Anna Grows

Anna with the Cats  Anna made her annual summer visit to Grandma & Grandpa's house on July 23-26.  Cousin Aidyn was also there for the duration.  Anna flew into Dayton, where her grandparents picked her up.  Shortly thereafter, Grandma and Grandpa found themselves in the back of the van with Anna driving and Aidyn riding shotgun (it is unknown if they watched cartoons, but it is likely that Grandpa fell asleep). There was sad news on Tuesday night when they found out that their long-time neighbor and friend,  Linda Dangler , passed away.  Linda lived right next door and was a frequent visitor to the front porch.  She and the grandparents always looked out for each other.  She was a great friend and will be missed. Anna and Aidyn were able to distract their grandparents a bit during the visit.  While there do not seem to be many photos from this trip (this is the summer of no photos), there were lots of activities, including: A trip t...

Enjoy the July 4th parade  The heat is on in Northern Virginia this summer!  So far it seems we are on pace for one of the hottest summers on record.  July 4th was no exception.  Despite the heat, Joe and Theresa opted for one July 4th tradition:  the annual Fairfax parade.  Anna opted out, preferring to stay in bed after working the night before.  The parade did not disappoint and included all of the requisite bands, local politicians, Shriners, and of course the Fairfax Library book cart drill team (always a crowd favorite).  Everyone hid in the house for the afternoon and the 95 degrees + heat.  Fortunately, thunderstorms rolled through prior to the fireworks (Anna did reluctantly join her parents for the Fairfax fireworks). Since Anna has been working hard and this is her last summer before college, the family decided to do a last-minute beach trip to Virginia Beach.  As luck would have it, after no real rain for weeks it rained ever...

 High School is officially in the rearview mirror as Anna sets her sights on starting college in the fall.  She was excited to attend Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) summer orientation on June 24-25 in Richmond, Virginia.  It was two days full of information for both Anna and her parents.  As an added bonus, Anna got to spend the night in a dorm and meet her roommate for the fall.  Somehow there are no people pictures from the trip, but rather some of campus. Joe and Theresa were marveling at how much college has changed since they went to college back in the 1900s. For example, In order to find a roommate, Anna filled out a detailed on-line questionnaire and then was able to look at other potential roommates (sort of like online dating).  Potential candidates were able to message each other to see if it may be a fit.  Theresa and Joe both seem to recall it was a roommate lottery. The dining options are robust with every sort of food you can thi...

Andrew, James, Anna, Carly, Katy & Luke As the days wound down towards graduation, Anna's high school rightfully recognized that the seniors are checked out.  In an effort to do one final "educational" thing before graduation, they offer the Wings program.  This is meant to be a capstone event and basically students can pick a project or internship/shadowing experience over a two-week period.  The requirement is that they have to get a sponsor, get approval from a mysterious, nameless/faceless, faculty committee and do a presentation on the project upon completion.  After much consideration and a few phone calls, Anna decided to shadow Aunt Lucy for her final project for a week.  This turned into a bonus early graduation celebration thanks to her cousin James.  Today's guest blogger, writing about her "Wings" experience, is Anna. Hello esteemed family, friends, and friends of friends. Long time no see! As you just read, I can confirm that the seniors ar...

  Anna is officially a James Madison High School graduate!  The ceremony for the 537 graduates was held Tuesday, June 4 at DAR Constitution Hall in DC.  Grandma and Grandpa made the trip from Ohio along with Uncle Time and Cousin Aidyn for the festivities.  It was a whirlwind week with lots of celebrations, rehearsals, and final activities for school.  Check out the  Graduation Photos .  Some of the most memorable moments included: Grandma and Grandpa making their first visit (and flight) since 2018. Hosting a small celebration for Anna on Monday, June 5 after the Ohio family arrived.  The party was to start at 5 PM.  On Sunday night at 10 PM was the realization that Anna was supposed to sing with the choir on Monday at 6 PM for the baccalaureate ceremony in Vienna.  This resulted in Anna missing part of her own party as she did not return home until 7:25. On the plus side, it was great to see other friends and neighbors, including Ms. B...

 The final performances continue.  Today was Anna's final performance with the Vienna Jammers.  This was their annual Memorial Day performance at the Viva Vienna festival and the town green was crowded.  Fortunately, the rain held off and Joe strategically placed himself on the side of the steel pan drums in hopes of actually seeing Anna perform (she is always behind someone tall).  See if you can find her in  the video . Anna hung out at Viva Vienna between events, doing a quick t-shirt change for choir and a performance at the Vienna Memorial Day ceremony.  The master of ceremonies was Gunner Spafford, otherwise known as her friend Victoria's Dad.  Viva Vienna is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Vienna and is their largest fundraiser of the year.  This was the 40th year of the festival.  The program included a Toast to the Colors (complete with the interpreter in revolutionary war regalia), a reading of the winning Rotary Club essay con...

 The senior finals continued with the last choir concert on May 22.  This was the spring pops concert, which always features solos and ensembles (students audition to perform) along with performances by all of the choirs and finally a tribute to the seniors.  This is also the longest concert of the year, which includes an intermission.  The first set is the underclassmen performances.  The second set features senior solos intermixed with choir performances.  Mrs. Latimer joined us for the marathon choir event (it started at 6:30 PM and we didn't get home until 10 PM).  The show did not disappoint! It should be noted that the first pops concert Anna participated in was her sophomore year since there were no live performances due to COVID her freshman year.  What was memorable about the show, besides students performing in masks, was the ominous music choices by solo performers.  The songs were mostly angst ridden and sad - very fitting for the...