I Am A Recorder - Documenting Family Events

Life is precious! Life is fragile! Life slips away so fast!  Deep within my being I have a need to hold on to all those moments and people that make up my life.  So, I journal, I blog, and I seem to go through life with my Panasonic Lumix Point-and-Shoot camera attached to the end of my right hand.  Jay sometimes accuses me of seeing life through my view finder!  But no matter where I am, I find myself capturing it with pictures.

Last Sunday was such a day.   10 years ago my sons, with their close friends and Altieri cousins, formed the "MeBiga Famiglia Fantasy Football League."  All of them had grown up playing youth football and cheering for the "family teams" of Notre Dame and the Green Bay Packers.  They could all quote Vince Lombardi.  Believing they each had the knowledge to form and manage a winning team, they would pit their skills against each other during the football season by managing their own Fantasy Football Teams.  The season starts, like all seasons do, with "The Draft."  Since the participants come from as far north as the Antelope Valley and as far south as San Diego, it is usually held at a mid-point location, Los Angeles, and this year it was held at Michael's house.  The tables are set up, the stat sheets are before each participant (as well as laptop computers now!)

and the Big Board is posted on the wall.

 After preparing for weeks prior to narrow-down their hopefuls, they take two hours to very systematically make their choices.  Each name called out is either met with groans or cheers and at the end they have 12 team rosters ready to begin.

The participants and their teams (missing is Matt, Beach Warriors, who had to leave early for work):

Phil (Running Raviolis), Vince (Pasta Cheech) and Marc (MeBiga Salami) with Uncle Phil watching.

Mike Pedersen (Haganostra)

Gabriel and Michael (Migalooch Kings)

Spritzz (Just Win Baby), Joe (Fighting Mortadellas) and Nick (Palermo Ponies)

Pete (South Bend Dagos) with Uncle Joe

Fred Gatewood (Somilian Devils), Tony (951 Bromosapiens)

As usually happens, I was invited to drop-by and see everyone. I appreciate the opportunity to get hugs from distant nephews and catch up on everyone's lives...but this can only happen after the business of the day is conducted, so in the meantime I take pictures.

This year also marked a rite of passage for Gabriel as he was inaugurated into the League as a co-owner of the Miggaluch Kings team with his dad.  He had spent the weeks prior logging stats and discussing possible player choices with Michael.

Gabriel posting his "pick!"

Since it was also my oldest son, Joe's, birthday, I brought a cake that everyone could share.

Happy Birthday, Joey!

When it was over, those with a distance to travel headed home while others stayed around to share dinner.  My daughter-in-love, Milli, has become such a fantastic chef and I enjoyed playing "sous-chef" as both Jay and I helped her prepare chicken piccata, penne alla vodka, braised brussel sprouts, arugula salad and tomato salad.

Milli and Patricia

The dinnertime gave me the extra bonus of having some quality time with nephew, Nick Altieri and his wife Becky who traveled all the way from Tehachapi.

Patricia with Nick, Milli and Becky

As I reflect on the day, I know it is not an interest in sports that makes the event important to me.  I rarely even read a sports page unless it contains an article referring to one of my sons. 

Patricia with her three wonderful sons: Marc, Joey and Michael

It is the interaction that draws me in.   And now I am going through my pictures, remembering the event, remembering the laughs, remembering the hugs, and trying to hold on, just a few minutes more, to the emotions and the feelings of connectedness and love that make up my experience of life.