06/10/2026
Recently someone asked me, “Is this everything you ever dreamed of?”
And I just kind of stared at them for a few seconds with a blank stare because honestly… I didn’t know how to answer that. I’m sure they probably thought I was absolutely nuts. Because the truth is, I was trying to figure out how to answer without sounding ungrateful.
Is this everything I ever dreamed of? No. My dreams looked nothing like this.
Anxiety through the roof and sleepless nights from being completely overwhelmed definitely were not part of the dream. Neither was worrying because the grass was dying or because someone was upset about something. And I can confidently say giant heat bills, financial stress and shoveling snow off the sidewalks wondering why on earth I thought this was a good idea… also were not in the vision board.
I never imagined all the unintended consequences or all the things I’d end up learning the hard way. And nobody really talks about the mental side of it either. The overanalyzing every single decision, stressing over whether it was the right one or the wrong one, or beating yourself up over choices you made years ago wondering if you should’ve done something differently.
I don’t think I realized how heavy it would feel to carry every decision, every outcome and every “what if” around in my brain at 2AM.
So no… my dreams did not look anything like this.
But when they asked me that question, I just smiled and said, “It’s more than anything I could ever have imagined.”
But that question stuck with me and as I was driving home thinking about all the craziness this place has brought me, my brain kept going back to a wedding in 2024. During the anniversary dance, I watched a groom help his grandfather stand up out of his wheelchair so he could dance with his wife.
Having lost my grandma a few years ago, it hit me really hard because it was a moment I never got to have at my own wedding. And instantly, I started thinking about her. Wondering what she would say about the barn. About everything that has been built here. About all the struggles we’ve been through.
And honestly… I think she would just look at me and say, “I’m proud of you.”
And suddenly all the stuff that keeps me awake at night felt so small. Because sometimes it’s really easy to focus on the hard stuff. The stress. The chaos. The problems. The things that go wrong.
But if you would’ve told the version of me who first dreamed this up what this place would actually become, I don’t think she even would’ve believed you.
Not because of the building or the weddings or the events. But because I never could’ve imagined the people.
The community. The relationships. The moments. The feeling of watching complete strangers become part of your life without even realizing it’s happening.
I thought the dream was building a barn. Turns out the barn was just the place where all the other stuff happened.
And when I really stop and look at what the Back Orchard Barn has become, it’s honestly hard to even put into words.
The amount of growth. The amount of love. The memories. The laughter. The community. The closeness.
It’s like a picture book that just keeps going.
From the couples who got married here, to the kids decorating donuts. From the cleaning crew working through the middle of the night, to the managers creating relationships, to the bartenders serving drinks all night long.
This place brought me something I never could have imagined.
It brought me a community.
It brought me a whole new family.
It brought people into my life that I didn’t even know I needed. Friendships I didn’t know I was missing. Support in ways I can never explain. Vendors, neighbors, coworkers, customers and people who somehow became family without me even realizing it was happening.
I always say that the Back Orchard Barn is a well-oiled machine, but half the time I’m not even part of the machine because the people here are what make this place what it is.
And the same goes for Leaman’s. The people there supported me in ways they probably don’t even realize. They stepped up, they believed in me and they allowed me the ability to split myself between both places and chase this crazy dream.
If you can’t tell, I get cheesy when I’m emotional. I have absolutely no problem telling people how much they mean to me and I definitely blab way too much. And maybe someone reads this and thinks, “You’ve only been open three years. What’s the big deal?”
But the big deal is my people. The big deal is my family. The big deal is the community this place created.
In three years this place has grown, learned, struggled, celebrated and evolved more than I ever could have imagined.
And I hope in 10 years, 20 years and 30 years I can look back at this post and still feel this exact same way. Maybe even laugh at myself a little for thinking I had any clue what I was doing three years in.
To every single person who has ever supported the Back Orchard Barn, thank you.
Whether you came for a wedding, dressed as a princess, came to Take a Peek Tuesday or maybe just drove by on a hayride and looked over at the barn, thank you. Thank you for these last three years.
I truly cannot wait to see what the rest of this story looks like.
And since going down memory lane is clearly one of my favorite hobbies, if you’ve ever visited the Back Orchard Barn, I’d love to hear your favorite memory here. Leave a photo or comment below with a memory that made you smile!
Happy Birthday, BOB 🎉
Love, Sara ❤️
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