Anna Grows

Working the Diana Ross show  August is winding down and once again we had to look back and see what we did.   A couple of themes quickly emerged:  dog sitting and Wolf Trap.  There was also some travel thrown in the mix. Anna picked up some dog sitting and dog walking jobs for the neighbors.  This has been good therapy as we do miss Benny.  It has also provided a way to "try out" different types and sizes of dogs.  The family tried out an 8-month-old puppy after dog-sitting for a week with Sundae.  Sundae is a very sweet, beagle/hound mix who has been well-trained by her family.  She loves to go on walks and LOVES to chase squirrels and deer in the back yard (this was very helpful with our resident deer population).  Joe had her playing ball in the backyard.  We learned quickly that she also loves socks, slippers and stuffed animals and would take off with them.  We also realized that it has been several years since we had...

July 2026 was one for the record books! Not only did the country celebrate its 250th birthday, but our family also celebrated a milestone of its own as Andrew and Carlye were married on July 5. What better place to celebrate than just outside Boston, surrounded by the history of the American Revolution? The Fagella sisters, their families, and the Virginia contingent gathered at a beautiful beach house for a weekend that quickly taught us one important lesson: modern weddings are no longer one-day events! Between dinners, gatherings, and outings, there was something happening every day. We're fairly certain Andrew managed about four hours of sleep the entire weekend. Thanks to the holiday weekend, we enjoyed multiple nights of spectacular fireworks over the beach. July 4 featured a backyard BBQ with enough food to feed a small army, plenty of music, and lots of time catching up with family and friends. When the big day arrived, New England delivered perfect wedding weather. The cer...

 It is with great sadness that we said goodbye to Benny today after a rapid health decline the past few weeks.  He was 15 years old. Benny joined our family 3 years following the loss of Storm.  Theresa and Anna had been watching rescue sites and convinced Joe that he was the dog.  He was found as a stray in Baltimore and listed as "around 8 years old."  It turns out he was probably 12 years old, but who is counting?  He quickly assimilated into the family, bringing his calm, gentle nature.   He quickly went to work training his new family.  He got attention for what he wanted not by barking but by staring.  He would stare at his targeted human, usually Joe, for long periods of time until he got what he wanted.  Joe often had a battle of wills with him, but we all knew Benny would wear him down at the end of the day.  Benny was a food enthusiast who quickly taught us that all bread needed to be secured on top of the refrigerato...

 Sometimes you get to the end of a month and wonder, what did we do?  This was one of those months.  It required looking back at the calendar and photos to figure out what we did.  Here is what that research revealed: Anna was working.  She put her artistic schools to work and created the new seasonal board at the coffee shop.  She is also working shifts at Wolf Trap, where she is finding her new supervisory skills at the coffee shop are being put to work training new staff at Wolf Trap (many have never handled cash before, which really should not be a surprise). Theresa is adjusting to full-time work at St. Mark, where every day is a new adventure.  She has also managed to keep some volunteer shifts at Wolf Trap to keep up with friends and enjoy ticket perks.  She was able to combine these perks with friends Joy and Trisha for the Sing Along Sound of Music, complete with costumes.  You know you are in character when people come up to you for...

 May was a whirlwind of a month so we will start with the biggest news.  Cousin Aidyn graduated from high school on May 23!  He had a particularly big month starting with a 4th place finish with his robotics team in a state competition.  He also landed his first job - a full-time position thanks to a recruiting event at his school looking for students from the robotics program.  His graduation gift from his aunts and uncles was a trip to Florida - his first beach vacation.  You can find photos of all the festivities  HERE Graduation weekend in Ohio was a rainy one, but the weather did break for the actual graduation.  Theresa flew in early to organize the festivities, which included a pulled pork and chicken barbecue and of course a graduation cake with Aidyn's photo on it (a must have).  The graduation was held at the World Harvest Church - a local megachurch down the road from the school.  It was HUGE and looked like a theater for a m...

 This year cousin Aidyn joined us for part of his spring break.  He spent the first weekend with Theresa at Grandma and Grandpa's and flew back to spend the second half of the break in Virginia.  Flying was more suspenseful thanks to the continued government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, including the TSA agents who were working without pay.  By the point of this trip, they were 6 weeks in without pay, resulting in growing security lines as many agents were not coming to work and quitting (who can blame them - they were not getting paid).  This meant arriving at the airport at least 2 hours before flight time.  Everyone else was also on spring break, which meant a crowded airport with frustrated travelers.  Fortunately, there were no major issues getting through security and just more time sitting around. Aidyn arrived in DC for record heat and exploding cherry blossoms.  We went on a hike one day at Riverbend park and enjoyed t...