Pandemic Week 89: Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Birthday Aunt Loren!

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 York with side dishes and plenty of time to help with dinner prep.  Aunt Mary is still recovering from a COVID-like illness (despite never testing positive) and is still regaining her energy levels. We knew she was not fully recovered when we arrived to discover she only made enough mashed potatoes for 10 people instead of 50 people. Everyone pitched in to help out (actually, we sort of took over her kitchen.....hopefully she found everything when people left).    Aunt Loren arrived with the rest of the sides and the pies and we enjoyed a delicious dinner.

Friday started off as a rainy day that eventually cleared up......with 40 mile per hour winds.  It was cold! Joe and Theresa braved the winds to enjoy a hike at a local park.  Anna & James worked on a photo board for Aunt Loren's surprise party.  James was also prepping for his annual Friendsgiving for 20+ people that evening in the backyard. Aunt Mary recently enlarged the patio, making it a perfect place for outdoor events.  James purchased light strands and a fire pit for the evening.  Let's just say it was quite a challenge to hang the lights in the wind.  It was all hands-on deck with Joe, Theresa & An

Aunt Loren's birthday balloons
na pitching in to get everything set up for the party.  Aunt Loren joined in the festivities for the evening and we watched the party from the warmth of the house.  Despite James' efforts to contain his guests to the backyard, there was a steady stream of masked friends coming into the house to talk to both Mary and Loren.  Most impressive was how everyone stayed for 3 - 4 hours outside, despite the cold weather.  It was great to see James and his long-time friends still getting together.

Saturday was Loren's surprise party.  Mary had been working on the event for months.  Surprising Aunt Loren is fraught with challenges.  First, when you have a large family, it is difficult for everyone to keep the story straight.  Second, ensuring that Aunt Loren would be at the restaurant on-time was much discussed as perhaps the biggest challenge.  Third, having family members coming from different areas to meet at a New York restaurant on the weekend at a certain time - well, there is going to be traffic.  Despite the efforts (the stories, Mary telling Loren she needed to dress nicely, the decoy at Uncle John's - which no one told him about), Loren found out about the party when Uncle Tom sent her a birthday message and noted he was sorry he would not be at her party.  Despite the lack of a surprise, a good time was had by all.  James took Anna into Manhattan to pick up a special cake (he also left Anna in the car, which was illegally parked, so he could get the cake and gave her instructions on what to tell the police if they tried to ticket the car).  Aunt Mary rented the wine room at a restaurant for the celebration.  There was plenty of delicious Italian food, birthday cake, music, and an explosion of balloons.  Most of the family was there (except for Tom), including the Tomasulo cousins.  It was wonderful to see everyone and to celebrate with Loren.  Following the party, the Virginia Fagellas headed home (and made it in good time).  

Sunday was a beautiful day with temperatures in the upper 50s - a perfect day to hang outdoor Christmas decorations!  Many of the neighbors had the same idea as everyone was outside gardening and hanging lights.    It is always with some trepidation that we pull the lights out of the box as we cross our fingers they are mostly working.  This year saw some dreaded outages, but we were able to salvage the lights (given all of the supply chain issues, this is not the year to replace Christmas decorations).  The outside of the house is mostly decorated and the holiday season is underway.

Happy Thanksgiving!





Aunt Mary & Sunny



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