6 Months... and Counting!

Exactly 6 months ago this weekend, my husband Chris and I were finally able to see almost a YEAR of our hard work come to life when we opened Climbing Vines Cafe & Play and hosted our first children's birthday party!  Since then, we have hosted over 70 parties, held dozens of special events and classes, and greeted countless smiles that walked through our door.

 It has undoubtedly been the most difficult, yet most rewarding journey for my family and I thus far in our lives.  We have had to adjust from my steady office job and paycheck to accepting a world FULL of uncertainty, crazy hours, and cleaning up frosting pretty much daily! I definitely have a LOT more grey hair and get a LOT less sleep, but my heart is also SO full and when I do (finally) go to sleep each night, I am so thankful that I, along with our staff, were able to make that day a little more filled with fun and laughter for a special group of children and parents. 

To celebrate our 6 month anniversary (or as we like to say, our 1/2 birthday!), I thought I would give you a little behind-the-scenes look of the creation of our little "nook" of the world that we love and run so passionately each day.

Maybe it is the pregnancy hormones (or maybe I can just blame them!) but I am definitely writing this post through tears in my eyes, since these photos bring back so many memories (happy AND stress-filled- but mostly happy!)

First, a photo of what our space looked like when we signed our lease. I remember feeling so overwhelmed at the amount of work ahead! I am so thankful for our focus group that spanned over a year, FULL of Rochester-area parents (a.k.a. our secret weapon!), that helped me make so many important decisions and helped to ease the burden. If you are reading this and are one of our "Vines Visionaries"- THANK YOU!

Now, a fun photo of our menu taste testing team! Before we even began construction, we enlisted the help of our focus group (and their little ones!) to choose a menu that was fresh, healthy, and of course... tasty and toddler approved! This photo was taken in my kitchen!

Next, a photo of our counter where we greet our customers each day, just a few weeks before we opened our doors compared to today!  We designed ALL the colors ourselves based on how they made us feel- happy, refreshed, and energized!

Next, our lounge area, which is a nice quiet area for customers who want to take a nice rest from the play area! I love the inspirational quotes covering the walls, especially the one that says "be AWESOME today!" It reminds me each morning to do my best and STAY POSITIVE despite the circumstances.

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Finally, a before-and-after of our play-area! We have to thank our architect, Eric Ferri, for helping us decide on the layout of our area and really maximize the space! We just love it, and it looks just like it did in my dreams! We custom-designed our playhouses and planned the rest of the activities with teachers and parents, and with incredible care. It's so wonderful to see children enjoying playing here every day!

And now, some fun bonus photos! We spent SO much time traveling, learning, and talking to other parents while we prepared to open. All of it has paid off, but man, it was exhausting! 

Thank you for taking a moment to revisit our opening with me! I hope you will join us at our 1/2 Birthday event Saturday, July 30, so we can thank all of our customers in person! Learn more about the event and all of the great activities and food happening here: https://occ.sn/pdaogtq-