Ask George and Rachel Ferguson how they met, and you get a story that sounds like it was written for the movies. A Chicago party. Two long-stemmed red roses left behind in a taxi. A shy newcomer to the city fidgeting with one until it shrank to boutonniere size. And a cellist who, for once, skipped going home to change after a symphony performance and walked into the bar still in his tux.

 

That cellist was George. The rose belonged to Rachel. When she offered him the flower for his jacket pocket, neither of them could have guessed it was the start of a marriage, two daughters, and a life that would eventually land them in Starwood.

 

Rachel grew up in the Dallas Fort Worth area, with her parents still calling Plano home, while George is a Chicago native. The two met six months after Rachel's move to Chicago, at a party neither of them had really planned to attend that way. Their first proper date followed within the week. He ordered a salad. She ordered a mac and cheese flight. As Rachel puts it, "the rest was history."

 

The Fergusons moved to the neighborhood in the fall of 2017, while Rachel was expecting their first daughter, Parker. Today the family includes George, 41, Rachel, 41, Parker, 8, and Monroe, 6.

 

Both parents hold MBAs from Texas Woman's University, but their paths there looked different. Rachel studied journalism and mass communications at the University of Kansas before her graduate work. George earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Northern Illinois University. Professionally, George works as a Director at PwC focused on mergers and acquisitions, while Rachel is a Senior Director at Riveron, where she consults on Salesforce implementations. Rachel is the board chair of Girls on the Run.

 

Parker and Monroe keep the family calendar full. Both girls swim and take private tennis lessons at Stonebriar Country Club, and both tumble at All4. Monroe adds cheer to the mix, competing with All4 Glimmer, FFL 6U Bears, and DCC. The sisters attend Levine Academy together, where they dive into STEM coursework and Spanish classes.

 

Rounding out the household are two hamsters, Freddie and Hampsty, along with a small collection of fish that includes Cutie Pies, Baby Fish, and one aptly named Blue Fish, who Rachel notes is, in fact, blue.

 

Outside of the family's daily rhythm, each Ferguson brings a different passion to the table. Rachel is the group's resident party planner and decorator, and has built a real following around her Mahjong games. She has taught many of her neighborhood friends to play, competes in national tournaments, and recently joined the Mahjong league at Stonebriar Country Club. George, meanwhile, has quietly amassed a collection of casino chips and enjoys hosting friends for poker nights.

 

If there is one thing the Fergusons are known for, it might be their commitment to decorating for every holiday on the calendar. Halloween holds the top spot as their favorite, and they make a point of outdoing themselves each year with an elaborate party. They also host a Cinco de Mayo celebration, a Star Wars themed May the Fourth gathering, and a Kentucky Derby birthday bash for George every May.

 

When they are not hosting, the family can often be found at Stonebriar Country Club, whether at kids' summer camp or on the racquet courts, or exploring the area's Asian food scene, which they count as their favorite cuisine. Their travels have taken them to San Antonio, Broken Bow, and several of the lakes scattered around DFW, and this year marked a milestone: their first international family trip, to London.

 

Community involvement runs deep for the Fergusons. Rachel previously served on both the social and activities committees in the neighborhood and remains a regular at events hosted by the family committee, especially the annual Christmas party. Her philanthropic work extends further as a board member of Girls on the Run DFW, an organization dedicated to building body positivity and fitness habits in young girls. George serves on the board of the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, a nonprofit focused on music education for young people.

 

Ask the Fergusons about their favorite memory in the neighborhood, and they will likely mention the pond, where the family feeds the turtles a specially formulated aquatic turtle food, or the countless bike rides to the park and afternoons at the community pool.

 

But what they come back to most is the community itself. "We have really formed a community of our own within the walls of Starwood," Rachel says. Their circle of neighborhood friends gathers almost weekly and talks daily. The husbands play poker and golf together, the moms have their standing Mahjong games, including a recent girls' trip to Cedar Creek Lake, and the kids move freely between each other's homes and pools. This fall, the Fergusons are joining four other neighborhood families, twelve children in all, for a group trip to Broken Bow.

 

"Starwood has truly become not just where we have our home, but where we socialize and have our inner circle," Rachel says. "We've truly found our people here."