This past Friday, Sloan and I attended the St. Mary Father/Daughter Dance for the third straight year. It was once again an awesome evening where we bonded and enjoyed time with our St. Mary community.
If you know my wife, she always says that, “Brent loves a tradition” and that it usually only takes us doing something once for me to christen it “a tradition.” Well, according to those terms, after three years now, the Father/Daughter Dance is a full-blown, longstanding tradition for us.
Sloan with her friend Allie at the 2025 St. Mary Father/Daughter Dance.
Our evening has started the same way the past three years: Sloan and I take photos outside the house before leaving. Usually, like this past Friday, it is freezing.
The past three years prior to the St. Mary Father/Daughter Dance we have taken outdoor photos at our house before leaving.
We then head to the Spokane Valley Red Robin for dinner. We order burgers and the same beverages (Shirley Temple for Sloan and a Blue Moon for me).
Before heading to the dance at St. Mary, dinner at Red Robin is a must.
But we don’t dine alone. Red Robin is also where we meet our double date—Riley and Colie Golay. We love hanging with Riley and Colie and really appreciate their loyalty over the past few years.
Sloan and Colie over the years.
After we finish at Red Robin, we head to the St. Mary Gym, usually arriving right when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. Our first order of business upon checking in (after Sloan chooses her corsage) is to head to the fine arts room to get our picture taken. It is easy to admire the photography skills of ___________.
Our official St. Mary Catholic School Daddy/Daughter Dance photo from 2024. Can’t wait to see what our 2025 photo looks like!
From there we usually snag some punch and treats. We meet back up with Riley and Colie at a table and then we hit the dance floor.
Sloan at the past three St. Mary Father/Daughter Dance.
I am usually good for a handful of dances as Sloan rotates between her old man and her friends. The dance organizers and DJ always keep things light and fun with classic hits that everyone knows and are easy to dance to.
A raffle is then conducted at the end of the night. Mr. Schultz, the 8th grade teacher, always begins the raffle by making the girls pledge not to get upset if they don’t win. The pledge isn’t always kept. Thankfully, Sloan won for the first time this year and was able to enjoy the final dance that always follows the raffle with a big smile on her face.
The top photo of the collage shows Sloan at the prize table after her name was called for the raffle.
Please check back with me in five years. My prediction is that our Father/Daughter Dance tradition will look very much the same as it does now…that is, of course, if the Golays still put up with us. Thanks to St. Mary Catholic School for always putting on such a memorable event. Don’t Blink.
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