The One With Halloween 2022

 

 

Today was Halloween 2022 and we definitely had a memorable day. This was the first year that Bri and Kiff were on their own with friends. And they were looking forward to it. Here are the highlights of the day.

 

 

 1. In school, I did my annual "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" showing. I have to admit that the 8th graders were more into it than most classes I got. Not only did they get the humor, they also got the nuances and had a lot of commentary.

 2. I booked it out of school as quick as I could. It was weird going to Natick and spending only a short period of time there, instead of setting up the Natick spectacular we used to do.

 3. We quickly made sure to clear off walk when I got home. I also had a chance to chat with John next door for a while.

 4. Sandy next door brought over some goodies for Bri and Kiff.

 5. We had our annual Sweet and Sour Meatballs for supper. I love that food tradition. The kids had to eat quick so they could go out. We watched America's Fact or Fiction: Trick or Treat while eating. I forgot how good that show is.

 6.  Kiff dressed as some mutant Tron character (although I doubt he would put it that way). He had a black track suit with blue lighting. He traveled with a group of friends - Jason, Adrian, Josh, Connor, and Finn. Bri, who changed into her costume at Erica and Raina's house, was the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland.  They met up with Sienna as they trick-or-treated.

7. At home, Emmie and I manned the fort. We had a record 33 trick-or-treaters show up. We've never had that before. Of course, I think it is because Emmie decided to serve full size bars.

8. I did post my annual Halloween Peanuts post on Facebook (with the picture above).

9. The night ended with the yearly visit from the Great Pumpkin. Oh yeah!

The One With The Band Competition

 

 

This past Saturday, I was able to revisit a little of my past by going to Wakefield High School. There, the Danvers marching band was taking part in their first ever competition. They, along with a whole host of schools, performed for a panel of judges in the NESBA Marching Band tournament.

 

First, it was a wild experience being back at Wakefield High. By all accounts, the last visit I made there was for my cousin Elizabeth's graduation back in 1986 or so. It was definitely wild to be there...and I made sure to make a memory as I walked up the hill to the football field. Although a vague memory, I still can see me on the bleachers close to the field.

 

Anyway, fast forward 36 years and there were Bri and Kiff competing on the field. And what a competition it was. They were performing in front of a variety of people, judges, and high school performers. And they did exceptionally well.

 

Although they came in fourth place (out of four teams in their division), their score was an 85, which was good enough for a Gold Medal. And, because it was their first time in this competition, the judges were impressed with what they did. All and all, a fabulous memory.

The One With Bri's First High School Goal

 

 

Today was an amazing day for Bri at her JV Field Hockey Game. They were playing Saugus - a team they beat 6-0 last year.

 The first half of the game was going in similar fashion. The Falcons were up 4-0. So, the coach decided to mix things up and play defense on offense for the second half. Little did we know that this would be a "high school moment" for Bri.

 While playing forward she and her teammates had a break away down the far end. She got a pass from a teammate and put it right past the right side of the goalie . She scored her first goal of not only the year, but her high school career. It was quite a moment...I only caught the tail end of it.

However, it was clear she scored because her teammates were cheering her on and shouting her name...which was cool to hear. 

Her goal made the game 5-0. Her friend, Callie, scored a goal shortly there after, making it 6-0. Her team would go on to make the final score 10-0.

Wow! What a memory. Bri was definitely all smiles after the game!

The One with Post Malone

 

 

A few weeks ago, Kiff and I were slated to see a Post Malone concert. As you can see if a previous post, that didn't quite happened because Posty got a little under the weather.

 

Well, we made up for it by attending the concert on Columbus Day (October 10). And, it was fascinating!

 

Kiff and I started off like we did before, eating at Tasty Burger.  Although I have been avoiding bread, I did actually get a burger on this night. And it was good. I also tried their tater tots, which were almost as good as Wahlburgers, which are my favorite.

After eating, we went into huge line going into the TD Garden. Unlike previous years, where I've gone in the side doors, everyone goes through the new, and ritzy, front door. Escalators take you up to a keen entrance on the side. Once there, we waited in line to get some "merch" (scary word that makes me cringe). Then, we went into the concert.

 

This concert was definitely one of the wildest I've ever seen. There were people moving all over the place during the concert. Leaving, coming, and going. Many fans were sending "flashlight" signals to each other using their cell phones. The smell of all sorts of things hung heavy in the air. The guy behind us was angry that they did not allow vaping in the Garden, while the people next to us pilfered Bri and Emmie's seats (they didn't come with us). We had some new family members - or so it seemed.  All sorts of people, young and old were there. An older gentlemen with a white sleeveless shirt was dancing during the concert and turned out to be near two of my students who were also there.

 

The DJ before the concert was good and got the crowd going (and singing). Post Malone himself did a great job. He performed lots of songs, borrowed props from the crowd, and even had a fan perform guitar for them. He also said that he had free t-shirts printed for everyone there, as a thank you for coming back after the canceled event. We left around 10:50, to beat the crowd. And, we were lucky. We were able to get a shirt. I found out from my students that because the shirts were being given out at the bottom of the stairs they got moved or pulled to prevent mass chaos while leaving. So, we were lucky.

 

Overall, it was one of the best concerts I've been to.

 

The One With Phantoms by Firelight

 

 

 

Last night, we enjoyed Sturbridge Village's latest edition to their holiday programming by going to "Phantoms by Firelight." While we have been at different Village Halloween programs before, this one was just as neat.

The premise was a troupe of traveling performers set up residence in the village. There were acrobats and a knife juggler - which we saw. There were also story tellers, a temptress, singers, and fire jugglers (which we did not see). It was a pretty cool concept.

 

We also worked hard to solve riddles for the Village's Clues for Candy contest, which was neat. Instead of trick or treating, visitors could answer a riddle (or get a stamp) and turn it in for candy while leaving. It was neat.

 

As an added feature, there was a full moon in the sky...which was quite awesome. And the covered bridge was decked out in sound effects...very much like the Ichabod Crane bridge.

Overall, another great Halloween experience in Sturbridge.

The One Where Kif Scores the First Two Points of the Season

 

 

Kif took part in another annual basketball season today. This year, he is one of the oldest students in the league and it showed at the beginning. He was intense, played strong defense, and even scored the first two points of the season for his team.

 

As the game went on, it was clear the teams were mismatched, so they toned down slightly. As a result, he backed off coverage and even told an opponent he could still dribble...which was nice.

 

In the end, they won handily. It was a strong beginning to the season.