BenSpark Family Adventures

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01276 The fine folks at Funko sent me one of the Leonardo Pop! figures for free to unbox and review. Opinions are my own. I have slowly been working my way through reviewing the special Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures from Funko. These are figures that were made to look like they jumped off the comic book pages from the original series in 1984. I already have two of the Donatello figures, one a chase figure is in black and white. The other is in color like this Leonardo one. I also have the black and white Casey Jones one. These are some very fun figures in my collection. I am hoping to finish the collection at some point and get all of them in color and in black and white. We’ll see, though. I have a video review going up next week of this figure.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01275 The Fine folks at Funko sent me a free 2-Pack of Pop! Games figures. Opinions are my own. Back when I was a kid Street Fighter was a huge game and a social game that people played on consoles with each other and on stand up cabinets in arcades. It loved playing and mashing the buttons to try and beat anyone I played against. I won and I lost but always had fun. Now Fortnite is a huge game that people play socially online. Fortnite is also a game where you play as different characters and Fortnite is pulling in all sorts of pop culture characters including Street Fighter characters. Funko is also huge into Pop culture and they have put out a new two-pack of Pop! Games figures. The set has Ryu from Street Fighter and Brite Bomber from Fortnite. I picked up the Ryu skin in the Fortnite Game but have yet to actually find Brite Bomber in the item shop at the same time when I have some V-bucks to spend. I’ll have to jump at the chance next time she comes to the i...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01274 Tonight we made some tasty ice cream sundaes. We had plenty of ice cream on hand from Eva’s graduation party. We also had lots of toppings including a ton of cherries that came from an ice cream event that the kids had at school. There were so many cherries that Andy had more than any one kid really should. this week is buddy week at karate and so we do some different things during classes. Because Eva is taking a class at RISD this week she came with me to the morning classes and we partnered up. She did a great job as always.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01273 On Father’s Day the family picked up the game Throw, Throw Burrito. This is a fun game where you try and get 3 of a kind of cards and then there are moments where you throw a squishy toy burrito at your fellow players. We had a really fun time playing. There is a part of the game where you duel with the burritos and Andy hit me squarely in the middle of my forehead and we all got a huge laugh. Luckily the squishies are so very soft.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01272 Every couple of weeks I need to head to the office to work there instead of being home. I wasn’t a fan of this at first, but I’ve only had to go in twice in June so that has been nice. Now with the weather outside being nicer I look forward to the view I get from the windows of the office building. I don’t get a chance to go for a walk but at least I can enjoy the view. Had my annual review tonight. First one in a very long time that has me excited for work. I have been enjoying the new position and who knows, I may even get a raise this year. We’ll see.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01271 Funko sent me another round of fun new Pop! figures. One of those is an exclusive Kool-Aid Man figure that is very sparkly. I am going to do a full review of the figure for my YouTube channel. I’ve got to pick up a few supplies first to really make a go of it. A very cool. figure in my opinion.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01270 For Eva’s graduation party I picked up 20 burgers from Chartley Country Store. We ate all of the rest of them Wednesday night except for one. Andy took that one and made himself a hamburger omelet. He did the same thing with the leftover hot dogs the other day, too. This kid can really put down the omelets. It was a fairly quiet day around here. Andy and I started working on a LEGO-like building set from FUNWHOLE, a company that sent me a kit that includes lights as well as bricks. We are building a Jack and Beanstalk set. We’ll keep working on it this week and get it published by the end of the week. I’d like to clear up any outstanding blog posts before we head to the Cape.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01269 Today was graduation for America’s Best Defense. We had our stripe tests earlier in the week and today in the Krav classes we did some fun things like rolling out of a headlock. I unfortunately hurt my back on my partner. I could not finish class after that. I had to stand off to the side with an ice pack. I’m not sure how much I injured myself yet but will get it looked at. We went to Eva’s class which was at the regular time and she received her new rank at the end of class. I am so very proud of all the hard work that she has been doing in Jr. Krav. She is looking fierce. We did not attend the graduation for Andy because he was not graduating and I messed up and had the times wrong. I think he was fine with it either way. We are learning more and more that he does not enjoy karate. He’s going to be taking the next two months off and when he comes back he’ll go back to karate for a few months and when he turns 11 he’ll start Jr. Krav. He says that he is e...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01268 Today we drove to Newport to spend the day with Mimi and Dano and walk around the area. When we got there Allison, Eva, Andy and I decided to walk the Cliff Walk. Andy really wanted to do this and he is all about having maps for places that we visit now. Allison printed him a map but it didn’t work out that well so she let him use her phone for a map app. Our walk to the Cliff Walk was over a mile and once we got there we walked very little of the Cliff Walk before we spent some time on the beach and decided to walk back. When we walked back to the downtown area we met up with Mimi and Dano and went into a few shops and then had lunch. We had lunch at Gary’s Diner a no frills place that had great prices and good solid comfort food. I enjoyed a Tuna Melt and had not had one of those in forever. While we walked back to the car we stopped to get some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and I stopped at a popcorn store and picked up Mexican Chocolate popcorn. It was so g...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01267 Today was stripe test at America’s Best Defense. I had mine in the morning and it was tough. Eva and Andy had theirs in the afternoon. We were able to have Mimi and Dano along to see the kids take their tests. Eva even got asked to demonstrate with Mr. Brochu and she did a great job. Her kicks are phenomenal. I could only dream of being able to kick that well. Andy did a nice job on his test as well. We know he is not thrilled about karate but he did his best. After classes Mimi and Dano took Andy and me to Briggs for dinner and Allison and Eva went to their sewing class. We had a nice meal together and then headed home.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01266 We are playing host to my in-laws this week and as such we go on different adventures when they come up. Today we went over to Patriot Place to walk around and look for a few things. Dan and Marcia picked us up a new rug for our dining room at Christmas Tree Shops. We went from the shops up to the other stores near the stadium. There is a lot of building taking place there. I don’t know what they are making but it will look great once it is done. We went to lunch at a place called Citizen Crust and they make large roman style pizza that you cut with large scissors. That was something that I had never seen before. It was fun.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01265 Today we celebrated Eva and her graduation from Eighth Grade. We had family over for a cook out to celebrate and also to celebrate Father’s Day. Eva’s friend Bailey came over as well. Eva wanted something small and that is what it was. We had excellent burgers from Chartley Country Store and also hot dogs and chicken. We enjoyed a great salad as well. Andy made the cake. He had big ideas for it but we were able to get him down to a more reasonable and manageable design that I think he was very happy with. Either way, the cake was delicious. Nintendo remembered that it was Father’s day and they sent me a fun free package of new stuff including the new game Nintendo Switch Sports. This is like the old Wii Sports but updated and lots of fun. Andy got very into playing and has become quite good at the games. I’m also excited that there were Legend of Zelda pint glasses included. Not pictured are some Super Mario Bros pajamas.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01263 Grilled up these Turkey Burgers tonight. Allison added some buffalo seasoning to them, too. This is a meal that Andy has really been enjoying and while he is not an overly picky eater it is good to have something that he enjoys and does not complain about.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01262 When you have the task of coordinating lunches for all the kids at school and the school uses Campus Cuisine and one of the restaurants is Chik-Fil-A there ends up being plenty of sauces left over at the end of the year. There was a student in Eva’s class who always asked for buffalo sauce every day. For graduation Allison packaged up a large box of just buffalo sauces and gave them to her. She got a real kick out of it.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01261 When we picked Andy up from school today I gave him the option for choosing where to have lunch. He chose Five Guys and so we went on over there together. It had been a tough few weeks for Andy and I wanted him to have a special lunch to enjoy. He’s been so ready for the school year to be over. He’s got a lot of fun to look forward to in the next few months, too. He’s going to be taking classes at Johnson and Wales and he’s also going to be going to Science School. He’s taking a couple months break from karate. He’ll be going back in September, though.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01260 A few months ago I learned that LEGO was releasing a LEGO Optimus Prime set. I had some money from my birthday set aside and I ordered one for myself. It arrived last night and the delivery driver just put the box over the fence in the front yard despite me big sign that says all deliveries to the back porch. I didn’t realize it was out there until I looked at the delivery app saying that it was delivered. It rained and so the box was a bit damaged. Luckily I am not keeping it in the box. I’ll be building it soon.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01259 Tonight when I went to the Krav Maga Foundational class I was getting some water and talking with Sensei Howard. I said that I loved the G.I. Joe inspired shirt that ABD made a few yeas ago and I could not attend that session so I missed out on it. while I filled my water bottle he checked the supply closet and he found the last XL shirt and gave it to me. I’ll be wearing it this Saturday when I go with Andy to the Dads Hitting Pads event. I’m looking forward to that one and spending time with Andy and getting a new shirt, too.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01258 This morning we drove from New ?Hampshire to Cape Cod to pick up the kids and also to have lunch with Allison’s friend from college and her family. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Shipwreck right along the beach. I tried several times to get the kids talking with each other but they all appeared to be in their own little worlds. Even when I brought up Minecraft, something that both Eva nd Andy enjoy they were not that talkative about it. It is tough when you only see people every few years. We did have fun though.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01264 This morning I went with Andy tot eh annual Father’s Day Dads Hitting Pads class at America’s Best Defense. I love this event. It is a day where dads get to train alongside their kids. We did a combination of Krav Maga and Karate together and it was so fun. There were so many dads and kids there that they split the group up and used both floors. Mr. Brochu split the group in half and said that one half would stay with Mr. Kyle and the other would join him on the other floor for the “pain train”. Andy got a huge kick out of that and now tells everyone that he was on the “pain train” side. We started off warming up with some races of dads vs kids. Andy, in bare feet was faster than me, in socks. I didn’t have much traction to reverse direction and figured that I didn’t want to go flying into a wall or something like that. Then we had the kids do High Knees down the floor while the dads held their belts and gave them some resistance. Then it was the dads turn....

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01257 Today Allison and I went to New Hampshire to Saint Anselm College for my 25th College Reunion. This should have occurred last year but because of the pandemic it was pushed out and so the Reunion weekend had three classes celebrating their 25th Reunion on at the same time. They actually had several simultaneous reunions happening with 3 classes each celebrating their 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25th. We met up with a couple of my friends for lunch and we also took a tour around campus, had a reception with the new college president, had a great dinner with some more friends and had some lovely conversations throughout the day. I wouldn’t say that the reunion was that well attended. This was the first one that I was able to get back to since my 5th reunion. My 5th Reunion was also when Allison and I officially started dating. Many significant moments at Saint Anselm College. I was hoping to see more people there but the people I did see were really nice. There was eve...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01256 Eva graduated from 8th Grade today. It seems like it was only the other day that we were dropping her off for her first day of Kindergarten at SMSH. She has done really well at the school and was even part of the National Junior Honor Society. She worked really hard and studied hard. Not everything came easily to her but she never stopped working hard. Her best subjects were English and Art. She excelled at both. She has such a creative spirit. Graduation was very nice. We had a reserved pew in the front of the Church and we were able to fit almost everyone who came to watch the graduation. Mem and Grandfather came up, Auntie Tara and Uncle Erik were also there along with Auntie Shelby and Uncle Tim, Dylan and Kylie. Miss Colleen was also there. After the graduation we had everyone over to the house for some pizza. We had everyone in the back yard and enjoyed some pizza from Bonillas. After Eva opened her gifts she and Andy went down to the Cape for the wee...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01255 I can’t believe that today was Eva’s last day at SMSH. I picked her up at the 8th Grade Walkout. Each year the 8th grade parades through the whole school to cheers from the students. Then they exit through the main doors and greet the parents who are waiting to take them home. It was a half day for Eva and the rest of the 8th graders. I picked her up and took her to lunch at Five Guys. She was excited about that little trip. After that we went home and hung out and watched Ms. Marvel. Then we got Andy and went to Karate. Eva and her classmates also have another tradition and that is to decorate their school uniform with something that will symbolize where they are going to High School next year. Eva is attending Bishop Feehan and so she put her graduating year and a shamrock on her school dress shirt. That is another fun tradition.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01254 When I went to the wild Time comics today I was able to pick up the new MArvel X Fortnite: Zero War #1 comic book. This is the new collaboration between Fortnite and Marvel Comics. I really enjoy when Fortnite does comic book crossovers and they are usually done very well. This is no exception. This is a well done comic that moves the Fortnite storyline along. I thoroughly enjoyed it and reviewed it for my YouTube Channel. Buying the comic also got me a special Fortnite skin and back bling.

  I had the pleasure of interviewing Samantha San Miguel about her book, Spineless, is being released out today. I received an advanced copy of the book to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The book is about a young boy named Algie Emsworth who dreams of becoming a recognized naturalist. He does have a few things stacked against him, though. He has asthma in the early 19th Century. This can be severely limiting to his activities. However, Algie find that he has more strength than he ever imagined. His adventures take him to Florida where he meets new friends and confidantes who challenge him and help him. I don’t want to give too much away but here is the official synopsis of the book. Dive into the beautiful, surprising, adventure-filled world of The Grand Hotel of Gilded Age South Florida with Samantha San Miguel’s debut middle grade, SPINELESS (On Sale June 7, 2022 | Union Square Kids), where twelve-year-old aspiring naturalist Algie Emsworth stumbles upon a brand-new species. D...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01253 I guess that someone with a sense of humor really wanted to speak with someone with a face. This cracks me up each time I go to CVS to pick up prescriptions at the drive up window.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01252 For years we have had roses on a trellis at the gate in the back yard. This year they have been blooming like crazy. These are the most roses I have ever seen on the plant and they look incredible.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01251 this past Wednesday when I went down to the Cape I stopped in at Walmart and saw that there were some new Hot Wheels Character cars for Marvel. They had Doctor Strange, The Mighty Thor and America Chavez. I was excited to find them because I did not know that they would be released. There is a Scarlet Witch oen as well but I did not find that one. I hope to find it soon.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01250 I picked up the LEGO Marvel Wolverine Mech. I haven’t been buying many LEGO sets lately but when I see their Marvel Mech ones I have to grab them and they just released a new Iron Man, a Black Panther and a Wolverine one. I love the use of the classic colors and uniform for Wolverine.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01249 Today was the talent show at school for the kids. Andy signed up to juggle. We were a bit concerned because he does not know how to juggle. We tried to encourage him to do something that he knows like his karate nunchuck form, but he insisted on juggling. So, we made a deal that he practice every day and learn to juggle 3 balls. I found him a few YouTube videos to help. Did he practice as much as be promised? No. Did he learn how to juggle 3 balls? No. However, he ended up having a great time and people enjoyed his performance. What he lacks in actual talent he makes up for with sheer confidence. Allison came to me in the morning to tell me that Andy was outside practicing. I burst out laughing because it was like he was cramming for a big test after not studying all semester. Then she told me that he had launched one of the balls onto the mud porch roof. I guess he was working on his big finish. I laughed all the louder and then went out and got his juggli...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01248 I’ve been a member of Marvel Unlimited ever since it began. this is an app that lets me read tons of Marvel comics on my iPad. do I take as much advantage of that as I can, no. Should I? Yes. They have 27,000 of their comics and counting on the app and with me being a big fan of Marvel I should read more of the comics whenever I get a chance. Or rather, I should make the time. The items in this year’s pack included a Kitty Pride action figure, a Spider-Gen pin and a patch for S.W.O.R.D.. There were also two comics with special alternate covers. I’ll make sure I read them soon, one is about the X-Men and the other about Spider-Man.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01247 Today I took a drive down to the Cape so that I could ride further down with my Dad to see my Grandmother for her 91st birthday. She was surprised and thrilled to see me there with dad. I did not tell her that I was coming. We were heading there to take her to lunch but instead had lunch in at the house. It was nice. I got to spend a good deal of time chatting with Grandma. We don’t get to get down often enough even when we are on the Cape. It was nice to have the time to get down there today. Tonight was Eva’s dinner with the teachers. Eva and Allison attended. I missed seeing Eva and Allison before they headed out but Allison got some photos. Andy took this one. Eva had a nice time. she put together a skit with some friends and that went over very well, too.