School is Out & Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day with Benny
 At long last, school ended on June 16.  This year, in what may be a new record, there were no snow or bad weather days used.  None.  Zero.  No one can remember the last time this happened.  Nonetheless, they decided to stick with the regular school calendar.  Students spent the last week going half days and watching lots of movies (we can debate the value of this week).  Anna is now officially a senior in high school.  Where does time go?

This past weekend was Father's Day.  Joe had a quiet day and almost went to a car show.  Almost means we drove to the car show only to find a line stretching for a couple of miles of other people trying to take their dad to the car show.  We opted not to do that and instead decided to take Benny for his first trip to the local park.  He was very excited and enjoyed a long walk.  We concluded the day with a grilled chicken dinner and homemade almond ice cream for Joe. 

In between the end of school and Father's Day, there were lots of other activities for the week.  Here are some of the highlights:

  • Anna auditioned and made it into the Madison Madrigals choir.  This is an acapella group and the top choir at her high school.  
  • Anna continues Lifeguarding at the pool and working the concession stand at Wolf Trap.  One of the concerts she worked this week was Kenny Loggins.  Her main takeaway from this sold-out show is that people in her parents' age group that go to concerts for popular 80s musicians without their children spend a lot of money at the bar.
  • Last day of Junior Year
    Theresa decided to go to Wolf Trap at the last minute on Friday night for the Broadway Nights concert.  She ended up getting a great ticket from a Filipino lady selling an extra ticket.  There were several Asian members of the audience, and it turns out that o


    ne of the Broadway singers was Lea Salonga, who is Filipino American.  Theresa's new seatmate was a super fan and a big fan of local theater stars who also performed.  It was an educational evening and a fun time.
  • The first swim meet of the season was on Saturday.  The team was moved up to Division 6 this year and it is going to be tough.  The most memorable part of the meet was the breakfast burritos.  On the plus side, swim team social activities began with a driveway party hosted by one of the team families.
  • Anna periodically sings with the youth choir at church, which is led by Mrs. Prince who has taught Anna since 3rd grade.  Mrs. Prince is leaving her role as choir director to focus on her job as a high school choir director at a local Catholic school and a new baby that will be arriving in December.  Sunday was the last mass for Anna with her.  As it worked out, only Anna and one of her high school choir friends, Gianna, showed up.  It should be noted that Gianna sings opera and is a champion soprano in Virginia.  The pianist, Matthew, is home from Oberlin college where he is in the conservatory of music.  What transpired was a mini concert at mass with Anna, Gianna, and Mrs. Prince singing and Matthew on piano.  It was a fitting way to say goodbye to Mrs. Prince, who has always encouraged Anna to further develop her vocal skills.  She will be missed!
  • Monday was Juneteenth, which meant Theresa had the day off.  She used the opportunity to catch up with a variety of friends throughout the day, concluding with dinner with Joe and friends Fefzi and Klara.  

Anna is preparing for her Japan trip and will depart on Thursday, June 22.  Stay tuned for more details!



Mrs. Prince, Gianna & Anna


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