Playing Catch Up: Wedding Bells Are Ringing

At the beginning of July we made our way to Washington for the wedding of Tom's brother, Grant, to his amazing (now) wife, Kayla.

We met Kayla nearly two years ago over the holidays. We could tell almost immediately that she was smart, strong, kind, funny, and beautiful inside and out, and we all hoped she would be "the one" for Grant. Hallie in particular was especially fond of Kayla, and while I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that made Hallie feel this way, I think it was that Kayla saw and connected with Hallie in a way that most people simply can't see and connect with 14-year-old girls (who are kind of awkward and generally feel uncomfortable in their own skin). As I've gotten to know Kayla a little better, I've seen her share this gift - to meet people where they are, connecting with them and making them feel comfortable in her presence (and in their own skin, as she did for Hallie) - more than once. I feel incredibly lucky to now have her as a sister-in-law, and for my kids to have her as an aunt.

Grant and Kayla's wedding weekend was perhaps the most "uniquely them" wedding experiences I've had. Every aspect of the preparations, the dinner the night before, the wedding, the cocktail hour, and the reception meant something to one of them, which made the entire weekend incredibly special. I adored getting to share in their love as well as getting to experience the people and places and foods and drinks and hobbies and dances they love and that have made them who they are as individuals and a couple. 

Oh, and I LOVED the summer weather in Washington. 😉

The view from our AirBnB was spectacular.

NOT sweating on the 4th of July?! I'll take it!

Hallie and I went to the 4th of July parade
in downtown Everett, and it was fantastic.  

We took so many pics on our house's back
porch - the views were just too gorgeous not to.

The Ferris Fam

The Ferris Fam + Stacey and Larry
(our bonus siblings/aunt/uncle)

My favorite pic of Grant and Kayla with their nieces and nephews,
taken as a crying and screaming toddler Rock ran back to his mom.

Siblings and spouses

The original six Ferri

The happy couple

Tom and the flower girls, getting down on the dance floor.

A great shot of the dance floor...featuring, again, Tom.

Flowered dresses unite

Plus Hallie

With my beloved sisters-in-law - we couldn't find Kayla
so we'll need a new pic the next time we're all together.

They have a very fun aunt/nephew relationship.

And Will was a rockstar older cousin.

The wedding and reception took place overlooking the sound,
and the view was INCREDIBLE.

Cheers, to the happy couple and to their beautiful new life together. 

Playing Catch Up: An Epic Disc Golf Tour

With graduation approaching, we asked Will what he wanted out of the experience. He wasn't particularly interested in a party, so we opted for a semi-fancy dinner out with our family of four plus all four grandparents. There wasn't anything significant he wanted as a gift, so we offered - in lieu of a gift (and because we saved a little money by not throwing a party) - some kind of graduation trip instead. We let him think about it for a while, and eventually he decided he wanted the disc golf trip of his dreams. 

In the end we had to pare down his dream disc golf trip a little (if given complete freedom with regard to time and money, I think he would have created an itinerary that included at least one course in all 48 contiguous states...and we didn't have that kind of time or money), but the trip he ended up with was still pretty incredible.

Over the span of 10 days, we hit Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Nebraska, playing 15 different courses, two of which were "bucket list" courses and one of which I'd describe as the nicest course I've ever seen in real life. Along the way and as we passed through the Midwest states, we visited my sister and her family, my parents, Tom's parents, and Tom's sister, many of whom joined us to play or walk various courses. 

In the middle of the trip, we paused in Iowa City for freshman orientation. Tom and I enjoyed returning to our old stomping grounds, and by the end of our visit, I think Will was looking forward to returning to our old stomping grounds without us and Tom's big dad energy. 😉

In no particular order, some of the highlights:

The BEAUTIFUL driving range (first course I've ever seen
with a driving range) at the nicest course we've ever played.

Eagle's Crossing

The course was incredible.

In addition to beautiful scenery and perfectly manicured holes,
the course has life-like animal sculptures scattered throughout.

My favorite.

My least favorite. I knew this giant (probably 12-15 feet long and
a foot in diameter) snake was fake and still couldn't go anywhere near it.

On every course I took a picture of Will...
literally and figuratively walking away from me.

A glimpse into the physicality of the
nicer, harder, more complex courses.

Home sweet home during my junior and senior years of college.

Playing what is now his "home" course in Iowa City.

I don't that I've ever taken a hotter, sweatier, dirtier trip in my life, but we had an incredible time together crossing the country and playing this sport that Tom and Will love so much.

Playing Catch Up: Oklahoma City Ballet

Shortly after returning from her cruise in June, Hallie spent three weeks at Oklahoma City Ballet's senior summer intensive. 

This wasn't her first intensive, but it was her first time staying in a dorm, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about how she'd handle being away from home - and without me, Tom, Will, and/or her besties - for such an extended period of time. 

I shouldn't have worried. 

She forced her (introverted) self to jump headfirst into the experience, and she proved that she is more than capable of finding her way, overcoming challenges, making friends, and taking care of herself. She's still a couple of years away from heading off to college, but this experience gave her a lot of confidence going into the big life changes that lie ahead.

Saying goodbye to Will. 😓

The main studio space at OKC is INCREDIBLE.

All of the dancers in her level.

With her friend and roommate, Savannah.

They went to Target A LOT.

They cleaned!

And did laundry!

With their suitemates-turned-wonderful friends.

It was hard to say goodbye.

They had a lot of fun around Edmond on their days off.

There's a place near the dorms (it's a gorgeous campus)
where lots of dancers do photoshoots, so Hallie and a
couple of friends spent a little while there one evening, just
snapping pics with their phones. It's a gorgeous campus.

I asked Hallie if she wanted to go back to OKC next summer, and to my surprise, she said no. When I asked why, she explained that the experience could never be replicated...and if she went back, she'd just be disappointed that summer two couldn't live up to summer one. So she'll go somewhere else in 2026, and the summer of 2025 at OKC will remain its own nearly perfect memory.