A lot was happening in 2006: Twitter launched its first Tweet, Facebook opened to the general public, Taylor Hicks won the 5 th season of American Idol, and Jennifer and Domenic Styer began dating. Domenic was a local DJ in Phoenix who booked events to put himself through school. Jennifer had just moved home to Arizona after finishing college.

The two met through friends at a church function and hit it off. Jennifer vividly remembers the screensaver photo on Domenic’s computer. It was a photo of Domenic and another woman. The woman was cute and blonde, and months into the relationship, the photo remained. Jennifer

finally worked up the courage to ask, “What’s the deal with the blonde?” Turns out, it was a young Taylor Swift, who in 2006, wasn’t on the pop culture scene yet. Domenic was a Swiftie before the rest of us and has the photos to prove it!

The Styer family moved to Glen Oaks in 2019, and you could say they dove in head-first. Domenic is the President of the Glen Oaks Swim Team, while Jennifer runs the social media and organizational aspects of the job. Under the Styer family’s leadership, the team has broken a

31-year member record. There are now 271 swimmers on the team. “We’ve tried to foster community and inclusion by welcoming families with swimmers of all ages and abilities to be a part of something bigger,” Jennifer said. “We want kids to have fun, get exercise in the summer, get to know others, and ultimately have some of the best memories summer can bring.”

The Styers also created the first scholarship fund for high school seniors on the Glen Oaks Swim Team. Last year, they raised enough funds to gift $6,000 to six applicants. “Our number one goal was to find a way to give back,” Jennifer explained. “Our focus is also to keep

kids swimming longer. It’s been amazing to see older kids on the team embrace the younger swimmers.”

The couple’s 9-year-old son Christian is a proud member of the swim team. The soon-to-be fourth grader also enjoys cross country, art class, and STEM activities at Goshen Elementary. He loves to read joke books and cruise the neighborhood on the family’s golf cart. Jennifer still

remembers how excited he was when they bought the new ride. “We kept it a total surprise,” she said. “He had begged for one for well over a year. One of my best memories is seeing the shock on his face when we showed it to him.”

The family has two dogs, both boxers, named Libby and Lamar. “Between Libby who licks non-stop and Lamar who thinks he is a lap dog, there is no shortage of love to go around,” Jennifer said. Jennifer is successfully navigating a career change. After 18 years as a dental hygienist, she recently took a job with Mortenson Dental Partners to conduct national clinical learning events for more than 2,000 employees in nine states. Domenic is a construction project manager for Conagra Foods’ capital improvement projects.

The Styers are always on the go. They recently traveled cross-country to explore the west coast. They’re regulars in Orange Beach, Alabama, and Domenic takes an annual 10-day solo motorcycle trip. They stay busy at home too. As if the swim team isn’t enough to fill their summer calendar, they also play an integral role in another popular neighborhood event called the “Sac to School Party.” The annual back-to-school event started with four families in the cul-de-sac on Laurel Lane. It has evolved into a huge block party complete with live music, bounce houses, food trucks, games, and more.

The Styer family loves the social aspect of Glen Oaks. In addition to the block party, they also enjoy the Halloween festivities on Championship Court, the neighborhood Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, Easter Egg Hunts, Christmas Caroling, and “any reason to set off fireworks.”

If you see the Styer family out and about, be sure to say hello! You can catch them at the pool, having dinner at Fiesta Time, cruising at Moser Farm Park, and (hopefully) at Lucas Oil Stadium in November for the Taylor Swift concert. Jennifer is now a full-blown Swiftie, too—and is hoping to get her hands on some coveted Eras tour tickets!