Jays Baseball in Florida

In late July, Connor was thrilled to join his buddy Braden and the Duffey family for their OPA Jays end of summer baseball tournament in Panama City Beach, FL. Jeff and I weren't able to make the trip this year, and the Duffeys were gracious enough to let Connor tag along with them. They loaded up for the long drive and planned a few stops along the way, including a fun visit with Braden's grandparents in Louisiana. Connor made himself at home and really enjoyed being an honorary Duffey during his stay.

When they arrived in Florida, they were so excited to explore the condo resort and beach. Their fellow Jays teammates were also arriving and they were all quick to get in some games and some "daiquiris" (non-alcoholic, of course!) from the infamous beachside Daq Shaq. The Duffeys were incredible hosts and Connor had such a great time staying with them in their resort condo, and they enjoyed other activities like putt-putt and souvenir shopping as well. I was so thankful for the photos that Heather sent my way each day. We sure missed Connor but he was having so much fun!

Of course, the main reason they were all in town was for the World Series baseball tournament hosted each summer. This team has really enjoyed playing together and they were hopeful for a successful outing. While they had a ton of fun on and off the field, in the end it wasn't the Jays' week for baseball. Connor really enjoyed all the time with his team but didn't have much success on the mound or behind the plate. The team struggled to pull off wins in their bracket, and after several days of games, they were super disappointed to be eliminated from the tournament. It was tough to hear Connor's voice as he recapped his outings over the phone, but we were so thankful he had the opportunity to compete with these athletes that had become such great friends to him.

In the end, Connor was bummed but so thankful for the week away in beautiful Panama City Beach with good friends. The Duffeys were amazing hosts and we were all blessed by their kindness in sharing their vacation travels with Connor. 

Wrapping up Summer Basketball

In mid-July, the kids wrapped up their summer AAU seasons of basketball with Principles First. They both truly enjoyed their teams and tournaments, and their confidence and experience on the court greatly improved. Here is a random collection of some final basketball pics from the summer.

NCL Summer Volunteering

As summer was in full swing, Kaitlynn and I decided to get serious about our volunteer commitments for NCL. We discovered a new volunteer opportunity at the local library overseeing the summer reading program, and it quickly became our favorite way to spend time together while earning our volunteer hours. 

Of course, volunteering works up quite the appetite. It was a fun treat when we could combine our volunteer outings with a mother/daughter day enjoying some of our favorite food spots - Newk's and Crumbl Cookies. Yum!

Kicking off College Visits with Texas Tech

Not long after we returned from Tennessee, Connor and I kicked off a fun new phase - college tours! In anticipation of a busy junior year ahead, we wanted to get a head start by visiting some college campuses to find out which ones Connor might be interested in attending. After all, his college decision would be here before we know it! I wasn't involved when Collin and Kevin began this process so it was all new to me, and it wasn't long before I realized how much there was to learn and all the considerations along the way. I started surfing college websites to find out how to arrange a visit, and the first one that worked for our schedule happened to be Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Tx. Of course, it was a LONG drive from Katy - around 8 hours - but Jeff and I decided that driving was the best option so that Connor would truly understand how far away from home he would be. We used our time in the car by researching various college questions about their facilities, curriculum, and all sorts of random things to get us started in Connor's college search. By the time we arrived in Lubbock, we were pooped! But Connor was so excited to see what Texas Tech had to offer.

We checked into our hotel and then set out to explore the campus by car. We drove all around, finding various hotspots like the sports stadiums and student center. We mapped our drive for the following morning's tour, and then we did the next logical thing that a college student would do... order some pizza for dinner! One of our friends had given us a suggestion for a local pizza joint, and it did not disappoint. One Guy Pizza for the win!

The next morning, we were up bright and early for our official campus tour. There were quite a few visiting students, and we ended up meeting another student and her mom from our area. We all attended an admissions presentation, and Connor was excited to get a goody bag with various Tech items like a sticker and pencil. From there, we split into groups to begin the walking portion of the tour. We walked all around campus, visiting spots like the student center, rec center, academic buildings, and one of the residential buildings with a decorated room to help us envision dorm life. At the end of the tour, we made our way to the campus store to use our discount coupon for some Tech merch. Much to Connor's excitement, he immediately noticed the on-campus restaurants like Chick-fil-A and Pizza Hut - every future college student's dream! Everything was closed during our summer visit, but we happened to see Raider Red as we walked through. Wreck 'em!

We got so caught up in the excitement of the campus experience that we almost forgot about the last stop on our visit for the day - the academic presentation for the College of Engineering. We ran across campus and made it to the Engineering center just in time, and there we were able to find out more about Connor's area of interest, Computer Science. One cool fact we learned was that all Engineering majors are required to complete a study abroad program as part of the Engineering curriculum at Tech. One of the satellite campuses for Tech is actually located in Costa Rica, where many of the students like to travel for their study abroad experience. So neat!

By the end of the academic presentation, we had learned so much information and Connor was super impressed with the opportunities at Tech. He could hardly contain his smile as he began to envision what his life might be like in college. Despite the long drive, we had the BEST time together on our trip! It seems impossible that we are already planning for college, but Texas Tech was such a great experience for both of us, and we couldn't wait to continue the college visits in the months to come.

Back to Dubai

Earlier in the year, Jeff was caught off guard when his former boss from Dubai reached out for a call. The company was making a transition in their financial reporting team, and they wondered if Jeff might be available to help out while they look for a more permanent role to join the firm in Dubai. After some consideration, Jeff agreed to join the team in a temporary contract role - working remotely from home with an occasional trip to the Dubai office. It was a completely unexpected opportunity, and before we knew it, Jeff was back on a plane to Dubai to reacclimate to the team and kick off his new role. During his visit, he made sure to drive around our old stomping grounds, taking photos and reliving all those months we called Dubai home. 

For the first 2 years after we moved back to Katy from Dubai, we would ask the kids if they had any desire to return to Dubai to live. Their answer was always a resounding "yes!" because they missed their friends, school, and experiences overseas. Of course, we knew that things were quite different in Dubai ever since Covid, and likely it was a blessing we had returned home before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the world. While it was super fun for all of us to see Jeff's pictures and hear all about his trip back to our former favorite spots in Dubai, the kids were quick to point out that they no longer wished to return to Dubai to live. We continue to feel blessed with fond memories and experiences in Dubai, but for now we are content to enjoy Jeff's photos from across the pond in Texas. :-)

Wrapping up our TN trip

Before we concluded our family trip in TN, we had one final day to explore Gatlinburg and enjoy some downtime and fun together. We went back to the downtown area to do a little more shopping, and we ended up at a local brewery to enjoy some snacks and drinks for a few hours. They had some great pizzas but the company was what I enjoyed the most. Afterwards, we walked around to a few more shops and really had a blast at the local Trump store. It was hilarious to see all the funny memes and items that Trump has inspired!

Before we knew it, our time in TN had come to an end. It had been such a nice trip with the family and fun time exploring Gatlinburg. We weren't looking forward to the long drive home, but everyone was so exhausted that it made the trip a little easier for the passengers. Until next time, Morgan family!