Pandemic Week 62: 2 Concerts, a Party, a Vaccine & More Cicadas

First High School Party
Anna had a great weekend.  It was great because it was almost normal.  What makes something "normal" these days?  Well after spending most of her freshman year of high school locked down and doing virtual school, here is what the past weekend was like.

Friday Anna performed in her first high school choir concert!  That's right - there was actual live singing.  There were some pandemic twists. First, the concert was a chance for the seniors to perform. Thanks to social distancing requirements only senior family members could attend (Joe & Theresa did not get to see this concert yet).  The choir members also had to spread out and wear masks while singing, but they managed to pull off the concert.  Anna had a great time and was thrilled to be singing at a concert again.  She is already looking forward to choir next year - hopefully without masks.

Friday was also the livestream of "The Big Jam," the annual concert/fundraiser for the Vienna Jammers.  Anna was on the production crew for the filming and the video came out great.  If snippets are posted, we will include a link.  For now, only those that attended the livestream were able to watch.   The Jammers has been a constant for Anna this year.  A big kudos to the director for finding a way to keep the practices going AND finding a way to broadcast the annual show.

Saturday night was Anna's first high school party.  Since it also was high school prom night (in case you are wondering, the prom was held outside for limited groups at a time), one of Anna's friends decided to host a MORP party.  Her friend also happens to live right next to the high school and have a pool.  Anna and her friends dressed up and remained that way for about 15 minutes before changing into bathing suits to enjoy the pool (it was 90 degrees).  She had a great time hanging out with her friends.  She spent Sunday recovering from both her party and her first dose of the vaccine, which she also received on Saturday.  This was also a great day because she did not have to go on a Sunday outing with her parents.

In other news of the week:

  • The cicadas continue to emerge and you can hear a continuous hum (check out Joe's Cicada Video).  They are everyone.  The neighbor's needed to cut back on their dog's food because she is eating so many cicadas.  
  • Theresa returned the office for two days of work.  There are still few in the building, but it was a nice change of scenery.  There is lots of debate about the "honor system" for vaccination and masks.
  • Joe & Theresa spent a couple of hours on Sunday enjoying Old Town Alexandria - something they have not done since the beginning of the pandemic.
  • In a major milestone, we hosted our first dinner guest since the pandemic began when our neighbor Jackie joined us for Sunday night grilled chicken.

In short, it was an almost pre-pandemic weekend (in some ways).  We are looking forward to summer and Anna's second vaccine!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Swimming with the Lakevale Dolphins

Image
The Swim Gang - Leo, Aidan, Megan & Anna Tonight Anna completed her third season with the Division II Lakevale Dolphins.  It was a great season for Anna as she improved her strokes and her times and made it to the "A"team to compete at Saturday meets.  It was an educational season for Joe and Theresa, who learned the ins and outs of life as swim team parents. The neighborhood swim team is the hub of neighborhood social activity in the summer.  There are events throughout the season, including Friday night pep rallies, and Sunday night fund events that include such things as the neighborhood scavenger hunt, laser tag night, bingo night, and even a team night at the Washington Nationals game.  In between the fun is the seriousness of the swimming, and there are definitely some top notch swimmers on the team. Anna with her lollipop for getting a "personal best" time Kids are motivated by different things. Some kids love to race.  Other kids try to beat
Read more

Camp Coles Trip & June Birthdays

Image
Anna at Girl Scout Camp Anna just returned from a fun-filled week at Girl Scout camp.  This year she was old enough to go to Camp Coles Trip, which is on a bay area off of the Potomac River.  This is a water camp, so she spent her days on the bay learning to paddle board and sail along with kayaking. Girl Scout Camp is definitely roughing it.  The camp is in the woods and girls stay in platform cabins with screens.  Anna shared a cabin with 4 other girls.  Mosquito netting is very important at night.  The only electricity is at the dining hall, health center, and activity building.  The girls are also responsible each day for doing "kapers" or chores.  They take turns helping serve meals, cleaning the bathrooms, and general clean-up.  They are also responsible for keeping track of their own things and carrying their bags. Anna had a fantastic time, despite the lack of modern conveniences, and is already planning her return next year.  She made new friends and her favo
Read more

Thanksgiving in New Jersey

Image
The Fagella family (or part of the Fagellas) celebrated Thanksgiving this year in Northern New Jersey thanks to James.  Since James was house sitting for his boss, they were very generous in letting us use their large home in their absence for a Thanksgiving celebration.  We joined Aunt Loren, Aunt Mary, James and Sundance for a Thanksgiving feast.  We could have easily fed another 20 people with all of the food, which meant lots of leftovers.  We also celebrated Aunt Mary's birthday (November 22) and Aunt Loren's (November 27) with a homemade coconut cake courtesy of James. Joe carving the turkey with his assistants. The festivities continued the next day when James hosted 22 of his high school friends for his annual Friendsgiving dinner.  Anna was kindly invited to attend the event.  Since she has attended previous dinners, she already knew many of James' friends.  Once again, the amount of food was staggering with everyone bringing a dish. Aunt Mary and Aunt Loren have c
Read more