just give a brief recap of my thoughts and feelings now that I'm a married woman.

#1: Life is Wild

It really hasn't sunk in yet that I'm married as weird as that sounds. David and I got engaged in December 2019 (again, almost two years ago!) and for so long our wedding just seemed like a far-away idea. The fact that it finally happened and we've been married for two weeks is still such a "wow" moment for me. I think as we enter into 2022 it will actually settle in.

#2: Everything Went Perfect

Well, of course, nothing is perfect, but the day went as good as I could hope it would go. We chose to not have a wedding coordinator which was a decision I was very confident in until the day of the rehearsal dinner when I began to question all of my planning abilities. Not to fear, though, almost everything went as I planned. Our one hiccup was that I couldn't find the photos that we were planning to hang on the banisters of the stairs going up to the main event space of our venue. We found some of them but not all of them until after the wedding. This still makes me sad because we missed out on some very sweet photos of David's extended family, but luckily it was the only thing to go "wrong." The rest of the day went better than I could have ever expected. It was so, so, so special to get so many of our family members and friends together to celebrate our story especially after such a long time of not being together. We danced, we drank, and we made so many memories. I seriously couldn't have asked for a better wedding.

#3 That Open Bar Gets People Dancing

We were on the fence about getting an open bar package of just wine and beer or adding in the signature cocktails, too. I'm so glad we went ahead and included the signature drinks. Our signature drinks were accompanied by the sign "Marzen's Open Bar" which was a special way to include our dog who couldn't be there (she is very scared around new people). Our drinks were a Moscow Mule and Cider & Stormy (rum, ginger beer, lime, and apple cider). I heard from so many people that the bartenders were great and remembered people's orders as they came back. One thing I told everyone that I wanted from our wedding was that people danced and I think having that open bar and great bartenders definitely helped make that possible. Seriously, I don't remember a single time where the dance floor wasn't occupied by at least someone.

#4 "Making the Rounds" Wasn't as Time Consuming as I Thought

Maybe it was just because the people at our wedding were great, but everyone who kept telling me I would get pulled away too many times and wouldn't get to enjoy the wedding were wrong. David and I both "made the rounds" and talked to everyone at least once and I still had plenty of time to dance and enjoy the moments with my other friends and family. My advice for others getting ready to get married would be to just start going around to each table early to reach all of the family who may not be staying as long, but then go around the dance floor and talk to everyone while they're up and dancing. Even if you don't have an in-depth conversation, you're still dancing and celebrating with everyone who is there!

#5 Take in the Moment(s)

Our caterer graciously served David and I our meals so that we could sit down while everyone went through the buffet line. Once everyone was seated we had a few moments to take it all in and look around the room at the people who were there. We had so many family members (and friends!) who traveled from out of state to be there and it meant so much to us. When we opened up the dance floor and everyone started dancing it made for so many more great memories with everyone who attended. Everyone warned me how fast it'll go once the wedding festivities kick off, and they're right. My best advice is to try to soak every moment and conversation in before the night ends.

Like I said I hope to write a vendor review soon! I also am hoping to work on a honeymoon recap with our recommendations for others if they travel to Honolulu/Waikiki. Be on the lookout for those in the coming weeks. If I don't talk to you before then have a great holiday season!

Until next time,

Taylor BARBERIS xx

Two weekends ago I had my bachelorette party in Hermann, MO. When I thought about my bachelorette I initially struggled with narrowing down what I wanted to do. Prior to getting engaged I knew very little of Hermann outside of the fact that my parents camped there every once in a while. 

Originally I thought about going to the Lake of the Ozarks because I love the beach and LOZ is the closest weekend beach trip I could get in Missouri, but I thought about the vibe of the Lake of the Ozarks crowd as a whole and didn't think it would be 100% me or what I wanted from the weekend.

Then, I learned Hermann was the bachelorette party city of Missouri, known for their vineyards and historic community. I was intrigued. I'm a frequent visitor of breweries, but I'm not often at wineries so I thought that would be fun & usually there is a wine type for everyone. While there were a lot of individual business websites explaining what they offered I didn't find a lot of blog posts on Hermann from the perspective of a bride or bridal party. So here we are!

Overall Thoughts:

If you're thinking about having your bachelorette in Hermann you should! It was the perfect place to explore! We had my bridal shower in the morning before the bachelorette so that I (and my bridesmaids who live all over the Midwest) didn't have to drive in for three different events (bridal shower, bachelorette, and wedding) and it was the perfect location for it! Some of my extended family and friends were able to make it and do all of the normal bridal shower things before my bridal party group peeled off to get ready for the bachelorette. Overall, Hermann is the way to go if you're looking for something a little laid back but still fun!

Bridal Shower: The Cottage

I had no part in the planning of the bridal shower so I can't speak to how easy communication was with the vendor but I can speak to the beauty of The Cottage. They have treehouses and cabins on site for lodging if you're looking for a cute getaway. They also have an event space which is what we used for the bridal shower. It was situated a little ways back off the main highway cutting through the town but it's absolutely stunning. They had the perfect amount of space for our gathering, had a small kitchen prep area, and plenty of room to set up a buffet area for brunch and drinks. 

Bachelorette: Lodging

I originally was hoping to host my bachelorette in October, but October kicks off Oktoberfest in Hermann and Airbnb and other lodging prices shot through the roof during the month so I chose the end of September instead. I also originally anticipated my mom and a few family friends staying with me so I was trying to find a space to fit 14, we ended up only needing space for seven. If I originally looked for an Airbnb of that size I probably could've found a few more options but we ended up going with John's "Trolley Tower- Library." It was wonderful! The location was perfect — centrally located to the downtown shops and restaurants and literally next door to the Hermann Trolley. The only negative to the Airbnb is that it is on the first floor of a three story building that are all Airbnb rentals from the same owner and you could definitely hear every foot step of the floors above us. This wasn't too big of a deal at night but wasn't great when they started vacuuming before 7 a.m. when check out wasn't until 10 a.m. I'd still recommend the Airbnb just wanted to raise the concern tied to noise if that is a bigger priority you have.

Transportation: Hermann Trolley

The Hermann Trolley is the way to travel if you're wanting to winery hop. Once we paid for our wristbands we had all-day access to the Trolley's services. After you're done at a winery if a trolley wasn't there you could call the number on the wristbands and they'd pick your group up. One thing to note that wasn't clear on their website is that they're a cash only establishment. This created a moment of panic because only a few bridesmaids had cash and we did a Venmo chain to each other to make it all work out. It wasn't a huge deal and we were all covered but I wanted to share that with others!

Wineries:

Another thing I didn't do my research on was what time the wineries closed because I assumed they'd all be open until like 7 or 8 p.m. in the early fall. I was incorrect. Most closed by 5 or 6 p.m. which meant we were only able to go to two wineries but honestly that was a good amount! 

We started at Adam Puchta Winery. We had to pay an entry fee but it included a "free" wine tasting for six different wines. It was pretty busy when we arrived so it took a bit to get to the front of the line but it was a beautiful day and we didn't mind the wait. Honestly I like all of the wine we sampled and most of the group seemed to like at least five out of six of the samples. I ended up getting a tropical punch wine slushy and I loved it.

After we hung out here for a bit we learned that the wineries closed early so we said goodbye to my mom and family friends who went with us to the first winery to go to the second place.

The Hermann Trolley took us to Stone Hill Winery next. Their wine options were fairly limited and I'm not sure if that was due to them closing so soon to when we visited but I did think it was odd that they were situated on such a large piece of property and claimed to be out of wine for wine samplings. I ended up splitting a bottle of wine with one of my bridesmaids, Megan, though, and it all worked out. It just would’ve been fun to sample all of the wine like we did at Adam Puchta. The views here were absolutely incredible. I’d come back with family or friends earlier in the day just to sit outside and enjoy the vineyard.

Food

After hopping off the trolley after the second winery we were all ready to eat. Across the street from our Airbnb and the trolley drop off was Concert Hall and Barrel. It wasn’t anything fancy, your typical bar food and environment but they had good service (especially for serving a larger group during a busy time of night).

Night Life  

I hoped to have a pretty relaxed evening after such a busy morning and afternoon. After dinner we hung out at the Airbnb and played a few bachelorette games. Then we went to a place that my parents and friends had hyped up that I really wanted to check out — Doxie Slush. They stay open late so it’s a great option when other places are closed. I tried a “flight” of seasonal and non-seasonal slushes — Pumpkin Spice Old Fashion, Maple Tamarind Margarita, and Strawberry Amaretto Shortcake. I do have to say I think this may have been a better place to start at or drink if you haven’t been drinking all day. The atmosphere of Doxie Slush was great, the flavors were unique, but when mixing with all the other alcohol from the day I would recommend the more “safe” flavors than the fall ones. Another note, my dad insists on trying the lobster mac and cheese. I wasn’t hungry enough to try it and it was $23 but my dad never spends $23 on a meal so I know it has to be good if he’s endorsing it.

My one day getaway to Hermann for my bridal shower and bachelorette was everything I could’ve wanted in a weekend. I want to give a shout out to Rita and Amy Paulus (and really the whole Paulus family) for all of their effort and time bringing the day to life. It was absolutely perfect.

If you’re not looking to plan wedding-themed events but still want to explore Hermann I think all of the places I discussed above are places I’d recommend you check out except for where we went to dinner. I think you could probably find a better place to dine unless you’re good with bar food! I am hoping that next time I visit (hopefully with David!), I can check out the brewery and coffee/breakfast places in town. 

Have any questions about traveling to Hermann? Let me know! I’ll try to give my best advice!

Until next time,

Taylor xx

 I haven't blogged for so long for many reasons. I've had my blog for so many years and I had lots of content ideas throughout high school and college. Graduating a semester early and within three months entering into a pandemic I didn't have much inspiration. I couldn't do much, I was working 8-5, and I was uninspired. 

Another obstacle I kept running into was feeling the need to define what my blog was going to be, essentially niche down. As I've continued thinking about it and thinking about the bloggers I follow on Instagram, they all have themes —  like fitness, wellness, or cooking — but all things considered they share their lives. Day in and day out. So why can't I? Heck, I'm not making any money from this so I may as well just use this as a place to keep my creative juices flowing.

So what have I been up to since I last blogged in October 2020? I decided to do all of the things.

1. I left my first "big girl" job for a new opportunity. This happened super fast, like the whole process was complete within a month, and I truly wasn't expecting it. Graduating from college I knew that my first role wouldn't be my forever role and had casually browsed LinkedIn for many months trying to find a job posting that I felt fit me better. You should have seen my journal throughout the pandemic as I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Did I even want to stay in communications? I toyed with going back to school to get my masters in education to teach high school, getting an accelerated masters degree for school counseling, and looked at roles in higher education marketing/student services. When one day out of the blue I saw a remote content marketing opportunity for an educational technology start-up and decided to apply. 

I had been temporarily working remotely and didn't want to go back to the office if I didn't have to, I loved the idea of working within the education field using my strength as a writer, and the idea of a start-up was thrilling. I liked the idea of something fast paced, full of energetic people who cared deeply about their work, and who weren't so defined by how things were always done. I was nervous that leaving a stable, traditional corporate job would be a dumb decision especially coming out of a pandemic that wasn't truly over, but after many talks with David, my family, and my close friends I realized I couldn't pass up a really great opportunity just because I was a little scared. Of course change is going to be scary, but how can you grow without it?

2. I started that new opportunity. And absolutely love it!! I love remote working like I knew I would and I get to pick my hours/they have flexible work arrangements to fit work around life when needed! 

It's not a super new start-up, they technically started in 2017, but they've seen rapid growth in their products as a result of the pandemic. There are just over 40 employees and it's the perfect size for me (which I find funny because my sorority had 40-50ish members in it... I just really like that size group apparently). I'm creating valuable content for products that I believe in and that I know make a difference within school districts, classrooms, and students' lives.

3. We sold David's first home and bought our first home together. With my new job being remote there wasn't a strong need to be in Overland Park. With the housing market being as crazy as it was we decided it would make the most sense to sell our home (for significantly higher than what David purchased it for) and find a home within a reasonable price range somewhere else. We were floating between the Blue Springs or Lee's Summit areas but weren't super tied to either. All we knew was we wanted a fenced yard, at least two bathrooms, and a basement. Luckily, after quickly selling our OP house we found a house in Blue Springs and we had our first offer accepted (I can't imagine what the experience has been like for people putting seven or more contracts in and not getting them and I'm very grateful it didn't happen to us). 

4. We moved in with my family for a bit. To save money and allow time for our OP house to close and get the financing to go through we moved back to O'Fallon for a bit! I loved getting to see my family more than I normally would and my parents dog and our dog got to play all day, every day. By the time we were moving out of O'Fallon they had to go on walks together and wouldn't walk if the other wasn't coming.

5. We moved in! It's been such a relief to know we have a place to call ours for a *minimum* of five years (hopefully ten because moving is exhausting). While there are a lot of costs upfront in regards to taking care of things, it's also exciting to start moving into the space and make it our own. I'm looking forward to a month or so from now when we will hopefully have living room and bedroom furniture (for real.... they couldn't give me an estimate on when it would arrive).

So what does the future hold?

The countdown is on until our wedding — 80 days! It's something I originally was so excited to blog about along the way but when the pandemic hit I wasn't sure if any of our plans would actually happen. I started feeling more optimistic in May/June, but that confidence has rapidly deteriorated this past month. I am really hoping and praying our wedding can still happen as I envisioned, but I'm also trusting that it will all work out and no matter what we do everyone will be safe and healthy.

I'm hoping to start getting involved within the Blue Springs community. I would love to start coaching Girls on the Run again, unfortunately the 5K is on our wedding day so I'm eyeing the coaching spots for the spring.

I am also looking forward to continuing my fitness endeavors. I've continued to strength train and I've seen a great amount of progress in my bench press and some other lifts. I haven't trained for a running event in a while but training for a 10K or a triathlon is starting to sound fun again so I may try to incorporate that into my schedule, too.

All in all, I'm feeling really good, all things considered. I always say I'm back to consistently blogging, but then quickly fall off again. I'm not sure when my next blog post will be, but I'm feeling more confident in myself and my ability to share these posts for me and not for anyone else.

Until next time,

Taylor