Anna Grows

Anna, Loren & James  After the lost year of 2020, it was very exciting to return to New York for the first time in 2 years to celebrate Thanksgiving! There was a lot to celebrate.  Aunt Mary hosted a delicious Thanksgiving Day dinner for the Virginia Fagellas and Aunt Loren.  We got to meet Aunt Mary's new dog, Sunny (albeit a year old).  We enjoyed joining James to take Sunny to a park for a Thanksgiving run (the dog ran.....we did not) before dinner. Friday was James' annual friendsgiving celebration, which was also resuming for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.  The big event for the weekend was Aunt Loren's (not quite a) surprise 75th birthday party on Saturday.  It was a busy weekend, starting on Thanksgiving Day. We headed north bright and early on Thanksgiving morning (6:30 AM to be precise).  Storm went to stay with the neighbors for the holiday (we suspect he got some turkey with his dog food).  We arrived in New Yor...

Happy Birthday Grandma!  Thanksgiving is approaching, which can only mean one thing - it is birthday season!  November is a busy birthday month with Grandma kicking it off on November 20.  Thanksgiving week always means birthdays for Aunt Mary, Aunt Loren and Aunt Lucy with Uncle Rod and Uncle Tim rounding out the month on November 30.  Grandma celebrated her birthday with pizza, flowers, and perfume (not necessarily in that order).  Uncle Rod and Uncle Tim may or may not have remembered her birthday, which means Grandma may or may not remember their birthday....TBD. In other news of the week: Anna & Theresa tried out a new dentist.  Unfortunately the old dentist no longer accepts our insurance, thus the quest began.  Actually, it took a year to notice that we no longer heard from the dentist, who was always trying to schedule appointments.  All communication stopped (no reminder cards or phone calls.....Theresa finally called and figured out ...

 It was a lovely fall week - complete with a holiday on Thursday!  Well, it wasn't exactly a holiday for Anna, but she did get out 2 hours early AND there was no swim practice on Thursday.....so yes it was a holiday. First, happy Veteran's Day to Grandpa who served in the army, including a tour of Vietnam.  Theresa celebrated the day by sending a message to her Dad....and then enjoying the day off.  Anyone that knows Theresa's dad knows that he is definitely NOT a "take the day off" guy, so Theresa enjoyed the day off for him.   Since the leaves were at their peak and the weather was gorgeous, Theresa & Joe headed back out to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia  to hike the Maryland Heights side.  It was worth the trek as the view was spectacular with the convergence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers amid the fall foliage.  Anna was excited that she did NOT need to go since she was in school.  It was a great trip to enjoy the fall day. i...

 Fall descended on the Northern Virginia area at long last.  For years, Joe has talked about going to North Carolina for fall fishing.  This week, he packed up his fishing poles for a quick road trip to Wilmington, North Carolina.  What he wasn't counting on was the developing coastal storm that made for some rough water at the end of the week.  He did catch some blue fish, which we enjoyed for dinner and Friday.  He also stopped for some fresh shrimp, which we also enjoyed. Anna and Theresa held the fort at home.  Fortunately, Joe left several leftovers in the refrigerator to sustain the family for the week. They made it and were happy to enjoy the fresh seafood on Friday. The big event for the weekend was a hiking trip to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia on Sunday ( Harpers Ferry National Historic Site ).  It is about an hour from DC and sits at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers.  It is also at the intersection of MD, VA, and...