Kate is Melis’ OG friend. The two met in fourth grade where they disliked each other for most of the school year until they were paired together on a group project… the rest is history. Kate has always kept tabs on Melis no matter where in the world she moved… willing to answer calls at 5 AM when Melis was lonely and on the other side of the world. They joke that they and I have absolutely NOTHING in common but that doesn’t matter. Their fav thing to do together is sit on the sofa and hang with a drink in their hand… except recently they do this without a drink in their hand because Kate is gifting to Melis a new little best friend- who arrived June 20th! Lily will join her big sis Kit who is 21 months. She’ll have in tow with her Owen, her husband of nearly 5 years… Colin’s future bestie.

Brendan has been there since day 1. As Colin’s older brother, 19 months his senior, he has afforded him not only a perennial teammate and built in best friend, but also a role model through many chapters of life. They have a shared interest in great pizza and BBQ, craft beer, Cleveland Sports, and their love for Roger Federer. They still remain very close to this day, routinely catching up in Cleveland or Cincy to enjoy sports, food, beer, hiking, and doodle bonding. Brendan now resides in Cincinnati with his wife Jenna and their two doodles, Tybee and Tucker.

Devin is Colin’s younger brother, 3 years his junior. Brothers by blood, and best friends by choice, Devin and Colin have bonded over shared sports over the years, relationship woes, their faith, and navigating life after college. They remain extremely close, often picking up the phone to catch up, while walking their respective dogs, or making weekend trips to enjoy a night out on the town. Browns games have also become a yearly tradition, although Devin remains a loyal Lions supporter.

Jenna is married (5 years) to Colin’s older brother Brendan and they reside in Cincinnati. Jenna and Melis both went to Miami University and even had some friends in common but somehow their paths never crossed! As an only child Melis wanted nothing more than to have a sister growing up- now she’ll have that in Jenna! Brendan and Jenna have 2 pups- Tucker and Tybee. Colin & Melis’ dog Gus absolutely loves seeing his pup cousins when everyone gets together. Like Colin & Melis, Jenna and Brendan are avid travelers- it’s nice to know they’ll be built in travel buddies!

While Ryan and Colin have known of each other since junior high, both having grown up in Perrysburg, they didn't become inseparable until reuniting in college at BGSU in 2011. Having freshly transferred from OSU, Colin was a bit of a fish out of water upon returning to northwest Ohio. Fortunately, General Chemistry at BGSU quickly changed that for the better. Ryan quickly welcomed Colin into his friend group, and with the same major, often landed in the same classes and study groups. This turned into them becoming roommates the following year, and neighbors their senior year. They always find time to catch up, and these days live only 3 miles from each other in Lakewood. When they're not missing shots in rec basketball at the local YMCA, they can be found enjoying all things Cleveland, especially sports (Go Brownies!), indulging in greasy food, and downing a cold beer. Ryan has also been kind enough to invite Colin to numerous trips to Kelly’s Island, where they've always had a weekend to remember.

Dakota is Melis’ college bestie! They were told we were going to be best friends by an upperclassmen and they obliged like the rule followers they are. They bonded one night freshman year at a party and then didn’t talk for 2 year until be became inseparable junior year. They did college club gymnastics together and also started and coached a kids competitive program. Their love for gymnastics led to CrossFit after they hung up their grips. Now when Melis visits she drops into Dakota’s gym to join in a CrossFit class. Over the years Dakota’s gym friends have graciously accepted Melis into their group. They’ve even let her crash some of their vacations! Dakota lives in Cincinnati just minutes away from Brendan and Jenna.

Steve has played a role in Colin's life from a young age. They first met in elementary school, bonding over their love for video games, Pokemon, and soccer. Similar to Ryan, Steve would reappear in Colin's life in 2011, upon his return to northwest Ohio. At BGSU, Steve just so happened to be in the same General Chemistry class with Ryan, and the Perrysburg reunion commenced. Steve and Colin became roommates their Junior and Senior years at BGSU, before Steve went off to Med School at OU and Colin moved on to PA school at Lake Erie College. They would reunite once again, post medical training, when Steve returned to Cleveland for his residency. They developed a bit of a DoorDash addiction through COVID while sharing an apartment, splurged on expensive bottles of wine, and enjoyed many a move night. They remain close, bonding over medicine, Cleveland sports, soccer, and their musical tastes. While Steve now resides in Chicago, they catch up frequently throughout the year.

Megan and Melis worked at International Gymnastics Camp together but their friendship has grown even more in the years since. Melis’ first year at IGC was actually Megan’s husband Thomas’ first year (no he is not a gymnast… the man is like 6’9”). Megan attended school in NYC to become a NP. That’s when Melis’ yearly NYC trips began- She’d visit Megan, party too hard and then crawl to IGC for the summer. Megan and Thomas now reside in Megan’s home state of Florida with their soon to be three year old Brooklyn and Aussie Doodle Magnolia.

Thomas and Colin have known each other since the days of preschool at St. Rose in Perrysburg. A not so proud memory of Colin’s was when he laughed at Thomas during music class in Kindergarten, as Thomas was singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little, Star. Fortunately, Thomas held grudge against Colin, and they would find themselves to be teammate in recreational baseball, soccer, and eventually high school teammates in tennis. They were close in high school, hanging in the same group of friends, attending dances together, sporting events, and routinely playing tennis at Perrysburg Tennis Center or they Municipal courts. After high school, Thomas went off to Miami University, but they still remained close, routinely talking, catching up on breaks, and even visiting each other at their respective schools. Game of Thrones nights became especially popular. In more recent years, Tom has found himself around the country for his job, spending some time in Tulsa, OK, before ultimately landing in Chicago, where he has been consistently for a few years now. They have had many a reunion in Chicago and back in Perrysburg, still playing tennis to this day. An especially fond memory was their semi-recent trip to Boston and Maine in October of 2020, visiting Portland, Bar Harbor, and hiking through Acadia National Park.

Cindy, like Jenna is now an adopted sister for Melis- what we like to call den sisters! Long story short, Cindy met Erin (Colin’s mom) on a mission trip years ago. Erin mentioned that if Cindy got into University of Toledo for Nursing school that Cindy could come and live with them while she was in school. Well, Cindy did get into Nursing school and then became a NP so she naturally became part of the Bilski fam. She endearingly calls Erin and Gary den mom & dad so thus, den sisters. While Cindy was living in Perrysburg she met her now husband Dylan (who is also a NP). They just got married in April and moved back to Cindy’s home town of Las Vegas. Colin & Melis are still emotionally excepting that she moved 2,075 miles away but at least there’s a rowdy direct flight with Frontier Airlines to see her.