The One With The Red Sox Game

 

 

 

 

Tonight, we went to the Red Sox game vs. the Atlanta Braves as part of the "Rivalry Week" of games that occurs between the AL and NL.

 Now, we have been trying to get to a Red Sox game each year. And, Emmie tries to choose either a bobble head night or a teacher appreciation night...and this year, it was teacher appreciation. This means, we got free gifts upon attending. This year's gift was a zipper sweatshirt, which was pretty cool.

 We ate at the park, which is always an adventure. But, the genuine Fenway franks are still amazing.  And we were able to see the unveiling of the city connect uniforms, which were green. They actually looked nice.

That being said, the game did not match the quality of the franks or the jerseys, which is surprising because it featured new Sox ace Garrett Crochet against old ace Chris Sale. While his pitching was solid - Crochet gave up only two runs (both on homers) - the Red Sox offense was inept, both hitting wise and base running. We did see Rob Refsnyder hit a home run. We also saw three Sox get caught stealing - ZOINKS!!!

 We stayed to hear "Sweet Caroline" and then bailed...easily getting out of the city, which was great!

The One Where Bri Turns 18

 

 

 

It is hard to believe that Bri has officially become an adult today. It seems like just yesterday Emmie and I were at Beverly Hospital, with Emmie trying desperately to make Bri a "Star Wars" baby instead of a "Cinco de Mayo" baby....which we missed by about an hour.

 Today we had a chance to celebrate 18 amazing years. So many, many good memories have happened in this time. From sports and recitals, to school programs, musicals, awards, and band concerts - Bri has truly been a marvel.

 We were able to have some fun today, from getting lunch to going out to eat. We had a blast listening to her official 18th music CD (it has music related to memories from over the years), having dinner at Cheesecake Factory, opening presents, and having some cherry chip cake.

We are so lucky to have such an amazing daughter. I can't wait to see what the next steps bring...well, the first one starts tomorrow when Bri can vote in her first election (the Danvers local election)

Happy Birthday Bri!!!

The One with Bri's Last DHS Band Performance on Stage

 

 

 

 

I just got in a few minutes ago, from helping to put away tables at the DHS Pops night. Although I am a little bit tired - and just dropped Kiff and his friend AD, to his house, I felt I had to make sure to write this down immediately after it happened.

 Tonight was Bri's last time performing in Band on the DHS stage. In fact, it might be her last band performance ever, which is so hard to believe. Years of playing flute, that started in 4th grade at Highlands, has culminated in this moment. 

The Pops night Gala was a fun and memorable night. We actually somehow got tickets right up front, which was amazing. It was neat to see band and chorus members up close and see exactly how they sound. We saw many of Bri's and Kiff's classmates and friends on stage. 

And it was hard to imagine that - for the seniors (who were given special shout-outs all night) - this was their final show.

They played four memorable last tunes - a Chicago (musical) medley, Beuaty and the Beast medley, Bruno Mars medley. They capped it off with a song the Seniors played as freshmen, called "Ruckus."

 It was quite a great scene. There was a brief reception after as well, where we got to see so many of the families we have gotten to know over the years, particularly the Dawes, whose daughter wrapped up tonight as well. She and Bri have done gymnastics, dance, and scouts and eventually Band together. What an amazing run!!!

 It is hard to believe this musical adventure is over for Bri. But, I am hoping there are many more!!!

The One With Carmines

 

 

Today we arrived in NYC for our second - perhaps annual - April vacation visit.

 We learned a lot from last year's visit and made sure to only plan one thing for the day - a trip to Carmines. It certainly was worth it.

 We got zucchini sticks (these are like the Durkee fried onion trips that were awesome growing up), Chicken Parm, and ziti. The portions, as usual, were amazing. And  the food - and atmosphere - were great. We also saw four birthday celebrations around us, too.

 Great food and a great time.

The One With the 250th Anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord

 

 

Yesterday was the 250th anniversary of the opening battle of the Revolutionary War. Not too surprisingly, Massachusetts has decided to really do the anniversary in spectacular fashion.

 

Although I would have preferred to be there in person - and ode to my old Natick Minuteman Days - they actually held the events on the real day, April 19th (which was also the date of our family Easter Party and dance class from Bri and Kiff). As a result, I got up early and watched the reenactment on TV.

 

The TV experience was not too bad. I also live streamed the event, too. What was interesting is seeing a former Natick minuteman there, Marco. 

 

Overall, it was a really cool event...and narrated quite eloquiently, too. I'm glad to have seen it even virtually...and remembering the event is important!

The One With Black Bag

 

 

Emmie, Kif, and I spent the evening at AMC Danvers watching the movie Black Bag. While I did not have it on my must see list, I did think it sounded interesting,particularly where it was a spy thriller.

 Ironically, it was not the type of spy thriller in the vain of James Bond, Jason Bourne, or No Way out. It was basically Bridge of Spies meets Twelve Angry Men with a solid focus on character development and a character driven plot.

 Essentially, there is not a lot of action - only plot development and dialogue. Intriguing, yes. But, not fully my cup of tea. Emmie liked it and Kiff was a fan.

Overall, I would give it a 7 out of 10.

 

The One With Sal

 

 

On February 28, Kiff and I ventured up to Portland Maine to see a comedy show featuring Sal Vulcano from Impractical Jokers.

 The word "ventured" certainly is an apt description. We left around 5:20 and promptly ran into snow along the way. Yikes! It slowed down traffic and we made it to Portland just in time.

 The Venue - the Merrill Auditorium - was quite a nice place. Homey, plenty of parking nearby, and easy to get in and out of.

The show itself was great and memorable. There was a host - who did a little comedy himself. Then, one of the writers of the show came out to do a set of jokes. He was really good. However, he encountered something I have never seen in person at a show before - a heckler. And, the heckler heckled  not once, but twice. Still, he did a great job plugging away.

Sal was awesome. He was definitely animated, particularly after hearing the heckler in the back. He got into chatting with a crowd and was quite a hoot! In fact, his set was amazing. We would definitely see him again. He joked about his life, his marriage, the fact he became a father for the second time, and how he planned on protecting his house with a machete. All and all, an awesome show!