The One With The End of the Year 2021

 

 

Tonight is New Year's Eve. Another year comes to a close and a new one is waiting.

We had some amazing memories in 2021...and some ones we would like to forget as Covid 19 continued to wreak havoc.

Some of the highlights include:

 

1. Bri moved on from 8th grade and entered high school.

2. Bri made the All Star Team for softball.

 3. Kiff player in two flag football Super Bowls...unfortunately, both were losses.

4. We went to Washington D.C. on an amazing trip.

5. We visited Diana's bath in New Hampshire.

6. We revamped the garage.

7. Our house was repainted.

8. Bri made the JV field hockey team.

9. We saw multiple parades with Bri in it as a color guard member.

10. Kiff made the jazz band!!! 

We hope next year has many more amazing, healthy, and happy memories awaiting us!!!

 

The One Where We Lose Two Greats

 

 

Earlier today,  Emmie and I noticed an old TV show advertisement. It showed Betty White in the 1950s.

Little did we know, a few hours later, we would find out that the true living legend passed away earlier today at 99.

 She was going to turn 100 next month. She had several amazing careers, constantly reinventing herself. May she rest in peace.

 

Sadly, a little while later, we heard that Celtics great Sam Jones, also passed away. He died at age 88. He left an impressive legacy and was an AMAZING player on the Celtics teams in the 1960s. He joins other great Tommy Heinsohn, who also passed away this year. 

 

Such a sad way to end 2021!

The One With The Booster Shot

 

I got my Covid 19 Booster shot yesterday at 4:30. I wasn't too sure what to expect, but I actually felt good today.

The One With Christmas By Candlelight

 

 

Last night, we visited Sturbridge Village on a quick getaway. They have this annual festival called Christmas by Candlelight. Although we went several years ago and said we should come back one day, we had not....until last night. 

We were happy we did. It was a remarkable experience. They extended the festivities by opening up the back part of the village - something they had not done the last time we met. We were able to visit the barn animals (they were still outside), grab a delicious cider, and see rows of Christmas trees lighting the way, which was visually stunning. The Bixby House had a dinner set up like one that would have been served at the Crachits. And, the Ghost of Christmas Present was there to bid visitors a farewell. Very clever.

The wooden bridge had a series of "wishing trees," that people could write wishes on. That was amazing!!!

And the main village was well decorated. We went to the meetinghouse, where two people were playing the Coventry Carol. We toured the mansion, which only had the first floor open because of Covid. They had setups for an 1830s, 1850s, and 1870s Christmas in New England (showing how the popularity of the holiday and the decorations had grown.

Of course, we made a stop at the two stores....with some great 50 percent off deals. AMAZING, too.

What a trip! We definitely will come again.

The One With The Merry Christmas

 

Merry Christmas from the Peanuts Gang

Today is Christmas morning, 2021. It has been a fun and eventful day. We actually set a record by going to bed at 12:45 AM....the earliest we have gone to bed in 10 years.

 

I did get up early enough to get coffee brewing and cinnamon rolls on.

 

Then Bri and Kiff came down and opened their stockings. They were pretty Epic.

 

Bri and Kiff made stockings for each other, as well as Emmie and me. They shared it with us as well. Those were epic, too.

 

We are now getting ready for brunch (it is 11:16 AM). Wishing everyone  a merry Christmas

The One With The Time Capsule

 

 

Yesterday, after two and one half-years of work, we buried the time capsule in the new Kennedy Middle School. It took years of searching and a lot of help, but Mrs. Lemon and I worked to gather more than 60 artifacts from the original school, including newspapers, the last American flag to fly there, an original brick from the building, tons of pictures, and notes left by students, among other things.

 

The time capsule was a great way to recap the first year at the new school a year to the week before the old school closed.

 

What is amazing is one day, a future generation of Kennedy students will open that time capsule. Oh, how amazing it would be to see it.

The One With the Ornaments

 

 

Earlier today, we all worked on creating a set of Christmas ornaments. Emmie had got these in the mail and we thought they would be a great addition to our season decorations. Here is the outcome of what we did....we really had fun making them.  Kif did the truck, Bri did "Peace," Emmie made the "Believe," and I did the other two.

 

 

 

The One With the Holiday Light Show

 

We just got back from a new experience for the family. We went to the North Shore Light Show in Haverhill. 

 

Overall, it was a great experience. Although most of it was main roads, when we got to Haverhill, it was a little bit out of the way - we went down this windy neighborhood road to get to the entrance. We did have to wait in line on a hill to drive through - not a problem, but it was a little bit interesting.

 

However, it was well worth the trip. There was more than a mile of lights set up much like the old Edaville Railroad. There were a variety of scenes such as a salute to the holidays, instruments, Santa's Village, and my favorite - a manager scene.

 

It was a great take! And one we will definitely try to see again. It was even a windier way back home.