The One With the Brown Family Thanksgiving

 

 

 

Last night, we held our annual Brown Thanksgiving at our house. After a hiatus for a few years, we brought it back last year. It was a nice, and after a couple rough years, sentimental time.

 

Yesterday, brought more of the same. I learned how to make the Brown family stuffing - which is one of my favorite meals of all time. We did a quick set up (well, quick for us is 5 hours of work). Kiff helped a lot and Bri did a little (but she had winter guard practice and dance).

 

It was a nice afternoon. We had some great turkey (thanks Emmie), squash, potatoes, stuffing, and so on. We had even better conversation and a chance to catch up...which is always nice.

 

All and all, a great Brown family Thanksgiving.

The One With the Fall Family Birthday Party

 

 

Today, we had our annual fall family birthday party. It was a lot of fun. It was the first time we had such a big groups since spring...and it may have been our largest total group in a while, too.

 

While we celebrated three birthdays - Kiff, Emmie, and mine - it was more like a celebration of family. It was a lot of fun  It was great to check back in and get reconnected.

There was a lot of good food - thanks Supinos - and a lot of great conversation.

The One With the Veterans Day Breakfast

 

 

Earlier today, we hosted our 20th (or so) annual KMS Veterans Day Breakfast. It is always an amazing event.

We had 27 veterans come to our school. And, as usual, the 8th grade class was spectacular, engaging with veterans, asking questions, and even sharing stories.

We had several new veterans join us, as well as some of the incredible people we have had join us in the past. 

It is such a powerful event. It is great to express gratitude for those who have served our country and spend the

morning with them! What another great event.

The One With The Marvels

 

 

The Marvels

Today, we went as a family to see the latest Marvel Studies release. The Marvels. The movie features the return of Captain Marvel and two other female Marvels as they save the Earth and the Universe while alternating places at time in the universe. It was again an homage to the multiverse story line that has existed for a while. Truth be told, I am finding this story line a little stale.

Overall, the movie was pretty good. The action was tight and concise, though the plot was a little slow and unclear at times. It is always great to see characters make their return, including Nick Fury. Kelsey Grammar's beast, from X-Men way back when, also appeared at the end when one of the Marvels ended up in an alternate universe. 

We all liked it. Kiff took his friend, Laura there was well. So there were five of us who got a chance to enjoy it. They was an Easter egg at the end, hinting at the potential movie future with the "Young Marvels" getting together.

The One With the Last Competition

 

 

This Sunday, the Danvers band took part in their final competition for NESBA in Lawrence. They performed at the football stadium at the school where they have had their dance recital in the past.

 

The air was cool and the night was crowded.  And the Danvers band was exceptional as usual. Parking in the place was a bit challenging at times. And maneuvering around the stadium was complex. But seeing the band perform and spending time with the other crew of parents there was great.

Danvers took the stage and actually it was a super smooth, invigorating show. Even all of the speakers and special effects worked!!! 

At the end of the night, Danvers took 4th place out of 5 teams (some kids were disappointed). But, they also won a gold medal. So it was a win-win!!!

The One With the Veteran's Day Parde

 

 

Today, we went to the Veteran's Day Parade in Boston. Two years ago, the city restarted this tradition after what appears to be a long hiatus. And, for the past three years, the DHS band has performed.

 Kiff and Bri were both in it this year as well.  They took the bus and I met them in Boston parking at the garage near Faneuil Hall. Unfortunately, Emmie had a migraine, so I was running solo.

Although I was at the Common waiting for quite some time - so much so that it looked like there was no parade going on. I was interviewed by two people from the Emerson student newspaper because I had my Falcons jacket on. However, once the parade got rolling down our street, it was a spectacle.

The band sounded amazing...as you could tell from the people watching it. It even paused where I was - which gave me the chance to cross the street and get some nice pictures (I tried to be better than most people watching the parade, who rushed across during any break they found).

One the band passed, I followed it down. The route was a little longer this year - it went down to City Hall Plaza. The way the sound echoed off the buildings made it seem like the band was three times its size. 

Once they disbanded, they spent some time at Fanueil Hall and then went home. It was an amazing event!

The One With the Playoff Game

 

 

 

November 3, 2023 was a little different than we expected. The Danvers football team had a home playoff game - they had an amazing year with a 6-2 record after an 0-2 start.

The band had to perform both in the stands and their halftime show at the game. Emmie had a migraine for the game, so I flew solo on that one.

The halftime show went well. In fact, it was one of the best of the season. I even got to hear Bri get announced (they got her name correct). Perhaps the best part of the day was the game itself. The team was up 17-0 with two minutes to go in the half. Blackstone Valley raced back to make it close. With three seconds to go, and Danvers up by 1 point, Blackstone had a chance to kick a field goal from the 10 yard line. However, Danvers rushed in and nicked the ball, sending it wide right. Danvers won at the last second and they made it to a second game (against Dedham) in the playoffs.