April 27, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

10 things you don’t know about me… Taylor Baldner

This week we asked Taylor Baldner of Taylor-Made Photography to tell us 10 things about herself. Baldner has recently joined the Army Reserves and left for basic training last week.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is definitely when I would get to go visit my grandma and grandpa in Florida. We’d always take walks on the beach and then get ice cream afterward.

What is a book you have read that has stayed with you?
I am super busy so I don’t have much time to read books, however, one of my favorite books was called “Trance” by Linda Gerber. I love the mysterious books.

What is something people don’t know about you?
Something a lot of people don’t know about me is I love art. I love drawing or doing many types of art project in my free time.

What was the name of your first pet?
My first pets name was Chase, he was a European Shorthair Cat.

Where is your favorite place you have ever traveled to?
Definitely Costa Rica. It was a beautiful tropical vacation. We spent a lot of time touring volcanic area, the mountain side and the cities.

What is something you always carry with you?
I always carry my phone with me and my debit/ID card.

Why did you decide to join the Army?
I decided to join the army, because I love new things, the benefits are great, and I would love to serve my country. There are honestly so many reasons as to why, I just chose a few.

What is something you are looking forward to?
When I get back I want to travel more. It’s one of the things I just love to do and of course bring my camera with me to take some cool pictures.

What do you like about photography?
I love photography because you can capture such beautiful natural pictures from a different angle than you would normal see. You also meet some amazing people on the way.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
The best advice I have ever been given is to always be yourself. It’s better the stand alone for the right reason, than to stand with a thousand other people for the wrong reasons.

in People
Banner
Related Posts

‘He was the kind of person everyone was happy to see’

July 19, 2025

July 19, 2025

Sam Shonkwiler was full of life. He would walk in a room and people would call his name. He had...

For Schmidt, hard work pays off

July 12, 2019

July 12, 2019

Sammi Schmidt isn’t afraid of hard work. The future Illinois State Redbird was awarded the Gary Butler award at St....

Senior Spotlight… Anna Wentzloff

January 27, 2020

January 27, 2020

What are your plans after graduation?My plan after graduation is to attend college to become a Child Life Specialist concentrating...

‘No one believed in our kids and our teams more than he did’

April 24, 2024

April 24, 2024

Dan Wright loved life.  He loved his family. He loved his community.  Wright passed away on March 19 in Florida. ...

10 things you don’t know about me… Gary Page

June 4, 2020

June 4, 2020

1. What is your favorite childhood memory? At the risk  of being boo’d out of town – I will never...

10 things you don’t know about me… Tammie Mabry

May 8, 2019

May 8, 2019

In honor of teacher appreciation week we asked one of our favorite teachers to tell us 10 things we didn’t...

Senior spotlight: Gage Atwood

May 16, 2019

May 16, 2019

Leading up to graduation, we asked five seniors five questions.Next up is Gage Atwood! What will you be doing next...

Senior Spotlight…. Brayden Grimsey

September 5, 2019

September 5, 2019

Every week we ask an SJO senior five questions. This week we spoke to Brayden Grimsey. This post is sponsored...

Kids say… St. Joseph Second Grade

March 14, 2019

March 14, 2019

Every week we ask five students from a local school to answer a question on a worksheet. This week the...

Voges urges St. Joseph residents to celebrate America

July 3, 2020

July 3, 2020

World War II veteran Bruce Voges loves America. When he told his kids he wanted to have a Fourth of...

Homecoming court senior spotlight… Ross Booker

September 26, 2019

September 26, 2019

On Saturday, Ross Booker could be named Homecoming King. Booker is one of two candidates for king. “I think it’s...

Sewing it all together: Hartman taking part in Project Run and Play

March 31, 2022

March 31, 2022

Growing up, St. Joseph resident Emily Hartman used to watch her mother and grandmother sew.They would create one-of-a-kind, custom-made clothes...

‘Having a trip on the books gives us something to look forward to’

June 4, 2020

June 4, 2020

It’s a crazy time in the travel industry, that’s for sure. While some news tends to lean towards the doom...

10 things you don’t know about me… Todd Jacob

October 2, 2019

October 2, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to share 10 interesting facts about themselves. This week we spoke to State...

10 things you don’t know about me… Bobbi Busboom

February 27, 2020

February 27, 2020

Every week we ask an area resident to share 10 facts about themselves. This week we talked to Bobbi Busboom,...

Comments
Leave a Reply