Brandon's big week

It's all about Brandon this week! Happy birthday guy! I hope you are hving a great day. First Communion next weekend too....big events at both ends of the week. Enjoy. We are proud of you.

I am enjoying Pat and Jean's Shutterfly sites. It's great to see the pictures. Mallory and her friends looked great. I hope they had a good time. Amy says Mallory's dress is "all Mallory". I have to say I am feeling for Bob. It's not as much fun as you might think seeing your baby all dolled up for her prom. Thanks for sharing Jean and Pat.

Amy is home now from Kutztown and will be starting her internship at the local zoo tomorrow. Ryan's prom is next weekend and he's been helping organize things for his group so things are hopping around here even more than usual. James escorted a school group on a school trip to NYC and he just returned today. He's helping out the tour company he uses for his band trips.

So it's typical spring stuff. I am waiting to hear back again from your "new" cousin. I haven't done too much work in that area yet. We are switching over to a new computer and I'm being very slow and deliberate in transferring files and getting used to the new.

So to amuse you in the meantime, I hope you are able to run this video clip of Ryan learning the Charleston during our annual "Flapper Day". Yes, he's in a dress for the occasion. See if you can guess which of the girls is his date for the prom. Yes, Brandon (or any of the rest of you) this could be you someday soon!

News from another "long lost" cousin!

After speaking with Aunt Rose, I decided to try and touch base with John Miglietta son of Tullia and grandson of Aunt Caroline Valentini and Uncle Frenchie. He is your 2nd cousin.

I heard back from him today and this is what he has to say:

My parents are Tullia and Mario (Jimmy is what people called him) Miglietta. My mother's maiden name was Valentini. My maternal grandparents were Rene and Caroline Valentini. My grandmothers maiden name was Dalpiaz and she was born in Tassullo Italy in 1903. She died in 2003 here in Nashville Tennessee. I had moved her down here to be closer to me in 2000. Although she is buried back in New York. So if I have this right your husband's grandfather and my grandmother were brother and sister.

I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to correspond with you further and share our family history. How is Sister Tullia doing? I believe she is the only surviving sibling from my grandmother. Please convey my regards to everyone.

I replied that I would convey his regards and I invited him to view the blog and become an author. We have the right 2nd cousin! Aunt Rose was eaxctly right. I did not realize John's father was Mario however and I've been looking for James. No wonder I had trouble finding them in the records! I certainly do learn something new every day. Researching the siblings as well as the direct ancestors has added a very rich layer to the family story. Remember someday someone will be looking for you perhaps as a direct ancestor or perhaps to enrich their stories. Hah! That will make you think twice, won't it?

Welcome to the group John!

Brian and Gram 1989

Amy and Gram 1990

I thought maybe it would be nice to take some time to show a little bit about what made your mother happy--her grandchildren seemed to make her very happy. I don't have that frame of reference yet but every grandmother I know just loves the grandchildren. It was obvious that your mother loved hers. Talk about spoiled!

I regret that the younger children never got to know their grandmother Dalpiaz at all, but I hope we can all continue her legacy by taking great joy in our families far and wide. Celebrate your mother's birthday and spoil someone. Go ahead.

This is what a no hitter looks like!! Ryan pitched a full game no hitter this afternoon (one walk short of a perfect game) for a 7-0 win. It was a great game--he had 9 strikeouts and one walk (the lead off walk got picked off stealing second with a throw from Ryan on the mound). Yes, I am bragging. I am still wiping the tears away.

Happy Easter!

Here's what we are seeing this morning here in Massachusetts! The Easter bunny found us here last night and we are having a grand visit. I am blogging right on the beasch with my new Mini Dell which also has a webcam. Lots of fun for me!

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend.

Hippity Hoppity

Happy Easter! We are now officially on vacation and whew, did it come at a good time!! We will be traveling to Gloucester for the weekend. Ryan has 4 games next week so we can't stay longer--though we would if we could!!

Easter time brings great memories especially of trips to your parents house for the holiday. We made that trip many times while the kids were young and we have many fond memories of those days. I'm not really sure Ryan will forgive me for dressing him in outfits like this but since I'm pretty sure he won't, I might as well post the evidence on the blog! This is 1993.

Amy will be spending the weekend in Kutztown working but the Easter bunny sent her a package. She got an internship at our local zoo over the summer and we are very happy she will be home with us instead of in Baltimore (her preference over Binghamton for some reason).

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. Easter dinner circa 1985.

Spring Birthdays and Celebrations

Spring is a big time for Dalpiaz birthdays! Happy birthday Lindsay, Nick, Thomas this week. We've had quite a bit of rain and wind this week in typical spring-like patterns. Rain makes me think of ducks so here's my tribute to spring --thanks Linda for the opportunity. Honestly I wanted to get this picture up on the blog but I wasn't sure just how to introduce it. It's definitely a classic.

The baseball season is now underway (speaking of rain). It looks like Ryan will be playing infield and pitching. He is just as happy he got relieved of catching duty, but that's my favorite to watch.

James is watching the race "with" Kathleen and Nick today. The wonders of today's technology!

Remember when microwave ovens were a new technology? Lots of people were hesitant at first. I think my mom was one of those --expense being no small consideration. But today can you even imagine being without? And your children don't know any other way to make popcorn!

We would make popcorn on the stove with oil and kernels--it was some trick to make sure it didn't burn. When air poppers came out, that opened up another whole new world. Jiffy Pop was only a special treat once in a great while.

Like birthdays--we'd get special treats on our birthdays such as our favorite meal for dinner and whatever kind of cake we wanted. One special treat today for Amy and Ryan is a simple little dish my mother would make by slicing bananas, adding mandarin oranges and sprinkling with confectioner's sugar. I always liked it best chilled a bit with just the right amount of liquid for the sugar to mix with. One special treat that has gone down from generation to generation. What were special treats from your childhood? How did you celebrate birthdays?