The One Where Bri Graduates

 

 

 

It is hard to believe it, but today marks the end of an era, a major milestone, a huge achievement. Our daughter, Bri, graduated from Danvers High School. 

 The occasion was both bittersweet and monumental. It marked the end of 13 amazing years in the Danvers schools with a collection of phenomenal accomplishments, as evidenced by her cords and awards on her graduation gown. But, more important, it marked the beginning of an amazing new chapter that she is about to write.

Watching her march onto the field and get her diploma was an emotional moment. In fact, seeing many of these faces we have come to know over the past decade was truly a touching moment. Families we have known and forged friendships with cheering their own children as they graduated was also so moving and touching. And, wondering what those children will do is also quite a feat.

The day was one that we will always cherish. It marked the third generation of Emmie's family to go through DHS. The first included her Mom (though at a different DHS), Uncle Murray and Aunt Nancy. Then, her brother Eric and she graduated. And now Bri represents generation three. What an accomplishment. Adding to the graduation ironies was the fact that I girl I graduated with - who is now a mom - had a daughter graduate with Bri. Wow.

Seeing Bri embrace the future - and her friends - while holding firmly to the memories is something I will savor forever.

Congratulations Bri. I can't wait to see what comes next. Love you, always!!!

The One With the French Honor Society

 

 

Tonight was a fun night for the Forest family. It was the night of the French National Honor Society Induction.

Two years ago, Bri got inducted into the society. This time, it was Kiff's turn. However, what made it more interesting is that Bri is an officer in the honor society. She was in charge of part of the induction, which made the ceremony that much more poignant.

Kiff was the second of the 10th graders in French (and Spanish) to be inducted. Now, we hoped that Bri would personally give him his certificate, but that was relegated to the teachers. She, however, was able to announce his name.

Kiff was not the only one of his friends inducted into a society. Hope (French) and Jason (Spanish) were also inducted,

It is definitely a moment we will never forget.

Kiff becomes the third member of the family besides Emmie and Bri to be a member of a DHS foreign language honor society. Kudos to all! 

The One With Awards Night

 

 

 

Tonight was Danvers Annual Awards Night for students (and parents) at DHS. We received official invited because both Kiff and Bri were receiving awards. However, prior to the arrival of the night, the fun part was guessing which classes they might be getting the awards in. Bri thought French and Kiff thought TV production.

 

Well, the night was even more surprising than we thought. Both Bri and Kiff made out well at the evening, Kiff did indeed get an award for TV production as he thought. But, even better than the award was the kind comments his teacher made when she met us following the ceremony. She made it a point to come up to both Emmie and I speaking about how amazing he was and her goal was to help him pursue his interest in film-making.

 

Bri also made out quite well last night. It turns out that Bri DID get an award for French. However, she also got three more awards. She earned one called the Presidential Achievement Award (I earned that one way back in the day). She also earned one for Medical Interventions and one for A.P. Psychology (which she was particularly proud of). 

 

All and all it was a great awards nice. They have several pins to wear that their respective graduations. And Bri now supplants me with the most awards at a night - four to my two!!!

 

We are extremely proud of them!!!

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!

The One With Snowmobiling

 

 

 

For the second straight year, we went snowmobiling with Northern Extremes in North Conway. Last year, we had an amazing time as a family going for our first every snowmobiling event. So, when the time came up this year to do it, we were all in.

 Unlike last year, we had an idea what to expect - a fun filled ride through closed roads in the White Mountains. What could be better than that. Well, as we found out, we were fortunate to have our same guide from last year - Parker. He is awesome and wanted to make sure it was a fun time for all.

 While we doubled up last year (Kiff driving with me, and Bri driving with Emmie), this year Bri had her own snowmobile (Kiff went with Emmie). That made for a fun adventure. She was a little timid at first - which we thought would happen - which is why I ended up behind her, in case she needed help. However, as time progressed, she got into the swing of things. However, she did go airborn not once but twice when she hit a bump - which did cause her to be a little cautious a few minutes after that.

 The snow was a little bit softer this time around, which made for a great ride. It was also deeper than last year, and led to some bumpy spots (Kiff and Emmie knocked helmets). We also saw were able to move a little faster than last year, going on an extra loop (called Albany Brook) that we didn't do last year.

It was a fantastic trip and one we can't wait to do next year when Kiff will be able to drive.

 

 

The One With the Academy Award Shorts

 

Kiff and I went to Cinema Salem today to watch the Oscar nominated shorts. While I was not sure what to expect, it turns out it was a great experience.

 First, when we walked in, clearly this was a true Cinema Salem experience - quaint indy movie theater. We were in a very small screening room with about 20 other people who were there for the same reason, which was near.

 Kiff got a drink, I got some popcorn - it was great.

We then watched all four shorts. They were really good, though the "Last Ranger" which did not win (a one about a woman thinking she was a robot did) was my favorite. It was about a park ranger protecting rhinos in Africa. It was amazing!!!

All and all, a fun experience.

The One With Captain America and the Brave New World

 

 

The ultimate way to spend a Valentine's Day is with Captain America - or at least the original one (which Emmie would agree with).

 

Although the reviews coming in about the movie were poor, we were still looking forward to it.  And, the movie did not disappoint. Clearly this movie is about relaunching the next chapter of the MCU (Phase 6 will be coming up soon). The movie made it a point - several times - to explain that President Thaddeus Ross was asking Captain America to form the Avengers again. The other two Hulks, including Ross's Red Hulk, were in the movie. The Winter Soldier made an appearance (his character is running for Congress). And, their is a new Falcon.

 

Overall, it was a great movie.

 

 

The One With Murray

 

 

Tonight we went to Boston to see Impractical Joker James - Murr - Murray host a comedy show at Laugh Boston.

 

Now, it is the first time we ever went to Laugh Boston, which is in the Seaport at the Westin Hotel (which is like its own city). However, it probably won't be the last. We did learn a valuable lesson....try to get a table instead of premium seating. The tables are a little small.

 

However, the show was phenomenal. Murr broke it down into two parts. The first part was humorous story telling, about the show, about his life, about his encounters with Ring doorbell security, and some of the "oops" moments he has had on the show. The second part is audience participation. He borrows peoples' phones (with their permission) and sends funny texts...then helps undue any hiccups he caused. Then, he sends out his cohost - and one of the Impractical Joker crewmembers - to do similar challenges on the show.

 

It was an amazing time. It last 90 minutes, but the time flew by. We even had him pass in front of us, which was pretty cool. And, we also found out they will be releasing a movie based on one of Murr's books  this fall. Super cool show and a super cool time. Even Emmie, who is not a huge fan of the show, loved it.

 

 

The One With Dancing with the Stars

 

 

Tonight, we did something I had wanted to do for a while....we went to the Boston viewing on Dancing With the Stars. Having watched the show for a long time - and knowing how much our family and my parents loved it - I was eager to see what it was like.

 

First things first - it was a high intensity blast of fun. The dancers were amazing, the dancing itself was stunning, and it was a whole lot of fun. The crowd was definitely into it, including the young females who were big fans of Alan and Gleb. Bri enjoyed seeing Alan, who she met at a dance competition when she was much younger. Kiff was excited to see Rylee. And, I am always a fan of  the host, Emma. 

 

Not only was there so much dancing backed into a two hour show - with a short intermission - there were so many different genres of dance and music for the audience that everyone, young and old could enjoy it. And there definitely was a multi-generation audience.

 

Here's looking forward to seeing another one in the future.

 

The One With the Celtics vs. Kings

 

 

This Friday, we went as a family to the Celtics game. It was a Christmas gift from Emmie for all of us.

Now, truth be told, the Celtics have been a little flat this season. They actually were returning home from a 3-1 west coast road trip. They had looked good, so I was hoping they would be. But, they came out looking awful against the Kings...and got blown out. They were so bad, they were booed...and they deserved it.

While the game was atrocious, the actual experience was not. We started the evening off eating at the Harp. They had redone it since I had last been in. The food was great and there was definitely a Celtics crowd.

We had some amazing seats as well. They came complete with posters. But, perhaps even cooler, was we were right near where Eddie House sits. Soooo cool. And, they actual hosted some of the fan fest activities from there, during the game. In fact, one of the people from our row was called to "follow the ball" game.

After half time, I had an amazing surprise. While waiting to return to our seats - we now have to wait until a break in the action - I turned around and saw one of my students, named Luke, and a friend from school. He was totally shocked, as was I. And, because he is a BIG BU fan, I could not help but point of the BC banner hanging from the rafters.

All an all, it was a great memory from a horrible game.

The One With the Nickel Boys

 

 

Today Kiff, Emmie, and I went to see the movie "The Nickel Boys" with Kiff's friends. Of course, we made sure to stay away from them to make sure not to be an embarrassment. They were interested in seeing it because they read the story in school that it was based on.

The movie was phenomenal. It told about life at a cruel boarding school for people accused to crimes....even ones that they might not necessarily have committed. The story was engaging, vivid, and based on a real story.

It has a surprising ending. It was haunting and amazing at the same time. It was also the first time I saw a movie at the Kendall Square Theater. It's a great place to see a movie.