The One With the Secret Agent

 

 

Emmie got Kiff and I tickets to see the movie The Secret Agent at the Coolidge Theater. Ironically, it was a movie Kiff wanted to see - and had asked us to get tickets - but Emmie had already done that.

The movie was an interesting look at the era of a corrupt Brazilian government from the past. There is a dispute between a college professor and a business leader that leads the business leader to send assassins after the professor.

Although the movie was a bit slow to start as they built the characters, momentum grew and the movie was good...though long. And, it did have a bit of a sad ending.

However, after the movie, we had a chance to hear from the director, who had come to the Coolidge Theater to speak about the movie. He was an interesting fellow and shared a lot about his process as well as his own views on the actors.

Overall a great show! To add to the fun, it was snowing when we left.

 Gotta love December.

 

The One With the Brown Family Christmas

 

 

This Saturday, we hosted the annual Brown Family Christmas, a once regular tradition that seems to have been shuffled around a bit the past few years. A combo of Thanksgiving and Christmas, Emmie wanted to make sure we hosted time for family to be together.

 Now, we had hoped to have a larger soiree, but that was not meant to be because of people's schedules. However, Eric, Kristen and the gang, as well as Tony, were able to make it to the evening. We had lots of great snacks. Kiff made his spinach dip. Kristen had an amazing beer cheese. I can still taste it.

We had some ham, squash, and other veggies. And, we were able to have some great desserts as well. It was a great foray back into fun family frolics!  

The One With Tri M Inductions

 

 

On December 8, DHS Music Department hosted the annual Tri M honor society inductions. Similar to Bri two years ago, Kiff got inducted into the honor society for his music abilities.

As part of the induction, Kiff actually had a role in the opening ceremony. He applied to be an officer and was given the role of historian, which had been vacated by Bri when she left last year. So, it was cool to see the legacy pass from one sibling to another.

Kiff opted to perform a solo as part of his ceremony, which was great. There were light refreshments served, which was also cool. But the whole night was a treat and a wonderful celebration of the talent in the DHS community. 

The One With the 40th Anniversary of Stand By Me

 

 

 

One of Kiff's favorite movies is Stand By Me. It is the coming of age movie from the 1980s that we had Kiff (and Bri) watch one day shortly after we came back from a summer trip. Exactly what allure the movie had on Kiff initially is still unclear...however, all we know it has inspired him to love movies, movie making, and the concept of creating stories on the screen. It truly has been life changing for him.

 As a result, when Emmie and I saw an ad online that the three living boys were coming back together to tour the country and celebrate the 40th anniversary of the movie (it came out in 1986), we couldn't help but jump at the chance to get Kiff tickets for his birthday. And, when they released a chance to meet and take a picture with them, we definitely bit.

Little did we know what an amazing night we would have. We had the chance to watch the movie with a large crowd at Lynn Auditorium. The place was packed. It was clear that most people had seen the movie before, but many hadn't seen it in decades (including the gentleman next to me, who I chatted with a few times). As a result, it was an incredible shared experience. There were oohs at the leeches, fear when they were running away from the train, and somberness when they found the body.

However, the real treat was a Q and A session with Jerry O'Connell, Corey Feldman, and Wil Wheaton. They sat together, with a moderator, as well as an empty chair to remember River Phoenix, who they all clearly loved. He was their defacto leader. They shared some amazing stories and joked with each other...Jerry made fun of Corey's favorite movie experience, The Goonies, and then Corey joked about his flick Kangaroo Jack. We learned that Corey and Wil both had tough experiences growing up that helped them related to their characters. And, Wil actually has anxiety when speaking to others.

The experience was such a one-of-a-kind experience that it was hard not to be moved. It was clear that the experience meant a lot to them, too, because Corey took a picture of the crowd at the end (they stayed long after the time) and posted it on Facebook. I even commented on the post...and got a thumbs up by Corey :) If you look close (I posted it above) you will see me and the glare glinting on my glasses (what alliteration). Overall, such an amazing experience.

  

The One With Wreath Making

 

 

 

Emmie decided to sign us up for a fun holiday craft similar to one we did when the kids were young. Similar to that one, it involved using real evergreens to make decorations. This time, we were building wreaths.

 The activity was a blast. Similar to the one we did years ago, we made the wreaths at Endicott Park. This time. we made them with the Busheys, which made it even more fun. Getting used to fashioning the wreaths was a bit of a challenge. There was some maneuvering and writing. And, of course, there were efforts to balance out the small evergreen boughs...which was not my forte. I did have a slightly humorous wreath. But, I had a blast making it.

Emmie seemed to know a bunch of people there from school, which added to the fun. And, they served hot chocolate....and it was pretty good. 

 We celebrated with the Busheys after the wreath making, spending the night at the Berry Tavern, which always has some good food.  It was a great time with great company.

The One With the Band Banquet

 

 

This year, the Danvers Falcons Marching Band decided to do something a little bit different. They invited parents to the annual banquet. It is part of the new principal's idea of creating a larger community at school. And it was a success.

We spent some time in the auditorium where students got some awards. There were a few speeches. We also got the chance to see a neat slideshow, complete with Kiff's amazing leg balancing while standing on a chair, holding G's hand and playing his trumpet in the other moment.

The food and company after were great. It was a fun way to honor an amazing season!