H-A-R-R-Y P-O-T-T-E-R!

It was a beautiful fall Saturday in Newburyport. We were a bit sluggish this morning after having drinks the previous night. Even with a little hangover Jen looks great. I look rough with or without a hangover.

And then we regrouped for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part One.

We loved it. Although thinking about the final installment of the movie is sad. After that, Harry Potter will be done. We've had a Harry Potter event for the past, what, 15 years?

After I first separated from Brenda I worked hard at making the most of my time with the boys. When Jen and I read Harry Potter books to the boys in bed it was perfect. Bret and Joey were riveted to every word as Jen and I took turns reading and acting out the characters voices.

We waited in line outside of The Book Rack a couple of years to get the book at midnight when it became available. The bookstore would hire a local actor to read the first chapter. At the time, I remember thinking that keeping my little guys up past midnight was worth the family memories. Today it's even more obvious. Those are some of my favorite parent moments.

When the kids got older Harry Potter made readers out of them. The books were bigger than toaster, but they plowed right through them. We bought the UK version because we thought it the right thing to do.

Nowadays, the boys are a few books behind. Parenting and teenaging have slowed them down. But Jen and I are always right there for the next Potter event. Not that we ever need any prompting, but it makes us feel like kids again. It's not over yet, but I'm already sad that the next movie installment ends the most impactful entertainment series of our lives.