Wedding Bales: Special Cargo

I have been putting off my recaps for a while for a few different reasons. One of them being what you will read below. I apologize for my absence but hope you can understand why it took me so long to finally get started actually writing them.


Mr. Farmer and I picked up the Barn children the Thursday before the wedding. We decided that we wanted some family time to take advantage of the hotel we were staying at before all the wedding festivities started. The Hotel Metroplis, featuring an indoor water park, Go-Kart track, laser tag, batting cages, arcade and rock climbing? Oh hell yeah, we were going to live it up! We also wanted to take our time getting to Wisconsin. It was a 4.5 hour trip for us, so we wanted to make sure we had the time to stop for plenty of potty breaks and to stretch our legs.

It certainly wouldn't be a Barn trip without a few selfies from stepdaughter K. 

Before checking into our hotel, we made a quick pit stop at the other hotel in our block to drop off some "Welcome" letters. I spent the days leading up to the wedding crafting some thank you/welcome letters that our guests would receive upon check-in. It was also the perfect excuse to use up some of the leftover crafting materials, but more importantly I wanted our guests to know just how much we appreciated their attendance. We finally checked into our hotel about 15 minutes later and immediately the children wanted to head to the water park. We didn't have a schedule to keep so to the water park we went.

We made use of the water park for about 30 minutes before everyone, mainly stepson R, decided it was time to get some dinner and to clean up (hanger - serious ailment I tell you). It was at about this time that I received a phone call that shook my whole wedding weekend. Mama Barn had called to tell me that my uncle had just passed away. He suffered a massive heart attack just 2 days before and he lost his battle.

Mr. Farmer immediately took the Barn children and left for dinner when I received the phone call (so I could have some privacy) and after I "thought" I had composed myself enough I went to join them, only to lose it again at the table. I excused myself and spent some time alone in our hotel room trying to process my emotions. The huge sense of guilt I had was overwhelming. Aunt D had instructed Mama Barn NOT to tell me about anything because she was afraid it would ruin our wedding. Mama Barn knowing me a little better told me anyway, and I am glad she did, however it didn't change how guilty I felt about the whole thing. Uncle R and Aunt D were in my hometown, having traveled from Colorado, when Uncle R had his heart attack. They were there because of the wedding and knowing that was really difficult for me to process.

After composing myself for the final time I put on the best face I could and joined everyone for dinner. The children knowing how upset I was did everything they could to console me. When a 9 year old slips his hand into yours and says, "It's OK he is in God's arms now" and a 12 year old wipes away your tears, there is nothing one can do but smile and be thankful for the gift of life, love and family.

Both children held my hands as we walked to the arcade and seeing how excited they were to be there made my grief a little easier to bear.

Mr. Farmer did everything he could to help me process all of the emotions I felt that day and I cannot thank him enough. I don't know if I could have been able to cope without him at my side.

I am so grateful to these three for being the perfect positive distraction that evening. I was able to put on a brave face and enjoy the rest of the evening playing with the kids, knowing that my uncle would want me to enjoy this time in my life. I didn't want to disappoint the children who had been looking forward to this, so I did the best I could to maintain my normal bubbly mood.

How could I not enjoy the time spent with these three? It really was just what I needed.

Some of our bridal party made the trip early as well and we spent the remainder of the evening greeting them and taking turns racing on the Go-Kart track.

The attendant who was running the track was nice enough to let these two have a little battle of the siblings and it was hysterical watching them fly by each other. He got quite the work out with our group as I don't recall a single match that someone from the Barn crew wasn't racing on the track. The attendant even had an "adults only" race where we were able to go faster than the normal pace. Seeing a bunch of adults racing around a Go-Kart track was certainly memorable to say the least - it was quite the competition.

We ended the evening cheering on stepson R as he made his way up the rock climbing wall, pleading for just five more minutes. Everyone had a GREAT time playing in the arcade and it certainly lightened my somber mood to see family and friends together enjoying themselves so much. I mean, isn't that exactly what we spent all this time planning for - to have friends and family together for an incredibly joyous event? It really changed the way I looked at the remainder of our wedding weekend.


What did you do leading up to the wedding day? Did anyone else have to battle a death in the family just days before your wedding? How did you handle it?

**all photos personal

A Bees Life: Barn Edition

Hive before I get started with my wedding recaps I wanted to tackle a post that was so incredibly helpful to me when I wanted to become a Bee. 

On Blogging

I have never blogged before I started here at Weddingbee, imagine that?! I think we can all agree that's pretty clear. I am sure that I have made a few professional writers cringe. I know I am not the strongest writer nor the best blogger and I am A-OK with that. It's who I am. Despite not being the best I really enjoy doing it and have considered keeping up a family blog afterwards to keep my family in the loop with things going on just the next state over. 

How I Found Weddingbee

Wasting time over my lunch hour.

Photo via Imgarcade

I found Weddingbee via the classified section first. I was checking something out and then eventually moved over to the boards and fell head first into the craziness. Here were all these people experiencing the same feelings as me. I wasn't alone and spent a lot of time reading what other people had to say and any and all advice they could give. I finally found the blog after a few weeks and at first I just didn't get it. A bunch of people calling themselves funny names. That is until I read a few posts. After that I was instantly hooked and devoured any and all posts that I could. I went back and read some of the archives and it only solidified my guilty pleasure. I immediately became enamored with how real these women were and I knew I just HAD to be one of them. 

The Application Process

I saw A Bees Life from Mrs. Panda and immediately went to writing my application and blog. I wrote the recommended posts, submitted my application and hoped for the best. I continued writing though because I decided that no matter what, I was going to document this amazing experience (wishful thinking). Sadly a week later I received a message that I had been rejected. Go figure! Afterwards I became immediately discouraged, stopped writing completely and forgot all about Weddingbee. Well I tried to....

I told Mr. Farmer what I had been doing and he was the one who encouraged me to try it again. I reached out to a select few bloggers who gave some of the most incredible advice and encouragement. I revamped my blog and sent my application again. I waited and waited half expecting another rejection email. Thankfully the Bees are so amazing and a special little bee let me know that she had taken a look at my blog and that I shouldn't be so worried - things were looking good. A day later I received my email that I was accepted! 

Why Mrs. Barn?

Pretty simple really, because Milk Cow was already taken. As soon as the Farm generation was announced I was even more excited to be a part of the community, I mean it's perfect. We live on a farm and Mr. Farmer is a farmer. I knew that Milk Cow was the one I had my heart set on (Wisconsin pride) but sadly after I was rejected I had to wait the 4 weeks in order to reapply and the moniker was selected before I got a chance to resubmit. I saw the Barn and since my name starts with a "B" my new last name begins with a "B" and Mr. Farmer and I constantly say Team B, I knew it was perfect. The barn reminds me of us and our home.  

Photo personal - One of the many Barns the Barns own

Being a Bee Blogger

Being a Bee is absolutely incredible! I have formed friendships that have extended beyond a website about Weddings. The entire community is full of wonderful people all who just want to help. It hasn't always been the easiest for me because well, I am NOT the greatest writer. My wedding wasn't the prettiest, it wasn't the most original, it wasn't very inspired and therefore kind of hard to write about. I've actually been putting it off. So why even bother becoming a blogger for a blog about weddings? 

Because my wedding and my journey was real. I am a real person with real faults and real feelings and that's why I wanted to blog for Weddingbee. My wedding was real, not some staged photo shoot. Every success and every failure. It was real. Not every wedding needs to be the O-M-G most perfect day ever. Granted I gave it my best shot, which I failed at quite frequently, but I became a Bee because I wanted to show people that it's OK to have what you want and that it's OK to not be the most original. Your wedding is yours, and therefore should be what YOU want it to be. If you want every trendy thing out there, go for it. My wedding was more than just one day full of pretty things or my attempt at original ideas. It really was about joining together as a family and the love for each other. You will see that as I begin my recaps I assure you. 

There were times that being a Bee was really difficult. It's hard to put yourself out there and keep writing. People can be so insanely cruel and love to poke fun at those who actually put themselves out there. I can't tell you how many times people have written/said awful things to/about me. Most of the time I had to hear about it from other people, which only made it worse, but those few messages sent directly to me? Mortifying. I knew that I was taking a risk by putting my story out there for all to see but if it helped even just one person, then it was a success and to those who mocked, oh well. Say what you will. It's not like I don't already know. 

The Bee community is one that I will forever be indebted too. It goes far deeper than I ever imagined and I am so thankful that I was selected to be one of the Bees whose journey gets featured. The bond I have formed with this group of people is pretty incredible and that right there negates any of the brief negativity that I experienced. 

Advice for Applicants. 

1. Be you. I know it's a lot easier said than done. I am not naturally a writer, as you can clearly tell. I was told "find your voice". Oh okay because I know what my voice sounds like. Riiiiiiiggghhhhttt. It took a while but once I started writing it clicked. It just made sense to me and I totally understood what all the Bees were talking about. I try to write like I am having a conversation with someone or like I am writing an email (to a friend of course).

2. Have a point. One of the biggest pieces of advice that I received was to have a reason for your post. Why is far more interesting than what you did. The what is better left to the recap posts after you have already shared the why. I try to have a point for every post that goes up. Why did I want to write that post? Why did I make that decision? If the answer was simply because "that's what I did" then that particular post wouldn't go live and I would go through and re-edit it until I had a point.

3. Pictures, pictures, pictures. It's hard to look at a blog post if it's all just text. I like the visual effect pictures have and I try to use them to help breakup all the paragraphs. I never allow a post to go up without a picture, even if it's a silly photo of myself! Or a Princess Jasmine cat riding a magic carpet.....

Image via Buzzfeed - YouTube

4. Just write.  Sometimes it is as simple as writing a few thoughts and then letting it sit for a day or two and coming back to it. Once I did that, I could adjust, reword and rework the whole post. It was a lot easier to edit something knowing that I already started a post, and honestly it was a lot easier to do #1 once I already had some content.

5. Have fun. This is an incredible experience in your life. I have really enjoyed every high and low that I have felt along the way. I tried to put as much emotion into my posts as I could but for the most part I was just having fun. Enjoy it all.

If you are thinking about becoming a Bee I would highly encourage you to just do it. If I can do it, you sure can! For anyone who is considering it, I would more than happily take a peek at your blog.

Good luck! I promise recaps next!

Wedding Bales: Let's Get This Party Started

The week leading up to the wedding was pretty crazy. I sent Mr. Farmer away to enjoy the 2014 All-Star game, get out of my hair so that I could finish up some last minute DIY. Thankfully he returned just in time to help get everything packed up and ready to go. Being apart probably wouldn't work for everyone but it worked for us.

All photos personal

Mr. Farmer and GM JBoy

While he was off enjoying some time with GM JBoy and GM R, I was at home crafting/putting together all those last minute projects that I told myself, "Oh I have plenty of time to complete". I didn't realize just how much I had left to the last minute forgotten until I started running through the packing list in my head.

It was a serious setup. Side story time. You see that beautiful chair right? Duh. Anyways, Mrs. Barn made the mistake of wearing a racer back tank top to stepdaughter K's softball tournament just 10 days before the wedding. Sadly, I did not plan accordingly and got VERY sun burnt. This was my desperate attempt to even out my heinous tan lines. I did whatever I could outside rocking a bandeau top (thankfully we don't really have neighbors). Back to your regularly scheduled blog post....

Thankfully bridesmaid K and best man N were available to lend an extra hand. We went through every glue stick, tube of glue, tape or anything sticky we had available to finish everything. I didn't realize that I would even need an extra hand but poor best man N found himself working with a hole punch and cutting loads of twine just days before our departure. Don't show up to my house days before the wedding and expect to watch your girlfriend and the bride craft - not going to happen buddy. I'll put you to work. Just saying.

Our poor home was totally taken over by wedding supplies & gifts (more on that later)

Despite the craziness, there was something so surreal and exciting about getting all of those things ready to haul to Wisconsin. I couldn't have been more excited and am almost certain that I didn't eat more than 1,000 calories/day leading up to d-day. Do yourself and favor and eat. I know it's hard but just do it. You will thank me later. 

I did take a break during my crafting spree to enjoy a special little package sent by Mrs. Pyramid. 

My bees arrived!!

A very stressed Mrs. Barn - apologies

She sent a lovely card with a beautiful message that has since been stored away somewhere safe.With the bees finally in my possession it was time to pack everything up and get on our merry way.

What did you spend the final days doing? Were you finishing up crafting? Did you and your intended spend it apart like we did?

The Wedding That Never Was: Barn Edition

So while I am awaiting on the last of the photos to roll in I figured I would take the time to do something a little fun. Miss. Hen talked about the "Wedding That Almost Was" and now that I am on the other side I thought it would be fun to let you in on a little secret. The wedding we had was not the wedding I wanted.

Meme creator via Frabz

Craziness, I know!

The wedding that I always dreamed of was thrown out the window the minute I met Mr. Farmer. Why? Well because he is Mr. Farmer and his occupation is, well a farmer. You see the wedding I always dreamed of was a beautiful autumn wedding. If you recall in my previous post I briefly mentioned the harvest season. Well if you were following along (and heck yeah you should have been) you know that harvest season is pretty much the busiest time of the year for any member of the farming community. Since all of his friends and family are farmers, fall was an entire season not available. In fact the reason we were married in July was because of his crazy farming schedule (it was the only month we had a choice of).

So what would have the Barn wedding looked like? Let's play!

The Barn wedding below would have been done on an unlimited budget and obviously weather would not have been an issue. It would be at my in-laws on their big beautiful lawn under a gorgeous giant tent. Very similar to this, ok pretty much exactly like this:

Photo via Top Wedding Sites Tent Lakes Region Tent Rentals

 Christmas lights would have been draped everywhere I could put them. Light would have played a big part in the minimal decor I would have. To decorate the inside of the tent I would have large lighted trees all over the place:

Photo via Uniquely Yours Wedding Designs ;  Let Me Wow You ; Weddingbee via Bee Miss. Bloom

Autumn in Minnesota means the start of shorter days so the more lights the better. I would have tried to incorporate wheat where I could as a design element - hello I am marrying a farmer after all. Something like this would do:

Photo via Martha Stewart

My dress would have had sleeves and been much simpler than what I originally chose. I would imagine something pretty like this:

Photo via Maggie Sottero

The color palette chosen would have incorporated a lot of neutrals:

Photo via Design Seeds

Add a little champagne/gold and perfection. Fall is such a beautiful time of the year that I don't think I would have had much decor, although I can imagine something like this:

 Photo via The Knot Nina Sutherland Photography; Photo via The Knot Sarah Ainsworth Photography

 I've always dreamed of having a big budget that I could spend on having so many amazing pieces however now that I am on the other side, that's what picking a good venue is for. You shouldn't need a whole bunch of decorations to make your wedding beautiful, use what is already there.

There are still some decisions that would have made the cut but the entire feeling of the wedding would have been shifted from a fun bright summer wedding to a rustic warm autumn affair. However, at the end of the day it would still be our wedding and I would still be married to my best friend surrounded by all the people we love most. His family becoming mine and my family becoming his - our family becoming one and that is something that no one or anything could change.

A wedding is simply that, a wedding. No matter all the beautiful things that are associated with such a historical event, the marriage is where the true beauty lies.

Was the wedding you had the wedding you wanted? What would you have changed?

The Secret Life of Bees: Barn Edition

Happy Friday Hive! I know, I know, I am seriously slacking on my blogging. I know, I suck. We had an unexpected second shooter who was able to capture our entire rehearsal dinner and I am not so patiently waiting for those photos to arrive. So, until they do you are stuck with lots of promises to not suck at life for much longer. I am eager to start my recaps and share our special day with the Hive, however until that time I am going to let you into my world and share with you one of my favorite ongoing series posts - The Secret Life of Bees!

I started thinking about this post when I first got accepted to the Bee. I kind of had a moment of panic because well, I am not very interesting and don't really have any deep dark secrets. Having to think of things to share with you - well let's just say it was kind of hard. I don't think I am the most unique person out there (oh who am I kidding I'm boring) but there are some interesting things I can share. 

1. In order to know me better you need to know a huge part of me. I have a special needs brother who is my entire world. Hive meet Brother Barn:

Photos personal 

My brother enriches my life so much more than he could ever understand or I could ever put into words. Being six hours away is tough at times but we certainly try to stay in touch as much as we can. Growing up with him, as tough as it was sometimes (we fought a lot) has taught me incredible patience and understanding, something that has benefited my marriage greatly. My brother and Mr. Farmer have a wonderful relationship and for that I am incredibly thankful. I shouldn't have been worried but people are insanely cruel at times, so I tend to be very protective of my brother and introducing him to a whole new family was a little nerve racking for me. I didn't want to overwhelm him but everyone was fully prepared and the introduction was totally smooth.

 Having him in my life helps me to appreciate the little things in life that are so easy to take for granted. Being independent. Having a job. Getting married. Being healthy. Having a family. Owning a home. All of these are things that my brother wants in life but are difficult for him to achieve or highly unlikely. I love my brother so much and he truly has shaped who I am as a person and as a wife to Mr. Farmer. He is continuously showing me and teaching me things about myself and for that I will be eternally grateful. 

2. I have a seriously love for dill pickles.

No joke - my Instagram photo today - before I wrote this post

There is a jar of pickles in my refrigerator at.all.times. I have been known to eat an entire jar by myself in one day, no shame folks. I am really lucky though because my family has an extensive garden (part of my brother's therapy) where Mama Barn grows cucumbers to make me pickles. Every time I travel home Mama Barn sends a few jars of pickles home with me. She even cuts them into spears the way I prefer because well my mom rocks. I trade her the empty jars for fresh jars. I suppose one of these days that I will have to learn her recipe so that I can carry on the tradition, but until then I am going to enjoy being spoiled by my mama!


3. I hunt.

Out of respect for those that don't understand or agree I won't post any photos but it's been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. One of my youngest childhood memories was hunting with my daddy at the age of 5. As women my mother and I are in the minority, but it's so much more than the thrill of the hunt for us. It's a huge part of our family tradition and that alone is what makes it appealing to me. I could care less if I am successful in my harvest or not, but the time spent with my family and friends is invaluable to me.

 I remember being a little girl and telling my grandfather how I couldn't wait to go bear hunting with him when I was big enough. He would say, "Bianca (what my name would be in Polish) when it's time we will go and get you your bear." Well 15 years later I made that dream come true and on the last day of our hunt, I was successful. I did so with my grandfather sitting right next to me, even weeks after a major car accident rendered him incapable of turning his head. He was there because it meant a lot to the both of us and he wasn't going to miss it for the world. Those are the memories that still make me tear up inside and that's the reason I load a gun every year and wear my orange and camo with pride.


4. I am a HUGE dog lover.

It's pretty bad, well I mean it's never a bad thing but I can't even watch an ASPCA commercial without bawling. A movie where the dog dies? Heart-wrenching! I cry big ol' alligator tears. If I know the dog is going to die in a movie, I won't watch it simply for that reason.

Top left: My dad's surprise father's day gift that I picked out for him, Boomer and my Berkley - Top Right: Berkley - Lower Left: Boomer, Berkley and Rocky my brother's therapy dog The 3 Amigos - Lower Right: Berkley in a tutu LOVE!

I grew up with dogs my entire life and my home would not be complete without one. Thankfully Baby Berkley takes care of my need for a cute furry creature, however it's a constant struggle because Mr. Farmer is NOT a dog lover. They don't give him the warm fuzzies like they do for me. He did not grow up with a dog inside the house and is such a neat freak that it some times causes issues. I just want to have Baby B around all the time but Mr. Farmer is more of a pat on the head, good dog type of guy. He likes them but is not nearly as passionate about them as my family or I am. I would rescue a whole bunch of them if I could. In fact I joke that if I hadn't met Mr. Farmer that I would be a dog lady. Between Mama Barn and I - we would totally own a rescue organization if we could.

Mr. Farmer might not be a huge dog lover but he does have a weakness. He is kind of a sucker for a Labrador so of course when stepdaughter K wanted one last year, daddy was oh so happy to oblige. Seriously though how could you say no to her!?

He grew up fast!

So we have our Winchester, K's dog outside and Berkley inside. No need to fret though, when it's cold Winchester does come inside, we aren't heartless. It's the best of both worlds for us. Berkley is still getting used to spending more time outside during the warmer months and Winchester is getting used to being inside at times, but hey it's all about compromise right!?

5. I can't drive a tractor.

Shocking I know! Despite being married to a farmer and spending plenty of hours in a tractor I still don't know how to drive it. I once drove six hours to see Mr. Farmer, woke up the next day and spent 13 hours driving around with him in the tractor planting, only to wake up on Sunday and drive another six hours home. All of that with a pinched nerve in my neck. That's real love right there folks! I literally spent 25 hours on my butt, driving. Seriously though, I haven't the slightest idea how to drive one. Mr. Farmer has tried to teach me but every time I get in the driver's seat I panic. There are too many buttons, levers, gears, pedals and things I can break that I start to have a panic attack. Heart racing, palm sweating, feel like the world is ending and that I could die, it's pretty horrid. That's a really expensive piece of equipment and what if I break it?! Mr. Farmer assures me that I can't break it but I just can't seem to get myself in the driver's seat.

6. I'm a Packer fan.

Big surprise being from Wisconsin and all. Mr. Farmer is a Vikings fan. It's basically forbidden love. He said he would never date a Packer fan and I said I would never date a Vikings fan. Well........it happened. Football Sunday is always an adventure in our household and quite entertaining. I am a die hard and no matter what, refuse to support the Vikes and he refuses to support GB, even though I have the better team (obviously)! Although I think I am getting him to come around because this season he did purchase this for me:

 He has a constant battle going with my mom who sent him a Packer schedule last year just to irritate him. Mama Barn is known for pranks and jokes. He turned around and sent her a Vikings pom-pom only to see this the following day on his Facebook wall:

They really do love each other I promise! This year Mama Barn bought him Vikings duct tape as a peace offering. We shall see how long it lasts. We do have some teams that we can agree on because we both love football but the passion we feel for our beloved teams can't come close. Needless to say we argue nonstop about who has the better team, (clearly I do) and are always trying to get the other to jump ship. Sorry babe it's just not going to happen.

7. I love the number seven.

That Packer jersey above has a number 7 on it for a reason. Mr. Farmer also has a Vikings jersey with the number seven on it as well. You see Mr. Farmer and I have a strange love for the number. We met at a restaurant called Seven (totally our favorite in the Cities) and the first time we spoke since meeting was March seventh. Our first date was April seventh. We were married in the seventh month. We fly out for our honeymoon on January seventeenth. I met Mr. Farmer when he was 37. I was 27 when we got married. It has become a special number to us and we have decided that anything special needs to have the number seven in it. We are weird, I've accepted it.

So there you have it folks. A little light shed on Mrs. Barn. Tell me a bit about yourself and what makes you unique. What makes you - well you!?

Life As We Know It

Goodness gracious how the heck are you hive?! I know, I know I have been seriously slacking. As I sat at home sick wanting to feel better, I realized that I really needed to get back to blogging, or at least provide an update. I have a few more things to bore you with share with you. I promise I didn't forget about you lovely people. You see something happens after you get married. Life as we know it, returns to normal. Crazy I know!

As a bride we spend so much time and effort planning this wonderful and beautiful day that once it's over, you just sort of, "turn off the wedding", that is until you receive your wedding photos and you relive all those amazing emotions all over again. In the Barn household we have been so incredibly busy that we haven't had time to think about the wedding or blow up our photographer for our wedding photos. So what has been keeping us so busy?

Home renovations.....

We went from this:

To this:

(effects unknown - new phone probs)

A 12 foot addition. We have also gutted the entire house and are updating everything. 

Oh and what's that railing you see? Our newest adventure:

  

A pool!

Needless to say we have been pretty busy trying to get the new house move in ready before Mr. Farmer heads into harvest (despite the fact we live in Minnesota Mr. Farmer grew up with a pool so it was a must for the new place). For those of you unfamiliar with the "planting" season and "harvest" season, you can pretty much kiss the farmer in your life good-bye. Instead of joining you for dinner around a table, it's eaten in the combine or sitting on the tailgate of a truck. Date nights are spent enjoying the soft glow of  the tractor/combine console lights as you hold hands driving around the field. It's pretty romantic but more than anything it's crazy busy, so we have been trying to get as much done as we can before our entire community moves to the fields.

The other thing keeping me from you amazing Bees? School sports! Stepdaughter K and stepson R have started their crazy school schedules which means most of our free time is coordinating and trying to figure out what time we need to be where. I love every bit of it but it leaves very little time for blogging. I promise though I will get back to regularly scheduled postings.

It has certainly kept my mind from thinking about the wedding though and anxiously waiting for our professional photos to be ready. Married life is pretty amazing and I couldn't be happier knowing that I get to share the rest of my life with one incredible man and the two little Barns that have stolen my heart. This last month has given me time to relax and get my routine back (even if it is crazy). I went from cruising the internet ferociously looking for the best deal on chargers to actually making dinner every night. Instead of hoarding boxes and making piles of wedding decorations our house is now clutter free and I can see the dust in each corner (I went on a cleaning spree post wedding and it felt so wonderful). The wedding decor that I told myself I would sell afterwards has been moved to the garage waiting for me to go through it. 

Getting your life back to normal after you get married is anything but exciting, well maybe it's exciting but I certainly didn't think so. It's so anticlimactic, but it's still a part of the process. Although now that I have taken a break from the wedding and anything wedding related I am ready to dive head first into our recaps and detail our special day with you wonderful people! Let's get the party started shall we?

*special thank you to Mrs. Goat for the help with my recap logo

(all photos personal)

Vacation and Relaxation

Hi Hive! I am so excited to get back to regular postings, but until I get my pro photos to start my recaps let's talk about something else. Honeymoons!

Being on the other side now (still amazing) I totally understand the need for one and why people go right after the wedding. The wedding itself is stressful and it's a great way to relax and unwind, which I totally understand now. Besides, who wouldn't want to spend a whole bunch of time with your new spouse smooching and loving life? I get it I really do. However, we joined the ranks of many bees before us when we decided to delay our honeymoon. Shocker, I know (ok maybe not). You will understand after this post, I promise!

 Mr. Farmer and I decided pretty early where we were going to head for our honeymoon, Bora Bora. There is no place like it in the world and it was a pretty easy decision for us to make. It was the one place we both wanted to go and it was the only place either of us considered going. We enjoy traveling and wanted to make sure our honeymoon was a trip of a lifetime and Bora Bora accomplishes that for us.
How can you say no to this, over water bungalows:

Photo via Hilton

I die, this is amazing! That is, until we started looking at travel times and flight times. Mr. Farmer has serious knee problems (surgery is on the horizon) and I have serious problems with my back/knees, so being in a plane for that long was a big no-no for our health (being 6'0 on a plane can be challenging at best). Doctors were consulted and the resounding answer was "No, not advised at this time". Bummer! Another deciding factor was that we didn't want to be quite so far away from the children, so with that we kissed our dream honeymoon good-bye and tried to find something a little closer to home.

To us, we knew that a beach was where we wanted to go. We went to Cozumel this past January on what we called our "pre-moon" so we knew without a doubt that Mexico was out for us. Fun fact time - the resort thought we were on our honeymoon and every time we tried to tell them we weren't married yet they thought we were joking.   

The Barns living it up in Cozumel with BM K/husband M and GM E/wife J:

Photos personal

I left the planning up to Mr. Farmer and he came to me to get the final approval. I gave him a few requirements and he was able to arrange the whole thing. So where are the Barns headed on their honeymoon?

Sandals Regency La Toc Saint Lucia!

I cannot even begin to describe how excited we are to go here. Now the other big mystery, when are we going on said honeymoon? Winters in Minnesota are pretty rough; it's frigidly cold and the wind makes it pretty unbearable. Mr. Farmer and I were both born in the month of January and what better way to celebrate our birthdays and beat the winter blues than to head somewhere warm and tropical. So the Barns will be holding off for 6 months and taking our luxurious honeymoon this coming January. Plus I needed to rack up some vacation time at my new job so it worked out perfectly for us to hold off.

Let's check out what we have in store for us in January. We have elected to go with the Sunset Bluff Oceanfront Two Story One Bedroom Butler Villa Suite with Private Pool (what a mouth full)!

Oh yes, you read that correctly - a private pool and a private butler! We wanted to make this a trip of a lifetime so in addition to the killer suite we made sure to purchase first class airline tickets. If we are going to do a first class honeymoon we might as well go all out right?! We also decided due to our medical issues the extra room first class provides was invaluable. We don't want to spend our honeymoon in physical pain so it was a very easy decision for us. 

The suite we chose also provides another amenity that was pretty invaluable to us. It's a good 90 minutes from the airport to the resort and with this suite comes a private car service to transport you from the airport to the resort. Knowing that we won't have to travel in a crowded bus going through the twists and turns it takes to arrive at our final destination is peace of mind for both of us (and our stomachs). 

Speaking of stomachs, yeah I just did that, I cannot wait to try all nine (yes nine!) of the restaurants on the premises. With the butler service we also have the option of having breakfast/lunch/dinner served to us in our room if we decide we don't want to venture out of the room, or as I prefer, put on real clothes. We have a choice of just about every cuisine we could choose from: French, Italian, Mediterranean, British, Seafood, and Asian Inspired. We even have a pizza place and a sushi restaurant! I have already made arrangements for a gym membership after this trip. I may or may not gain about 20 lbs enjoying all the amazing food!

Now, if we decide that we have explored enough of our resort we can venture to the other two Sandals resorts on St. Lucia. As part of the Sandals package we can take a trip to Sandals Grande Saint Lucia or Sandals Halcyon Beach to experience their amenities or restaurants. 

Needless to say we are looking forward to this trip! So now I turn to the wonderful Hive and ask, has anyone been to Saint Lucia? What are your recommendations? 

All photos via Sandals Regency La Toc unless otherwise noted