Parrot = Jane Austen

I was listening to the the BBC4 Afternoon Play while updating our volunteer database, and I heard the heroine called Mrs. Parret (or Perrot or Parrot). The play concerned an episode in the life of Jane Austen's aunt, who was falsely accused of stealing lace from a shop in Bath.



Now, my Grandpa Hibbard's mother was a Parrot (I always love saying that. Such images it evokes!) before she married my Great Grandpa Hibbard. So it seems possible that I am quite distantly related to Jane Austen.



I don't always believe in this genealogy stuff. But this would be quite cool!

Awwwww

I received the call from Mom on Wednesday, announcing the arrival of the newest member of the Zanotelli clan.

Allow me to present my littlest cousin, Master Caleb Anderson Moessner:

From Caleb Anderso...

Let us all say it together: awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

News ... !!!!!

OK, I should have published this earlier, but really, anybody who reads this already has heard it (let's be honest ... there are about 5 of you, and I talk with 4 1/2 of you on the phone regularly).

But because it's fun to say, I'll say it again:

I'm engaged. Jon and I are now planning our super-awesome-wedding-fest-apalooza (copyright 2007 Jennifer Hibbard).

The wedding will include:

1. me in a fabulous, Jenny-rific dress (magically inexpensive ... still working on that)
2. Jon looking down-right jaunty in snazzy formal attire
3. Jenny and Jon being disgustingly and publicly in love and telling everyone about it
4. Friends and family having a fabulous time
5. CAKE! (or possibly apple crisp and JP Licks ice cream ... or both)
6. At least one polka (I have to ... it's Wisconsin law - and I gotta represent)

The wedding will not include:

1. country music
2. Pachabel's Canon in D
3. a long drawn-out ceremony including praying for world leaders (so not wasting time on my wedding day praying that George Bush is given sense)
4. cheesy wedding favors that people don't know what to do with afterwards
5. an annoying DJ who thinks s/he is really entertaining, funny, and talented.
6. meat on meat action. There will be no scallops wrapped in bacon - or anything else for that matter. Nothing needs to be wrapped in bacon, ever.

Blog on a Stick!

My projects at work are rolling on as smoothly as possible ... August is notoriously difficult. Everyone's on vacation (except me, that is).

Having a little time this afternoon, I have finally uploaded photos from Milwaukee and the State Fair.

First, the guests of honor:


Now ..... the Fair:

Cheese on a stick!


Cheesecake on a stick!


Deep fried everything.

And, of course, animals ....

Moooooooooooo!

New Math

Doh!

I can't do math! I admit it. Actually, I can, which makes my math faux pas even worse ....... Oy!

2007 - 80 = 1927.

Duh.

What was I thinking?

Regardless of my inability to do math, my Milwaukee weekend was fabulous. It was so much fun .... I'll post more later (with pictures, of course!) but for now, I should get some work done (novel concept, I know).

Neat-o

Isn't this cool? My brother created it for my parents' backdoor. It sums up the backyard perfectly: birds, flowers, and squirrels. My brother needs to build up his art portfolio. Anyone want a painting/mural?

What I Learned from Rack-o

Does anyone remember Racko? A Parker Brothers/Hasbro game, Racko involves a plastic rack with ten slots for cards. The object of the game is to get cards in order from lowest to highest (you really want to know how to play - see the website).

The new version of Racko my parents purchased (we lost our old version in the Great Game Redistribution instated by my mom. As an elementary teacher in a public school, Mom augmented her supplies by taking away her children's toys.) each card has a piece of trivia that corresponds to the number on the card (cards go from 1 to 60).

Card #9: Germany is bordered by nine countries.

Here's the challenge I set for you, dear reader. Can you name those nine countries and draw them on a map - without cheating?! (ie. using the Internet, atlas, or encyclopedia)

My parents and I named 8 of the 9 and drew the map correctly (well, except for that one country ... but I was close, damn it).

In a round about way, I also learned from Wikipedia (it all ties together in the end) that Liechtenstein is a really pretty principality.

Christmases!

The only thing that beats Christmas is multiple Christmases. So far I've collected:

The pretty silver bracelet from Jon,

A pretty artsy necklace from Grandma,

A really cool backpack from Grandma (it's from LL Bean),

The monogramed charm for my slide necklace from Jon's parents,

Knitting stuff.

And today, while I didn't collect any new presents, I did finally get to meet my new little cousins (well, kids of my cousin) the twins: Vincent and Isabella. They are CUTE. SO, SO CUTE. They've just learned to walk and while Vinny is bolder about manovering around, Bella "has good posture" according to my mother.

Did I mention that they're cute?

Hobbit Ancestry

My Grandma Zanotelli (awesome last name - thanks, Grandpa) was born Ruth Ann Underdale, which is also an awesome name.

We always thought that "Underdale" was Nordic/Scandinavian (ancestry is a little fuzzy on that side) - or at least that's what I always thought.

However, on a whim (between press release faxes) I googled "Underdale," and most references hearken back to Yorkshire, England. Specifically a Kirby Underdale.

How cool is that?

And speaking of cool and press releases. I emailed the press release to a journalist at major Boston newspaper, and she emailed me back a "thank you." That may not sound like much ... but most of the time media ignore press releases, in fact I think they burn them and dance around. So to get any kind of acknowledgement is simply amazing.

But I still think "Underdale" sounds like a Hobbit name.