Anna Grows

July 2026 was one for the record books! Not only did the country celebrate its 250th birthday, but our family also celebrated a milestone of its own as Andrew and Carlye were married on July 5. What better place to celebrate than just outside Boston, surrounded by the history of the American Revolution? The Fagella sisters, their families, and the Virginia contingent gathered at a beautiful beach house for a weekend that quickly taught us one important lesson: modern weddings are no longer one-day events! Between dinners, gatherings, and outings, there was something happening every day. We're fairly certain Andrew managed about four hours of sleep the entire weekend. Thanks to the holiday weekend, we enjoyed multiple nights of spectacular fireworks over the beach. July 4 featured a backyard BBQ with enough food to feed a small army, plenty of music, and lots of time catching up with family and friends. When the big day arrived, New England delivered perfect wedding weather. The cer...

 It is with great sadness that we said goodbye to Benny today after a rapid health decline the past few weeks.  He was 15 years old. Benny joined our family 3 years following the loss of Storm.  Theresa and Anna had been watching rescue sites and convinced Joe that he was the dog.  He was found as a stray in Baltimore and listed as "around 8 years old."  It turns out he was probably 12 years old, but who is counting?  He quickly assimilated into the family, bringing his calm, gentle nature.   He quickly went to work training his new family.  He got attention for what he wanted not by barking but by staring.  He would stare at his targeted human, usually Joe, for long periods of time until he got what he wanted.  Joe often had a battle of wills with him, but we all knew Benny would wear him down at the end of the day.  Benny was a food enthusiast who quickly taught us that all bread needed to be secured on top of the refrigerato...