Anna Grows

Colorado Vacation As we approach the end of 2018 and look to the year ahead, it could be easy to fall into the overall malaise (some may say fear and dread, but we will stick with malaise) that surrounds the country.  When you live in the greater Washington, DC area, there may be a heightened awareness of the goings on in the world.  Anna will certainly recall some interesting dinner conversations when she gets older.  What will we remember from 2018?  Well, we decided we definitely do NOT want to remember everything that was going on in Washington.  From the Fagella household, there were definitely some memorable events for the year. The beginning of the year was most memorable for Grandma and Grandpa, who after 45 years got to go to Hawaii  to celebrate their wedding anniversary, as a gift from the family.  The good news is the false alarm nuclear launch happened right before they went and the volcano eruption happened after they got home, so their timing was perfect.  They h

Merry Christmas from Aunt Mary's House Every year, there is an element of chaos to the holiday season.  There is the lofty holiday ideals that many aspire to in an attempt to re-enact that Normal Rockwell type Christmas experience.  Often the actual experience ends up being more like the Griswald family Christmas of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - lots of big ideas...but then reality sets in.  While the Fagellas did not attain Griswald status (thankfully), things did not quite go as planned.  As always, it was a memorable holiday.  Anna, Aunt Loren & James at the Empire State Building Over the years, we have made some adjustments to the Christmas expectations.  Theresa loves to decorate and had a period of wanting to take the family to a tree farm to cut down the family tree.  That was good for one year.  The next couple of years we went to the tree vendor in the supermarket parking lot.  Finally, the artificial tree in the basement started looking pretty

Horseback riding with the Troop It is not everyone that plans a camping trip for November 30-December 1 in Northern Virginia.  It is not everyone that plans horseback riding....or ziplining for the same time....except for the Girl Scouts.  They are a hearty sort and were willing to brave the elements (not to mention get a good deal) for an overnight getaway.  Anna was thrilled to go....and Theresa was recruited to chaperone. Thanks to a half day of school, the girls got out early and headed to the mountains.  The first stop:  horseback riding. Rain clouds were gathering and the weather was a damp 45 degrees, but the rain held off for the ride.  Anna led the group on her horse while Theresa was in the middle on a horse named Buck (a little concerning).  Anna's horse "accidentally" trotted and galloped a few times (she was using her horse skills from the summer), resulting in half of the other horses also trotting.  This was a bit of a surprise to the riders, who were