Hi everyone! I'm Melissa Basgall, the new publisher for Macaroni Kid Overland Park! I also publish Macaroni Kid Downtown/South Kansas City and Kansas City Kansas/Leavenworth. I am thrilled for the opportunity to expand into other parts of the city! I was born and raised in Olathe and love the Johnson County area, so it's a perfect fit for me, and I'm hopeful I can provide all kinds of fantastic content for all of you!
Today I wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself, and share a little bit about my background and my family. So, here we go!
I was born and raised in south Olathe, and spent a few years at Pitt State before deciding I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and took the leap to travel the world as an international flight attendant for United Airlines. I loved traveling and living on the east coast, but after a few years my sister started having babies, and I started missing home.
I moved back to KC and met my husband Garret within a few days of returning to KC. We've been married for 7 years (together for 11) and now reside in Basehor, Kansas. We have a 5-year-old daughter, Everly. We struggled with secondary infertility for 3 years, losing several babies along the way, including one at 21 weeks. This year Garret and I finally found peace with our situation, and decided we must just be meant to be a family of 3!
I work full time as a volunteer services manager for a large not-for-profit hospice here in KC, and while I normally spend my days traveling back and forth from our 7 locations across the metro, I have had the privilege of working from home through the pandemic. My husband runs a classic auto part sales business and has been working from home as well. Our daughter has been home with us since the first stay-at-home order came out almost a year ago, so it's pure chaos over here, to say the least.
More about me — I'm an enneagram 7, and a Gemini. I always say that I'm a Jill of many trades, master of absolutely none. Except mixing cocktails...I'm pretty good at that, especially scratch bloody marys! I dabble in just about everything — home decor, DIY, blogging, fashion, cooking, and recently I've tried my hand at vegetable gardening. Favorite activities include sports spectating, walks with scenic views, audiobooks, traveling, trying new restaurants/food, musicals, fantasy football, and sitting poolside/lakeside/oceanside (basically near any aesthetically pleasing body of water), and of course, exploring our amazing city.
I also have a personal blog where I share more about myself and the day to day life of my family. I'd love for you to follow me at "Kansas City Family", on Instagram and/or Facebook. IG: https://www.instagram.com/kansascityfamily/ and FB: https://www.facebook.com/mykansascityfamily/
Thanks so much for your readership, and I look forward to getting to know all of you in the coming months!
All my best-
Melissa