

Heirs of the Magi Archives

Cassie's Journal 2015 – Part Two

By Steve Leggett

Published by Steve Leggett - Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2015 – Steve Leggett

Cover Image by Kayla Leggett \- Copyright 2015 - Used by Permission

ISBN: 978-0-9940020-3-7
Books by Steve Leggett

Heirs of the Magi Trilogy

Magi Sanctuary

Magi Master

Magi Ascension – Part One – The Ascension Begins

Magi Ascension – Part Two – Light Your World (Forthcoming)

Heirs of the Magi Archives

 Cassie's Journal 2011

 Cassie's Journal 2012 - Part One

 Cassie's Journal 2012 – Part Two

Cassie's Journal 2013 – Part One

Cassie's Journal 2013 – Part Two

Cassie's Journal 2014 – Part One

Cassie's Journal 2014 – Part Two

Cassie's Journal 2015 – Part One

Cassie's Journal 2015 – Part Two

Cassie's Journal 2016 – Part One (Forthcoming)

The Catalyst Chronicles

 The Catalyst is Born

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Table of Contents

July 2015

August 2015

September 2015

October 2015

November 2015

December 2015

Notes

July 2015

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

It's been a wet weather day, and although it got hotter and humid this afternoon; didn't exactly make for a great start to July.

Michael, Tim, and Rowen were all working today too, so the combination of busy best friends and the rainy weather meant that my start to July wasn't nearly as entertaining or exciting compared to our last day of June fun and adventure.

I stayed home all day; helped Mom out around the house; and worked on the family business off and on all day too. Michael came over for his afternoon break; Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana all spent some time in the office with me either during the day or after dinner; and my only other breaks were for meals. Co-ed baseball practice was cancelled tonight because of the rain, so Dad was able to do his homework early tonight too; though we don't need to even think about what my parents are doing with that extra time tonight. The good news with all of that work today for me is that I'll be sleeping early tonight – and even got to have some quality Jacuzzi time that I'm still enjoying while writing this update.

So this hasn't been an exciting day, and I'll have more work to do tomorrow; but then some of our family is incoming tomorrow night for the holiday weekend – and it'll be time to play for the next four days after that! Getting the extra sleep tonight will help me out with being ready for all of the holiday fun.

Let's hope that we get to have an emphasis on fun this weekend, but since my report for today is so boring that it's putting me to sleep while writing it, I'm going to wrap it up; get out of the tub now; and finish getting ready for bed before I do nod off right here in the tub! ;^)

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, July 2, 2015

This update is coming to you late because Dawn and I have been having a nice long girl chat with Violet while Dillon, Chris, and Martin have been playing video games in the lounge. They've all gone off to bed now; but it's been a fun night having my cousins here a day early for the holiday weekend.

Uncle Blaine, Aunt Alison, and their kids are here in town too, and while they're staying with us too; Jaimie and Kaitlyn are spending the night with Uncle Mark, Aunt Grace, and Caleb. They're mostly doing that tonight because Uncle Mark's family will be getting here tomorrow; and there won't be room at his house for any extra sleepover guests for the rest of the weekend. Uncle Blaine and Aunt Alison spent most of the evening over there too; but came back here once Jayden had run out of steam and was ready for bed. Ethan and Ehlana went to bed then too; which is why we didn't have Ehlana with us for the girl chat time.

Having a bit more than half of our family home for the holiday a bit early has been the highlight of my day, which is why I led with that news; but let's back up and cover the rest of the daily report from the beginning.

The rain mostly wrapped up overnight, and while we had a spit or two of it today, that's really all it was – a sprinkle here and there. It didn't get in the way of Tai Chi this morning; we had breakfast out on the back porch because it was comfortably warm and it was much nicer to be out there than indoors. Having an easy-breakfast made that choice easier too; since we didn't have much more than cups, glasses, and plates to haul out there with us. Dad needed to get ready for work after that, so I took care of the kitchen clean-up while Mom got started on some other chores around the house.

Since the weather didn't cooperate yesterday, my jobs for the morning included mowing the lawn and weeding the gardens. Though the grass was still damp, I cut it first; and it was pretty much dry by the time I needed to do the trimming work with the push mower and weed trimmer. I haven't mentioned it in a while, but I do really appreciate Dad's new lawn tractor a lot. It sure makes that part of my chores a lot easier and faster. With all of the rain we've had since Saturday, the grass was as long as it normally would be after a full week too.

We haven't been hit with the crazy amounts of rain that they've had in other parts of the country, and the farmers are basically happy campers around here; but I'm going to hope for some nice weather for the weekend – and the rest of the summer. It's really tough to have long, hot, lazy, and sunny summer days if it rains all of the time!

Getting back to the story, it took me until a bit after one to get the lawn and garden work finished; I hopped in the river to cool off and get moderately clean; and then had a late lunch with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana on the back porch before going upstairs to grab a shower and get changed. Michael came over by the time I was finished doing that; and we spent his afternoon break playing with Ethan and Ehlana at the park. That included some bike riding and playground time; we stopped for Emporium ice cream on the way home; and went for a swim before Michael needed to get back to the Inn.

The Proctor contingent of our weekend guests arrived just a bit before Dad got home from work. I was kept busy after that helping with hauling luggage up to the second and third floors; and then giving Mom a hand in the kitchen. We were hosting dinner for most of our family, and while Mom had lots of other help too; those volunteers didn't start arriving until my aunts and uncles began wrapping up their work for the day. Even Grandma and Grandpa didn't get here until five-thirty or so; mostly because they'd also been doing the normal weekend chores early to be ready for the weekend – and for their weekend guests.

Dinner was a bit of a crazy blur of fun and work for me. The work came before and after the meal, but to be honest, while I had fun too; being on kid control duty while we ate was more tiring than the prep work and clean-up. I had Jaimie and Kaitlyn for support with that, but Jayden was a bit fired up after being stuck in their SUV for hours; Zack was cranky; and Leah was more interested in everything else going on around her than in eating.

Scenes like that do remind me that I am really, really lucky to have Ethan and Ehlana for my brother and sister. Even when they're playing 'normal' kids; they basically never take the act to the dark side of toddler or pre-school kid life. Mom and Dad would surely tell you that being parents of junior Magi Masters has other challenges; but I'd say that the twins are doing better with that than I did when I was their age. That isn't news, though; so let's move this along so that I can head off to sleep soon.

Chris and Martin both needed to work their part time jobs today before getting the extra time off this weekend and coming here; so they didn't get on the road from Woodvale until around four-thirty. The good news for them was that the traffic wasn't much of a problem for them; and they were able to make pretty good time getting here. Since they weren't going to be here in time for dinner, they stopped for fast food in Crystal Springs – and brought a fix along for Aunt Leanne despite the fact that we'd only finished our meal about an hour before they got into town.

I've skipped a bit of time there, but my post-dinner action included a bit of clean-up work in the kitchen before I needed to get to my ball practice; and then I missed out on the action at home while playing at the school ball diamond with my friends. All of my aunts, uncles, and cousins moved on from our house after dinner, and as I mentioned; Uncle Blaine, Aunt Alison, and the kids went over to Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's house to spend the evening with them. Grandma and Grandpa stayed later, and were still there having a visit with Chris, Martin, and Dawn when I got back from the school; but they didn't stay long after that before heading home again.

Rowen and Tim came home with me, and Rowen and I were in need of some swim time; so we did that – and had Tim, Dawn, Ethan, and Ehlana join us for the water play time while Chris and Martin opted to stay dry. My cousins moved on after that for quick visits with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne, and then with the gang at the Everett house; but those were both just cameo visits. They came back here after that; and we headed up to the lounge while Mom and Dad had already gone into the office to get some work done. Rowen and Tim had moved on to her house by then too; but let's not discuss why they wanted to do that instead of staying to hang out with us. If we did that; I'd start thinking about not being able to have that kind of fun with Michael tonight. We really don't want to go there – even if Michael and I both wish that we could have! ;^)

Michael did come over for a while after the Inn closed for the night, but he's working the breakfast shift in the morning; and didn't stay long. He played video games with the other guys for a while, and we took a few minutes to say goodbye out on the front porch when he needed to leave; but that was the full extent of the Michael and me time for tonight.

Violet, Dawn, and I spent most of the evening hanging out in the lounge with the boys, but we moved into my room for the girl chat time; and kept ourselves entertained until Violet decided that she and Dillon were tired out and needed to get to bed. They are working in the morning, and needed to get the sleep; but it still felt strange to have both of them here for the night while Chris, Martin, and Dawn were here too. It was inevitable that they'd take this next step; but what might have been most-interesting about that bedtime scene is the fact that Chris and Martin didn't make a big deal of it.

They've come a long way since I first met them five years ago!

Dawn stayed and talked with me for a while longer; mostly so that Violet, Dillon, and Chris could take turns using the guest washroom before she took a turn getting ready for bed. She and Chris are using the two front bedrooms on the third floor, while Martin is on the second floor in the room next to Ethan's. Jayden is with Ethan, and Uncle Blaine and Aunt Alison are in the room below mine; so we have nearly a full house already. That'll be even crazier tomorrow after Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa get here – especially since we'll have Jaimie and Kaitlyn with us for the rest of the weekend starting tomorrow night too. We're going to wing it for that; but Dawn, Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and I will be sharing my room, the lounge, and Dawn's room in some combination for the next three nights.

That will also likely mean some late nights ahead too, and I'll need to get what sleep I can; so let's wrap this up. After Dawn went to her room, I got changed; hopped into bed with Mandy; and got to work on my nightly computer checks. There was some family business work that needed to be dealt with that took more than an hour to wrap up; but my computer and email checks didn't take long. There isn't any major news to report from any of that; so I guess that's all I have for tonight.

The holiday weekend fun will be kicking up a few notches starting in just a few hours, and all I need to be ready for it is a bit of sleep; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, July 3, 2015

This has been one of those crazy, amazing days around here, with a lot going on; so let's jump right into the adventure report and I'll try not to get it too jumbled up!

Tai Chi this morning was the only quiet time Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and I had for pretty much the rest of the day through until now. Michael was working the breakfast shift; so he couldn't do that with us, but I was okay with that because he was able to spend some extra time with us between that work and the dinner shift. Exercising by the river really was a great way to get the day started; and then the breakfast rush for twelve while also juggling bathroom time kept us hopping for the next couple of hours. I was in on the cooking and clean-up; and was last to hit the shower and get ready for the day – mostly because Dad and Uncle Blaine both needed to get ready for work; and the Moms were busy with the younger kids and other chores. Chris, Martin, and Dawn were on the clean-up crew with me, and scary as this is; the boys actually helped us without any major complaining or attempts to supervise while leaving the work to Dawn and me. Since Chris will be heading off to college in August; that was a good sign that maybe he'll be able to survive his first year taking care of himself; but we'll see how that goes. Dawn's expectations for him are fairly low; so I could be wrong about that.

Life just got busier for me once I was ready for the day; mostly because a lot of the adults in our family were busy with other responsibilities; so I was one of the draftees recruited for kid control of all of the younger cousins – including the Johnson family cousins. Kara, Eddie, Nicole, and Robyn arrived in town late last night with their grandparents while the parents had stayed home to deal with one more day of work or other issues before coming here tonight. Chris and Martin were set free to do their own thing after breakfast; but Dawn, Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and I were all asked to help out with keeping the younger kids busy and entertained.

Part of the reason for that wasn't just because of the parental jobs around here. Uncle Mark and Grandpa also needed to hit the road for the airport to go and pick up Uncle Mark's family. They're here for multiple reasons that include the holiday, Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's anniversary; and to spend time with Caleb; and they'll be here until next Saturday. Adding the Everett clan to the family mix this weekend is just making everything just a bit more crazy – and fun!

That's getting us ahead of the story, though; so let's get back on track.

We – the older kids and teens – had our little gang of kids rounded up by nine-thirty, and by then; half the parents were already either at work or getting started on chores that ranged from housework to grocery and supply shopping. Having the kids out of the way made all of that easier, and while it might have been nice if Dawn and I could have had some teen time with some of my friends; we managed to have fun with our younger siblings and cousins. Michael helped out with the fun too after being set free from the Inn; and he met up with us at the park playground. Aunt Leanne and Aunt Deborah had us taking care of Zack and Leah along with the rest of the cousins; but Caleb and Sebastian were not included in our play group. I should add that Kara, Eddie, and Nicole didn't really need any supervision; and they all helped out with the younger kids too. Eddie would have liked to have some guys his own age to hang out with; but he survived the play time with Ethan, Jayden, and Zack without any major psychological or physical damage.

While the playground action kept us busy for hours between morning and afternoon visits, there was some biking involved in our play day too; and I used the trailer on my bike so that Zack and Leah could go along with us for the rides. We also did one visit to the Emporium and a ride around the new section of town; went swimming once in the afternoon; and Zack and Leah had short naps in the trailer during the afternoon ride until we ended up at the park for the second round of playground fun. Lunch was at our house; Mom, Aunt Leanne, and the grandmothers took care of that meal and clean-up; and that didn't feel like a break at all for Michael, Dawn, and I as we kept busy getting the younger kids fed and then cleaned up again.

While we were busy playing, the rest of our incoming family guests began arriving by mid-afternoon – and that continued on for the rest of the day until after eleven o'clock. I didn't see most of the afternoon arrivals until we came home for that swim before Michael needed to get to the Inn for the dinner rush; but it was the first contingents of the McEwan clan getting to town first and ending with the adults that weren't able to hit the road until finishing work for the day – and then got stuck in the thick of the holiday weekend traffic messes between their homes and ours. The Everetts were in town by dinnertime too; and all of that extra work and driving was the main reason behind the decision to have that meal at our house.

I'd better take a minute here to write a blurb about Uncle Mark's family; though my interaction with them – or at least the adults – was fairly limited today. Uncle Mark's parents, Aaron and Lorelei – Lori – don't seem to have changed much since the last time they were here for the wedding. The same can't be said for Uncle Mark's sister, brother, and their spouses and kids. Two years is a long time for kids that now range in age from two and a half to going on eight; and parenting those five kids has affected the parents too. On the bright side of that, I'll mention that Uncle Mark's sister and sister-in-law both look great; so keeping up with their little angels is apparently keeping them in great shape too. Their husbands look healthy and happy too; but a touch of grey hair here and there suggests that the kids are affecting them too! ;^)

I can also tell you that Uncle Mark feels the same way about his sister's and brother's kids as Aunt Grace feels about Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Jayden; though it's a bit different for them too. Aunt Grace has a closer relationship with her nieces and nephew, and while the older kids in Uncle Mark's family like him a lot; I'll guess that they're not quite as close to him because work always kept all of the doctors in the Everett family busy when he lived in Seattle. Let's leave that train of thought there and get back to the recap where I left off with the pre-dinner action at our house.

After a long travel day, Uncle Mark's nieces and nephews were both tired out and ready to blow off some steam; so joining in to play with the rest of us 'kids' was exactly what they needed. The ages of the collective cousins worked out fairly well too. Eddie was only a bit younger than Uncle Mark's oldest nephew, Kellum. Colleen and Noah are around a year older than Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden, and a bit younger than Nicole; but seem to be getting along with all of them just fine. The youngest, Noel and Julian, are in the middle between Zack and Leah, and the twins; and they were happy to play with both the older and younger kids. Having five extra kids to keep an eye on after losing Michael's help kept Dawn and I really busy; though we did get some help from Violet, Dillon, Christina, and Josiah once they were all finished work for the day.

Our dinner was a barbeque potluck that was a fairly large event even without having the entire collective family in town yet by the time we sat down to eat. I won't try to report on all of the meal-time action; since it was just too busy to keep up with everything. Dawn and I were with the kids; we were entertained and run a bit ragged keeping up with them; and then we basically dunked them in the river to clean them up where needed before helping out with the early stages of the clean-up and then getting back to playing in the back yard and at the park.

The latter part of that was because the Everett-McKinley kids wanted to check out the new playground equipment that the other kids had told them all about during dinner, and while we did most of the playing with them; there was some grandparent support for Dawn and me too so that we didn't have to try and keep track of the entire group of cousins all of the time. We were home from the park before dusk, and while a campfire had been considered, there were still inbound travelers to welcome at other houses; the earlier arrivals were more interested in some quiet time and smaller group visits; and half of the kids were ready to crash by then, so we instead split up and headed for home – or respective guest accommodations that included the Inn for a few lucky visitors.

A smaller campfire at our house had still been an option, but with the Fourth of July on Saturday, the majority of us opted for a comparatively early night instead of staying up late to do that. Chris, Martin, and Jonathan weren't part of that majority; but then they were okay with staying up late and playing video games in the lounge instead. I'm getting ahead of the storyline again; but that was a crazy-busy hour and a half or so during the transition from full group to just having our own weekend guests here at home with us.

Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa got into town while we were at the park, and Grandma and Grandpa Rice were with them; but went home with my grandparents. Grandpa Duncan and Grandma Mercy are staying there too; so they also have a full house – if a smaller one. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had more incoming Johnsons and McEwans by then too; so I didn't even see them again after getting back from the park; and Zack went home with the rest of the Johnson family grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that were staying at his house for the weekend when they were ready to go there.

Once we were down to our own guests and Jonathan; the parents moved into the living room for some chat time with Violet and Dillon. Dawn and I were there for that for a while too, but took care of getting Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden off to bed when Jayden looked ready to fall asleep. Jaimie and Kaitlyn helped us out with that; we moved up to my room after that; and had a fun little girl chat there while also winding down and getting ready for bed. I closed the doors to the lounge so that the guys wouldn't bug us. That might have worked out differently if Michael had come over tonight, but they were busy at the Inn and he got stuck there until close; so we decided that he should just go home instead of coming over when he'd just end up playing video games anyway.

When we were ready to call it a night, Mandy and I ended up getting Kaitlyn for a cuddle buddy while Jaimie's with Dawn tonight. Once we were on our own, Kaitlyn and I continued to talk and watch YouTube videos, but she fell asleep about a half-hour ago; so I started in on my computer and email checks after that. There wasn't any work that had to be done tonight, and there were only a couple of personal emails to read and answer; so I'll at least be able to wrap this up and get to sleep soon too.

It's going to be crazy around here in the morning again – especially since we have the parade in the morning and need to get our contributions for the food booths ready to go along with everything else that goes along with a major family Fourth of July adventure.

I've skipped over a lot of news – like Uncle Blaine's work and meetings related to the med center and new construction going on around town; all of the parental work and chores that I missed out on entirely; and a bunch of travel, work, and school stories that were among the conversation highlights of the collective reunions. A time phase isn't an option tonight, though, and I don't want to be up all night writing about all of those fun little details; so I'll just wrap this up and call it a night.

While this wasn't a holiday day for a lot of my family, it sure felt like one to me – and most of the kids and teens. Tomorrow is going to be even better – and not just because I'll get to share all of the fun with Michael. You, reading this in my future, can just flip a digital page to get that report, though, so I won't bother with a preview now when I can just be on my way into dreamland instead.

I can do that preview there while resting up, and then hope that the reality tomorrow will be just as amazing, so while I'm doing that; and until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Happy Un-Independence Day, Mom!

We had a cooler start to the day, but the weather has also been beautiful and nearly-perfect for a holiday. I'm also fairly sure that some fireworks were going off first thing this morning while Michael and I were busy sharing our good morning hug and kisses before Tai Chi by the river – even though my parents, brother, and sister didn't hear or see a thing; and insisted that didn't happen. That did give Michael and I the excuse to test that assertion out during the fireworks show in the park, and while I'll concede that it was louder and brighter tonight, it was also dark out; and the kisses felt about the same to me.

That's gotten off-topic, so let's get on with the holiday report.

Tai Chi was followed by an even busier breakfast and morning rush than we had yesterday. I was not on the cooking crew because Mom and Dad told me to go and get ready for the day first. I was finished doing that in time to help out a bit before we all sat down to eat, and while the meal was a blast of fun; it was time to get to work after that. The kitchen was clean by the time I needed to head for the school. Rowen collected me on her way there; we met up with Michael; and the three of us walked to the school. We had picked playing with the school band this year; and we were among the first members of our group to get to the school. The trailer was already set up for us; so we got our instruments out of the cases and tuned up while waiting for the rest of the band.

Tim stopped by for hugs and kisses from Rowen, but he only stayed for a few minutes to talk with us before moving on. He was helping his Dad out again this year; and then went along with Kyle while his cousin drove one of the company trucks pulling a float trailer. That wasn't as exciting for him as playing in the band was for us; but I expect that he'll hope to be one of the drivers next year – even though he'd still need a co-pilot to do that while still having the learner's permit that he'll be able to get in August.

I missed out on all of the pre-parade action at home, but that work was going on while I was warming up with the band and waiting for the parade to start; so I'll add that bit of news in here. Mom and Dad kept the oven loaded with food that they were warming up; salads and other donations were loaded into the truck along with coolers, chairs, and the rest of the usual day camp gear that we need for these family adventures at the park. A delegation of teens and adults were put in charge of keeping the kids entertained while the work was getting done, and when it was time to stake out a spot to watch the parade from; Violet, Dillon, Jake, Stephanie, Christina, Josiah, and Dawn were put in charge of doing that with all of the kids from our collective families – including the Bassett kids.

Trust me – playing in the band was way, way easier!

Maybe that's why so many of the adult volunteers come back for more every year; though that has me wondering why Aunt Leanne isn't doing something in the parade every year too considering how often she tells Mom and Dad that they pick responsibility over fun. I'm not suggesting that she should have been in the parade this year, but then I did also hear her own jokes about being mistaken for a blimp if she had been. She did have fun today, and wasn't allowed to do any work anyway; but it was also a very long day for her too. While Aunt Leanne also had lots of jokes and comments about her size, pregnancy, and things she could have done at the parade and park celebration to speed up going into labor; I'm also sure that she's glad that she didn't have an Independence Day baby.

Then again, if my prenatal cousin was thinking about making an appearance tonight; I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the noises of everything from the fire trucks in the parade to the fireworks tonight were enough to have her choosing to wait a bit longer. ;^)

Getting back to the holiday adventure stories, after warming up; Michael, Rowen, and I had lots of time to just hang out and talk with our friends and band mates while waiting for our turn to head out onto the parade route. We were the last musical act this year, and while I'd have rather gotten going sooner; we were at least in a decent spot to watch the parade as it rolled out of the school grounds. One thing that is different about being in the band compared to the teen praise team is that we couldn't interact with the crowd as much while concentrating on the music and our conductor, but getting to do that with Michael was great; and I did still get to see everything going on around us – even if I couldn't acknowledge that I did most of the time. I also preferred getting to play music for my favorite people as we passed them way better than if we'd been able to interact more with any of them had we passed them during one of our micro breaks between songs.

The parade route only changes a little bit from year to year, and the time to complete it is always very close to the same too; so the only difference for us this year was that we were at the end of the parade and had to pack up while the crowds were heading into the park and getting started on the fun there while we were busy working for a while. Michael, Rowen, and I stayed and helped out with packing up all of the gear from the trailer; and then Michael volunteered to help out with the work at the school to get everything back to the music room while Rowen and I headed home to get changed and meet up with any members of our family that weren't already at the park by then. I dropped of Michael's saxophone at his house too on my way home; and then eventually met up with him at his house once I was ready to go back to the park and play.

We needed to hurry by then to get to the park in time for the co-ed baseball game at noon, so while we'd had the house to ourselves by then; we unfortunately didn't have time to take advantage of the opportunity. Our families had us covered on the lunch food front, but I literally had to join my cheerleading squad and get to work as soon as we arrived at the ball diamond closest to the park entrance. I should clarify that comment, since this year; Miranda and I were co-captains of our squad. She cheered for Mom and Dad's team this year because she didn't have a team in the game – and because cheering with me and the rest of the girls on our squad was more fun than just being a spectator. Our squad included all of the younger girl cousins in our collective families – including Uncle Mark's nieces. Violet, Christina, Stephanie, Rebecca, and some of the Moms helped out too; and we had a blast cheering our team on to victory.

Our Eagles were up against the Hawks, and the teams were probably fairly evenly matched – except for at the cheerleader positions. That wasn't even close, and I'd like to humbly report that Miranda and I are really good at motivating our squad – and baseball team too. We didn't try to 'steal' the Hawks' supporters this year; but we did send our junior cheerleaders out along both sidelines and pretty much had everyone watching the game cheering for the Eagles and jeering the Hawks. Our team had the 'Home' advantage, and while the Hawks opened up a small lead in the top of the first inning that took our team a few at bats to overcome before taking the lead; the game wasn't all that close after that. Even the seventeen-to-eleven score was a bit misleading because the Hawks scored three runs in the top of the final inning before the Eagles earned the third out to end the game and minor attempt at a late rally from a nine-run deficit.

When I was envisioning my Fourth of July in my thoughts and dreams last night, I wasn't considering that we had two baseball games to watch today – and didn't have any time at all to play between the matches. In this case, the 'we' didn't include all of the members of my family; but Miranda, Rowen, and I were there for Michael, Tim, and their team even while we lost most of our junior cheerleaders for that second game while they went off to play with our families and friends. There were a few cameo visits, and we had some new cheerleaders join the squad; but there was a much smaller crowd of spectators for that game too. Having more teens and Moms on the squad – including Tim's Mom – made that little adventure fun in a different way to the first game; but then that's probably why we didn't just get bored after cheering for so many hours straight without many breaks.

Having a lot to cheer about was good too; and Michael and Tim in particular were fired up and happy to help us out with that – even if Tim was totally weirded out to have both his girlfriend and Mom on the cheerleading squad together.

I wonder why he doesn't seem to have that same problem when it's Michael's Mom and me cheering together. There's probably a logical, simple explanation for that inconsistency.

The Arrows were playing the Catapults, and this time; the away team took the early lead and never looked back. I'm sure that the cheering helped out with motivating my favorite players on the Arrows' team; but we can't take credit for what was pretty much a blow-out, eighteen-to-six win. As I implied, Michael and Tim were responsible for that; and either scored or batted in twelve of those eighteen runs between them – including the runs that Michael scored off of Tim's hits. Michael couldn't return the favor; but only because of the batting order. Speaking of that, some people might think that Martin gave Tim the better batting slot on the team strictly because of the father-son thing; but he does actually do that the way it should be done. Michael has the better batting average; and Tim is more of a power hitter with more doubles and triples to go along with more outs. I won't get into the fact that they both need to hold back and not show off all of their abilities, but then if they did; games would need to end with the mercy rule every time – just as they would if Mom and Dad, or any other Magi in town, played their best.

Then again, it might be very cool to have an all-Magi match to see what would happen! No, that isn't going to happen; but it would be a blast if it did!

Moving along, the baseball action ended up filling up my entire afternoon, and while I was seriously ready for a break and some play time; Michael and I had to go and help out with dinner and kid control after the game. He got to go home first, grab a shower, and get changed; but he did that fairly quickly and managed to be back in time to join me in the long food booth line I'd been in – and then he helped with hauling all of the food to our day camp site. We had parental and grandparent support for getting the kids set up with plates of food and drinks; but then we were in full kid-immersion while we ate and my brother, sister, cousins, and some friends needed to tell us all about their games and playground adventures while we'd been busy with baseball game number two.

There was other teen support during the meal, including from Rebecca and Lucas; but Michael and I had the biggest group of kids around us – mostly because Ethan and Ehlana really wanted to spend that time with us; and more than half of our cousins were with them, Naomi, and Aiden. Hanging out with the kids meant missing out on most of the adult chat time, but we did hear about a bit of the news from that side of the family. For me, some of those highlights weren't actually play and fun-related. Finding out that Aunt Leanne was sent home for an afternoon nap was entertaining because it was her Mommy and Doctor giving her those orders, and while she was the only Mom that wasn't given a choice for that; there were a few other Moms and Grandmothers that went to have naps too – along with a few of my youngest cousins. I won't go into the post-baseball stories involving parents, aunts, and uncles that involved going home to get cleaned up and changed – or why it took them so long to do that; but I'm sure you can use your imagination on that.

Just don't ever tell me about that if you do – please!

It took a while to finish our meal, but then Michael and I were left on kid control duty instead of moving to the clean-up crew. That wasn't all good because we were instructed to take our group of kids for ice cream cones; and to make sure that they were clean when returned to their parents or grandparents when we were finished that little task. Since our group ranged in age from about one and a half to eight, you can imagine the potential for mess; but Michael and I managed to deal with it – even if not all of the adults were impressed with our solution to several extreme ice cream messes.

That's right – we dunked the kids in the river to clean them up. We were told to return them clean. Nobody said anything about whether they had to be dry or not too!

While we had a lot of fun with all of that, the dance was starting by the time Michael and I were set free; and we headed for the stage and dance floor to meet up with Rowen, Tim, and a bunch of our friends that again included Rebecca and Lucas – and Jenny and Joel. The change in action was almost shocking with that move from kid to teen fun and entertainment; though we didn't completely escape interaction with the kids in our families. We did really enjoy the dance, play, and chat time with our friends, though; and the cameo moments with the kids and adults in our families was all good too – if a bit of an overload of action. I won't try to write about everything, but here are some of my personal highlights.

Dancing with Michael; hugging and kissing Michael; and cuddling with Michael while we talked with our friends at one of the picnic tables that bordered the 'dance floor' area topped my list. Having Ethan and Ehlana cut in on us once was cute; and so was Michael's dance with Ehlana while I danced with Ethan – until Naomi cut in on us and danced off with my brother while leaving me temporarily stranded on the dance floor. Other cameo moments that I loved getting to see included Aunt Leanne dancing with Uncle Adam and Zack; a dance that I had with Dad; and watching the dance that Mom had with Ethan while we did that – right up until Naomi cut in on them and danced off with my brother again.

I sense a pattern there – especially since that happened to Ethan with the only other dance he had with any girl other than Naomi – and that only happened because Aunt Leanne decided to try messing with Naomi by asking Ethan to dance with her.

The fireworks were scheduled for eleven o'clock, so other than taking a short break from the dance to go and play a couple of games at the booths; Michael, Rowen, Tim, and I didn't really get a chance to play the games at all this year. Since we'd also missed out on all of the afternoon stage shows while we'd been busy with baseball; it felt as though we missed out on half of the fun today – even while we were getting tired out by then from all of the busy. While hanging out with our friends for the fireworks had been an option, Michael and I chose to meet up with our parents, Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, Aiden, and the rest of the gang that met up at our day camp spot to watch the show. We would have had fun either way; but I especially love sharing that part of the day with Mom, Dad, and the twins; so I hope that we at least rotate doing that with them every other year or so for as long as we can do that.

BMR Labs was one of the sponsors of the fireworks show now, and the display has expanded a bit since they started helping out with the costs; but that's mostly in quality and quantity more than the length of the show. It is amazing, though; and I doubt that anyone left the park early – even when that meant getting stuck in the minor traffic jam that came with getting out of the park after the fireworks were finished.

I've already mentioned that Michael and I spent some time sharing kisses during the fireworks show. We weren't the only couple in our family doing that; though I don't think that we really need to add any details there – especially since our parents were two of those other couples. Technically, so was Ethan and Naomi; but her kiss for him was on the cheek; and it was the cuddling together for the entire show that was most-adorable for them. I've occasionally wondered if it would have been like that for Michael and I if we'd known each other since birth, and I guess that's possible; but I can't quite picture it – even though Naomi is definitely a lot like me on the fired up and outgoing scale. While I might not be able to picture being a couple with Michael when we were four; I can definitely see Naomi getting teased for hugging boys.

Oh wait – she got teased for doing that tonight! ;^)

The fireworks display was non-stop action in the skies above us while also being a wind down time for everyone, but once it ended; it was time to kick it up into high gear again as we packed up our day camp; rounded up the kids; and hauled everything home. We didn't have any vehicles to do that with, so most of the older kids, teens, and adults were loaded up with gear; so were all of the strollers; and the half-dozen youngest kids were sleeping and being carried or in strollers too by the time we started walking home. Michael helped out with our things, but only because his parents had enough help from Rebecca, Lucas, Jake, and Stephanie. He came home with us; helped with the work getting everything put away; and then we took care of getting Ethan, Jayden, and Ehlana off to bed for the night before saying goodnight to everyone else and going outside to sit by the river for a while with cold drinks and a snack.

That meant leaving Dawn, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn to fend for themselves, but we really wanted to end our holiday with a bit of alone time; and my cousins probably drew straws for using my Jacuzzi while I was busy. They also each at least took one turn watching us from the window alcoves in my room and the lounge; but didn't attempt any interruptions. They probably had some girl chat time with Violet that I missed out on too; but I wouldn't have traded the time with Michael for that – even if we couldn't enjoy any major make-out time with a house full of guests.

The quiet cuddle time on one of the benches by the river was nice, though; and we had a fun little chat too while winding down again after that post-party work action. Going for a swim had been an option too, but I decided that I'd rather keep my hair dry; and Michael wasn't all that interested in swimming unless I was going in too. We stayed out on that bench for about an hour, and while I can't report that everyone in the house was sleeping by the time I came up to my room after sharing a long goodnight hug and kisses with Michael; we don't need the details on what was going on with the members of my family that were still awake too. Yes, that plural includes more than two people, and in multiples of two; but that's all I'm going to include on that subject – especially since some of the 'kids' that might not want the details about that when it involves their parents will probably read my journals some day in the future.

I know I don't!

I didn't have any bed buddies when I got up to my room. Jaimie and Kaitlyn were camping out in the lounge and Mandy wasn't there because she was with Dawn instead; so I just cleaned up; got ready for bed; and cuddled with my computer and a stuffie before getting started on my nightly computer and email checks. It was already heading toward two o'clock by then, but there was some family business work that needed to be dealt with; and that took more than an hour to get finished. I might have used a time phase for that work if I didn't have a house full of family to keep me from doing that, but even though I was – and am – tired; I'm still feeling pretty good right now. We'll see if I still feel that way by the end of the night tomorrow, but the work couldn't wait until Monday anyway; and I'm glad that I got it done tonight even if it did mean losing some sleep over.

That does pretty much cover the main news from today, though; so getting some sleep now is definitely in order. Tomorrow is going to be another crazy-busy day with another big family breakfast; the church service in the park; the lunch and afternoon family fun plans; and my own promise to help out with the buffets at the Inn tomorrow too.

With all of that going on, I'm wondering right now whether I could get away with a sofa sleepover with Michael tomorrow night after we're done at the Inn. That's definitely a cheery thought to head off to sleep with; so let's just go ahead and do that!

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, July 5, 2015

This update is coming to you from a tent in Aunt Leanne's back yard. No, that doesn't mean that Michael and I were able to switch a sofa sleepover for a tent mate swap; and that's entirely because we're each camping with a group of kids – four boys for him and four girls for me. My tent buddies are all sleeping now; and that's the only reason I can do this report now instead of waiting until sometime in the morning. It's been a very long, busy day, though; so let's get to the news of the day.

My morning was yet another crazy-busy blast of non-stop action that started out with good morning hugs and kisses with Michael before Tai Chi. Our exercising by the river was great, and we've had a beautiful weather day too; which was great for the church service in the park plans. The teen praise team was leading that service along with the usual group of teens helping out with the skits, readings, and everything except the Pastor's message; so Michael and I also needed to get to the park early for our warm-ups in addition to helping out at our respective homes with breakfast and the rest of the work that needed to get done.

I was on the cooking crew for the meal; helped out with kid control during the meal; and then Mom set me free to go and get ready for the service in time to do that and still get to the park on time. That meant missing out on the clean-up and some play time with the kids in the back yard, but Michael and I had fun with the other teens, Pastor John, and Stacey; so I'm really only wishing that we'd had time for both again. Maybe we should just make holiday weekends longer so that we can have time to do everything instead of needing to pick and choose the fun options – not that every choice was fun.

The service in the park was definitely fun, but then it was also getting hot by then; and some sweating was involved for those of us on stage and in the audience. We had a great turn-out despite the late night that most of us had at the park, so it's a good thing that we could use the park today; since there were likely nearly fifteen hundred people there. We won't be able to fit that many people into the sanctuary at the church until after the addition is completed. The highlights of the service for me were the music and skits. Michael and I had a short duet for part of one of the songs that was fairly awesome too, and while we sounded great; I mean the awesome from the perspective of how great it is to do stuff like that with my boyfriend. I know that our family, friends, and neighbors love our music, but we managed to keep from being in the spotlight for an entire song because we want to make sure that our musical friends all get chances to shine too.

We were definitely out of the spotlight after the service because Michael and I needed to get to the Inn to help out with getting the food ready for the first buffet sitting of the day ready for noon. I worked there until shortly after the first wave of food went out to the dining room; and then hurried over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's to have lunch with the collective families. That barbeque meal was actually at Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's house too; and we were using both yards for that – and the play time that was going on before and after we sat down to eat. I hadn't been able to help out with the work before I got there; but did get drafted for the clean-up crew at the Carrington house.

Our afternoon family and friends play time included a trail ride for some of us; and we headed out to the ranch at two o'clock for that ride. Michael wasn't able to do most of the fun stuff today with my family because they were doing four buffets at the Inn, but he was able to go on the ride with me; so we picked him up on the way out of town. The timing for our ride had been partly made because of the break time options for Michael; and the second buffet sitting had just started when Michael left the Inn. He got to have more time off today than most of the staff at the Inn; but he did have the advantage of being able to bring along extra help when he went back to the Inn in time to help out with the third buffet clean-up and cooking for the fourth buffet.

The trail ride was as much fun as always; and Michael and I rode and chatted with Jaimie and Kaitlyn today. I have gotten to have a fair bit of time with them this weekend, but Dawn wanted to spend the time with Violet before she heads home tomorrow; and the rest of the college students either skipped the ride for other play options; or were more interested in hanging out with each other – or the parents that were with us today. Our ride today lasted forty-five minutes because the horses needed the extra rest time between rides; Michael and I went for a swim with a bunch of the kids and teens after getting home; and then we stopped in at our houses to get changed and freshen up before heading over to the Inn to get to work for the rest of the day.

It was hot in the kitchen, and really, really busy as we tried to keep up with the workload. I still had fun working with Michael, Rebecca, and Jenny; and I switched between the prep line and dishwashing as needed. The third buffet had been well-underway by the time that we got to the kitchen, so Michael and I started with dishwashing; and I helped on the prep-line when it was time to get the fourth buffet ready to go. My collective family was doing the last buffet, and with Uncle Mark's family in the mix; they had nearly a quarter of the dining room seating reserved. I would have liked to have the meal with them, but it was just too busy in the kitchen; so I settled for a little break when they were having dessert and after-dinner drinks. There weren't many empty seats in the dining room; and I ended up having what might be my longest visit of the weekend with Christina, her sisters, and their guys. Violet and Dillon were at the table next to them along with Chris, Martin, Jonathan, and Dawn; but that table was on the far side of 'our' table from me and I didn't really get to talk with them at all. I also really did keep that break short before going back into the kitchen; and then it was non-stop work through until we were able to close the Inn at a bit after nine-thirty.

The evening and overnight plans had been set up earlier in the day, and though I wasn't really in on it; Mom and Dad made sure that Michael and I were included in the camping plans when the tents were set up before they all came to the Inn for dinner. Adding us to the campfire attendees wasn't a problem; and there was more than enough room for everyone that came over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house from the Inn. The fireside fun was already in full swing by then; Dad had been playing music; and the grandfathers were telling the campfire stories. We were there in time to catch Grandpa Everett's contribution to that effort; and it was a lot of fun getting to hear an all-new story that was both brought to us from west-coast legend and from the perspective of a big-city hospital doctor.

I'll guess that he has scarier stories; but picked one that was kid-friendly and more funny than scary.

After two late nights, the youngest kids and parents were ready to call it a night by eleven o'clock; but the teens and older kids were free to stay at the campfire as long as they wanted before turning in for the night. Michael and I were happy to cuddle together and do that; but we also took a couple of breaks when we needed to get our tent buddies ready for bed and into their sleeping bags for the night. I have Ehlana, Naomi, Sophia, and Uncle Mark's niece, Colleen, with me; so it wasn't tough for me to do that. Rowen has Leah and Noel with her, and that was more work to get them into bed; but Jessica is their fourth; and helped her out with getting their junior tent buddies off to sleep.

There's a lot from the campfire that I'm skipping over, but the main information to pass on from that few hours of fun is simply that we did have a lot of fun together. Whether that was playing and singing music, telling scary stories, or just enjoying the cuddle and chat time; it was a perfect way to wrap up another really great family day. Michael and I went for a swim as the campfire fun wound down; followed that up with some chat time by the river with Rowen, Tim, and a few of the other teens; and then we split up to get some sleep.

My four junior campers slept through while I got changed and into my sleeping bag; and have stayed asleep while I've done my computer and email checks along with a bit of family business work that was just a follow-up to what I'd worked on last night. I won't be getting a lot of sleep again tonight, and we still have one holiday play day left to go tomorrow; but that's really only going to be a half-day before most of our guests head home in the afternoon. That fun is going to start with breakfast at the Inn in the morning so that the parents don't have to deal with feeding a gang of kids and teens, and I don't want to sleep in and miss that; so let's just wrap this update up with that and I'll get started on my nap time now.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, July 6, 2015

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace!

They've loved getting to share their special day with both families this year, but have a house full of guests and Caleb to take care of; so I don't think that this anniversary will make the top five list for hottest or most romantic for them – or at least it won't once they have six of them on the list! ;^)

I'll get to the anniversary celebration news as we go along; but let's go through this report from the start of the day.

Tai Chi by the river was amazing today! That was mostly because Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam joined us for it; and that brought back memories of Mom doing that with us in the days before Ethan and Ehlana were born. Aunt Leanne didn't go into labor while we were exercising; though she did joke about it and at least wish just a little bit that the baby would choose to make an appearance today. Mom, Dad, Michael, Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden all exercised with us too, and while we didn't really pay any attention to the spectators; we also had more than a dozen kids, teens, and adults watching us this morning either from tents or neighboring houses.

We're getting lots of rain now as I write this; but it was a beautiful morning and sunrise today; and Tai Chi with some of the people I love the most was a perfect way to start the day. Breakfast at the Inn was a fairly awesome follow-up to that, and while we didn't know about it until we got to the dining room; Jacob and Miranda had opted for a breakfast buffet to feed all of us – and most of their other breakfast diners. That wasn't advertised at all, but word gets around in our little town fairly quickly; and they ended up with more than one hundred customers – which is a lot for a Monday that was not technically part of a holiday weekend.

Yes, most of my family took today off instead of Friday; but that was almost entirely either personal choice or employer mandate for those who didn't just take both days off.

The breakfast buffet was great; Michael and I had fun with our families and friends; and then he was drafted to help out in the kitchen with the clean-up while I went back to the campground to help with the clean-up and camp tear-down while grandparents mostly took care of kid control with the youngest cousins and the parents were busy with other jobs that ranged from cleaning and laundry to packing bags and vehicles for the trips home. That took a bit more than an hour to finish up by the time the camping gear was stored and Ethan, Ehlana, and I had our own things back at home too. It was time to play again after that, and while there were lots of entertainment options; I was one of the teens drafted to take younger kids for canoe rides to the park and back.

Our water adventures for the kids also ended up being more of a shuttle service; since most of the kids wanted to be dropped off at the park to play with the other cousins and friends that were hanging out at the playground. We had at least two or three passenger switches at each end of the route; and the round-trippers started at home or at the park for the kids that wanted bonus time in the canoes with us. Rowen, Dawn, and I were the primary members of that 'us' group of paddlers; though we did get some help now and then from other teens and the older kids. We didn't just canoe all of the time. It was already hot out by then, so regular swim breaks helped to keep us cool; and there seemed to always be at least a few people of varying ages swimming and playing in the river at home and the park.

Since we were busy with kid control and entertainment duties, most of the teens missed out on the lunchtime work and cooking, and since that was also going to be the main anniversary celebration for the day; it was a fairly big job to get set up and the food cooked for all of the guests. That wasn't just our collective families. Mom and Aunt Leanne had also invited most of the staff at the lab and med center; and all of Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's best, hometown friends. I was out of the loop for most of that action; but did hear some of the jokes suggesting that we should have booked the Inn for that meal too.

I'm glad that we had the barbeque instead; and really loved getting to have that meal outdoors instead of in the dining room at the Inn. While I wasn't on kid control for the meal, I also wasn't at the table with Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace either. Michael and I were instead put at a teen table with Rowen, Tim, Dawn, Chris, Martin, and Jonathan; and we got to enjoy the meal while actually having a chat that didn't include any discussions about the letter and number of the day.

Today's journal update is brought to you by the letter 'A' for Anniversary; and the number '2' for the number of years my Aunt and Uncle have been married now!

If that reference is too old for you whenever you're reading this in my distant future; look up Sesame Street for details. My brother, sister, and younger cousins don't actually sit around debating things like that; but I'm sure that you get what I meant.

Speaking of second anniversaries, today is the two-year dating anniversary for Michael and me, and while that was mentioned to us a few times; we are not celebrating the occasion with gifts or anything else. Yes, the wedding was our first official date, but we were an unofficial couple before that; and I also don't want our little milestone to get in the way of Aunt Grace and Uncle Mark's big day.

Aunt Leanne kept joking about giving them a new cousin for their anniversary, and she wouldn't have had a problem with her baby sharing a birthday with their anniversary; but that still didn't happen.

It would have been a great story if it had; but maybe my cousin wants to have her own special day.

The kids were generally uninterested in the anniversary celebration part of our lunch break, though they did love the cake and ice cream dessert; and some of Uncle Mark's cousins wanted to help out with opening gifts until they found out that they were only given 'boring stuff' instead of toys or games. Michael and I, and most of the teens and collegians, had to jump in by then and help out with keeping the kids entertained again while the adults enjoyed an extended break and chat time; and we continued to play with the kids pretty much until their parents collected them to either leave for other local destinations or load them into vehicles for the long trips home.

Michael and I took a break from the play time when it was time for my Proctor and Rice family cousins to head out, but it was getting very cloudy by then; rain was heading our way fast; and the parents and grandparents wanted to get on the road as soon as possible so the goodbyes didn't take long. I spent most of that time saying goodbye to Dawn, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn; Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden did the same with Jayden; and then we wrapped that up with hugs and kisses for our aunts, uncles, and grandparents before the four vehicles were away and soon out of sight – heading for Woodvale or Granite Park with Chris, Martin, and Dawn in the pace car for the mini, temporary caravan.

Michael needed to head over to the Inn after that, but Mom, Dad, the twins, and their friends went back over to Aunt Leanne's house with me so that we could continue to help out there while the Johnson and McEwan families also finished getting ready to leave and began heading out. It was another hour before our last weekend guests were away and on the road for home. By then, the back yards for both the Carrington and Everett houses were cleaned up; and it was time to split up and head to our own homes before the rain really started coming down for a while.

We were all really glad about getting most of the fun and work out of the way before that happened; but the timing of the rain wasn't good for everyone in town. The campgrounds were full all week with families on holiday; the rain drowned out campfire dinner plans; and that meant that the Inn was full for dinner with all of the campers that chose dining out as their back-up plan. That was both good and bad for Jacob and Miranda. They loved the extra business; but it made for a crazy night in the kitchen and dining room as they tried to keep up with the workload with a normal Monday night staffing plus the couple of call-ins they were able to add to the crew on short notice.

I wasn't one of those call-ins, but I did go over to the Inn for a visit before dinner; and ended up staying to help out through until close while skipping the leftovers, easy-meal at home. Dad had work to do in the office anyway, and there weren't any family plans for the evening; so I didn't miss much and was glad to help out – and spend that time with Michael.

The alone time with Michael in the lounge after we were finished at the Inn was definitely a highlight of the day for both of us; though we also spent some time with Ethan and Ehlana and eventually took care of tucking them in for the night before we were able to have that break from everything else. We were also really tempted to have another sofa sleepover; but managed to settle for an hour or so of fairly hot play time for two and a follow-up cuddle time before Michael headed home for the night at the same time that Mom and Dad were wrapping up their work in the office and ready to head for bed too.

That pretty much covers the main news for the day. I took care of some family business work while doing my nightly computer and email checks after getting changed and into bed with Mandy. That took more than an hour to do; but at least I won't have to deal with it in the morning. I'll be busy enough tomorrow with more kid control duty. My cousins are either back home or will be back to normal weekday life here while their parents are back to work; but I'll be helping out with Uncle Mark's nieces and nephews as much as needed for the rest of the week while they're here. That won't be as tough with just the five of them compared to having the entire gang of kids here on the weekend; but then I won't have quite as much teen support either – at least on the days that Michael, Tim, and Rowen are working their part-time jobs.

I'll likely get to play with all three of my best friends tomorrow, though, and they'll help out with the kids, but it's still going to be a very busy day; so I should wrap this up and get started on my nap time to be ready for all of that family and friends action.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

The top family news of the day is that Uncle Mark's father and brother have finally conceded that he did not lose his mind with the decision to move here and give up his stellar future in a big-city hospital and private clinic in Seattle.

While his mother and sister had no doubt at all about his sanity because they've loved Aunt Grace from the first time they met her; it took a visit to the new med center to convince the men in Uncle Mark's family that he could actually practice 'real' medicine here instead of whatever kind of backwoods doctoring they expected him to be doing here instead. I don't get why they were surprised, since Uncle Mark and Uncle Adam got to design and equip the place themselves without any major concern for budget. They don't know those financing details, but they are doctors; and can likely make a good guess; so the hints passed along to them that BMR labs was the main reason for the quality of the center helped to explain how a small town like ours could afford the advanced medical services and technology. I'm glad that they've come around; and Uncle Mark seemed a lot happier too after taking his family on the tour and showing off his new workplace.

Uncle Mark had the day off, but the med center was open for business; and Uncle Adam and Aunt Deborah were running the show while he was busy. From what I heard, there were no emergencies today that could be used to show off the new technology for Uncle Mark's father and brother; but having Uncle Adam busy with that all day meant that Ethan and Ehlana couldn't really do much at the lab; so they took the day off despite really wanting to play there this week.

Play was the name of the game for Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I today; and we were all given the day off after the busy long weekend. The rain had continued off and on overnight; but had pretty much ended about an hour or so before sunrise. It was still cloudy for most of the day and we had a spit or two of rain here and there; but it was also cooler while still being warm enough to enjoy our outdoor adventures. While we'd been set free from work for the day, I wasn't off the hook for helping with kid control. The twins had Naomi and Ethan with them for the day; we had some of our cousins with us for different parts of the play day; and had Uncle Mark's five nieces and nephews to entertain for the hour or so before lunch through until nap time for the younger kids by mid-afternoon. We added Sophia to the gang this morning on our way to the park playground, and kept her until dinnertime; but she just joined in to play with the other four and five-year old kids and added to the fun level for all of us. Michael and I especially enjoyed getting to spend that time with his cousin; so that was a nice bonus too.

I'm not going to detail everything we did today, but our fun included two visits to the park; some bike riding using the trailer for taking pairs of the younger kids for rides; short canoe rides; swim time in the river; and some back yard games at Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's house. Lunch was there too; though Mom and Grandma helped out with their potluck donations and help with the cooking. We – the teens – had parental support for the afternoon play time; and that's when we were able to do some of the bike and trailer rides and mini canoe adventures. We didn't get to have a break during the afternoon nap time for the younger kids; but we did get the older kids out of the way and back to the park for more playground and swim time there so that they didn't keep the younger kids awake with their fairly noisy fun.

Dinnertime was another culinary adventure; and it's truly amazing just how much of a mess a lot of young kids can make when having a meal together! The good news there is that it was time for parents and grandparents to take over from the teens to take care of that, and while we still helped out here and there when the kids wanted us to do something with them instead; we actually got to enjoy some chat time with some of our favorite adults while having dinner too. We also joined the clean-up crew after dinner; and then we took Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden with us while it was going to be wind-down time for the rest of the junior cousins – and their parents and grandparents.

We walked Naomi and Aiden home – which meant going across the back yards for Naomi; and then across the street for Aiden. Once that was done, we came here; moved up to the lounge; and settled in for some video gaming; a movie; and a bit of quality cuddle time. Ethan and Ehlana stayed with us for the gaming and a movie; and then Michael and I got them tucked in for the night after going down to the office so that they could say goodnight to Mom and Dad and have a little visit with them before going to get some sleep.

Michael and I would have liked to have a bit of alone time, but we were also overdue for some hang-out time with our best friends; so Rowen and Tim stayed and watched another movie with us until they – and Michael – went home at around twelve-thirty. I saw them out then, and Michael stayed back so that we could share a goodnight hug and kiss that Tim interrupted with some catcalls and jokes while still walking Rowen to her house; and then I came back up to my room and got ready for bed. I decided to only do the basic email and computer checks tonight; dealt with a couple of minor family business jobs that needed to be worked on sooner instead of later; and plan on being asleep within five minutes of wrapping this up and putting my computer away for the night.

Consider that done; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Congratulations, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, and Zack – it's a girl!

Welcome to the family, Brianna!

Brianna Christine Carrington was born this morning at nine-oh-eight; came in at seven pounds, nine ounces; and there is no doubt at all that she is her Mommy's little girl. She's also an extraordinary Magi talent; and her birth pushed our wards fairly hard. My adorable cousin was in quite a hurry to get through her delivery. We got the call while having breakfast after Tai Chi; Aunt Leanne was in a bed at the clinic by seven-thirty; and Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and I were there by a quarter to eight so that Mom and I could help out with the wards. That was fairly interesting to deal with because we also had a lot of people in the med center; so we had to deal with that while also working around both Magi and non-Magi family, friends, and neighbors. Mom was in the room with Aunt Leanne, her doctors, and nurse; but that was mostly because Uncle Adam was a bit busy to give Aunt Leanne the attention she needed and deserved.

While I wasn't in the room too, I was linked with Mom, Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and everyone else in the link with us; so I got to be in on the best parts of the birth. I'm sure that you can guess that the news about Brianna's name was a highlight for Mom – even though we couldn't explain to anyone not in the know that her first niece was named after her. That was fairly awesome for me too, but my personal highlight came when Brianna very enthusiastically bonded with me – as she quickly did with Ethan and Ehlana. She was already bonded with Mom and her parents, and it wasn't the same as it is between the twins and me; but it was amazing and special.

I love you, Brianna! Thanks for making this one of those best-ever kind of days!

That crazy, amazing start to the day completely changed up our plans for the day, and while we spent half the morning at the clinic; we went home once it was time to give Aunt Leanne and Brianna some time to rest up for the rest of the day. Mom brought Zack home with us, but had Ethan and Ehlana keep him entertained until lunchtime so that I could work on the family business and help out with some chores and a lunch that included extras to take over to the med center. Grandma and Grandpa helped out with that too; but Dad went into work after leaving the med center so that he could help Claire there – and try to still work in most of the appointments for the day that he'd missed while waiting for Brianna's arrival.

Work was the name of the game for the rest of the day for me. Whether that was on the family business, cooking, cleaning, or helping out at Aunt Leanne's house ahead of her arrival home with Brianna by dinnertime; I was on the go pretty much all day. Michael was working anyway; but we still had some fun during his breaks – including his introduction to Brianna during his afternoon break; and some hang-out time at our house that included some play time with Ethan and Zack once he was finished work for the night. We have Zack with us tonight because he picked staying with us over staying home for Brianna's first night in the house; and he's already lost interest in his new baby sister. She can't do anything fun; and yelled too loudly at him the few times he tried to play with her.

The weird part of that is the fact that Zack did all of that intentionally as part of his 'normal kid' act; and Brianna was not amused to get bonked with a ball or toy for no other reason than because it amused Zack to do it.

All of the work today might not seem to go with a best-ever kind of day; but it was strictly the family and friends fun, and all of the time I got to spend with Brianna that made my day. She really is amazing; and I won't even try to put into words the joy a lot of us are feeling tonight.

Getting back to the story, I should add that Aunt Leanne is doing great; Mom and I helped her with the Magi healing once that was possible, and though going home so soon after Brianna's birth wasn't the norm; nobody was surprised about it since she does have a doctor at home to take care of her if there were any problems. It didn't matter that most people around here would have no idea that she was already recovered from the labor and more; though she'll have to play normal with that for a while – especially around the doctors in Uncle Mark's family while they're still here.

Before I move on to the news from dinner and the rest of our evening; Brianna also has the distinction of being the first baby born at the new med center! The jokes are already flying about Uncle Adam making sure that it opened in time so that his daughter could come into the world in style; but I can also tell you that the Moms in town are all going to be very happy with the new neo-natal capabilities we now have available here. There would need to be a very serious complication before it would be necessary to send a mother and child to a hospital; and I'm hoping that we'd be able to catch any issues before it was too late and help out with our Magi healing instead.

There were other members of my family needing to make changes to their day too, and the most obvious was likely Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace. He needed to run the clinic on his own for the doctoring side of the job; though Uncle Adam did help him with catching up a bit on the appointments while Aunt Leanne and Brianna had naps both late in the morning and after lunch. Since he was busy, Aunt Grace took most of the day off from the lab too so that she could be with her in-law family – and help entertain the kids on a wet, rainy day that kept them indoors most of the day.

Our co-ed ball players would have skipped their practice tonight if it hadn't been rained out; but that worked out for us tonight too. A lot of the cooking for dinner started at our house; but we moved the show over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house after the rain ended by around four o'clock; and Mom and Grandma had lots of help there for both the kitchen work and helping out around the house so that Aunt Leanne wouldn't have anything to do tonight other than take care of Brianna and enjoy the family and friends fun. Grandma made sure that the dinner guest list was limited – as were the number of family and friends visits tonight. Even with doing that, there was still a lot of crazy-busy action going on – especially once Uncle Adam and Aunt Deborah brought Aunt Leanne and Brianna home.

There's no way for me to cover all of that action here, and there will be lots of other journal entries to look at for the entire story from the various perspectives; so I'll just go with my personal highlights. I got to hold Brianna through about a quarter of our dinner time; so that was number one on my list. Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa all got to have turns with her during the meal too; though that was mostly so that Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam could both relax and enjoy their first sit-down meal of the day that wasn't either on the fly or from the comfort of a hospital bed. The meet and greet after-dinner action was awesome; with the best part of that being Naomi's 'escape' across the back yards so that she could meet Brianna and spend a bit of time with Ehlana and Ethan.

While we'd gotten to be there for the pre-dinner work, Brianna's arrival, dinner, the clean-up, and some of the early-evening visits; Mom and Dad both had work to do tonight and we all headed home at nine o'clock – not long after Michael came over from the Inn and got to have a minute or two of baby time with Brianna before coming home with us. As I've mentioned, we had Zack with us too, and while Mom and Dad went to work in the office; Michael and I took Ethan, Ehlana, and Zack up to the lounge for some play time until Zack ran out of steam. That took more than an hour and a half of video gaming, running around, and toy time to accomplish; and Ethan was worn out and ready to go to bed too when we tucked Zack into the extra bed in Ethan's room. That helped out with getting Zack off to sleep too; Ehlana joined us in Ethan's room for the bedtime story that Michael told to us; and then Mom and Dad took a break to share some goodnight kisses with the three kids before going back to work while Ehlana went to bed with plans to do a bit of reading on her iPad until she was ready to sleep too.

That left Michael and I with an opportunity for a bit of alone time, and we came up to the lounge to take full advantage of the chance; but we also didn't have a lot of time to play – which is why I was happy to make all of the time we needed! :^)

There is actually a reason why Michael couldn't stay late tonight – and it's partly because of the changes in work plans for Uncle Mark. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I already had plans for a visit to Quarry Lake tomorrow afternoon – for Elliott's fifteenth birthday party. We'll now be there for more of the day; and I'll be helping out with Uncle Mark's nieces and nephews – and Zack, Caleb, Leah, and Sebastian. The new plan is to get the family out of the way so that Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne can focus exclusively on Brianna – and have fewer visitors and distractions. I'm all for helping out with that; and don't mind the sacrifice of an extra four or five hours of play time at Quarry Lake. Michael might be able to go with us for the extra time too; but that'll depend on the work at the Inn since he was already going to be finished early for Elliott's party.

Either way, we're going to have another amazing day that will hopefully be filled with sun, fun, and adventure. That might not be quite as hot as the time-phased fun that Michael and I wrapped up our day with tonight; but I'm sure we'll manage to have another really great day!

I'll need to get some sleep to be ready for that, though; so let's wrap this up now. Michael went home at midnight; Mom and Dad called it a night then too; and we all came up to bed after I saw Michael on his way home with a front porch hug and several kisses. Since I'd worked on the family business earlier today, I didn't have anything that needed to be done tonight; and my email and computer checks didn't take long. That covers the news for today; so there's just one thing I want to add – and end this update with.

Thanks, Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam. It means as much to me as Mom that you chose to name your daughter after her aunt. I also think that it's a very good choice; because Brianna Christine Carrington is going to be just as amazing as her namesake. I'm not going to give you any hints; but your little girl is really, seriously going to make a difference in the world; so be proud of her – and of yourselves for bringing such a miracle into the world!

I love you!

Okay, I'm done now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Between the lounge and our room, Mandy and I have five sleepover buddies with us tonight. Ethan has two extra guys in his room; so Mom is going to have a small gang to feed in the morning – though that'll still be a lot fewer than she had tonight for the family and friends dinner she and Dad hosted after our Quarry Lake adventure.

My sleepover guests are Rowen, Ehlana, Naomi, Sophia, and Uncle Mark's niece, Colleen. The four younger girls are camping in the lounge; Mandy is with them; and Rowen and I get to have my bed to ourselves. Ethan has Uncle Mark's nephew, Noah, and Aiden with him, and after spending the night in a sleeping bag on the floor while his guests get the beds; he might be wishing for a bigger room or more beds by morning. Yes, two of the girls are on the floor in the lounge; but Ehlana and Naomi practically have princess-worthy beds set up for themselves; and guys are not allowed to do that – or just sneak off next door and be comfortable in one of the guest bedrooms.

Man laws really suck sometimes; don't they, guys? ;^)

I'll get back to the sleepover part of the story; but let's back up and cover the rest of the news for today first.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had a very good first night with Brianna. Other than needing to be nursed a few times and cuddled a lot; she happily napped between feedings and let her parents get a decent night of rest. WE found out about that during our morning visit with them after breakfast; though we didn't stay long because we were also busy this morning getting ready for our trip to Quarry Lake. For me, that meant helping Mom out with making salads and getting everything together for our lunch, snacks, and drinks there. Mom did an Olde Bakery and grocery store run after visiting with Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and Brianna; and though it took a while to get everything ready and the minivan loaded; we were on the way to Quarry Lake by ten-thirty.

'We' included Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, Aiden, and me in the minivan; Jake, Stephanie, Michael, Jessica, Ryan, and Sophia in their minivan; and Aunt Grace and all of Uncle Mark's family in several other vehicles. Uncle Mark couldn't go along with us; but there were some other additions to our group that joined us at Quarry Lake by lunchtime – including Uncle Nick, Naomi's Dad, Leah, Sebastian, Zack, and Eli. Zack was in that second group because we dropped him off at home before leaving so that he could have some time with his parents and baby sister – and because we didn't have room for the extra car seat in the minivan anyway without the back seat being too crowded. He was actually okay with that plan; since it meant getting to hang out with Eli instead – even if he also had to hang out with his baby sister for a while too before Philip was ready to take the rest of the day off to play with his kids and their friends.

It was cooler out this morning, but still warm-enough to enjoy the non-water fun options at Quarry Lake. With so many younger kids, rock climbing and the zip line wasn't an option until later; but we still had a lot of fun at the playground; playing some of the games; and tossing around Frisbees, baseballs, and footballs. Our day camp was near the beach but not right at it today; and we had a few picnic tables to use too. That helped a lot with setting up lunch – and gave the adults somewhere to sit while most of the kids and teens sat on blankets or in one of the bag chairs we'd brought along. There was a lot going on around our lunch break. Just getting everyone fed was a challenge that kept some of us busy for more than an hour; but we also had other visitors and a few temporary additions to our group – like Violet and Dillon. They came out for an extended lunch break before heading back to the lab, and though they wished that they could have taken the day off too; that wasn't an option with Aunt Grace and Uncle Adam both away for the day too. They're not officially very high on the corporate food chain at the lab, but they will be; and Aunt Grace is developing them accordingly – including trusting them with taking care of the place when she can't be there.

It never got really hot out today, but we still went swimming several times this afternoon. Michael and I only went swimming with our family the first time after lunch; we played with the younger kids and parents until shortly before three; and then we moved on to Elliott's birthday party. Rowen and Tim had been dropped off by then and had caught some of that play time; but they'd also gone ahead of us to the birthday party and helped Elliott's family out with some of the pre-party work at the small pavilion they were using. Elliott's party started out with a short social time in and around that pavilion; and then his parents had reserved some times for the rock wall and zip line for those of us that wanted to do that. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I all got to be in the first group to go climbing with Elliott, Nora, Paul, and Vanessa.

For those of you reading this that remember that Rowen and I were not Nora and Vanessa's favorite people just a short couple of summers ago; yes, that was a bit weird – even if they have gotten over being mad at us and we get along fine now. The other two couples climbed first, and to be honest; that probably kept that little scene from getting even weirder because they'd already moved on after riding the zip line before we reached the top of the rock wall. If they'd stayed to watch; I'll guess that Nora and Vanessa would have been at least a little annoyed with Rowen and I for making that climb in less than half the time it took them to do it. I'm not going to get into a long discussion of the weird part of that part of our party adventure, so just picture the scene with four teenage boys watching two teenage girls climbing that rock wall; and remember that we're talking about two current boyfriends of those girls and two former boyfriends.

Yes, Michael, we know that you never considered yourself Vanessa's boyfriend, but she did; so just go with it.

Moving along, the rock climbing and zip line fun was followed by a swim that Michael and I got to do with Ethan, Ehlana, and some of the other kids along with our friends – their last swim before heading back to town for dinner. I'll switch to that story for a minute; since I wasn't there for the dinner or early-evening entertainment. Mom and the other adults had bonus help for the return trip driving; mostly because there'd been more kids and teens dropped off for some play time than they had room for in the remaining vehicles. Violet and Dillon were among those extra drivers; and then there was another group helping out at home with the cooking for dinner – including Dan, Grandma, and Grandpa.

They had a bigger group there for dinner than Elliott had at his party; but then they were having a bit of a party too that allowed a lot of Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's friends to get to meet and visit with Brianna. I didn't get the meal options details; but I do know that grilling various meats and lots of pot-luck offerings from the guests were included. There were lots of Olde Bakery treats too – enough that we had leftovers for our bedtime snack tonight; so that was a great bonus! I also missed out on the social hours that followed dinner; and that was when the sleepover requests from the kids was approved. Since Ethan and Ehlana had spent the day playing with Naomi, Sophia, and Aiden; they'd wanted to keep that fun going. Noah and Colleen had played with them a lot too; so they'd been included in the invitation. Their parents hadn't been able to disappoint the kids, so they let them stay with us; but Mom got the impression that they'd have rather had Noah and Colleen spend the time with Uncle Mark while they can before they head home on Saturday.

I get that, but then we're also talking about when they'd have been sleeping for most of the time anyway – especially since all of the adults at the Everett house were tired out by the time they went home from our house tonight and the younger kids were already sleeping by then.

Getting back to the birthday party; the action there got a bit crazy for some of us. After that swim; it was time for some more play time while the meat options for dinner were being grilled. The actual meal was on-the-fly too; Elliott opened his gifts while we all ate; and then Rowen and I were two of the girls that needed to head into town for an hour for our baseball practices while the guys stayed and played. Rowen's Mom handled the transportation for us both ways; and then stayed at Quarry Lake and visited with the other adults at the party until it was time to come home when the park closed to day visitors at dusk – or more like dark by the time we actually got out of there. Our baseball practice went great; and so did the swim and play time after we got back to Quarry Lake that included another climb and zip line run for Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I shortly before that closed for the night.

Rowen's Mom dropped the four of us off at my house on her way home, and while Rowen and I hadn't planned a sleepover; she decided to stay after we found out about the junior sleepover already in progress by then. Michael and Tim stayed too; but they started out their late-evening fun with some video gaming in the living room with Ethan, Noah, and Aiden while Rowen and I joined in for the junior chick flick movie 'marathon' that the girls were having in the lounge. For tonight, that meant watching Barbie movies; since they were Colleen's current favorites; and the other girls were happy to watch them with her.

Yes, Rowen and I loved watching one of those movies with them too; and I'm not embarrassed to admit it.

The kids did all eventually start running out of steam, and since my lounge was sleepover central for the girls; Rowen and I did our pre-bedtime cuddling with Michael and Tim in the living room once Michael and I had Ethan, Noah, and Aiden tucked in for the night. Mom and Dad were still working in the office then, but Michael, Tim, and Rowen are all working in the morning anyway; so we didn't exactly have plans to stay up and party all night anyway. It was still getting late by then, though, and we wanted to have some quality cuddle and chat time; so it was heading toward one when Michael and Tim headed home – and conveniently at about the same time that Mom and Dad wrapped up their work in the office and wished us a good night on their way up to bed.

Rowen and Tim stayed in the living room for their goodnight hugs and kisses while Michael and I took care of ours out on the front porch. Once our boys had left and we'd either watched them walk away for a minute or two; Rowen and I came up to my room for the night. She shopped in my closet for something to wear to bed and an outfit for tomorrow; we took turns in the bathroom; and then we climbed into bed with both of my computers so that Rowen could surf for YouTube videos while I did my nightly computer checks and a bit of family business work. She was tired by then; picked a video playlist; and then fell asleep about twenty minutes into our girl chat time.

I had some family business work that needed to get done, and spent more than an hour doing that; mostly because I couldn't Magi-power it with a gang of kids in the house with us. That's all of the news for today; but let's take a quick look ahead to the plans for the weekend. Uncle Mark's family only has one full day left for their vacation here, and while we don't have anything major planned for their entertainment; we will be doing a family dinner and play night tomorrow that'll likely include a campfire to end the day with if the weather cooperates. I'll definitely be helping out with the kid control again; though I hope that I'll get to spend some time with Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, and Brianna too. Saturday is going to be busy for some of the members of my family while they get Uncle Mark's family out to the airport in time for their flight home; but it should be a fairly normal work day for me – except for my baseball game in the afternoon. Dad's going to be in the city next week and will likely be working all weekend to get ready for that too; so my current plan for Sunday is to help out at the Inn all day. I haven't spent much time there or with Michael's parents; so that should work out great – even if it'll be a lot of work too.

There doesn't seem to be any Michael and me time worked into that schedule, but I'll hope for a bit of that too – even if it isn't all that likely. The good news is that we'll always have next week to try and make up for that – and we should definitely make that happen; since my cousins will be here for a week or two starting next Friday night.

With all of that coming up; why am I not sleeping right now while I can?

I don't know either, so that's all for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, July 10, 2015

It's time for a short update because I'm going to shoot for a full night of rest that is mostly thanks to the rain we've had today that didn't add up to much; but was timed to mess up our lunch, dinner, and evening play plans.

Tai Chi by the river and breakfast with my family and Michael helped to get the day off to a great start; I followed that up with mowing the lawn early to get a head start on the weekend yard work while Mom was busy and she let the twins play at KidZone while she did her shopping. We had lunch plans with the Everett and Carrington clans, but since we got rained out; Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and I just ended up having lunch with Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Grandma, Grandpa, and Zack. Brianna was with us too; but she's not quite ready for cold salads, burgers, and hotdogs.

The rain ended before we finished eating, so taking all of the kids out to play for a few hours was an option; and I was one of the kid control and entertainment draftees. That was fun, but even the playground time at the park was a bit damp; and some of us needed the swim time for more than just to cool off when we got back from that little adventure. Michael helped out while on his afternoon break, but he's putting in extra time this weekend because he's going to take a bit of extra time off next week.

As I've already mentioned, our dinner barbeque was rained out too, and while we were again at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's for the meal; we also had a visit with Uncle Mark and his family after dinner so that we could at least have one last visit with his family before they head home tomorrow. We also took care of all of the work on each side of the meal so that Aunt Leanne had another work-free day except for taking care of Brianna; so that worked out okay for her too even if we didn't get to have the play time and campfire we'd planned on having to wrap up the Everett family visit to our humble little town.

Somehow, we managed to pack all of that fun into just a few hours; and Mom and Dad took Ethan, Ehlana, and I home by nine o'clock so that Aunt Leanne and Brianna could get some sleep – and so could Uncle Mark's nieces and nephews ahead of their long travel day. Mom, Dad, and I all opted to work in the office for a while then; Ethan and Ehlana played on their iPads while we worked; and then we all came up to bed at eleven o'clock. I had all of my work and usual nightly computing done by then; so this journal update is all I have left to do before turning in and getting some sleep.

While we don't have any major fun plans for the weekend, we are going to all be very busy, so that's it for now; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, July 11, 2015

The top family news of the day is that Uncle Mark's family left for home this morning; and are back safely in Seattle after a long travel day that was apparently not much fun for the adults with four out of five kids not having a good day with all of the boring that goes along with long waits between moments of extreme busy.

Uncle Mark, Aunt Grace, Violet, and Dillon took care of the driving for that run to the airport; and Aunt Grace and Violet drove Aunt Leanne's and Mom's minivans while Uncle Mark used his crossover. Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and I went over to do a quick round of goodbye hugs and kisses this morning; but that was all of the involvement we had with the crazy-busy that was the Everett home this morning. Caleb was left with Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick instead of going along; so we didn't even have any babysitting duties to help out with.

That doesn't mean that we were bored. Dad has a lot to do to get ready for his week in the city; and we all had a lot of chores to do today to get ready for our cousins' holiday that'll be starting next weekend. Mowing the lawn yesterday helped a bit; but we still needed to get bikes and canoes checked over; the gardens were freshened up as well as weeded; and the storage barn got a clean-up too. I wasn't set free until twelve-thirty, so I basically had time to get showered, change for baseball, and get to the school ball diamond while taking lunch to go to make it there in time for our game against the Sharks.

Our game was amazing for my team; but possibly too hot for the Sharks. It was definitely too hot out for many spectators; and we had the quietest game of the season so far – at least for the noise level. We – the Piranha – were the away team today, and that did not work out for the Sharks because we took a two-run lead in the top of the first that we kept and added to through to the end of the game. I'm not going to add much to the baseball report, since the ten-to-two score pretty much says it all – and Rowen and I were both holding back by the top of the fourth so that it wouldn't end up being even worse.

Yes, we need to hold back all of the time; but I'm talking about holding back from our 'normal' normal game play.

Michael caught the last couple of innings while taking a late break from the Inn, and Tim met up with us after the game to go along for ice cream at the Emporium and a follow-up swim back at my house before Michael needed to get back to the Inn again. That part of the afternoon was awesome; Ethan and Ehlana came swimming with us too; and then we stayed in the river for nearly an hour after Michael, Rowen, and Tim all moved on. That, and some sunbathing on the dock took us through until dinnertime; and we did that outside too – with Mom and Dad sitting on a bench by the river while the twins and I sat on the dock with our burgers, cold salads, and drinks.

I helped with the clean-up so that Dad could get started on his work; Mom eventually joined him in the office; and Ethan, Ehlana, and I went for a bike ride and play time at the park before coming home again for another long swim that wrapped up after Michael joined us again and caught the last fifteen minutes of the swim. We came inside after that, got dried off and changed – into pajamas for the twins – and then we met up in the lounge to watch a movie. Ethan and Ehlana wanted to go with 'Home' for the movie choice; so we were immersed in animated aliens for an hour and a half or so; Michael and I took care of the bedtime routine for my brother and sister that included a visit and bedtime snack with Mom and Dad in the office; and then we got to have a bit of alone time back in the lounge that included not watching another movie.

If you're expecting this to be when I declare that the Michael and me time was the hottest part of my day; I'll have to disappoint you. We had fun, but our play time was of the quiet and cuddly bliss variety instead of hot and heavy – mostly because we were both wiped out after a day either working and playing outside in that heat or working in a very hot kitchen except for a few breaks that didn't exactly include any rest. We did manage to stay awake, but when Mom and Dad eventually came up to say goodnight to us at twelve-thirty; Michael decided to head home instead of staying.

Too bad Mom and Dad didn't make that visit fifteen or twenty minutes later, or we'd have likely been asleep and enjoying another sofa sleepover instead! ;^)

Instead of that, I saw Michael out; came back up to my room; got ready for bed; and then caught my second wind and did an hour or so of family business work before getting around to this update. I shouldn't have done that, since it's going to be another very long, busy day tomorrow too; but that was more productive than lying in bed staring at the ceiling or surfing the web. I am ready to sleep now, though, so that's all I have for today; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Two of my favorite words of the day are – sofa sleepover!

That's why this update is coming to you on Monday morning instead of Sunday night; and why I need to keep it short; since I'm also multi-tasking it while having my shower and getting ready for the day.

Sunday was another scorcher here in Witch Falls. That led to some bonus fun – like the heat-shortened church service; but also meant that helping out in the kitchen at the Inn was tough due to the extreme heat that the air conditioning had no chance of keeping up with while also keeping the dining room and guest rooms comfortable for the customers. The heat did also mean extra breaks for everyone in the kitchen, but then that put extra stress on everyone to keep up with the work; so Miranda and Jacob were grateful for all of the extra help they could get – including mine.

While the work was tough; the spending time with Michael and his family was awesome. Whether we were on the prep line, washing dishes, or taking breaks and hopping in the river to cool off; Michael and I had a lot of fun together. Let's not get silly and add it to the best-day-ever list; but it was pretty good! My opinion on that isn't very likely to be shared by the majority of the teens working with us at the Inn; but then their day didn't end with a sofa sleepover with their respective boyfriend or girlfriend.

Mine did, and that's because Michael came home with me after we finished up at the Inn. We went for a cool down swim that Ethan and Ehlana joined us for; followed that up with a bedtime snack a visit with Mom and Dad in the office; we took care of getting my brother and sister tucked in for the night; and then we fell asleep on the sofa in the lounge within fifteen minutes of flopping onto the sofa together and getting comfortably cuddled close.

The next thing I remember is the wake-up call that Ehlana delivered to us so that we could see Dad off on his trip to the city. We did that; helped with loading the truck; and then came back up to the lounge to continue our sofa sleepover until we needed to wake again to get going again for the day. Ethan and Ehlana spent that time cuddling and napping with Mom in her room, but for some reason; Michael didn't want us to join them for that when Ethan and Ehlana made the offer. I was okay with having Michael to myself for that bonus cuddle time, and while we did sleep too; there was a minor make-out session that wouldn't have been an option if we'd had extra cuddle buddies in the room with us.

I really need to get moving; so let's wrap this up. Michael and I didn't need another wake-up call for Tai Chi. He ran home to get changed for our workout while I put a pot of coffee on to brew for Mom. Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana met me in the kitchen; Michael caught up with us again by the time we got to the river; and we had fun exercising together before Michael needed to get home again. Mom's cooking breakfast while I'm taking my turn to get ready for the day; I'll be doing the clean-up; and then we'll both need to get some work done around here before the Malloys get to town.

Though Dad's stuck working in the city this week, Terry still needed to come here to continue working on the bridge project. They'll only be here for two days this time, but the more awesome news is that we'll be heading for Crystal Springs and a five star sleepover tomorrow that will include having dinner with Dad and the Malloys. We're also going to be doing a lot of shopping that will include some wedding-related fun; so it's definitely going to be a busy, awesome start to our week!

The work needs to come first, though, and I need to get to that; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, July 13, 2015

It's been another scorcher here in Witch Falls on the weather front; while fairly uneventful and very busy.

The last two don't seem to go together, but I really don't have much to report since my last update this morning. Breakfast was followed by chores around the house and some family business work; the Malloys arrived by a bit after ten; Terry headed straight off to his first meeting; and then I was on kid control for the rest of the day. Michael worked at the Inn today because we'll be in Crystal Springs for the next two days, and while he did spend his break time with me this afternoon and came over after the dinner rush for a couple of hours this evening; he also just helped out with the kid-rated entertainment. All of that play time with Ethan, Ehlana, Valerie, and Marcus was a blast, and we had bonus kid fun for the few hours around dinnertime with my cousins while they were at our house with their parents, grandma, and grandpa; but I'm also wiped out from the heat and non-stop action.

That's why I'm in bed and writing this within a half-hour of saying goodnight to Michael after we finished getting Ethan, Ehlana, and Valerie tucked in for the night. We'll be leaving for the city right after breakfast; and I want to get the extra sleep tonight because the next two days are going to be just as busy and more fun of the teen, shopping, and wedding varieties instead of geared toward the baby-to-pre-school crowd. Add in a five-star sleepover; and I am so looking forward to our impending adventures in the city!

While that's pretty much it for my day; I'll also add a couple of family and friends notes. Aunt Leanne and Angela had fun comparing babies and baby stories; Brianna was happy to get a lot of attention from everyone; and Terry is sure that the bridge project will be ready to begin construction on time in September. It's a comparatively small project for him, but I'm sure that he's taking extra care with it; since it's personal for him – just as designing Aunt Grace's house was personal for Uncle Blaine.

One of those points don't go with the others, but babies and bridges were two of the top family and friends topics today; and I preferred those topics a lot over others that did get some minor mention – like current events in Europe and elsewhere. Don't worry – I'm not going there. If you're that bored as you read this to find out the latest geo-political idiocy of the day; feel free to do an archive search for today's date and read all about it.

I definitely don't want to head off to dreamland thinking about that kind of thing, so I'm going to wrap this up; think about Michael and me; and get some sleep!

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The good news is that Mom and Dad put Michael in the same hotel room with me for our five-star sleepover!

I'm sure that sounds perfect to any teen couple, and way too permissive for responsible parents; but the flip side of that good news is that we're in our room with Ethan and Ehlana so there is definitely nothing going on tonight that is not kid-rated entertainment or fun. We have been having fun today, though; and it's been a really great day here in the city.

While we didn't have a lot of time this morning before needing to hit the road for Crystal Springs, we still had our Tai Chi workout by the river at sunrise and went with a snack breakfast before loading up the minivan and Violet's car; meeting up with the rest of our mini-caravan; and heading east toward the highway by eight o'clock. Stuart and Samantha Wingborough led the way; and they had Stephanie and Jake with them. Michael and I were with Violet and Dillon, and Rebecca was with her parents in their minivan; along with bonus junior shoppers Jessica, Sophia, and Geraldine – the three younger girls thrilled to be invited along on the shopping adventure. Josiah, Christina, Mitch, and Lynn were in two more vehicles; and between them, they had Anna-Marie, Erica, and Carolyn, and Lindsay with them. Mom brought up the rear of our group; and she and Angela were kept entertained for the drive time by Ethan, Ehlana, Valerie, and Marcus.

The trip to the city was especially fun for me because I actually got to spend an hour and a half with Violet and Dillon without interruption. That certainly doesn't happen very often anymore; and I know that Violet was as happy as I was for that chance to hang out together and talk about everything from work and summer fun to weddings and upcoming college and high school plans. We needed to split up for a while and do some vehicle shuffling once we were in Crystal Springs; and Miranda and Samantha led the girls in the wedding party into the boutique for the final fittings of our dresses while everyone else moved on to the mall.

Our dresses were perfect; and though Stephanie's fitting too quite a while as they took a lot of care with getting her in and out of it; Miranda was especially happy to find out that Rebecca and I didn't have any problems with our dresses. That was really more of an issue for me than Rebecca; but the guesses made at my first fitting worked out pretty much exactly as expected; and I've grown into the sizing – and not beyond. Taking my dress in would have been an option; but we'd have had a problem if I'd exceeded the capacity! ;^)

Miranda and Samantha had fun teasing us while overseeing the action; and the jokes directed my way ranged from suggestions that Stephanie should make a last-minute change in the bridal party to protect Miranda's baby boy from me to placing mock bets about whether we'd be having an accidental sofa sleepover the night of the wedding. Rebecca was teased at least as much as I was; but we were both okay with that bonus fun – especially since we're also sure that our respective boyfriends really are going to be blown away when they see us at the wedding!

While we were busy, the guys went ahead and began their search for the perfect tuxes; led by Jacob and Stuart while most of the girls, Ethan, and Marcus fanned out around the mall for some quality shopping time. The fathers of the bride and groom kept the Moms and bridal party in the loop with texts and pictures as they had Jake and the other guys try on different tuxes; and then Mom and Angela were recruited for in-person approval of the final choice when they were at that stage of the process before we were finished at the wedding boutique. Michael was one of the guys wearing the 'winning' choice tux, so I got to see a picture of that; we both got teased some more; and the odds of that sofa sleepover went up to the point where none of the girls would take the 'not happening' side of the bet anymore.

I didn't get to see Michael in his tux in person because by the time we got to the Mall; he was finished with his fitting – as were about half of the guys. As we were told several times, it may be totally unfair that the bride can see the groom in his tux while he can't see her dress before the wedding processional; but I'll guess that Jake was pretty much over the disappointment by the time that Stephanie finished telling him how much she loved how great he looked in his tux in a mostly non-verbal way. While half of the girls in our group stayed for the rest of the tux fittings; Michael, Rebecca, and I were set free until lunchtime. We met up with Mom, Angela, and their gang; and then we also took over keeping an eye on Jessica, Geraldine, and Lindsay so that Anna-Marie, Erica, and Carolyn could go and do their own thing for a few hours.

It hasn't been that long since our summer shopping trip, so I didn't really need to pick up anything; but that didn't keep me from finding two tops, a pair of shorts, a swimsuit, and a sundress that wouldn't let me leave the stores without them. I'm including the full shopping time in that list; but only picked up the sundress before we met up with most of our group for lunch in the food court at one o'clock. Our afternoon shopping adventure included some wedding-related work that ranged from a bride and groom visit to the jewelry store with the parents to picking up the supplies for everything from decorating the church and Inn to some of the treats that would be going into the gift baskets for the guests. That was actually going to be gift cauldrons; but that was as much for the chef reference as for a magical theme for the night.

Michael, Rebecca, and I had one of the shopping lists, and while we needed to split off from Mom, Angela, and the kids to take care of some of that; we usually also at least took some of the kids with us – with Jessica, Sophia, and Ehlana most happy to come along and help us out. We had all of our 'work' done and the bonus fun shopping by the time that Terry met up with us after finishing his work back at home, and while we still had a bit of time left before needing to move on; Mom decided to head over to the hotel a bit early so that we could check in and freshen up before meeting up with everyone again for dinner. That had the advantage that Dad didn't need to drive out to meet us too; but let's not review how happy he was about meeting up with Mom in his room while Michael, Ethan, Ehlana, and I were in our room. The smiles were more information than we needed to have; and I'll guess that Mom's wards were up around their room for more than the privacy. If you absolutely must, think time phasing; use your imagination; and never tell me about it if you do should I still be around when you're reading this someday in my future.

Yes, I do have a double standard for that when it comes to my parents compared to me using time phases for making out with Michael; but I'm a teen – deal with the inequity of it all and move along!

Dinner was a crazy-busy couple of hours of non-stop fun. Angela had picked out a surf and turf restaurant for us; we needed to be split up around a half-dozen tables; and Michael and I were on kid control duty with the twins, Sophia, Valerie, Jessica, Geraldine, and Lindsay while there were tables for the senior members of the wedding party and the parents; the rest of the Proctor-Malloy group; and the temporarily single teen girls' club that Rebecca joined for the meal. I would have liked to spend some time with the teens and adults too, but Michael and I were good with getting to spend the extra time with Jessica and Sophia. Once again, that's another example of cousins that we don't get to spend enough time with despite the fact that they live on the same street with us; and Sophia spends time with Ethan and Ehlana at least a couple of times a week.

We at least made up for that a bit today – and tonight after dinner. The parents either headed home, to the hotel, or elsewhere for a few hours after we left the restaurant; but dropped all of the kids or teens off at the movie theater so that we could wrap up our day with a bit of bonus entertainment. Michael and I were drafted to be the kid control managers; and we had the same gang with us for our cinematic adventure into the world of the Minions. The rest of the teens split up and either went to see Jurassic World or Insurgent. I would have liked to see both of those movies too; but I'll guess that we had more fun watching the Minions thanks especially to Ethan, Ehlana, and Sophia. By the end of the show, they were pretending to be our Minions; and then expanded their act when we met up with the rest of our movie-going gang outside of the theater. Jake, Stephanie, Violet, Dillon, Josiah, and Christina were all particularly amused when it was their turn to be followed around by our three little Minions for a while before they moved on to their next target.

Mom came to get Michael, Ethan, Ehlana, and me while Miranda, Jacob, Samantha, and Stuart were there to collect their passengers too after hanging out together for that two hours or so doing some other wedding-related shopping; and then it was time to say goodbye when our little sub-group headed back to the hotel while everyone else was going home. It was going to be late by the time they got back to Witch Falls; but most of the teens and parents are working in the morning; and our favorite collegians decided not to spend the money on a city sleepover that they'd rather have for going back-to-school – or for their honeymoon in Jake and Stephanie's case.

When we got back to the hotel, we had a little bedtime visit with Dad in his room, but he still had lots of work to get done by morning; so we kept that short. Again, let's not go into why Dad still had so much work left to do after having several hours of kid-free time to get that done. Michael and I took Ethan and Ehlana with us to our room; we took turns getting ready for bed in the washroom; and then we put a movie on and got into bed – Michael and Ethan in one; and Ehlana and I in the other. At the risk of future ruin to Michael's reputation, he did cuddle with Ethan while I cuddled with Ehlana, but try not to give him a hard time about that – the twins are only four; and still officially in the cuddling-is-cool years. Sure, he'd have rather been cuddling with me; but Michael really loves my brother and sister a lot too; and we had fun tonight while watching our show until all three of my roommates for the night fell asleep.

I waited until the movie was over to get started on my nightly computer checks; dealt with a bit of family business work; and answered a half-dozen emails from family and friends – including a couple from Violet and Rebecca that were mostly just to let me know that they were home safely – and wondering if I was enjoying my sleepover with Michael. Dawn and Jillian sent me an email too; mostly interested in getting details about their upcoming holiday in Witch Falls. Other than the extra work that goes along with getting ready for a cousins' vacation, I haven't really even thought about that much; and Mom and Aunt Leanne haven't exactly put a lot of time into planning for it either with everything they both have on the go right now.

Maybe Aunt Leanne and I should just do a little matchmaking for Dawn and Jillian and leave them to entertain themselves for the next two weeks! ;^)

I'm so glad that their fathers will never ready this – and don't you dare pass this along to them, Violet!

Moving along, that's all of the news for today, and while I haven't even come close to listing every detail; I'm sure that bits and pieces of the action today will show up in future journal updates – particularly when it comes to the wedding fun. Mom has some more shopping to get done tomorrow; we're going to visit SportsFusion for a couple of hours too; and then we need to be home in time for dinner with a fast food fix for Aunt Leanne; so I'm going to wrap this up now and join Michael, Ethan, and Ehlana in slumber land. Our adventures in the city may be more than half-done now, but I definitely want to be ready for that shopping and play time by morning; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Waking up with Michael in my hotel room was quite a bit of fun despite the fact that we were in separate beds and each had a junior cuddle buddy thanks to Ethan and Ehlana entertaining us with the wake-up call that got us moving and taking turns getting ready for Tai Chi.

Our workout was great too. We exercised outdoors by the pool, and while we always have fun with Mom and Dad; we forgot to collect them on our way outside so that they'd have more alone time before meeting up for breakfast. No details of their alternate start to the day are required; so let's not go there. As usual, we had a small audience watching us by the time we finished out Tai Chi forms; we followed that up with a short swim in the pool; and then hurried up to our room to take turns getting showered and ready for the day.

That, by the way, is not impossible with one bathroom and four kids and teens; but it is a lot easier to accomplish while in a time phase! ;^)

No, there were no Michael and me make-out opportunities while we were doing that; since we always had at least one twin with us when we were together; and my time phase included the entire hotel room – and everyone in it. I'll try not to think about that too much, since that just reminds me that Michael and I are yet again way behind on finding time for make-out opportunities, yet with the coming cousins' holiday; we're not likely going to get much alone time over the next two weeks or so.

Instead of going on about what isn't happening for us; let's move on to the highlights from our second day in the city. We met up with Mom and Dad in time to have breakfast at the usual diner; Dad had a five-person escort to the courthouse before he went off to work with goodbye hugs and kisses. While he was in full law-immersion; the rest of us went back to the hotel; packed up; and headed over to Wal-Mart to do some supply shopping. Mom needed to make a few shopping stops, though some of the purchases were for Aunt Leanne, Grandma, and Aunt Deborah. We pretty much had the van filled up by the time we went to have lunch; that was another fast food break; and then we moved on to SportsFusion for a couple of hours of play time before we needed to head for home again.

Ethan and Ehlana can't do everything at SportsFusion, but they did have fun in the indoor playground and playing some of the arcade games. Michael and I did most of that with them; and also went rock climbing and on the zip line. We needed to be on the road by three-thirty or so, and managed to do that; pick up fast food for Aunt Leanne on the way out of town; and even made it onto the highway heading south toward home before the rush hour traffic clogged up the streets and highways around the city.

I'm going to take a little side-trip here because Michael and Tim have both joined the club of pre-drivers that are especially interested in the driving activity now that they are getting very close to reaching that all-important teen milestone. Tim will get there first, but he's been allowed to drive farm equipment and vehicles already; so he's really just looking forward to being able to drive on the roads once he gets his license. Michael hasn't gotten to drive anything faster than a go-cart or lawn tractor; and he's become very attentive whenever he's in a vehicle – especially on longer trips like this one. He's also already memorized the driver's manual; so it's a good thing that Mom has too – not that he'd say anything if she actually did make any mistakes.

Just in case you're wondering, we're Magi Masters, not Saints; and yes, Mom does occasionally break laws while driving! I know, that's totally shocking to find out that my Mom isn't perfect; but deal with it. The more interesting bit of information with that for you should actually be the fact that Mom can passively sense radar signals – whether they're coming from police cars in the area or planes overhead. I'll guess that's a talent that every driver in the country would love to have! ;^)

I'm still more than half a year away from being able to get my license, but if you're a parent of a teen in the same age range as Michael and me; think about how scary it would be to have a new teen driver with that particular built-in talent!

Getting back on-track, the point of my little detour here was simply to mention that Michael is getting ready to be a new driver; which is also why he sat up front with Mom for the drive home – and spent a little time talking about driving and road rules with Mom and me. Ethan, Ehlana, and I also watched a movie; munched on our afternoon fast food snack; and enjoyed the ride home and break before we were back to the busy once we were at home and needed to get to work.

For Michael, that meant heading over to the Inn to help out with the dinner rush already in progress; and he worked until close after getting most of two days off. I helped Mom with unloading the van; we put most of our purchases away; and then hurried over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house to have dinner with them – which included a fast food fix for Aunt Leanne. I like fast food as much as Aunt Leanne does; but I was good with our return to 'real' food tonight. While I liked the grilled chicken, cold salads, and the past and veggies meal; my favorite part of our dinner break was getting to cuddle with Brianna for a lot of the time while Mom and Aunt Leanne caught up on the latest news from home and away; and Uncle Adam tried to feed Zack with as little mess as possible.

We love you, Zack; but do you really need to work so hard on your 'public' personality even when you're around family and don't need to do it? I won't even go into why you've decided that being a quasi-Neanderthal toddler is so much fun; though I will feel sorry for Brianna. She is so going to wish that her brother is more like Ethan as you grow up together!

My kid control duties didn't end with dinner; though I didn't get to take care of Brianna all night. My job was to keep Ethan, Ehlana, and the usual group of kids entertained while the co-ed baseball practice was going on at the park. We spent some quality time at the playground; went for a walk along the path by the river to the falls and back; and then we went for a swim back at home before the parents split up for the night and took their kids home with them.

Mom and I did the full bath and bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana once we were on our own; though Violet and Dillon eventually came home and spent the night with us after having dinner with his family and hanging out with friends after that for the evening. While I'm thinking about that, they had the house to themselves last night while we were away; and maybe that actually had more to do with their choice not to stay in the city. They got to have the alone time without the five-star hotel costs! No other details about their night will be requested or reported on for my journal; though I'm sure that the topic will come up in girl chats that I won't miss if I do manage to avoid them.

Once Ethan and Ehlana were in bed, it was time for Mom and I to split up for some quality Jacuzzi time. I multi-tasked most of my nightly computer and email checks while doing that; added in some family business work; and then took a break from the computing while doing my hair and getting ready for bed once I was finished in the tub. Mandy was happy to have me home again; and even happier that we were in bed early. This is my last task of the day; and I plan on being asleep about five minutes after I put my computer away for the night.

The next couple of days are going to be all about work and getting ready for our incoming cousins. My personal fun level is going to drop while doing all of that work, but Michael's going to be busy at the Inn anyway; and I might need the break ahead of two weeks of extreme fun that will wrap up with Jake and Stephanie's wedding.

Wow! Their wedding is just over two weeks away!

Now I'm getting very sleepy just thinking about everything we'll be doing to get ready for the wedding in addition to the cousins' play time between now and then. Maybe I should skip all of the work tomorrow and Friday and just sleep through until Friday afternoon to rest up for all of that. It's a nice thought – especially if cuddling with Michael for two days was involved; but won't happen. I'll settle for wrapping up this report and getting a decent night of rest, though; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Getting a decent night of rest was so much fun last night that I'm going to do it again tonight!

The main difference between yesterday and today is that most of my fun has revolved around all of the work I've been doing pretty much since we finished our Tai Chi workout by the river this morning. Helping out on both sides of breakfast got the work-ball rolling; I followed that up with some chores around the house while also working on the family business in the office in between loads of laundry and other housework; and then I mowed the lawn for the last couple of hours of the morning and through until we stopped for lunch at a bit after one. It was back indoors for more family business fun and housework for the afternoon; though Ethan, Ehlana, and I took a break to play and go for a swim with Michael while he was on his own afternoon break. I helped Mom with our dinner meal for six that Violet and Dillon joined us for; missed the clean-up due to baseball practice; and then headed over to Michael's house for a wedding work evening with about half of the wedding party members, Samantha, and some volunteer helpers.

Our job for the night was to start working on the gift cauldrons for the reception. We spent two hours decorating and filling the cauldrons; boxing them when completed; and hauling those boxes up to one of the second-floor guest bedrooms. While we could have worked later, getting the cauldrons finished was going to take a second work session anyway; so we stopped when we were about half-way done; and we'll finish the rest of them sometime next week.

Michael wasn't one of the members of the work crew tonight; but most of the guys managed to escape getting drafted for the crew. Josiah and Dillon were two exceptions; and they likely wished that they'd had a way out too by the time that we all headed home or elsewhere at shortly after ten o'clock. Next up for me was heading home, though Michael had just gotten home with his parents and Jake as we were wrapping up our work; so he came home with me for a while. Mom decided to take that opportunity to do a last Magi lesson with us ahead of the cousins' visit that will keep us from doing them for the next two weeks; Michael and I took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana into bed after that; and then we came up to the lounge for some quality make-out time for two that required a dash or three of time-phasing to fit into our schedule before Michael needed to head home.

He's working the breakfast shift with his parents; so I'm not the only one interested in getting the extra sleep tonight. Fortunately for both of us, wrapping up our day with that teen-rated play time has us nicely tired out; so sleep will not only be easy – we should also have some very happy dreams!

I'd like to get right to that now; and don't have anything else to add from my micro version of the nightly computer and email checks; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, July 17, 2015

The third floor has been taken over by girls for the next two weeks; and it's been a lot of fun around here tonight as Violet and I have been catching up with Dawn and Jillian since we came up to bed at a bit after midnight.

Okay, there is one boy up here on the third floor with us, but Dillon was hanging out with Dad, Ethan, and Jayden earlier; and then pretty much hid in Violet's room until she joined him once we'd wrapped up our girl chat time in my room. By the way, I should really just start calling it 'their' room; but even though they're either both here or at his house; I still think of their rooms as 'his' and 'hers' even though that isn't really accurate anymore.

Moving along, let's back up to the start of the day and do the full update.

Tai Chi by the river was for four today while Michael was at the Inn helping out with the breakfast rush. While he was busy, my morning and early afternoon was all about yard work; and I got the rest of my weekend chores finished today so that Dad and I can both take tomorrow off! The gardens are weeded and freshened up with some new flowers that Mom picked up from the garden center while doing her shopping; the walks, porches, and driveway are all swept or raked; the dock and benches are cleaned too; and I won't bore you with the rest of the list of chores.

I had a break for lunch with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana, and finished up my work in time to be set free for the rest of the day when Michael came over to hang out with me during his afternoon break. That wasn't really the end of the work for me today; but let's not count the work on each side of dinner. I was drafted for the prep line and clean-up crew; but spent the rest of the day playing with my family and friends – and enjoying yet another beautiful, hot summer day.

Since I'd been working all morning and after lunch, going for a swim with Michael, Ethan, and Ehlana was first on our to-do play list; we followed that up with a bike ride and playground fun at the park; and wrapped up Michael's break time with an ice cream run to the Emporium. Ethan, Ehlana, and I were home again when Uncle Rick, Aunt Melissa, Dawn, and Jillian arrived; and I helped Dawn and Jillian with getting their luggage up to their rooms while Mom helped Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa was set free to go over to see Aunt Leanne, Zack, and Brianna.

We met up with her once that little blast of busy; Dawn and Jillian took turns holding Brianna; and then we were set free again for a little while until I needed to be back at home to help Mom, Grandma, and Grandpa with the cooking for dinner. This time, we didn't take Ethan and Ehlana along; and instead went for a bike ride around town that included a short visit to the new med center so that Jillian could see it and a visit to the park so that she could check out the new playground too. Most of the hometown family came over to our house for dinner so that they could all spend some comparatively quiet time with Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa. I'm not including Dawn and Jillian in that; but only because we ended up having dinner by the river or on the dock with Ethan, Ehlana, Zack, and Leah because that's what the kids wanted to do; and we were drafted to keep an eye on them. Brianna was with us for a while too, but we didn't keep her out by the river for too long because of the heat and lack of shade out on the dock.

After enjoying our barbeque dinner and cleaning up, we had a couple of play hours available while waiting for the rest of our incoming cousins. We went back to the park with Ethan, Ehlana, Leah, and Zack to hang out at the playground; Michael met up with us there once he was set free from the Inn after the main dinner rush was finished; and then we were back at home again to go for a swim and cool off before Dad pulled in with Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Jayden. They're actually staying with Aunt Grace and Uncle Mark this week, so we needed to haul their luggage over there; but everyone was still at our house then so Dad didn't make the side-trip with the truck.

Their arrival was just the start of a busy hour or so as Kevin, Elaine, Scott, and Melanie all arrived together with their kids. Kara, Eddie, and Nicole will be spending a week with us, but Robyn is only here for the weekend; and the four parents only changed the original travel plans for the kids so that they could all get to meet Brianna and join in on a couple of days of new baby in the family fun with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne. They all got to spend at least a bit of time with Brianna tonight because she was awake for a lot of the time while we were hauling luggage around and doing the meet and greet thing with everyone; but we were all getting tired by then too; so it wasn't long before we split up and headed for our respective homes for the night.

At our house, it was then time for the parents to have some chat time with Violet and Dillon. Michael, Dawn, Jillian, and I joined them in the living room for some of that time, but we also took care of getting Ethan, Jayden, and Ehlana off to bed; and went for a late swim in the river shortly before Michael needed to head home for the night. He and I were left on our own by the river for our goodnight hugs and kisses; though we did have some observers watching us – including at my house. Once again, Michael and I didn't end up having any alone time together, but it has still been a pretty good day; so I'll just be happy about that and hope for at least a few opportunities to have Michael all to myself once or twice between now and the end of July – no matter how unlikely that seems to be right now.

I've already mentioned the girl chat time in my room, so I guess all that's left is to mention that it's mildly weird to have Violet and Dillon staying together next door to me while Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa are staying in the room below mine tonight. Violet and Dillon aren't having an issue with it anymore; so I guess that they've fully crossed-over to that next level now. It's getting late, and I should be getting some sleep while I can instead of sitting up and pondering things like that – especially when it has me musing about sleepovers with Michael.

We've got a really busy weekend ahead, and I want to be ready for all of the fun, so that's all for now; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, July 18, 2015

It's been a hot, sunny, rainy, and occasionally stormy weather day around here; and that's made for a very strange first day start to our cousins' hometown holiday this year!

Rain kept us indoors for Tai Chi; got in the way of lunch; and was responsible for a rather abrupt end to our campfire tonight. On the other side of that weather line, the sunshine we had for the rest of the day ensured that nothing stayed wet for long; our barbeque dinner didn't get rained out; and the two ball games that I was most interested in today were a go. We hadn't set up specific plans for a camping night, but the overnight forecast had us opting for a girls' night sleepover on the third floor instead of camping anyway. The thunderstorm going on right now as I write this is a fair confirmation that we made the right choice.

It's also really late right now too; so let's keep this short and then I'm going to try to get a few hours of down time before we'll be up and going again.

Tai Chi indoors just isn't quite as much fun as it is by the river, but we made up for that drop in fun level with breakfast for twelve. The rain had ended by then, so going out to play after the clean-up was an option. Dawn, Jillian, and I did that; took Ethan and Ehlana along; and collected some friends along the way as we biked around town and played at the park or wandered along Witch Falls Road and visited a few stores. The hot had us picking up ice cream at the Emporium for our morning snack break; and swimming in the river was an option too anytime we felt the need to jump in.

The parents hadn't made any plans for the morning, so having us out of the way just made it easier to get some work done – or spend time hanging out together. Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa also spent some time with Brianna without any major competition for the baby attention while Uncle Adam's cousins were busy with the kids or doing other things. Our rained-out lunch plans had been at the Carrington and Everett homes; so we split up between the houses for that meal and ate in the dining rooms, kitchens, or back porches of the two houses. Dawn, Jillian, and I were with the group at the Everett's house; and we helped out with kid control that only semi-successfully included keeping the younger kids dry as they chose to play in the rain as part of their back porch dining adventure.

We had a short blast of sun and hot toward the end of lunch; a bit more rain; and then the hot really kicked up a few notches by the time I wanted to be at the school ball diamond to watch Michael, Tim, and the Arrows play their game against the Cannons. Rowen and I had a few cousins along for our cheerleading squad, but none of the parents came to the game; most of the younger kids stayed at home or went to the park to play; and even our squad kept getting diverted with doing other things – like biking off to the river to cool off with a swim or go to the Emporium for ice cream treats and cold drinks.

I don't think that our lack of cheer squad dedication had anything to do with the final results; but the Arrows came up just short in their final inning attempt at a comeback and lost the game by a score of twelve-to-eleven. Michael, Tim, and the other guys weren't all that disappointed, and pretty much everyone at the game just wanted to get cool by then anyway; so the post-game action lasted all of about ten minutes before we headed for my house. For Michael, Tim, and Rowen; they only came over for a swim, snacks, and drinks before Michael needed to get to the Inn to help out and Rowen and Tim moved on to his Aunt and Uncle's house for their own barbeque dinner plans.

By then, it was time for a bit of a mad rush for us to get through dinner and the clean-up in time for Mom, Dad, and the other co-ed ball playing members of our family to get to the park for their pre-game warm-ups. Dawn, Jillian, and I had another group of kids with us when we went over there too; and we played at the playground until the game started. After that, 'they' continued to play there, go swimming, or do other games while Ehlana and I led the tiny little squad of cheerleaders that we had with us for the game. We had a few transient additions now and then; but it just wasn't the same as usual tonight – mostly because it really was just too hot to expect our cousins to be very enthusiastic about hanging around and cheering – especially when about half of the players were having a tough time staying motivated too. Our cheerleading record is off to the worst start ever for any cousins' vacation since I've been here, though; and we're oh-for-two this weekend. The Pub Parrots beat our Legal Eagles thirteen-to-ten; and everyone once again seemed to just be happy that the game was over and they could move on to do anything that included getting cool again.

Having a campfire doesn't seem to fit in with that desire for cool, but most of us went swimming; and the fire was small and meant to be the focal point for the family and friends gathering. As I mentioned, that didn't end up being much of an event anyway. Some of us could feel the rain and storms moving into the area; we doused the campfire at a bit before eleven; and either headed home or came indoors for the night. The sleepover plans had been confirmed for some of us at dinnertime or into the evening; and we have Jaimie and Kaitlyn with us tonight while Ethan and Jayden are with Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace. We'd talked about having Kara and Nicole with us too; but they're juggling sleepover time with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and great-grandparents; so that didn't work out for them tonight.

While it's a girls' night sleepover; boys were not banned from the third floor until Michael and Tim needed to go home for the night. This update is jumping around a bit, and that's at least partly because I'm tired out; but Rowen and Tim joined us at the park near the end of the game and stayed with us for the campfire because Rowen is doing the sleepover too; and Michael caught up with us at the weather-shortened campfire after the Inn closed for the night. That's something else that was different and probably heat-related too – his parents, Jake, Stephanie, and Rebecca were all too tired to come over for the campfire and they'd opted to stay at home instead.

This isn't exactly ending up as a short report; so let's try to speed this up. While Michael and Tim were with us, we watched a movie in the lounge; we – the girls – 'kicked them out' at twelve-thirty; and Rowen and I took care of saying goodnight to our boys out on the front or back porch as we split up to do that before sending them off into the light rain for their respective run or bike ride home. Violet and Dillon are here tonight, and Violet joined us for some of the girl chat time after that; but they'd spent that movie time with the parents instead so that they could have the bonus visit with Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa before they head home to Woodvale again tomorrow afternoon.

By the way, just for the record; I don't think that they're seriously worried about having a house left standing to go home to after leaving Chris and Martin alone there for a weekend. I'll let you know if I'm wrong about that if it actually ends up being a valid concern that proves out tomorrow! ;^)

Okay, the girl chat time took an hour and a half or so; Jaimie and Kaitlyn are camping out in the lounge and sleeping now; and Rowen's in bed with Mandy and me – and she fell asleep about forty minutes ago – not long after Dawn and Jillian headed off to their rooms for the night. I've been doing my usual nightly computer and email checks; got caught up dealing with a bit of family business work; and wish that I was sleeping already too. The work needed to be done, though; and at least it is out of the way now.

Sometimes I am way too much like my parents for things like that; but don't worry – Aunt Leanne hasn't totally given up hope on me yet!

That is all that I have for tonight, and I really am worn down; so I am out of here and off to dreamland now.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Other than some rain overnight that ended shortly before dawn and more rain late tonight; it's been a fairly nice and very hot day around here. The rain that was in the forecast for the day didn't show up; though there was rain and thunderstorms in the region that just didn't make any stops in town. The threat of bad weather did keep us close to home, though; so we didn't do any major outings this afternoon.

I'm getting ahead of the storyline, though; so let's back up and start from the beginning.

Tai Chi by the river was a bit damp on our feet and shoes; but we still opted to be outdoors and just needed to be a bit more careful to avoid any slips on the damp grass. Michael came over to exercise with us, but then he was home again to have breakfast with his family while I was busy for the next couple of hours with helping out in the kitchen before and after breakfast; handling kid control during breakfast; and juggling bathroom time with all of the other girls. That was a crazy-busy rush followed by the comparative quiet at church – at least during the service and Sunday school before we headed home again and got back to the busy while throwing lunch together for all of our collective families and some extra friend invitees.

Michael wasn't one of those lunchtime guests because he was busy at the Inn all day, but we did have Rowen, Tim, Naomi, and Aiden with us; along with some of their parents. The meal wasn't anything fancy – just grilled burgers and hot dogs with sides of cold salads and veggies; but that was mostly because we were also booked for the late buffet at the Inn tonight too. Rowen, Tim, and I were on kid control during lunch and the work crews on each side of the meal; but Dawn and Jillian spent time with Violet, Dillon, and the parents before Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa headed home not long after we finished eating.

All of the weekend visitor parents headed out then; with Robyn the only visiting kid to leave with her parents while her big sister, Nicole, is staying with us for the week. In this case, the 'us' is all of us; and Kara, Eddie, and Nicole will be doing sleepovers at at least five different houses – including at least one camping or sleepover adventure at our house. I'm not committing to any camping nights for them; since we're already through the first weekend and camping hasn't been an option so far. That seems strange; but then it feels weird to be this far into the cousins' vacation without a major adventure yet. We haven't been to Quarry Lake, on a trail ride, a canoe trip to the whirlpool, or even an all-day play day yet!

After the visiting parents left, we did do some canoeing; swam a lot; and went to the park for some playground time; so we managed to stay entertained without any extreme fun until it was time to get ready for dinner at the Inn. Michael played with us while on his afternoon break; but that was all of the time we spent together for the rest of the day – except for my hugs and kisses visits to the kitchen at the Inn before and after dinner tonight. The buffet meal was the highlight of the day for our cousins; and the parents and grandparents were happy to trade the expense of the outing for not needing to do any extra cooking or cleaning.

Since we'd picked the late buffet so that all of the store owner members of the family could go along, we were at the Inn until a bit after eight-thirty by the time we finished dessert; so we split up after that and headed to our respective homes for the night. We only had Dawn and Jillian at our house tonight, but Naomi's here with Ehlana too; and Ethan and Jayden are with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne – and Aiden got an invite to stay with them too so that he didn't feel left out. Since Mom and Dad both had work to do in the office tonight, Dawn, Jillian, and I had Ehlana and Naomi join us in the lounge for a movie; they both fell asleep before the end of the show; and we put them to bed in Ehlana's room between the first and second movie we watched tonight.

Dawn and Jillian each only watched half of that second movie because they took turns using my Jacuzzi; but I watched the entire show while also doing a bit of work on my computer while multi-tasking some girl chat time too. Violet stopped in for a visit near the end of that movie, but didn't stay long before heading off to bed. She and Dillon are back to work in the morning; so they didn't want to stay up late for a third night in a row. They weren't the only people in the house feeling the same way; Dawn and Jillian headed for their rooms shortly after Violet left us; and I got ready for bed as soon as I finished cleaning up the lounge from our little movie double-feature. I had a micro goodnight chat with Mom and Dad while doing the dishes part of that work in the kitchen; and they headed for bed them too.

Staying up late is relative for me, but I have kept my family business work to the minimum; and I'll still be sleeping by one-ish if I wrap this up and call it a night soon.

Then again, that is pretty much all of the news I have for today, and going off to sleep now is an option; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, July 20, 2015

We're doing a cousins and friends camping adventure in our back yard tonight, and I'm not going to have time for any computing later on; so flip the digital page in your 'now' to read the double update I won't get around to writing until tomorrow night in my present – or near future! ;^)

Until next time; and while I'm having a blast with Michael and the rest of our families and friends...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah!

Their big day, and the even bigger, best-ever kind of gift, was the top news story around town – and for this double-update! Even better, from my perspective, is that we're getting new neighbors on the street later this summer!

That's right – Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah were given the Ayres' family home for their anniversary. Grandma and Grandpa Ayres have already bought one of the townhomes in the new section of town; they'll be moving in sometime during the first week of August; and there is going to be some remodeling of their 'old' house so that it'll be ready for Uncle Nick, Aunt Deborah, and the kids to move in by the Labor Day weekend. I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess that downsizing the Haberdashery and selling the building to Miranda and Jacob had Uncle Nick's father thinking about downsizing their home too – though as far as I know; he's in no hurry to retire or sell the business.

For the record, in case Witch Falls is nothing like it is now in some distant future when you're reading this, Uncle Nick, Aunt Deborah, and the kids will be our four-doors-down neighbors to the west; with Michael and his family in the middle of that five-home block. All of the houses along the river have large back yards, so we're not too close for comfort or anything; but I'd be okay with it even if we were – and it's going to be awesome to have all of my hometown cousins on the same street with us – or at least the same stretch of river; since Uncle Mark, Aunt Grace, and Caleb aren't actually on our street too.

Since I'm on the anniversary topic anyway, let's keep going with that report before backing up to the news from yesterday.

Our involvement with the anniversary fun was limited to the dinner party at the Ayres' family home – and the pre and post dinner action. I guess we were also, technically, in on the kid-free night that Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah had last night because we had Leah with us for our camping adventure; but then we didn't find out about Sebastian going for a grandparent sleepover too until today – and we definitely don't need the early celebration details! They're getting a second kid-free night tonight, but we're not involved with that at all; since Uncle Philip and Aunt Liz have Leah and Sebastian with them tonight – and we again do not need any other details for the continuing anniversary celebration for two; so please don't go there!

The dinner party and play time was fun, and the gift opening part of the night was definitely the highlight. That wasn't only because of the house-gift. We – those of us not in the loop – found out that most of the collective family adults were in the know – and their gifts were all new home related in a very big way. Uncle Nick, Aunt Deborah, and the kids are going to have remodeled bathrooms, bedrooms, a play room like Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne have in their house; new appliances, and some new furniture to go along with the family antiques and heirlooms that will be staying with the house. Mom and Dad were in on that too, but I'm not going to list individual family contributions; since those gifts were given to Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah in one big package – pretty much the same way that Uncle Adam gave Aunt Leanne her remodel gift before they got married. The only thing I will mention is that there isn't going to be a kitchen remodel; but that's simply because their kitchen is already gorgeous and modern thanks to the work that Grandma Lydia had done a few years before Mom and I moved here.

I'd better start moving this along; so let's switch gears and go back to catch up on the rest of the news and fun beginning with Monday morning.

The rain we'd gotten overnight on Sunday ended by morning; so Tai Chi by the river was a go – if a bit damp again. Wet shoes was a small price to pay for the extra beauty and peace that comes with exercising by the river! We had a comparatively small gang to feed at breakfast after a busy weekend; and then it was time to make a play plan for the day once most of the parents had gone to work and most of the cousins had been dropped off at our house. The Moms and Grandmothers must have decided that the teens and older kids in the group were overdue for some fun that was not, by necessity, toddler or pre-school rated; and the suggestion for a canoe trip to the whirlpool was approved – even though that meant more work and alternate entertainment plans needed to be made for all of the younger cousins.

All of that needed to be worked out; and it took quite a while to get canoes, a picnic, and everything else we needed for the whirlpool adventure ready to go. Michael, Tim, and Rowen were the only friends going on the trip with us; and the 'us' cousins were Dawn, Jillian, Jaimie, Kaitlyn, Kara, Eddie, and me. We went with using four canoes instead of putting four kids in one and only going with three. The boys were in one canoe; Rowen and I took Kara with us; and Dawn and Jillian each had one junior paddler in their canoes – Jaimie with Jillian; and Kaitlyn with Dawn. It was heading toward eleven by the time we set out upriver; but that still left us with lots of time to get to the whirlpool and back again by dinnertime.

Being on the teen side of these little adventures is very different from being one of the kids; but it's also still just as much fun – even when things occasionally get weird. I seriously doubt that things like this get included in many Magi journals, and it isn't something that I ever even think about as a Magi Master; but nature does call for some even when miles away from 'civilization' and you have to deal with it when you're one of the teens in charge of the group. That was a non-issue for Michael and Tim with Eddie for obvious reasons, but while I'm again not going to mention any names here; the concept of dealing with certain biological needs in the 'wilderness' is not something that most junior city girls are comfortable with. Rowen and I did the best we could with the situation; though the toughest part of that scene was managing not to laugh our heads off about it! ;^)

Anyway, our paddle to the whirlpool, the play time there, our picnic, and the trip home again were all really great; and I was really happy to finally get to add some adventure to the fun mix for our cousins after a comparatively boring start to their holiday with us. The fun continued when we got back and were given approval for the campfire and camping we'd talked about while away for the day – especially when we offered to include all of the younger cousins and some extra friends for both. That meant getting a lot of work done before and after dinner; but we were fired up and had lots of help for setting up tents and hauling the usual camping gear out to those tents once they were set up. We had all of the cousins except for Sebastian, Caleb, and Brianna; Michael invited Jessica, Ryan, and Sophia; Rowen invited Patrick, Scott, and Lindsay; and Ethan and Ehlana added Naomi and Aiden to nearly complete our group of camping enthusiasts. The last two invitees were Eli and Hailey; and they were added to avert the meltdowns that were imminent when they thought that they were being left out of the fun that Leah and Zack were going to be having with their older cousins.

Some of that happened before and after dinner, and the family and friends meal was a fairly large event; but that pretty much covers the main news through to when I wrote my to-be-continued update last night – and dinner was fairly standard barbeque fare – and meant to be a quick meal. While I was busy with camp set-up and kid control then, Michael and Tim needed to get to their ball practice; so they missed out on the tail-end of that work – and eventually came back after stopping in at their homes to pick up overnight bags and some campfire snack donations. Michael and I also missed out on a wedding work evening at his house, and though I wish we could have helped out with that too; Jake and Stephanie had lots of help for that work – and they wrapped up in time to come over and catch part of the campfire with us.

Even though we had a bunch of younger kids, even Zack, Leah, and Eli didn't start dropping off to sleep until nearly eleven; so the teen and older kid campfire fun couldn't kick up a notch or three until after we had all of the younger kids tucked into sleeping bags for the night at a bit after midnight – and then Michael and I volunteered to be the sleeping kid monitors to make sure that none of them woke up and wandered off while everyone else was having fun by the campfire with songs and scary stories. We were actually okay with that, since it also meant that we had a bit of privacy for a minor make-out session – and we could share those moonlight kisses by the river without worrying about getting caught out late by our parents!

By the way, even though Dad likes to joke about getting in trouble over late-night moonlit kisses when he was a teen; Grandma has assured us that he never really did get into trouble for things like that. Grandpa did have fun with those scenes, and while the details vary among my grandparents, aunt, and father; I can picture Grandpa using the 'That's my girl!' comment with Aunt Leanne over any scolding anytime she was caught out late with a boy. That wouldn't have been the same for Dad, and maybe that's unfair; but it is funny too so it makes for great stories.

Getting back to the story, Michael and I did make some cameo visits to the campfire until it wrapped up at one-thirty and the fire was doused. Some of us went for a very late swim after that; and then it was time to get ready for bed and call it a night. With so many younger kids, we – the teens – needed to split up to make sure we had at least one teen with each tent full of junior campers. I had Leah, Hailey, Kaitlyn, and Kara with me; and Rowen ended up with Ehlana, Naomi, Sophia, and Nicole. Michael and Tim didn't have any problems during the night; but definitely had their hands full in the morning with their junior campers – especially when it came to keeping up with Zack and Eli. Before I get to that, the last thing I'll mention about the camping is that one good thing about having all of my tent mates sleeping by the time I went to bed is that I was able to get right off to sleep without any bedtime chats. Skipping the usual bedtime computing worked out great too.

We didn't exactly get a lot of sleep before it was time for sunrise Tai Chi, but my wake-up call from Ehlana and Naomi was fun; and so was the Tai Chi by the river that Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam joined us for because Brianna had them up early anyway. They then stayed for breakfast, and Mom and Dad had extra parental help for the work needed to get ready for a major camping breakfast; but they also went with easy-food options too – and we ate outdoors either by the river and tents or on the back porch.

After getting a lot of the day off for our whirlpool adventure, Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I were drafted for kid control duty today. We had to help with the breakfast clean-up and camp break-down work too; but followed that up with a lot of play time with the kids for the rest of the morning. That fun included playground time at the park; bike riding on the trails that Michael and Tim led while Rowen and I mostly stayed and played with the younger kids; swimming in the river at the park or at home; and a picnic lunch that was at home in our back yard; but also parent-free while they were mostly busy doing other things elsewhere.

The adventure of the day for the older cousins was a trail ride, and while she wasn't one of the drivers; Mom had set up the ride and arranged for the drivers to take us out there and back again. Violet and Dillon were our drivers for the trip out to the ranch; took a late lunch break from the lab; and used Mom's and Aunt Leanne's minivans. We had Pam and two of her kids for our trail ride guides; and they made sure that we all had a blast for the hour and change of horsing around out on the ranch trails. I spent most of the ride time with Kaitlyn and Kara; and I was again feeling a sense of déjà vu except from the teen perspective instead of being on the kid side of the adventure like I was just a few years ago. Jake and Stephanie took care of the return trip driving duties for us; and Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I were back on kid control duty as soon as we got back – including going for the swim that we all needed after collecting a fair bit of dust off of the trails during our ride. We did that at my house, but then moved the gang of kids and teens over to the Ayres' house after that because most of the volunteer adults were there by then and working on getting the dinner and party set up.

I've already covered the highlights from dinner, and while the social time continued there until nearly dark; we split up and started heading home then. Michael, Tim, and Rowen came home with me; and we only have Dawn and Jillian with us tonight while the rest of our cousins are split up at other houses – including with grandparents or great-grandparents for some of them. Ethan and Ehlana were ordered off to bed shortly after we got home, and Michael and I took care of getting them tucked in; so teen movie time was set up and ready to go already by the time we joined Rowen, Tim, Dawn, and Jillian in the lounge.

Dawn and Jillian had some fun teasing Rowen and me about having cuddle buddies – or more specifically, their lack of them, but they didn't really mind staying and hanging out with us; and we had fun watching an action flick that Tim had picked out. We briefly considered a second movie, but four out of six of us picked a bit of video gaming instead of another couple of hours of movie watching; and Dawn and Jillian had a lot of fun winning their video game competition over Michael and Tim while Rowen and I kept ourselves entertained by distracting our boyfriends at key moments in the competition that definitely helped Dawn and Jillian to win those games – and keep the boys from being too upset over the losses.

Michael, Tim, and Rowen headed home at a bit after midnight since they are all working part-time jobs tomorrow; and Dawn and Jillian had both gone to bed by the time I got back from saying goodnight to Michael out on the front porch after we also said our goodnights with Rowen and Tim – and they'd gone over to her house for some goodnight hugs and kisses of their own. It was nearly one o'clock by the time I climbed into bed with Mandy and my computer, and everyone else was in bed and probably asleep by then; but I've had some catch-up work to do for the family business and my email and computer checks took a while too.

None of the work was particularly fun, but needed to get done; and that's why it's now closer to four than three as I'm writing this. I'm running out of steam, and will likely need to do a bit of self-healing when I have to get up again in a couple of hours; but all of the fun over the past two days has been worth the lack of sleep – and the need for the extra work tonight. We're now half-way through the first week of the cousins' holiday, which is also half-way for all of the younger visiting cousins before they'll be heading home on Sunday. We don't have any major fun plans for tomorrow, other than the now-annual grandparents' lunch at the Inn; but I will be on kid control again for sure – even though I don't know how many kids I'll have yet; and won't have Michael, Tim, and Rowen to help me out with that.

Now that I'm thinking about that, I should have gone off to sleep hours ago instead of doing the work! There isn't anything I can do about that other than the morning self-healing thing; but I can wrap this up now and get what bit of sleep I still have time for between now and whenever my Tai Chi wake-up call comes in a couple of hours; so I'm going to do just that.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

I've had a very busy day, and am running out of steam fast; so this is going to be a quick update.

With Michael, Tim, and Rowen all working today; I spent most of my time between breakfast and the early evening on kid control duty. The Moms limited the number of kids I was entertaining at any given time; but my play time this morning and afternoon was all pre-school and toddler rated fun. That included a lot of playground time; some swimming; and games in the back yard. Dawn and Jillian helped me out with some of that action, but they also were ready for some teen time too; so they took most of the afternoon off and met up with some of their friends for some biking and just to hang out for a while.

The lunch at the Inn that the grandparents and great-grandparents hosted was a short break for me; since all of my younger cousins spent that time with at least one set of their grandparents; though I pretty much just traded that for some time with Brianna – and with Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam.

Michael joined us for some of the afternoon fun while on his break from the Inn; but then I was on my own for entertaining my group of kids until dinnertime. We split up for that meal; met up again at the park in time for the coed baseball practice; and then I was the entertainment coordinator for the kids again while our baseball-playing parents were busy playing with their friends.

I was set free after the practice, and while the visiting cousins were shuffled around to their sleepover locations; I went over to Michael's house with Violet and Dillon to meet up with Jake, Stephanie, and everyone else that was helping out with more wedding work after the Inn closed for the night. Dawn and Jillian are staying with Grandma and Grandpa tonight, so I'm not leaving them hanging while helping out with the wedding work; but we still couldn't stay up late with the work because most of the adults and teens on the work crew tonight still have work to get to in the morning. We did put in a couple of solid hours of work; finished up the gift baskets; and had some fun with decoration crafting; and then Michael and I went out to the river for at least a bit of quiet time together before I came home and he headed for bed.

Mom and Dad were only going to have Jayden with us overnight; but ended up with Naomi, Sophia, and Aiden too so that Ethan and Ehlana could have some bonus fun with their cousin and best friends. Sophia may have been added to even up the sides; but I don't think that Ehlana and Naomi were seriously doing any matchmaking with Jayden and Sophia. They'd used the lounge for some video gaming while I was busy; but were already in their rooms by the time I got home. After doing a visit with Mom and Dad as they were wrapping up their work in the office; I made two stops on the second floor to talk with the boys and girls in Ethan's and Ehlana's rooms; and then came up to my room to wrap up my day with some multi-tasking work and Jacuzzi time.

I only got about half of my work done while in the tub; took a break from it while getting ready for bed; and then spent another hour or so working on my computer while Mandy slept and cuddled with me before moving on to this report. The work was important, but not especially newsworthy, and that's all I have for today without delving into the little details that I'm too tired to cover anyway; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, July 23, 2015

We're about to get started on another campfire and camping adventure, with this one exclusively for the teen cousins and friends while the kids are elsewhere for the night – including Ethan and Ehlana. I'm doing this update now instead of later because some tent mate swaps may be an option later, and if that happens; I'll have better things to do than write journal reports while spending the night with Michael! ;^)

This has been a teen play day for us too, and when Mom advised Dawn, Jillian, and I that we were not going to be responsible for any of the junior cousin entertainment today; we decided on doing a biking trip to Quarry Lake. By the time we hit the road, Rowen and Tim had joined us for the ride; and Michael, Rebecca, and some other teens were going to meet us out there for at least some of the time we were expecting to spend there before needing to be home for dinner and the camping fun that was still a work in progress at that point.

Jaimie, Kaitlyn, Kara, and Eddie weren't thrilled about being excluded from our adventures today, but Mom, Aunt Grace, and Aunt Leanne did their best to make up for that with their own play day plans for all of the younger kids. I love all of my cousins, but was ready for some teen time too; and we had a blast at Quarry Lake. The rock climbing and zip line are the most popular teen activities at the campground, so even weekdays are busy; but it was easier to get some rock wall time slots today than it has been on any of our weekend visits so far. While we had fun together and with some other friends, the highlight of my Quarry Lake time was when Michael and Rebecca were there during their afternoon break from the Inn – and Jake and Stephanie brought them out to the lake and stayed to play with us.

Our little biking group stayed a bit longer after they went back to the Inn, but that was mostly to extend our swim time before getting hot and sweaty again during the ride home. By the time we got back to my house, the camping adventure had pretty much come together – at least for the guest list. Rebecca, Lucas, Jenny, and Joel were the first to sign up after Michael, Tim, and Rowen; and Emma Norton and Kylie Roberts were added so that they could hang out with Dawn and Jillian for the night. We're going to have some extra teens at the campfire; but no other campers – mostly because Dawn and Jillian haven't been making any love connections so far this summer.

By the way, while I'm thinking about that, and in case you're wondering; Julian Sparks and Tommy Reynolds both have girlfriends this summer, so they aren't available for renewing any romantic interests with Jillian or Dawn. While that isn't an issue for either Dawn or Tommy, from what I've seen the few times that I've been around Julian and Jillian so far this week; I'd say that there are still some sparks there between them – last name pun intended. ;^)

I'll leave that there, since they are; and move this along so that I can wrap this up and get out to the campfire. After getting back from Quarry Lake, we went for a cool-off swim; and then started setting up tents and rounding up the camping gear while Mom and Dad worked on making dinner with some help from Grandma and Grandpa. We had the camp set up by the time the food was ready, and then some of us needed to eat quickly and get to baseball practices. We didn't have everyone with us for dinner. Michael and Rebecca were still working at the Inn; Jenny and Joel were busy elsewhere; and Lucas, Emma, and Kylie didn't come into town until Claire drove them here in time for our ball practice. That practice went pretty well; we followed that up with yet another swim back here; and I'm writing this while getting changed and ready for the campfire and camping.

The rest of my report for today will need to wait until tomorrow night, and I'm pretty much ready to head outside now, so that's it for this report; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, July 24, 2015

Happy 8th Birthday, Ryan!

Michael and I helped out with the party set-up and kid control, and Michael's still helping out while supervising the camping part of the birthday fun; which is why we aren't getting to have another co-ed camping night here.

Yes, that means that we did have some tent mate swaps last night during our teen camping adventure; and Michael and I had a lot of fun with that! The entire evening last night was awesome, and while the cuddling and make-out time with Michael was the highlight of the night for me; the campfire duets with him; sing-alongs with our friends; and scary stories were all great too. We wrapped up the campfire before one; I'll guess that all of the teen couples had fun after that, judging solely on the mix of tired and smiles this morning; and none of us got much sleep before Michael and Rebecca needed to get to the Inn to help with the breakfast shift; Lucas needed to get out to the farm; and Joel headed over to his father's place to get ready for work. They were all off and running when Mom and Dad came outside for Tai Chi; and it was just the three of us today with Ethan and Ehlana also away on their own sleepover adventures.

Tai Chi by the river was my sole bit of quiet and relaxation for the rest of the day until now – or at least it feels that way to me. Mom, Dad, and I had our little gang of campers to feed – or at least the campers still remaining. I helped with the work on both sides of that meal; we cleaned up the camp site but left the tents up for the junior camping adventure that I'm supervising tonight with help from Dawn and Jillian; and then it was time for me to do as much of the usual weekend yard work through until one o'clock when Mom had a small army of cousins and friends to feed – with some help from Grandma, Grandpa, and a handful of aunts and uncles. That wasn't a break for me because I was on kid control duty during the meal; I had to hit the shower and get ready to go over to the Bassett's house; and then I was off and running to go and do that – and help Sylvia with the party set-up for Ryan's party, campfire, and camping adventure.

That meant missing out on the cousins and friends fun with my family; but I really loved getting to spend that time with Michael and his family too – and I always owe him family time compared to how much time he spends with mine. Michael didn't get there to help out for a while because they'd had a busy lunch rush at the Inn and he wasn't set free until the clean-up was finished; so I started out with setting up tables and games around the yard; we did the tent and camping set-up after Michael joined us; and we were eventually the fun coordinators for the party once Ryan's friends and other guests began arriving at four o'clock. Ryan had been out playing with some of his friends for most of the day too; but had been home and either swimming or getting their camping gear rounded up pretty much since a few minutes after Michael got to the house. Once all of his buddies were there; we had an hour or so of game competitions complete with prizes; Michael and I had fun with all of that; and then there was a social hour where games and swimming were part of the action; but it was also when the adults began arriving for dinner – including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends. Michael continued with most of the kid supervising then; but I helped Sylvia with the dinner prep work and keeping drinks and appetizers stocked on the tables in the back yard while a few of the guys started the grilling and other helpers worked in the kitchen with Sylvia or helped Michael with the kids.

Dinner was a real adventure, and more than a bit scary; thanks to Ryan and his buddies. I got to experience first-hand how scary a football team of guys can be around food; so it's saying a lot that a small gang of eight-year old boys can be just as scary. There were other meat options for anyone that wanted something more than burgers or hot dogs, and that might have been necessary; since it was possibly dangerous to get your hands between hot dogs or hamburgers and the ravenous mob of boys. There was not an official competition, but Michael still ended up giving out more prizes for food feats because Ryan wanted him to do that. Whether those awards were for fastest downing of a hot dog, hamburger, or canned drinks, or for stamina and quantity; the boys had way too much fun trying to be the best they could be in those contests.

I am so glad that I had Sophia, Jessica, and some other girls to hang out with during dinner so that I didn't have to be right in the middle of all of that grossness!

My work at the party wrapped up with the end of the dinner clean-up; and then I headed home – and on to more work with camp and campfire set-up for the younger cousins. I've skipped over the birthday cake, gifts, and the rest of the usual end-of-dinner fun, but other than adding that Ryan loved his gifts and had fun with all of that; there actually wasn't anything particularly newsworthy to add for that part of the adventure – and I worked through most of it anyway while helping Sylvia with getting the cake and ice cream distributed to everyone or doing any other little chores that she needed help with while most of the guests were busy playing and watching Ryan open gifts and play with new toys and games.

Moving along, it was nearly dark and time to light the campfire by the time we had all of the junior camping cousins rounded up and everything ready for the night at our house, and while I was ready for a nap by then; I was instead soon drafted for music and story duty while Ethan and Ehlana in particular helped me out with bribes of toasted marshmallows while I was busy singing, playing guitar, or telling toddler-rated scary campfire stories. The campfire was going on at the Bassett's house too, but Michael rounded up a band of Ridge River Raiders; they crashed our campfire; and we all had fun for nearly an hour while they demolished all of the extra food that we had with us – and that I'd arranged to have on-hand because Michael had warned me that their raid was going to be part of his entertainment plans for Ryan. We – the girls in our group – eventually chased them off when our supplies were running dangerously low, and while the boys were talking big when they left; the threat of hugs, kisses, and girl germs had them running for the safety of their own camp and campfire.

Dawn, Jillian, and I didn't have any other teen help tonight, but we did have some parental support; including from the weekend visitor parents. For our family, that was Uncle Blaine and Aunt Alison. They're mostly here to meet Brianna; and so are the rest of the Johnson-McEwan visitors – though they all got into town late; and haven't been over here to see us tonight. Uncle Blaine and Aunt Alison got here not long after I went over to help with Ryan's party; and that was mostly so that Uncle Blaine could have a couple of meetings for work with the construction companies about upcoming work plans for the new section of town. I don't think about any of that work at all, but Uncle Blaine's drawings and plans are always way ahead of the construction. While there might have been some current issues to deal with too; they were likely dealing with the plans for next spring and summer today, and while the construction crews do indoor work around here in the winter; Uncle Blaine designs all of the new houses, townhomes, and apartment buildings then too.

We didn't talk about any of that tonight, and Uncle Blaine and Aunt Alison spent most of the evening with Brianna and her parents; but they did all have dinner together while I was away; and all of the parents stopped in for at least a little while during the campfire. I even got to have a bit of cuddle time with Brianna during her cameo visit between feedings and nap time; and she seemed to love the little campfire lullaby I sang to her while having that little snuggle. I don't feel as though I've seen Brianna much this week, but that doesn't matter for us; and she definitely has me wrapped around her little finger – just as she's done with pretty much everyone around her.

Our youngest junior campers began falling asleep shortly after the raiders had left; and I was kept busy getting them tucked into sleeping bags through until the last big push to get all of the kids off to sleep when we put the fire out at eleven-thirty. I have four junior campers with me tonight, and while Michael and I definitely had more fun last night; my little buddies tonight are all sleeping now; and I'm definitely going to get more sleep. Leah's also cuddling with me while Ehlana and Naomi have Hailey between them. Dawn and Jillian are in charge of two other tents of girls, and while we don't have any teen boys with us tonight; Eddie is working as a junior counselor tonight; and the boys' tents are next to mine; and I'll know if any of the boys need my help tonight – though I doubt that they will.

I guess that's it for now, and while I've missed most of the family fun news, that'll be covered by others in their journals anyway; so you can read about that news direct from those involved instead if you're interested. For me, though, getting some sleep in now number one on my to-do list; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Happy 15th Birthday, Vanessa!

What a difference a year or two makes! Last year, Rowen and I were off of Vanessa and Nora's hit list by summertime; but not far enough along the friendship curve to get invited to birthday parties. This year, Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I were all invited to Vanessa's party out a Quarry Lake; and we even spent a bit of time hanging out together with Vanessa, Paul, Nora, and Elliott. Yes, that's been changing for a while now, and Paul did play football with Michael and Tim last season; but it still feels a bit strange – even as it's also really nice to have moved on from the only major tween-teen drama I've had in my life. I'll get to the rest of the birthday party parts of the report in a minute; but lets' do a quick recap of the morning first.

Tai Chi by the river was awesome, and I loved getting to do that with Michael and all four of our junior exercise buddies. The wake-up calls for Leah and Hailey were fun too; and then I was on kid control through until we'd all had breakfast; gotten ready for the day; and most of the kids had been picked up by parents or moved on to other entertainments with my older cousins, aunts, and uncles. It was time to tear down the camp after that; I helped Mom with some chores around the house; and finally got around to having a shower and getting ready for my baseball game by a bit after eleven o'clock. I followed that up with helping in the kitchen for the barbeque lunch we were hosting while some of the other adults and teens helped out with getting Dad's truck and Mom's van loaded up with the gear they were going to need for an afternoon at Quarry Lake.

Vanessa's party was starting at one o'clock, but Rowen and I – and more than half of the girls in our class – had our ball game to play first before heading out to the campground. The strangest part of our game was that we didn't have any cheerleaders from my family because they were all on the way to Quarry Lake by then. The top strangeness there was that we – the family and friends cheerleaders – lost the two matches last weekend that at least some of us were there to cheer for, but when we didn't have any cheering support today; Rowen and I helped our Piranhas win our fourth match of the season. That's a big deal for us because we're now assured of a spot in the championship game already despite what happens in our last two games. The Stingrays' players weren't very happy about the fourteen-to-nine loss, but they do still have as good a chance of playing against us in the championship game as the Sharks do.

We were the away team, so we played the full game, but it was still comparatively quick; and we were able to be out at Quarry Lake by three o'clock. The mix of hot and humid motivated some of us to get through the game so that we could get to the swimming and playing; and Rowen and I were not the only girls to run for the lake and some quality time in the water as soon as we got there. Michael and Tim were both at the lake by then too, and since they were already playing in the lake too; it only took a few minutes to meet up with them and join in on the birthday party fun already in progress. I'll point out here that Rowen's hair is fairly noticeable, and Michael and Tim weren't the only guys noticing her right away; but Tim also seems to think that his girlfriend needs him for a near-constant escort whenever she's wearing a swimsuit. That's likely the main reason he raced Michael across the lake to us – and they can both swim very fast when motivated!

The fun for the next few hours was a real blast, but almost too busy to keep up with. We swam; went rock climbing and on the zip line one time because both were packed all day; and then had dinner jammed in among more water and games play time through until Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I needed to get home to my house by seven-thirty. My family had been home again by dinnertime and that meal for them had been at Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's, and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's houses; but I didn't have time to check in with them because we were put straight to work getting ready for the party that Violet and Dillon were throwing for Jake and Stephanie. We did get to hang out with them – and with Rebecca, Lucas, Christina, Josiah, Mitch, and Lynn; since they were all helping out with the set-up work too.

We originally had lots of help booked for the set-up because we were going to have the party in the back yard, but while it was still nice out when we got there; thunderstorms were moving into the area for what was supposed to be most of the evening; so we needed to go with the plan 'B', indoor set-up in the dining room, living room, and kitchen. Rowen and I made sure the lounge was ready for some of my cousins, Ethan, and Ehlana; since they were all in the house too; but they weren't specifically invited to the party. I'm glad that Michael and I could attend, since that wouldn't have been an option if Jake and Stephanie were over twenty-one and they'd had the party at Sheldon's instead; but we didn't exactly party all night either. We were on the work crew straight through from seven-thirty until the party clean-up was finished at around two-thirty.

I'd have kept Michael for a sofa sleepover after that, but there were already two sleeping kids on the sofa in the lounge; so we left them there for the night and Michael went home with Rebecca and Lucas. If Rebecca is lucky, she's got a cuddle buddy right now for the few hours of sleep that they'll get before needing to be up and running again.

Getting back to the second party of the day news, Jake and Stephanie's party didn't start until after the Inn closed for the night; and we had everything ready to go by the time that the guests of honor arrived at nine-thirty with Jacob, Miranda, and a gang of friends from the Inn. About half of the guests were already here by then; the rest arrived by ten; and the party pretty much jumped from quiet to crazy in the space of that half hour. Michael and I split our time between serving our guests and working in the kitchen and keeping the appetizers and snacks flowing. The mix of guests was about even between the group that included most of Jake and Stephanie's school friends and the friends of the parents. My Mom and Dad were officially guests, but they both still helped out here and there when we – the party worker bees – got a bit behind on the work. I won't bore you with all of those details; and the only important bit of news for the party is that Jake and Stephanie had a really great time celebrating the imminent end to their single status.

Wow – that's now less than a week away! How time flies when you're having fun!

While Michael and I were working, the entertainment tonight included a few games that revolved around Jake and Stephanie – like trivia about the happy couple that required fairly extensive knowledge of their child and teen years. There was a mini roast; a midnight buffet; and lots of chat time with everyone enjoying the extended trip down memory lane. It wasn't quite all work and no fun for us, since we did have fun while we worked; but I was tired out when the party started to wrap up at a bit after one; and exhausted when the work was finally done and I tiredly saw Michael on his way home with a front porch hug and kiss that we were both too tired to put much effort into making fireworks-worthy.

You're probably wondering why I'm even doing this update now if I'm that tired, and I did think about skipping it; but I've got a busy day ahead tomorrow – starting in a few hours with Tai Chi before I'll need to get ready for church and head over to Michael's house for a last, Sunday morning family breakfast for Jake and Stephanie head for Europe after the wedding. We won't see them after that until they get back from Europe next May; so there's no way I'll miss that – or any other time I can spend with them between now and next weekend.

I was still a bit wound up too, so the email and computer checks, a bit of family business work, and this journal update have given me something to do while waiting to be ready to sleep. It's amazing that we fit this much action into less than twenty-four hours, but since tomorrow isn't exactly going to be slow with that breakfast; family fun that includes seeing most of our cousins heading home; and another buffet dinner at the Inn. I'll likely help out at the Inn for a while too; though I haven't exactly figured out when I'll fit that into my schedule for the day – and it could partly depend on the weather; when my cousins head home; and whether Mom needs me to help out at home with anything.

Whatever I end up doing with that, it's definitely time to crash for a couple of hours now, so that's all for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, July 26, 2015

We still had some rain hanging around here this morning, so Tai Chi was indoors, and I got a bit damp going over to Michael's house for breakfast; but the rain ended before we walked to church – and we had great weather for the rest of the day.

While the morning workout wasn't as much fun indoors, the breakfast with Michael and his family was amazing; and I stayed with Michael during the church service even though that meant missing out on some family fun with my family. It sometimes sucks to have to pick between our families, but in this case; we'll actually see my cousins more often over the next year than we'll see Jake and Stephanie. Yes, they've been away at school for the past two years; but we still at least got to see them at Christmas. That's also the main reason I had for going to help out at the Inn today.

Before I get to that part of the report, though, I did have a few hours of fun with my family; and that started after we got home from church. I was put on kid control and entertainment duty while the parents and grandparents worked on our barbeque lunch. Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Jayden, and Kara, Eddie, and Nicole are all at their own homes by now as I write this; so I tried to spend most of that play time before and after lunch with them. We went swimming; played Frisbee; and went for a short canoe ride after lunch before wrapping up that fun with one last swim ahead of departure time for our outbound cousins.

I haven't written much for the weekend about Uncle Blaine and Aunt Alison, and nothing about the Johnson-McEwan weekend guests; but that's mostly because I haven't done all that much with any of them while busy with everything else. The goodbyes for everyone happened first at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house; and then at Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's place when Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Jayden went home with their parents. Kara, Eddie, and Nicole were split up for the trip; and each got to have one set of cousins to themselves for the long drive home. All of my cousins seemed to be happy to be leaving; though Jaimie and Kaitlyn also wished that they were getting to spend the second week with us – and with Dawn and Jillian.

Michael was with us and on his afternoon break while those departures were in-progress; we had time for a long swim at my house once we were down to just two visiting cousins; and then I went back to the Inn with him to help out with the buffet rush while Ethan and Ehlana took care of keeping Dawn and Jillian entertained until dinnertime. The Inn was busy for both buffet sittings. It was really hot in the kitchen; we were a bit short-staffed; and the only real break I took through until close was when I stopped to go and have dinner at the late buffet with my family.

I really loved getting to spend that time with Michael and his family, but it was also an exhausting afternoon and evening for all of us. It was going on ten o'clock by the time we were finished the work and could head home; and I only stopped long enough to share some hugs and kisses with Michael, his parents, Jake, Stephanie, and Rebecca before coming home and heading up to bed. There was a short chat with Mom and Dad in the office on my way upstairs, and another, even shorter one with Dawn and Jillian in the lounge; but then I was ready for a soak in my Jacuzzi and some wind down time. Dawn and Jillian were finishing up a movie by then, and while multi-tasking in the tub with my computer wasn't an option with them in the lounge; they'd headed for bed by the time I was out of the Jacuzzi and ready for bed too.

Once I was tucked into bed with Mandy and my computer, I got right to work on my email and computer checks; took care of one bit of family business that couldn't be left for tomorrow; and used a bit of Magi power to speed all of that up so that I can still be sleeping before midnight. The way I'm feeling right now, I'll be out for the count about two minutes after I put my computer away. Since that is all of the news I have for today, and I'm too tired to bother with a look at the week ahead; I'm just going to get right to that nap time right now.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Before I get to the news from my day; let's being this update with the top gossip topic around here.

Liz and Philip left this morning for a three-night, four-day tenth anniversary mini-holiday. Speculation about their three kid-free nights is keeping the women at the top gossip hang-outs entertained, and while I do not want to either join in on the speculation or hear any details after they get back; I do hope that Naomi's parents have a fun trip and break from both the work and family responsibilities. Naomi is staying with Ehlana while they're away, and Eli will split his time between Uncle Nic and Aunt Deborah and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne – part two of his entertainment schedule set up so that he can hang out with his best friend, Zack.

Moving on, my day started out with Tai Chi by the river; a quiet breakfast; and then a visit to the park with Rowen, Dawn, and Jillian to watch and join in for parts of Tim's first unofficial football training workouts. He's leading that, and starting it this week because football season starts early this year because of a late Labor Day weekend; and because none of the senior players on the team this year haven't set up anything yet – and apparently don't plan on any early training. Tim doesn't want to wait until training camp opens to start getting ready; and Michael is there for his best friend – even if the extra work is a bit inconvenient with Jake and Stephanie's wedding now just a handful of days away. While they've talked to some of the other guys about joining them; they only had three join them today – mostly because everyone else was either busy with farm work or other summer jobs.

Since they didn't have a big group to work with, Rowen and I did some of the running drills with them. Tim used our participation to goad on the other guys because we were faster than they were. Yes, we were spotted ten or twenty yards depending on the drill, but don't forget that Rowen and I really like to win; and we won by more than that ten or twenty yards against everyone except Michael and Tim – and they didn't manage to catch us today either.

I guess that all of that running around with my younger cousins last week paid off! ;^)

Dawn and Jillian were happy to watch those drills even though none of the boys involved were 'available'; and they had fun playing the guys against the girls scrimmage with us – and the other girls. We had a slight number advantage; cheated outrageously with hugs and kisses interference with our respective boyfriends where applicable; and won the short match three touchdowns to one. For some reason, none of the boys were especially disappointed over the loss.

Michael had some chores to get to at home after their workout, so Dawn, Jillian, and I took the twins, Naomi, and Aiden out to play for the rest of the morning. We rode bikes; played at the park; and went for a long swim back at home before having lunch with Mom out by the river. The back yard was play central for the rest of the day. It's been really hot out; and we – the teens – decided to just hang out; swim; relax; and not do anything more strenuous than tossing around a Frisbee, football, or baseball. 'We' included Michael, Tim, Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and me; but we had other teens stopping by to hang out with us too and four junior playmates for most of the time between lunch and dinner.

We didn't have a gang for dinner, but then Michael and I weren't at my house for that meal anyway – we were at his place; and the dinner there was followed by a wedding meeting with the parents and members of the wedding party. The dinner was awesome, and while we had fun at the meeting; there wasn't really any new information or changes to the plans – just a review of everything that's already done and a chat about everything we'll each be doing between now and Sunday night – including the post-wedding day family plans on Sunday. There was some fairly interesting girl chat time that was about wedding nights and the merits of European honeymoons; but I don't think the details of that conversation needs to be included here.

Stephanie keeps a Magi journal now too; and maybe I'll be old enough to read all about her adventures in Europe whenever she releases it for other Magi to read. Then again, she will be writing those honeymoon stories about my primary little-girl crush; so maybe not! ;^)

Once the meeting and work was out of the way for the night, Michael and I went for a swim while everyone else either went home; on to other places; or wound down in the living room for a while before heading to bed. I won't suggest that we did that just to get some alone time, but it was after dark; we had 'our' section of the river to ourselves; and some quiet, wet, and moderately hot, underwater make-out fun was an option – though that also required being quiet too; considering how well sound carries along the river. We played for nearly an hour; had some cuddle time on the dock after that; and then it was past-time for me to get home for the night.

Dawn and Jillian were already sleeping in their rooms by then; Ehlana and Naomi were having a sofa sleepover in the lounge; and Mom and Dad packed up and headed for bed too after having a little update chat with me. Violet and Dillon were still busy with Jake and Stephanie then; but they're home and in bed now as I'm writing this report.

I had a fair bit of family business work to get done tonight after a weekend of mostly slacking off from all but the must-do work; so I've been on my computer for the past few hours. I know it's been too much tonight because Mandy got tired of the noise and went to cuddle with Ehlana and Naomi instead of with me about an hour ago – though she always at least checks up on anyone in the lounge on a regular basis whenever the sofa's being used for a sleepover. Without boring you with the details, my work tonight included some fairly satisfying projects in Europe and Africa that will help a lot of people; with my favorite being a work, school, and housing initiative that will directly help people being hurt by a Hathorne Industries company – and hopefully also seriously mess up their business when they suddenly find themselves without nearly enough near-slave labor for their sweat shop.

I'd apologize to them for that, except I'm not sorry; and they don't need to know about my involvement in that business and charity.

Michael has one more day off before it'll be back to work at the Inn and also the big push to the wedding. We're doing another teen trip to Quarry Lake; so I should wrap this up and get what sleep I can to be ready for what will be our last free play day of July. While this hasn't exactly been a best-ever fun kind of day, it has been a really good one; and I'm sure that the rest of our week is just going to keep getting better!

With that thought a fairly nice one to take into dreamland, I'm out of here; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

This has been a really great day, but also too long and exhausting; so I'm going to keep this short and then get a couple of hours of nap time before I'll need to get up and going again at dawn.

Tai Chi and breakfast was followed by another football workout at the park that Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I had fun with – and took Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden too as well before getting to have the rest of the day off from kid control duties. The highlight of the play part of our day was another bike ride out to Quarry Lake, and while we just had the six of us doing the biking; there were other teens and friends that got rides out there for the day too – including some of Dawn and Jillian's local friends.

We were at Quarry Lake by eleven; had a picnic lunch with us; and had a total blast there until we needed to start biking home again by four-thirty. As usual now, the rock climbing, zip line, and all water-related action were the fun highlights; though I really enjoy the longer bike rides each way too. Michael and I were at my house for dinner; we went over to his house for the evening; and spent that time doing some wedding-related work – pretty much all of the bits and pieces that needed to be finished before we move into the mostly-celebratory parts of the week.

The next five days are certainly not going to be all play and no work; but we'll have a lot of fun activities every evening starting tomorrow night. I'll skip the look ahead for all of that, since you can just flip the digital pages in my future to find out all about my life for the rest of the week anyway and I'm too tired to add that in for this update. The work session at Michael's house ended at ten; he and I had another bedtime swim; and then I came home so that I could get started on my nightly computing and extra family business work – which I got started on by shortly before midnight by the time I was changed and in bed with Mandy. Dawn and Jillian had still been up when I got home, but we only had a short girl chat that Violet joined us for on her way to bed before they decided to turn in for the night instead of watching another movie in the lounge.

My enthusiasm for working on the family business tonight wasn't very high, but I need to get more done now so that I can take the extra time off over the weekend – and preferably by Thursday if I can swing that. Four hours and change of computing has definitely been too much for me, and some self-healing is going to be required ahead of Tai Chi, but even if the work wasn't fun; the rest of the fun and excitement of the day was worth the lack-of-sleep trade-off.

That does cover the highlights of the day even though I am skipping a lot of the little details that went into making this such a really great day, and I really need to get started on that nap time now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

It's taken staying up too late again, but I do have enough family business work finished that I'll be able to take the rest of the week off from it – except for the usual daily work that pops up through my email. I'm glad that it's out of the way; but I am so going to need a vacation by next week!

That isn't going to happen; so let's just move this along so that I can at least have a nap before getting my Thursday going.

We had rain in town this morning. That meant exercising indoors; Michael stayed for breakfast; and then he was off and running to go home and get ready to head out for his football practice with Tim. Yes, it was still raining then; which is why Rowen, Dawn, Jillian, and I were not interested in going to the park to watch the workout. I didn't find out until later, but most of the other guys felt the same way; and Tim was annoyed that only Michael and one other guy showed up for the training. Michael wasn't annoyed at all, but he does have some concerns already about the attitudes of the guys he's expecting to be team mates with this year have about getting ready to play – and defend their two-time championship titles.

While Michael was first getting wet and playing football, and then moving on to the Inn to help out there for the rest of the day; I spent my morning at home. Mom was happy to get some help with the chores; Dawn, Jillian, and I all spent some time playing with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden; and then we had lunch at noon before heading out to play for the afternoon. The rain had ended by then, and while most of the trails at the park were too wet to ride on; we biked around town; did a bit of window shopping; had an ice cream break at the falls; and then played at the park while Michael was on his afternoon break. The playground time was followed by a long swim before Michael needed to go back to the Inn.

By the way, since that has me thinking about the Inn expansion; Mr. Ayres has basically been having a sale at his store all summer. I haven't paid much attention to that, and we didn't visit the Haberdashery today either; but I did notice the signs while going past the store this morning and it reminded me that the Stones and Ayres have a lot going on this summer that goes way beyond weddings and house moves. For Uncle Nick's father, the sales are all about making the move to his new store in September as easy as possible – along with down-sizing a bit to a store that is a bit smaller – though that's mostly from the storage room side of the place. The good news for the Ayres is that they'll be done with all of the crazy by the end of September or early October. Michael and his family will be busy with the Inn expansion for the next couple of years – and longer; once they have all of that extra room for customers and guests!

I am so not going to let Stephanie read this update until after they're home to stay – or she might get scared and decide to keep Jake in Europe! ;^)

Getting back to the news of the day again, after Michael left for the Inn; Dawn and Jillian kept my brother, sister, and their friends entertained while I went to help Mom with some more work in the house that included making dinner for nine – with a menu that didn't include any grilling at all for a change. Violet and Dillon were with his family for dinner because they needed to be there to get ready for the party they threw for Jake and Stephanie after the Inn closed. I went over there to help them after dinner while everyone else at my house headed for the park and the co-ed baseball practice.

Our dinner break was fun; the four younger kids took charge of entertaining Mom and Dad; and I stayed to help with the clean-up before heading over to the Jacobs' house. With the weather cooperating, having the party outdoors was an option; so we set up a few tables in the back yard – even though it was dark out by the time the party started at around nine-thirty. This event was only for Jake, Stephanie, and the members of their wedding party. Dillon's parents, Isabelle, and Andrew helped out with some of the work too; but they also mostly left us alone when we sat down to enjoy a couple of hours of fun that included the obligatory roasting for Jake and Stephanie.

Michael, Rebecca, and I didn't participate in the roasting nearly as much as everyone else did; but then Jake could have easily roasted himself for as often as he helped his buddies out with their stories. For me, the most entertaining stories were the ones that I hadn't heard before. That's saying a lot in our little town where everybody hears everything about everyone! Dillon and Mitch had some stories about their childhood and teens years that weren't too wild; but definitely the kinds of activities that boys would not want their parents finding out about at the time. I won't repeat those stories here, but Michael, Rebecca, and I did appreciate a few good ideas that we might think about trying out over the next few years to see if we can get away with them too!

Just kidding, Mom – or not! ;^)

Taking another little side-trip on that thought; you might be wondering whether my journal actually is open to Mom; since she is, after all, a computer genius. The answer to that is yes and no. I don't have a problem with Mom reading anything I write if she chooses to; though she hasn't asked to do that since turning my journals over to me to continue on my own after years of writing most of them herself when I was younger. The 'no' part of that is because we do all have our little corners of the archives password protected. They're kept on systems and software that Mom created, but even though she could eventually crack any password, even using her Magi gifts; it'd take months or years to do that with my password choice. I definitely don't want to bore you with those details; and just thought that you might be interested to know that Mom does allow all of us assured privacy for our personal journals if we want to have that.

While most of us have to work on Thursday, we still stayed and talked until after midnight; Jake and Stephanie were sent on their way; and the rest of us took care of the clean-up before heading home too. It was one-thirty by the time Michael kissed me goodnight on my front porch and then walked the rest of the way home; everyone in the house was sleeping by then; and I came straight up to my room and hopped into bed with Mandy and my computer as soon as I finished getting changed and ready for bed. Violet and Dillon got back then after having a late-night chat with Isabelle and Andrew; but they went straight to their room and didn't stop in to chat with me.

I am so proud of myself – I called it 'their' room instead of Violet's room! That change in thinking took me a while; and maybe it's taken the change of having them stay here while any members of Violet's family are here for me to make that transition.

If I keep getting side-tracked; I'll still be doing this update when it's time to get up for Tai Chi; so let's just wrap this up quickly and I'll get started on my nap.

I got right to work once I was in bed; put a lot of effort and Magi power into the job; and blasted through everything I wanted to get finished before taking time off from work to focus on the wedding – and everything else we have going on over the next four or five days. Getting such a late start meant taking a few chances and using some Magi power to speed that work up; but nobody woke up at all while I was working and I'm really glad that I won't need to finish up tomorrow night.

Maybe I'll even manage to get to sleep before four o'clock tomorrow night too! That would be nice, but I'll have to settle for that nap and a self-heal tonight. I'm going to get right to the first part of that now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Happy 10th Anniversary, Liz and Philip!

They have apparently had a really amazing mini-holiday, but I overheard more details than I needed to hear; and won't be writing about any of it in this journal. Look elsewhere in the archives if you really must get that info – or just use your imagination and move on.

I'll get to that part of the update shortly; but let's cover the earlier news first.

Tai Chi by the river was the only quiet time I've had between then and now. Breakfast was busy with all of the work and running around on both sides of the meal; and then I was off to work – in the back yard. With everything else we have on the go this weekend; yard work on Saturday isn't an option. I mowed the lawn and weeded the gardens in near-record time while Dawn and Jillian worked with their four junior helpers to do some of the lighter chores – like sweeping the porches and cleaning the windows and doors. They did not get that work done in record time; but they did have a lot of fun playing together while still actually getting most of that work finished by lunchtime too.

My lunch break was more of an eat-and-run deal; and then I was on the go again – and spending the afternoon helping Rebecca and Michael with work around their house and yard to get ready for their weekend guests. While Jacob and Miranda had a lot of that work done on Monday and Tuesday; we still had a long list of chores to do that kept us busy through until Rebecca and Michael needed to get back to the Inn and help with the dinner rush. While I was busy with that work, Dawn and Jillian spent the afternoon hanging out with some of their friends; Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden were dropped off at KidZone for a few hours; and Mom did her normal Friday shopping a day early because she'll be busy tomorrow too.

When I was finished at Michael's house, I had time to come home, grab a shower, and get changed before heading over to the Ayres' house. I'd expected to be put to work in the kitchen; but Dawn, Jillian, and I were instead put on kid-control duty. We took Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, Aiden, Leah, Eli, and Zack to the park for some playground action; followed that up with more fun and games in the back yard; and then dealt with getting them fed when we eventually sat down for dinner around the tables in the back yard. There were more kids and teens there by then, including Rowen and Tim; so that was a fairly wild hour or so of busy – especially since some of the kids were a bit too fired up and they were bouncing off the walls.

That's quite a feat at an outdoor event! ;^)

The dinner party had been a surprise for Liz and Philip, and they had fun; but I didn't even talk to them much while I was there and busy with the kids. Since Eli and Zack were two of the most-tightly wound kids; I'm sure they appreciated what I was doing more than they missed getting to spend any time with me. While their anniversary was the big family event of the day, the bigger story was actually that their party would be the last big event that Liz's parents would host in the family home. It'll officially be Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah's home by sometime next week; and there's also a very good chance that the dinner tonight will be the last big family and friends party that Grandma and Grandpa Ayres will host. As with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne; it'll be Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah's job now.

Moving this along, my day was not nearly over after dinner. I was set free from kid control duty, but helped with the clean-up before moving on to the Inn. Jacob and Miranda hosted a late dinner party for Jake, Stephanie, their wedding party, and the grandparents and parents of the bride and groom. That party didn't start until the Inn was closed for the night, and while I wasn't expected to help out with anything; I was early-enough to help with closing the Inn and getting the mini-buffet set up and ready by the time all of the guests arrived.

The only real difference between that dinner and the wedding party party last night was that the parents and grandparents were in charge of the roast for Jake and Stephanie. They kept all of us entertained for an hour and a half; Michael, Rebecca, Lucas, and I took care of the post-dinner clean-up while everyone else headed for home; and then Michael walked me home while Lucas went home with Rebecca – and he's spending the next two or three nights there. I'd have liked to keep Michael with me tonight too, but he's going to be working the breakfast shift at the Inn; and we're both going to have a very long, too-busy day that would just be harder to get through on no sleep.

I really need to get to that down time now, but before I do that; there are a few bits of news I need to include.

First up, it's quieter here tonight because Naomi and Aiden have both returned to their homes. Aiden stayed every night that Naomi was here, and his parents were okay with that; but didn't give him the option of another sleepover tonight – even though Mom and Dad wouldn't have had a problem if he had stayed another night. If Liz and Philip were offered another kid-free night, I didn't hear about it; but then I didn't get to do a nightly recap with Mom or Dad because they were already in bed by the time I got home.

I'm not going to be able to spend much time with Dawn and Jillian for the rest of their visit here, and neither will Violet and Dillon; so I hope they'll manage to have fun without me. The weather is forecast to be great; so they will at least be able to do whatever they want to do outdoors while I'm busy with all of the wedding action. Their two weeks here has seemed to blast by, and I'm going to miss them when they head back to Woodvale; but this will also be one time that I'm going to be ready for a break in the action after weeks of too busy.

Rowen and I both ended up missing our baseball practice tonight, and I wish that I could have been there for it; but I could say that about everything else I missed out on tonight too. I also missed Michael and Tim's football workout again this morning while doing the yard work. That'll be the last one for the week, and while Tim had a better turnout today; there still aren't nearly as many guys joining in as he'd hoped there would be. We'll see if that gets better the closer they get to the start of the official training camp with Coach Robinson.

Okay, I was going to take a look ahead to the plans for tomorrow, since I'm thinking about them anyway, but you can flip a digital page to get that info anyway, and I really need all of the sleep I can get; so let's just skip that and I'll call it a night now.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, July 31, 2015

What a day!

I have so much to write about; but am also too tired to do that properly tonight – this morning; so I'm not even going to try. Jake and Stephanie's wedding day is going to be even busier and crazier than today has been; I need to get what sleep I can to be ready for it; so I'll just do one big wedding weekend update when I can get to it.

That might not even happen until Sunday or Monday, but since that just means some extra digital page flips for you, dear Magi Reader, some day in my future; I guess it isn't a big deal to you.

All of the other girls in Stephanie's wedding party, including Stephanie, are all in their beds by now. We're at Stephanie's house, and while I'm not the only person here still awake; I was the last girl to get bathroom time as we shared the guest baths while getting ready for bed. I only did my email checks and one bit of family business work before getting to this micro-update; but I'm skipping the rest of my usual computer checks too in favor of getting all of the sleep I can – which won't be much if I keep rambling on like this; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!
August 2015

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Congratulations, Jake and Stephanie!

This has been a best-ever wedding day for them, I'm sure, and I'd really love to be able to say it's the same for me; except I have some other family weddings that will be staying top-three-so-far for me for quite a while yet – at least until my own wedding some day!

Before I get to the news from today, which is basically yesterday now as I write this; let's back up and do the full, two-day wedding report.

Dawn on Friday morning was beautiful, and while I could say that about my cousin too; I'm referring to the sunrise – and our Tai Chi by the river workout – along with a fairly spectacular good morning kiss that I shared with Michael before we started our warm-ups. Michael and I both really needed that bit of exercise and calm before getting started on our very hectic day. For me, that meant hitting the shower and getting ready for the day; heading to the Inn; and having breakfast with Stephanie, the rest of the girls in the bridal party; and a handful of other girls and women – most of them on the church decorating crew.

That first meal of the day was fairly quick, and then we were off and running to the church. The amount of decorating that goes on for weddings depends a lot on the expected number of guests. When two of the most well-known families in town are involved; a full house in the sanctuary was expected – especially when everyone in the area knows both sets of the parents very well through the Inn and furniture store. I mention that because it also means more decorating compared to smaller weddings when only a section of the sanctuary would be decorated. It's a good thing that we had a lot of help; or we'd have been doing that all day – and we only had two hours booked into our schedule to get that job finished. We did have lots of fun doing that work, though, though it was also fairly warm in the sanctuary; and the construction work going on for the addition was loud and distracting.

Since our decorating volunteers were mostly Stephanie's friends, I should mention that some of those construction workers were more distracted by a group of beautiful, college-age girls anytime we were outside – especially since it was hot out; and we were all wearing shorts and tees. I'm not going to suggest that Rebecca and I didn't get noticed by the guys too, and there are some teens on the construction crew there, but this is a small town; so the younger guys know we're not available and the older guys know that we're too young to ogle or flirt with. A few of the guys definitely flirted with Stephanie; there were two marriage proposals that she cheerfully declined; and I suspect that there was more than one guy in that crew wishing they were Jake – or at least that they could be the groom at the wedding tomorrow; since I seriously doubt that any of them could picture themselves as future chefs working at the Inn for the rest of their lives.

When we finished up at the church, Rebecca and I moved on to the Inn; and our next job of the day was getting the rooms ready for the weekend wedding guests that were staying there. That didn't involve cleaning or bedding changes – our job was to set the rooms up with the special gifts and decorations that Stephanie and Jake had wanted for those special guests. All of the rooms at the Inn were being used for wedding guests; so that kept us busy until we met up with another gang in the dining room for a lunch meeting. Rebecca and I were on the edge of the action for that, since there wasn't enough room at Stephanie's table for all of us to be involved in the last check-off of the schedule through until the end of the night on Saturday. We were in the loop enough to get our own schedules; though we'd already known our jobs anyway; and there weren't any changes for us.

I should mention here that Michael spent most of the morning helping out at the Inn, but he was set free after lunch; and we were in charge of welcoming his incoming family at home. Rebecca and Lucas had a similar job, but they were at their Uncle Bill and Aunt Sylvia's house; and had two jobs. They helped with getting the place ready for the rehearsal party that the Bassetts were collectively hosting because Jacob and Miranda were just too busy with the Inn and the wedding to do that too; and they were also the welcoming committee for some inbound cousins on that side of the family that were staying with the Bassetts too.

That's something that I haven't really thought about much, since most of the members of the Bassett family have stayed here or in the area, but not all of them; and Miranda and her brothers have a fairly large number of relatives in their extended family – even if they don't always see them very often. When you think about that, so do I; but names and family trees in the archives are not at all the same as having dozens of aunts, uncles, and cousins that you've known all of your life.

Michael's grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins began arriving shortly before two o'clock. They didn't all drive together, but his grandparents didn't drive at all; and instead got a ride with his aunt and uncle. They were first; his younger cousin, Eric, and his family were second an hour later; and his older cousin, Drew, and his family rolled in at a bit after four o'clock. Drew was the latest to leave home because he went into work this morning for a while before hitting the road. I don't really want to comment on that or anything else about the travel plans for the Stone side of Michael's family; but then this is my journal and they'll never read it anyway.

My apologies in advance, Miranda, Michael, and anyone else in your family who will read this some day!

First up, I seriously do not get why Jake's grandparents did not agree to come here early – especially since they were invited to the family and wedding party dinner last night that all of the other living grandparents attended – including Grandma Eleanor. I'm commenting on this from the perspective of watching the family interaction for the past two days, and to be blunt about it; Grandma Eleanor is more of a grandmother to both Stephanie and Jake than Grandma and Grandpa Stone are to Jake, Rebecca, and Michael. I'll caveat that with the point that I don't know what they were like with their only son's children before moving away or before I moved here; but it makes me more than a little sad that they are now so distant from their 'home town' grandchildren – especially when that's obviously not the case with their Bishop family grandkids and great-grandkids.

My perspective on this is admittedly one-sided, but it's also coming from the point of view of a kid that only had one family member for the first nine years of her life, and now that I do have a family; I can't imagine choosing to have so little contact with the people you love – particularly when that doesn't appear to have happened through conflict or disagreements. Michael's grandparents have just chosen to leave their home town family and friends behind in retirement and move on.

Before I move on from this little side-trip mini-rant, I'll also mention that some of us needed to keep our mouths shut and say nothing about quite a few comments that Michael's aunt, uncle, and adult cousins tossed at us that were not intentionally cruel; but that were quite derisive of our home and lives here. Contrary to what is likely the majority belief among humans in general; real wealth and value is not measured in dollars, power, or superficial accolades. I'm positive that Michael's visiting family would openly scoff at my supposed naive innocence; but then they don't know that my view is from a fairly unique perspective. As I think about that; I'm very glad that none of Michael's Stone family cousins – at least so far – have inherited any Magi talent.

Now that thought has me musing about Stephanie's side of the family; but let's save that for a bit later in this report and move along with the actual news and action from Friday.

Michael and I were kept busy welcoming his family; hauling luggage up to the guest rooms on the second and third floors; and hosting duties through until it was time to head over to the Inn for dinner. Porter and server duties were part of the job; but we also got to entertain two-year old Gerry; and I helped out a bit with nine-month old Annette. Both kids had slept during the trip; and Gerry was particularly fired up – and in need of some back yard play time that his father, uncle, and Michael helped him out with around the work and social time.

We had as much fun as we could, and Gerry and Annette are both adorable kids; but I'll also admit that those few hours of hosting were tough because of some of those comments I've already mentioned from Michael's aunt, uncle, and cousins. His Aunt Anne and older cousin, Drew, were toughest for me to keep playing nice with. They're both still decent people, so it's just their attitude toward my home town; everyone here including their own family; and apparent inability to understand how anyone could possibly be happy without what they perceive to be the necessities of life.

Too bad I can't tell them that 'Aunt Miranda' manages a multi-billion dollar portfolio of restaurant and hotel investments in addition to her work at the family Inn! ;^)

I'm sorry and love you a lot Miranda, but when you do read this in the future; don't try to tell me that you haven't at least occasionally wished that you could say something about your 'part-time job' to your sister-in-law and nephews too. They're all very smart, yet it's almost as if they have blinders on when they visit.

That's not something I'm even joking about; and I can back that up with just one example. They've heard all about the expansion to the Inn that Jacob and Miranda will be starting in September once they take over ownership of the Haberdashery building. For a bunch of business professionals, it amazes me that they don't seem to notice how expensive that kind of remodel and expansion will be – even in a small town like ours. Michael's grandparents didn't say anything about the cost of it around me, and they did own the place, so they should have a pretty good idea; but maybe they just think that Jacob and Miranda are taking on big debts to make it happen. Let's not cover every comment I overheard about the Inn and the expansion project. The main points, though, were the unspoken group opinion that the plan was a waste of money and probably a financial sink-hole that had little-to-no chance of success.

Okay, that's enough of that. Let's move this along.

Dinner at the Inn was for Jake and Stephanie's visiting family, parents, grandparents, and members of the wedding party – not including Jacob and Miranda because they were busy running the Inn; and doing that without the help of any of their kids for the rest of the day. That meant that Michael, Rebecca, Lucas, and I needed to continue our hosting duties. That was a bit easier for Michael and I because we were put on kid control duty – and also had some teen visitors to entertain. That included two of Stephanie's Wingborough cousins; though we only had her youngest Wingborough cousin, Adaira, sit with us during dinner while the boys, Jarod and Garrett, were either with Stephanie's parents and grandparents – or hung out with other guys their own ages.

Adaira is a year younger than Michael and me – or at least she just turned fourteen and is a year behind us in school. Other than liking Michael a bit too much, which I can't fault her for at all, we both liked her a lot; and had fun together tonight whenever we had time to hang out together. I also hooked her up for some hang-out time with Dawn and Jillian after dinner when she had some free time while we were busy with the wedding rehearsal at the church. They apparently had fun doing a little boy watching and flirting at the park, and unlike Michael's visiting cousins; Adaira apparently sees a lot that she likes about her family home town. Michael and I didn't get to know him as well so far this weekend, but I'd say that Adaira's oldest brother, Jarod, doesn't share that sentiment; and her second brother, Garrett, definitely does. He spent a lot of time with Grandpa Grant and Stuart; and even came to the rehearsal at the church so that he could continue to hang out with his uncle while the grandparents were kept busy with a little social time at the Bassetts' house.

I've skipped some of the details for the dinner, but then Michael and I were out of the loop for the main action and conversations anyway while we were busy with the kids and teens. The rehearsal at the church was at seven; we were all there with five minutes to spare; and Pastor John, Stacey, and his parents were all there to lead us through the ceremony – starting with a short meeting before we began the 'practice' with the bridal party processional.

The highlights of the rehearsal, for me, were that processional; Jake's antics during the 'ceremony'; and seeing the joy on the faces of Jake, Stephanie, and their parents. That's going to be even better tomorrow, and while Jake is a very confident and outgoing personality; I'm really looking forward to having a front-row seat when he first sees Stephanie in her wedding dress. That'll be a moment when having a photographic memory is a blessing for sure!

While we didn't actually get to spend much time together during that practice, Michael and I still had fun while on opposite sides of the wedding party. Getting to be part of the ceremony together is a first for us, and since our first date was at a wedding; I think that weddings will be just a bit extra-special for us every time. The most important part of the ceremony practice that we did get to share was the recessional, though in hindsight as I write this after the wedding; it was just a shadow compared to the actual ceremony when we were dressed up in tux and gown and looking our very best.

The rehearsal almost felt like a break by comparison when we got to the Bassett's house and were immediately immersed into the crazy action going on there. It was past-eight by then; the meet and greet we were thrown into took nearly an hour; and then we sat down for the rehearsal dinner that was the fourth meal of the day for some of us. The dining room, kitchen, and a handful of tables out on the back porch were needed to seat everyone that had been invited, and while Michael and I were technically not on the work crew; we helped his Aunt Sylvia as much as we could between other responsibilities before and after the meal. The one thing we couldn't help with was kid control; but the other teens at the party all pitched in to deal with that – along with some parental support. Most of the kids were outside for dinner; and that was mostly so that they could run around in the back yard and play – some of them doing that in between stops for food and drinks.

We only did a bit of roasting for Jake and Stephanie while we ate. It was the mini speeches that were the entertainment highlights; and that was especially true for Jake's and Stephanie's thank-you speeches. They handed out the wedding party, parent, and honorarium gifts after dinner too, and while I won't make a big deal of that; we – the girls – loved the matching bracelet and earrings sets that Stephanie gave us to wear at the wedding; and the boys liked their monogrammed tie clip, money clip, and keychain sets. One thing that I thought was cool with those was that instead of putting the initials for each guy on those sets; Jake and Stephanie went with 'J&S' instead. As Mitch pointed out; the guys will at least be able to remember which wedding those gifts were for when they're old and forgetful.

It was past-eleven by the time the dinner and gift-giving was finished; which left Jake and Stephanie with less than an hour to socialize with the rest of their guests before we needed to take Stephanie home at midnight. While they did that, Michael and I helped with some of the clean-up and only did a bit of visiting with his family. We didn't even get to have as much time as Jake and Stephanie did for our goodnight hugs and kisses because Violet and Dillon herded them into the office for five minutes of alone time before we left with a minute or so to spare. My hug and kiss with Michael was out on the front porch while we waited for them – and we weren't alone for that either.

We had car rides over to Stephanie's house; though it had been nice enough to walk. Stuart and Samantha had another little midnight snack set up for us; we talked with them for a half hour or so; and then it was time to head upstairs for the required bridal party girl chat time while we also took turns getting ready for bed. Rebecca and I were less involved in that chat time than the older girls were; but that was mostly because Stephanie had fun talking wedding nights and honeymoons with Violet and Lynn. They had fun with that, but it was a bit too much information for Rebecca about her older brother; and as I've mentioned before; we were talking about my little girl crush – even though I was mostly joking with Stephanie about that being a problem for me. For her part, Stephanie teased me right back about how glad she is that I wasn't five or six years older than I was when Mom and I moved here – or she might have ended up losing her about-to-be husband to me the way that the girls that liked Michael had lost him to me.

That's a very interesting 'what-if' scenario, but when I actually play that one out; what I actually see is me eventually just waiting for Michael to catch up with me – and then getting teased about that the same way that Abby still does for her choice of a younger husband.

I am also picturing Michael grinning as he reads that some day in the future. Miranda will laugh at it; and be happy that it worked out that she got to have both Stephanie and me for daughter-in-laws.

Oops – did I write that last bit out loud? ;^)

Moving along, I guess that covers everything for Friday; so let's continue with the wedding day highlights!

My morning fun began with Tai Chi for one in the back yard. That was a nice start to the day, but my favorite pre-breakfast moment was a private couple of minutes with Stephanie and Violet while I was doing their wake-up call. They were both exhausted; so I gave Stephanie a little wedding gift that she assured me she's really going to appreciate a lot once she has Jake to herself – which she does right now as I'm writing this. Yes, despite having a house full of people, I put up wards around the three of us; had a fun little Healing session that banished all fatigue and then some. I'd guess that Stephanie could stay awake and at full power for two or three days if she wanted to do that.

Let's totally skip the jokes that Stephanie and Violet exchanged about how Jake was going to keep, um, up with Stephanie; since I'm sure you can guess all of them anyway. Violet had way too much fun with that, but the funniest part of the scene for me was that she didn't even consider that same issue for herself with Dillon; as if I hadn't healed her too.

She's likely thinking about it now – and doing something about it; but I digress.

Getting ready for the day and having a snack breakfast kept us hopping after that; though Stephanie and Violet had more time to do that than some of us. Rebecca and I were two groups ahead of them for our appointments with Vicky, Liz, and the friends they'd invited to town to help out with the extra work this weekend. That, by the way, is why Liz and Philip didn't take a full week off for their anniversary trip. She needed to be here both weekends for weddings; though they hadn't needed extra stylists last weekend for the smaller wedding.

Vicky's salon was a beehive of activity all morning, and while I am getting older; the graphic nature for some of the girl chat there can still be too much information for me. What I do love every time, though, is what Liz does with my hair. She went all-out today; and I have the mental pictures now of Michael's reaction to seeing me at the wedding and being with me during the rest of the day to prove just how talented Liz is at her job. As she still says, Vicky may continue to be the Master; but Liz is just as much of an artist as her mentor and friend is.

Compared to the guys, we – the girls – have it pretty good on wedding mornings. It's all about pampering and getting ourselves appropriately beautiful while the guys have actual work to do that's meant to keep them from having time to reconsider – or run off. I know that Jake took some teasing about that from some of the guys, but if any of them actually weren't joking then they need their heads examined. Jake is a very lucky man; and he and Stephanie are definitely a perfect match.

Rebecca and I were at the salon for an hour; we were back at Stephanie's house before she and Violet left; and then we had more time than we needed to do the little get-beautiful jobs – like doing our nails and makeup. We helped Samantha with getting lunch out on the table and ready to go by the time Stephanie and Violet returned; Stuart was the only one to eat more than a snack for that meal; and then the push was on to finish getting ready and into our gowns – or suit in his case.

We were all ready by ten-to-two; went out into the back yard for bridal party pictures; and then it was time to head over to the church. The limo ride was shorter than the time needed to get in and out of it. Pastor Martha met us at the church entrance; and we had time for a short chat and prayer with her before it was time to finally get the show on the road. We lined up; Pastor Martha checked to see if they were ready for us; and then I had the best view in the house as the doors opened and I got to be the lead-off bridesmaid.

I love Jake too, but my first eye contact was with Michael; and I'll never forget that moment. His eyes went wide; his smile was sweet; and then he was dazed when my own smile went from bright to brilliant at seeing his first reaction to me. Jake was next to get my attention; and I had to wait for him to look at me because he'd turned his head to grin at Michael and quietly say something to him that had Michael's smile brightening too in response. Jake proceeded to wink at me while still grinning; but then his attention moved on to Rebecca; since she was following me. Writing about everything that I saw and heard would take reams of digital ink, so I won't do that; but will point out that seeing Rebecca had a devastating impact on Lucas – and her brothers were fairly blown away too. Sometimes I think that they forget that Rebecca is quite possibly the most beautiful teen girl in town – a perfect mix of their parents.

While I could take in that entire scene with every minute detail; seeing Lucas' reaction to Rebecca required a mental replay once I'd consciously located him in the crowd. As expected, the sanctuary was packed and beyond that to standing-room only for a couple of dozen guests. Some of my highlights for the processional included exchanging smiles and unspoken words with my parents, Ethan, and Ehlana; other members of my family; and some of our friends. That didn't seem to take very long, and once I was at the front of the sanctuary and standing on the low platform there; it was watching Rebecca, Lynn, Violet, and Stephanie as they joined me – and the guys.

I shouldn't skip seeing Jake's first reaction to Stephanie! While my favorite groom-sees-the-bride memories are still of my Dad and Uncle Adam respectively at their weddings; Jake's reaction was actually different than I expected. Yes, he was blown away and Stephanie would have had no doubt about how he felt about her; but he managed not to lose his cool or sense of fun and playfulness.

There are only two other things I'm going to add to that with no details. It's a good thing that nearly everyone in the sanctuary was busy watching the bride; and I can read lips, Jake.

Quit laughing, Stephanie. After that, I'm actually at least a little bit glad that the in-person girl chat for your wedding night and honeymoon will have to wait until you get back from Europe next May. Maybe being a year older then will make a difference. I doubt it; but we'll see.

Getting back to the story again, I'm so used to spending time with Stephanie when she's at the Inn that it almost seemed strange to see her father walking her down the aisle instead of Jacob. I know that sounds weird; but it is how I felt. Stuart was the epitome of the proud father; a little misty-eyed when he 'gave her away' to Jake; and happy to hold his own beautiful bride as Samantha cried happy tears for their daughter.

The wedding ceremony was the standard, traditional version used most of the time in our church; so I won't give you every detail of that – particularly since a video of the ceremony will be available in the archive by the time you read this someday anyway. Pastor John led the ceremony, but his parents each helped out. Jake's vows sounded made-up, but I'm sure that he wrote them that way; and Stephanie's had quite a few of the women in the sanctuary tearing up because of her heart-felt joy and promises of love and happiness. It's funny, but the bridesmaids and groomsmen actually have nothing at all to do during the ceremony. Even Violet and Dillon only had one job – handing over the rings to their best friends. I'm not suggesting that I was bored or anything; but it was a different perspective.

While I loved every moment of the ceremony, Jake and Stephanie's first kiss as a married couple was especially fun – and Jake had no problem with taking that kiss well-into the giggles, whistles, and laughs stage that most couples try to avoid. Pastor John didn't have to intervene and pry them apart or anything; but Pastor Martha did quietly clear her throat – even as she grinned at them too – and possibly wished that she could have added a whistle or two of her own instead.

Miranda didn't have a problem with that; neither did Aunt Leanne; and they were just two of many to enthusiastically cheer Jake and Stephanie on in their efforts for a remember-forever first kiss.

As always, the ceremony seemed to be over sooner than it should be after so much planning and work; and then we went to deal with the paperwork before getting started on the recessional. Leading the way for the bridesmaids had been wonderful, but walking back down the aisle with Michael had been all that and then some. Jake and Stephanie were the focus of attention for everyone as they passed –as it should be; but Michael and I attracted a lot of attention too – and certainly more than Violet and Dillon, Mitch and Lynn, or Josiah and Rebecca had. Michael and I know that we're a match, but it's still fairly amazing to see that belief confirmed by our family and friends now and then.

While the recessional didn't take long, we stood outside of the church and had a mini-reception line for everyone that wanted to congratulate Jake and Stephanie; but wouldn't be at the reception. Extra time was allowed for that before moving on to the wedding photo shoot because Jake and Stephanie would be gone for so long while in Europe; and we went over on time even with that allowance. It was five o'clock by the time we went to the park and started the photos, and while we did our best to make up time there; it was still six-thirty by the time we got to the Inn. The reception line there was to have already been started by then, but we still delayed it and changed things up a bit so that we – everyone in the wedding party – could take a half hour to freshen up after nearly three hours outdoors on a fairly hot afternoon. We had four of the guest rooms to use while doing that, and Rebecca, Christina, Lynn, and I used one of the rooms while Stephanie had help from Violet and her mother in the other 'girls' room. We all met up in that room for a quick chat and drinks before heading downstairs again; and the change in the reception line that Miranda went with was that we instead did a mini parade through the dining hall on our way to the head table that felt more like a conga line or line dance.

This next part of the update is going to be a bit disjointed, but it's also past-time that I add in some details that I wasn't directly involved in; but were very important for the wedding.

First up for that is all about Jacob and Miranda. While their kids were busy with the fun parts of the wedding; they were trying to enjoy as much of that fun as possible while also working their butts off both on Friday and all day today. Jacob had a hand in every dish being served for dinner; the prep work started for that on Friday; and he was at the Inn this morning by five o'clock and worked in the kitchen pretty much every minute that he could except for taking time to get ready for the ceremony and being there for the wedding. He and Miranda both juggled work at the Inn with the wedding photos and other responsibilities – including taking care of their weekend guests with some help from Miranda's side of the family and some friends. They managed to serve breakfast and lunch at the Inn too before it was closed to the public at one-thirty or two; and then the dining room still needed to be set up and decorated after that. Everyone that works at the Inn was at the church; so that should give you an idea of just how much work needed to get done on either side of the ceremony in just a few hours.

My point with all of that is to acknowledge that Jacob and Miranda went way above and beyond the call to make this such a perfect day for their kids – and we couldn't do nearly as much as we would have liked to do to help them. Thankfully, others did pitch in – including a lot of volunteers.

The earlier delays meant starting dinner at closer to eight than the seven o'clock or so scheduled; but we did make up some time there thanks to Dillon. As best man and master of ceremonies; he did a great job compressing the non-meal activities – and most of the speeches were shortened at least a bit too. Nothing important was skipped, though; so all of that really just meant that there were no lulls in the fun and excitement.

Jake and Stephanie did a non-traditional head table so that Josiah and Rebecca could sit with their dates; and we sat at the table in couples too instead of split up with the guys on one side of the newlyweds and the girls on the other. Michael and I were on Jake's side of the table; and we anchored that end while Rebecca and Lucas ended up at the other end of the head table. I'm really glad that we did that; and I'm not just saying that because it made the public kisses easier when we were called to duty!

That didn't actually happen that often for the bridesmaids and groomsmen; thanks to the higher entertainment value that came from the rounds of parents and grandparents kisses.

I can totally see Jake and Stephanie being like Grandpa Grant and Grandma Eleanor a half-century or so from now!

As you probably expect, the dinner was a culinary masterpiece. Jacob went all-out, and beyond that; there were gourmet specials and favorites for Jake and Stephanie in addition to the unbelievable meal he created for everyone else.

Just in case I haven't mentioned it lately, I'm not with Michael because of the food; but it is definitely an added bonus! ;^)

The meal, entertainment, and dinner conversation was all amazing and fun. While the food was the highlight of that next couple of hours, the speeches, a video montage, and some roasting of the newlyweds all helped to make for a perfect evening for everyone. We weren't having a dance after dinner, but there was music, and once the entertainment part of the evening was finished; our guests had time to socialize and wind down from dinner while Jake and Stephanie eventually made their way out of the dining room and went to get changed into their going away outfits.

At this point, I'm starting to skip over all of the little details; but Michael and I actually had time for some visiting then until we needed to get back to our wedding party duties when Jake and Stephanie were ready to go around and deliver their gifts while thanking all of their guests and having micro-visits with them. That didn't get started until around midnight; Michael and I were kept busy hauling those gift baskets into the dining room and keeping Violet and Dillon supplied with them as they went around the room with Jake and Stephanie; and we joined in for some of those chats when we could do that too.

Jake and Stephanie were ready to leave by one-thirty. That was later than planned, but they also have more time available to them on Sunday before the first stage of their flights to Europe; so it won't be a problem for them – and Stephanie was still wide-awake and at full power when they hopped into the limo and headed out of town.

You're welcome, Stephanie! ;^)

The final goodbyes with them outside were just with the wedding party and parents. Their driver was good about it, but wanted to get going; so we didn't drag that out – even though we won't see them for nearly ten months. Miranda and Samantha had the toughest time with that; though they both joked about it more than anyone else too. We all know that Jake and Stephanie will miss us too, but as far as the parting tonight goes; let's be honest and admit that they were way more interested in getting started on their honeymoon than worried over being away from home for ten months.

I don't need the details, but do hope that their wedding night and honeymoon is all that they want it to be and then some, but while they were getting to that; our night here was far from over. We went back into the Inn; spent an hour seeing our guests on their way; and then Michael and I rolled up our sleeves and pitched in to clean up from the party; get the dining room ready for another private family and friends meal that was essentially an extra buffet sitting; and we also did some prep work for that meal.

Miranda and Jacob had some volunteer help for that, but they didn't have many employees that could stay that late after working all evening – or even all day for some of them; so it took us a while to get all of that done. Michael, Rebecca, Lucas, and I sent them home at three-thirty too; and it's saying a lot about how tired they were by then to let us do that and trust that we'd make sure everything was set up properly before we came home too. We did that, but didn't get home until five o'clock – to Michael's house.

Rebecca and Lucas went straight up to bed with Lucas bunking with Michael again while the guest rooms were being used by their weekend guests. Michael and I cuddled on the sofa for a while before I was ready to head home; but we really only stayed there long enough for Rebecca and Lucas to take turns using the washroom and doing their won goodnight hugs and kisses before Michael headed up to bed after seeing me on my way by five-thirty.

At that, you're probably wondering why I'm writing this instead of napping. The answer is that I'm doing a self-healing instead; I'll skip the nap; and by the time I'm finished with this report; it'll be time for sunrise Tai Chi with anyone alive enough to join me for it out by the river.

I say that because Mom and Dad were at the reception too and were among the last guests to leave; and I don't know how late Ethan and Ehlana stayed up tonight either. While I'm on that thought, one of the things I missed while busy with the wedding today was the babysitting service that Dawn and Jillian led at our house. They had other help too; but made quite a bit of money for the work; and were in babysitting mode pretty much all of the time between the end of the wedding ceremony until Mom and Dad got home again after the reception.

Okay, it isn't Quarry Lake, campfire, and camping adventure fun for their last day of holidays here with us; but they've still had fun today – and did get to attend the wedding; even if they weren't at the Inn tonight.

I don't want to think about it right now, but Dawn and Jillian will be heading home this afternoon with Violet and Dillon. That isn't going to be a round-trip blast for Violet and Dillon because they're going to stay in Woodvale for two or three days for a visit – and to rest up after being so busy over the past couple of weeks. They won't be leaving until sometime after that private lunch at the Inn; but I don't know whether I'll get to spend much time with Dawn and Jillian or not because I also have a breakfast at Michael's house; and then Jacob and Miranda are going to need all the help they can get at the Inn for the buffets.

It's a good thing that I'm nearly done with the self-healing or I'd need a nap just from thinking about all of that.

Then again, the sun's coming up now and it's time to get dressed for Tai Chi; so I'm out of time for this report anyway. I've skipped a lot, but I guess this'll have to do; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, August 2, 2015

The self-healing this morning is wearing off now; and I am so ready to have a comparatively early night where getting some sleep is an option!

Continuing the wedding weekend report from where I left off this morning before I got ready for Tai Chi by the river; Michael, Ethan, and Ehlana joined me for that while Mom and Dad slept in for nearly an extra hour. The main early morning news, though, was that my grandparents stopped by on their way out of town to say goodbye to us – and I hadn't even thought about them leaving on their trip today for days. They'll be in Canada for the next four weeks; so I was really glad that they made the round to say goodbye to their grandchildren before heading for the airport. I hope that they have a great time while they're away, and I loved that short cameo handful of minutes with them; but then they were off to see Zack and Brianna while I needed to hit the shower and get ready for church – and my breakfast date at Michael's house.

I was put to work as soon as I got there; helped with cooking and setting up for breakfast; and then did a bit of babysitting when the kids were ready to go while Michael's cousins took turns getting ready for the day. Though we had varying amounts of sleep; Miranda and I were the only members of our breakfast group that didn't look tired out – and we were fairly bluntly told several times that we were hated for our sunny dispositions. Miranda might legitimately deserve that, but I cheated; so they should really hate me for being able to do that.

The being tired issue did mean that Jacob opted for a comparatively simple breakfast menu compared to his usual Sunday morning masterpieces; but it was not having Jake and Stephanie there that really made that entire scene feel strange and just a little bit empty. Right now, ten months apart seems like a very long time – especially after spending extra time with them over the past few weeks. As I'm writing this, Jake and Stephanie are winging their way across the Atlantic; and I seriously doubt that they're missing any of us right now – even though I'm sure that they eventually will miss us now and then.

For the record, none of us have a problem with that. If missing us was number one in their thoughts on the first full day of their new life together; they either shouldn't have gotten married or need their heads examined!

We still had fun at breakfast, and it was the wedding and reception recaps that kept us entertained while we ate. Being at the head table, or the parents of the groom, kept some of us out of the loop for a lot of the action going on around the dining room that didn't have anything to do with Jake, Stephanie, or their wedding. I heard a few more stories at church too, and while we're only a bit more than half-way through the usual wedding season here; I'll predict that Jake and Stephanie's wedding will be number one this year if all of those stories and comments are any indication.

The church service and Sunday school felt like a break in the non-stop action today, at least in hindsight; but I was mostly thinking about the wedding while we were there – not that I wasn't paying attention to Pastor John during the service before Sunday school! ;^)

Walking into the sanctuary with Michael and his family, my first thoughts were about all of the people that helped out with the wedding in ways that I didn't pay any attention to yesterday. I know how long it took to decorate the church on Friday; so I can guess how long it took to clean up after the wedding – and that work was done by a group of volunteers while we were busy celebrating and having fun. While the sanctuary was back to normal except for the wedding flower arrangements that were still at the front of the sanctuary until they were sent home with some deserving recipients; I still replayed favorite moments from yesterday afternoon – and had fun with Michael while doing that.

The reason that church and Sunday school felt like a break was because it's been all work since then. I went to the Inn with Michael immediately after church; and we pitched in to get the buffet lunch ready for that invitation-only lunch. All visiting wedding guests were on that list; and the choice of having a buffet was entirely for them since most wouldn't have wanted to stay for one of the Sunday night buffets before heading home. As members of the wedding party, Michael and I were also required to co-host the meal, so we could only work in the kitchen until the first wave of food went out to the buffet table; but then we didn't get a break then because we were put on kid control and entertainment duties.

Violet and Dillon were in charge of the visiting families group; Mitch and Lynn hosted the friends group; Josiah and Christina took care of the friends of the parents; and Rebecca and Lucas had the teens – the teen kids for pretty much all of the adults in the room. Michael and I had the toughest group to get fed and keep entertained; but then we also had the most fun – or at least I think that we did. There were quite a few kids, so we needed some help with them; but we were also the only teens supervising the kid tables from start to finish for the meal.

That blast of food and fun wrapped up at one-thirty; and then Michael and I were back in the kitchen to help with the clean-up while Rebecca and Lucas went home to continue the kid watching for their youngest cousins while the parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents packed and got ready to leave for home. Helping out there was a tag-team effort; and Michael and I were the second-half of that effort – getting to the house in time to help with hauling luggage downstairs and loading up the three vehicles while Rebecca went back to the Inn and Lucas stayed to help us until our guests headed home.

Those goodbyes didn't take long once the work was done. I can't totally blame Michael's family for it, since I love nearly everything that the Olde Bakery makes and sells; but it still felt strange to find out later that they'd spent more time picking out treats to take home with them at the bakery than they spent on the goodbye hugs and kisses with us. We know that for sure because after they left us, Michael and I went over to my house to say goodbye to Dawn, Jillian, Violet, and Dillon as they were leaving too; we went for a swim with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden; and had a snack break with them, Mom, and Dad before heading back to the Inn – and saw his family just leaving the bakery and heading out of town.

Let's not get bogged down with this, since it isn't a big deal or even a surprise; but it does say something about a person when they need to spend more time at a favorite store than with family during what will likely be the only visit of the year for most or all of them.

After having the Inn closed to the public for dinner yesterday and lunch today, there was some pent-up demand for their customers; and the dining room was packed for both buffet sittings. Miranda likely squeezed out another half-sitting by starting early, running late, and turning over tables as quickly as she could. Even with all of that effort; customers were turned away – or chose not to wait for tables once Miranda had a waiting list that filled the seating for the second buffet.

Michael, Rebecca, Jenny, and I worked together a lot of the time tonight, and the one great thing about being so busy was that we didn't have time to miss Jake and Stephanie too much – though we all still did miss them. There's just something very special about Michael and his family when they're all working together; and a little piece of that is missing whenever one or more of them are away. I think that the Witch Falls magic is just a tiny bit weaker when loved ones aren't close.

If you use that some day in your town legends stories, Miranda, you're welcome; and I'm glad you like the idea!

The work tonight was tough on all of us, and while missing Jake and Stephanie was part of that; it wasn't the only issue. We were short-staffed because of yesterday and other issues; it was very hot in the kitchen; and Miranda had also needed to deal with a full turnover of the guest rooms with the departing wedding guests and inbound customers that were vacationing for the first week of August. I wasn't put on one of those room-cleaning crews; but that did take away from the help with had in the kitchen for a few hours.

The dinner work details aren't really that important. Michael and I stayed until close; he walked me home; and I pretty much came straight up to bed except for short chats with Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana. With no overnight guests in the house, including Violet and Dillon; it seems very quiet by comparison. I'm okay with that; but it's still noticeable – and palpable. Some Jacuzzi time was first on my to-do list once I was in my room; I really needed that soak in the tub; and didn't even bother to do any multi-tasking while taking that break.

Once I was ready and in bed with Mandy and my computer, I did my email and computer checks; replied to emails from Dawn, Jillian, and Violet; took care of some family business work; and had a text-chat with Grandma and Grandpa before I started in on this update. They're safely at their hotel after a long trip to the west coast of British Columbia, and though the time change will likely mess them up for a couple of days; they're well and looking forward to their western Canada adventures. Getting some sleep is next on my list, but before I go there; let's go over some weekend details that got lost while I've focused on the wedding and then take a quick look at the week ahead.

First up, since I was just thinking about Violet and Dillon; Kyle Landry headed off to football training camp on Friday. Most of my favorite collegians won't be leaving for school for at least a couple of weeks; but I'm bringing Kyle's early departure up because it's a safe bet that Tim will be taking his football training to the next level on Monday. That'll mean that Michael and I won't be spending much time together on weekday mornings – unless Rowen and I join in on those workouts. They're also going to begin having two workouts a week on farms so that some of the guys – like Lucas – can train with them too; and the first one for that will be out on the Norton farm on Tuesday morning.

Rowen and I should probably start thinking about cheerleading soon too; but I'm too tired to think about that tonight; so let's not go there.

Getting away from football, and even though I'm wishing for some down time; I don't think that's going to work out for me. Uncle Nick's parents will be moving this week, and I'll be volunteering to help – whether that's with the actual work or kid control so that the adults can be free to pitch in. The Malloys will be here tomorrow for another work visit for Terry, and while they'll only be here for one night; I'll spend as much time with them as I can around everything else I'll have on the go. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I have a friend's birthday party this week; and two baseball games on the weekend.

Why am I not already sleeping? All of that is adding up to exhausting – and I'm only thinking about it; not doing anything!

Since the answer to that question is that I have no idea and should be sleeping while I can, that's all I have for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, August 3, 2015

There's been so much going on today that I should have a nap to rest up before getting started on this update. I'm also exhausted; so this is going to be as much of a micro update as I can make it.

My morning consisted of Tai Chi, breakfast, a football workout, and helping out with the moving crew for Uncle Nick's parents. Lunch was at home with Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and the Malloys; and then I was on kid control for the afternoon while some of my favorite adults were helping out with more of the moving work for the Ayres. That babysitting work included a lot of play time at the park; swims; and some biking. I had help from Michael for all of that; and Rowen and Tim joined us for a couple of hours too – including one of the swims and a visit to the Emporium for ice cream.

We had a gang at our house for dinner; I helped with the work on both ends of that meal; and then Rowen and I went to watch Michael and Tim's baseball practice – and we took Ethan, Ehlana, Valerie, and Marcus along with us for some bonus play time with them. I wrapped up the rest of my evening with another swim once we were home; Michael, Tim, and Rowen stayed to watch a movie with me after we took care of getting the four kids tucked into bed for the night and off to sleep. The movie was mostly an excuse for us to have some teen chat time. I guess that it was mostly girl chat time, but even though Rowen and I did spend quite a bit of time together today, we couldn't talk about some of the action over the past few days with kids or parents around us; so that was the first chance we had to talk about certain details from the wedding activities – and about what Rowen and Tim were doing while Michael and I were busy.

We only watched one movie because the boys have their morning football workout at the Norton farm tomorrow. Rowen and I are going out there too, and we're biking there; so we'll need to leave right after breakfast to get there on time. Tim set that up, and they'll have up to two practices at different farms so that more of the farm teen players can work out with Michael, Tim, and any of the other town guys that want to go out to the farms for those workouts too. Rowen and I won't likely go to all of those practices; but we want to be at the first one – and we'll be able to hang out with Emma while we're there.

I've been working on my computer since seeing Michael out and on his way home. I'm not including Rowen and Tim for that because they left a bit earlier than Michael did so that we – and they – could have some privacy for our goodnight hugs and kisses. There's been a fair bit of family business work for me to do; Dawn and Jillian had sent email for me to answer; and the rest of my usual computer checks took a while too. The only reason that it isn't past-four as I write this is because I cheated and did a lot of that work in a time phase. That has added to the exhaustion, though; so there was a price to pay for doing that tonight.

I've skipped over so many details, but really do need to get the rest now; so there's just one more bit of information that I have to cover before getting to that nap time.

The solar-wind farm went online today, and by online; I mean that Witch Falls is now being fully powered by solar and wind energy – or at least the farm is producing more energy than the town is using. There will be times when the farm does not produce as much power as we'll use, but we're still on the grid in a slightly less-direct way; and can pull power if needed. Annually, though, the farm will produce significantly more power than the town will use; and our costs here are going to go down.

I know that project isn't very exciting for most people, including most people in town; but it's been a favorite for Ethan and Ehlana; and they're very happy to see it in full operation now.

Just because I can now burn the midnight oil – electrically speaking – more efficiently now, the solar-wind farm does not recharge my batteries; and I really need to get some sleep. In addition to the morning plans for biking and football, I'll be helping some more with the Ayres' ongoing move; I want to spend at least a bit more time with the Malloys while they're here; and Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I have Denise's birthday party to attend tomorrow night.

Okay, that little list has convinced me that sleeping is much more important than dragging this update out with all of the details from today; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Happy 15th Birthday, Denise!

I'll get to the party news soon, but let's do a quick review of the rest of my day before doing that.

We've had rain today, and lots of it; but that didn't start until late morning; so it didn't get in the way of Tai Chi; breakfast out on the back porch; the round-trip bike ride to the Norton's farm; or the football workout. It did get in the way of the move for the Ayres; and those of us helping out with that got fairly damp a couple of times while moving furniture and boxes into or out of the moving truck or other vehicles we were using for the hop across town to the new townhouse. I did more work on that today than kid control; which is probably why I'm less tired tonight than yesterday. Kids are way tougher to keep up with!

I could only help out until three-thirty; and then needed to get home to hit the shower and get ready for the birthday party. I spent an hour doing that, though this wasn't a dress-up party; and I needed to be prepared for a rainy night on the Burroughs' farm.

Michael met up with me at my house, and then Rowen's Mom picked us up so that we didn't have to walk to the computer store in the rain. Rowen and Tim were already with her; so we headed straight out to the farm and were dropped off in front of the barn that was the plan 'B' party destination.

I'll mention here that getting a barn ready for parties during the summer isn't quite as easy as it is after harvest or in the early spring, and while Denise's family made it work for us; it was very different to have a party around everything else that was still in the barn – not to mention the smells that were heavy in the air thanks to the heat and rain. It has cooled off tonight thanks to the rain. Compared to the extreme hot we've had for most of the past couple of weeks, it'll be a bit cooler for the next few days; but that's relative and it is still going to be summer-hot if not broiling out.

I don't actually have a lot to write about from Denise's party. We had fun, but the rain definitely put a damper on things; so it was a fairly low-key evening. The only real news at all is the same for every teen in my class this year; and Denise successfully passed her test for her driver's license. It's a bigger deal for the farm kids, and while I doubt that Denise will be a future teen with her own car a year from now; she's still thrilled to be one step closer to more independence once she can get away from the farm on her own. Since I'll be one of the last in our class to be able to get my license, having Denise join that club isn't a big deal for me; but Tim and Michael took notes today now that they're both getting so close to joining the club.

Getting into that with every birthday party report this year will just get tedious; so let's move this along.

We had a social hour before dinner; the meal was standard teen birthday party grilled meats and mostly-cold side dishes. With a large group of family and friends for the meal part of the night; it was a bit crowded in the barn while getting everyone fed; and the birthday gifts and dessert time was more than a little too busy. Most of Denise's family left within an hour of the end of dinner; and it was play time after that. Despite the comparatively close quarters; Frisbee and football were attempted; the girls mostly sat around and talked; and at least a few couples wandered off in search of hayloft fun.

No, Michael and I were not one of those couples; and neither were Rowen and Tim. Rowen and I don't have anything against the idea of hayloft make-out sessions; but we do have a problem with doing that while there are a lot of people around. You can feel bad for Tim over that if you'd like, since he and Rowen didn't get to have any alone time after we got back to town tonight; but Michael's still here with me as I'm writing this. It's a work night, so the party wrapped up by eleven; and we're way overdue for some alone time.

Michael is currently getting things ready in the lounge for a movie that we don't plan on actually watching while I'm 'freshening up' and getting changed. I'm also writing this update now because I'm seriously considering keeping Michael for a sofa sleepover tonight – once we've caught up on that way-overdue make-out time! ;^)

I'm nearly ready to get to that part of our night; so let's wrap this up.

While I've been busy with play and those hours of moving work, I've missed out on most of day two of the Malloy's visit; and only had breakfast and lunch with them before they headed home this afternoon. They'll be back in September, but this was the last prep work visit for Terry; and the bridge construction will be starting the first week of September – or maybe a bit sooner for some of the digging and ground work. Mom had a nice visit with Angela and the kids, but she's had a really busy couple of weeks too; and is ready for a bit of quiet that won't really happen for her anymore than it'll happen for me.

Michael, Tim, and Rowen all have a work day tomorrow; so I'll be working too – after football practice; or sooner if the field is too wet or we have any rain. We'll be on a roll into the weekend after that; and I really should take advantage of the time Michael and I have tonight; so that's all for now, and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

The highlight of my day was my sofa sleepover with Michael – and the wake-up hugs and kisses we shared at dawn before meeting up with my parents, brother, and sister for Tai Chi by the river. Breakfast was at his house; the highlights there were the food and getting teased by Miranda; and then we met up with Tim, Rowen, and the other teens for the football workout. There are more guys joining Michael and Tim now, but they still don't have any of the senior players; and the group of soon-to-be Grade Nine guys doesn't look to be ready to play yet this year – at least compared to Michael and Tim.

Michael needed to get to the Inn after that, and Rowen and Tim both headed for work too; so I went home and got started on my own family business work. That's pretty much all I did for the rest of the day except for helping Mom out with some chores, cooking, and meal clean-up; and it ended up being an indoor day after that anyway as rain moved in and kept things wet off and on for the rest of the day. The co-ed baseball practice was cancelled – as were all of the other practices for today. I was okay with that, since it meant that I could get a lot of family business work done – especially when Mom let me play at that with a fair bit of Magi power practice. We both managed to get about a week's worth of work done today; and Ethan and Ehlana had some fun with that too – though their computing time was mostly play for them with Ethan reading in the archives and Ehlana doing some research for projects she's playing with at the lab.

We're having a quiet night at home too. I wish Michael could be here with me, but the rain has brought the campers into town for dinner at the Inn or some play time at the pub – or both – so they're having a busy night. He isn't coming over after work either because we've decided to actually get a full night of sleep tonight instead of staying up late again. Our choice for that has more to do with our tentative plans for tomorrow night – a camping and campfire adventure after Rowen and I have our baseball practice that'll also allow Lucas to be here in town for the Friday football workout before he has to be back out on the farm. Those details are still being worked out; so I'll keep you posted on that with my next update.

For now, I've wrapped up my day with a bit of music and gaming fun with Ethan and Ehlana after dinner while Dad worked in the office and Mom split her time between the lounge and office to hang out with all of us. When she took the twins downstairs for bath time, I hopped into my Jacuzzi for a nice long soak; got ready for bed; and will be sleeping shortly after I'm done writing this little report. Other than the morning side of the sofa sleepover with Michael, this has been a fairly uneventful day; but we're all good with that after too much busy.

I'm also really happy with the chance for a solid eight consecutive hours of sleep, and it's time for me to get started on that; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Congratulations to the Byrd family – it's a boy!

Alex Byrd's birth today was the top news story around town today; and of some interest to our family too because Alex will be one of Brianna's classmates when they eventually start school in about five years. You might be wondering if Ethan, Ehlana, and I see more for their future, but while the answer to that is definitely 'yes'; we won't be passing any of that information on to anyone else anytime soon. Since they're both very young, and it's possible that my teen journals will be available for other Magi to read before they're adults, that's all I have for the subject; so let's move along to the rest of the update.

Tai Chi by the river and breakfast helped to get our day off to a good start; Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I met up as soon as we were ready to go and biked out to the Parker farm for the football workout; and then Rowen and I mostly hung out with Sally and some of the other girls that came to the workout too while the boys played – I mean trained – for an hour and a half. Tim had a good turnout of the younger farm teens again; yet didn't get any of the senior players again – including Ray Parker. He was there, but chose to work instead while Joshua was hosting the workout. That surprised me a bit, since he's very likely to be our quarterback this season, but most of the farm guys need to make up that lost work time; so maybe he just couldn't do that today. I'll add that Tim's getting a bit annoyed about the lack of interest for extra training with the senior players, leave it there; and reserve judgment on how that works out for them – and for our team.

Michael needed to get back to the Inn via a stop at home for a shower and change once we were back in town again. Rowen and Tim were doing their own things after that too; so I went onto kid control duty while also helping out around home and setting up tents for our camping adventure plans. Ethan and Ehlana were happy to help me out with that, and they did help as much as they could while out in public; pulling tents out to the river in a wagon and doing little jobs like setting out tent poles and pegs where I needed them. We had a bit of play time here and there too, including while Michael was on his break; and Rowen and Tim came over in time to join us for an easy-dinner before Rowen and I needed to get to our ball practice and Tim met up with a bunch of guys for a football scrimmage.

It was too busy at the Inn for Michael to get away for that football action too; but he met up with us back at my house in time for the start of the campfire. Our ball practice was good, but some of our team mates are not very motivated right now. I'm not really worried about that, but Rowen and I don't plan on slacking off for the rest of the season just because we've already earned our spot in the championship game. Tim's football scrimmage was more interesting because he was able to get a much better picture of how well his younger potential team mates are doing. He was happy to see that most of the guys training with him most days are better than the guys that aren't doing any extra work right now; but we'll again need to wait and see how that works out once the official training camp opens.

While Rowen and I didn't pay any attention to that scrimmage while busy with our own practice; we did hear about it at the campfire. With that training camp now just about two and a half weeks away from starting; I don't need to use my Sight to predict that football will be a top chat choice for the guys for the rest of the summer. Tim would likely suggest that Rowen and I just didn't give him and Michael something better to do, and while I would have been good with a tent mate swap tonight to help him out with that; they have Ethan and Aiden in their tent tonight; and Rowen and I have Ehlana and Naomi for our cuddle buddies.

That isn't a problem for the other teen couples; and that's the real reason that Tim made more jokes about that sort of thing than usual. He at least saved them up for after Michael and I had the four younger kids tucked into their sleeping bags for the night; though there's a very good chance that Naomi would have agreed with him – and offered to do a tent mate swap anyway – even if that meant two pairs of pre-schoolers in one tent and two teen couples in the other.

No, that wouldn't have worked for me; since I don't think that making out with my boyfriend is a spectator sport – even if the spectators were our best friends. That just is not going to happen; though I can hear Tim's future jokes about that statement when he reads this journal someday in the future. Go ahead and laugh, Tim, but your girlfriend feels the same way about that as I do; so live with the faux disappointment.

The campfire was fun. Michael and I provided most of the music; Lucas and Rebecca were top storytellers for the kids until they went to bed; and we each took turns at scary stories after that until we put the fire out at twelve-thirty. There were two swims tonight too – the first when we got back from the school; and the second after the campfire ended. Swim number two was at least a partial diversion for some of us while Rebecca and Lucas, and Jenny and Joel, moved on to co-ed camping. Emma and Kylie had been invited too, and they went with us for that swim; but then they turned in after that while Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I stayed up later and talked until nearly two while cuddling on two of the benches.

It was definitely time to get ready for bed after that, though; and I'm only doing this update and an email check before packing up my computer and getting some sleep. We've had a really great day, and it's going to be busy tomorrow too; since I'm going to try and get a head start on the yard work in addition to the morning football practice; evening baseball game; and the babysitting that I'm booked for while Mom, Dad, and their usual group of friends go out to the pub after their game. I'll have help for that; but we won't be doing a bonus sleepover or camping night.

That is pretty much all of the news for today, though, and I'm ready for the down time; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, August 7, 2015

It's been a very long, busy day; I'm too tired to do the update right now; so I'm crashing for the rest of the night and will do the double update tomorrow.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, August 8, 2015

I'm back; and more awake than I was last night while doing my nightly computing. Yes, I do know that getting to here from there is just a flip of a digital page for you in my future, and those micro-updates aren't really required; but it's just the way I am – and those little non-reports do at least explain what would otherwise just be gaps in my journal timeline.

With that said, I'll move backward into that timeline; and begin with the news from yesterday.

My morning was really, really busy; but started out wonderfully with Tai Chi by the river for ten. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne surprised us by coming over too, and we had Brianna to thank for that because she'd woken early for her first morning feeding; and Aunt Leanne decided to stay up and exercise with us instead of getting a bit more nap time. Zack and Brianna weren't our only spectators this morning, and that worked out for us too; since Emma and Kylie were happy to entertain my cousins while we were busy.

Breakfast was a crazy rush, and a bit busier than I'd expected because Dad and Aunt Leanne decided to go with more of a breakfast meal than we'd originally planned. They were the primary cooks too; and whipped up heaps of pancakes and sausages for everyone except Brianna. My youngest cousin was happy to get passed around and entertained while we all worked, got ready for the day, or were sitting down to eat; and Aunt Leanne was happy with that knowing that Brianna would need a nice long morning nap after all of the excitement. We – the campers, Zack, and Brianna – ate out on the back porch while the parents were in the kitchen. That worked because we ate in smaller groups as the waves of food were ready and while we were taking turns using the bathrooms and helping out with the work in the kitchen or at our overnight campground. We had a lot of fun with all of the busy-crazy action; and had the camp torn down, everything put away, and the kitchen cleaned by the time we either needed to leave for work or other activities – like the football workout in the park.

Lucas had been really happy about being able to do a third workout with Michael and Tim, but all three boys were a bit disappointed when they had a smaller-than-usual turnout. That wasn't all bad for them, because Rowen, Rebecca, Emma, Kylie, and I cheered them up again by helping out with some of the training. Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden added a bit of fun too; though their contributions were in added entertainment instead of training help. Then again, I guess they did help out with one of the drills. Tim had them carried for part of one of the running drills in a fun little relay that kept the four younger kids giggling – and running too; since part of the exercise included needing to catch them first.

The fun in my day was toned down quite a bit after the football action, and while my friends all headed off to work or other plans; I came home and got to work on my weekend chores. Rain was in the forecast for Saturday, so I at least wanted to get the lawn mowed and the gardens weeded in case our outdoor chores did get rained out. It was hot out, so I included a couple of swim breaks when needed to cool off; but kept them short since it would have been easy to get distracted from the work that I wasn't terribly motivated to do. I had lunch on the fly too; and downed a sandwich and some cold veggies while switching from lawn mowing to gardening.

I wrapped up my work when Michael came over to hang out with me on his afternoon break; and we spent a couple of hours playing with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden. We went for a swim first, since I was ready to cool off and wash off the parts of the garden that were stuck to me; we followed that up with an hour of playground fun at the park; stopped at the Emporium for ice cream treats; and then wrapped up Michael's break with another swim before he needed to get back to the Inn. We had lots of company coming over for a dinner and baseball night; so I helped Mom out with getting the side dishes ready for that meal; with the potato salad being the most time-consuming part of that job. We had bonus help and entertainment join in for the kitchen fun as we went along. Aunt Leanne was first; and the other Moms joined us as they either finished work or finished up with other afternoon activities.

While we put some effort into the salads, the meal needed to be quick and easy so that the baseball playing members of our family could get to the park in time for the pre-game warm-ups; so Dad, Uncle Nick, Philip, and some of the other guys only needed to grill burgers and hot dogs to go along with the salads and other veggie and snack options. I was on kid control during dinner; and had all of the toddlers and pre-schoolers with me by the river as we sat on the benches or dock to have our meal. That was fun – and tiring! I managed to eat a hot dog and the salads I'd filled my plate with, but spent most of that time running around after the kids and trying to get all of them to eat.

That running around after the kids became a trend for the rest of the night. I got out of the kitchen clean-up, but that would have been easier than keeping up with my gang of kids at the park playground. We walked over there after dinner, and while I had a bit of parent support at first; they needed to move on once it was time for the game warm-ups. The only way I managed to keep up after that was thanks to the help that some of the older kids at the playground offered. Rowen and Tim came over shortly after the game started, and they helped me after that – mostly because we needed to watch one group at the playground; one at the game; and at least one or two kids at any given time that wanted to go for a swim in the river.

The baseball players didn't get as much exercise as we did!

Speaking of the game, Our Eagles played the Hawks last night. We were the away team; and it was a fairly wild match with a final score of twenty-three to nineteen. The Eagles won, and they had an even larger lead going into the bottom of the seventh, but since both teams had high-scoring innings; it could have gone either way right up to the end. I missed more than half of the game while busy with the hyper-active kids; and that also meant that our cheerleading squad was missing most of the time too except for at the beginning and end of the game. The win has almost-certainly earned the Eagles one of the championship game spots; though there is still a very slim chance that they could lose out in the event of a tie-breaker. I don't think that'll happen; so I'll predict that we're going to have a very busy holiday weekend with lots of baseball to go along with the rest of the family fun.

Having fun was the name of the game for the kids after the game – and it was my job to make that happen for them. Rowen and Tim came home with us to help me with that; and they were officially hired to babysit with me – and with Michael; once he was finished work at the Inn. While Mom and Dad got ready to go out with their friends and team mates to Sheldon's; we started that fun time out with a long swim in the river that Michael joined us for after being set free from the Inn a bit earlier than he'd expected. We only have three sleepover guests here tonight, but after the swim; we got most of the kids ready for bed before moving up to my room and the lounge for the rest of the evening. Mom and Dad were already having fun at the pub by then; and the kids were still fired up and ready to party. Even Brianna was awake and happy to hang out with us after having her feeding right before Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam dropped her off with us on their way to the pub; so Rowen and I needed to keep up with the other kids while tag-teaming holding Brianna and keeping her entertained.

The boys had wanted to play video games, so they did that first while Rowen and I played with the girls. We had a music time in my room; half of the guys deserted Tim to join us for a game of hide-and-seek; we played with toys; and then settled into the lounge at eleven o'clock to watch a movie that half of the kids didn't manage to stay awake to watch to the end. The lounge was a bit of a mess by then, and there were pillows and blankets covering the floor between the sectional sofa and the television; with kids sprawled out on them while watching the show or sleeping.

If you're wondering whether Naomi was spending some quality time cuddling with my brother; the answer to that is a resounding yes. Ryan and Tim teased him about it; but Ethan really doesn't care about his reputation yet; and I don't think that he'd be able to deny Naomi anything even if he did care. Michael probably wishes I was more like him – and Naomi – when I first met him! ;^)

I'd like to say that we – the babysitters – were able to take a break after that, but we didn't. Michael and I cuddled with Brianna most of that time, but Rowen and I were also kept busy with moving sleeping kids to guest bedrooms; helping out when needed for washroom breaks; diaper changes; or getting drinks and snacks for everyone. Michael took care of Brianna on his own when I wasn't with him, and if she didn't already have my boyfriend wrapped around her little finger before then; Brianna had his heart by the end of the night. It's a good thing that I know he loves me too; or I'd be jealous!

As I mentioned before, we only have three guests staying the night. Aiden, Naomi, and Sophia are here with Ethan and Ehlana; but all of the other kids – and Michael, Tim, and Rowen – headed home once the parents were finished playing at the pub. Mom was one of the designated drivers, so she needed to do some running around first, but started her driving duties by dropping off Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne at our house. Aunt Leanne hadn't been drinking either, but wasn't one of the drivers because she needed to nurse Brianna. She was very happy to find out that my adorable little cousin had only napped a little while she was gone; and she and Uncle Adam were both hoping that Brianna would be able to skip a feeding and sleep through until morning. Zack wasn't a problem for them; sine Tim and Michael ran him to exhaustion by the time he fell asleep during the movie.

While the kids were being picked up and taken home, Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I got to work on the clean-up in the lounge, my room, and the kitchen. We had all of that done by the time that Mom got home from her last trip of the night – a loop out into the country to deliver a handful of farm friends to their homes. She had help with that because they also delivered two trucks so that their friends didn't need to arrange for retrieving those vehicles in the morning, and while that might sound strange to some people; it's just the way things are done here in Witch Falls.

It was late by then, and you already know from my lack of interest in writing this report last night that I was exhausted; but we still had a short post-mortem chat with Mom and Dad before they went up to bed and I went outside with Michael, Tim, and Rowen to see them off. I should mention that we got paid then too; though that really isn't a big deal for any of us. Rowen likes babysitting with me; and Michael and Tim do it because they love us. Rowen and Tim left first after a quick round of hugs; and then Michael and I sat on the front steps and had a little chat before doing our goodnight hugs and kisses. After watching him walk home, I came up to my room; got ready for bed; checked my email and wrote that journal blurb; and then pretty much literally crashed and napped for the rest of the night.

My Saturday morning was quieter than it was on Friday; but Naomi, Sophia, and Aiden did still add to the fun and work until they were picked up by their parents after breakfast. While I'm thinking about Sophia, I mentioned that Ryan was at our house last night too while his parents joined in for the fun at the pub, but should have mentioned that we didn't have Jessica with us too because she was with Lindsay and Geraldine instead. They're in that transition stage between needing babysitters and being able to do the job, but in this case; they'd just already had other plans for a sleepover before the pub night was officially booked. While that isn't really an important detail; I wanted to mention it because Michael's cousins are as important to him as mine are to me; and we really do need to try harder to spend more time with them – especially when they're growing up so fast!

The first half of my Saturday wasn't exactly fun and exciting – at least during the time between breakfast and mid-afternoon. Dad was happy that I had the lawn and gardens work finished; but that didn't get me out of doing chores today. We just got to work on other chores that don't get done every week – including some maintenance on the storage barn and around the house. I did get to spend that time with Dad, though; and we both love getting to do that when we can. It's been another scorcher, so I needed some swim breaks and we both took regular breaks to stay hydrated; but it was also great to be outdoors and enjoying the weather.

We even enjoyed the thunderstorm that rolled through about an hour before lunchtime; and we watched the storm as much as we worked in the storage barn while waiting it out. It didn't last long; didn't really get in the way of our work; and the ground dried up almost immediately – or it seemed as though it did. We stopped for lunch at twelve-thirty; went back to work until two-thirty; and then I got cleaned up and ready to go and watch Michael's ball game.

Rowen met up with me at my house; we took Ethan and Ehlana along; and headed for the school. The Arrows were up against the Catapults; and were there in time to catch the last half of the Arrows' warm-ups. After the thunderstorm, it just got hotter out – and more humid. I brought lots of water with us and some snacks; but we weren't the only spectators at the game wishing that we were at the park instead of the school. Swim breaks in the river would have been really nice. That might have worked out for the best anyway, since Michael, Tim, and their team mates seemed to be very motivated to get the game over with in a hurry. I'm sure that they also wanted to win and ensure their spot in the championship game; but it still seemed as though all of the boys on both teams also just wanted to get it over with. For the Catapults, that was because they weren't having a particularly good game.

Our Arrows were the home team, so the Catapults batted first. They were happy when they scored two runs; but it was downhill from there for them. The Arrows went on to a blow-out win; and even the twenty-one to ten final score looked better than it was; since the Arrows coasted to the end of the game and tried not to make the win even more lop-sided than it already was by the end of the third inning. Even with all of those runs, it was still a fairly short game; and that left Michael with enough time for both an Emporium ice cream break and a swim that he needed to get rid of the ball diamond dust and dirt before going back to the Inn for the dinner rush.

While he was busy with that, we had a quiet dinner at home; went for a walk; had a bit of playground time that Mom and Dad enjoyed as much as the twins and I did; and then we wrapped up our evening with a swim that Michael joined us for once he was again set free from the Inn for the night. We followed that up with some more play time with Ethan and Ehlana in the lounge while Mom and Dad did some work in the office; we all got together again for the bedtime snack and story time; and then Michael and I finally had some alone time in the lounge once we tucked Ethan and Ehlana in for the night.

We took full advantage of that couple of hours to enjoy a fairly major make-out session while not watching a movie; and then Michael went home after we wrapped up our day with another short bedtime chat with Mom and Dad when they were wrapping up their work and heading to bed at a bit before midnight.

I've had some work to do since then, since I didn't do any family business work last night and won't be able to do much work for the next few nights either. Getting that done required using a time phase; but it still took time to get everything done; which is why it's so late now. It's also time for me to wrap this up and get some sleep because I really am going to be busy for the next few days.

The highlight for all of that will be our fourth-annual amusement park adventure on Monday and Tuesday. I haven't mentioned that in my journal yet, but have been looking forward to the trip – even if I haven't paid much attention to it with everything else we've had on the go. Since we are getting to do that, the busy for Sunday is going to be another full shift helping out at the Inn. That's the least I can do to thank Miranda and Jacob for taking their days off next week and bringing Michael, Rebecca, and Lucas along for the trip. We aren't going to have as many parents with us this year; so it wouldn't have been possible to have as many teens along with us without the extra parental support.

I'll be able to write more about those adventures as they happen, and the work at the Inn probably won't be all that exciting at all; so I'll wrap this update up now; and call it a night. It's been another really great day; I'm extra-happy thanks to the alone time with Michael; and the fun level is really going to kick up a notch or six by Monday. That should all help me out with lots of material to use for happy dreams, and I'm ready for that visit to dreamland; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, August 9, 2015

It's been a really long day, and we need to be up early to hit the road for our amusement park adventure; so I'm going to keep this update short.

We had another hot-weather day that was only briefly dampened with a bit of rain rolling through this morning. The wet weather didn't get in the way of our Tai Chi; and I spent a lot of the rest of the day indoors where the weather wasn't an issue anyway. After Tai Chi, I had breakfast at Michael's house again. That culinary adventure was followed by a fun morning at church that included the first preparations for the holiday weekend service for most teens and some of the older kids. The service was only slightly longer than normal, so I had time to run home and get changed before heading over to the Inn; and then it was time to work, work, work for most of the rest of the day except during our afternoon break.

I loved spending the time with Michael and his family; we had as much fun as we could on a very busy Sunday. It was hot in the kitchen too, so that drained us a bit; and Michael and I pretty much used our entire afternoon break to just rest up and get ready for the buffet side of the shift. That was a highlight of the day for me because we went back to his house; had two long swims at each end of our break; and cuddled on the sofa and had a mini nap and minor make-out session between the swims. We got razzed about that by Miranda, and then by some of the other teens, after we returned to the Inn – mostly because we were apparently smiling too much; and didn't try to deny that we had taken advantage of our break time to have fun.

The buffet shift was tough, and we again had more than two full sittings of customers as Miranda and her team of servers turned over the tables as quickly as they could. The locals helped with that to help make room for the extra guests as usual during the summer and on holidays; but it's obvious that the customers will come when Miranda and Jacob finish with the expansion – and could really use more room right now. Since they haven't even started the remodel work, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself on that; but it is going to be awesome to have that extra space in the not-all-that distant future.

With the extra diners, the last customers didn't leave until nearly a half-hour later than normal; and the clean-up took longer too before we could close up and head home. I couldn't stayed for a sleepover with Michael by then, but only stopped at his house long enough for a round of goodnight hugs and kisses with Michael, his parents, and Rebecca before continuing on to my house.

I still needed to pack for the trip; did that after a quick bedtime chat with Mom and Dad and stops to say goodnight to Ethan and Ehlana in their rooms; and then got on with my nightly computing once I was showered, changed, and in bed with Mandy. I had a bit of family business to deal with; email to answer – including from Stephanie and Dawn; and then I did a full computer check including a Hathorne Industries search. I'll only do the basics while we're away; and that's the only reason for the extra work tonight.

Compared to today, the fun level is going to be rising a lot for the next two days, and I'm down to nap time only before we'll be up and running again, so that's all for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, August 10, 2015

My amazing amusement park adventure day started out with a nice long nap while we drove from home to the park; making up for the sleep that I didn't get last night. That was scary for the parents in our group because they had a group of fully-charged kids and teens to keep up with when it was time to get started on the extreme fun.

We have a smaller group here this year, since our collegians didn't – or couldn't – come along; Aunt Leanne didn't want to try a two-day adventure with Zack and Brianna; and the other parents were busy with other work – or getting ready for a move into their new-old house. While I would have loved to have everyone here with us; we managed to have a blast anyway. Since we only have Mom, Dad, Miranda, and Jacob with us this time, we also have fewer kids and teens. Lucas was able to come with Rebecca, but Jenny stayed home – and she was happy to do that while Joel was working anyway. Ethan and Ehlana have Naomi and Aiden with them; mostly so they wouldn't be the only kids in the group. Michael and I brought Tim and Rowen with us, and despite his jokes about it; I'll make it clear that Tim is not my date for the trip! He did at least give up on those jokes after Rowen put her arm around Michael, hugged him, and assured her boyfriend that she didn't have a problem with being Michael's date instead if that's what Tim really wanted.

Thanks, Rowen – for the laughs and getting Tim to move on from a joke that got less-funny the longer he tried to drag it out!

Oh, and just in case you weren't really joking too – you can't have my boyfriend! ;^)

For the mathematically challenged, that's fourteen people, and meant that we had two full minivans; which was another reason we didn't have extra kids. That would have meant another vehicle and two parents driving without adult sanity support. You might be wondering which teen couple was split up for the trip, and the answer is none because we had girls' and guys' minivans today. I'd have been good with having my nap while cuddling with Michael, but then there's a good chance that we would have been the odd couple out anyway; so that doesn't really matter.

We – the teens – did not leave the parents stuck with the four younger kids all day with no help, and while the teen time we were allowed to have was great; we had a lot of fun with my brother, sister, and their friends. The park was crowded right from the time it opened, so starting our play time with the kid-rated rides and shows didn't make a difference for the line-ups we had later at all of the major thrill rides. That first few hours wasn't all kiddie rides for the teens and parents; and we took turns going on a couple of the roller coasters while at least four of us kept the kids entertained and supervised.

I won't add the details for every ride and show; since all that really matters is that we had an amazingly fun day. My favorite rides are still all of the roller coasters; the vertical towers that either drop you or blast you into space; and the freefall sky dive ride that still has me wanting to try bungee jumping some day. Yes, I'm apparently a thrill junkie, but does that really surprise you? I have fought Dark Magi a few times; so a roller coaster is tame compared to that.

Moving along and away from not-so-happy thoughts; we all played together for a few hours; had lunch together while watching a stage show; and then it was teen time for six of us until we met up again for dinner. We went on as many thrill rides as we could considering the long lines, but didn't get to nearly all of them; so it's a good thing that we have a second day to enjoy. The only damper on a near-perfect day was a thunderstorm that rolled through the area mid-afternoon. We had to take cover during it, and all of the outdoor rides were temporarily shut down, but it didn't last long; and we were soon back to playing again – and managed to be among the first in line for one of the coasters when the rides re-opened.

The meals at the park are of the too-expensive fast food variety, so there was minimal nutritional value involved; but I'm sure we all worked off the extra calories with the miles of walking and hyper-active fun. Our dinner meal was also accompanied by a stage show for entertainment; and then we stayed together for the rest of the evening until the park closed. The mix of kid rides, shows, and thrill rides was similar to our morning adventures; though we stayed away from the water rides so that we wouldn't be cold and soaked when it was time to head over to the hotel.

At least six of us were very interested in the parental plans for the hotel room assignments; though I was not even remotely surprised to find out that Michael and I were put in rooms with Ethan and Aiden, and Ehlana and Naomi respectively. Rebecca and Rowen have a room together, and ditto that for Tim and Lucas. Are they in those two rooms in that pairing as I write this? I don't know; but I certainly hope not! Michael and I couldn't do that too, but we did get together with all four kids in the boys' room to watch a movie; and I'll guess that our friends were enjoying some couples' alone time while we were doing that. If they aren't doing a roommate swap tonight too, I'm going to have something to say to Rebecca and Rowen in the morning; since one of them could have stayed with Ehlana and Naomi instead so that Michael and I could have cuddled together all night.

By the way, when you read this someday in the distant future, Naomi, I love you; and really appreciate the entertainment you provide as you continue to lay claim to Ethan as your future boyfriend and husband. I doubt that you'll have forgotten, so for everyone else reading this; I'll mention that Ethan and Naomi were adorable as they cuddled together during the movie – and fell asleep together. Mom and Miranda both took pictures of that when they checked in with us after going out to the hotel piano bar for drinks; and sent those pictures on to Liz and Hannah. I'm sure that it was just random chance that those pictures didn't show the rest of us in the room, or that Ehlana and Aiden were in the bed and sleeping too.

Looking so adorable as they slept did not keep Dad and Jacob from moving Ehlana and Naomi to our room before heading to bed too; so that was the end of my coddle time with Michael too. Before I wrap this up, though, I'll also report that Naomi had a sleepy goodnight kiss for her favorite cuddle buddy before letting Dad carry her away from her prince charming. She had a little kiss for him too; and wrapped my father around her little finger just a bit more than he already has been for years.

There isn't much else to add for tonight. Ehlana and Naomi were back to sleep before Mom and Dad left us for their room; I got ready for bed; and have been doing my usual nightly computer and email checks since then. I had a bit of family business work to do too, but that didn't take long; and I spent more time on email than work. After hearing nothing at all from Stephanie during the first week of her honeymoon, I had a second email to read from her tonight in response to the one I sent her last night. She isn't sending the details I don't need to know about; and I'll just be glad that she and Jake are having an amazing start to their marriage. They still have more time to explore southern Europe before they'll need to settle in for their first semester at two different schools; but their homes away from home for the next ten months are furnished; so they won't need a lot of time to get settled in ahead of the start of their junior year of college.

Stephanie's email tag with me is mostly due to the time difference and when we're each busy doing other things; but I've also had a bunch of emails from Dawn, Jillian, Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and a few of the Johnson-McEwan cousins too. For some, the messages were quick updates or responses; and others were about the upcoming holiday weekend. With so many of the family teens heading off to college before Labor Day, we aren't going to have the full gang home with us; and I'm going to miss not getting to see everyone for what is usually the last chance to do that before Thanksgiving. I'd say more about that, but if I think about it much; we can't say much about everyone else being too busy when it's been too long since we've done any family visit trips to Woodvale, Granite Park, or anywhere else.

Add that to the list of things that we should do more often and never seem to have time for; and then I'm going to move on because it's time for me to get some sleep so that I'll be ready for the second half of our amusement park adventure.

We really have had an amazingly fun day; I doubt that I'll ever get tired of thrill rides and amusement parks no matter how often I visit them; and I can hardly wait to share another day of adventure with Michael, our families, and friends!

Now that's a happy thought to take with me into dreamland, so that's all for now; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

We're home now, and even though it's really late; I'm only writing this now instead of going to sleep because I had some family business work to do anyway – and need a bit of wind-down time before I'll be ready to sleep.

Our day started out with Tai Chi by the pool for those of us that weren't having a co-ed, five star sleepover. Mom and Dad skipped that; but their smiles suggested that they'd gone with an alternate exercise routine before meeting up with us for breakfast. They weren't the only happy couple at the breakfast tables this morning; but let's just not go there for any of them. As usual, we had some spectators for Tai Chi, and the four kids in our group stole the show for that. Michael and I weren't surprised. Everyone thinks that Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden are adorable when they're doing the Tai Chi forms together – and we agree with them.

We had lots of time to putter around the hotel before checking out and heading back over to the amusement park for the day. Breakfast was at one of the hotel restaurants; we all went for a swim in the pool after doing a bit of souvenir shopping; and then we packed up and moved on. The park was just as crowded when we arrived, but since we had our two-day passes already; we were among the first into the park. That's why our parents set the teens free for a while to start our day; and we managed to get through going on two of our favorite coasters before the queues for all of the extreme rides filled up and we started to have long waits for each thrill ride.

I'll again skip the details; and just point out that we've had another amazing day together. While the extreme rides were again at the top of my list of best moments today; spending a couple of hours at the water park this afternoon was amazing too; and I had just as much fun with the parents and kids in our group when we spent time with them. For that, we played for an hour before lunch; the entire time we were playing in the water; and then before, during, and after dinner until we wrapped up the day with some more teen time until the park closed for the day and we met up and got ready to head home.

The ride home was fairly quiet, and while I enjoyed watching a movie with Ehlana, Naomi, Rowen, and Tim; I would have had more fun if Michael hadn't been in the other minivan with Ethan, Aiden, Rebecca, and Lucas. Speaking of Lucas – he's staying overnight at Michael's house; and he'll be staying in the morning until after the football workout. I seriously doubt that he'll be sneaking into Rebecca's room, but if I was Rebecca; I'd be seriously considering a sofa sleepover! ;^)

The trip home was long, and some of us were able to nap a bit; but I didn't this time. My brother, sister, Naomi, and Aiden were all sleeping when we got into town, so along with dropping Tim and Rowen off at their houses; we also needed to get the four kids up to bed while unloading the minivans too. We have Naomi and Aiden here overnight too; since there wasn't any point in keeping one or more of their parents up late to wait for them – especially when Aiden's Dad needs to be up so early for work. Since Michael's parents had the boys with them; he and I took care of getting Ethan and Aiden from his house to mine; we both pitched in to get the luggage indoors; and then shared a goodnight kiss on his front porch before I came home again for the night.

I took care of unpacking my things after coming up to my room; got ready for bed; and then started in on my nightly computer checks and that family business work that couldn't wait until tomorrow. It's definitely time to wrap this up and get started on my nap now, and there isn't anything else to add to the report anyway; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

It's been a beautiful, sunny first day back at home, and while I've been indoors and working a lot; we've had a bit of outdoor fun here and there too.

I'll admit that I wasn't all that motivated to get up this morning for Tai Chi, but a bit of self-healing helped out with that; and I didn't want to miss out on the good morning hugs and kisses with Michael even if sleeping in would have been nice. Michael also opted to stay for breakfast, and while we joked about it; I'm sure that wasn't really because he didn't want to be a third wheel at home with Rebecca and Lucas. They looked to be very happy when we met up with them before heading over to the park once Michael was changed and ready for the football workout, though, so they obviously took advantage of the alone time.

Good for them; since they won't see each other much again between now and Sunday. I don't know how Michael and I would handle that if one of us lived on a farm instead of on the same street; but I'll guess that we'd do a lot more biking between our homes to spend time together than Rebecca and Lucas do. The good news for them is that Lucas will be sixteen soon; and then he'll be driving into town to visit Rebecca a lot. That won't change their work schedules at all, so they'll still need to deal with being busy; but I'm sure that this upcoming milestone in teen freedom is something that they're both looking forward to – just as most farm and small town teens do.

I was going to say all teens for that, but it probably isn't true for a lot of big city teens. That's completely different when mass transit of various types is an available option. Driving cars or trucks and dealing with the traffic and every other city transportation issue – like parking – must be daunting for a new driver; and that isn't even taking into consideration all of those extra costs for new drivers. I don't really want to get side-tracked and write volumes about the differences between cosmopolitan and rural teens; so let's move on and get back to the news of the day.

Tim was happy with the turnout for his football workout. Most of the regular guys showed up, and that worked out for me too; since they didn't need any extra help with the drills. Rowen, Rebecca, and I instead sat on the bleachers with some of the other girls and spectators; had a fun little chat that was mostly about our trip and updates about what we'd missed here at home while we were away. The second half of that was mostly girl chat type topics; and didn't include any details that I want to add here.

While I'm not interested in writing much about football either, I will mention that Tim isn't as happy with the level of conditioning and play he's seeing from most of the guys right now. He doesn't think that they're nearly as far along as they were last year a week and a half away from the start of the official training camp; and I can report that he's right about that. Tim is also partially right to conclude that not having any seniors working with them is affecting the effort that the younger guys are putting in, but that isn't the complete picture; since I can also tell from comparing my memories from last year that Michael and Tim are now the best players on the team. They were among the best last year; but they're now better than everyone by quite a bit. Being taller and stronger has a lot to do with that, particularly compared to the younger guys; but they also work harder than everyone else and have a lot of natural talent. That talent doesn't surprise anyone for Tim, since his family is all about sports; but some of our friends do seem to be surprised whenever they're watching Michael play.

I've never thought about that much, and it isn't as though Michael doesn't have some sports nuts in his family tree; but he and Rebecca are the only members of the local Stone family to be into playing sports. Jake didn't do much of that at school; and neither did their parents when they were teens. They might not have been into playing team sports; but I'll guess that they all could have – or still could; if they wanted to get involved. All I'm getting at here is that Michael isn't the only member of his family with the natural athletic talent; so people shouldn't be surprised at it just because they haven't seen it used in sports by the rest of his family.

Getting back to the news again, we had fun talking and watching the boys play for an hour or so; and then it was time for me to get home again and start working on chores with Mom. We had a lot to do after being away for two days; and that kept us busy until lunchtime. Naomi and Aiden were both gone by the time I was back at home, but Ethan and Ehlana were also out because Uncle Adam took them over to the lab with him so that they could play there for a few hours. That made doing the housework and laundry easier – especially when Mom and I cheated to get the work done faster so that we could both get started on some family business work in the office once we had the chores out of the way.

We were in the office when Ethan and Ehlana were dropped off for lunch by Aunt Leanne; and she, Zack, and Brianna stayed to have lunch with us before they went home again to have an afternoon nap. That was a fun break, but then I went back to work until Michael came over when he was set free from the Inn for his afternoon break. We went for a swim with Ethan and Ehlana then; took them on a bike ride to the park; played there for an hour; went for another swim; and then wrapped up Michael's break with an ice cream snack in the dining room at the Inn that Miranda and Rebecca joined us for before they needed to gear up for the dinner rush.

It was back to work in the office for me after that while Ethan and Ehlana played in the back yard and Mom sat out on the back porch to watch them while working on her computer. We both stopped our computing and made dinner together; had that meal out on the back porch too; and then I took care of the clean-up while Mom and Dad did a few other things – including getting ready for their ball practice. I was on kid control duty for that, and had a gang of kids to keep up with at the playground while Mom and Dad played ball with their friends. Michael met up with us there, and came home to go for a swim with Ethan, Ehlana, and me after the practice; but he didn't stay to hang out with me after that because we're both tired out.

I came up to my room almost immediately after saying goodnight to him. Mom and Dad both still had work to do in the office, but they knew that I was worn out; so they took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana off to bed – including having them take baths before tucking them in for the night and getting to work in the office. While they were doing that, I had a nice long soak in my Jacuzzi; got ready for bed; and got started on my usual bedtime computing while cuddling with Mandy. There wasn't any family business work to do, but I did have a few personal emails to deal with before getting to this update.

One of those emails was from Violet; and that reminded me that I haven't included anything about her in my journal in a while. That's mostly because we've both been busy and haven't spent much time together since Jake and Stephanie's wedding; but I'm really thinking about her – and Dillon – tonight because we're down to days now before they head back to college. They're in Woodvale tonight; went there after finishing work at the lab for the summer yesterday while we were away; and then they'll be home again tomorrow night or Friday to spend a bit more time with us before heading off to school on Saturday. They'll be spending more of that time with Dillon's family, so we'll need to share them; but I guess that's only fair considering how much time they needed to spend working, at our house, or with Jake and Stephanie during the last couple of months. It's funny thinking now about how little I've seen them in the last ten days or so while also knowing that I'm going to miss them while they're at school again. They're going to have a great year, though; and getting their own place together now that they don't have to live on campus is going to have everything to do with that!

I'll save the details for that up for an update this weekend or next week; but I will say that I'm taking notes for future reference. Violet and Dillon didn't have any parental issues with their decision to cohabitate at college this year, and I doubt that Michael and I would either, but just to be clear; I'm looking at those details for more reasons than just for co-ed living. That's something for another journal update too; though I will point out that I'm not keen on the idea of not being able to use my Magi gifts while stuck in dorms for a couple of years – especially since I can't afford to lose that much training time. Even my family business work and language studies would be a problem in residential halls where privacy is limited or non-existent.

Anyway, that really is a topic for sometime when I'm not ready to drop from lack of sleep. I don't have anything else to add to the news from today either; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, August 13, 2015

We've had another busy day, and I'm tired out; so let's get right to the news so that I can move on to nap time as soon as possible.

Tai Chi by the river was not, for a change, the quietest part of my day; and that was because I spent the morning at the lab with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana. Michael came over for Tai Chi, but didn't stay for breakfast; and instead grabbed something to go from home before heading out on his bike to meet up with Tim and ride out to the farm they were having their morning football workout at today. Rowen and I decided not to go along this time; mostly because we weren't going to have any other girls to hang out with if we did go along. The guys can manage to survive a few hours without us now and then; and Ehlana was especially happy that I picked hanging out with her in the lab for a change.

I should do that more often, but as always; let's just add it to the list of things I don't have time for and move along. We did have fun today, and in addition to playing in the lab with Ehlana for a couple of hours; I also liked getting to do a tour of the archives. Mom and Ethan are there more often than I am, so the ongoing changes aren't that impressive to them; but books from the 'old' archives are being delivered practically every week now; and it's amazing to see the new archive fill up and become such an amazing place. I should probably just call it a library, but since it's so much more than that; we'll stick with calling it the archives. Reading those books through the digital version of the archives is very different than seeing the original documents, or ancient copies, of the originals; and that experience is a bit humbling when you realize that you're just one person in a millennia-long line of Magi. The archive is already Ethan's domain, and while Ehlana would be in the lab all day, every day if she could; he'd be immersed in 'his' books all of the time while she plays with her sciences.

When I see them so happy with what will be their respective lives' work, I can envision working with them easily enough; while also knowing that I'm probably too hyper-active to do either job no matter how much I like science and history too. The twins have both inherited a healthy dose of Dad's patience, but while I can have fun with my brother and sister in the lab or archive for a few hours like we did today; I wouldn't be able to do that full-time without being totally bored. The good news is that I'm perfectly suited for what I do want to be when I grow up, but I won't take that any further right now; since I don't want to scare the parents. ;^)

Ethan, Ehlana, and I played at the lab while Mom had a meeting with Aunt Grace and did some work on her computer systems. Uncle Adam was there for about half of the time we were in the lab after doing some work at the med center first; but he stayed in the lab when we did the tour of the archive; and went home for lunch sometime after we left with Mom. We had a quick and easy lunch out on the back porch; and then I was put in charge of Ethan and Ehlana for the afternoon while Mom needed to get some work done in the office. The twins had play time already set up with Naomi and Aiden, so we went out on our bikes; collected them; and then met up with Michael in time for his afternoon break.

We played at the park; rode the trails; went for a swim back at our house; and then wrapped up Michael's break time with another ice cream snack in the dining room at the Inn. After Michael went back to work, we still had some play time left before dinner, so we rode our bikes around the new section of town to see what was new there; and then we came home again and played in the back yard until Mom needed help with making dinner. My day got busier for a while after that. We cooked a 'real' meal; Naomi and Aiden stayed for dinner because three out of four of their parents were working anyway; and then I got out of the clean-up because Rowen and I needed to get to our ball practice at the school.

Michael was still working at the Inn then, but Tim and Lucas were both there because they were having another football scrimmage while Lucas' mother and sister were in town for our practice. Tim wasn't happy when there wasn't much of a turnout for that scrimmage; they didn't have any decent quarterbacks; most of the guys that did show up were too small for a decent offensive or defensive line; and they pretty much just ended up practicing running plays with less than half the guys they'd have needed for a full scrimmage.

Even when it's a baseball night for me, and Michael's not even involved; I end up writing more about football than baseball. That could be because Tim is getting more fervent about his favorite sport every day now; and that was all he wanted to talk about when he and Lucas met up with us after our practice. I won't get into all of the details from that chat time with the boys; and just hope that Rowen eventually convinced her boyfriend that they had more interesting things to talk about – or d0 – once she had him alone at his house when we split up after that and I came home again.

Michael was working until close, and he came over for a while after that; but didn't stay late. Violet and Dillon had gotten home while I was at my practice and had dropped off their luggage and Violet's car; but had moved on to his house to spend the evening with his family. I had time to go for a swim, get cleaned up and changed, and have a nice visit with Mom, Dad, and the twins before Michael caught up with me; and then we took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana off to bed before coming up to the lounge for an hour or so of quality make-out time. That was definitely a highlight of the day for both of us, but we're heading into another busy weekend; and neither of us wanted to stay up too late.

That choice may have worked out for Michael, since he went home again by a bit after eleven, but while I'll still have time for a half-decent night of rest; it's been a couple of hours or so since Michael left. After seeing him out, I got ready for bed and started working on my computer. Violet stopped in for a chat on her way to bed; and while Dillon took his turn in the washroom and grabbed a shower. I'm glad she did that; since there's a good chance that'll be the last chance we have to hang out together when there isn't a gang around us with Violet pulled in a dozen directions as everyone wants to talk with her before she and Dillon head for college on Saturday.

Violet and Dillon had a nice visit with her family in Woodvale, and they're looking forward to one last blast of fun with everyone here between now and Saturday; but they're also really fired up about school now too. As I've already mentioned before, a big part of that is due to their off-campus living arrangements; but they're also looking forward to seeing their college friends again too. Violet keeps in touch with them via email and calls more than Dillon does; but none of their friends have come here or to Woodvale yet; so I haven't met any of them. That seems strange for them to have that whole other life away from us; but then that's nothing compared to their secret identities that none of those friends can ever know about.

Speaking of that, and I've mentioned this before too; I'm sure that Violet and Dillon are both going to love being able to use their gifts again while at school – at least while in their apartment. Violet and I talked about that tonight too; and they've already gotten some Magi-powered study tips from Mom and Dad, and Dillon's Mom and sister. I wonder what they'll do with all of the extra time they'll have left once they're done with their studying each night?

I still had work to finish after Violet left to have a shower before bed too. She was tempted by my offer to use my Jacuzzi; but decided not to take the extra time for that after a long play and travel day. With a bit of Magi-powered help; I wrapped up a few hours of family business work in less than an hour; did one last email check; and then got started on this update. There was more family business work to do than I'd expected; but I received a new investment proposal; and decided to get it out of the way ahead of the weekend. There wasn't anything major to deal with for that last email check; so I guess that's it for the news of the day.

The only event we have planned for tomorrow is a dinner and movie night at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house. The movie part of that is optional, and will likely be something else if the weather cooperates; but the dinner will be fairly major because it's a going away party for Violet, Dillon, Josiah, and Christina. We'll have all of our family there, along with the Palmers and Jacobs; and quite a few friends and neighbors too. That'll be fun; crazy; and probably too busy since I'll be helping out with the work and kid control while the parents are busy with our favorite collegians.

I should get what rest I can to be ready for all of that; so let's just wrap this up and call it a night.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, August 14, 2015

My day is not over quite yet, but Michael's here with me; and I'm seriously considering keeping him for a sofa sleepover. I'll let you know with the next report whether that works out for us.

I'm writing this while freshening up and getting changed, and Michael is getting a movie, drinks, and a snack ready for us; so I'm going to keep this short. I can always add details with the next update.

Tai Chi, breakfast, Michael and Tim's football practice, and mowing the lawn kept me busy all morning. I had lunch with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana before Mom took the twins and dropped them off at KidZone for the afternoon so that she could do her shopping while they played with their friends. I took care of the lunch clean-up; and then met up with Rowen, Tim, and Michael so that we could hang out together while Michael was on his afternoon break. We decided to bike out to take a look at the now-completed Solar-Wind farm; did that; and then went for a swim at my house when we got back before Michael needed to get to the Inn again to help with the dinner rush.

I needed to get to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house after that to help out with dinner; added in some kid control with the cooking prep work and table and chairs set-up in the back yard; and then we spent a couple of hours having a really fun dinner and visit with our family and a bunch of friends while we all wanted to visit with our favorite collegians before they head off to school again tomorrow or Sunday. The post-dinner clean-up took a while too; I was in on the kid and teen play time in the back yard that included a nice long swim along with the games and goofing around; and Michael caught up with me in time to catch the game of tag that we played after dark. Glow sticks made that game more fun for the kids, but with all of their giggling; it wouldn't have been hard to find them even if we hadn't had a clear, brightly starry night.

Michael and I went for one more swim when we got home before coming in for the night; we did the bedtime story and chat with Ethan and Ehlana; and stopped in to say goodnight to Mom and Dad in the office before coming up to the lounge. They're working because Dad needs to get a lot done this weekend before heading into the city next week; so Mom's staying up to keep him company. Violet and Dillon aren't home yet because they're spending time with Josiah, Christina, and some other friends; but they'll be back here for the night eventually. I don't expect to be having any bedtime chats with Violet tonight; but we will at least get to see them in the morning for breakfast before they need to finish loading up her car and go over to Dillon's house to visit with his family until after lunch when they want to be on the road.

That's enough for now, and I've got some quality cuddling to get to with Michael now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Yes, Michael and I had a successful sofa sleepover – and the pre-sleepover make-out session was fairly brilliant too!

So were the wake-up hugs and kisses; Tai Chi by the river; and breakfast with my family, Violet, and Dillon. Michael needed to get home and eventually on to the Inn after that; but I helped Violet and Dillon with getting the car packed – or what was left to be done with that; since they'd loaded a lot of their things into it yesterday. Getting everything in took a bit of creativity, and there isn't a spare inch of space left anywhere except the front seats; but we had fun getting that done – and spending that last bit of time together before we did the goodbye hugs and kisses and then they went over to Dillon's house.

I needed to get to work on my chores after that; and kept busy with them until it was time for me to clean up; get something to eat; and head over to the park for my baseball game. Ethan and Ehlana came with me, and Mom joined us at the park before the game started; but Dad stayed and worked in the office. We – the Piranha – were up against the Sharks today; and this was our closest, toughest game of the season so far. We won nine-to-seven, but the lead changed hands a few times; and it could have gone either way. The Sharks' players really wanted the win to keep their hopes alive for the other spot in the championship game; and now they're going to need our help to get there; since they'll probably be out if we lose our last game against the Stingrays.

Michael and Tim both caught the end of our game while Michael was on his break; they went with us for the ice cream celebration at the Emporium; and then we came back to my house for a long swim and some do-nothing time with Ethan and Ehlana until Michael needed to go back to the Inn. Rowen and Tim moved on then to do their own thing for dinner; but they came back again to spend the evening with us. The main reason they didn't stay for dinner was because I knew that Mom didn't need the extra dinner guests; and we went with an easy, leftovers-based meal that was also easy to clean up after and didn't keep Dad from his work for very long.

Ethan, Ehlana, and I had our movie night in the lounge set up and ready to go when Rowen and Tim returned; and then we watched 'Home' together while waiting for Michael to join us after he was set free for the night. He didn't end up staying until close, but only got back in time to catch the end of the movie. We all went for an after-dark swim then; Michael and I helped Ethan and Ehlana get ready for bed; and then they joined us in the lounge again for movie number two. That meant going with another family-rated show; but the boys picked out an action flick that was mildly entertaining for all of us while not being too much for the twins. They were both with Michael and me on one side of the sectional sofa while Rowen and Tim cuddled on the other side. Tim teased us about the cuddle time with pre-schoolers that was far too domesticated for his tastes; but his jokes just added to the fun that we all had until Ethan and Ehlana were taken to bed by Mom and Dad when they were ready to turn in for the night. They stayed with us for the last five minutes of that movie; and then it was just four teens left cuddling for another hour or so until Michael, Tim, and Rowen all needed to head home for the night.

That hadn't left us with enough time for a third movie, so Rowen had fun surfing YouTube videos for us to watch; we talked; and enjoyed the cuddle time with our respective boyfriend or girlfriend. I saw them out; did my goodnight hugs and kisses with Michael on the front porch while Rowen and Tim were doing the same on her front porch; and then I cleaned up the lounge and my room before getting ready for bed and cuddling with Mandy.

I've been doing some family business work since then along with my usual bedtime computing and email checks; but I was still wide-awake anyway and needed to do something to wind down. The only important news to write about from all of that, though, is to note that Violet, Dillon, Josiah, Christina, and the rest of the collegians that headed out today arrived at their respective colleges safely and are already settling in. I haven't mentioned him yet, but Chris Rice is one of those collegians, and while he didn't sent me an email; Violet and Dawn both let me know that he was at his college and Uncle Rick, Aunt Melissa, and Martin had dropped him off at his residential hall and done some of the family orientation activities with him before going to spend the night at a local hotel. They'll be seeing him again for a while on Sunday; and then they'll head back to Woodvale again.

Dawn didn't go along; and she's spending the weekend with Jillian and her family. She's really looking forward to only having one brother left at home for most of the next ten months, and since Martin is definitely the easier-going brother; I'll guess that they'll get along great. I guess that there's one more bit of information I should add while I'm thinking about my cousins, and that's the news from Dawn that Martin will have the car that he and Chris have been sharing with him instead of with Chris at college – at least for this first semester. That seems to have more to do with parking availability at that college for freshmen; but Dawn doesn't think she's in on all of the details behind that decision. She's just glad that Martin will be able to drive them around without borrowing one of their parent's vehicles. That'll be a particularly big deal now that she's going to be a high school freshman!

It is getting late now, and I don't have anything else particularly interesting to add to this update; so let's call it a night. Dad's going to have another long work day tomorrow, so I'm planning on helping out at the Inn all day again; and I expect that Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana may spend the afternoon at the lab unless they end up playing with their friends or our family instead. I could do that too; but know that Miranda and Jacob need the extra help even more now that some of their college student workers are done for the summer and gone off to school.

With that in mind, I probably should have been sleeping an hour or more ago; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, August 16, 2015

It's been a very long, hot, and busy day around here today. I'm pretty much worn out now, which is why I'm multi-tasking this update while enjoying some quality Jacuzzi time already despite the fact that it's still comparatively early – barely ten o'clock. I want to be ready to go right off to sleep once my head hits the pillow, though; so I've been doing my nightly computer work while also time-phasing my soaking in the tub.

The Jacuzzi time is a must tonight because it was a tough day at the Inn. Miranda and Jacob aren't technically short-staffed, but they have a new group of teens joining the staff over the next few weeks; they all have zero restaurant experience; and that makes life very interesting around the kitchen and dining room. Some of our classmates are and will be among those new hires, so that's fun; while others are a year ahead; and only starting now because they're old enough to work as servers. I'm not suggesting that job is any easier than the kitchen work because it isn't; but there are some girls that are not interested in working in the kitchen at all; so there are always new server staff hires to go along with the few annual promotions as teens become old enough to work as servers too.

Backing up to the start of the day, Tai Chi was fun; I had breakfast at Michael's house; and then the Sunday school side of our time at church was spent getting ready for the holiday weekend service that the teens and kids will be leading. All of that was fun; and helped a lot as we then got started on the work parts of our day when we needed to get to the Inn and start setting up for the lunch rush. Make that a lunch crush, since the dining room was full to overflowing and the customers just kept coming well-past the normal end of our lunch shift.

That's why Michael and I didn't get to have much of an afternoon break. We had time to come over to my house; go for a long swim; and have something to eat before going back to the Inn again. Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana weren't home while we were there because they were at the lab all afternoon. Dad had needed to focus on his work, so they'd left him to do that after lunch; and opted to play at the lab and archives instead of playing outdoors. Part of that was because their best friends were all busy this afternoon; but Mom did get to have dinner and spend the evening with Aunt Leanne – and they let Uncle Adam, Zack, and Brianna hang out with them.

I missed out on that, and wish I could have been there; but helping Jacob and Miranda was more important; and they really appreciated the help today. Once we were back to work again, it was nearly non-stop action through until we closed the Inn for the night. Our breaks were short and fit in whenever we could squeeze them in – which for Michael, Rebecca, and I meant after everyone else had taken their breaks. We still had fun while we worked, and I'll humbly admit that Miranda and I lead the way in that effort; so that's another reason why they like to have me around.

See – despite what you may have heard; I don't work at the Inn exclusively for the hugs and kisses with Michael!

They're just a really great added bonus! ;^)

Moving along, I don't have anything else to add for my day. After leaving the Inn, I walked home with Michael and his family; we did our goodnight hugs and kisses out on his front yard; and then I came home. Mom, Dad, and the twins were all in the office, so I had a quick chat with them; and then said goodnight to them too and came up to my room to get started on my Jacuzzi fun. Mom has put the twins to bed by now, but they didn't come straight up to bed them too; and they're still awake and playing on their iPads. Mom and Dad are still working in the office, but I don't expect it to be much longer before Mom convinces Dad that it's time to call it a night so that they can spend some quality time together before he leaves for Crystal Springs in the morning.

We didn't get them a kid-free night this weekend; but we'll at least get to see Dad this week when we're in the city for the back-to-school shopping trip on Tuesday. He isn't taking the day off or anything; but we are going to stay late and have dinner with him – even though that'll mean missing out on the tail end of the big sale here in town that's now an annual event that's nearly as big as Black Friday or other holiday weekend sales. While I'm on that shopping track, that was the main reason for Mom and Aunt Leanne to hang out together tonight. They were finalizing the plans for the trip. From what Mom told me, they pretty much have that done; and won't need to do anything else unless they get more than three new shopper additions between now and Tuesday morning.

I'm going to take a quick look at the week ahead; but before I do that; let's cover a few updates for my favorite travelers.

Grandma and Grandpa are having a wonderful time in Canada, and while the work is the most important part of their trip; they're enjoying the mini adventures that are the entertainment breaks on their itinerary. They loved their time on the coast and in the mountains of British Columbia; and are just as amazed and impressed by the prairies to the east. I don't want to take away from all of the great parts of their trip; but I do still want to mention that they are much less impressed with the oil and mining areas they've visited. It's one thing to see and hear about the environmental impact of that work, and the social impact it has on small communities; but it's something else to see it in person. The problems and challenges are huge, and we're only doing a tiny amount of work there so far; but we do want to do more – and will if we can find ways to do that.

Jake and Stephanie have wrapped up their 'official' honeymoon now; and they're getting ready to start their classes soon. Learning from some of the great chefs of Europe is going to be amazing for Jake just as it was for his father; but I think that Stephanie will love her classes too – and get an entirely different take on business from an international perspective. That'll also come in very handy for us when we draft her into the family business to work with Miranda! ;^)

Uncle Rick, Aunt Melissa, and Martin are home again tonight, and though I haven't talked to any of them; Dawn sent me an email to let me know that her parents have survived seeing their second child off to college; and are actually fairly happy tonight now that they won't be outnumbered by their kids for most of the next ten months. Mom and Dad may feel the same way about that when I leave for college in a few years; so I won't say anything else about that and leave future joke ammunition for them to use on me some day.

I don't have anything new from my favorite collegians; but I'm sure they're just too busy getting settled into their new places and re-connecting with friends to write. That's okay, since I really, really appreciate their ongoing efforts with setting precedents that I'll be able to use when it's my turn to go away to school.

Okay, let's take a look at next week.

The shopping trip is a highlight for sure, but so is Tim's birthday on Friday. We actually have two teen birthdays this week, but while Tim's is the most important for Michael, Rowen, and me; Roger's birthday is tomorrow; and we'll be out at Quarry Lake for it – a dinner and evening play adventure that all of his friends and family are invited to attend. Dad will be in the city, so I'll help Mom out as much as I can; which will likely just mean playing with Ethan and Ehlana a bit more so that she can do the extra work she won't get done while we're in the city on Tuesday. Somehow, we'll also need to work in all of the regular busy in our schedules; and on top of that; Rowen and I need to get ready for cheerleader tryouts that are now only a week away. We're not worried about how we'll do for the tryouts, but we do want to start working on new cheer routines for this season – and be ready to defend our spots on the team if needed.

Just in case that isn't enough, the holiday weekend isn't far off either; so we'll be spending the next couple of weekends getting ready for that – and making sure that Grandma and Grandpa's house is ready for when they get home too. I'll help out at the Inn on Sunday again too, so it's probably a good thing that we have so much booked for the weekdays; since it'll mostly be a work weekend!

I won't be able to rest up for all of that in just one night; but I can get a full night of sleep tonight, so I'm going to wrap this up; get out of the Jacuzzi; and finish getting ready for bed so that I can do that.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Happy 15th Birthday, Roger!

He's had a great day, but let's do this update in order as much as possible; and I'll get to the party part of the report soon.

Our early-morning wake-up calls or alarms came in time for Dad to get ready to head for the city; and for Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and I to be up to visit with him and see him on his way. We followed that up with some cuddle and nap time in Mom's bed; got up a second time for Tai Chi by the river; and Michael joined us for that and for breakfast too. He needed to get to football practice after that, but instead of going along; Rowen and I stayed at my house and had a little cheerleader workout and planning session that was all about making up new cheers and picking music to use with them. That was fun; and then I spent the next four hours or so taking care of Ethan and Ehlana while Mom did her work in the office.

Michael was busy with chores at home until after lunch, but he joined us for the last couple of hours of that play time before we both needed to get ready for Roger's dinner party at Quarry Lake. Jacob gave us a ride out there at four-thirty; Rowen and Tim came with us; and we got right to the having fun with our friends part of the day with a swim in the lake. It's been another scorcher out, so most of the party guests went for a swim then too; and we followed that up with drinks and some social time while we waited for dinner. The meal was a blast too, but the four of us didn't actually get to hang out with Roger much because we were a handful of picnic tables away from him during the meal.

Actually, we didn't spend much time with him at all – just a cameo moment here and there while he was usually busy with his family, girlfriend, and their best friends. That sounds funny, I guess; but it just happens that way at some of the bigger parties. It was also really busy at Quarry Lake too; so that was part of the problem we had with hanging out together because it was just too busy to have our entire group doing any activity at the same time or in the same area. We did all get to swim; go rock climbing; and ride the zip line. Doing all of that with Michael, Tim, and Rowen were the best parts of the party for me; and I'm sure that everyone there had as much fun as we did – except for maybe Roger's parents and the other party helpers.

We all headed home when the park closed to day visitors at dark; Tim's Mom picked us up; and Michael and I were dropped off at his house so that we could do our goodnight hugs and kisses there while Rowen went home with Tim for a while. I didn't stay with Michael because I wanted to be home to help Mom with the twins; I had work to do too; and we have the shopping trip in the morning. Michael would have preferred some bonus alone time, and I would have loved that too; but not if it meant staying up until three or four to get my work done.

Even using a time phase to help with the work; it'll be nearly midnight by the time I'm done this update and off to sleep. Before I got to the nightly computer checks and family business work, I had a chat with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; got the latest shopping news; did a Magi lesson with Mom; and then took care of getting my brother and sister into bed on my way up to my room. The family business work was the biggest part of my computing since climbing into bed with Mandy; and I did the equivalent of about five 'normal' hours of work – with normal being at my usual, non-time-phased, Magi-powered work speed. I did that tonight because I likely won't be able to do more until Wednesday, and now that Rowen and I have added cheerleading into the activity mix; I'll have even less daylight time for my part-time job.

What I really need most right now, though, is to get some sleep so that I'll be ready for a long, busy day of travel and extreme shopping. While I've skipped too many of the details from nearly everything I've done today, but I am also too tired out for that to bother me much right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

It's Wednesday morning, and I'm writing this micro-update because I ended up doing a sofa sleepover with Michael at his house last night. The sleepover was as much of a surprise for me as it was for him because Mom's friends conspired to give her a hotel sleepover with Dad last night; but the falling asleep together on the sofa in the living room at Michael's house was just an awesome added bonus.

I need to meet up with Rowen for our morning cheerleading training, so I don't have time to do the full Crystal Springs shopping trip report now; so I'll do a double update tonight.

We had an amazing day, I hope this one is just as amazing, and since you can just flip a digital archive page to find out about that anyway; until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

I'm writing this double report from Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house tonight because Mom was talked into a second hotel sleepover with Dad by Aunt Leanne. Since this is a double report, though; let's go back to the near past and cover the shopping news before getting to the stories from today.

We were awake early on Tuesday morning, but skipped Tai Chi and took our time getting ready for the day instead. That included some hair and dress-up play time for Ehlana and me; but we still managed to be at the Inn with time to spare ahead of the buffet breakfast that nearly all of the shoppers got in on. There were a lot of shoppers too. The final total this year was one hundred and fifty-five shoppers. The mix was one hundred and ten kids and teens with forty-five adults handling driving and chaperone duties with help from some of the teens for one or both jobs. We took thirty-five vehicles, which is more than normal; but that gave us extra space for our purchases – and that did allow the extra seating space that made Mom's hotel sleepover possible with just a few passenger shuffles.

The breakfast buffet was awesome; and then we had fun on the drive to Crystal Springs too. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I were with Miranda and Rebecca; so that was especially entertaining for us even if Rebecca would have liked it more if Lucas had been able to join us for the day. She did meet up with Jenny at the Mall and they shopped together all day, but if Jenny was missing Joel too; she hid it well.

I could be wrong about this, but I get the feeling that Jenny is getting ready for the impending school year separation. Joel lives too far away for them to keep dating even with him having his own car; so she'll break it off with him by the end of the holiday weekend – or sooner; if it starts getting weird.

When we arrived at the Mall, it took a while for Mom and Aunt Leanne to make sure that all of our groups were matched up and ready to go; but then we headed out into the Mall and got to work. Okay, it wasn't exactly work for any of us; but we did have a lot to get done. The clothes were the top priority; but some of us also needed to get gifts for all of the upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, and other special events. We have quite a few of them happening between now and when I next expect to be in the city again; so that took some effort. Tim's and Michael's birthdays were at the top of that list along with Mom and Dad's anniversary; but I won't bother noting everything about that – or all of the clothes-shopping action.

There were lots of fun highlights; with some of the best moments happening while we – Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I – helped out with Ethan, Ehlana, and some of the other younger cousins and kids.

Tops in my thoughts about that right now is Naomi. Since her birthday is in January, she's starting kindergarten this year; so this was her first school clothes shopping trip. I had a lot of fun with my parts of helping out with that effort; and she is going to look adorable. Ethan and Ehlana half-wish that they could be there with her, but the other half of that sentiment has them glad that they'll still have another year of 'home schooling' that will allow them to continue their college studies full time and leave them with lots of time to spend at the lab and archive.

On the teen and boyfriends fronts, Rowen and I had fun there too – both with Michael and Tim, and with our friends. There wasn't any major weirdness; though there could have been if Michael hadn't insisted that he and Tim did not need to be with Rowen and me while we shopped for underwear; and he then removed Tim from that store while his best friend cracked jokes and tried to stay to help us with those purchase decisions. That scene really wasn't that big of a deal, but it was memorable; and it's a nice little example of the little things that Michael does that makes me love him so much – and I guess we can ditto that for Rowen with Tim; if for a different reason!

My shopping day was fairly evenly split between teen and family time. Helping out with kid control and the shopping for the twins and their friends was great; but I also really loved getting to watch Mom and Aunt Leanne play dress-up with Brianna for the first time. Zack was not very enthusiastic about their attempts at that with him; but I think that Brianna is a natural shopper. She was all smiles and gurgles pretty much every moment she was awake; and loved all of the attention that came with being the target of her mother's and aunt's efforts at finding her some beautiful clothes to wear – even though she won't fit into them for long, or yet; depending on which sizes they bought. She's definitely set for fall fashion now; and there's a very good chance that Brianna was the number one shopper for quantity of clothes today.

I won't say that for dollar value, since teens are expensive to shop for; and I won't pretend that I'm immune to the social pressure to look good and wear clothes that are in style. Some of our friends are obsessed with that, so I hope that I do better than some when it comes to shopping; but it's also nice to have a part-time job that allows me to have the choices – even while I'm also an avid bargain hunter. Some of my favorite bargains came while shopping with Aunt Leanne; and I was really happy to spend time with her today – especially after she missed our last major trip in June.

We had lunch in the food court; shopped at the Mall until three; and then made a gift-buying stop at the big-box toy store before wrapping up our shopping with a visit to Wal-Mart for the usual supply run. There was a bit more gift shopping there too; but Rowen and I were also put on kid control to help the parents out while they were busy. By the time that Mom was ready to go; we had all of our shopping done too; and then it was time to go and meet up with Dad for a late dinner at a surf and turf restaurant that we were trying out for the first time.

Dad was getting to have dinner with quite a gang; but the most conspicuous aspect of that was the absence of any other adult men. He didn't really have a problem with sitting at a table with Mom, Aunt Leanne, and six other women; but he was teased about it and added in a few jokes about wishing that the Malloy's had been available to join us for dinner too just so that Terry could be there to help him out. As I think about that, it's amazing just how much Tim and Michael are like Terry and my Dad. You could make that case for the similarities between Angela and Mom, and Rowen and me; except it'd be the reverse for Rowen and me because Mom and Angela are paired up with boys that are at the same end of the personality spectrum as they are instead of opposites.

Okay, Rowen, I'll concede that you're as much of a thrill junkie as Michael, Tim, and I are; but you know that I'm referring to the shyness that is still a part of you compared to Tim's uber-confidence and outgoing nature.

We had the extra-large dinner gang with us because of the hotel sleepover surprise that was dropped on Mom and Dad during the meal; and because some of our friends were just ready to sit down for a meal instead of picking up fast food and eating on the way home. The food was decent but not memorable; so the restaurant probably won't make the list for one of our regular picks; but I still enjoyed trying out some different dishes even though that meant mixed results for what was good or bad. Dad spent some time with us too, but Ethan, Ehlana, and I were at one of the kid tables; and Michael and I took care of Naomi, Aiden, Zack, and Eli while Rowen and Tim, and Rebecca and Jenny each had kid groups with them too.

Mom still had a load of supplies and clothes in the minivan when she left for the hotel and followed Dad there; but her passengers had been moved to other vehicles for our trip home. It was past nine-thirty by then because we'd taken our time having that meal; and it was after eleven by the time we got home. Although we missed out on the sale at home; I'm glad that we spent the extra time with Dad instead; and I was good with the sleepover plans for Ethan, Ehlana, and me too. They stayed with Naomi and Aiden; and had fun too – even without bonus sofa sleepovers and cuddle time.

Michael and I were busy helping with the unloading work at several houses once we were back in town; so it was twelve-thirty by the time we'd finished that running around; picked up an overnight bag at my house; and got back to his place. Jacob and Miranda were working early at the Inn and they were already sleeping by then. Rebecca was still awake, but in her room; so we crashed on a sofa in the living room for a while before we even took my bag up to my room. That was the plan, but as you already know; we fell asleep and stayed on the sofa until morning.

Our wake-up call came from Miranda; though that didn't happen until after she had pictures that she sent on to Mom and Dad sometime today. Waking us up was all for fun; but Michael and I went outside for Tai Chi by the river after his parents headed for the Inn. That was fun; so was breakfast with Rebecca; and then that brings us up-to-date with the last micro-report. I came home to grab a shower and get ready to meet up with Rowen for our cheerleading training while Michael got ready for his football workout with Tim and the other guys. It was a work day for all of us, so Rowen and I only spent an hour on our cheerleading fun; and then she went to the computer store while I went to work in the office. That choice was all about being alone so that I could speed up the work with some time phasing; and I got a lot of work done between then and when I stopped for lunch at one-thirty.

Michael was at the Inn for most of that time after he'd finished his own workout; and Ethan and Ehlana spent the morning at KidZone with their friends. They had lunch at Naomi's house; and Michael and I eventually picked them up so that we could entertain them while he was on his afternoon break. We went for a bike ride; played at the park; and wrapped up Michael's break with an ice cream snack from the Emporium before Ethan, Ehlana, and I did a round of stops to drop off our friends on our way to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house.

We were booked for dinner with them; but the sleepover was a surprise that was waiting for us when we got there. That plan was fine with us; but we don't need to know any of the details from Mom's sleepovers in the city. I was too busy to think about that anyway. Aunt Leanne had me help her with making dinner while we both kept up with the kids; we ate as soon as Uncle Adam got home; and then we walked over to the park for the co-ed baseball practice once we'd finished the dinner clean-up.

I was on kid control again for that; and Rowen and Tim met up with me there and joined in for the toddler and pre-school kid-rated fun. They came home with me too; and we offered a small babysitting service to the player-parents so that they could all go out to Sheldon's after the practice for a while. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne were happy to do that too; but they stayed until after Brianna's feeding – and they were back again in time for her midnight feeding. Michael came over after he was finished at the Inn, but the kids were all sleeping by then because it was past-ten and we'd worn them out with all of the fresh air and running around. That worked for me because we were able to have some cuddle time while having a chat with Rowen and Tim; and then they went home after Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne returned from the pub.

Michael and I had to wait for Naomi, Aiden, and Caleb to be picked up after that; so we stayed in the living room to wait for them while my aunt and uncle went up to bed – and to take care of Brianna when she woke up. It was one o'clock when our last kid went home with his parents; Michael stayed long enough for a quality goodnight hug and kisses; and then I came up to my room after watching him walk home. My work for the day was done, but there was a bit of family business work to deal with in my email; so I spent a half-hour doing that first once I was changed and in bed. The rest of my email and computer checks were nothing special; so that pretty much covers all of the news for the past two days – at least for my life.

I haven't mentioned that the big sale the stores had here yesterday was another huge success, and though I missed it; at least we'll still have the holiday weekend sales to look forward too – which will be even better since we weren't at this last sale. Jacob worked all morning at the Inn yesterday; but took the rest of the day off and apparently enjoyed the handful of hours without his family around.

With Mom still in the city, that'll change my Thursday a bit; but I'll still do my cheerleading workout with Rowen in the morning before I'll need to take care of the twins at least until after she gets home. I could be on kid control all day depending on how much work Mom has to do tomorrow afternoon; but I'll let you know how that works out for me in the next report.

That is all I have for now, though, and I really need to get some sleep; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, August 20, 2015

We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow, and it's already late; so I'm going to keep this update short and get to sleep as soon as possible.

Tai Chi by the river was extra-special thanks to doing that with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne; Michael stayed to have breakfast with us; and then he went off to his football training while I helped Aunt Leanne and eventually met up with Rowen for our cheerleading workout. The rest of my morning was spent at the lab with Uncle Adam, Ethan, and Ehlana; and we had fun playing there on Ehlana's latest pet project until going home again in time to meet up with Mom and have lunch with her.

That reunion meal took a while because we had two days of reports to exchange; but then I took my brother and sister with me and we went out to play while Mom and Aunt Leanne had fun talking about the parts of Mom's stay in the city that we're too young to hear about. We met up with Michael; had fun while he was on his break; and then wrapped up his down time with a snack break in the dining room at the Inn that Miranda joined us for. By the time we got home, Mom was busy with her post-trip chores; I helped out with making an easy-dinner for the four of us; and we even had the clean-up done by the time that Rowen stopped in to collect me for our baseball practice.

We had fun playing with our friends, but the sporting highlight of the night was probably the football scrimmage that Tim led; and Lucas had come into town to do with him – and the rest of their fellow football enthusiasts. Why was that a highlight at all, you ask? Because Mom and Aunt Leanne stopped in during their walk with the kids; and Ethan and Zack escaped and joined in to help Tim out with player conditioning as the teens then needed to run after them – over and over again.

Who needs suicide drills when you have to run ten or twenty yards; pick up the giggling, squirming kid; run him back to his mother; and then repeat a dozen times until the boys get bored with the game?

Rowen and Tim had plans for after our practice, but Michael was set free early when I stopped in to see him on the way home; so we got to spend some time together that included getting Ethan and Ehlana into bed for the night and an hour or so of quality make-out time in the lounge while Mom worked in the office until she ran out of steam at eleven o'clock. Michael stayed for a bit of bonus cuddle and talk time after Mom went to bed; but he headed home by shortly before midnight because he's helping out with the breakfast rush so that he can have the afternoon and evening off tomorrow.

After seeing him out and watching him walk home; I came back up here; got ready for bed; and settled in to do my nightly computing and some family business work. That's taken a couple of hours to deal with, and while I didn't use a time phase; I have been computing with a fair bit of Magi-powered help. It was either that, or just work all night; but that use of power does come at a cost; which is why I'm ready to crash now.

I definitely want to be ready for all of the fun we have planned for Friday, so that's it for now; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, August 21, 2015

Happy 15th Birthday, Tim!

He's a very happy camper tonight because he has a shiny new driver's license; and is now one step closer to that all-important teen freedom level when he'll be able to drive on his own. While spending the day driving around with one of his parents wasn't' an option because they were both busy with work; we've managed to keep him entertained – once he was set free to play for the day by shortly before lunchtime.

Tim wasn't busy with work all morning, but Michael, Rowen, and I were busy with work or chores that needed to be done before we were free for the rest of the day too. While Michael was helping out with the breakfast rush at the Inn, I exercised by the river with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; we had a quick and easy breakfast; and then I mowed the lawn because we have rain in the forecast for tomorrow and I didn't want to leave it and then not be able to do it if we do actually get the rain. I had that nearly finished by the time Michael was done at the Inn, so he started grabbing tents and carrying them over to his house. I was ready to help him with setting up our campsite by the time he was back for the last load of gear; so we spent the rest of our 'work' time putting up the tents for Tim's birthday camping adventure.

Then we grabbed our bikes; Rowen and Tim met us at Michael's house; and we biked out to Quarry Lake to play there for the afternoon. WE went for a swim first; had lunch; and then went rock climbing. The campground was actually a bit quiet while we were there; so going on the rock wall and zip line twice was an option – and what Tim wanted to do most. That still left us with time for another long swim and play time around and in the lake; but we eventually needed to bike home again in time to grab showers and get ready to go out to dinner at the Inn.

We couldn't do that until nearly seven o'clock because Tim's parents were busy; so we were among the last dinner guests of the day when we did get there with about half of the members of Tim's family and a dozen additional teens not including the four of us. I know that Martin and Tracey feel bad that they couldn't do more with Tim today, but they also didn't try and drag out the meal either and keep Miranda, Jacob, and their staff at the Inn any later than normal; so we actually had one of the quickest birthday dinners I've ever attended. Tim still had lots of gifts to open, and there was cake and ice cream for dessert; but he multi-tasked the gifts while orders were taken through until the entrees were delivered.

There were no new cars or any really big gifts; but then the Landrys do cars for their kids on their sixteenth birthdays. That makes them one of the exceptions for town kids; while it's more the norm for farm kids. I'm actually looking forward to that next summer; since it might be the one thing that'll get Tim talking about something other than football for the rest of the year!

Just kidding, Tim! I know that you'll still be crazy about football; and a car won't get in the way of that – or your dedication to our school team.

We really had fun at the Inn, and Tim enjoyed spending that time with his parents and family as much as he's enjoyed hanging out with his best friends; but it was back to teen time and the start of our camping adventure once we left the Inn. He and Rowen stayed for a long round of goodbyes with his family and the friends that weren't joining us for the camping; but Michael and I came back to his house ahead of them with some of our other campers so that we could get the campfire ready to go – and so that we could get our tents set up for the night too where needed. Only about half of that work was done by the time that Tim and Rowen caught up with us, but the fire was started; and they only dropped off their overnight bags in their tent before being ordered to relax; sit by the fire; and enjoy the fun.

Yes, I meant 'their tent'. None of our friends had a problem with tent mate swaps; and moving luggage around at one or two in the morning is just too noisy! ;^)

Our teen campers tonight include Tim, Rowen, Michael, and me; Rebecca, Lucas, Jenny, and Joel; and four extra teen couples – classmates or football team mates. While I'm expecting that my camping night with Michael will be the highlight of my day, I won't be able to write about that until my next update; since I don't plan on spending any time on my computer after we get to that part of our night. I can tell you that the first half of our campfire has been great, and while Michael and I provided most of the music; the campfire stories and chat time has been shared by everyone. We've also spent some time roasting the birthday boy; though I mean that figuratively; and not on a spit over the fire.

I'm writing this now because we've decided to have an intermission swim; so I decided to do this and an email check while getting changed in the house – as most of the girls are doing. That isn't a problem for Jacob and Miranda; since they just finished having a bedtime visit with us by the fire – and giving Michael his final instructions to have the campfire put out by one and not do anything they wouldn't do for the rest of the night.

See – we had parental approval for the coed camping; since I'm sure that's exactly what Miranda would have done when she was fifteen! ;^)

Anyway, I have covered the highlights for the day, and need to get back to the party; so that's going to be all for tonight. I will let you know how the best part of my night turns out with my next report, so if you're not too tired out; flip the digital page in your 'now' to find out without the wait that I'm about to have. The good news is that we still have lots of time for fun with our friends before Michael and I get to that camp and cuddle time; and I'm out of here and off to do that right now!

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, August 22, 2015

This update is again coming to you earlier than usual; but not because I'm getting ready for hours of continuing fun. I'm just exhausted and in need of a good night of rest.

Picking up the story from my last update; our swim time was a blast; getting warm again while cuddling with Michael by the fire was really special; and our co-ed camping was moderately hot. The short nap between our extended make-out session and Tai Chi for two by the river wasn't enough down time to feel at all rested; but we were still happy campers despite the lack of sleep.

Before I move on, I'm going to mention the only weirdness of the night; and only because it was an issue with my empathy. Without getting into the details or naming the couple that was causing my empathic issues; I'll just say that I need to work on ways to deal with my passive empathy. There are just some things that I don't need to know about my friends, and since I don't have a legitimate way to explain why tents should be spaced further apart from now on; I'll have to do something else that doesn't include actively using my power to block those strong empathic vibes.

Yes, that would be an issue at home too, but don't forget that Mom and Dad usually use wards because of their Magi Master kids – or at least partly because of that. No other details are required for that either; so let's move along.

Tai Chi by the river was the only quiet Michael and I had this morning because we both had a lot to do – starting with getting the other campers up and moving in time to meet up with some of our parents for breakfast at the Inn before they either needed to get to work or take their kids back out to farms to get to work there. WE had lots of fun with that too, but it was also really busy when you add in packing up our things; tearing down the campsite; and getting everything put away. The work side of that didn't get finished until nine-thirty or so; and then I needed to get to work on my chores at home with Mom and Dad.

That gave me time to catch up on what I'd missed while busy with Tim's birthday – including Dad's return home from his week in the city. There was a KidZone afternoon for Ethan and Ehlana while Mom did her grocery and supply shopping run; a dinner and a movie at Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's house; and a best friends' sleepover at our house for the twins with Naomi and Aiden. They didn't come to the breakfast at the Inn; but did have a pancakes and bacon meal at home that would have been just as good – and a lot quieter! Naomi and Aiden were still with Ethan and Ehlana when I got home, and I spent a few minutes talking with everyone before Dad and I got to work; but then I was busy straight through until I stopped so that I could get cleaned up and then go to watch Michael and Tim play their last regular season match of the summer. There was a short lunch break in there; we worked through a short blast of rain; and managed to get most of the work done by two-thirty.

The Arrow's game was at three o'clock; and I managed to get there on time. Ethan and Ehlana came with me; we met Rowen there; and wished Michael and Tim the best before finding spots on the bleachers on the Arrows' side of the diamond. Our Arrows were up against the Cannons, and it was a big game for both teams because there was a chance that the Cannons could move into first place in their division with a big win. It would have needed to be by a blow-out, since the best they could hope for was a wins-losses tie and the Arrows had the points spread advantage; but that didn't end up being an issue anyway. Michael and Tim helped their team out to the early lead; and the Arrows kept a small lead through to the end of the game. It was still a high-scoring game, which was a lot of fun to watch; but the Arrows always had an answer for everything the Cannons threw at them. I'll predict that their championship game will be one of the good ones if the Cannons show up to play the way they did today. Their players were disappointed today; but really shouldn't be. A seventeen-to-fifteen loss is tough, but they are still in the championship game; and proved that they do have a legitimate shot against the five-and-one Arrows.

While Michael's team mates celebrated their big win; he didn't have time to do that with them because he needed to grab a shower and get back to the Inn to help out with a very busy dinner rush. I needed to get home with Ethan and Ehlana for dinner at our house; so we walked him home; shared some hugs and kisses with him; and then continued on to our house. Mom and Dad had dinner ready to go by then; so we pretty much just washed up quickly and sat down to eat out on the back porch. That was fun; and the rest of our evening has been pretty good too. Mom and Dad had work to do in the office, so I took care of the dinner clean-up with some supervision from the twins; we went out for a walk; played at the school playground for a while; and then came home and watched a movie in the lounge.

I took care of getting my brother and sister tucked in for the night after we did their bedtime story and snack in the office with Mom and Dad; and then it was time for a soak in my Jacuzzi. That didn't take long because I really am exhausted; and I've only done the basic email and computer checks since climbing into bed with Mandy. The only plans I have for tomorrow are to spend the afternoon with my family and then help out with the buffet rush at the Inn, but even though that might be easier than the last couple of Sundays have been; I won't be able to do much of anything if I don't get re-charged tonight.

Maybe I'll take a look at that energy issue someday when I'm not too tired to think about it clearly, but it is interesting that I'm this tired on a day when I haven't really sued my Magi power much; and it doesn't really feel much different than being tired from over-use of my power.

Yes, I'm definitely way too tired to go there, but feel free to have fun with the question implied there while I have a nice long nap now. The fun I've had for the past two days is worth all of this tired, but it's time to crash for the night now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, August 23, 2015

It's going to be all about football and cheerleading for me next week with just a touch of baseball here and there; and one big family event – Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah's move into their newly remodeled home. This is going to be a short update so that I can get another decent night of rest and be ready for all of that – especially the cheerleader tryouts!

Tai Chi by the river and breakfast at Michael's were my morning highlights; though we had fun at church too while again getting ready for the holiday weekend service during Sunday school. I came home after church with my family; we had lunch; and then played for most of the afternoon. That play time included swimming, canoeing, a park playground adventure; and an ice cream run to the Emporium. Michael joined us for some of that fun while on his break; and then I went to the Inn with him to help out with the buffet shift through until close.

That was the tough work part of my day, but not the only work. I walked home with Michael after that long, busy handful of hours of kitchen action; said goodnight to him in front of his house; and came up to bed after just a short visit with Mom, Dad, and the twins so that I could hop into my Jacuzzi and do some multi-tasking with a long soak and family business work session.

I cheated for that; used a time phase; and did about five hours of work in well-under an hour of real time. No, I didn't stay in the tub for that entire time phase, but I was fairly wrinkled by the time I did get out and moved on to doing my hair and getting ready for bed. I was out of the time phase shortly after climbing into bed with Mandy; and did my usual computer and email checks before getting to this update. There were some college updates and an email from Dawn to read and respond to; but nothing all that newsworthy from my cousins and favorite collegians. It's probably just a coincidence that having off-campus, coed living arrangements seem to have happened at the same time that the emails to me have become shorter and less-detailed; but let's not ponder the why for that too deeply. ;^)

Anyway, I've already mentioned the upcoming highlights for this week, and I really do want to be well-rested for the first day of cheerleader tryouts, so that's it for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, August 24, 2015

What a day!

I'll start with the cheerleading news, since tryouts were a big part of my day; and continue on to the football report after that.

The first bit of news is that Rowen and I don't have any competition for the Grade Ten spots on the squad. We hadn't heard that any of our classmates were going to give that a shot; so that wasn't a complete surprise. It is nice to know that we won't be in a fight for the jobs this year, though. Jenny and Tammy can't say the same because they do have two Grade Eleven competitors. I'll be blunt about that; and just suggest that their classmates are delusional if they think they can out-cheer Jenny or Tammy. It isn't going to happen. As always, it'll be the Grade Nine competition that'll be the most intense; and I haven't decided which girls are my personal favorites to join the squad from that group of hopefuls quite yet. I'll let you know when I do get there; and then we'll see if that works out and our captain, Anna-Marie Palmer, agrees.

As for the actual tryouts, our workouts were a bit less intense than last summer; and we instead spent a bit more time on the creativity side of cheerleading. Anna-Marie and Erica Bassett, our two senior cheerleaders this year, want to do more with both our half-time routine and sideline cheers; so being able to help out with that is going to definitely be part of the equation when they pick their squad. Rowen and I already had a dozen new ideas for routines that we worked on last week; so we're way ahead of the curve on that – and we impressed Anna-Marie and Erica.

The warm-ups, exercises, and cheerleading drills kept us busy even if we didn't physically work quite as hard as last year; and all of the girls loved every minute of it – even when it was tough for the younger girls that aren't used to the physical effort that goes into being a cheerleader. No, it isn't all fashion and beauty secrets, boys; so don't go there. From what I saw today, there were some hopefuls for the football team that would have had a problem with our workout. That sounds strange considering the fact that almost every guy in and around Witch Falls work on farms or doing other physically demanding jobs; but there is a difference between those kinds of work and training for either football or cheerleading. For the cheerleading side of that; I'll just sum it up in one word – flexibility.

I'm sorry if that comment left you with a scary mental picture of big football linemen trying to do the impossible – for them; but instead of thinking about that too much; let's move on to the football report next.

It was and wasn't a tough day for Michael, Tim, and the rest of the football hopefuls. The physical effort that Michael and Tim put into their first day of tryouts was more intense than last year; but that wasn't the case for everyone. The good news for them is that they stood out as the top two players on the field; and the bad is that they are not happy with how the training went for most of the other guys with just a handful of exceptions. Lucas was one of those exceptions; along with a few of the guys that have been training with them for the past few weeks.

Tim had a lot to say about everything that happened with them today after our practices when Michael and I hung out with Tim and Rowen until dinnertime. It'd take quite a while to cover all of that; so let's just include a few highlights instead of writing an essay. Jason Johnson has pretty much anointed himself team captain this year, and since the other seniors support him; Tim's sure it's a done deal – even though he doesn't think it's a good idea. Jason is a big part of the problems Tim's seeing with the team this year – an over-confidence combined with lack of effort from the seniors that have now been on two championship teams and somehow think they're unbeatable. Since most of them only made the team for the first time in their Grade Ten year; winning is all they know. What Tim thinks that they don't know is how much effort the past two senior football players and captains put into making those teams worthy of being champions.

For the football skills part of the tryouts, Michael, Tim, and Lucas are all even better than last season. Being taller is part of that for Michael and Tim, and along with all of the extra training and weightlifting workouts; they're stronger and faster. That's great for the team, but they have a problem this year at quarterback. While Coach Robinson pretty much leaves every position open for competition during tryouts; our team lost a very capable quarterback to graduation; and our top prospect this year isn't nearly as good. Ray Parker has wanted his shot at the job pretty much since Grade Nine, and will likely be our quarterback this year if Tim's right about the complete lack of competition; but he really isn't nearly as good as Jeff Morris was for the past two seasons.

I can pick one word to describe Ray's quarterbacking issue – accuracy. Jeff wasn't flashy, and couldn't throw the huge passes; but he didn't mess up many throws either; and that gave his receivers a chance to do something with the play after the catch. Michael and Tim didn't have to worry about getting killed out on the field today, but one of Tim's biggest worries right now is over how to keep from getting clobbered thanks to bad passes from Ray – or defend even worse passes from being intercepted. He assured Rowen and me that there'd have been more interceptions at the practice today if he and Michael had been defending against Ray instead of working as his receivers.

Finally, for this update, Tim needed to vent a bit with us about their new, as-yet-unofficial team captain. While he doesn't have the specific data to back up his opinion; I could confirm that Jason did not kick as well today as he was kicking last season – though I couldn't tell Tim that. He's a bit off on the actual numbers, and I didn't see everything Jason did today while working on that; but his range is down more than ten yards for field goals; and his accuracy is down even more – maybe as much as twenty yards; but fifteen for sure. While that's a big problem, Tim's more upset about Jason's methods of motivating his fellow players. I'll be blunt again and just say that Jason likes to use back-handed compliments; insults; and sarcasm as his primary 'motivational' tools. That style of leadership might even work on some of the guys; but Tim is sure that it won't make them a better team – regardless of which guys end up making the team this year. I agree with him; but we'll have to wait and see how it goes.

On the brighter side, some of our classmates are doing much better so far with their tryouts; and Tim and Michael think that they'll have at least three of the Grade Ten guys joining them on the team this year. I won't name names now in case they're wrong about that; but keep you posted for how that works out by Thursday when the final team picks will be announced. Whatever happens, my two favorite football players are going to be glad to have some classmate company on the team this season!

Rowen and I were finished our cheerleading tryouts for the day more than a half-hour before the guys were done; so we waited for them and watched the tail-end of their workout before heading back to Michael's house to go for a swim and cool off once they were set free for the day. That was fun, and so was the chat time; but we didn't really have that long to spend together before Rowen and Tim left to have dinner with his parents and Michael and I went inside to help out with getting dinner ready at his house. That wasn't a lot of work, since we were having an easy-dinner night so that Michael could be ready to move on to his baseball practice on time; but the dinnertime fun was all about spending that couple of hours with his parents and Rebecca. That would have been more fun if Lucas could have been there too, but he had needed to hurry back out to his farm and get to work right after football; and he'll likely be working until dark every day this week.

I feel sorry for him over that; since he's going to be very sore after the football workouts and then hours of farm work on both sides of the sports training; and he doesn't have the advantage of a Magi Master girlfriend. That's skipping ahead of the story; but I'll admit that I was happy to help Michael out with some Magi-powered healing before I came home tonight when he was starting to get very sore and cramped up from a long day of football and baseball.

For the record, Michael – no, I do not plan on ever healing anyone else while also sharing long hugs and kisses; so quit joking about it with me. ;^)

I stayed and helped with the dinner clean-up when Michael headed for the school ball diamond to meet up with Tim. Rebecca decided to come along with me after that; we picked up Ethan and Ehlana along the way; and went to the school for some playground time while the boys were playing baseball. Rowen met up with us there, and we had other kids and teens to play with; so that was another hour or so of fun before we all went back to Michael and Rebecca's house to go for another cool-down swim.

Mom and Dad came over to hang out with Jacob and Miranda after seeing us out at the river; they took the twins home with them; and Michael and I had some alone time in his room after Rowen and Tim left that was partly about playing music, having a little make-out session, and healing Michael of all of his aches and pains. That all added up to a lot of busy, but we still managed to fit all of that into just a couple of hours; and I came home at ten-thirty.

That had me here in time to do the bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana; I had them tucked into bed by eleven; and then I got ready for bed too and moved right into my bedtime computing and family business work. I need to be ready for another busy day tomorrow, so I time-phased the entire work session so that I could get everything done without staying up until three or four; which is why I'm exhausted by will be sleeping before midnight. Trading off the extra sleep time with the power drain is basically an even trade, but I still feel better with the extra rest even if that is just an inaccurate perception.

I won't be perceiving any benefit at all if I don't wrap this up and get to the napping part of my night, though; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

This is going to be a short update because I'm really tired out after pushing myself a bit too hard today.

Tai Chi by the river, breakfast, and juggling getting ready for the day with helping out in the kitchen kept me busy until it was time to get to the school for cheerleading tryouts. Anna-Marie picked up the pace of our workouts to something closer to what we did last summer; so I guess that she was easing us into the tryouts with the lighter training level yesterday. Her plan is having an effect on the candidates because some of the girls were definitely having issues with conditioning; and couldn't keep up with the rest of us. We also started adding in more difficult and acrobatic moves today too; so I've made my predictions for the Grade Nine additions to our squad now – and I'm also sure that Jenny and Tammy have nothing to worry about from their Grade Eleven competition. We still have one or two more days of tryouts to go before Anna-Marie chooses her squad, so it isn't over yet, but if I'm right; then it basically is over except for the official announcement sometime on Thursday.

Our tryouts are going better than Tim thinks things are going for the football team. Sure, they still have three days to get their team picked and then be ready to play their first game; but he has good reason to be worried. They'll be up against Grand Summit in a rematch of their Championship game; and it's a safe bet that the Grand Summit players will be ready to avenge their loss. To summarize Tim's biggest issues today, the senior players are too complacent; they don't even seem to notice that they're being out-played by the best of the younger teens; and the more-motivated player-hopefuls might be working hard enough, but they don't have the experience and football know-how to pick up the slack.

The cheerleader tryouts ended earlier than the football practice, so Rowen and I watched and waited for our boys again today; we had another swim after that while Tim vented his football frustrations; and then Michael and I had dinner at my house with Mom, Dad, and the twins before we needed to head over to the church for a teen praise team practice. We're doing two of them ahead of the holiday weekend, and while we were a bit rusty today; the practice went fairly well. Michael and I are both going to be playing our guitar and keyboard more this year, so I'll need to work in extra practice time for that somewhere; but I'm not going to even think about that tonight. It's already been a bit too much for one day – and I haven't even reached the end of my report yet.

So much for writing a micro-report!

We spent nearly an hour and a half at the church with that practice; Michael came home with me; and we did the bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana before coming up to the lounge for a bit of alone time. Michael was in need of another Magi-powered healing, and we didn't have much time to play before he needed to by home; so I used a time phase so that we made time for both the healing and something more than a micro make-out session. Michael went home at eleven after we had a chat in the office with Mom and Dad; and then I came up to my room again to get started on my nightly computing and work. I used a time phase to do all of that too; which has a lot to do with my level of exhaustion now. My choices to time phase or not are a bit inconsistent, but it's what works for me so far this week; and I'll just go with how I feel about it during a week like this when I have more to do than hours in the day allow. I will need to be careful, though, or Mom will be putting me back on a reduced work schedule again if I do take the workload too far.

With that thought in mind, I guess that there isn't anything else to add that's important enough to lose sleep over to write about; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Okay, this really is going to be a micro-report.

Take the reports from the past two days; make the following changes; and you've pretty much gotten the picture.

Michael stayed with me for breakfast after Tai Chi today. The swim and Tim's football venting was at my house and the twins joined us for the swim. Michael had to work after getting cleaned up; and I spent the evening babysitting kids at the park while our parents had their coed ball practice. Michael didn't come over after work and didn't need another healing session. That meant that I could get started on my work a bit earlier tonight; and I still sued a time phase to do all of the family business work. I'm just as tired tonight as I was last night; but I'll be sleeping nearly an hour earlier. I'm going to get to that right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, August 27, 2015

The top stories of the day for me are likely obvious to you as you're reading this someday in my future.

Yes, it's not a surprise that Rowen and I are on the cheerleading squad again this year when we didn't have any Grade Ten competition; but that doesn't change the fact that we're very happy to be on the team – and that we'll get to be at all of the games for Michael and Tim. Also as expected; the only changes to our squad is the addition of the two Grade Nine picks. Anna-Marie kept Erica, Jenny, and Tammy; and chose Shannon Wilde and Diana Connor as our Grade Nine additions. They were my top choices too; so I'm happy with the team we have this season.

The team picks were made first thing this morning because we started the day with thunderstorms; and needed to be indoors anyway. Before I move on, let's mention the weather here; since I haven't done that this week. We've lucked out so far; and the weather has actually been perfect for tryouts – except for the rain and bit of storminess this morning – which ended about an hour after we got to the school. It's been cooler in the mornings, warms up nicely; and we haven't had any of the extreme heat that would have made the physical training difficult. The rain today probably helped our football team even more than it helped our cheerleading squad because Coach Robinson opted to make his team decisions this morning too; so they had the rest of the day to start training as a team and get ready for the game tomorrow night.

Michael, Tim and Lucas were easy picks for the team; since they were by far the best on the field – even if most of the seniors didn't seem to realize that. There were no additions or eliminations from the senior and Grade Eleven guys on the team; Michael and Tim now have four more of our classmates playing with hem this year; and there was just one successful Grade Nine player this year. Kris Robinson, Marc Johnson, Elliott Roberts, and Joshua Parker are all very happy Grade Ten campers; and Reid Spencer is apparently both thrilled and a bit shocked to have made the team too. He's by far the smallest guy on the team; but Tim advised us that Reid has some running and throwing skills that the Coach obviously wants to develop this year instead of waiting until he's bigger.

While I'm writing about the team additions; I'll also mention that we have some very happy girlfriends today too. Nora is particularly happy to join the football players' girlfriend club along with her best friend, Vanessa; so Elliott is fairly happy about that too. I'm basing that deduction entirely on the post-practice, meet-the-girlfriends moments from this afternoon; and Paul Sparks seemed just as happy with Vanessa's enthusiastic congratulations for him. Sally couldn't be here for the tryouts because she was busy on her family farm; but I'm sure that she's happy about Joshua making the team too; since he's worked so hard and wanted it so much this summer. Marc and Kris don't currently have serious girlfriends, but Reid and Lily looked adorable when they met up after practice. She still gets teased a bit about dating a younger man, and he's barely taller than she is; but they really are perfect for each other.

I'm making a point of mentioning Nora and Vanessa in this report because Elliott's success today is something that's going to really help my relationship with both girls. I'm not suggesting that there won't always be history issues with them because Rowen and I messed up their little-girl dreams for a happily-ever-after with Michael and Tim, and got in the way of their football cheerleading plans too; but Vanessa and Nora are happy now; and they're finding out that what they do have instead of the dreams is really great too.

Moving along, once the team picks were made and the rain stopped; it was time to get outdoors again and to work. For the football team, that meant a long workout followed by an afternoon of practicing plays on both sides of the ball. Tim was not happy about how most of that went today; and is even more worried about the game tomorrow night. Michael, by the way, is not worried. That doesn't mean that he's over-confident the way the seniors are – it's just that he knows that it's just a game; and that worrying about what he can't control anyway hurts his own game. In Tim's case, he seems to work harder when stressed; though it probably isn't good for him either. With the game tomorrow night, they won't be doing a full workout tomorrow, so Tim's looking for a miracle; since they're out of time for any major improvement between now and game time.

I'm happy to report that our cheerleading squad is at least as good as last year; and maybe a bit better. We're doing more tricks in our routines for sure; Anna-Marie is probably going to let Rowen and I pick the music and make up most of the half-time routines; and we have two of them ready for tomorrow night – including a re-working of our singing in the rain – umbrella routine from last year; since we might have rain tomorrow night. We didn't dust that one off because we're already running out of new ideas. Anna-Marie and Erica specifically requested that we all work on a few of the most popular half-time routines we did last year. We'll do the 'snowman' routine later this season too; and maybe one or two others if we can work them in without doing any repeats with opponent teams or fans.

Michael needed to get to the Inn after football, but we went for a swim and chat time with Rowen and Tim first before he went home to get changed and ready for work. Rowen and Tim left then too; I helped Mom around the house for a while; and then we made dinner so that I could eat before needing to get to my baseball practice. Dinner with Mom, Dad, and the twins was a nice break in the action; but then I was on the go again right after helping with the clean-up. Rowen met me at the school because she'd been at Tim's place for dinner; and we worked hard tonight to get ready for our last game of the season on Saturday. That was tough enough to do after another full day of cheerleader workouts, but we managed to survive; and then Rowen went to meet up with Tim again while I came home. Ethan, Ehlana, and I went for a swim; and then I helped out with bath time for them while waiting for Michael to come over once he was finished at the Inn for the night.

Ethan and Ehlana were ready for bed by the time he joined us in the office; where we were doing the bedtime snack and story with Mom and Dad. Michael and I took care of getting my brother and sister tucked in for the night with some boys and girls—only time; and then it was time for Michael and I to hang out in the lounge until he needed to head home at eleven. We had a short music practice for the teen praise team music; I helped Michael out with a minor healing so that he'll be as ready as possible for the game tomorrow night; and then we enjoyed a time-phased make-out session that had us both smiling when he did head for home on time. I saw him out; and then came back up here to get started on my work and nightly computing. That was time-phased too, so between the power drain and all of the physical activity today; I'm once again out of steam and ready for some quality napping.

The big game tomorrow night will be the top story in town, and I'll be busy with cheerleading again for most of the day; but this is going to be a very busy weekend too. It's the last regular-season weekend for baseball; Uncle Nick, Aunt Deborah, and the kids will be moving into their new home; and we're now a week away from the holiday weekend – which means we have lots of work to get done to be ready for that.

I wonder if anyone would notice if I just slept through until Monday? ;^)

That'd be a no for the three-day sleep, so I'm going to get what rest I can tonight; starting right now.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, August 28, 2015

I've definitely mentioned in my journals that I like to win, and that sentiment extends to Michael and our football team; but a win was not to be for us today. That made the Grand Summit players, coaches, and fans very happy – and made the road trip and dealing with a rainy night worth it for them.

I am so not glad that we could help them out with that, but before I get to the rest of the football night report; let's cover the news from the rest of the day.

While rain was a possibility all day; we didn't get any this morning or through most of the afternoon. Tai Chi by the river was nice; Michael stayed for breakfast because Mom didn't think that he should settle for Pop Tarts on a game day; and we both eventually ended up at the school on time for our respective practices. Both the cheerleaders and football players had light workouts followed by meetings; and then we were set free at lunchtime with the afternoon off before the big game. Michael had to get to the Inn to help out there, and Rowen and Tim had things to do too; so we didn't get to talk for very long after our practices. I can tell you that Tim was worried about the game, with now-obvious good reason; while Rowen and I were very happy with our squad. We'll still get a lot better as the season goes along, but we were ready for the game by then; and I don't think that any of us were even a little bit nervous about our first game of the season.

Having the afternoon off from cheerleading felt strange, but I had lots of chores options available once I got home and had a quick lunch with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana. With the rain in the forecast, I opted for mowing the lawn; since it was a job that I could get done with the time I had available before I'd need to get cleaned up and ready for the game. I also helped Mom and Aunt Leanne with some of the dinner prep work for the dinner and football or movie night that we were hosting at our house; and had my own dinner while they continued to work so that I could be back at the school in time for the pre-game meeting and set-up with my squad.

Before I get to that, while I was busy with my practice and working; Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana spent the morning at the lab; the twins were at KidZone for the afternoon; and Mom split her afternoon time between her grocery and supply shopping and chores at home. Aunt Leanne came over after the kids had finished their afternoon naps, and while I didn't get to spend much time with them; I did get to have a bit of cuddle time with Brianna while having my dinner. As of now while I'm writing this, I don't have many details from the dinner I missed out on while busy at the school; but I can report that most of the girls opted to stay home for a chick flick movie night instead of going to the game and getting rained on. Most of the guys felt obligated to come out and support their two-time champions, and Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden came with them; but the younger kids were kept at home.

The game set-up in the rain wasn't fun, but we had a good meeting after that; and the rain didn't really dampen my enthusiasm at all – or Rowen's. Jenny wasn't happy about the rain; but she was about as fired up as I've ever seen her to have Joel there watching her cheer for the first time. He probably won't be here next Friday night for that game, since he's heading home and spending the long weekend with his mother and their family; so this will be the only chance he'll have to see her in action with our squad. That experience has likely been mixed for Joel, since Jenny gets a lot of attention from boys at the games and tonight was no exception to that; but she did leave with him tonight and didn't do any flirting with those admirers tonight either. Jenny's assured us that she and Joel are not going to attempt long-distance dating after he heads home; but she does really like him a lot and wishes it could be different.

I'm procrastinating a bit now; so let's get to the football game part of this update.

As I've already mentioned, Tim's worries were proved out tonight; and we lost big – by a score of fifty-six to twenty. There's no way to sugarcoat it; our team made a lot of mistakes; we fell behind early; and it just got worse as the night went on. The bad parts of our game included five turnovers by our new quarterback. I'm not going to put all of the blame on one guy, since Ray had lots of offensive line problems too; but the three interceptions were pretty much on him – and that number would have been even uglier if Michael and Tim hadn't played defense on offense with another dozen bad throws to block what would have otherwise been more easy interceptions. All of the interceptions and the two quarterback fumble-turnovers led to points for Grand Summit; and they let up on us later in the game or the score could have been even worse.

The only bright spots in the game for our team came from Michael and Tim – both on offense and defense. Tim score two touchdowns and Michael scored one. All three of those scores were on big-yard plays thanks to after-the-catch runs. They had other big plays too, but those opportunities were then messed up by turnovers; drive-ending incompletions or no-gain runs; and the two missed field goal attempts that Captain JJ whiffed on from distances that he could hit last year. He missed one of the touchdown extra points too; which is why we only had twenty points on those three touchdowns. I don't want to place any major blame on Jason's shoulders either; but I am going to comment on his leadership style tonight.

Most of my information for that comes from Michael and Tim; and they waited until we were back at my house and in the lounge before venting over the game and their new captain. You can be sure that they didn't exaggerate anything, though; and Jason is not their favorite team mate right now. Before I get to their issues with Captain JJ, which is his own preferred new title; I'd also like to mention that having the team kicker as captain is very different for the guys because they don't have him on the field with them for most of the plays. Sure, Jason does sub now and then for special plays, but our team was never in a position tonight to use any of those plays; so he was only on the field for kicking plays.

Leading from the sidelines when Coach Robinson is already doing that may not work very well; though I won't declare that a fact after only one game. I can tell you that badgering, blaming, and insulting Michael and Tim will not work to motivate them – especially when they're blamed for things that weren't their fault – like most of those interceptions and incompletions. Jason apparently can't tell the difference between blocking an interception and dropping an easy catch. His compliments for good plays were all back-handed too, and while that sort of thing might motivate some people; it doesn't work for at least half of his current team mates. Michael and Tim were on the receiving end of a lot of crap from their captain, and so was Lucas; since we had almost no running game tonight. While he wasn't having a good night; Lucas' problems were mostly due to mistakes on our offensive line and a defense that was determined to stop the run as soon as they saw that our passing game was such a mess. Lucas should have gotten praise for dealing with that and not giving up any turnovers despite getting hit a lot tonight – and usually behind the line of scrimmage.

The game-time issues with their captain weren't the worst of it for the night. Michael and Tim were not at all happy with the locker room rant at half time that Jason unleashed on his team; and the post-game insults and complaining had them wishing that they weren't such nice guys. None of that happened while Coach Robinson was with them, so he's likely unaware of the problem, and since Jason wasn't bashing his fellow seniors and best friends at all; none of them stepped up to help their younger players. The shock of being so soundly beaten in a game might have had something to do with it; but then Tim thinks that all of the seniors are delusional and agree with their captain's assessment of the game – and which players were responsible for the loss. Jason even blamed the weather for some of their problems despite the fact that the rain wasn't an issue for the Grand Summit players at all.

I don't want to drag this out, but losing the game was bad enough; so having their captain rip them apart in front of their team mates when it wasn't justified at all really had Michael and Tim feeling angry and disappointed. They're going to need to find a way to deal with that; but Rowen and I didn't try to help them out with that tonight. We were just there for the cuddles and so that they'd have sympathetic ears to nibble on once they'd finished venting. ;^)

Since the game went so badly for our team, I'm not going to go all sunny and happy with the cheerleading side of the game report. The rain kept us damp most of the night, but we did our best to cheer on our team despite not having a lot to cheer about; and our halftime routine was a big hit with the spectators for both teams. Actually, that's one thing that I really should mention about the game – the number of spectators we had tonight. I didn't think about it at all before the game, but the rain brought a lot of the area campers into town for shopping, dinner, or pub time; and quite a few of them ended up stopping by to watch some or all of the game. We had a bit of that last year for the first game; but not nearly as many as we had tonight.

Getting back to the cheerleading action, the highlight of the night for me was our halftime routine. This year, our singing in the rain – umbrella mash-up included more acrobatics than last year; Rowen and I lead that part of our routines; and the other girls had some cool tricks with their umbrellas too that all worked perfectly tonight without even one mistake. I'll also be a bit proud of my squad and declare that our halftime routine was better than the show the Grand Summit cheerleaders put on – despite the fact that they have a bigger squad and had a more ambitious routine. Don't get me wrong – they were good; but we were better tonight!

Moving along, the post-game festivities were not at all festive for our team. The congratulations with the Grand Summit players, coaches, and cheerleaders was tough for some of us; the friends, family, and fans visits after that were bittersweet, and as I've already mentioned; our players did not have fun in the locker room after the game either. Rowen and I had more fun than Michael and Tim did with all of the post-game action, but we also knew that they weren't having fun; and did our best to get everything done so that we could meet up with them and come back to my house. We already knew by then that there wasn't going to be a post-game party for the team anywhere; and Michael and Tim didn't want to hang out with any of the other guys by then anyway.

The movie night was still going on at home when we got here, but it started wrapping up once the men were back from the game because we're all going to be busy this weekend with the big move and other work. We had a little chat with everyone before coming up to the lounge; Michael and I took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana into bed; and Rowen and Tim had snacks, drinks, and a movie ready to go by the time we joined them in the lounge. Michael and Tim took care of the post-game venting first; and then we enjoyed the cuddle and a movie time.

Michael and I both need to be up early in the morning, so we only watched the one movie; and then I went downstairs to see all three of my friends out. Michael stayed for some bonus goodbye hugs and kisses while Rowen and Tim did the same thing out on her front porch; but then I came back up to my room; got ready for bed; and got started on my computer and email checks. There was a bit of family business to deal with along with a couple of family and friends emails to read and answer; but it hasn't taken me long to get all of that done – and I didn't use a time phase to do that tonight. Getting to sleep before midnight wasn't going to be an option anyway; but I mostly skipped the use of any Magi power tonight because I didn't want to use the extra energy. I'm going to need to re-charge after using a lot of power this week; so I'm going to try to take a day or two off from any major power use if I can do that.

That might not be an option if any healing is needed for any of my favorite people due to the moving work, chores, or baseball tomorrow; but we'll see how that goes. For right now, though, all I'm really interested in doing is sleeping. It's going to be a very long, busy weekend, and that's all I have for tonight anyway; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, August 29, 2015

It's been a wild and crazy-busy day; and the full report is going to have to wait until tomorrow.

To tide you over until you flip the digital page some day in my future; here's a few teaser highlights.

Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah are in their new home tonight – without the kids.

My team won our game this afternoon and we're undefeated for the regular season.

Mom and Dad's team won tonight too.

We had rain roll through a few times today; but that didn't get in the way of any of our fun and only delayed the work a bit.

Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I have a gang of kids with us tonight; we're indoors because it's easier to deal with the babies and toddlers than trying to take care of them in tents; and quite a few of them will be staying here overnight – including Leah and Sebastian.

I'm not doing the full report sometime after Mom and Dad get back from the pub and the kids that aren't staying overnight go home with their parents for a reason that I'll let you guess about just for the fun of it.

I need to get back to the babysitting now, though; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, August 30, 2015

We've ended up with a really nice weather day here, and that's made life easier than expected for the movers in the family as they pretty much finished up with getting Uncle Nick, Aunt Deborah, and the kids moved into their new home by dinnertime today. I'll get to that news soon; but let's back up to yesterday and do the detailed report for Saturday first.

We were able to be outdoors for Tai Chi yesterday; Dad cooked up a big country breakfast for us; and then it was time to get to work. For me, that started out with a few must-do yard chores; and then I was on kid control duty for the rest of the morning while Mom and Dad were both helping out with the big move. I had help for my job from grandparents, Aunt Leanne, Aunt Grace, and some friend volunteers; but still kept busy straight through until lunchtime. That meal was at Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah's new house, but they ate late; and I had already had my own lunch and was at the park for my ball game by the time the workers stopped to eat.

Our last regular season game of the summer was against the Stingrays, and while we did have the chance for an undefeated season on the line; the outcome of the game didn't really matter for the Championship game. We were already in and had home team advantage; and the Stingrays had won two of three of their games against the Sharks so they were in the big game too. I have no idea how motivated the Stingrays' players were today, but Rowen and I were ready to play; and I won't sugarcoat the results. We won by a score of fifteen to five; and it was never really even close from the first inning on. There was one short rain delay during the game, but that didn't slow us down much; and the game still ended within the normal time – and we were off the field before the next game needed to start.

I was in need of getting cleaned up after the game, though, and while we did go for an ice cream celebration; most of the girls felt the same way, and we kept that Emporium visit short. I grabbed a shower; got dressed to play; and then returned to my kid control duties. The major moving was still in progress then, and while we had another dash or three of rain roll through before we stopped for dinner; the work was on-track for what they wanted to have done by the time we stopped for dinner. Where possible, some healing went on for our favorite movers; which is probably why the coed ball game went so well for our team – and wouldn't have without that help. We did have a quick and easy dinner between the late-afternoon moving and the start of the ball game, but that nothing particularly newsworthy happened while the adults mostly just vegged-out for a while and I kept busy on kid control while trying to get a group of toddlers and pre-schoolers to eat at least a little real food instead of just snacking on the treats and desserts.

Rowen and Tim met up with us before we headed to the park for the game; and they'd been recruited to help out with babysitting tonight. Having a sleepover at my house was enough of a selling point for them; though the cash comes in handy too. We were at the park with the kids while our team was there for warm-ups, and we stopped in to cheer them on regularly; but I missed most of the game because the kids wanted to play instead of just sitting around watching our parents playing baseball. The Eagles were up against the Parrots; and the game actually meant something for both teams. A win for the Parrots meant a three-way tie for the coed teams; and the score could affect the tie-breaker between the Eagles, Hawks, and Parrots. The win for us meant first place and home team advantage for the Championship game; and would also put the Hawks into the holiday weekend game because they already had three wins.

As I mentioned, I'm sure that the Magi healing that was done on the side before dinner helped a lot; and there were quite a few Hawks players and fans cheering for our team too; but my cheerleading squad was at the playground so much of the time that I'm sure we weren't a factor at all. Fortunately, the Eagles didn't need our help. They were the home team for the game, so the Parrots did have a short-lived lead in the game; but that didn't last long; and the Eagles never looked back. They didn't use the mercy rule, but could have at one point in the game. The final score was twenty-one to ten; but the Parrots only did that well because our team took it easy for the last couple of innings.

We headed home right after the game because the adults wanted to get cleaned up and ready for their season wrap-up party at the pub. As I mentioned with the last report, a camping adventure had been an option for us; but we'd decided to do our babysitting and a sleepover indoors – partly because the weather forecast was a bit uncertain; and mostly because taking care of the youngest kids would have been tough in tents or around a campfire. Some parental support was there for us while we got all of the kids up to the lounge and set up to play. Michael came over from the Inn after they closed for the night; and he was here before Mom and Dad left for the pub with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne.

It was non-stop action after that, and we played pretty much until the kids wore us out. My journal update last night was written while taking a micro-break between putting two kids to bed and getting back to the fun in the lounge; and the busy kept going through until Mom and Dad got home along with the parents that were taking their sleeping angels home with them for the night. Yes, the kids were all sleeping by then; but Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I had then needed to clean up – and that took quite a while to do by the time we had all of the toys put away; the lounge and my room cleaned up; and the dishes all taken to the kitchen, washed, and put away.

After all of that, I'm sure that you can understand why Michael and I both wanted to have a sofa sleepover together; and that's exactly what we did after saying goodnight to Mom and Dad. Michael and Tim were sharing the guest bedroom across the hall from the lounge; Rowen went there with Tim for their goodnight hugs and kisses while Michael and I happily fell asleep on the sofa in the lounge; and I'm going to pretend that Rowen was sleeping in my bed this morning when Michael and I woke up for Tai Chi.

She was in my bed by the time that Michael and I headed downstairs for Tai Chi; and had two junior cuddle buddies with her while Michael and I were busy exercising with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden. We had Zack and Leah with us too; but they just ran around and played by the river while we worked through our Tai Chi forms. Mom and Dad skipped the exercise today, but had kids to take care of too by sometime before we got back inside; and Rowen and Tim were both helping out by then too.

Breakfast was a wild, toddler-rated adventure; getting a gang of under-five kids ready for church was exhausting; and then getting all of them to the church and returned to their parents was yet another blast of busy that had me ready for a nap. That wasn't an option, since we were busy at church with another Sunday school work session to get ready for the holiday weekend service; and then I was back on kid control again not long after getting home from church while the parents in the family worked on a big lunch gathering at our house again before getting back to day two of the move.

I've already mentioned that the weather has been great today; and that helped me a lot with my babysitting duties. Play time at the park was an option; swimming breaks were added in when I had extra support for the junior swimmers; and Michael helped out and played with us while he was on his afternoon break from the Inn. The one thing that I couldn't do was help out at the Inn. They were really busy again today, and I wish that I could have done that too; but it was more important to be there for my family – even if I wasn't doing any of the moving work.

The house, by the way, looks amazing after the remodel. I hadn't exactly spent much time in the Ayres' house before now; but it's as beautiful as Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's place – and should be very popular with Aunt Deborah's family for holidays now too! That'll be nice for Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne now that they can share the weekend guests more than they've been able to do so far since getting married; and we have one more big dining room to help out with major family meals.

I want to speed this up because it's late and I'm really tired; so let's do that. The work was mostly wrapped up by dinnertime – which meant going to the late buffet at the Inn for a little celebration. There's still some unpacking and organizing to do; but Aunt Deborah will have help for that all week and she's sure it'll be done in time for having her first family guests coming in for the weekend. Dinner at the Inn was great for me because I was relieved of kid control duty and allowed to have that meal with the other teen helpers – including Rowen and Tim. Michael couldn't get away from the kitchen to join us; but I went to see him after dinner; and ended up staying to help out until closing while Mom, Dad, and the twins went home without me.

The work in the kitchen was hot and tiring, so Michael, Rebecca, and I went for a swim after we got back to their house; and then Michael and I had some cuddle time on the sofa in his living room before I came home for the night at eleven o'clock. Mom and Dad were still awake than and working in the office, but the twins were sleeping. I had a visit with Mom and Dad; stopped in to kiss my brother and sister good night; and then got ready for bed and started on my nightly computing and some family business work that needed to be done before morning.

I was too tired for any major time phasing, so that's taken a while; and now I'm only going to have time for a nap before I'll need to be awake again and on the go for a day of cheerleading and chores. The chores will be at Grandma and Grandpa's house; and the highlight of the day tomorrow is going to be their return home from Canada. With the holiday weekend now just days away; there are sure to be a lot of highlights this week – including baseball championships and a second football game on Friday night. That's all going to be amazing, along with everything else we'll be doing, but I really just need to get some sleep right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, August 31, 2015

Welcome home, Grandma and Grandpa!

It's been a really long, busy, amazing day!

I'm also exhausted, and have decided to end my August before we get to September.

Look for yet another double-update to start September with; and, until then...

...May the Magi Force be with you!
September 2015

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

This very well could be my shortest double-update; and that's entirely because I'm in real need of getting what sleep I can again tonight after yet another too-busy day.

From Monday:

I had Tai Chi by the river and breakfast with Michael and his family before spending the morning at the school with my cheerleading practice. Lunch was on the fly and I did that at Grandma and Grandpa's house while helping out with the work there that Mom and Aunt Leanne had started earlier in the morning and that we had finished by the time Grandma and Grandpa got home from the airport and their month in Western Canada. We helped them to unpack; went over to Aunt Leanne's house where we made dinner and spent the evening enjoying a barbeque meal and travel story time until it was time for us to let Grandma and Grandpa get some sleep. Michael had football practice all day, but had dinner and spent the evening with us. He came home with me; we did the bedtime routine with the twins; and had a bit of music and make-out time before he headed home for the night. I time-phased some of that play time with Michael and all of my work and nightly computing; and you already know that I crashed shortly after writing my micro-report.

Today was another hot one; my morning was a near-repeat of yesterday; and I spent the afternoon playing with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden while Mom worked and Michael was busy with his football practice. I had dinner with him at his house; we had our last teen praise team practice before the holiday weekend service; and then we were back at his house for some more music play time and a chat with his parents before I came home for the night. The time-phased work and computer checks were a repeat performance too; and it's the power use that's added up to have me so worn down.

Tomorrow is booked as a work day, but we also have a very important birthday to celebrate. I want to be ready to do that and maybe even manage to get to the end of the day without being totally exhausted yet again, so that's it for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Happy (Belated) 48th Birthday, Miranda!

I'm only late for that with this journal update; and Miranda had a fun birthday. This report is late because we had a camping adventure at my house last night while Jacob and Miranda had a kid-free night for her birthday.

No details needed there; thanks anyway!

Right now, I'm just taking a moment to make this quick micro report because Rowen, Jenny, and I need to get to our cheerleading practice; so I'll do another double update tonight – if I manage to stay awake to do that after not getting much sleep last night. There's definitely a story or three there; which is why that will need to wait for my next report. I can't do a time phase right now with a house and yard full of teens; and can't write about everything with the few minutes I do have – and that I've mostly used up just firing up my computer, checking my email, and doing this little blurb.

Yeah, I know that you can just flip the digital page and read on, but it's just the way I need to do things right now; so just try to have fun with it! ;^)

I really do need to get going now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, September 3, 2015

It's been another beautiful day, and while it hasn't been birthday party fun around here compared to yesterday; I have had a really great day! This is a double report, though; so let's back up a day and get this thing started!

Wednesday morning Tai Chi by the river was especially great because Miranda got to sleep in late instead of being at the Inn for the breakfast prep work; and she came out with Michael to enjoy the entertainment with her morning coffee. Yes, we're out there early, but that still was sleeping in for her. I was just glad that we got to do good morning and birthday hugs and kisses with her – and help to make the start to her day just a bit more fun.

Miranda did need to get to the Inn eventually, so she went home to get ready to do that after our Tai Chi, but Michael stayed to have breakfast with us before going home to get ready for his football practice. I helped out with both sides of the breakfast work; got ready for cheerleading practice; and met up with Rowen at her house before going on to the school. Michael had needed to be there a bit earlier than we did; but only because he was taking a turn helping out with hauling equipment out to the field. Our cheerleading practice went great, and I had fun with that; but then it was time to get to work for the afternoon – and that didn't end up being much family business work because Mom and Aunt Leanne drafted me to help out with kid control and holiday weekend chores at two houses. That kept me busy through until we all needed to get ready for Miranda's birthday dinner party at the Inn, and while there was a lot going on, the work details are really boring; and I won't put you to sleep with them.

The dinner party wasn't starting until six-thirty; with the meal at seven; so we were able to work late too and even get a bit of help from Dad after he was finished at the office for the day. We were all cleaned up, changed, and at the Inn a few minutes before six-thirty; and I went into the kitchen to hang out with Michael and Rebecca while Mom and Dad were busy with the meet and greet in the dining room. We'd already planned on springing a kid-free night sleepover on Miranda and Jacob long before then, but that plan turned into a teen camping adventure by the time we all headed into the dining room to have dinner with our families.

Lucas had come back into town for the dinner, and since he had football again in the morning anyway; it was easy to get him added to the camper guest list; Mom and Dad approved the change in plans; and we added Tim, Rowen, Jenny, and Joel before dinner even started. The biggest issue we had at that point was getting the camp set up and putting everything together for that when we couldn't even start doing it until after the party.

Miranda's dinner was next, though; and we all had a really great time having that meal together. Jacob split his time between the kitchen and dining room while the food was still being cooked, and quite a few members of the staff took turns working and having dinner with us; but Miranda, Michael, and Rebecca were all off-duty during the meal – and Miranda was done for the day by then. Most of the Bassett clan was there for the meal – or at least everyone in and around town was. Add in fifty or sixty friends and their family members; and it was quite the little mid-week event. The full menu wasn't available for our dinner, but the half-dozen options that Jacob had picked to make the work easier covered the needs of all of the guests – including the younger kids.

The dinner, dessert, and all of the usual birthday fun took about an hour and a half to get through. I wasn't in the middle of the action for that because Michael and I were on kid control duty with some of the other teens; but the parents had fun roasting Miranda; and she loved her gifts that ranged from gag gifts and cute little trinkets to the beautiful and sparkly. Michael and Lucas had let Rebecca and I take care of our gift choices; we recruited Abby to help out with that; and Miranda loved our gifts a lot too.

Ours weren't the only gifts from Palmer's that Miranda was given; but she wasn't allowed to open one of them in front of everyone; so I'll guess that there's a good chance that our gifts weren't her favorite new additions to her wardrobe – or Jacob's. Let's definitely not take that thought any farther and move along!

Michael and Rebecca still needed to help with the clean-up at the Inn after dinner; so the rest of us campers got to work at my house – and ran around getting overnight bags packed and rounding up everything else we needed for our last-minute camping adventure. I helped with getting the tents set up; Dad helped us with getting a fire ready to go and lit; and Mom rounded up some snacks and drinks for us to have at the campfire. We had all of the work done by the time that Michael and Rebecca joined us after getting their own overnight bags from home; and we were all ready by then to just sit around the campfire and relax for a while. Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana joined us there for a little while, but then headed inside so that the twins could go to bed and Mom and Dad could get started on the work they each needed to get done tonight.

Michael and I took turns playing music on my guitar; we all had fun singing and telling campfire stories; and we sat up and talked way too late before putting out the fire and going for a bedtime swim. It was heading toward two o'clock by the time we split up and went into our tents; and now we're to the part of the night that explains why I didn't even have my computer with me out there – and didn't get around to my last update until Wednesday morning.

That's right; we had a co-ed camping night!

Jenny and Joel were particularly happy about that because he'll be heading home on Friday after work and they'll both be moving on to other relationships after that. I'd be a mess if I was in that situation, but it actually seems to work for them just fine; so it doesn't matter whether I could have a relationship like that or not when they're happy. That isn't exactly the right word for them when it comes to Joel's return home; but I can assure you that they were and are happy about getting to spend the night together.

Ditto that for Rebecca and Lucas, Rowen and Tim, and Michael and me; though it is obviously different for the six of us because we'll all still be together next week. That doesn't change the fact that an all-night cuddle-in-sleeping-bags session wasn't amazing, and for Michael and I; there was a fair bit of teen-rated play time for two that kept us entertained until we eventually had our little nap until dawn. With nearby tents around us, that play time needed to be very quiet; but it was also fairly high on my personal hot meter and I am so glad that I have a photographic memory! ;^)

We were still fairly tired when we woke up and got ready for Tai Chi; but we managed to be out of our tent before Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana met us by the river. The workout helped to get us going; Mom and Dad went back inside right away and pretended that they didn't know that their backyard campers had been paired up for the night in boy-girl couples. They cooked breakfast while Michael and I started working on the camp clean-up by tearing down our tent and making sure that we made enough noise to wake our friends.

The work part of the morning wasn't newsworthy; but we did all have fun. By the time I wrote that last micro-update, we'd had breakfast in the middle of the camp teardown; took turns having bathroom time and getting ready for the day; and dealt with all of the work in the kitchen too. Moving on from the end of that little update; Rowen, Jenny, and I headed for the school and our cheerleading practice. The boys were either off to work, at the school, or ready to go there with us by then; and Rebecca headed home to do some work there before going on to the Inn while we were busy.

Anna-Marie decided that we were ready for the game by the time tomorrow night by the time we were finished our practice today; so we'll have the day off on Friday until we need to be at the school for the trip to Maple Valley. That worked for all of us; since we'll be busy with getting ready for the holiday weekend too. Most of us are juggling work, family, and part-time jobs in addition to the football game and weekend baseball games; so one less thing to do really helps a lot.

I'd suggest that we keep Anna-Marie as team captain for another year or three, but I doubt she'll opt for repeating her senior year a couple of times over going off to college.

While I've skipped over the details of our practice, the important news is that we had fun; and I think we're having an even better start to our season than we had last year. The fun level is really high; our routines are stronger; and Anna-Marie lets Rowen and I play around with some sideline improv and cooler tricks for our routines that feed our apparent need for extreme action.

Don't worry, Mom – if we mess up and get hurt; I can take care of healing either of us! ;^)

Moving along, I was home in time for lunch with Mom, Aunt Leanne, Grandma, Grandpa, and the twins. They were having a planning lunch for the holiday weekend work; and Mom was happy to find out that I have Friday morning off – from cheerleading.

Maybe I shouldn't have told her about that, but she'd have found out anyway; so going and hiding somewhere for a morning off wouldn't have worked anyway – even if it is a nice thought!

Taking the afternoon off today might have been nice too, but I did yard chores instead. I mowed the lawn and weeded gardens while Mom was busy with other chores and a shopping trip to avoid as much of the busy that'll be happening around town all day tomorrow. She'll still need to do the bakery order pick-up and some other running around tomorrow anyway; but at least she won't have to fight the crowds at the grocery store or Emporium.

I wrapped up my yard work by dinnertime; went for a swim with Ethan and Ehlana; got changed; and then we had dinner out on the back porch – a burgers, hot dogs, and cold salads meal that was quick, easy, and didn't require much of a clean-up. That was a good thing because we had two baseball practices going on tonight. The coed practice was moved due to Miranda's birthday dinner; since most of the players were at the Inn instead. The change wasn't an issue for ball diamond space, since the only teams needing to practice this week are the ones in the championship games. The only issue we had was with babysitting services; and the available grandparents, and two aunts were drafted to help out with that at the park while Rowen and I were busy at the school ball diamond with our practice.

The Piranha are ready for our big game, and while I missed most of Mom and Dad's practice, from what I did see; they look ready for their game too. While I'm really glad that we had a good practice and it was fun spending that time with Rowen and the rest of our team mates; I also wish that I'd had that time available for some of the family business work I needed to get done tonight. Mom, Dad, and I didn't even get started on our 'homework' until nearly nine-thirty; which is why I overdid it again today by using a time phase to get all of my work done without staying up all night again to do that. Even doing that, I still had to skip spending any time with Michael; and he went home after the Inn closed for the night instead of coming over here for a couple of hours first.

After keeping him, um, awake late last night; he needed the extra rest, but we're also running out of summer fast; and won't get to have a lot of alone time during the holiday weekend. We'll be wishing that we'd had the extra time together by next week; but then we feel that way most weeks anyway. Instead of getting side-tracked, though; let's keep moving along so that I can wrap this up and get to sleep soon.

I worked in the office, and Ethan and Ehlana played in the archives while Mom and Dad worked too. My time phase included all of us; we all got a lot done; and Mom ordered me to let it drop at eleven o'clock – once we'd all done a full night worth of work. Dad might even be able to leave work early tomorrow thanks to our high-powered work session; so I'm glad to have helped out with that even if I am exhausted now. Mom, Dad, and I all got in on the bedtime scene with Ethan and Ehlana, and after getting them tucked in for the night; I came up to my room and got ready for bed.

There weren't any new email for me to deal with as I got started on my nightly computing, but I did do a Hathorne Industries check ahead of the long weekend to make sure that there weren't any imminent plans to travel our way. I know that we haven't had a problem with them in years now; but we won't stop trying to keep an eye on them anyway; and we will keep learning everything we can about their operations around the world so that we can intervene whenever possible.

Okay, that's pretty much it for now. I'm going to have another really long day tomorrow between the work around here and the football game in Maple Valley. I'll miss most of the inbound family fun tomorrow night, but even time phasing can't help me out with that, and if Mom knows a way to be two places at once; she hasn't taught me how yet.

How cool would that be if we could? ;^)

I'm too tired even for some science fiction or fantasy musings, which means that it really is time for me to crash now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, September 4, 2015

I'm going to start with the football game report tonight because both the good and the bad from the game are on my mind; and a bit of venting is in order.

The top good news is that we won our game against Maple Valley. Michael and Tim each had two touchdowns and Lucas added one more to earn that thirty-three to thirty "Victory in the Valley", as some of the seniors put it; but then that score total for us might give some of you a hint at a bit of the bad news on the day. For the non-football fans of the future, I mean that our team Captain and kicker missed two of five extra point attempts. He also missed the only field goal attempt he had for the game because the kick was out of his kicking range – at least for right now. That wasn't the worst of it for the night – and not even the worst from Captain JJ.

Seven quarterback turnovers was the worst of it for our team; and the only thing that saved us from total football disaster was that Maple Valley was only able to turn all of those opportunities into two touchdowns and two field goals. Add to that the fact that Michael and Tim each broke up other bad passes that could have been even more interceptions without their help; and you get the idea that our team has some serious problems on offense. As with our first game, I'm not trying to put all of the blame for that on our quarterback. Ray has issues, but our offensive line is fairly weak so far this season too; and it shows in how often Ray's hurried, knocked down, or sacked. It is on him for not being able to hand onto the ball when hit hard or for making bad throwing choices; but that wouldn't be as tough for him if he wasn't so worried about getting smacked on nearly every play.

If you're thinking that was the worst of it for tonight, you're right from the actual, physical game; but I'm particularly annoyed right now because of Captain JJ's attitude both during and after the game. He really is turning out to be what he probably thinks is a tough-love kind of leader; but he sounds rude, insensitive, and arrogant – and that's before I even get to his seriously poor sportsmanship. We're from Witch Falls, so none of that is aired in public; but I am allowed to vent to my journal – or with my best friends.

To keep my rant short for this, let's just list my Captain JJ pet peeves and move along. First is picking on my boyfriend for things that aren't his fault and being oblivious to the fact that he played a brilliant game. Ditto that for Tim and Lucas, but I'll also leave it up to Rowen and Rebecca to be mad at Jason for how he treats their boyfriends. More generally, it really bugged me to overhear him berate any of his team mates during the game, and while that isn't really all that unusual to hear from other team's players; it's not the way we're supposed to do things at our school. It's obvious that he's trying to be the kind of Captain that Kyle was, but doesn't get how Kyle pulled off being demanding and driven while still being a supportive, loved leader. Finally, if only for the top three; Jason is as bad at winning as he was last week when we lost. He wasn't rude right to the Maple Valley players' faces, but he said a lot of rude things about them and their team to his buddies where the Maple Valley guys or their families, friends, and neighbors could overhear – and didn't care. We may not deal with things like that publicly, but I sure hope that somebody talks to him about it in private soon.

Yes, I am willing to be that person if someone closer to him doesn't intervene first; but I'd prefer not to get into that kind of teen drama if I can avoid it – and I'm not just saying that because I'm afraid of turning him into a donkey or something! ;^)

No, we can't really do that; but it is fun to think about – and would be appropriate considering that he was being one tonight.

Moving along now, I'll add that our cheerleading was amazing tonight; and our half-time routine was a hit with the Maple Valley fans. Our routine theme this week was all about Labor Day; the music mash-up was all work-related songs; and we had fun with mostly making fun of different jobs with micro-skits and mimes along with some minor acrobatics that Rowen and I used for the transitions between 'scenes'.

Getting back to the football for one last comment, I'll add that we did have a lot to cheer about despite all of the bad plays; and most of that was because of Michael, Tim, and a few other guys making big defensive plays. For Michael and Tim, their four combined touchdowns were again done with long runs after the short-yardage catches; and they piled up a lot of yards that would have turned into more touchdowns if not for the subsequent interceptions or turnovers that abruptly ended good drives. They had help from our safeties too for defense, and while Maple Valley had some successes too; they were held to just one touchdown and one field goal for all of their non-turnover drives. It was the short-field chances they had that our defense had issues with – and that was mostly on the running side of the game.

Let's wrap up the football part of my day with the post-game news. It's been a hot, beautiful night, so the post-game action on the field dragged out for quite a while. We eventually hit the locker rooms; got cleaned up and changed; packed up all of our gear; and headed for home. It was midnight by the time we got to the school, and Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I all stayed to help out with getting all of the football and cheerleader gear put away before heading over to Tim's house for a short post-game snack and drinks with a few other football and cheerleader friends. Michael and I walked home with Rowen after that; did our goodnight hugs and kisses on my front porch after seeing Rowen home to her house; and then I came straight up to bed because Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and Jayden were all sleeping by then.

Jayden is staying with Ethan because Aunt Grace didn't mind giving him up for the night while getting to hang out with Jaimie and Kaitlyn at her house; but he's also the only weekend guest we have at our house tonight. While the Proctors are here for the weekend, they're staying with Grandma and Grandpa or the Everetts. About half of the Johnson clan is in town too; and they're split between the Carrington and Ayres' homes. The Rice family stayed in Woodvale; and the McEwans decided to stay home too – though Jonathan is the only kid in their family not at college this year anyway; and he probably wanted to stay and work his summer job for one bonus blast of spending money.

I'll keep you posted on the family side of the holiday weekend news as we go along over the next few days, but I was out of the loop for all of that tonight; and will have to wait until morning to get the reports about what I've missed while in Maple Valley. There was a family dinner at Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's for sure, and Mom, Dad, and the twins likely just stayed there or around Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house for the evening to welcome our incoming guests; but I'm just guessing for part two of that. Our connections to each other are amazing, but I can't pinpoint location that specifically from another town.

Maybe we should test that out a bit to put some range on those abilities some day! With my schedule lately; we should be able to get to that in a decade or three.

That nearly brings us up to right now for my report except for the nightly computing, family business work, and email check that I've been doing since climbing into bed with Mandy; but I skipped all of the pre-football news. Since I'm also pretty much out of steam now that I'm done venting about the game, though; let's keep the rest of this short.

Tai Chi by the river and breakfast were great. I helped Mom and worked all morning until we stopped for lunch at about one-thirty. She put me on kid control after that for a couple of hours until I needed to get cleaned up and ready to head over to the school for the trip to Maple Valley; and I spent that time swimming or playing at the park with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden. Michael couldn't spend any time with us today because he had a morning practice that was mostly a meeting with an hour of light exercise; and then he was at the Inn until he needed to be at the school too. The team goes on buses to away games, but the cheerleaders have volunteer drivers. Rowen and I were with Shannon and Diane for the trips to and from Maple Valley; and we had fun together – if not as much fun as Jenny and Tammy had tonight.

Joel's home by now, and Jenny advised us that they did their goodbyes in a mostly non-verbal way while he was on his lunch break at work today; so Jenny was coping with that by getting us to help her out with the search for her next boyfriend. That wouldn't work for me, but it does for her; so we went along with it. Tammy was most-enthusiastic about that, and I was probably the least helpful; but we still all managed to keep entertained with the effort – and it was a fun little bonus to everything else that was great about our night in Maple Valley.

No, we didn't find a new boyfriend for her; but she did run into an old one. Lance was there with his current girlfriend, and looked to be very happy; but I'm also sure that Jenny didn't miss the fact that he noticed just how great she looked tonight – and she probably had him in mind while taking the time to get ready for the game today. Sure, that's at least a little bit wrong, but even Magi Master teens get why something like that helps out in the ego department after a not-so-great end to a relationship.

I'd rather head off to sleep with happy thoughts; so let's not dwell on Jenny's past relationships and wrap this up. We have two championship baseball games tomorrow afternoon, and the coed match on Sunday; so I'm going to be very busy this weekend – especially since I also want to help out at the Inn for the buffets on Monday and we'll have the teen praise team service on Sunday morning too. There isn't likely to be a lot of rest between now and Monday night, but I'm ready for all of the fun – and the work too; so I'll get what sleep I can now and call it a night.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, September 5, 2015

We're having a camping night for the cousins and a few friends in Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's back yard; so I'm writing this micro update while grabbing my overnight bag now that the campfire is over for the younger kids and we're taking a break before continuing it for the older kids and teens. Look for a partial double update with the next report.

Tai Chi and breakfast were quiet at our house with only Jayden here for company. I helped out with some chores for Mom and Dad after that for a while; and then was on the kid entertainment committee for the rest of the morning. Our family lunch was in the back yards for both the Carringtons and Everetts; and I needed to eat fast before going to get ready for my ball game and heading over to the park with Rowen.

Our game was at one; the Piranhas were the home team against the Stingrays; and we won fairly convincingly with a score of sixteen to six. We didn't have much time to celebrate our championship because Rowen and I moved on to cheer for Michael, Tim, and the Arrows as they won their championship too with a seventeen to nine victory over the Cannons. Yeah for us, but we were all worn out by then already after more than four and a half hours out in the hot sun – and it was really hot out again today.

Dinner was pretty much ready by the time we got to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house, and the camping decision had been made by then too; so there were tents set up by the river and half of the campers had their gear there already. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I all went for a cool-down swim before getting in line for food; and that worked out anyway since the younger kids were set up with food and drinks first. Since we didn't do any of the pre-dinner work; all baseball playing teens were drafted for the clean-up; which is why it was heading toward dark by the time we'd finished all of the work – including the campfire set-up.

Most of our family stayed for the first couple of hours of the campfire; we played music, sang songs, and told scary stories; and then the parents have just finished helping us out with getting the younger kids ready for bed and tucked into their sleeping bags. I came home with Mom and Dad to get my bag; and we're not going to even write about what they'll be doing with their holiday weekend kid-free night. ;^)

I know that Michael and I won't be doing any co-ed sleepovers. Jaimie and Kaitlyn are with me tonight for some girl chat time; Rowen's taking Ehlana and Naomi; and Michael has Ethan, Aiden, and Jayden with him. That's going to be fun; but not as great as a sleepover with Michael might have been!

We won't get any more sleep, though, and some of us have a church service to lead in the morning; so I'd better get to the campground and started on that cousins' girl chat time with Jaimie and Kaitlyn if I want to have a chance of getting any sleep later tonight.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Our campfire wrapped up at a bit after one o'clock. We – the teens and kids still standing – went for a moonlight swim after that; and then we got ready for bed and headed for our sleeping bags by two-ish. Add in the girl chat time after that with Jaimie and Kaitlyn for me; and the three of us did not get much sleep last night before I was up and going again – starting with Tai Chi by the river with all of my favorite exercise buddies.

From there we had a couple of hours or so of crazy-busy as we took turns getting ready for our play day at the park; had breakfast; and cleaned up both the campground and the kitchen and dining rooms before heading to the park for the church service. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I all needed to be there early, and Michael had to grab his guitar on the way past his house; so we had even less time than everyone else in our family for all of that work and fun. I always love the church services in the park, and we had a beautiful summer morning for that today. The music, skits, and random bits of fun that go along with having kids and teens lead a service was all really special; and we had a huge turnout too with a lot of area campers coming into town early instead of waiting for the Labor Day festivities to start at noon.

I'm skipping over some of the work that went on with my family for the charity food booths, but that's partly because I wasn't in on that work at all; and also because we did a bit less on the cooking front this year and more straight-up donations that didn't require cooking. Grandma's locally famous potato salad was one exception to that; but the salad was made up yesterday and just needed to be hauled to the park along with the rest of the donations. The top highlight for the church service for me was the duet that Michael and I did together. As I've mentioned before, we're trying to space those out so that we don't hog the spotlight for every teen service even though we get asked to sing together a lot; and we both like that it feels more special because it isn't something we do every Sunday. I'll also modestly admit that we were a hit; but that isn't what the music is about; so let's not make a big deal about that. What was cool was having around two thousand people at our service and enjoying our delivery of a fairly upbeat message through our music and skits.

After that high-energy hour and change of fun, Michael and I were busy with packing up from the service; we had to hurry on to help out with getting the kids in our family fed or at least with food in hand by game time; and then we were at the ball diamond for the co-ed championship game by noon. Today, Miranda and I were co-leaders for our cheer squad because the Inn didn't have a team in the game. We had a very large squad of cheerleaders and junior cheerleaders; with Brianna being the youngest and a few grandmothers that were young at heart – though they were all only part-time members of the squad because it was hot out by then and they needed frequent breaks or naps.

Our Eagles were up against the Hawks, and while I'd like to have our cheerleading squad take some credit for the outcome of the game; we really can't do that. We can take credit for bringing up the fun level for the game, and Miranda, Aunt Leanne, and I had a blast with our squad, family, friends, and neighbors; but the Eagles didn't need any help today. Mom, Dad, and the rest of their team mates were on a roll right from the first pitch. They were the home team, so the Hawks batted first – and their half of the inning was a three-up, three-down display of great fielding that only took seven minutes to wrap up. Instead of writing up an inning-by-inning play-by-play though, I'll just add that the final score was fourteen-to-three; and it would have been a lot more lopsided if our team hadn't let up and helped to wrap up the game in under two hours.

With the temperature soaring, the spectators – and their cheerleaders – were happy about that; and we all had more time to play for the rest of the afternoon and evening. For Michael and I, that play time started out with some kid control play action while the parents were busy going home and getting cleaned up after the game. We went for a swim; had an ice cream break; and caught part of a stage show for kids while having our frozen treats and waiting to get back together with our parents. We played games at the charity booths after that for a while, and then Michael and I were set free for some teen time with our friends. We eventually met up with Rowen, Tim, Rebecca, Lucas, and some of the other football players and their girlfriends; and it wasn't a surprise to me that Tim had wanted to hang out with those guys and talk sports – especially now that opening week for college football was now over and they had a lot to talk about – including Kyle's first game of the season.

I haven't written about those games at all – and don't plan on starting now! ;^)

Okay, one comment on that. Kyle's team won their season opener; and his family is very proud of him.

Moving along, we played for the rest of the afternoon; met up with our families for dinner; and that hour or so of action was as crazy and fun as always. Michael and I were on park clean-up duty for an hour after that; and then we went to the dance with nearly everyone else in the park. Sure, the game booths were still open, and lots of people wandered over there to try their hand at winning the prizes, but the music reached every corner of the park; and it was as easy to dance by those booths as on the dance floor. Make that easier whenever the dance area was filled beyond capacity. Michael and I danced a lot; had the usual cut-ins from Ethan, Ehlana, and some other family comedians; and had a really awesome evening with our families and friends.

It was a perfect, hot summer night for the dance; nobody was in any hurry for the party to end; and the fun went on until nearly twelve-thirty before the band finally wrapped up for the night and everyone began either helping with the tear-down work or joined the exodus out of the park. I guess you could say that Michael and I did both, and including getting all of our day camp gear packed up, carried home, and then put away; it took until nearly two o'clock to get everything done. That didn't keep Michael and I from going for a swim before bedtime or having a cuddle session out on one of the riverside benches; but we also didn't drag that out too long because he's working the breakfast buffet at the Inn – and will be there off and on all day while I'll get to spend the morning with my family before going to help out at the Inn too – after we have our family lunch buffet there at the noon sitting.

Working at the Inn for the rest of the day is going to be tough, and I want to be ready for the morning shopping too; so let's wrap this up so that I can get started on my nap time. It was three o'clock by the time I was in bed. We don't have any overnight guests here because Aunt Grace wanted Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Jayden at her house – mostly to have breakfast with them; since they wouldn't have stayed up for long after getting home tonight. I did my usual computer checks; had some family business work to deal with that couldn't wait until tomorrow night or Tuesday; and I time phased that so I wouldn't just still be awake at sunrise when it'll be time to get up and going again. That has all added up to too much fun and work for one day, though, and I'm past-ready to crash now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, September 7, 2015

We dodged a drop or three of rain while shopping this morning, but didn't have any thunderstorms roll through until this afternoon when having some bad weather didn't really matter – except that it made the travel time home for our family and friends a bit tougher. Nobody's complaining about that because we've had an otherwise perfect weather weekend for this holiday!

I have school in the morning; it's been an exhausting day; and I'm running out of steam fast; so this is going to be a short report despite having such a busy, eventful day.

Tai Chi and breakfast for five was nice a quiet. The holiday sale shopping was a crazy and fun way to spend the morning; and we wrapped up the family part of the holiday weekend fun with the noon buffet at the Inn. That was a highlight of the day for me, and though I missed out on the packing up and goodbyes with my family; Miranda and Jacob needed all the help they could get today for the buffets. I was glad to help, and we had fun along the way, but it was also hot in the kitchen; and we were constantly running to keep up with the work that goes along with putting on a total of five buffets in a single day – if you include the breakfast buffet. You could even call it six buffets, since that morning meal was more like two buffet sittings by the time they wrapped it up at around ten o'clock.

I worked with Michael, Rebecca, and Jenny all afternoon and through until close; we took breaks when we could; and we were all exhausted by the time we headed for our homes. By the time I got to my house, Ethan and Ehlana were ready for bed but waiting up for me. Mom, Ehlana, and I had some fun in my room making sure that I was set up for morning and my first day of Grade Ten; and then we met up with Dad and Ethan for a bedtime snack and story in the office before I tucked my brother and sister in for the night and came back up to my room.

Some Jacuzzi time was in order then; and I multi-tasked that with most of my bedtime computing and some more family business work. Though it isn't late compared to my bedtime for the past few nights, all of the busy has caught up with me; and I'm going to need the extra rest tonight – and likely a bit of self-healing in the morning too. Life is just going to keep getting busier for me starting tomorrow; so I'll take advantage of the earlier nights when I can – even if that's entirely because I'm just too exhausted to do more work.

I don't really want to think about that too much tonight, so let's just not do that; call it a night; and I'll head off to dreamland now.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Our first day of the new school year is finished, and while we've had a pretty good day; I have to say that there's been a lot more going on around town that has been more exciting than my Grade Ten classes. Getting some rain and thunderstorms put a damper on things too – especially for Michael and Tim's football practice after school. I'll get to that soon; but let's start from the beginning.

The first fun news of the day was at breakfast, when Dad gave Mom her fifth anniversary gift. No, he isn't messed up over when it is; he just couldn't keep it a surprise from her while the work is being done on the house over the next few weeks. Since that work was started this morning; he had to let her in on the non-surprise. Dad is having the back porch turned into a sunroom for Mom. She loves working out on the back porch when she can, and by the end of the month; she'll be able to do that year-round. While it wasn't a major job or anything, Uncle Blaine did the architecture work for it; and it's going to be very cool when they're finished the construction. There will be skylights, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a couple of patio doors into the back yard and next to the driveway. Next spring we're apparently going to put in a large patio for outdoor entertainment, and probably re-do the driveway too; so the back yard around the house is going to look very different by next summer!

Mom loves her gift, and while I'm happy for her; let's not write about how she's thanking Dad for it tonight as I've been doing my nightly computing and work. We have company in the house too; but that's also getting way ahead of the story, so let's move along.

The anniversary gift announcement was the highlight of the morning at our house, but Tai Chi by the river was good too; and I had fun getting ready for my first day of school. While I'm thinking about that, Grade Ten is one of the years for new laptop computers at our school. Mom picked mine up a while ago, but to be honest; I've barely even touched it until today because it's practically a toy compared to my 'work' computer. It is a step up from my last school computer, though; and is fast-enough to handle our studies and assignments. As usual, I dressed up for our first day; took extra time with my hair; and had some fun with Ehlana while doing that. She's a bit conflicted this morning because Naomi is starting Kindergarten today, and while she'd like to hang out with her best friend; she's also glad that she'll be able to stay home for another year, do her research, and continue her college education. She and Ethan started their senior year today; though they didn't do much actual work today because of that company I mentioned.

Since that's come up again, the Malloys are here for another work visit. They're only here until sometime tomorrow afternoon, but Terry wanted to be here for the official start of the new bridge construction to make sure that there aren't any issues with phase one of the work. Angela and the kids are here too, and this will likely be their last visit here with Terry because she's going to start back to work soon – part time at first; and then eventually back up to full time once the kids are ready to handle her being away from home for long work days. The rain and thunderstorms got in the way of the construction crew today; but they've been doing prep work since the Solar-Wind Farm opened and the crews weren't needed out there anymore; so they're ahead of the original schedule anyway. Terry, Angela, and the kids got into town by lunchtime; Terry spent the afternoon working; and Mom and Angela had a play afternoon with the kids – including a bit of outdoor play time in between the bouts of rain.

My school day started out with our new home room in the computer lab. Mr. Sparks is out home room teacher; and our first class of the Day Two schedule is computers so we won't need to move to another room on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and every other Friday. We actually have Mr. Sparks for our first two classes those days; though we had to switch rooms for our second-period Geography class. Both were fun for me; and so was our Math class before lunch – though most of my classmates wouldn't agree with me on that one. The highlights of the morning for me were Michael's reaction to seeing me when Rowen and I met up with him for the walk to school; getting to hang out with all of our classmates again after not seeing many of them more than once or twice a week; and finding out what we'll be doing at school this year.

Our lunch break was fun too, and we were able to go outside for most of it; but then it was back to our classes again for the afternoon. There's an optional class for us this year, and Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I are all taking Graphic Design. It's our first class of the afternoon; it's a combined class with a Grade Eleven optional; and we're going to have different teachers depending on the modules we'll be doing. That'll range from hand-drawn art to multimedia computing; but we started out today with a history lesson on the subject. We have a total of eight students taking that class; and the rest of our friends are split among the other optional classes – all of them combined with a similar or compatible optional – usually the next level of the same course. The Day Two schedule wraps up with Sociology and English. I'm good with that; but I am definitely in the minority; and most of my classmates do not find either class particularly fun.

I don't get it, since they all speak the language; and are generally very sociable! ;^)

My school day was not done when we were set free from English class. It was time for our cheerleading practice after that; and we could do that indoors while the boys were stuck having their practice out in the rain. Rowen and I had a lot of fun with our fellow cheerleaders; but Michael and I also didn't get home until dinner was ready and on the dining room table. That wasn't all bad, since the construction workers had gone home by then too; but I missed getting to spend much time at all with the Malloys except while we had that meal. The school day recap and news from home and work took up most of the dinnertime conversation; and then Michael and I needed to come up to the lounge to get started on our homework. We had three kids hanging out in the lounge while we did that, so using any Magi power wasn't an option.

The studying was followed by a bit of play time; but that only lasted until Valerie was advised that it was bedtime; and Ethan and Ehlana played along to avoid a temper-tantrum. Michael and I helped with getting the kids into their beds or crib for the night; and then we had a bit of chat time with Mom, Dad, Angela, and Terry in the office before Michael went home for the night. Tim's got him starting their weight training in the morning again; and he wants to be ready for that and the football practice after school. I came up to my room after that; got ready for bed; and got to work.

I had a lot to do tonight – including getting started on my next 'real' language study. I'm picking up the pace on that now that I've studied enough languages now that many of the news ones will be easier to master now. I'll be learning Italian over the next two months; and will try to learn five new languages between now and the end of next June. I spent an hour and a half on that first lesson; and then moved on to the family business work. That took another two hours; followed by my full nightly computer and email checks. This is my last job of the day, and since that is all of the news for today; I'm ready to wrap this up and get some sleep.

Since the Malloys will be on their way home by the time I'm done my cheerleading practice tomorrow afternoon, I'll only get to see them at breakfast; but I hope they have a good second day here and a safe trip home again. Now that we're back to school, Wednesday night is going to be a work night for Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I again; so I'm also hoping that it'll be one of my early-night bedtimes too. I'll need to do better with that than I did last year; or risk having Mom intervene again. She has enough on the go without worrying about me; so I'll try to keep that from happening.

Yeah, I don't believe me either; but I will try to do better!

Doing that right now is an option instead of finding more work to do or just dragging this out anymore, so I'm out of here; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

We had our first Day One schedule classes today, and while starting out with Computers is a favorite for Rowen and most of my classmates; I really like this schedule better. Accounting in our first class of the day, and easy for me compared to my family business work; we have Phys-Ed for the middle morning class; and then wrap up our morning with Science before having our lunch break. History, Spanish, and Music keep us entertained all afternoon; and I love getting to end the day with two of my very favorite classes.

I have some music news today too; though it won't officially be announced until next week. Mrs. Robinson has been given approval and a bit of funding for a marching band; with the ultimate goal of taking that new band to Disney in Florida. She talked with me about it after class today; and the announcement will be made at our first band practice next Tuesday after school. It won't be starting up until next spring, since we have a lot to do between now and then; but the tentative plan is to be ready to participate in the Memorial Day and Fourth of July parades next year; and at the football games and some parades next fall and winter. The trip to Disney would be a year from February if we manage to pull it all together. That trip is going to be very expensive; and competing for the fundraising with every charity already being supported in our little town is going to be a tall order.

We'll get it done if I have to knock on every door myself; and I'm sure that we won't have a problem with having enough teens interested in signing up – especially when we're also seriously considering inviting the Maple Valley school band players to join too. That'd be a lot of travel back and forth for practices and events for them; but we are talking about a prize at the end that most kids in really small towns like ours never get the chance to experience. I'll keep you posted on all of the news for our future marching band as it happens; and my biggest problem is that I've committed to being one of the teen leaders for Mrs. Robinson. Now I'll just need to work that into my schedule too!

So I've had an awesome day at school; cheerleading practice was great too; and then I went over to the computer store with Rowen to do our homework after that while Michael and Tim were busy with an extended football practice. Michael needed to get straight to the Inn after that, so I haven't seen him since I left the school; and I came home from the computer store once Rowen and I had our work finished. The Malloys were home in Crystal Springs by then, and Mom and Dad already had dinner for five nearly ready by the time I got there; so we ate fairly quickly and then I helped with the cleanup before we all moved into the office to get started on our work or studies.

Ethan, Ehlana, and I also returned to our Magi lessons with Mom; they worked for a couple of hours on their college courses; and Mom, Dad, and I worked on our family business or lawyer jobs until Mom ordered all of us off to bed at eleven o'clock. I helped with getting the twins tucked in for the night; came up to my room; and was soon in bed and working on my language studies and archive assignment. I time phased all of that, and while that use of power has helped to tire me out; I'll at least get a decent night of rest to make up for that. The work, studying, and archives research was all really satisfying tonight; so I'm feeling really good as well as being tired.

Game night at the Inn returns to town tomorrow night, and we have our football game on Friday night; so I'm going to be in for a couple of extremely long days. This has been such a good day that this little update doesn't do it justice, but I really do need the sleep more; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Tai Chi was indoors due to rain; Michael stayed for a quick breakfast; but was then off and running to his morning weight training with Tim and the other footballers that are doing that with them. We had rain off and on today, and we're getting more of it overnight; but nobody around here is complaining when we've had a lot of really awesome weather!

The school routine is starting to settle in with our second Day Two schedule of classes; and Rowen and I were busy with cheerleading practice after school again while our boyfriends were at their football practice. I went on to the Inn with Michael after that; helped out with the dinner rush; and then we had to get our homework done before game night while also eating as we worked. It was fun getting back to the Thursday night gaming, but it was also tough on me because it meant getting a late start to my work and studies at home. It was past ten-thirty by the time we were there; and first on my to-do list was my Magi lesson with Mom. We took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana off to bed after that; and then I came up to my room to get started on all of the work and studying. It was going on midnight by then; and that was three and a half hours ago.

While the work and studying went great, I'm also exhausted and ready to crash. A lot more happened today that I'm including in this little blurb of an update, but I really need the sleep more right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, September 11, 2015

This is going to be another short update due to extreme exhaustion. It was past-one by the time I got home tonight; there was some family business work that needed to be taken care of after I eventually got around to saying goodnight to Michael; and now I really want to just crash and nap for a few hours.

We had a bit of leftover rain here this morning, so Tai Chi was indoors again. I haven't seen my parents, Ethan, and Ehlana since breakfast because we pretty much needed to get ready to head for Sweetwater Ponds after school – or at least we needed to hit the road by the time all of the gear was packed up and ready to go. That was an hour and a half of drive time each way, and a bit longer on the way there; so the pre and post-game work along with the drive time took longer than the game did tonight. I'll get to that part of the report in a moment; but let's quickly cover the news from school today first.

We were on the Day One schedule; so we got to have two days for each set of classes this week. As I've already mentioned, this is going to be my favorite of the two days; and I had a lot of fun with Michael, Tim, Rowen, and our classmates today. I had some lunchtime fun with Naomi today too, and while I haven't mentioned it in my journal before now; I've tried to at least check in with her at least once every day this week. She's having fun at school so far; likes being there better than at KidZone; and the only downside is that she doesn't get to spend time with Ethan, Ehlana, and Aiden.

That bit of news reminds me of two additional bits of news that I should include before I forget about them. First, KidZone is in their new building as of this week – the old clinic. I should have reported that on Tuesday at the latest; and can only plead being too tired to think much about things that I'm not at all involved with right now. Ethan and Ehlana were there for a while today too; but I haven't gotten the report from them on what they think of the place. The second bit of news is just that the twins are doing a sleepover with Naomi and Aiden tonight. I didn't risk waking them when I came up to bed; and will talk with them in the morning. Their sleepover was all about hanging out with Naomi and hearing all about her first week of school. I'm wishing that I had a sleepover buddy right now too, but Michael and I are both going to be busy tomorrow; and we're trying to be good and save up for more important sofa sleepovers.

So, moving this along, we spent nearly an hour getting ready for our football trip after school; I did some of my homework during the drive to Sweetwater Ponds; and we had to work quickly to get warmed up and ready for the game once we were at their high school. One thing that I've learned through these football games is that we are very lucky to have such a modern, well-equipped school in our little town. Yes, I've mentioned that before; but we should try to remember how fortunate we are here.

That, by the way, is particularly appropriate for today; but I'll leave the politics at the digital door to my journal tonight; since I just don't want to go there.

I do have to go on with the football report, though; and that didn't go at all well for us tonight. Let's get the bad side of the news out of the way first. We lost by a score of forty-six to thirty-three. Sweetwater Ponds scored five touchdowns and four field goals; thanks in part to the three interceptions and one fumble by Ray that all led to points for the happy home team. Their kicker missed on extra point, but then so did Captain JJ – along with three missed field goals out of five attempts. Lucas was top scorer on our team tonight with two running touchdowns while Michael and Tim each had one touchdown in the loss.

Going on to the ugly from the bad; you can likely guess that Jason was not a happy camper to have a second loss in our first three games. The problem is that he is doing a terrible job of dealing with his team mates – and almost always comes to the wrong conclusions about what the issues are. He's starting to get some push-back there; though that isn't making him any happier – or easy to deal with. My modest analysis is rather simple. Jason missed workable kicking opportunities that could have meant ten more points for us. If the match had been closer, Ray wouldn't have given up two of his interceptions late while trying for the comeback; and those mistakes would have kept at least ten points off of the Sweetwater Ponds side of the scoreboard. That net twenty-point turnaround in the score would've meant the difference between winning and losing.

With that written, and knowing that Jason will never read this anyway; I'll also add that he was clueless tonight if he actually believes that the junior members of his team are responsible for the loss. No, Michael, Tim, and Lucas are all behind their stats from last season; but the reasons for that ought to be obvious to everyone – and especially to the team captain! Our team needs to adapt for what we do have going for us this season; and Jason needs to stop thinking that he has a team that is just as good as the past two or three versions of the squad. Let's hope that Coach Robinson starts working on those adjustments soon or this is going to be a very long season.

On the cheerleading side of the game, we had a good night; our half-time routine went over great with the Sweetwater Ponds spectators. Their cheer squad was good too; so we had fun competing with them all evening and Rowen and I really liked the girls that we talked with before and after the game. That isn't always the case with the other squads; so I'm glad that this was one of the good nights for that too. After the loss, getting packed up and ready for the trip home wasn't done with a lot of enthusiasm; which is why it took longer than it did last Friday. The long ride home was tougher too – especially for the guys on the team buses. It was that part of Michael's day that had him needing a bit of bonus alone time with me once we were finished at the school; though the Magi-powered healing was a bonus for him. He and Tim both took quite a pounding tonight thanks to all of the bad passes that left them open for hard hits. I wish that I could help Tim too, but for all I know; Uncle Adam does help some of the other guys when the injuries are more serious than minor strains and bruises.

I haven't exactly short-formed this report as I'd wanted to do, but I guess I needed to vent a bit before heading off into nap mode. The need for that down time is serious, though, so that's it for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, September 12, 2015

What a difference a week makes!

Just seven short days ago, we were still on summer holidays; the weather was scorching hot; and we were having a blast with the holiday weekend fun and championship baseball games. This weekend, we spent the day catching up on yard work and chores in and around the house, and while we've had a fairly nice weather day; it definitely felt like fall instead of summer around here.

That was obvious to us first thing this morning when Tai Chi by the river required jackets or sweatshirts for comfort instead of tees and shorts. Breakfast was not out on the back porch this morning either; but then it isn't a back porch anymore – and closed off while the construction on the new sunroom continues. While I'm thinking about that, I'll mention that I'm the least-affected by the work going on for the sunroom so far. The little crew working on the project is at the house shortly before I leave for school and they're finished by the time I get home. I don't see that changing much between now and when they'll be finished the job, since the weather won't likely get in the way of their work or schedule; so my only inconvenience so far has been the need to walk around the house to get to the river on the days we've been able to exercise outdoors.

Work was the name of the game for us from the time we finished having breakfast through until we wrapped up for dinner at six-thirty. I won't bore you with the details, but mowing the lawn; working in the gardens; and what felt like a billion other little chores kept Dad and I busy the entire time while Mom took care of the house work and some running around with some help from Ethan and Ehlana that included some Magi-powered cleaning that doubled as a bonus lesson or three. We stopped for lunch and an afternoon break; but we were all also fairly tired out by the time we were done and ready for a quiet night at home.

For me, quiet was relative, since Michael, Tim, and Rowen came over to spend the evening with me; but we basically just cuddled in pairs on the sectional sofa and watched college football. Rowen and I would have been good with watching a movie instead, but Tim was working today too; and in desperate need of a college football fix after being too busy to watch more than snippets of the games so far – and that actually means for the college season so far. Kyle's team, by the way, is off to a decent start this season, and he's the main reason for that; but they've started out with an easy first two games this year; and still won't be a match for the top teams when they start playing them as the season goes along. You wouldn't really know that from listening to Tim tonight; but he's welcome to live in his rich fantasy world where football glory is possible for even the lowliest of teams for at least another week.

Kyle's game was earlier in the day and not televised on any of our local networks anyway. I'm not really interested in writing or even thinking about football right now anyway; so let's just move along. The game-watching part of the story was just background noise for me tonight even if it was entertainment for Michael and Tim. It was the cuddling with our respective boyfriends and the quiet chat time that was important to Rowen and me. That likely sounds incredibly boring for teens living in cities or larger towns with better date-night options and opportunities, but after a long work day for all of us; doing nothing for a few hours worked for us.

Rowen and Tim stayed until the end of the game we watched and then headed over to her house for some along time before Tim needed to be home for the night. Michael stayed and we had a minor make-out session before he went home too, but that really wasn't much more than bonus cuddling with just a bit of quietly hot play time because we really were both tired out tonight. Michael went home at a bit after midnight; I got ready for bed; and have been doing my nightly computing and a bit of family business work since then. There isn't anything exciting to report there either; so let's just wrap this up with a few details that I haven't included yet.

Naomi and Aiden were with us for Tai Chi and breakfast this morning after their sleepover with the twins. They were both picked up not long after breakfast; and Ethan and Ehlana were on their own for the rest of the day – from a hanging out with friends perspective. Michael and I took a break from the football to tuck them in for the night when Mom sent them to bed, so I didn't actually spend a lot of time with them today; and should try and do better tomorrow before we'll all be busy with our next school and work week. I'll try to do that, but I'm also going to help out with the buffet shift at the Inn and Michael and I still have some homework to get done during his break tomorrow afternoon; so we'll see how that goes.

That last bit sometimes seems to be the story of my life, and what I usually end up seeing is my best intentions getting side-tracked by the too-busy that life throws at me. I will keep trying, though; so don't give up on me! ;^)

I need to get some sleep now to be ready for whatever adventures are ahead of us tomorrow, though, and don't really have anything to add to this update; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Happy 15th Birthday, Karla!

I can't say that I've had much to do with making her special day a great one, but Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I did get a gift for her; and Michael and I worked the buffet shift and helped out with the work side of her birthday dinner while she was there with her family and a handful of friends. She is currently one of the few remaining singles in our class, and actually seems to be happy enough to be between relationships. It's early in the school year, though; so I expect that'll change sooner instead of later.

We've had a fairly nice weather day around here, though it's also still definitely feeling like fall too. Tai Chi by the river was a bit chilly, but breakfast with Michael and his family was great for me; and then we had a good morning at church too. That one word – good – pretty much describes my day, and while that is a bit bland-sounding, I have had fun today; and life can't be great all of the time no matter how wonderful we might think that could be. For today, good meant church and Sunday school with my family and friends followed by lunch at home that Grandma and Grandpa joined us for; some park play time with Ethan and Ehlana while Mom and Dad were busy in the office; and some study time with Michael while he was on his afternoon break.

I went back t the Inn with him after that; we worked the buffet shift until close; and only talked with Karla for a few minutes while she was at the Inn for her birthday dinner. We did that together while taking one of our breaks, but despite the fact that summer is over, the Inn was still busy for both buffets; and we took shorter breaks to keep up with the workload. My day wasn't over once we left the Inn and walked home. I said goodnight to Michael at his house; came home; and had a visit with Mom, Dad, and the twins in the office. Dad's going to be in Crystal Springs next week, and he still had work to do before he'd be ready. Ethan and Ehlana had been studying while Mom and Dad were working; and they kept doing that while Mom did my Magi lesson with me. That was more of a self-taught lesson tonight with supervision; and she multi-tasked her work too.

Too bad I couldn't have done that too; but it wasn't an option. For me, that lesson was just the start of my work and study night. After my lesson, I took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana into bed for the night; came up to my room; and hit the Jacuzzi for some quality tub time. Multi-tasking while doing that was an option; and I got my archive assignment finished by the time I was out of the tub and finished getting ready for bed. After getting settled in with Mandy for the night, I worked on my language studies and family business work; followed that up with the usual nightly computer checks; and I'm now wrapping it all up with this report. The good news is that I got everything finished. The bad is that Dad will be getting up to head for Crystal Springs soon; and I'll only have time for a couple of naps on each side of his departure.

It's going to be an even busier week with Dad out of town, and I'd better get started on that first nap; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, September 14, 2015

It's been yet another late night; so this is going to be a short report because tomorrow is going to be at least as long and busy for me.

We were up early to see Dad off to the city; my second nap of the night was in Mom's bed with her and the twins; and then Tai Chi and breakfast was the slowest part of my day. Our first Monday of classes was good; cheerleading practice was fun; and then I spent the evening with Michael at his house. Jacob cooked up another culinary experiment that I loved; Michael and I did our homework after doing the dishes; and then we split the rest of our evening between a music practice to get ready for our band and teen praise team practices on Tuesday; a minor make-out session in his room; and a bedtime chat with his parents in the living room before I came home for the night at ten o'clock.

Mom did my lesson with me first; we tucked Ethan and Ehlana in after that; and then I came up to my room and got started on my studying and work while Mom opted for some bedtime Jacuzzi time. I've been working on my computer since then, and while I got all of my work done; it's taken too many hours to get there. Time phasing was an option, but I'm trying to juggle the power usage with the long hours as best I can; and using my power for that every day isn't good for me. Staying up late every night isn't great either, but I have a lot to do right now; and that will hopefully ease up a bit once I get settled into the school schedule again.

Before I wrap this up, I want to mention that the remodel work has started on the Ayres' building today. The Haberdashery won't finish the move to the new store until the end of the month, but the construction on the upper two floors can be done now that the holiday and back-to-school rush is finished. Grandpa Ayres will be spending as much time with the move as he will be running the store; and won't even be open as much while dealing with the inventory move and setting up the new store. That work on the building is mostly going to be taking the current apartments apart before they'll eventually start building the guest suites that will double the rooms at the new Inn. That's going to be fun to keep up with over the next couple of years – and it is going to take that long, in part, because there won't be as much work going on there during the busiest times of the year for the Inn. Jacob and Miranda are excited about this next step in making their little dream come true; and I'm happy for them!

Okay, I should be sleeping now, and won't bore you with the details for the archive reading, language studies, or family business work. I love the fun parts of the day; wish there was less of the work; and will likely be right here again around the same time tomorrow wishing the same thing all over again. It is time to sleep now, though; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

If there were Zombie Magi Masters; they'd likely look about as alive as I feel right now. ;^)

My best intentions aren't helping Mom very much so far this week. I was only home for breakfast and bedtime yesterday; and only added in dinnertime tonight where I was actually home and not busy with something else anyway – like doing my homework with Michael. We had a fairly normal morning; our classes were fun; and I was on the go the rest of the day with cheerleading practice at lunchtime; band practice after school; and teen praise team practice after dinner.

The top news of the day goes to the band practice – and the overwhelming support the band members all had for the plan to start up a marching band with the ultimate goal of playing at Disney – Orlando. The seniors wish they could do it too, and some have offered to help out with getting the new band started; but they'll all be off to college next year when we'll be doing most of the activities we have planned – including playing at our team football games next season. Mrs. Robinson has talked with the Maple Valley music teacher and principal already too; though the kids there won't be offered the chance to join our marching band for a while yet. They have a few other issues to deal with before being able to do that.

For our actual practice, Mrs. Robinson is looking to do a bit more with our little concert band this year too; including some extra concerts or town events. First up will be providing some of the entertainment for the Haunted Halloween walk and a Seniors' Halloween party; so we had fun learning some appropriately-themed songs along with some of the oldies that the seniors will like to dance to. Michael and I will be doing a duet for that party; but it's up to us to pick our song and get it ready.

Yes, I am probably losing my mind to try and add even more to my schedule; but that's just the way it is – and won't likely change anytime soon.

That inability to manage my workload is also why I'm still awake and doing this report when it's past-three o'clock again. Band practice went long; I collected Michael from football practice on the way home; we had dinner with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana; and then we hurried off to the church once we'd finished with the clean-up. Our teen praise team practice was fairly easy, since we've got some time before our next Sunday service; and we may have a bit less to do this year because Stacey wants to have the kids sing more often than they do now; so she may cut back how much we do – or at least drop a song or two from out workload and replace it with the music with the kids.

See – it isn't always more work for me; though that one does seem to be a rare exception to the general rule on finding more to do the rest of the time.

After getting home from that practice, Michael and I did our homework; he stayed for a Magi lesson with Mom and me that was a highlight of the day for us; and then I saw Michael out and on his way home before going inside again to help Mom with getting the twins off to bed for the night. It was eleven o'clock by the time I got up here to my room again, and after getting ready for bed and snuggled in with Mandy and my computer; it was time to get to work. Tonight, it was language study first; my archive assignment second; and the family business third. I decided to stop with the work at three; and cut back on the computer checks tonight too – even though I'll be so out of the loop for the girl chat time tomorrow when it comes to the latest, greatest teen gossip favorites. True, my priorities are out of whack from the perspective of a lot of teens; but my Magi-powered batteries really are running low tonight.

That's why I'm wrapping this up with that; calling it a night; and heading off to dreamland for a few hours. Tomorrow is a work day, so if that goes as planned; I will be able to get a full night of rest for the first time this week; but I'll let you know whether that works out or not with the next report.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

I had a good morning with Mom, Michael, Ethan, and Ehlana. School was fun; cheerleading practice this afternoon was a blast; and then I spent the rest of the day working, studying, and even having dinner while in a time phase.

Now I'm exhausted, but we're all able to go to bed early. I'm going to do that right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Getting a full night of rest last night helped out with getting through the long day I've had today; but I'm worn out now; so this is going to be another short report.

Tai Chi, breakfast, and the rest of my pre-school morning was good; school was fun; and our cheerleading practice was fairly easy because we were already good to go for the game tomorrow night. I was home with Mom and the twins for dinner instead of helping out at the Inn; did my homework on my own there; and then we headed over to the Inn for game night. With Dad in the city, Miranda was happy to team up with Mom – and they won the senior championship for the week. Michael and I had fun together and won the junior title; though that was just a bonus. Hanging out with Ethan and Ehlana was the best part of my night; and I'm glad that we got to have at least a little play time together.

It was time to study and work once we were home. That started out with my Magi lesson while the twins did some college studying; I helped them out with getting off to bed after that; and have been working and studying on my computer since getting into bed with Mandy about four hours ago.

Yeah, that adds up to way too late for me; but I had a lot to get done tonight – and won't be able to add more to my schedule tomorrow.

I also need to get all of the nap time I can before it'll be time to get up and at it again; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, September 18, 2015

Let's start this report with the Friday night football news.

The game started out in the rain, and while there were thunderstorms in the area; they weren't close enough to delay our play time. Our hometown crowd was a bit light because of the rain; but we had more people come over to the game once the rain ended before half time.

We were playing Meadowvale tonight; and I'll go with the good news first. We won by a score of forty-seven to Forty-three. Michael and Tim each scored two touchdowns; Lucas had one; and Captain JJ made every extra point and added four field goals. That made him top scorer for our team; and his head was so inflated by the end of the game it's a wonder that he didn't just float away. It's not as though I haven't seen other big egos in high school football, but Jason is as bad at winning as he is at losing; and the captain shouldn't be taking all of the credit for a win the way he was tonight. Yes, he played a good game; but so did a lot of other guys.

That was something we desperately needed to get the win; since we had far too many really bad plays too. Ray gave up five turnovers tonight, and while they weren't entirely his fault; Meadowvale turned them into four touchdowns and one field goal. Michael and Tim were a big part of the reason why Ray didn't give up more interceptions than he did thanks to their ability to knock down bad passes before they could be intercepted; but we also had help from the Meadowvale offense. They didn't make any mistakes, but they also played very conservatively; and only scoured four field goals during the rest of the game.

Earning the win put our team at two wins and two losses for the season so far, and while Jason was happy about that too; Tim definitely wasn't. Our losses have been against two of the better teams in the division; and we're just squeaking out wins against teams that we have done much better against every year for the last four or five seasons. This game could have gone either way with just a few more mistakes; and Tim doesn't think that any of our guys should be particularly proud of this win.

I don't want to drag this part of the report out for too long; so let's move on to the cheerleading side of the football report.

Getting rained on put a damper on our cheering – as did the lighter crowd for the first half of the game. Having the rain stop in time for our half-time routine was nice; and our routine went over great with our hometown fans. All of that was fun despite spending a bit too much time in damp clothes with wet hair; but that just shows you how serious Rowen and I take supporting our boys.

There is one good thing about rain and football – the game moves right along because nobody is interested in dragging it out. This was the shortest game of the season so far thanks to quick turnarounds between plays; and a lot of scoring drives that were quick – whether that was due to short field position or the long plays that Michael and Tim each had for their touchdowns. I'm mentioning that because the slightly early end to the game left Michael and I with a bit of extra time together before he needed to be home at midnight.

We had a short post-game chat and break with Rowen and Tim at his house; Michael came home with me; and we had a little visit with Mom and Dad before they went up to bed and Michael and I got to have a bit of alone time in the lounge. That bit of play time was moderately hot; included a Magi healing for Michael to help him out with some bruises, cuts, and sore muscles from the game. He and Tim both got pounded a lot tonight; and Michael was very grateful for the help.

How grateful? Let's just say that I am smiling as I write this for a reason! ;^)

Moving along, I've been doing my nightly computing and a bit of family business work since seeing Michael on his way home and then getting into bed with Mandy. I've used a touch of time phasing to keep this from being another too-late night; but that's also helped to tire me out. That's why I've just decided to micro-size the rest of the news from today.

Tai Chi, breakfast, and school were all great. Michael and I did our homework right after school; had an early dinner; and then headed back to the school to get ready for the game. Dad had a good week in the city; is glad to be home; and I don't have many other details for his adventures in Crystal Springs yet – other than that he had a meal with the Malloys on Tuesday night; and they're all doing great. Mom and the twins had the usual work to do for a Friday; and Ethan and Ehlana spent a half-day at KidZone with their friends. Naomi, by the way, is having fun at school; and I spent some time with her today before school and at lunchtime.

Okay, that's enough for tonight, and I'm seriously ready to just pass out now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Happy 2nd Birthday, Eli!

I wasn't involved in Naomi's little brother's happy day, but Ehlana was with Naomi to help her friend out while she was stuck with a house full of two-year old boys during Eli's party – including Zack. Naomi's also staying here tonight while Eli's having a sleepover with a few of his buddies; and Aiden is here with Ethan.

They've all just gone to bed now as I'm writing this; Michael's still talking with the boys; and I'm writing this now because he's staying for a sleepover too that I plan on turning into a sofa sleepover – if we can get away with that once Mom and Dad are back from their evening out with their friends. That, by the way, is not at Sheldon's. They're at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house with some other aunts, uncles, and friends while Zack is away for his sleepover. There were rumors that Brianna might end up doing a sleepover with Grandma and Grandpa too; but that wasn't confirmed as of the last time I talked with Mom and Dad before they left.

It's been a cooler fall day today; but it was sunny too; so that was actually perfect for a yard and house chores day. I have absolutely nothing of interest to include from all of that work; but Dad and I had fun working together – and getting to have some father-daughter time that has been rare for us over the past few weeks while we've both been too busy. We'd both like to have more time to play, but I don't expect that to happen much between now and the end of our football season – whenever that happens. That lack of time together has me thinking about how much I include in my journal about Mom and Dad; and that isn't a lot most of the time. I should occasionally mention that the time we do spend together is pretty much always good, and though that's likely really unbelievable for most teens; it's true for us.

That's at least partly because the level of daily parental stress is lower thanks to having three Magi Master kids. I'm sure they'd tell you that I make up for that with the extreme moments of stress we've had thanks to the Hathornes; but what can I say – no kid is perfect! My point here is that the love and happiness is an all the time, everyday thing for us. I don't ever take it for granted; so I want to at least mention it now and then for posterity. I'm blessed to have such an amazing family – especially when we're all at our busiest and need those little cameo moments of love and sanity to help us to get through the long, crazy-busy days.

This is going to end up being a long, mostly-busy day too; but ending it with a movie, some make-out time, and a sofa sleepover with Michael is my idea of a perfect way to wrap up the first half of our weekend. From what I'm sensing on the second floor, he'll be coming up here again soon; so it's time for me to wrap this up and go have some teen-rated play time with my boyfriend!

Don't use your imagination on that, please – we're only fourteen! ;^)

That's a slightly-weird note to end this update on, but I really do need to go now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, September 20, 2015

We had Tai Chi by the river to start the day; Michael stayed for breakfast while his parents had ended up with a kid-free night; and then we had a fun morning at church and Sunday school. I worked at the Inn for the rest of the day except for our breaks because Jacob and Miranda were short-staffed today; and then I came home and worked on my computer until now.

'Now' is a bit after two o'clock; I'm exhausted; and that's why this update is already done.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, September 21, 2015

Happy 16th Birthday, Lucas!

I'll guess that it's been a best birthday ever-so-far for him too; since Lucas is now officially, independently mobile. That's because he passed his driver's test today; and his parents gave him a truck for his one and only gift from them. It is used, but in good shape; looks great; and is appropriately loud enough for any teen farm kid to love it on sight and sound!

For the Magi boys reading this in the future that still haven't grown up yet; yes, it has a pretty good sound system too. If that statement doesn't make sense to you someday in the distant future – join the club! Fortunately for Lucas, his mother made sure that his truck will be reliable for him too – even if his Dad might have been more interested in making sure it was cool too.

If, by chance, you're reading this before Ethan is sixteen, Dad; don't laugh about this. I can totally see you making sure that your boy has a cool car or truck too.

Finally, before I move on and get to the actual news again, Dad definitely won't be reading this before I'm sixteen; so I can add that I have no intention of getting a car of any kind then. That'd just be a waste when I'd be able to borrow one of their vehicles for the handful of times a year I might need to go somewhere on my own. I'll wait until I go to college to get my first car – and that's only because I plan on going to a school within driving distance of home – for weekends and holiday visits as needed; not daily commutes. That's future news for another day, though; so let's get back to the current events.

We've had a great day for Lucas' birthday. It was cool out this morning for Tai Chi by the river, but we still had fun together with that; and then Michael headed home so that he could get ready for his weight training at the school and grab a quick breakfast to go while I took my time getting ready for the day and having my morning meal with Mom, Dad, and the twins. Our school day was pretty good too, and so was cheerleading practice after that. I wouldn't say the same for the football practice for my favorite boys on the team because Michael, Tim, and Lucas weren't all that thrilled with their workout this afternoon; but let's not mess up an otherwise good day with the downside of being on the team this year with a senior class and captain that are too full of themselves to perceive reality.

Rowen and I went on ahead to Michael's house as soon as our practice was over instead of waiting for the guys so that we could help out with the dinner party work there. Rebecca was putting on the party for Lucas, and his parents, sister, and brother were okay with that because Jacob was cooking the meal for everyone. Sure, that gift wasn't as cool as getting a truck for his birthday; but Lucas loved the food as much as the rest of us did – and he considers that as much of a dating bonus as I do!

Okay, maybe I appreciate that a bit more than he does, since he isn't as adventurous as I am when it comes to the experimental dinners; but that wasn't an issue tonight because Jacob cooked up one of Lucas' favorites.

In addition to his family, Rebecca invited Rowen, Tim, Jenny, me, and a half-dozen of Lucas' closest friends and fellow football players. His family and more than half of the guests were there by the time that Lucas got there along with Michael, Tim, and the other football guys; so the social hour or so before dinner was already well underway by then. It was nice enough out that we could have had dinner in the back yard; but Miranda decided to use the dining room instead – mostly to make the clean-up a bit easier.

The food was fabulous, and I loved getting to spend the evening with Lucas' family and our friends; but the little details of what we were doing tonight really aren't particularly newsworthy or exciting. It was a standard family and friends teen birthday dinner and party – and we're talking about a normal school night party too; so that meant no late-night adventures either. We had dinner; did the usual birthday gifts, cake, song, and roasting; and then some of us were on the clean-up crew while Lucas and Rebecca hosted an after-dinner social hour or so until it was time for most of us to move on to other fun adventures – like doing our homework.

I stayed to do that with Michael, Rowen, and Tim; and Rebecca had Lucas and Jenny doing homework with her; but I was still home by ten-thirty – and continued in study mode with my Magi lesson with Mom.

While I was busy, they'd had company for dinner and a family business and future plans meeting; but everyone had already gone home by the time I got there because Dad had a lot of work to get done too – and was already focused on that by then too. Ethan and Ehlana were studying while Mom did my lesson with me, but they were sent off to bed at eleven-thirty once we were finished with that fairly in-depth healing lesson. I took care of getting them tucked in for the night and having a bedtime chat with them before coming up to my room and getting ready for bed too. The archive assignment, language studies, and family business work has taken me thee and a half hours to get finished, but it needed to be done; and I can't let the work get backed up on me at all right now.

Only having time for naps is going to wear me out if I don't get better organized, but let's not go there either; since I'm apparently not making any progress there – and the issue isn't really being organized anyway. What I need is more hours in every day – without using time phases to get them; and just burning out that way instead.

I am skipping the news from the meeting I missed here tonight to save a bit of time, so if you're interested in those details; just check today's date in the archives for the journals of the usual attendees to find out the latest. I'll still need to get the full report on that later too; since Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana just gave me the highlights tonight anyway.

It's time for me to get into nap mode now while I still can, so that's all for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

It's been a hot, sunny day; and I've been too busy to enjoy much outdoor time!

Tai Chi by the river was nice, and we had fun with our cheerleader practice at lunchtime; but that was pretty much the extent of my outdoor exposure – except for the walks between school, the church, and home.

I had fun in our classes too; band practice kept me entertained after school; dinner and a study session was at my house with Michael; and then we were at the church for our teen praise team practice. He came home with me after that and Mom did a Magi lesson with us before we did the bedtime routine with Ethan and Ehlana; and then had a bit of alone time in the lounge until he needed to be home.

That made for another late start to my bedtime computing, language and archive studies; and family business work. Fast-forward four hours or so of extreme busy to get everything done; and we're up to speed on my day. One of us is also exhausted again; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

It was cloudy around here most of the day, but it was another hot – for September – day too; with just a drip or two of rain that couldn't even be called sprinkles let alone showers.

I had a busy day at school; cheerleading practice was fun; and then it was a work night at home for the rest of the afternoon and evening while Michael was busy at the Inn. Spending that time with Mom, Dad, and the twins was great – even though we were all working or studying, but I'm also worn out now; and will be heading off to dreamland in the very near future. That's because most of our work time was done in a time phase that I used with all of us in it; Mom made that my lesson too by teaching me some advanced tricks for time phasing; and I was multi-tasking several Magi talents during most of those hours of extreme work, study, and play time.

We did all get our respective work and studying finished, though, and I am going to be sleeping in decent time tonight; so I guess it was worth all of that effort. Let's hope that the extra down time will make up for the Magi power drain! That's really all I have for today; so I'll let you know how that works out with my next report.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, September 24, 2015

We've had another beautiful day here, and while that's made Tai Chi by the river, our lunch break, and cheerleading practice much nicer; I'd have really liked to take the day off from school to just go somewhere and enjoy the nice weather.

Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. I spent most of the day indoors – at school; home; and the Inn. The fun highlight was game night at the Inn, and while we had fun doing our homework and helping out with the dinner rush there too; Michael and I would have preferred going out to play instead of being cooped up in a very hot kitchen. That part of my day, along with all of the studying and work, is why I'm really worn out now. I even fell asleep for a while during my archive reading earlier; and I'm ready to crash again right now.

That's why I'm just going to wrap this up and get on with my second nap of the night. I haven't really got anything to report of major interest from my classes today; our cheerleading squad is ready for the game tomorrow night; and while we didn't win any game night championships in our family tonight, the gaming and friends and family time was very entertaining. That play time along with some extra busy when we first got home pushed back the start time for my bedtime work and studying. I had all of my usual week night action before coming up to my room, including my Magi lesson with Mom; helped Ethan and Ehlana with the full bath and bed routine; and added in some Jacuzzi time to go along with some of my studying.

The archive-reading nap just made the rest of my work tougher; and it took longer to get everything done. That also meant that I didn't have it in me to speed the work up with a time phase – which is definitely something you don't want to try to do when you're tired. Sure, messing up a phase-shift transmutation in the middle of passing through a wall would be worse; but you know what I mean. The bottom line on my rambling here is that it's too late; I should have been sleeping hours ago; and now I'm going to get started on what napping I can before it'll be time to get up again – and probably do some Magi self-healing to be ready for another busy school and football Friday.

At least we'll be at home again for that match against Varney; so we won't need to travel too. Maybe I'll even get to have some alone time with Michael this weekend!

That's a cheery thought to go into nap mode with; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, September 25, 2015

It's time for the Friday night football report!

At the half-way point of the regular season, our Ridge River Raiders are three-and-two, and for those of you who aren't keeping track as you read my journal in the future; that means that we won tonight. We were up against Varney; and the final score was twenty-four to twenty-one. All of that is good, and most of the guys are very happy tonight, but to be blunt; some of the guys shouldn't be so impressed with themselves.

I say that because our team gave up five turnovers; and the only reason we managed to win was because Varney couldn't turn those opportunities into touchdowns. They scored seven field goals; and that's including the three turnovers they earned that were already within field goal range without gaining a yard. On our side of the ball, Michael, Tim, and Lucas each had one touchdown to go with one field goal; so Captain JJ was in full brag mode tonight for being the top scorer for our team – based on his decision that earning his six points counted more because it was with four kicks instead of just one play each for the other guys.

Jason hasn't exactly been getting any love from me in my Friday reports, so I will add that while I do really try hard to love everyone; that's tougher to do for some people than it is for others. ;^)

The bottom line for my assessment of our team tonight is that we dodged another bunch of bullets with a lot of mistakes on offense; and having a winning season so far is making Jason and too many of the other guys over-confident. Michael, Tim, and Lucas get that; which is why they're just not as happy as the rest of their team mates. Our team has a comparatively easy schedule for the next few weeks too; which is why Tim is very sure that we're headed for trouble – if we win all of those games. I don't want to take a lot of time to expand on that, though, so let's move this update along.

For the cheerleading side of the game; I had a lot of fun. Quite a few members of my family were at the game tonight; and that always makes the cheering more fun for all of us. It was a perfect weather night for the game too; so everyone watching the game was enjoying both the game and the social time. One of my fellow cheerleaders was having an especially good night; though that became more obvious at the post-game party when Diana and Kris looked to be very cozy while hanging out together – and they appear to be well on the way to being a couple. I'm sure that nobody at school will be shocked over another football player and cheerleader couple; but it'll still be news for the school grapevine by Monday.

That party was fun, and I liked hanging out with our friends for a couple of hours; but it also meant that Michael and I didn't get to have much alone time tonight. It was eleven before we even got to the party, so by the time he walked me home; there was only enough time left for an extended good night mini-make-out in the living room at my house before he needed to head home for the night. Mom, Dad, and the twins were all in bed and sleeping by then, so I only checked in on my brother and sister on the way up to my room after seeing Michael out; and then I got ready for bed.

I've done a bit of work tonight after doing the rest of my bedtime computing because I'm going to try and spread the normal school night work and studying out a bit more than I have so far over the past few weeks. It might not make much difference; but maybe the late nights won't have to be quite so late if I put in more time on my work on the weekends – or even during the day; if I can find the time to do that too.

Stay tuned for that; and don't be surprised if it makes no difference at all. I have a talent for just putting more activities on my plate if I free up the time for them!

While football and the party were the highlights of my day; my day didn't start and end with those two activities. Tai Chi by the river got our day off to a great start; and Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne even joined us today – and then stayed for breakfast. Zack ran around and played while we did that and Brianna watched us from her stroller; and then Michael and I were on kid control through until the Carringtons went home after we ate. That made Michael late for his weight training with Tim and the other guys; but then he got more of a workout keeping up with Zack anyway.

Our school day was good; but I don't really have any earth-shaking news to report from our classes or lunch break. Michael had to go to the Inn and work for a while after school, since he couldn't stay and work the dinner shift; so I came home and did my homework before moving on to help Mom with making dinner. The studying didn't take long thanks to a time phase; and I didn't get to enjoy the meal because I needed to eat and run before the start of the dinner and football night that Mom and Dad were hosting. You've already got the football and party report; so I guess that's all for now.

Tomorrow is a yard work day again, but I won't be working at the Inn on Sunday this weekend; and Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I have tentative plans for a date night after Michael's finished at the Inn on Saturday night. Yes, that'll mean no alone time for Michael and me again; but we're just as overdue for some teen time with our best friends. The tough part is having to choose when you want to do both.

Either way, if I don't get some sleep now, I'll just be sleeping by then anyway; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, September 26, 2015

I've had a long, busy work day; and now I'm about to head over to Michael's house for a teen date night – or as close as we can get to that on a normal Saturday night around here. A sofa sleepover there might be an option too; so I'm jotting this little update just in case we can swing that tonight after everyone else goes home. Rowen, Tim, Rebecca, and Lucas are going to be there too, and Michael is already back from the Inn and over there getting ready for our movie night plans; so this is going to be a micro-update. I'll update you on the best parts of my day with the update tomorrow – unless we don't get away with that sofa sleepover and I have time to do another update later tonight. ;^)

Tai Chi by the river and breakfast was a bit quieter for me because Michael ended up working the breakfast shift at the Inn when his parents needed the extra help. I followed that up with a yard and house work day that lasted until dinnertime; but also included some office work that allowed me to get the equivalent of about six hours of family business work done while Mom and Dad did some work there too; and Ethan and Ehlana studied. We took a couple of breaks, had a late lunch and dinner; and then I hit the shower and started to get ready for my date with Michael.

The one big change with that tonight is going to be Lucas having his own transportation to and from town. There is a downside to that, though; because he doesn't have the extra travel arrangements to use as an excuse for sleepovers. Maybe Rebecca can try a few accidental sofa sleepovers with him – if their parents let them get away with them too.

That does suggest that Jacob and Miranda would need to have a double-standard for that with their one and only daughter; though I actually suspect that Miranda would just be giving Rebecca a 'that's my girl' comment instead.

While I did have some fun with all of the work and spending time with Mom, Dad, and the twins; the teen night and movies really will be the best part of my day. I need to get over there now, though, and that's all I have for news from the rest of my day; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Happy 10th Birthday, Jaimie!

I had absolutely no involvement in my cousin's happy day beyond sending a gift and an email, but she did answer my email; so I know that she has had a lot of fun today. Uncle Mark, Aunt Grace, and Caleb were there too, and while I didn't mention it with my last update; they went there yesterday afternoon and are still on the way home now as I write this – leaving at around eight o'clock so that Caleb would sleep most or all of the way home.

While the birthday fun for the family has been in Granite Park today; I've had a lot of fun here at home too. That started out with my sofa sleepover wake-up call, but before I get to that; let's review the date night in at Michael's house first.

By the time I got to Michael's house, he already had most of the set-up finished for our movie night. That included having snacks set out in the living room; pizzas cooking in the oven; and cold drink options available in the kitchen. Rowen and Tim joined us just a few minutes after I got there, so Michael and I didn't have much time for hugs and kisses; and then Rebecca and Lucas arrived together – in Lucas' truck. For the record, he won't be sneaking up on anyone while driving it because it's fairly loud and distinct-sounding; so maybe his mother didn't have a problem with that at all. He definitely won't be able to come home late without her knowing it – unless he pushes it for the last half-mile or so.

The first thing that I should do for this part of my update is thank the guys for taking a night off from college football. Rebecca, Rowen, and I know how much of a sacrifice that was for you – especially when it meant missing out on watching a few upset matches. It's still early in the season, though; and they'll survive. We did still go with action movies instead of chick flicks; so it wasn't all bad for them. All three boys were happy to start out the evening with pizza, and while Lucas and Tim can pretty much eat all of the time; Michael's motivation had more to do with having a very early dinner break followed by hours of cleaning in the kitchen. We – the girls – only had a slice or two each, but that had nothing to do with watching or weight or anything – we just weren't as hungry as the boys were.

The entertainment picks were the new Terminator movie and Jurassic World, and while the on-screen action was entertaining; it was the cuddle time with Michael and chat time with our friends that we loved the most. Tim and Lucas both have a knack for movie commentary that's fun too; and having Miranda and Jacob join us for a while between getting home and heading up to bed was a nice bonus. So was the sofa sleepover with Michael, and we managed to set that up when Lucas, Rowen, and Tim all needed to head home. After seeing Rowen and Tim out, we offered to take care of the clean-up while Rebecca was busy saying goodnight to Lucas. We were still doing that when she went up to bed, and once the work was done; we went back into the living room to snuggle on one of the sofas and spend some quality time saying goodnight to each other with no intention of me actually going home unless parental veto powers were invoked to put an end to our 'accidental' sleepover plans.

We are very lucky that our parents all think that we're so darned cute when we do fall asleep on the sofas. I woke up for a few moments when Miranda checked in on us at a bit after three. She wasn't fooled for a second, but instead of sending us up to separate bedrooms; she just took a picture; sent it to Mom; and advised me that she loves me a lot and plans on making sure that Michael keeps me.

I love you too, Miranda; and don't have a problem with that plan. ;^)

Michael woke me up this morning with a soft, tender kiss or three; I ran home to get changed for Tai Chi and had time for a short round of teasing from Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana before he met up with us by the river. It was a beautiful morning for exercising outdoors, and that was the last bit of quiet we had for the rest of the morning – except for prayer time at church. I hit the shower after our workout; got ready for church; and headed over to Michael's house for breakfast – and some more teasing from Michael's family. The highlight of that meal was actually a video chat with Jake and Stephanie; live from Europe. It was afternoon local time for them, so breakfast chats do work for them; but I don't get to be in on them very often. They're loving it in Europe, and joke about staying there; but I also know that they really miss home too – and they will be coming home next May – at least for a few months before they'll need to go back to New York for their final year of college.

While our gourmet breakfast was a highlight of my day, it didn't seem like very long before we needed to head over to the church; and then Michael and I were busy with the service and then Sunday school. I'm also going to mention that Lucas did not drive his truck to church today; though I'm only mentioning that to point out that he's a bit brighter than the average teen when it comes to personal finances. His parents may have given him the truck, but the expenses are all his; and Lucas is not going to spend money on gas when he doesn't need to do that.

I did not work at the Inn today, so I walked Michael to the Inn after church; hugged and kissed him goodbye; and then went home to hang out with my family for the rest of the day. We had a small gang over for lunch; played for a couple of hours on the river and at the park; and then Dad needed to get some work done in the office. Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and I joined him there to either work on the family business or study; and I did both so that I could get to bed early tonight. Michael came over for his afternoon break; he did his homework while hanging out with us in the office too; and then I took a break and went for a long walk with him that included Emporium ice cream treats and a walk around the park on the paths.

We only had the five of us for dinner tonight; Dad and I did some more work in the office after that; and then I came up to my room for some Jacuzzi time at eight-thirty. I finished up my language study while in the tub; did my hair and finished getting ready for bed; and I've been doing one last computer and email check since getting into bed with Mandy and snuggling in for the night.

Getting a decent night of rest is going to help me out this week because we have a lot going on over the next seven days. Michael's birthday is on Tuesday; Uncle Nick's is on Wednesday; Mom and Dad's fifth anniversary is on Friday – along with the football game; and then they're going to be away for the weekend while Rowen and I are booked to babysit Ethan and Ehlana while they're gone. We'll have adult back-up if needed from Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and Rowen's parents; but I don't expect to have any problems. Having all of that going on in addition to our already packed schedule is going to be tough – even when it also means a lot of extra fun; so I'm going to sleep when I can – starting right now.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, September 28, 2015

Happy 3rd Birthday, Valerie!

We had a breakfast call with Valerie, her parents, and brother; and sent a gift that was there for her to open; but didn't get together with the Malloys. She did have a party today, though; and I'm sure that Angela and Terry helped to make sure she had a very happy day.

Our fun here at home wasn't on the birthday party level, but there was a lot going on – and I again had nothing to do with most of the biggest news. The top story around here is that the outer shell of the new addition for the church was finished today. That didn't get talked about yesterday while we were there; so I'll guess that the construction guys wanted to make sure that everything was done before making that announcement. There's still a lot to do indoors, including knocking out some walls between the old and new sections of the church; but the crews will be able to work indoors most of the time all winter; and they're ahead of schedule thanks to the extended spell of nice weather we've had for the past couple of weeks.

That, by the way, has been good for the ongoing harvests around here too; and the farmers are generally all fairly happy right now. I should also mention that the crops that the farmers are growing for the lab are doing as well as expected; and the best sign of that is that it doesn't look as though the lab will need to pay out any crop failure subsidies at all. They're buying up a lot of seed to get ready for a big expansion next year; but I'll leave the details for stuff like that to the archives that Uncle Adam and Ehlana are keeping for the lab. Feel free to read up on all of that boring science and agricultural business stuff there! ;^)

Closer to home – like here in the house; the back porch to sunroom conversion work is almost finished. We haven't been allowed to go in and see it in a while now; but Dad did tell us that the finishing work will be done sometime in the next two days and then there will be new furniture delivered for it on Wednesday or Thursday – in time for their anniversary on Friday. Since Mom has been around here and none of it is a surprise; Dad's at least hoping that she'll love getting to see the finished room on Friday morning. If that's anything like when I got to see my room for the first time; it'll be amazing for Mom. I can hardly wait for Friday!

Then again, I'm looking forward to morning and sharing Michael's fifteenth birthday with him; so I'd better move this update along and get some sleep.

Compared to all of that, my day has been fairly uneventful. Tai Chi by the river was nice; breakfast with Mom, Dad, and the twins was pretty much all of the time I spent with them today until after I got home from Michael's house tonight. We had a good day at school; cheerleading practice was fun; and then I went home with Michael to have dinner there and then spend the evening studying, having a music practice, wrapping that up with a minor make-out session, and ending my evening there with a bedtime chat with his parents and Rebecca before I came home again. Mom did my Magi lesson then; I had a chat with her, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana; and then I took care of getting the twins tucked in for the night on my way up to my room.

It's been all work and study since then once I was in bed with Mandy and my computer, but I time phased some of that; and didn't have as much to do thanks to the bonus work and studying on the weekend. That'll give me the chance to have a couple of extra hours of sleep, and since I do have a birthday dinner to go to tomorrow in addition to school and three practices; I'd better get to the napping so that I'll be ready for all of that.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Happy 15th Birthday, Michael!

I did my best to make sure that his day started out great with bonus birthday hugs and kisses before Tai Chi; we exercised by the river; and then I got ready for the day as quickly as possible before going over to his house for breakfast. Jacob cooked up a couple of Michael's favorites; he had a few gifts to open; and then we walked to school with Rebecca and Rowen once Rebecca and I took care of the clean-up.

There were moments of birthday fun at school too, but I also had cheerleading practice at lunch time; so Michael's school day highlight was when he was away from school and getting his driver's license. I'm sure that you're not surprised to hear that a Magi teen wrote that little test perfectly, so maybe that isn't a big deal to most Magi reading this; but taking that first step toward driving is still a big deal for nearly every teen at our school. Michael didn't get to do much driving because of everything else we have on the go, but his Dad did take him out for a little drive before he came back to school for the rest of the day.

We did a little birthday party for him at lunch time, but that was short and sweet for Rowen and I because we needed to get to our practice. This was one of the few times that I wish I could have skipped cheerleading for the day; but I'll survive – and we did have fun anyway. Our afternoon classes were uneventful, and then Rowen and I moved on to band practice while Michael and Tim were busy with their football fun. I should mention that Michael is in the band just as he was last year; and just practices the music we'll be doing on his own – or when we have our little practices.

Rowen and I hurried over to Michael's house after our practice instead of waiting for the boys; helped out with the pre=dinner work already in progress; and then helped with welcoming dinner guests until Michael, Tim, and Lucas joined us – along with the other footballers that had been invited too. Thanks to our two practices on each side of dinner; the actual meal and usual birthday-related fun had to happen in near-record time; so that was just a blur and blast of non-stop action. Michael had a great time; and then we moved on to our teen praise team practice. While his birthday had nothing to do with it, we were happy to get through everything we needed to work on at the practice in under an hour; and then we went back to Michael's house for the rest of the evening. The highlight of the night there was our birthday make-out session in his room.

Oh wait – that's how I imagined our evening would go.

What really happened was that we hung out in the living room with Rebecca, Lucas, Rowen, and Tim and watched a movie until four of us needed to get home for the night at eleven o'clock. Sorry to disappoint you, but there was no major birthday making out going on between Michael and me. Even our goodnight hugs and kisses weren't exactly fire and shooting stars because there were two other teen couples saying goodnight then too without much separation between couples.

The birthday fun was over then, and it was time for me to get to my work and studying. I didn't have a Magi lesson because Mom and Dad were ready for bed by then, but I did have an archive assignment to go along with the family business work and my language studies. For all of that, I used a time phase; multi-tasked with some Jacuzzi time; and got about half of the work done while in the tub before taking a break to do my hair. I was still in a time phase for most of the second-half of that work; so I also had a nice little telepathic chat with Mandy until she fell asleep again. Using the extra power for that has tired me out, but I will be sleeping before one o'clock; so it was worth the effort tonight.

Uncle Nick's birthday is tomorrow, so we have another birthday dinner to attend; and that'll get in the way of my work night and early bedtime tomorrow night. I'm trying to keep up, but something may need to give soon; since I'm really starting to feel the drain from being so busy.

I'll keep you posted on that, but it's time for me to head into dreamland and find out if Michael and I can have more teen-rated fun there than we managed to find time for tonight; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Happy 28th Birthday, Uncle Nick!

As I was considering what to write about Uncle Nick's birthday, my first thought was that his day wasn't as exciting as Michael's was yesterday because getting a first driver's license is a big deal for most teens; but then I remembered that he and Aunt Deborah are ending their day with a kid-free night. I won't need the details to know that they're having more fun tonight than Michael and I had last night.

That should make up for having to work all day, and since it feels as though I've been working all day too; they're having more fun than I am. Unless they totally waste their kid-free night opportunity, I also plan on being asleep long before they should be; so let's move this update along so I can get to that napping part of my plan for tonight.

Tai Chi by the river was chilly this morning, but we'll just need to get used to that – or move our workouts indoors. None of us want to do that before we have no other choice, though, so we plan on dressing more warmly and enjoying the great outdoors while we exercise. Michael stayed for a quick breakfast, but then he was off and running to get to his morning weight training. I had more time to get ready for school, so I took care of the kitchen clean-up this morning; and spent a bit of time with Ethan and Ehlana before meeting up with Rowen for the walk to school. I'm not writing much about our classes yet this fall, but to be honest; I just like hanging out with Michael and our friends all day. It's tough to find anything exciting to write about when my first blast through the Grade Ten material happened when I was a toddler – and I can still remember every detail of those studies. If it wasn't for the fun with friends part of school; I'd be totally bored.

Now that I think about that, maybe that's at least part of the reason why Gwyneth Hathorne is accelerating her education so publicly. Dark Magi Masters aren't likely going to have friends their own age for various reasons; so sitting through years of boredom at school would just drive them crazy. I'm not making excuses for her, since she's making some really bad choices too from what we know of her through our monitoring of the Hathorne Industries systems; but that doesn't mean that I can't relate to some of the issues she has being a Magi Master kid.

Moving along, my cheerleading practice was an entertaining way to end the school part of my day, and then I headed over to Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah's house to help out with the tail-end of the pre-dinner work that Mom, Aunt Leanne, Grandma, and Grandma Ayres all helped Aunt Deborah with. This dinner party lasted several hours from that point until everyone headed home for the night; so all of the birthday fun was spread out a bit instead of being compressed the way it had been for Michael's dinner party last night. The roasting of the birthday boy was a bit more advanced too, but I wasn't really in on any of that anyway because I was on kid control for the meal before moving on to help with the fairly major clean-up. The only news from the dinner party that matters, though, is that Uncle Nick had fun.

Mom and Dad took Ethan, Ehlana, and me home by nine; and then I used a time-phase while we all worked or studied in the office together for a couple of 'real time' hours. That was a lot of work with a bit of fun mixed in here and there; and then I came up to my room and let Mom and Dad take care of getting the twins tucked in for the night. I was beat by then, so my bedtime routine took all of about five minutes, and once I'm finished with this update; I'm going to crash for the night.

Thursday is game night at the Inn, and I should probably help out at the Inn during dinner; but I'm seriously thinking about skipping all of that and staying home. I'll see how I feel by tomorrow afternoon; but I don't think that I have many more late nights in me for this week – or hours-long time-phases; since that's just as tiring as staying up and working until three or four in the morning.

Sleeping is now at the top of my to-do list, and I don't have anything to add to this update anyway; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!
October 2015

Thursday, October 1, 2015

It's October already! How time flies when you're having fun – and even when you're using a lot of time phases to help out with having a bit more of it!

I did that again tonight; and not only to do my work and studying. That's going to let me get to sleep in decent time; but also wore me out. The good news is that part of my time phasing tonight included a fairly serious make-out session with Michael while we skipped game night.

Yes, we really did do our homework too. We just didn't mention that we did that in about two minutes of real time; our music practice was maybe three or four minutes; and my family business work and language studies covered about another hour of the two and a half hours we had available while Mom, Dad, and the twins were at the Inn and Michael was here. The rest of our evening until they got home again was definitely teen-rated entertainment; and way, way overdue! ;^)

That's not all of the news from today, but it's all that really matters to me today; and I can cover the other top news of the day – that Mom's sunroom anniversary gift is finished – with my next update. Mom wasn't allowed any sneak peeks today anyway; so it's only fair that I write about her best anniversary gift ever so far on their big day instead of tonight.

I need to be up early because Ethan, Ehlana, and I are giving Mom and Dad the morning off from cooking breakfast; and we definitely want enough time to check out the new sunroom too before I need to go to school. Add in the away football game we have tomorrow night; and one other little surprise for Mom; and I'm going to need all of the sleep I can get.

There was a rest of my day; but let's do the micro-recap for that. Tai Chi; breakfast; school; cheerleading practice; help out with the dinner shift at the Inn; a Magi lesson with Michael and Mom after the skipped game night and play time with him; and then I wrapped things up with my abbreviated bedtime computing that included this update.

That isn't technically quite past-tense yet, but will be in a moment; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, October 2, 2015

Happy 5th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

I'm sure that my earlier mention of the sunroom gift made it the anniversary highlight of the day; and it really is amazing! Mom got to see the finished room for the first time this morning before we went outside for a chilly Tai Chi workout. Some of the changes, like the windows and skylights couldn't be hidden from us; but the interior was pretty much kept under wraps right up until this morning.

Everything from the floor to the ceiling; the decorations; and the furniture is perfect. I'll take a wild guess that Mom will be spending a lot of time in that room from now on – and we started that out by having breakfast at the patio-style table after we got back in from our morning work-out. Michael stayed for breakfast; we did the cooking and cleaning; and Mom and Dad opened their kids' gifts too because Michael and I will be on the way to the football game tonight before they have their anniversary dinner tonight. We do know that they're going away for the weekend, and Rowen and I are babysitting the twins; but their destination is still unknown to us.

Okay, yes, Ethan, Ehlana, and I have a very good idea where they are because of our link with them; but we aren't prying – and we'll let them tell the stories about their trip when they get back on Sunday afternoon.

Before I move on to the rest of my update, I should also include a bit more detail about the sunroom. In addition to the table and chairs, there is a sitting area with a pair of love seats and matching chairs that will be perfect for everything from visits with friends to late-night cuddling with a great view of the river, yard, and sky. The patio door on the driveway side of the house is going to be handy for bringing in the groceries – especially in the winter; and the patio door at the back is where the steps always were – at the end of the path between the house and river. There are lots of smaller tables; places where Mandy can watch the action outdoors or enjoy sunny naps; and lots of plants that includes a small, potted tree that'll keep the room smelling nearly as fresh as it did as a back porch. There are a couple of accent rugs, and mats at the doors; but the wood flooring is gorgeous and the coverings don't take away from that at all.

No, I wouldn't vote this gift ahead of my bedroom suite, but it is great; and I'm sure that Mom had been happily making sure that Dad knows how much she loves her gift now that they're on their kid-free weekend away.

I wish that I could have been here for the anniversary dinner, but that wasn't an option; and I did have fun at the game in Ayton tonight. Since that was a two-hour drive to the south-west; we pretty much had to load up and hit the road as soon as we could after being set free from school for the day. Grandma and Grandpa assured me that Mom and Dad had fun at the dinner; which was a pot-luck at our house so that everyone could see the new sunroom before Mom and Dad left for the weekend.

It helped that we won the game tonight too; since it would have been tough to miss so much of Mom and Dad's anniversary and then have the team lose too. We won by a score of thirty-six to nineteen; and I'll not-so-humbly report that Michael, Tim, and Lucas were the stars for our team – even if their captain and the senior players didn't really give them the credit they deserved. Michael and Tim had two touchdowns each, and Lucas had the fifth; but it was actually their collective defensive play that made the difference tonight. Lucas recovered four of our offensive fumbles – and no; none of them were his fumbles. While he was saving the game for our quarterback in the back field; Michael and Tim combined to save what would have otherwise been a total of ten interceptions. Even with all of that, we still gave up four turnovers; and the score total was odd for five touchdowns because Captain JJ missed two extra point attempts and made up for that with one field goal. He missed two more field goal attempts, but luckily for us; that wasn't a major problem tonight.

On the cheerleading side of our football night, we were dressed accordingly for the weather, so while the guys prefer our normal uniforms; we were able to stay warm and comfortable – and that made our night more fun. I'll skip the sideline and halftime show details, since that does seem to get repetitive; and all that really matters is that the spectators had as much fun tonight as we did – even the Ayton team fans that didn't get to celebrate a win. We may not be as good a team as last season, but I need to remember that some teams are going to be happy with a relatively close loss when it's against the defending state champions.

While the trips to and from Ayton were long and a bit tedious; Rowen and I had enough time to do all of our weekend homework. We were late getting home too, but the our team mates gave us a break and let Rowen and I go straight home so that we could take over the weekend babysitting duties from Grandma and Grandpa. They would have taken Ethan and Ehlana for the weekend, or shared them with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne; but Rowen and I are getting the chance to do the job for an entire weekend for what's really just a show of responsibility – and a chance for Rowen to earn a bit of bonus money. Rowen's weekend bag had been dropped off by her mother while at the dinner, so we didn't need to do any side trips; and Grandma and Grandpa headed home after a short story time where we shared our respective Friday recaps.

Ethan and Ehlana were both sleeping by then, so I only stopped in to their rooms to check in on them and kiss them goodnight; and then Rowen and I got ready for bed before moving into the lounge to talk and wind down from our long, busy day. I've been doing my computer checks and this report while we've talked and watched television; but we're both pretty much ready to get some sleep now.

You might be wondering why Michael and Tim didn't come home with us for a while. The short answer is that they had to help with the equipment; Tim wanted to go to a little post-game party that some of the guys were having; and Rowen and I have some orders regarding boyfriend time this weekend while we're babysitting. The main one for that is the ban on 'accidental' sofa sleepovers. No, that doesn't mean we can get away with sleepovers of any other form; though that is a nice thought to take with me into dreamland! ;^)

Speaking of, I really am ready to go there now, and it won't be that long before we'll need to get up and start taking care of Ethan and Ehlana; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, October 3, 2015

While Mom and Dad are hopefully enjoying their weekend away; life as normal continues here at home. Michael came over for Tai Chi with Ethan, Ehlana, and me; he stayed to help Rowen and me with breakfast; and then headed home to get started on his chores there while I did the same here and Rowen kept the twins entertained.

The fall clean-up weekends are just getting started, but I'll again mention this year that Dad's new lawn tractor toy comes in very handy for the work – especially when it comes to cleaning up the leaves. That efficiency didn't keep Rowen, Ethan, and Ehlana from raking up a small pile of leaves to jump in, and they had fun with that for a while; but then it was very convenient to clean up that mess with the lawn tractor, shredder, and vacuum. It was a bit on the chilly side all morning, so spending those hours working didn't make much difference for playing outdoors anyway. We stopped to have lunch at one; and then took the afternoon off to ride our bikes and play. Going to the park to ride the trails and have fun at the playground was a great way to spend the afternoon. Michael joined us while on his afternoon break; and we wrapped up that bit of fun with hot drinks and warm desserts at the Inn before he needed to get back to work for the dinner rush.

Tim came over after working all day with his father and uncle; we had a pizza and wings dinner at the table in the new sunroom; and then moved upstairs to the lounge for some play time. Naomi and Aiden were dropped off for the evening, and Eli and Hailey had other babysitting services; but we weren't keeping them overnight – even though Rowen and I would have been okay with that. With Halloween now just four weeks away, I wasn't surprised that the kids – including Tim – wanted to have a themed movie night; so we dusted off the digital versions of some favorite Halloween shows that were kid-rated; and had fun watching them while doing a fair bit of playing on the side.

It wasn't college football, and Rowen and I were happy to have the cuddle time with our boyfriends; so we were good with the plan.

Michael wasn't available for cuddling until he was finished at the Inn, and he missed the first couple of shows; but then the fun level just kicked up a few notches once he was here. The last movie for the four younger kids was Hocus Pocus, and while it might be getting a bit dated; it will likely always be one of my favorite Halloween flicks of all time. I say that it was the last movie for the kids because two of them fell asleep near the end of it – or at least did a great job of pretending to do that. Ethan and Naomi had cuddled together under a blanket on the floor with their heads on a pillow they'd scooped from my bed. They might have been thinking about an accidental sleepover attempt, but if that was their plan; it didn't work for them. Ehlana and Aiden were semi-cuddling too, but they did that while Ehlana was also cuddled with Michael and me; and they stayed awake to the end of the show.

We moved all four kids into my bed, and while they were still in adorable pairs; we totally did that for the parent pick-up entertainment value.

During that intermission, Tim checked the football scores and watched a bit of a game that was on; Rowen, Michael, and I re-stocked snacks and drinks once we had the kids tucked in; and then we watched another Halloween movie while waiting for the Seagers and Drapers to stop by to collect their kids after their night out with friends and family. It was around one o'clock when they did that; and Michael and Tim headed home then too. Rowen and I left the twins in my bed; got ready for bed ourselves once we were on our own and had seen our boyfriends out; and then camped out on the sectional sofa for the night.

I've been doing my bedtime computing and a bit of family business work since then, and Rowen used the television to do some YouTube surfing; but she fell asleep about twenty minutes ago – and I should wrap this up and join her so that I'll be ready to go when Ethan and Ehlana give us our wake-up call in a few hours.

Our day may not have been anniversary weekend away kind of fun, but it has been a really good day; and I'm sure that we'll have a good day tomorrow too – especially when we get to the welcome home dinner party at the Inn for Mom and Dad tomorrow night!

It really is time to crash for a few hours now, though; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Welcome home, Mom and Dad!

Their anniversary getaway was in Nashville, and while their visit there was too short, and they apparently didn't do all that much while they were there; they had fun and looked very happy. I'm sure that Aunt Leanne will soon have the details that would fill in the blanks in the weekend story that was kid-rated for the twins, Rowen, and me; but let's not go there and get back to the report for today.

Ethan and Ehlana had Rowen and me up early for another chilly Tai Chi workout by the river that Rowen was happy to let us do with Michael while she went back to napping until Ehlana gave her a second wake-up call. Michael went home for breakfast today; and Rowen and I kept busy getting the twins fed and all of us ready for church. We walked there with Michael and his family; had a good morning there during the first part of the service and while we were at Sunday school; and then we headed home again to get changed before going on to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house for lunch with most of our family.

That was fun, and we then spent the afternoon playing with our grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins pretty much until Mom and Dad got home. We had a little social hour at our house once they were back; headed over to the Inn for the late buffet; and had dinner with a fairly large group of family and friends that included quite a few of the store owner families and the Nortons. Michael had spent his afternoon break with us, and he was allowed to have a quick dinner with us once the food was out for the second buffet; but that really was just a short break for him before he went back to the kitchen for the rest of the evening.

I really loved having dinner with everyone, but didn't get to spend much time with Mom and Dad while on kid control duty with Rowen and some of the other teens – including Lucas and Emma Norton. Tim was there with us too, but I'm pretty sure he was just another kid for us to take care of while he played with the younger boys and talked football with Lucas and the other teen guys. The buffet was definitely a highlight of the day, and we were there for nearly two hours; but then it was time for everyone to head home – and for Dad to get busy with the homework he hadn't done all weekend to that point.

That's the main reason I stayed downstairs and worked in the office too – and did my work using a time phase so that we could all get our work or studying done without staying up half the night. Mom skipped my lesson tonight so that we could do that instead, and that worked for me; since I was pretty much worn out by the time she called an end to our office play time at eleven-thirty. While we did get a lot of work and studying finished, it really did feel like play time tonight; so I'm a happy kind of tired right now as I sit in bed cuddled with Mandy and write this report.

We only have one birthday on the schedule for next week, and the next seven days should be quiet by comparison to this past week, but that's relative; and we still have a lot on the go with just our regular schedule. I can get some extra sleep tonight so I'll be ready for another busy week of classes, homework, practices, and the annual work weekend ahead of the fall festival; so I'm going to do that right now.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, October 5, 2015

Happy 15th Birthday, Sally!

As always, Sally's birthday is one of my favorites; since she was the first girl in my class to invite me to a birthday party after I moved here. Her party today was fairly quiet compared to others she's had, but it was a school night; and her boyfriend is on the football team this year and had practice after school before he – or any of the other guys at the party could go to it. I'll get to that part of the update soon; but let's take a quick look at the rest of the day first.

Tai Chi by the river is still an option; but also on the chilly side first thing in the morning. The one big change in our morning routine is that the sunroom is now our preferred choice for where we have breakfast. It's only a bit more work hauling everything between the two rooms; and worth the effort to have the view while we enjoy that meal. Michael didn't stay for breakfast, so it was just the five of us today, and while I helped with the clean-up; I still had lots of time to get ready for school and go meet up with Rowen for the walk there. Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana had a lab day while I was busy with school and then cheerleading practice; and Dad had a full day booked after taking most of the weekend off and having a shorter-than-usual work day on Friday. My day was more fun; though Ethan and Ehlana are always happy to be at the lab – and want to spend as much time there as they can between now and when they'll start school next September.

For me, the school day highlights were the birthday moments for Sally – whether that was before classes started, at lunch, or during the rest of the day. Her best part of the day was going to get her license; which was a breeze for a farm kid used to driving farm equipment – and highly motivated to join that particular club. Getting to drive home with parental supervision after school was a bonus bit of fun for her too; which she told us all about while we were at the party.

Since I'm thinking about that, there's a good chance that Mom and Patricia won't get asked to drive us to these parties very often this fall and winter now that Tim and Michael have their licenses. Parties at farms give them the perfect chance for some driving time; so Tim drove us out to Sally's farm with his mother as co-pilot; and Michael and his Dad were paired up for the return trip home after the party ended at nine-thirty. That's definitely something different for us compared to city kids – or even the farm kids around here. The town kids don't get daily opportunities to practice their driving when the weather's decent and most of us walk or bike where we want to go unless we have a lot to carry.

It's getting pretty late, so let's not get bogged down with any side-trips tonight.

We had fun with school and helping Sally celebrate her birthday. There were cupcakes and gifts at lunchtime; and we had some outdoor play time while on that break too that kept all of us happy for the afternoon. Rowen and I had fun with our cheerleading practice, and then we were finished enough ahead of the boys to have time to go home and get ready for Sally's party. Michael and Tim had to hurry, since Sally's birthday did not rate Coach Robinson giving his team an easy practice night; so it was nearly time to sit down for dinner by the time we got to the farm. Joshua was the only guy from the team to get there ahead of us, so we did at least have a bit of time to visit with Sally, her family, and our other friends while we waited for the last teens to arrive; and then the party kicked up into high gear with dinner in the dining room.

I know that Sally's had a really good night, but I also don't really have any major news to report tonight. Kris and Diana are definitely a couple now, and she was at the party as Kris' date; so that's a bit of minor gossip for the network at school tomorrow. Including Joshua, Sally only invited nine teens to her party this year; and there were only two singles there – Gretchen and Marc. They're a potential new couple too; though that's at least partly because they're members of a very small minority now that most of the teens in our grade are paired up. I'm not going to comment on what I see for the future in this case; mostly because what I do see for them is still not all that clear.

That's getting off-track again, though; so let's move this along.

The dinner was good; we had fun with all of the usual birthday party action; and then Rowen and I were two of the clean-up volunteers while Sally was kept entertained by the rest of our friends. We still had an hour or so to enjoy the play time after the work was done; and then it was time to head home again. Yes, that's very early for a party – even around here; but we all still had homework to get done too – and not all of us can stay up half the night working; or use a time phase to speed up the job.

Michael, Tim, and Rowen all came back to my house; we did our homework in the lounge; and then Rowen and Tim headed home at eleven o'clock. Michael stayed and did a Magi lesson with Mom and me; but then he went home before midnight while I came up to my room again and got ready for bed. My nightly computing, studying, archive assignment, and family business work has taken another three hours to get it all done; and that's why this update is coming to you so late – not that you really care about the timing from your perspective in my future. All of the work and studying went well-enough, but I'd bore myself to sleep writing about the details – especially the archive assignment. I probably shouldn't say much about that, since for all I know; future Magi will use my journals as sleep aids at bedtime.

If, by the way, that's actually true; skip ahead to my journals when I'm a bit older. I'll guess that they'll be more interesting by then! ;^)

Now that has my thoughts wandering off in an interesting direction that might be fun to take with me into dreamland, so that's it for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

We had a good morning; the weather was nice today; and I was indoors more than out so didn't get to enjoy the warm very much.

I've managed to get everything on my schedule finished today, but it's really late now; and this is going to be a very short update.

Dinner at Michael's was a highlight of the day for me thanks to another amazing, experimental dish that I really, really loved. A bit of alone time with Michael shortly before I came home for the night was fun too; though only mildly spicy due to time constraints by the time we had our homework finished.

The rest of my day was filled with our Day Two classes; noon cheerleading; after-school band practice; and our teen praise team practice after dinner. The studying and minor make-out time followed that third practice; and then I went home to get started on the rest of my studying and work. From Mom's Magi lesson with me through to this update was all fairly standard weeknight fare; but there was a lot of it to do tonight. I opted to do all of that without another time phase; though I would have ended up just as tired either way. I don't want to go there either, since my only thoughts are about sleeping and not thinking at all for a while. I can do that right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

It's been another beautiful fall day, and while I haven't spent much time outdoors; I have enjoyed the fresh air when I had time to do that between school, cheerleading practice, and my work night here at home. Breakfast and dinner in the sunroom was pretty good too; and I love the new room as much as Mom does – even if I don't get to spend as much time there yet as she can while I'm away at school. She's working out there when she can now instead of the office; though we all worked in the office tonight – as we'll likely keep doing when working and studying together.

Tai Chi by the river was nice and a bit warmer; Michael stayed for that breakfast in the sunroom; and then I had a fairly standard day at school. Cheerleading practice had a bit of bonus fun today as we started working on our routines for the Halloween weekend game; and I think that's going to be my favorite routine of the season so far if it turns out to be as good as we hope it will. That game is still a few weeks away, though; and we still have lots to get done before we'll be ready for it. We are pretty much ready for our next game already; which is why we're working ahead. I'm glad that everyone wants to do that; since I expect that we'll all be getting a lot busier the closer we get to Halloween – especially when we also have the fall festival coming up in a week and a half too.

While it's been a work day for Michael, Tim, Rowen, and me; Rowen and I stayed after our cheerleading practice ended and did a bit of homework while waiting for Michael and Tim to be finished their football practice. We didn't get a lot done, but it was nice to enjoy the warm weather for a bit and then I was glad to have the walk time with Michael before kissing him goodnight and leaving him at the Inn to help out with the dinner rush that was already beginning by then. Dinner was nearly ready at home by the time I got there; and having that second meal of the day in the sunroom was great. I helped with the clean-up after we ate; and then it was time to get to work in the office.

Fast-forward through a time-phased work and study session for five; and I'm now in the tub enjoying some Jacuzzi time before heading to bed early – compared to most nights for me. I've multi-tasked a bit of the bedtime computing that I didn't get finished in the office before Mom sent all of us up to bed; but I'm also going to wrap this up now and enjoy the rest of my bath time without the extra multi-tasking. Getting to bed early is going to be nice; but I'm nearly as tired out as I was last night thanks to the time-phase effort. We've got game night tomorrow night and a work weekend to look forward to ahead of the fall festival weekend; so I'll take the extra down time when I can get it.

Now that I'm thinking about that work ahead of the upcoming play weekend; maybe I should add a bit more to my nightly workload too and take more time off for those fun weekends this month. That doesn't sound as fun as a bit of daydreaming I was doing earlier that involved Michal and me skipping game night again tomorrow for some quality make-out time; but I'll guess that the extra work is more likely to happen despite the fact that I'd rather be making more time to have fun with Michael instead.

I can dream about that play time with Michael, though, and can multi-task that for the rest of my tub time instead of working on my computer and this report; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, October 8, 2015

We're getting a dash or two of rain tonight, but the weather was nice for most of the day; and the rain should move on by tomorrow afternoon – in time for our football game tomorrow night.

It's been another really busy day for me, and I'm going to need all of the nap time I can get to be ready for the weekend; so this is going to be another short update.

I had a standard weekday morning at home; school was good; and cheerleading practice was short-enough that Rowen and I got a bit of our homework done while waiting for Michael and Tim to be done with their football for the day. Michael and I went to the Inn from the school; jumped in to help out with the dinner rush; and kept busy through until the start of game night – including getting our homework done and grabbing something to eat along with all of the work. Game night was fun, but to be honest; I'd have rather been here at home and spending that time with Michael instead – I mean getting an early start on all of the work I needed to do tonight! ;^)

Here in the real world, that study and work time didn't start until after ten o'clock; and it was eleven-thirty by the time I was finished my Magi lesson with Mom, helped with getting the twins into bed, and came up to my room to get started on my 'real' studies and family business work. I chose to have a no-time-phase night; so the trade-off is less power drain and less sleep. That seemed like a good idea at the time; but I'll probably feel differently about that by morning – in a couple of hours or so. It's a good thing that I'm usually a morning person; or I'd be a bear every morning I only get two or three hours of down time!

I am ready to be in nap mode now, though, so that's it for now.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, October 9, 2015

It's that time of the week again, but we've had a very long day; so this is going to be a short football report.

We were on the road in Ridgeway; the guys won fourteen-to-nine; and Tim had our only two touchdowns tonight. Our team only gave up two turnovers, and Ridgeway only managed three field goals; but that was mostly thanks to a really good defensive effort from Michael, Tim, Lucas, and a few other guys. They collectively saved us from giving up a lot more turnovers; but it also meant we punted a lot tonight too. Jason missed three field goal attempts, but they were all long shots; so let's not give him a hard time about that.

I can give him a hard time over blasting his team mates after the game despite the close win for playing so badly because it wasn't deserved by any of the guys he ranted on in the locker room. That isn't to say that there weren't a lot of mistakes, because there were; but he was definitely blasting the wrong guys from what Michael and Tim told us tonight after we were home again. Captain J.J. is not my favorite football player tonight; so it's a good thing that I didn't spend any time hanging out with him after the game – or after we were home and finished with putting the gear away at school.

Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I did get together for a short visit and snack break at Tim's house once we were set free from the school, but it was already late by then; so Rowen and I mostly let Tim and Michael vent for a while; and then we took our boyfriends home with us for a bit of alone time before we all needed to get to bed for the night. I brought Michael home with me; we had a very minor make-out session in the living room; and then I came up to my room after seeing him out and on his way home. We didn't see Rowen and Tim outside; so I have no idea whether they wrapped up their alone time at Rowen's house before or after Michael went home – though I'd guess it was after; since they don't have to be up quite as early as we will be for Tai Chi by the river.

The rest of my day was fairly normal, and I don't really have anything newsworthy to report from school or the work and studying I've been doing since climbing into bed with Mandy tonight. That computer work has kept me awake longer than I should have been, though; so I'm going to wrap this up and get what sleep I can before it'll be time to get going again – and I'll be busy with an all-day yard work adventure.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, October 10, 2015

While the day started out fairly cool with temperatures dipping into the mid-forties; we mostly had a nice day for our fall clean-up adventures in yard work.

I won't bore you with the details, and we'll have more work ahead as we move deeper into fall over the next month or so; but we still had a pretty good day despite all of the not-so-fun and occasionally gross work. Spending the time with Dad was a big part of that fun; though I wish that we could have a few more chances to hang out together when we aren't working. Sometimes it seems as though that's all we do when we're together – either doing chores or working in the office. Let's just add that one to the list of things I'd like to do; and won't have time for in our current schedules.

The yard work took up most of my day, but I did get to play after that – or after we'd had dinner in the sunroom and then cleaned up. We didn't stop working until six-thirty, so it was eight o'clock by then; and I still needed to grab a shower and get cleaned up before getting around to that play time. I was appropriately clean and beautiful by the time Michael came over after being set free from the Inn; Ethan, Ehlana, and I had a movie, snacks, and drinks ready to go; and we all sat down to watch the Halloween flick while enjoying some quality cuddle time together. That first movie was all about some time with the twins; and then we took an intermission when it was time for them to be tucked in for the night. The second Halloween movie was teen-rated; and so was the cuddle time for Michael and me.

Our make-out time was the highlight of the day for both of us, and while I'm not going to include all of the details for that either; it isn't because it would be boring! ;^)

Michael stayed until one o'clock, and while we were very tempted to go for another sofa sleepover; we decided not to risk doing that too often and messing things up so that we can't get away with them when we really want to have them – like during the holidays. We are overdue for a teen sleepover, though; so maybe we'll work on that for sometime later this month. Yeah, I have no idea when we'll have time for that either; but we're way behind on teen time with our friends too – or at least spending time with them that isn't during school, practices, or football games. It's really tough having to pick and choose – especially when spending time like that with our friends means giving up some Michael and me alone time.

Moving this update along, I saw Michael out and watched him walk home at one; came back up to my room and got ready for bed; and have been working on my computer since then. I was tempted to just do the basic computer checks and this update, but really want to get ahead on my studies; so I spent an hour on that and another hour doing family business work. I time-phased most of that; so it isn't as late as it would have been if I'd worked in normal time; but that has used up pretty much all of my energy reserves for the day.

Another busy Sunday is just hours away, so I'd better get all of the sleep I can to be ready for it – especially when I'll be helping out at the Inn and have a lot of work and studying on my schedule for tomorrow night too. I guess that sounds fairly boring, but we are going to have some fun weekends ahead between now and Halloween; and I don't expect every day and weekend to be nothing but non-stop fun and excitement. It is really great that even our 'normal' days around here are still really good, though; and that's something that I'm grateful for every day.

I'm also going to be very grateful to get some sleep now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, October 11, 2015

My top news story of the day is a surprise family trip to the pumpkin patch this afternoon that our parents and some grandparents put together for us. The 'us' part of that was all of the home town cousins and a few of our friends. The surprise was sprung on Ethan, Ehlana, and I this morning; so my morning started out great too – especially when we also had a lovely morning for Tai Chi by the river; and I had breakfast with Michael and his family. I'm pretty sure that the only way my morning could have started better would have been if I'd woken up cuddled with Michael after a sofa sleepover; so I'm sure that you can guess that I was fired up all day even though I haven't had a lot of sleep this weekend.

The church service and Sunday school was fun too, if not on the same level as our afternoon adventure; and our teen time included getting ready for our next teen-led service next weekend. We're not doing everything for the fall festival service; but we will be doing a lot of the music, a skit, and all of the bible readings next Sunday. Spending that time with Michael was great too, and while I would have loved it if he could have come with us to the pumpkin patch, he had to help out at the Inn for lunch; so I walked with him there and had to settle for leaving him with a consolation hug and kisses before coming home and getting on with the rest of my day.

We didn't get together for a big family lunch, but we did start meeting up at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house in time to hit the road for the pumpkin patch by one o'clock. Grandparent support was required because we had more kids than available seating in the cars, minivans, and truck that the parents were driving. Michael couldn't come, but Rowen and Tim could; and the three of us were all drafted to help out with the younger kids. I was good with that, since I also got to spend lots of time with Brianna, Leah, Ehlana, Naomi, and the other girls. There was quite the little convoy heading out of town when we left; and that felt a lot like our shopping trips to the city – or the trips we've done to the Christmas tree farm. The drive time was short-enough that none of the younger kids had time to get fussy, and that was good for me too; since I was with Brianna, Zack, and Eli in Uncle Adam's minivan.

The temperature was into the eighties by the time we arrived, and while it might be fun to have fall weather for a visit to a pumpkin patch and farm; I can assure you that it's nice to be able to enjoy all of that fun wearing tees and sunglasses instead of sweaters and windbreakers or winter coats. The pumpkin patch is apparently becoming very popular, so it was very busy there; and they've added some entertainment options too. We started out our fun with a pumpkin-picking hay ride; and our group pretty much filled one wagon. Our guide and tractor driver was, according to him, the youngest guide that the farm owners allowed to drive one of their tractors. The bad news for us was that it also meant we were being pulled by the oldest tractor; and that the brakes only sometimes worked to stop at the bottom of hills. The good news was supposedly that, one way or the other; we'd have the fastest, thrill-ride-worthy hayride available on the farm. The commentary was fun, and so was the ride; but it was definitely not thrill-ride scary or exciting.

Picking out our own pumpkins was quite an adventure too, and we had quite a few highlights from that part of the hayride. Pictures of Brianna and some of the other younger kids 'riding' giant pumpkins was one of those fun moments, and while picking out the pumpkins was fun; the guys weren't as thrilled with having to haul the bigger ones out to Dad's truck after the ride. The parents probably found the cost of those pumpkins a bit shocking too; though we did get a bulk deal on all of the toddler-sized pumpkins that we picked for each of the younger kids – and for some of the teens too. Ehlana and Naomi insisted that I needed a pumpkin to carve and put in the lounge for Halloween, and while Rowen and Tim didn't need to do that for their rooms; they did each pick up larger pumpkins for their homes – one for Tim and two for Rowen and Patrick.

After the hayride, we had some more play time doing a corn maze; the haunted house in one of the barns; and playing in and on a fort that was made of straw bales. The kids had a blast with all of that; and the haunted house had several 'scare' levels so that it could be toddler-friendly when needed or teen-rated terrifying for the older customers.

Just for the record, my grandfather does not really scream like a little girl! ;^)

When we were finished playing, and most of the youngest cousins were pretty much ready for some quality nap time; we wrapped up our adventure with a stop at the little store where we picked up some fruit, treats, and jugs of apple cider before loading up and heading home. I'm sure that it's possible to go there and have fun on a budget, but I left more than fifty dollars behind when we left; and I don't even want to guess how much some of the parents spent today by the time they bought all of the tickets, pumpkins, and treats. We did have an amazing afternoon with our family and friends, though; so let's just not worry about putting a price on that anyway.

By the time we got home again and had everything unloaded and put away; it was time for me to grab a shower and get ready to go over to the Inn to help with the dinner buffet shift. I didn't get there early-enough to help with the prep work for the first buffet, but I was there in time to jump in and get everything ready for the first wave of food that hit the buffet tables shortly before five o'clock. From there, it was non-stop action; with just one break after the second buffet was taken out to the dining room when Michael and I stopped long enough to eat a quick dinner and get some fresh air before getting back to the cleaning that we both helped with through until close tonight.

I was part of the work entertainment today with my pumpkin patch stories, and while that was fun; it was spending that time with Michael and his family that I loved the most – even if all of that work was exhausting too after a play afternoon that had included a lot of walking around and keeping up with a gang of toddlers. My day was far from over once I got home; and my studying and work began with my Magi lesson with Mom. That Magi play time included an extended practice with a handful of advanced transmutations. That was fun, but added to the tired I was already feeling by then; and I hadn't even gotten to the main part of my work and study time yet. I still helped out with getting Ethan and Ehlana off to bed before coming up to my room and starting in on all of that computing; but I'm glad that I spent that time with my brother and sister. We all have a lot on the go this week; and I probably won't get to spend nearly as much time with them as I'd like – including during the fall festival.

It was past-midnight by the time I was in bed and got to work on my computer; and it's taken more than three hours to get everything finished for the night. Sometimes that seems crazy to me, so it likely sounds nuts to anyone reading this in the future; but everything I'm doing is either important right now or will be important for my future; so my workload isn't likely to change much anytime soon. I'm heading past exhausted toward unconscious, but before I go there; let's cover a bit more news from tonight and look ahead at the next week.

On the email and college student front; I had some updates from my favorite collegians today. Starting with Jake and Stephanie; they are having such an amazing adventure in Europe that I wish that Michael and I were there too. Jake may be the hottest young fish in our little pond here at home, but he's also apparently very, very popular with everyone they're becoming friends with; and Stephanie was joking about needing to stay close to him with all of the beautiful young women that are interested in hanging around with him – and don't seem to care that he's married. She didn't mention much about any issues she might be having with amorous guys, but I can read between the lines; and can guess that she's quite popular too. They are hanging out with other young couples when they're not busy with school or chef training, though; and they're getting to have some really amazing adventures when they do have time off together.

Violet and Dillon, and Christina and Josiah aren't having as much fun or enjoying exotic adventures overseas, but they are doing great; and they had a fun weekend after writing their mid-terms over the past week. I should have mentioned that before now in my journals, but there's always news going on around our extended family that I don't keep up with here; and that's just another example. I can also report that living off-campus is going great for them, and while we haven't written about it at all; I'm sure that it's so much better for them now that I'm seriously looking at ways to live off-campus starting in my freshman year – and not only because that would be way more fun from a Michael and me perspective! I have to think about how I can keep up with everything I'll need to keep doing while at college; and using my Magi gifts while living in a dormitory won't work out very well. Not using my talents would make keeping up with all of my work nearly impossible; so I'd better get on that problem soon.

Yeah, I know that I'm only in Grade Ten, and we're talking about something that won't happen for more than two and a half years yet; but I like to plan ahead!

That's something to deal with another day when I'm not ready to drop; so let's wrap this up.

We'll be starting the week out with Zack's second birthday tomorrow, and since I hear he'll be having a little gang of guys over for the party along with our family guests; I'm going to try to get put on kid control for the girls. Watching Brianna will be more fun that keeping up with Zack, Eli, and their little buddies. I wouldn't say they're terrible, but they can be little terrors when in packs! ;^)

The other highlights of the week will be the football game, the fall festival that includes the teen dance on Friday that we'll hopefully catch the end of after the game; and Aunt Leanne's birthday. Somewhere, around all of that fun, I'll need to get all of my work done; keep up with the regular practices and school work; and help out at the Inn as much as possible too because this will be a very busy weekend for them. I foresee another week filled with long days and late work nights.

There is also going to be a lot of fun too, and I need to get what sleep I can to be ready for that; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, October 12, 2015

Happy 2nd Birthday, Zack!

He's had a fun day; the party was a crazy-busy blast; and I was busy with school, cheerleading, or my studying and work at home for the rest of the day before and after that few hours of birthday fun.

I've also burned out for the night too, so that's all for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

This is going to be another short update because I'm working too hard; staying up too late; and need to crash for the bit of nap time I have left before it'll be time to wake up and get started on my next weekday adventure.

I went to school; had cheerleading practice at noon; band practice after school; and teen praise team practice after dinner. That meal was at Michael's house; I was back there again once we were finished at the church so that Michael and I could do our homework and have a music practice; and then I stayed for a short chat with Miranda and Jacob before coming home at around ten-thirty.

Mom kept my Magi lesson a bit on the short side, but then I spent extra time with Ethan and Ehlana while tucking them in for the night; and then I needed to multi-task some of my work with a soak in the Jacuzzi before I felt clean and ready to climb into bed with Mandy. I've worked and studied on my computer since then; that was about three hours ago; and it's now heading toward four o'clock way too quickly.

Let's hope that my Wednesday night work and early bedtime plan works out this week because I'm going to need some solid hours of sleep soon – and preferably before Mom starts ordering me to cut back on the work or studies. I don't really have time to take the time off; so I really need to work this out before that happens.

For right now, though, it's just time to crash; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

School; cheerleading practice; studying, work; more studying and work; even more studying and work; sleep.

There was some exercising by the river, three meals, and a bit of fun to be had here and there too, but I need to put an emphasis on the sleep tonight; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, October 15, 2015

The fun is going to kick up a few dozen notches by morning, and I'm going to make this quick so I can have a nap before it'll be time to get started on what'll feel like a three-day weekend for every kid and teen in town.

Michael and I had some fun tonight thanks to skipping game night at the Inn and spending that time at my house instead; and that's my top news of the day too.

That isn't the top news around town, and I've basically ignored the festival set-up going on at the park for the past few days – though Michael and I did swing by the park to take a look on our way between the Inn and my house once we were set free after the dinner rush. There were lots of kids and teens hanging out there after school while the set-up has been going on for the rides, tents, and booths; but I've just been too busy to pay attention to any of that. I didn't really have time for the visit tonight either; but we didn't want to be the only teens in town to not even check out the action even once before going to the park for the opening of the festival tomorrow.

I really do want to get some sleep; so here's the full update for today in micro-report format.

Tai Chi by the river, breakfast in the sunroom, and the rest of my morning was normal. School was good, but we were actually given a bit more homework than usual thanks to a couple of new projects. Cheerleading practice was fairly light; so I had time to do a bit of that homework with Rowen while we enjoyed the nice weather for a while and waited for Michael and Tim to finish their football practice. Michael and I moved on from the school to help out with the dinner rush at the Inn – and they were quite busy thanks to all of the extra customers wanting food breaks while working at the park.

We were set free once the clean-up work was done; did that visit to the park; and then we came up to my room and the lounge to get started on our homework. That was boring; the make-out session was great; and Mom's Magi lesson with us after she and Dad got home with the twins from the Inn was pretty good. Michael went home after that; I took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana into bed; and then I came back up to my room to get ready for bed too and then start in on the rest of my studies and family business work. Three and a half hours later, I'm done the work; and will be able to take most of the weekend off except for must-do work that comes up between now and Sunday night.

That's a good thing, since I'm going to be too busy with the family and friends fun over the next few days – if I'm not so tired that I just sleep half the time.

No, that isn't really going to happen; so let's wrap this up and I'll get started on my nap time.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, October 16, 2015

Happy 34th birthday, Aunt Leanne!

It's Friday, and that normally means starting with the football report, but since we also have the fall festival and Aunt Leanne's birthday today too; I'm going to try and write this update in order – starting with my morning wake-up call for Tai Chi.

I needed to be nudged into action too, since I would have slept in if Ehlana hadn't come and bounced me out of bed. Tai Chi by the river was very, very chilly; and I was wishing for the warm weather from last weekend for the first day of the festival. Michael met us by the river for our workout; stayed for breakfast in the sunroom; and then went home to get ready for school – and our play day at the festival. With the temperature barely holding in the forties, we dressed for the weather; but it still meant a very cool morning at the park when we did eventually get there after going to school for our homeroom classes before everyone walked to the park.

While we were set free for the rest of the day once we were there, most of the students at our school had at least some festival homework to do too; so Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I decided to get that out of the way first while waiting for it to warm up a bit. Midway rides can be fun when it's cold out too; but it was much nicer to go on the thrill rides once the temperature climbed into the sixties. We toured the tents filled with crafts, baking, and farm produce for all of the contests; checked out the main pavilion and watched a couple of shows; and played some of the games. We even had some math to do that was game-related; but it wasn't anything terribly complicated – like working out the math that would ensure a win with the ring toss over the bottles game. Yes, I could do that too, just as Mom has done before; but I haven't had any good reasons to do that like she has – and wouldn't want to part with the money to make up for actually playing to win that game. Our math was mostly in statistics collection for our own gaming experience; and we'll combine it with everyone else's data next week for some as-yet unannounced assignments.

The rides were the highlight of the day for us, and the festival continues to get some of the best rides thanks to the help of local businesses – including the lab. I'm sure that's why we had students from even more of the area schools coming here today; and that was even more fun for us as we had a lot of little cameo chats with other teens as we played the games and waited in line for the rides. That was even more fun for the single teens at our school, since it was a great chance to meet guys or girls from those other schools; and that was fun to watch too – especially when it was happening with our friends. Jenny was one of those singles, but I'll get to her story in a bit.

For me, the highlights of our school day at the festival were lunch with Mom, Aunt Leanne, and my brother, sister, and cousins; getting to spend the entire day with Michael, Tim, and Rowen; and an early birthday dinner for Aunt Leanne at the park that included opening some gifts and demolishing an Olde Bakery birthday cake before Michael and Tim needed to get to the school for the football game and Rowen and I needed to meet up with our fellow cheerleaders.

That brings us up to the football game – or at least the pre-game action as we got ready for a chilly evening for playing the game, cheerleading, or being a spectator. We were up against Brookbridge tonight, and that was of particular interest for our cheerleading squad because Jenny had spent most of her afternoon hanging out with their star senior wide receiver – and she was well on the way to falling for him by the time they split up after walking to the school together. Her stories kept us entertained while we set up for the game and then did our warm-ups in the school gym; and we were all in a great mood by game time.

Even with the fall festival in full swing, we still had a pretty good turnout for the game; and everyone was in for a wild ride – if not by comparison to the thrill rides at the park. Brookbridge came to play tonight; and Jenny might be at least partly responsible for why their best wide receiver was having a great game tonight. She definitely got some attention from fans of both teams for cheering him on whenever he was in on the plays for his team. He had a better night on offense than either Michael or Tim did, and scored Brookbridge's only two touchdowns; but I'll guess that he'd have rather had the win over the personal stats – just as Michael and Tim were happy to get the win even though they only scored one touchdown each. Our team scored four touchdowns, but Lucas had one on a running play; and Reid Spencer scored one on a trick play that they tried out for the first time tonight to try and take the pressure off of Ray after he'd given up three fumbles and one interception; and had been getting hit a lot to that point in the game.

According to Captain JJ, it was the kickers on both teams that were the stars tonight, and there was a case for that with Brookbridge; but I wouldn't have said that for our team. Brookbridge had five field goals to go along with their two touchdowns; but Jason only managed one field goal and the four extra points on the touchdowns to help us to the thirty-one to twenty-nine victory. Yes, he was still to scorer for our team with seven points, but he never seems to notice that the rest of his team gets him into position for both field goals and those extra points; and I think that it was our defensive efforts on both sides of the ball that made the difference for us. Reid's trick play touchdown was timely too; if only because it made Brookbridge take a bit of the pressure off of Ray for the rest of the game while also getting back seven points that we'd given up to Jenny's soon-to-be new boyfriend.

Since that's pretty much guaranteed to happen, let's put a name to the guy! Peter Gallagher is, as I've already mentioned, he's a senior at Brookbridge and one of the best players on his football team. He's also tall, easy on the eyes, and exactly the kind of guy that Jenny loves. I won't hold his football success against him because his touchdowns didn't come from beating Michael or Tim tonight, and when he was matched up with one of them; they mostly battled to a draw. Michael and Tim didn't beat him for any touchdowns either when he was playing defense; so they were fairly evenly matched. I'd suggest that we can see how that goes next season when Michael and Tim are taller, but Peter will be done high school this year; so that won't happen.

We did get to hang out with him for a while after the game when Jenny introduced us to him – and then while we were all at the teen dance at the festival once we were finished at the school; and I expect we'll see him fairly regularly in the coming weeks because he seems to be as interested in Jenny as she is in him. I'm skipping the cheerleading report and moving along; but only because I really don't have anything major to report beyond Jenny's cheering for Peter. The rest of our cheerleading and the half-time routine were great; but not particularly newsworthy.

I can pretty much say the same thing for the dance; though that's mostly because I was getting really tired by then and it was getting a lot colder out. We pretty much had to attend because it's expected of the football team when we have a home game on the festival weekends, but to be honest; I'd have rather come home after the game and enjoyed some make-out time with Michael instead. We still managed to have fun anyway, and I liked hanging out with our friends and going dancing with Michael; but then I was also ready to go when we decided to leave at midnight.

That choice was partly motivated by Michael's work schedule on Saturday. He's working the breakfast and dinner shifts so that he can have most of the daytime hours off to spend at the festival with me; but that also meant that we didn't go home to have any major make-out time. I did stop at his house for a long goodnight hug and kisses; but then I was home by twelve-thirty. Everyone was already sleeping, but I stopped in for some goodnight kisses with Ethan and Ehlana – and with Zack and Brianna when I found out that they were staying overnight too. I hadn't known that in advance, so it was a nice surprise; and I'm sure that Aunt Leanne appreciated the kid-free night birthday gift.

I came up to my room from there; got ready for bed; and have been working on my computer since then. While I didn't make any plans to study or do family business work, I did have some work to deal with from my email inbox; and I did a check of Hathorne Industries too before getting around to this journal update. There isn't anything to report from the work; and all is fairly quiet at Hathorne Industries for a change – at least when it comes to anything that we can make a difference for through our family business.

That pretty much covers the main news for the day, and I've got another very busy family and friends play day ahead of me tomorrow; so that's all for day one of the fall festival. Let's hope that the rest of the weekend will be as much fun! You'll be able to flip a digital page to find out, but I still have to live it; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, October 17, 2015

We're having a babysitting sleepover, a babysitting sleepover, a babysitting sleepover!

Yes, I have watched too many Sofia the First episodes with my brother, sister, cousins, and their friends; though we didn't actually watch that 'royal sleepover' episode tonight because the kids wanted to watch Halloween shows. The 'ghostly gala' episode was one of the picks; but that song didn't work as well for my opening line. ;^)

The babysitting wasn't totally last minute, but the plan started small this morning and grew larger as the day went along. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I ended up with the twins, Zack and Brianna, Naomi and Eli, Aiden and Hailey, Sophia, and Leah for the night while our parents went out to play at the fall festival country dance tonight. We did some babysitting earlier in the afternoon and evening at the festival too; but that was more along the lines of helping out with kid control so that the adults in the family could have some fun that wasn't restricted to puppet shows and kiddie rides.

I should back up to the start of the day and go from there; or I'll just end up jumping around while trying to cover all of the news.

Michael was working at the Inn this morning, so he missed Tai Chi by the river. Brianna was up by then, though, so Mom won the non-contest and skipped Tai Chi too – though she and Brianna did watch some of our work-out from the sunroom while having a warm bottle and cup of coffee respectively. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne didn't sleep in as long as they could have; and they came over to have breakfast with us – getting here shortly before Mom and Dad had the food ready to go. That was a fun hour or so of food and entertainment while we exchanged stories from Friday. I'm sure that Mom and Aunt Leanne had other stories to share later; but the kid-rated version just had my aunt and uncle going to bed shortly after getting home from dropping Zack and Brianna off at our house and then doing nothing at all until morning.

Their smiles told a different story; but let's not go there.

I was on the clean-up crew after breakfast; we took our time getting ready for the day; and eventually bundled up and headed for the park and a day at the festival. We started out with a walk through all of the exhibit tents; Michael met up with us while we were doing that; and then we picked up hot drinks and went to watch part of the talent show that was going on in the main pavilion. By then, it was warming up a bit, so going on some rides was an option – and something that the kids really wanted to do by then – even after already having a day of rides and games on Friday.

To be honest, I wasn't as fired up about the thrill rides today compared to past years. Michael and I had fun going on the rides today; but I honestly had more fun hanging out with the younger kids; and my parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. That likely has more to do with not having as much play time to spend with them lately than any change in my feelings about thrill rides, but that could be changing too; so I'll keep you posted on that during future festivals and amusement park visits.

The important news from our play day today was that we had fun together; and it'll be worth the make-up work we'll need to do next weekend around the house and yard for taking this weekend off. We had lunch and dinner at the park again today, and while Michael wasn't able to have dinner with me while he worked at the Inn instead; Rowen and Tim stepped in to help me out with the kids – and traded that help for some free food. The boys were especially happy to have Tim to hang out with; and he helped them out with some prize upgrades too when we went to play some games after eating and before doing a last round of rides before coming home.

The parents were mostly with us for all of that, and Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne came home with us to help get the kids settled in for the night; but then that was mostly so that Aunt Leanne could nurse Brianna before going back to the park for the dance. By the time they left again, Michael had come over from the Inn; and he'd been set free a bit early so that he could do that instead of staying until the Inn closed for the night. Rowen and Tim had the lounge set up by then for our Halloween shows and movie mini-marathon; and we were soon immersed in some favorite Halloween animations while also having some fairly entertaining cuddle time.

Cuddling wasn't for everyone in our group. Zack and Eli, for instance, were more interested in watching the shows while playing with some of Ethan's toys and iPad, but the teens in the room were all for cuddling; and Michael and I had Brianna and Leah to cuddle with while Rowen and Tim got Hailey and Sophia for parts of the shows – until the girls started to fall asleep and we took them off to bed. As always, Naomi's cuddling with Ethan was adorable, and while Aiden is much shyer when it comes to Ehlana; they still sat close together and semi-cuddled under a blanket while propped up against the sofa in front of Michael, our cuddle buddies, and me.

Rowen and I took turns getting sleeping kids into beds over the next few hours. Ehlana and Sophia were the last two kids still awake when we wrapped up our last 'kid' show for the night; and I helped them get to bed while Rowen carried Naomi down to Ehlana's room and Tim and Michael took Aiden and Ethan to Ethan's room. After that, it was teen couple cuddle time; we watched the end of a college football game and the follow-up recap of the games of the day; and then put on a Halloween movie that we didn't really watch while chatting and cuddling until Mom and Dad got home from the dance.

We had a short chat with them before they went to bed; Rowen and Tim stayed in the lounge while Michael and I went to wash the snack and drink dishes in the kitchen and have time to say goodnight to each other without our best friends around for company. I was tempted to keep Michael for a sofa sleepover, but by the time we returned to the lounge, Rowen and Tim were both sleeping – or doing a good-enough job of pretending to earn the room for the night. I tossed a blanket over them; walked Michael to his room; and spent some time saying goodnight to him again in a non-verbal sort of way before we heard Brianna wake up; and I needed to go and take care of her.

Mom was still awake then, and came to check in on Brianna too; but all she'd wanted was a diaper change, a bottle, and a bit of cuddling; so she let me take care of that and went back to bed. Once I had Brianna tucked in again, I came up to my room and got ready for bed. I was still tempted to go back to Michael's room and cuddle with him for the rest of the night, but I climbed into bed with Mandy instead; checked my email; and ended up doing nearly an hour of family business work and email replies before getting to this journal update.

There's still one more day to go for the festival, but I'll be helping out at the Inn for the buffet shift; and won't spend much time at the park. Sunday is going to be the nicest weather day of the weekend, so maybe I should do more there; but Jacob and Miranda will need the help more – especially for the late buffet that will have a lot of festival volunteers and workers coming to the Inn to celebrate what's been a very successful weekend for them. Mom and Dad are going to need a lot of help in the morning too; so I need to wrap this up and get some sleep. It's been another one of those really great days; and I feel so blessed tonight to have such a great family and group of friends to share these fun days with.

The good news is that every day is pretty good with my family, and I need to get at least some sleep to be ready for our adventures that will continue again in a few hours; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, October 18, 2015

It's been a long day; I've stayed up too late with my studies and work; and I need to keep this short because I'm really only going to have time for a short nap before getting up to see Dad off on his trip to the city. Grandma and Grandpa are heading for Arizona in the morning too, and I want to have time to stop in and see them on the way to school; so I might not have time for a second nap after Dad leaves.

Tai Chi by the river was fun; breakfast at home with a gang of kids, Michael, Tim, and Rowen was a crazy-busy blast of entertainment and non-stop action; and our partially teen-led service at church was good too – even if it could only come in second to the morning adventures with my parents, friends, and all of the younger kids. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I all needed to be at the church a bit earlier than everyone else, so we didn't help with kid control for getting everyone there; but we also stayed until Mom and Dad had some of my aunts and uncles there to help out with that before walking to the church and getting ready for our parts in the service – whether that was music for Michael and me; or the skit and scripture readings that Tim and Rowen were helping with. While we had a lot of fun during the service, it also went a bit long, so Michael needed to get to the Inn as soon as we finished packing up his guitar and the rest of the usual praise team gear. I walked him there; sent him off to work with hugs and kisses before heading home to get changed for a play afternoon at the festival; and then pitched in to help out with making lunch.

My plans for the afternoon weren't really changed all that much, since I had planned on playing with Ethan and Ehlana before going to the Inn to help out with the buffet shift; but I hadn't been thinking about Dad's week in the city – or the fact that he needed to work in the office all day today to get ready for the trip. That's why I was drafted to babysit for as long as I could this afternoon; and I took the twins, Naomi, and Aiden to the park while Mom and Dad stayed home and worked.

I'm getting a bit ahead of the story, since I've skipped over the small family lunch that Mom had needed my help with cooking up for everyone. Grandma and Grandpa, the Carringtons, and the Everetts all attended; and it was about as busy and entertaining as breakfast had been – except with fewer kids at the table. The lunchtime conversation was a bit more advanced too; though Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne apparently didn't do anything fun at all with their second kid-free night of the weekend. We did talk about the dance last night, the festival, and Grandma and Grandpa's trip to Arizona; but stayed away from talk about school or work.

The temperature this afternoon hovered around seventy, so it was nearly-perfect weather for a play afternoon on the rides at the festival. With four kids to take care of, I didn't go on any thrill rides; but I still had a blast going on all of the kiddie rides with the twins, Naomi, and Aiden. They weren't bored with the rides or anything, and thanks to the pay-one-price wristbands; they could go on the rides over and over again. That did at least make it easy to keep them entertained, and I did have some help with them from Michael while he was on his afternoon break; and from Rowen, Tim, and some other friends while they met up with us and hung out for a ride or two here and there.

Michael and I both needed to be at the Inn in good time to help out with the buffet prep work, so we dropped the four kids off at my house; I freshened up and changed; and then we went to the Inn and got to work. I'm not going to say that was all fun and entertainment, because we worked hard to keep up with a packed Inn and what was probably closer to two and a half turnovers of the dining room by the time the last groups of diners had been fed; but Michael and I did still have as much fun as we could around all of the work.

For me, one of the entertainment highlights was Jenny's new boyfriend stories. She'd been a bit unhappy about the buffet shift messing up her afternoon fun with Peter, but then she'd also spent most of Saturday with him too; so they probably spent more time together than Michael and I did this weekend. Calling Jenny and Peter a couple already might be a bit premature, but she's the one referring to him as her boyfriend already; so I'm just going with the flow on that. It is fun seeing Jenny when she's happily falling for a new guy; and all of the teen girls working in the kitchen were kept entertained with her weekend recap. Some of the details were too hot for open conversation, but Jenny did whisper a few things to Rebecca and me that were definitely too much information for me. I'm not going to go there, but I will add that Jenny is more adventurous than I am; and leave it at that.

While I was busy working, I missed out on the family buffet dinner at the Inn, and this time; I didn't even go out to the dining room for a visit with them because they came to the early buffet; and I was too busy to take a break then. Grandpa needed to enjoy one last buffet before leaving for Arizona, and Dad was happy to spend the time with everyone before going to Crystal Springs for the week; but then they also helped Jacob and Miranda out by making it a quick meal and then moving on to make room for more customers. That worked out for Dad too, since he'd needed to get back to work anyway, and while he did that; Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana went to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house for a couple of hours to spend that time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I worked until close; walked home with Michael, Rebecca, and their parents; and shared a quick round of goodnight hugs and kisses before continuing on to my house. Mom and Dad were working in the office, and Ethan and Ehlana were studying, so Mom did my Magi lesson with me; and then I took care of getting my brother and sister into bed on my way up to my room. Compared to the rest of the day, the bedtime computing, studying, and family business work wasn't newsworthy at all – even if the family business work was more important when it comes to what I actually accomplished.

My contributions to the family business are really important, and I'm proud of what I'm doing; so don't think that it isn't important to me just because I don't write about every detail in this journal. All of that data is available elsewhere in the archives; and the reason I write more about things like helping out at the Inn is simply because that work is more personal. Spending time with Michael, his family, and our friends is always going to be more important to me – even when all we're doing is working really, really hard.

That is all of the news for today, and all of the fun and work has me worn out now; so it's time to get started on that nap. We have another busy week ahead that will be even busier with Dad away in the city, but since I'm tired and you can just read ahead anyway; I'll just skip the usual look at the week ahead part of most of my Sunday night updates. The fun is going to continue as we head toward Halloween, and I don't want to sleep through any of it; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Happy 18th Birthday, Chris!

We sent a gift, and I hope he's had a good day; but my cousin's birthday didn't involve me in any way. It's his first as a collegian, though, so I'll guess that he's had an interesting day with his new college friends.

Here at home, I was up early to see Dad off to the city; had a second micro-nap with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana once he was on the road; and then we got up and going on our own day. Tai Chi, breakfast in the sunroom, and my usual school day morning routine was only slightly rushed to give me time to walk over to Grandma and Grandpa's house so that I could say goodbye to them. They were up, had the minivan packed, and were nearly ready to leave for the airport by then; so we had a nice little visit before I continued on to school and they got ready to make a couple of stops to say goodbye to the rest of their grandkids on their way out of town.

My school day was fairly uneventful; cheerleading practice was great because we had the temperature around eighty by then; and Michael came home with me for dinner tonight so that we could help Mom with Ethan and Ehlana. Mom had dinner nearly ready by the time we got there after our practices; we ate at the table in the sunroom, and once we'd finished the clean-up; Michael and I did our homework and had a music practice in my room and the lounge while Mom did some work in the office. Ethan and Ehlana were with us for that and some follow-up play time; Mom did a Magi lesson with Michael and me at nine; we took care of getting the twins into bed for the night after that; and then Michael and I wrapped up our evening with a minor make-out session in the lounge before he went home.

I still had all of my bedtime studies and family business work to do after that, but didn't want to stay up half the night to do it; so I used a time phase to blast through all of it and still be able to get to this update before midnight. Using a time-phase after a long day and not much sleep over the past few days has worn me out; so I'm really going to need that extra sleep.

Mom's decided to go to the city for a five-star sleepover with Dad tomorrow too, and while Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne are going to take care of Ethan and Ehlana while I'm busy with school and my usual three practices; the three of us will be staying overnight with them. Yes, we could have stayed here, but Aunt Leanne apparently believes that we're way overdue for a sleepover at her house, and the twins want to do that too; so my next update will be coming to you live from the Carrington's house tomorrow night.

Right now, 'live' would not be how I'd describe myself, and I'm past-ready for the sleeping part of my day; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

I fell asleep last night while doing my studying and work – and after getting all of that started too late because of everything else I had on the go yesterday. Flip the digital page in your 'now' for the double update that I'll have to wait until tonight to write for you because I need to finish getting ready for school and meet up with Rowen for the walk there.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Let's get this double update started from the beginning – on Tuesday morning!

The weather was beautiful for a fall morning – as it has been for both Tuesday and Wednesday. Tai Chi by the river was awesome; and it may be a while before I won't regularly need to mention how much I love having meals in the sunroom with such an awesome view of our yard and the river. Michael was with us for Tai Chi, but didn't stay for breakfast because he wanted to get to school early for the morning weight training. Though I would have liked to have him stay for breakfast; Ethan, Ehlana, and I still had fun with Mom – and enjoyed the kid-parent time ahead of her trip to the city. Ethan, and Ehlana got to spend a bit more time with her in the morning before getting dropped off at the lab and left with Uncle Adam when Mom was ready to head for Crystal Springs; but I had to say goodbye to her when I left for school with Rowen.

My day got busy after that with a normal school day; cheerleading practice at lunchtime; and band practice after school. Cheerleading practice was again a lot of fun thanks to the awesome weather; and band practice has kicked up a few notches as we get ready for helping out with the entertainment at the Haunted Halloween Walk and the Seniors' Halloween party we'll do at the church fellowship hall. Rowen and I met up with Michael and Tim after our practices; and I went home with Michael to have dinner there before moving on to our teen praise team practice.

With our festival weekend service out of the way, we started working on music for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It seemed strange to do that when we aren't past Halloween yet, but there's always a lot of music and extra work to do to get ready for all of the services; so getting a head start on that is a really good idea. Since we do have a bit of time, though; we didn't work on all of the music that Stacey gave us tonight; and had a fairly easy practice that ended early.

I went home with Michael again so that we could do our homework; have a music practice that was mostly for band; and wrap up our evening with just a bit of make-out time before I headed over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house. Ethan and Ehlana were still up when I arrived, but Zack and Brianna were sleeping. We had a nice visit; I helped with getting the twins into bed; and then Aunt Leanne and I had a fun little girl chat in my room for the night that lasted until Brianna woke up and wanted her next feeding – and the one that is now normally the last one she has before morning. I stayed with Aunt Leanne for that; took care of the diaper change; and then I cuddled with Brianna and sang to her until she fell asleep while Aunt Leanne went to bed.

That's why I got such a late start to my bedtime studying and computing; and you already know from the last update that I fell asleep before getting everything done. I was still up in time for Tai Chi by the river, and Ethan, Ehlana, and I not only had Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne with us for that workout; we had Naomi too. Liz had let her run across the back yards to join us; and I'm sure that Naomi had planned to get up early to do that with us on one of the rare chances she has when not at our house for a sleepover anyway.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne went all-out for us this morning; and we practically had a breakfast feast. That was too much for me to have ahead of my morning classes, but that didn't keep me from enjoying the meal; and dealing with the consequences of eating too much for the first couple of hours of school.

I managed to get through the day; enjoyed every moment that I could when I was outdoors. With afternoon temperatures again in the mid-eighties; even our teachers wanted to be outside as much as possible – even if all we did was find someplace to sit while having our lessons taught to us. That didn't happen in every class, but the school grounds were littered with students all day; since nearly every grade had at least some classes outdoors.

Cheerleading practice was good too, though we had a bit of extra work to do today because the forecast for Friday isn't looking great; and we worked on two half-time routines so that we'd be ready for rain or shine. We've been fairly lucky so far this season, so while it won't be fun if it rains all night on Friday; I won't complain too much over one bad-weather game.

It's a work night, so I walked Michael to the Inn after our practices; and then came home. Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana were all there, and since it was nearly dinnertime by then; we traded stories; I helped Mom with the last bits of work to get our meal ready; and then we had dinner out in the sunroom. I took care of the clean-up; and then it was time for me to get to work in the office. Mom was already working there by then, and Ethan and Ehlana were studying. I started with my family business; used a time phase so that we could all work faster; and we all had our work, studying, and Magi lessons finished by shortly before eleven o'clock – even though I'd had work to catch up on before even getting to my planned work tonight.

Mom and I got the twins tucked in for the night; I came up to my room; and got ready for bed. I did another email check once I was tucked in with Mandy; and then got started on this report. It's been a long couple of days, and while it isn't three or four in the morning now; it feels like it after hours of time-phased work and studying.

There's still quite a bit that I've skipped over for news around here, but I'm ready for some down time; so here's just a micro-news flash for a few of those highlights.

Mom and Dad had dinner with the Malloys last night; she went shopping on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning; and apparently my parents didn't do anything else for the rest of the time she was in Crystal Springs. I guess you'll have to read her journals to get the details that were apparently too hot for the kids to hear about. When Mom came home, she brought the usual fast food fix for Aunt Leanne; and then she spent the afternoon at the lab with the twins. Ethan and Ehlana had spent Wednesday morning with Aunt Leanne, Zack, and Brianna; and they'd mostly played until Mom got home.

Okay, that's all for tonight, and I'm going to crash now and sleep until morning; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, October 22, 2015

It's late, and I have a very long day coming up; so this is going to be a quick update.

First, I've managed to stay awake this late despite being worn out; and I needed to do that because I won't have time to do any work tomorrow night.

Okay, we've had another really nice day despite the fact that they were calling for rain. We're getting some of that now as I write this; but I'm okay with it raining at night pretty much anytime – especially since we don't have any fall camping plans or anything to be rained out. Tai Chi by the river, breakfast in the sunroom, and my school day were all really good. Cheerleading practice was fun too; with the girl chat that was mixed in with the work the highlight of that time with my friends. To be honest, I haven't even really thought about it at all this week, but our school Halloween dance is tomorrow night after the game; and some of the girls had a lot to talk about for the teen drama going on around the dance – including Jenny's own contribution to that cause. She wasn't sure yet whether her new boyfriend would make it to the dance or not after his own football game, but she was hopeful; and considers the challenge a bit of a test for Peter.

That might not be fair for him, but if Mr. Gallagher wants to seriously impress her; he'll make an appearance at the dance – even if he doesn't get to the dance until the very last dance of the night.

After cheerleading practice, Rowen and I had time for a bonus chat while we waited for the boys; we did a bit of our homework; and then I headed to the Inn with Michael in time to join the work already in progress for the small dinner rush. We worked; did our homework while having dinner; worked some more; and then had fun at game night with our families and friends. We didn't win the junior title, but our Moms did; so Miranda was a very happy camper when we headed home at a bit after ten o'clock.

It was time to get back to work then; starting with my Magi lesson with Mom. Ethan and Ehlana did some college studying while we did that; we all headed up to bed after that; and Mom and I spent some time getting my brother and sister tucked in before heading off to our own rooms for the night. I've already mentioned the late work and study thing, and don't have anything particularly interesting to report from any of that; so let's just call it a night and I'll get some sleep.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, October 23, 2015

I am writing this little micro-update while getting changed and ready for what will be a sofa sleepover for Michael and me if I can get away with that last-minute plan. Look for yet another double update tomorrow. It's been a busy day, with a lot going on, but I'm putting some quality time with my boyfriend at the top of my to-do list for the rest of the night; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Happy 16th Birthday, Jenny!

I'll get to Jenny's birthday report in a bit, but let's start out this double update with the personal news that my Michael and me sleepover was a complete success; and then back up to Friday morning and go from there.

It was raining when it was time for Tai Chi on Friday morning, so Michael came over and met me in the sunroom before we went upstairs with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana for our workout. He stayed for a quick breakfast; and then he was off and running to get to the school for his weight training with the guys while I helped with the cleanup and got ready for school. Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana got ready to go for the day too because the twins were spending the morning at KidZone with their friends while Mom did her running around; and then they spent the afternoon at the lab while I was busy at school.

The rain moved on out of the area by late morning, so while things were a bit damp; going outdoors for lunch was an option that at least half of the students picked over staying inside for that break. Our classes weren't particularly newsworthy today, but we did have quite a bit of fun – thanks in part to excitement over the football game and Halloween dance; combined with the talk about weekend plans that included the Haunted Halloween Walk on Saturday night. We didn't have cheerleading or football practices after school, but didn't have all that much time off either; because the players needed to be back at school early for warm-ups and the usual pre-game work and meeting; and I had to be at school not long after Michael did so that I could help out with the set-up for the cheerleader side of the game – along with a bit of bonus help here and there where needed.

Michael and I had time after school to check in with his parents; have a visit with Mom and the twins while having an early dinner for two in the sunroom once we had the food ready. I'll skip the rest of the action between the end of classes for the day and the start of the game; since there really wasn't much newsworthy-enough to write about anyway. Jenny kept us entertained with some sweet-sixteen musings about what her weekend was going to be like with Peter; but most of that chat time would just not be appropriate to include here for the amusement of future, adult Magi readers! ;^)

So now it's time for the Friday night football report. As I mentioned in my micro-update last night, the weather turned out to be really good for the game; and we had a great turnout for our last home game of the regular season. It remains to be seen whether we'll get to have any home games for the playoffs. We played Blossom Creek, and let's start with the good news – we won by a score of thirty-five to twenty-five.

This was a pretty good team-effort win; though there were a few stars deserving special mention – beginning with Tim Landry and Garth Green. Tim scored three really big touchdowns; and Garth Green threw for three touchdowns on trick plays that were additions to the play book especially to try and take advantage of our smallest, but quite talented player. Tim was on the other end of two of those touchdown throws that also still required big runs to the end zone; and Michael had the other one. Lucas added a running touchdown; and Ray and Tim combined for the fifth touchdown – though that one was the second of the game. The trick plays were a big deal for us, but our defense – including our offensive defense – was a big part of our success tonight too. Blossom Creek scored six field goals on us; but only one touchdown. Michael, Tim, Lucas, and Garth all made big defensive plays that kept us from giving up any really bad turnovers; and Blossom Creek proved to be a bit lacking on red-zone offense.

All of that made for a really great game, but there were sideline and spectator entertainments that just added to the fun for me. Our cheerleading squad did a great job; and I think it was one of our best nights of the season. Having quite a big turnout of my own family was good too – especially when that included Dad after he got back from the city. Miranda and Jacob took turns coming to watch parts of the game too; and I'm sure it was just a coincidence that Michael's touchdown came while his Mommy was there to see it. Jacob got to see one of Tim's touchdowns, but Michael was able to give his father a few things to cheer over too – including a pretty good sideline pass interception that he also took a pretty good hit for while earning it; and a twenty-yard, lateral catch and run on that first offensive play.

I won't get into the play-by-play, but the bottom line is that we had a good game; and deserved the win. Captain J.J. took that too far again, and has his usual group of senior players way too over-confident going into what will be a tough last game of the season against one of the best teams in the small-school division. Pinehurst is going to be ready to play; and Michael, Tim, and I don't believe that our seniors and team captain have their heads in that game – at least they aren't there right now.

We have a school Halloween dance report to get to next, though; so let's do that and skip the rest of the football drama.

Okay, we can't entirely do that; since the football team players were all being talked about at the dance, and treated like heroes for winning the game; but Michael tried to stay out of that and just hang out with me – and with the rest of our friends.

The dance was already in full swing by the time we actually got to it, since we'd needed to pack up after the game and then hit the showers to get cleaned up; and that also meant that we didn't have a lot of time to actually dance by the time we also made the rounds and had some chat time fun. I'll add that we didn't stay until the end of the dance, so we could have had more dance time; but it had already been a long day by then and we were both tired. I'll admit that I was already thinking about a sofa sleepover long before then, but I didn't mention it to Michael; and didn't have a problem convincing him that we should leave early and use the rest of our time until curfew to be alone in the lounge instead of playing with our friends. We were there long enough to see Peter get to the dance and make Jenny's day – and presumably get her sixteenth birthday off to a great start from midnight until whenever he went home again.

You already know that I took time to get changed into something more comfortable after getting home; so the only remaining news from last night is that Michael and I had a seriously hot make-out session while not watching a Halloween movie; and then we fell asleep on the sofa and stayed there until the twins gave us our Tai Chi wake-up call in the morning. We had a bit of quiet play time after Ethan and Ehlana left too; but nothing too serious because we did need to get ready for our workout by the river.

It was cloudy and cool, but we were able to exercise by the river; and I was really glad to have Dad back for that. Michael stayed for breakfast in the sunroom; and then he headed home to get started on the yard chores that were on his to-do list for the morning before he'd need to go to the Inn to help out with the lunch rush. Mom, Dad, Ethan, and I were all on fall clean-up duty at our house for the day, and while it was a lot of work; the lawn tractor with the vacuum made the leaf clean-up so much easier. The top fun of the day was setting up the Halloween decorations; and Ethan and Ehlana had a blast helping me out with that. We took it easy this year on the display; mostly because Mom, Dad, and I are even busier this year than last; and we didn't want to have a major clean-up to deal with after the holiday. They yard and house still looks great, though; and my brother and sister are very proud of what we put together.

There was one big change for me over previous Haunted Halloween Walks, and that was my own involvement in the festivities this year with the band. Michael was working the dinner shift, and Rowen was helping out at the computer store until it closed; so I'd offered to help out with the set-up for our little mini-concert; and went to the school to meet up with the other volunteers after having an early dinner on my own while Mom and Dad were finishing up a bit of work around the house. I took my saxophone along with me; we hauled chairs and music stands from the school to the little stage on Witch Falls Road that all of the music acts used for the evening. We had a couple of trucks available to load and unload, but we still walked back and forth; and did two trips before we had everything we needed. The Haunted Walk was still more than an hour away from starting by the time we were ready, and Rowen and Tim had joined me by then after having dinner with their own families after the stores closed for the night; so we wandered around and checked out the booths that lined both sides of the street. Most were either still being set up; or the volunteers were busy with cooking food or treats; but we did buy a few things – including a trio of souvenir cups filled with hot chocolate that Rowen and I thought were a cute addition to the usual booth offerings.

Michael only caught up with us in time for the band warm-up, and while Tim stayed with us while we did that; he moved on to hang out with some other friends when it was time for us to start playing. We were the lead-off music act; and we played Halloween-themed music for an hour. The song selection ranged from oldies that the grandparents loved to new Disney songs that the kids and tweens enjoyed. Singing along and dancing were possible, since we had an area of the road the width of the stage available for doing that; though it started to get more crowded as more people arrived in town and wandered around while waiting for their turn to go on the walk.

Playing our first gig of the school year with the band was great, and I especially loved doing that with Michael; since he hadn't been to any practices yet because of football. That wasn't a problem because he is such a talented musician; and because we do practice together and on our own when we can. We had to clear the stage quickly, and Michael and I helped out with getting everything back to the school because there weren't many volunteers for that; and then we met up with my family to go on the walk together. That included Mom, Dad, and the twins; their best friends and some or all of their families; and the Carringtons. We did not draw Miranda this year for our guide, but still had a blast; and it is nice to get the slightly-different narrator delivery of the stories – even though Miranda is still the very best at the job!

We had a wonderful time going on the walk; and the stories haven't even slightly lost their spooky charm for me. There's also always something new to see; particularly because the little skits vary with nearly every showing by just a bit – and from year-to-year too. That's partly due to a bit of improv that's allowed to earn a bit more audience participation here and there; and partially because the actor mix changes – even if the core group of actors play their roles for years; if not decades. After we finished with that, we had some play time at the few game booths; picked up some more treats and souvenirs; and then Michael and I needed to head for Jenny's house and the sweet sixteen birthday party that her parents were hosting for her.

Rowen, Tim, Rebecca, and Lucas were all going to the party too, and we kept an eye out for them; but didn't meet up with them along the way; and we were the first to get to the Warren's house. I mean that to include ahead of all of the teen invitees; and Jenny's mother happily drafted us to help out with the bits of last-minute work she was doing to get ready for the mini-party. With a busy Saturday for the stores in town and the Haunted Halloween Walk, doing a major party for Jenny hadn't really been an option, but since it was her sixteenth; Emily and Jessie did the best they could to make it special for Jenny. I was glad that Michael and I could help with that – even if it was just a little bit.

When Jenny eventually arrived and had Peter with her; I didn't need to ask to know that he'd done way more than a little bit to make her day special; so he earned major bonus points with me for that. I had already learned from Emily that Peter had come to town shortly after lunch and had been spending the day with Jenny – including taking her to the Inn for dinner while her parents were busy with the store and volunteering to help with the walk set-up. Once we had a chance at some girl chat time, Jenny was happy to tell Rebecca, Rowen, and me about a few other happy birthday details, and in addition to the dinner and time spent with her; Peter also gave her a really nice jewelry gift that I'd rate as fairly high for such a new romance. I liked that too, but to be honest; Peter's major bonus points tonight came because he made a real effort to get to know Jenny's friends. I won't write ill about any specific ex-boyfriends; but I'm sure that some of my previous journal reports have mentioned that hasn't always happened in the past for Jenny.

Emily and Jessie had invited both family and friends to stop by to celebrate with Jenny; so there was a steady stream of well-wishers. Most of the adults and kids only stopped by after they were finished with the Halloween walk – or waiting for later time slots; while most of the football players and all of the cheerleaders stayed for at least an hour or two. Michael and I stayed until midnight; but then we headed home because we were both tired out by then.

'Home' meant our respective houses, and while Michael walked me home, we shared a fairly short goodnight hug and kisses; and then he went home while I came inside and went up to bed. After spending no time on my computer last night, I had some work and email to deal with; so I've been doing that for a couple of hours now while winding down from all of the fun and work today. I'm going to have a busy and long day tomorrow too because I'm booked to help out at the Inn for both the lunch and buffet shifts; and have a lot of work to do on my computer tomorrow night; so it's time to wrap this up and head off to sleep. It's been another really great day, and I always feel blessed to be able to have so much fun with my family and friends. That work tomorrow won't be as much fun, but I'll be doing that with some of the people I love most; and that's a blessing too.

I can say the same thing about sleep right now too, and I'm seriously ready for that down time right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Tai Chi by the river was chilly this morning. Breakfast at Michael's was great; and church and Sunday school rounded out a really good morning. I worked pretty much all of the time after that, starting at the Inn; and ending just moments ago when I wrapped up the last of my family business work before moving on to this update. The Inn was packed for lunch and both dinner buffets, and Michael and I spent our break time doing our weekend homework; so I really do feel as though I've worked non-stop without any real breaks.

While I was busy at the Inn, I missed an office work afternoon at home for Mom and Dad; and Ethan and Ehlana got to spend the day playing with Naomi and Aiden instead of being stuck indoors all day. Dad had a lot to get done for work next week after being in the city last week; and Mom always has more work that she can be doing. I can relate to that; but I got a lot done tonight too – including wrapping up my current language study time so that I can take the week off from that; and be ready for the language I'll be studying in November and December.

I stayed until the Inn closed for the night; walked home with Michael and his parents because Rebecca had been set free early after being up late with Jenny on Saturday night. Okay, she had a bit of alone time with Lucas too before he headed home, but since they get even fewer chances for that than Michael and I do; I'm just happy for her – and was good with staying and helping so that she could go home a bit early. I did the goodnight hugs and kisses with Michael at his house; came home to mine; and did my Magi lesson with Mom while Ethan and Ehlana wrapped up their college studies for the evening. I had some chat time with each of them after that while tucking them in for the night; and then it was time to get changed, in bed, and working on my computer.

That was too many hours ago; I'm beat; and it's time to get some rest now. We could take a look at the week ahead too, but Halloween is next week; so we don't really need to go there when it'll feel like nearly everything we're doing will be holiday-themed.

Oh wait, I do have a bit of news on that. Ehlana and Naomi are going to be 'Shimmer and Shine' this year – the new Disney Genies on the block that are very popular with the kids around here – and everywhere else. Ethan and Aiden didn't want to be left out on that, and while I'm not sure how well it'll work out for them; they're going to dress-up as Shimmer and Shine's magic carpet – or maybe carpets. They're still working on that with the Moms. One way or the other, they're sure to be an adorable quartet!

That also reminds me that Michael and I are past-due to get our costumes worked out for next weekend; so we'll need to get that done over the next couple of days. We should have dressed up for the dance on Friday and didn't; but we'll definitely want to do something for the party at school on Friday – even if we don't do anything on Saturday.

Okay, it really is time to crash now, so that's it for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, October 26, 2015

We had a cooler morning for our Tai Chi by the river, but we are getting deeper into the fall now; so every day we can exercise outdoors is a bonus now. A warm breakfast in the sunroom took care of the chill we were feeling by the time we were inside again; and then I was off and running again to help with the clean-up, get ready for school, and meet up with Rowen at her house for the walk there.

Halloween and football are the top chat topics at school; and most of our lessons today were themed appropriately for the occasion. The younger kids love that more than the teens do; but we have fun too and it is really great to see all of the displays around the school filled with crafts and projects that make the place look so festive. The actual lessons weren't newsworthy at all for me; so let's skip that and move on to a couple of highlights of the day.

For Jenny, that was passing her driver's test, and while some of the guys razzed her about it; I'm sure she'll be a decent-enough driver – and not require advance warning so that everyone else can get off the road and out of her way. I'm sure that you can guess why she's so fired up about her new freedom. Now she can go and visit Peter too instead of relying on him to do all of the driving. I foresee many trips to Brookbridge for Jenny; and don't need to crank up the Sight to do that.

The other news bits are related – football and cheerleading. I didn't mention this with the last football report, but our team is all but certain to make the playoffs regardless of what happens on Friday against Pinehurst. Tim doesn't think that's a problem for our team, but he is sure that his Captain and the other senior players have temporarily lost their minds. We've lost the only two games we've had so far this season against other, serious playoff contenders. Pinehurst will be the third; yet the older guys are practicing as though it's no big deal. Coach is doing his best, but he probably won't have much luck dealing with the over-confidence that Jason is leading too many of the guys into believing.

Our cheerleading squad doesn't technically have to worry about winning or losing our unofficial and unofficial cheer competition with the Pinehurst squad, but we do want to do well at our last regular season game; so we practiced very hard today – and finished up at nearly the same time as the boys. Jenny's shiny new license was a top story during our practice too; along with a fair bit of talk about plans for the Halloween weekend.

Speaking of that, Michael, Rowen, Tim, and I don't have much actual free time available for making our costumes; so we're going to dress up as the Scooby gang. There's a new Scooby-Doo cartoon series out this fall, so the kids will recognize us; and wont' take long to throw together. Michael and I are going to be Fred and Daphne while Rowen and Tim will be Velma and Shaggy. Tim wants to be Shaggy; and Rowen's okay with being Velma – mostly as a joke on her younger years when she was a self-admitted, shy bookworm. The easy costumes was the main factor in our choice, and our only prop will be a stuffed Scooby-Doo that Tim is taking care of 'borrowing' for us; but suspiciously can't reveal the source without putting us in extreme danger.

Let's just pretend that he's getting into character or something and leave it alone.

After we were finished our practices, Michael came home with me; we had dinner in the sunroom with Mom, Dad, and the twins; stayed in the sunroom to do our homework; and then Michael stayed for his first family business meeting. Grandma and Grandpa are away, but Miranda came to the meeting too; along with the rest of the usual gang. Having Michael and Miranda there meant that we couldn't talk about everything we might normally include for the future plans side of things; but we just took care of that after Miranda and Michael went home.

I'm not going to cover every detail; but here's a few highlights on the night – including a couple that were in that short meeting extension.

The new bridge is coming along a bit ahead of schedule thanks to less rain than usual around here in the fall, and barring any major problems; it's easily on-track to open by the Memorial Day holiday next May. To go along with that, a mini-plan for a pair of paths between the old and new section of town are going ahead for spring too; along with that section of the pathway that we eventually want to have built around the entire town and tied into the park paths. One of them is going to be on the south-side lot line of the Emersons and Seagers houses, and while Aunt Leanne will co-ordinate negotiating that little land buy for the town – and us; I'm sure it won't be a problem. The other one will be south of Witch Falls Road somewhere so that everyone on that side of town will have access to the path that'll make for a quicker walk or bike ride over to the new section of town – and over to the lab and med center too once the bridge opens.

In other news, the Solar-Wind farm is doing even better than hoped; and producing enough extra power right now that we might even be able to cut the power bill prices to the customers in town – and maybe in the entire Ridge River district. Sure, our little investment there still needs to make a profit for the investors that most don't even know are from here in town; but we'll still do what we can to help our neighbors and friends anyway we can. Construction in the new section of town will be entirely indoors for the winter soon; and that's a particularly big deal at the church this week because they're building the construction zone wall in the sanctuary that will stay up for most of the winter while the dividing wall between the sanctuary and the section of the addition that will expand the sanctuary by more than half is torn down and the work is continued on the addition. It'll be months still before they'll be ready to start the remodel that'll make it one big sanctuary; but it is starting to get exciting for everyone now – instead of just the Pastors and everyone else directly involved in the project.

Miranda gave us an update on the construction at the Inn, and now that Ayres' Haberdashery is in the new store; work on the main floor has started in the old store. The new kitchen will be there, along with a dining room that can be divided into two rooms and used for private parties or events. The plans are still fairly flexible at this point, but whenever the new kitchen and dining rooms are ready to go, they'll decide how to make the move so that the old kitchen, dining room, and entrance can be turned into one big dining room with room for around five hundred.

Why is the thought of that having me glad that Michael and I will be heading off to college a year or so after the new and improved Inn is going to be open for business? I'm just half-kidding about that, Miranda! ;^)

On the town business front, the only current news I have is that there will be no new businesses opening this fall. There will be others opening in time for Memorial Day; but we didn't talk about any of that tonight. We did talk about one future plan after Michael and Miranda left that I'll be leading the nudges for because it's about the future for two of my friends. Let's not get into too many details for that right now, but my new job is to talk with Rebecca and Jenny about our home town and fast food. They both really wish we had that as an option here; and I need to get them thinking about fixing that little problem themselves when they grow up. I know that sounds scary, but they are in Grade Eleven; and it really won't be long before they have to start thinking about what they want to take in college – and then do with their lives after that. I'll keep you posted on how that goes, but I can tell you that I really don't expect the need for very many nudges on this one. Rebecca's been wondering for a while how she'd fit into the new plans at the Inn with her parents, Jake, and Stephanie running the place. Jenny has the same problem with her father and brother for the fix-it shop; though she's not interested in that kind of job anyway – and laughs anytime someone suggests she could be a teacher like her mother.

For the record, I'm almost positive that Ethan and Ehlana aren't mixing up wishful thinking for their teen years with our use of the Sight on this one; but they will be happy if this little bit of our future plans work out.

By the time all of our guests left for the night, it was closing in on eleven o'clock. Mom still did a short Magi lesson with me before we helped to get Ethan and Ehlana tucked in for the night; and then I came up to my room and got to work – once I was changed and in bed with Mandy. Having the language studying done until after Halloween helped a bit, but I still had a lot to do; and that's why it's well-past two and I'm just ready to wrap up my day now. Tomorrow won't be any better for that, and I don't have any major news from my work; so I'm going to finish this update too and head off to sleep.

It's been fun around here today even with all of the work, and the momentum for fun around here is going to pick up speed again every day between now and Saturday; so I'm out of here and off to dreamland.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

It's rained on and off all day around here; that made for a mostly-indoor day; and this is going to be a short update because I'm exhausted.

Tai Chi and breakfast were indoors; so was a fairly uneventful school day; and when I wasn't studying or working, I was busy with Cheerleading, band, and teen praise team practices. I was at Michael's for dinner; we didn't get around to our homework until after we got back from the church; and we blasted through a music practice that was mostly for the seniors' Halloween party on Thursday afternoon.

We made a bit of time for a very minor make-out session; had a visit with his parents and Rebecca before I went home; and then it was time for my Magi lesson. That took until a bit after eleven, I took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana into bed while Mom and Dad both continued to work in the office; and then I came up to my room to get changed and in bed with Mandy and my computer. It's been all work and archive studying since then; and less fun as the hours have passed and I've gotten worn down.

That's why I'm very glad that tomorrow is our part-time job work day so that I can hopefully get all of this late-night work and studying out of the way early – and get to bed in decent time too. I'll need that down time too with everything we have on the go from Thursday to Sunday, and while I don't have time for much more than a nap now; I'm ready for that too. We only have four more sleeps to Halloween, and I'm not planning on going as a Zombie; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

It's still early as I write this, thanks to some quality time phasing to get all of my work done tonight. I even time phased my soak in the Jacuzzi; and plan on heading off to dreamland as soon as I'm finished with the news of the day.

Tai Chi was by the river and chilly; breakfast was warmer in the sunroom; and my day at school was busy. Except for having dinner and helping with the clean-up; it's been all work and studying tonight – and Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and I got a lot done while in my time phase. That works for me because I'll likely be able to take it a bit easier tomorrow night; and take the weekend off.

That little blurb doesn't come close to covering everything that's gone on today, but all I want right now is a good night of sleep; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Happy 4th Birthday, Aiden!

Ethan, Ehlana, and Naomi have spent most of the day with Aiden, and Ethan's staying for a sleepover with Aiden; so I'm sure that they've all had a lot of fun today. Ehlana has Naomi here with her while Ethan's away, so Mom and Dad didn't get a kid-free night out of the deal; though I'd have been okay with a sleepover at Michael's tonight if they'd needed me to take one for the team! ;^)

We've definitely had a fall weather day around here; starting with near-freezing temperatures for our Tai Chi by the river. It wasn't raining or snowing, though, and we decided to bundle up and go out to exercise anyway because we're just not ready to take our Tai Chi show indoors yet. Having Mom decide that we needed a hot breakfast again was a nice bonus; but Ethan, Ehlana, and I won't count on that working every time. Michael didn't stay for breakfast, but that was mostly because he wanted the extra time to get ready for school ahead of his morning weight training. He needed to get his guitar and saxophone ready for the seniors' Halloween party; and hadn't gotten around to doing that last night before going to bed.

With that party to help with all afternoon, our school day was fairly short – especially when we needed to go over to the church in the morning to do the set-up for the band instead of leaving it until later. Tim helped out with that, and half-wished that he was in the band too so that he could have taken the afternoon off with Rowen, Michael, and me; but not enough to do the extra practicing that Michael does to learn all of the music while not being able to practice with us during football season.

That, by the way, will change soon enough. I won't go into the boring details, but all of the background prep work is still going on for our plans to have a marching band that'll go to play at Disney in Florida. I'll guess that every teen and tween that'll be eligible to go will want to join that band in some capacity just to be on that trip. I'll keep you posted on that, but the real work will begin in the spring – including actually starting band practices and the major fundraising that'll be needed to pay for the big trip – and any other parades and football games we'll do to get ready for the main event.

Getting back to the news from today, with everything else we had on the go, our classroom time was more like a couple of breaks in the morning; we had a quick lunch; and then everyone in the band got together in the music room before heading over to the church. We used one of the Sunday school rooms for a warm-up – for those of us who could do that without hauling major equipment around; and then it was time to entertain our audience for a couple of hours. All of our music was either Halloween themed or dance tunes from decades-past; and I really loved getting to play for some of our collective grandparents and their friends. Michael and I got in trouble for making too many of the old ladies cry with our duet, but in this case, it was for the right reasons; so we were okay with getting teased about that. I'm fairly sure that we tired out a lot of people too, since we heard a lot of comments suggesting that a late afternoon nap was on the schedule for quite a few of the party guests.

While the party had been a blast, Michael, Rowen, and I really needed to get busy after that. We helped out with getting all of our band gear back to the music room; and then we had to hurry to our football and cheerleading practices. For the cheerleaders, we're working up a Halloween-themed halftime routine that we put extra time in to polish today; so Rowen and I didn't get done with that until just a few minutes before Michael and Tim were finished their practice. That meant that they had to wait around for us this time; but didn't seem to mind that we needed extra time to get our hair done and ready for our respective evenings with them.

For me, that was an evening at the Inn that started out with joining in on the dinner rush already in progress. There was one major change for me tonight, and that was Jenny's first dinner shift as a server while I was there too. She seems to be happy to get out of the kitchen work, and though she's just learning the new job; Miranda is sure she'll do very well at it – just as I'm sure that Rebecca and I will when it's our turn to do that too. That'll happen a lot sooner for Rebecca than me; but then I like working in the kitchen with Michael too – even if I know it'll be a blast working with Miranda once I'm old enough to help as a server.

The cooking and cleaning kept us busy up until game night time; though we took a short break for a quick dinner once the last of the main food orders went out. We didn't have time to do our homework before the gaming, but we stayed to play with our families and friends anyway; and then Michael came home with me so that we could do that work once we were set free from the Inn for the night. Mom and Dad went to get Ehlana and Naomi from Aiden's house before coming home; so Michael and I had a bit of time to make out while they were doing that. The party had been over by then, but Hannah had kept the girls until Mom and Dad could get them – and that had allowed the four kids to watch a Halloween movie together once the rest of their friends and Aiden's family guests had gone home so that Nathan could get some sleep ahead of his early mooring start at the bakery.

Michael and I did get to our homework once we weren't alone anymore; we had a chat with Mom, Dad, Ehlana, and Naomi before he went home; and then Mom did my Magi lesson with help from Ehlana and Naomi so that they could have some Magi-powered fun too. I took care of the bedtime girl chat with my sister and her best friend while Mom and Dad worked in the office; and then it was time for me to get ready for bed and start my own bedtime computing and work.

It was a bit past-midnight by then, and while I didn't have to do any major family business work, there were a few things that had come up since last night; so I decided to just get everything done ahead of the weekend instead of leaving it for Sunday night or Monday. That would have meant staying up late, but I cheated and used a time phase for all of that; which is why I'll still be sleeping before one o'clock if I hurry up and get this done.

The Halloween fun kicks up a few more notches tomorrow, and we've got the football game on the road too; so I'd better get to that sleep time. We're definitely going to have a couple of late nights that will hopefully be as much fun as they'll be tiring, and I don't really have anything else particularly important to add now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, October 30, 2015

Hell's Night isn't anything to keep adults awake at night here in our little home town, and that wasn't a worry for us in Pinehurst tonight either; but our final regular season football game of the year was scary for us – in more ways than one.

First up for that, it started raining before game time; the temperature dropped into the forties; and it's been raining all night since then. That made for a very uncomfortable evening of football for everyone; though there was still a good turnout for the game despite the lousy weather. The top scary for the night, though, was that Pinehurst decisively won the game by seventeen points; and it was only that close because they let up late in the fourth quarter when it didn't matter anymore.

The Hell Night Horrors started for our team on our first offensive drive when Ray gave up an early pick-six interception that fired up the Pinehurst players and fans. While the Pinehurst offense scored six of their eight touchdowns and both field goals; it was their defense that made that possible by earning eleven turnovers. That was horror-worthy for us, but could have been even worse if Michael and Tim hadn't combined to defend against what could easily have been another dozen interceptions. I wouldn't dream of saying this to any of the guys on the team other than Michael and Tim, but to be blunt; Ray and Jason do not play well in the rain – or when things aren't going their way.

I like Ray, and feel bad that he had such a tough night, but I'm not so thrilled that he won't stand up for the other guys when Jason rips everyone else except his senior buddies. Ray was sacked eight times, threw three interceptions, and had seven fumbles that Pinehurst recovered. That number would have been worse too if Lucas and Garth hadn't helped him out as much as they could too. Ray has a problem hanging onto the ball in the rain that was way too obvious tonight. He wasn't the only one; though Captain JJ didn't think he was a problem either despite missing his only two field goal attempts and four of seven extra point attempts. Yes, for those of you doing the math on that now; our team did score seven touchdowns. Don't make more of that than there is to the story; because we also scored the last three touchdowns of the game while Pinehurst saved as many of their best players as they could to help get ready for the playoffs.

For the record, Michael, Tim, and Lucas had two touchdowns each; and five of them were long-yard plays that were really amazing to watch – even if we didn't have much to cheer about tonight. Garth Green had the other touchdown; and he also threw for one of Michael's scores on one of the trick plays that he's being used for in all of our games now. I'm sure that Coach Robinson is looking to him as our quarterback for next year – even though there's a good chance that he'll still be on the small side for the job for at least another year. My final note for the game is that while we did have the final three touchdowns, Pinehurst still earned two more turnovers – and opted to kick field goals instead of running it up on us. For the most part, good sportsmanship still means something to our small-town schools; and it's one of the reasons that we have friendly rivalries instead of bitter enemies in our league.

Moving on to the cheerleading report, the rain made our job fairly unpleasant. We had as much fun as we could, and did our very best; but I was also very happy to be able to hit the showers and get into dry clothes once we'd finished the rain-shortened post-game festivities and packed up our gear for the trip home. Our Halloween half-time show wasn't nearly as scary as it might have been in better weather, but we went ahead with it anyway – a Monster High inspired skit that used a mash-up from the latest Monster High movie – 'Boo York, Boo York'. The teens and tweens loved it; but some of the adults likely didn't get it if only because the rain made it hard to see the little details that would have made the storyline of our skit make more sense to non-fans of the movie series.

I'm going to cover the news from the rest of the day, but before I do that; let's wrap up things from Pinehurst first.

They were having a Halloween dance after the game just as we did last week at our school; and Coach Robinson and the other adults in our collective group agreed to let us go to the dance for a while once we'd finished in the locker rooms and had the equipment bus and our cheerleading squad vehicles loaded and ready to go. I'm sure that they were all happy to take a break and warm up too; and they either came to the dance too or went out to one of the restaurants to get hot drinks and snacks. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I had fun at the dance; but I will note that I'm very glad that Rowen and I were there with our boyfriends. There were just a few too many girls checking them out – and looking disappointed that they were with us instead of being single for the night – as more than half of the guys on the team were tonight. I will not add anything more specific to that comment; but I will add that there were three guys on our team that liked their single status for the night too much – and they could be in trouble with their girlfriends if word gets back to those three girls.

Assuming that Witch Falls is still a small town by the time you're reading this in the future; I'm sure you can guess the odds of that not happening.

We stayed at the dance for a bit more than an hour; and then it was time to head for home. That meant that we didn't get back to the school until it was past-midnight; and it was nearly one o'clock by the time Michael and I shared our goodnight hugs and kisses on my front porch before he dashed through the rain to his house. Everyone in my house was sleeping by then, so I stopped into Ethan's and Ehlana's rooms to kiss them goodnight and tuck them in again; and then I came up to my room and got ready for bed. Mandy was happy to cuddle with me even though she'd have been happier if I wasn't working on my computer too; but then I've only done the basic computer and email checks tonight anyway before starting on this update. That is all I have for the end of my day; so let's back up to this morning and cover the school Halloween fun part of the report.

Tai Chi by the river was chilly; breakfast in the sunroom was Halloween themed with pumpkin-colored pancakes and blood-red colored syrup. Michael stayed for that because the guys took the day off from weight training; and that added to the fun for our early morning. I was good with a handful of bonus hugs and kisses too; but then Michael and I shared quite a few of those extra hugs and kisses when we could get away with them – like while we helped with setting up the Haunted House in the gym this morning instead of going to classes. I really loved getting to do that work – and it was a lot of work even if it was a blast to do with Rowen, Tim, and all of the other teen volunteers. We weren't working the Haunted House this year; but that's mostly because we've all been too busy to add the prep work for those jobs to our schedules.

One really awesome addition to the Haunted House this year was the invitation to KidZone to join the Kindergarten class for the mildest version of the Haunted House; and the kids and staff had been thrilled with the idea. That's also how Ethan, Ehlana, and Aiden were able to join Naomi for the afternoon adventure – and get to show off their costumes as a foursome. Ehlana and Naomi really do make adorable 'Shimmer and Shine' genies; but I think that I enjoyed seeing their magic carpets, Ethan and Aiden, even more. Mom and Hannah tracked down a couple of appropriately-sized rugs with fringes that they made into tassels; they cut out holes for their faces and arms; and the way the rugs are attached to them allow the boys to make the carpets move around a bit – even though they didn't attempt to make them appear to be flying. I'm sure that you're not wondering about this, but for the record; Ethan is Naomi's magic carpet; and Aiden has that job for Ehlana.

While I spent the morning working on the Haunted House; I really loved getting to enjoy the party all afternoon instead of working. After doing that last year, it was a bit strange to be a visitor to the Haunted House – and we didn't even get to that part of our day until later in the afternoon – the third-to-last class to go through the maze in the gym – with the scare factor on high. Between our lunch break and then, though, we had a party in our classroom that included a Halloween movie that we could watch too – or just hang out and chat with the classmates that were there too – and not helping out in the gym or elsewhere in the school. Our Scooby gang costumes didn't win in the costume contest, but I think that we pulled it off fairly well – and Tim was hilarious as Shaggy – and as the voice for his stuffed Scooby-Doo. He even had a pocket full of 'Scooby snacks' that he'd eat or offer as treats to other kids, teens, and teachers. The trick with them was that they looked like dog biscuits, but were actually sugar cookies that his mother baked for him to use in the 'act'.

Thanks to having one of our shorter road trips for the game, Michael and I had time to go home after school so that we could check in with his parents at the Inn; have a visit with Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden; and have an early dinner before heading back to the school to load up and head for Pinehurst. All of that was fun too, if too short, and considering how the game went; it might have been nice to stay at home tonight and be there for the dinner and Halloween movie night that Mom and Dad hosted this week.

That's really the only family news I have for those hours I was away from town; and Mom and Dad had the full aunts, uncles, and cousins turnout for their dinner – along with Aiden and three out of four Seagers while Liz was busy at the salon. I'm glad that they had fun tonight; wish I could have done both; and can at least look forward to being able to do more with them whenever our football season ends during our playoff run.

I'm not going to be pessimistic about our chances this year, but I do agree with Michael and Tim that we're going to have a tough post-season. Our seven-and-three record looks better than it is because those three losses were to the only really good teams that we faced so far this year. It's going to be the best teams from here; so going anywhere in the playoffs is going to mean turning that record around – starting next Friday. We'll know by sometime tomorrow which team we'll face – and whether we'll be at home or away; so I'll add that news to my Halloween report.

We're going to have a long, busy Halloween that's going to include a yard work morning; Halloween fun for the rest of the day; and a babysitting and sleepover night after the trick-or-treating in the evening while Mom and Dad go to the Halloween party at Sheldon's with their friends. Michael has to work at the Inn, since it'll be packed for dinner with farm-kid parents enjoying a meal out while their kids are out trick-or-treating; but he'll be joining us once he's set free from the Inn for the rest of the night – and I'm planning on scaring the parents by having a Halloween sofa sleepover with him.

Sorry, Rowen and Tim; but it's our turn this weekend! ;^)

I wouldn't want to fall asleep doing that too early, though, and I don't have anything else to add to this update; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween!

We have had an amazing day so far, and with my sofa sleepover plan for Michael and me more likely than not; the rest of our night should be great too!

As usual, our day started out with Tai Chi, but we were indoors today thanks to a bit of wet weather that was still hanging around here – even though it wasn't much more than a sprinkle with roving bursts of showers. Michael stayed for breakfast again; but then he needed to head home to do some work around the house while Rebecca was helping out at the Inn during the breakfast rush. They were tag-teaming the work there because she had the entire evening off so that she and Lucas could hand out treats at Rebecca's house; and then go to his farm for the rest of the night with his brother, sister, and one of their friends each while his parents went out to Sheldon's with our parents and the rest of their friends. Rebecca's spending the night there too; so Miranda and Jacob are getting a kid-free night.

While Michael was busy at home and the Inn, I was busy with chores at our house too. Doing some of them while it was still raining wasn't much fun, but Dad and I didn't melt; and we kept the yard work to the must-do jobs that included another round of mulching and vacuuming leaves that was a bit tougher for the lawn tractor because of all of the overnight rain that had everything soaked. That made hauling those bags of wet leaves tougher too; which is why I'm glad that we didn't try to work all day.

With the Halloween fun tonight, Mom and Dad decided to spend most of the afternoon working in the office so that Dad could keep up with his weekend homework; so I got to spend that time playing with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden. The best part of our afternoon was the break time that Michael spent with us; and that was entirely because the three boys came up with an idea that allowed Shimmer and Shine to actually 'fly' on their magic carpets for trick-or-treating; and then we made that happen before Michael needed to get back to the Inn to help with the dinner rush.

No, we didn't use our telekinesis; though it would have been awesome if we could have done that and gotten away with it! ;^)

What we did do was to take two wagons; hook them together so that I could pull both of them; wrap them in black fabric skirts so that it'd look as if our flying carpets were floating on air – at least in the dark; and make comfortable mats for the boys to lay on so that the girls could sit on their magic carpets and fly as we walked between houses tonight. It was all low-tech; but worked great – and we even made it easy for Ethan and Aiden to get on and off the wagons to go up to the doors with Ehlana and Naomi and get their treats too. It was also a lot of fun to do that with my brother, sister, and their best friends; and having that play time with them when I haven't been able to do that enough lately was really special for all of us.

We kept Naomi and Aiden for dinner while three out of four of their parents were still busy with work; I helped with the cooking and the clean-up; and then it was time to get into costume and get ready to head out for our trick-or-treating fun. Actually, the four kids got into their costumes; and I mostly dressed in black so that I wouldn't distract from their Shimmer and Shine act; though Mom didn't let me go out without wearing some glow in the dark bracelets so that I was as safe as the rest of the kids were. Ehlana and Naomi used quite a few of those bracelets too; putting several on each wrist and a couple woven into their genie caps so that it looked even more awesome when they floated along in the air. The boys ended up with glowing edges to their carpets; and that really looked cool from above – especially for everyone seeing them from the vantage of front porches.

Once we were ready to go, Dad needed to take a hundred pictures or so, and while that seems like an exaggeration, it technically isn't; because he recorded a video too while having me pull the two wagons through our front yard Halloween display. At thirty frames per second; a thousand pictures would be more accurate. Dad wasn't the only photographer needing to snap shots of us over the next two and a half hours as we toured around as much of the town as we could cover before we were all ready to head home. I had to do most of the walking, but the boys still had Ehlana and Naomi sitting on them for the rides; and they had to get up and sit down at nearly every house – except for when the candy was brought to them instead by enthusiastic adults or teens that wanted to get a closer look at how their magic carpets worked.

Highlights for that part of our night included the visits to our aunts and uncles' houses; the Seager and Draper homes; and our tour along Witch Falls Road. Cameo moments with our friends and cousins while they were out having fun too was always entertaining; though not always fun for Ethan and Aiden – especially when Zack and Eli wanted to go for magic carpet rides too. We did get some adorable pictures of Brianna and Ehlana sitting on magic carpet Aiden, and a couple more with Naomi, Brianna, and Ethan; but the boys drew the line when Aunt Leanne teased them about wanting a turn too.

The wagons came in handy for hauling all of the candy and treats that four kids collect during an extended round of trick-or-treating, and Michael had thought of that while we set up the wagons; so we had room for everything while keeping the extra bags hidden underneath Ethan and Aiden. We were home again by a bit after eight-thirty, and since it was full-dark by then; Dad took another video and a few more pictures before letting the four kids go inside with their loot while I dealt with getting the wagons back into the storage barn and returned to normal.

I didn't have a lot of time to do that because I needed to be on the front line for incoming kids that we're babysitting tonight while Mom and Dad wrapped up their front porch fun with the straggler kids and teens that were still finishing up their rounds with the walk along our street. Rowen and Tim came over as soon as they could after handing out treats at her house; but mom gave me a hand while waiting for them once I had seven of the eleven kids we're watching at the house. Zack, Brianna, and Eli were all dropped off together before Aunt Leanne went home to get ready for the party at Sheldon's; while Caleb, Hailey, Leah, and Sebastian were dropped off after their parents were ready to go out. Rowen and Tim were with me by then; and Mom and Dad had taken turns getting ready for their party so that they were ready to go along with Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah when they dropped off Leah, Hailey, and Sebastian. Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace left Caleb with us at nearly the same time; and both sets of aunts and uncles were driving because Uncle Mark and Aunt Deborah had drawn designated driver duty for the night.

This is totally off-topic, but I'd like to mention here that Hocus Pocus has scarred me for life when it comes to thinking about the favorite adults in my life and Halloween parties. Now I'm sure that Dad would love it if Mom dressed up like that movie version of a Madonna costume, she didn't; and I'm so glad that we won't ever have family photos of that nature in our family albums. I could totally picture Aunt Leanne wearing sexy costumes, and she'd look hot if she did – or does; but I'll guess that Zack and Brianna will feel the same way about their Mom for something like that as I do about mine.

Having mentioned that, I can also report that Mom and Dad did not go with any exotic or kid-scary costumes for their night out. This is one of those cases where I don't mind having conservative, responsible parents, and while a blood-sucking vampire lawyer and his beautiful, but geeky computer nerd 'victim' isn't much of a stretch for costumes; I'm sure they'll get laughs at the pub anyway.

I returned the favor for picture time for them before they left; but then I was in full-on babysitting mode after that for the next two and a half hours. We were in the lounge and my room for most of that action; the kids watched Halloween shows that ranged from Dora and Friends to Charlie Brown. They didn't need help with snacks that they all had with them from their trick-or-treating stashes, but we took care of drink orders; and had a bedtime pizza snack too – for the kids that weren't already sleeping by then. The games were in my room; some music fun was also an option; and Michael and Tim led one video gaming intermission between two of the Halloween shows while most of the girls were happily playing in my room instead of watching the shows anyway.

The last two kid shows were the wind down time before we took the last four kids downstairs and tucked them in for the night; with the pizza snack starting before the end of that first show and wrapping up with the clean-up that Rowen and Tim handled while Michael and I got the twins, Naomi, and Aiden off to bed. Once that was done, Michael and Tim took a football update break to get the scores they hadn't already heard about before we started babysitting; and then we settled in to watch one or two last Halloween movies for the year and enjoy some quality cuddle time.

I didn't end up getting to do that for long because Brianna woke up and needed me to take care of her for a while; which is why I'm writing this report now instead of in the morning or doing a double-update tomorrow night. While I'd expected her to sleep longer and need an early-morning bottle and diaper change, Brianna had other plans; and she wanted a diaper change, a bottle, and some extended cuddle and singing time with me. That's cut into my cuddle time with Michael, but Brianna has me wrapped around her little finger too; so I'm sure that Michael will understand.

Brianna still isn't in any hurry to sleep again yet, and since I'm pretty much done with the news of the day for this report; I think that I'll just wrap this up now so that we can both go and cuddle with Michael until she does go to sleep again – or until Mom and Dad get back from Sheldon's; if that happens first. The play fun is winding down on us for this weekend, since I'm going to be helping out at the Inn at lunch and dinner tomorrow, and we'll have a crazy morning here to get eleven kids, four teens, and two adults fed and ready for church; so I really should get back to having fun with Michael, Rowen, and Tim while I can – even if that also means we won't get much sleep before getting to all of that busy and work.

I really want to have that sofa sleepover with Michael too; and we might not get away with that if we're still awake when Mom and Dad get home. Brianna's giving me the 'yes' signal for that comment, and while I'm not sure how I should take her interest in cuddling with my boyfriend, I don't mind sharing him with her for a while too; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!
November 2015

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Happy 16th Birthday, Paul!

While Paul is one of Michael's football team mates, and we had a gift for him that Rowen and Tim were in on; that was pretty much the extent of our involvement in his birthday fun today – unless you include our contributions in the kitchen at the Inn for his birthday buffet dinner with family and friends. Vanessa is a happy camper today too because he'll be getting his driver's license tomorrow and then they'll join the ranks of the couples that have expanded travel options beyond our little home town. I'll predict that they'll be going to Crystal Springs for a date night in the very near future.

Speaking of dates, teen news at church this morning included a report that Karla and Brock spent Halloween evening together, and while they aren't confirming or denying that they're an item yet; it appears that they soon will be joining the couples' club.

Starting from the end of my last journal update, my Halloween night ended with a sofa sleepover that Brianna began with Michael and me, but I put her back to bed after she fell asleep again; and then Michael and I fell asleep a while after Mom and Dad got home. They checked in with us, but then went straight to bed; leaving Rowen, Tim, Michael, and me to stay up as long as we wanted. That wasn't long for me; Michael apparently fell asleep not long after I did; and if Rowen and Tim tried a sleepover in his room; she was back in mine by the time I woke up this morning.

Tai Chi by the river was great, and we've ended up with a really nice weather day here too; with the temperature just touching into the seventies by the time we were set free from church for the day. Breakfast was a bit crazy with eleven kids to feed; and getting everyone ready for church was an adventure too. We did manage to get everything done and made it to church in time to return most of the kids to their parents; but I was pretty much ready for a nap by then.

Ditto that for pretty much the rest of the day, since I also worked the lunch and dinner rushes at the Inn; Michael and I spent our afternoon break playing and biking at the park with Ethan and Ehlana; and I put in the equivalent of three hours of work and studying after I eventually got into bed for the night with Mandy and my computer. The work at the Inn was tough, though we had fun with Halloween story exchanges that included Jenny's recap of her night with Peter; and the dinner buffets were both packed to the point where we turned over the dining room about two and a half times tonight over the course of the two sittings.

We didn't have homework this weekend because of the Halloween parties at school on Friday, so Michael and I were glad to have our afternoon break free to spend with Ethan and Ehlana again today. We probably won't get many more chances for biking this fall, so the four of us biked the trails; we played at the playground; and then we wrapped up our break with snacks and drinks in the sunroom before Michael and I headed back to the Inn and the buffet dinner rush. I stayed there until close; walked home with Michael, Rebecca, and their parents; and then I did the round of goodnight hugs and kisses in their front yard before heading home to get started on the rest of my work and study night.

Mom and Dad were still working in the office, but Ethan and Ehlana had gone to bed already; so Mom did my Magi lesson with me before the three of us headed up to our rooms for the night. I stopped in for bedtime kisses with Ethan and Ehlana too, but they were worn out; and didn't wake up at all. My computing in bed has been while in a time phase; and that's how I've gotten those hours of work done without being awake until two or three o'clock.

I'd like to say that things around here will slow down now that Halloween's out of the way, but that isn't going to happen. We have a playoff football game on Friday; Dad's birthday is on Wednesday; and we'll have a make-up yard work day on Saturday. That football game is going to be here, and while our seven-and-three record for the regular season was decent; the home field advantage over Winfield Farms only happened because of a tie-breaker that went our way. Tim's happy with our first-round draw, but he's also still worried; and hopes that our loss against Pinehurst will motivate the senior players to work harder this week to get ready for their first playoff match.

I'll let our football players worry about that – and the game. I've got enough of the go with cheerleading, band, teen praise team, and everything else I have on the go. It's time to start my next language too; but I decided to do that tomorrow instead of putting in even more work time tonight. I need the sleep more, and I don't really have anything else to add to this report; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, November 2, 2015

It's been another wonderful-weather day here that hasn't made it feel at all as though we're at the start of November. I'm okay with that; and Mother Nature can keep the warm coming straight through until spring if she wants to do that for us! ;^)

Tai Chi by the river anytime in November is nice too, and though it's probably getting tedious for anyone reading this in the future; I still really love having breakfast in the sunroom with Mom, Dad, and the twins. It's really such a simple change, but the open view of the back yard and river really is wonderful – and helps to make for a great start to every day when we get to enjoy it while having our morning meal.

Moving along, I'm sure that you can guess that the Halloween weekend recap and our upcoming football playoff game were the top two chat topics at school. Sure, there were lots of side-stories too – like Paul getting his driver's license today and Karla and Brock's budding new romance, but Halloween got to have one last day in the spotlight; and football will be big news every day until our post-season run in the playoffs comes to an end.

For me, after two school days of busy that didn't include much actual classroom time; it was back to the normal routine. We started new modules in most classes that'll take us through to Thanksgiving; and that helped to make the day a bit more interesting – though it also meant new assignments and projects too. Our lunch break outdoors was a highlight of the day; and we even managed to do that without any major football scrimmages breaking out. Tim did have a football with him that a few of the guys tossed around for a while; but the football players are under strict orders from Coach Robinson on how to get ready for their first-round playoff game – and that doesn't include anything that could mess up their practices; or accidentally get them injured.

My after-school cheerleading practice was fun, and Anna-Marie is looking to end her high school cheerleading career with the best half-time routines we can come up with for the playoffs. Rowen and I are very involved with that; and she's letting us loose to try adding a few new tricks to our routines that are a bit risky; but will look awesome if we can pull them off. We can all do the basic gymnastics that are trademarks for cheerleading squads; but Rowen and I are the only girls on the squad crazy-enough to attempt the more advanced aerials. I'll add that our plans for that will depend on the weather; since major tricks aren't safe to do in the rain. Let's hope that the weather will cooperate – and not just because the rain last Friday night didn't work out very well for our team.

The guys had a long football practice, so Rowen and I watched the end of it while doing some homework; we waited for Michael and Tim while they hit the showers; and then Rowen went home with Tim while I went home with Michael. Dinner was ready by the time we got there; so we sat down to eat; enjoyed the gourmet meal that Jacob cooked up for us; and then Michael, Rebecca, and I took care of the clean-up before getting started on our homework.

Speaking of Rebecca, our studying conversation included talking about the start of basketball season with 'training camp and tryouts' coming up next week; and I realized that I haven't mentioned Rebecca's sports career for this school year at all – mostly because Michael and I have been too busy to get involved at all. This year, she added Volleyball to her high school sports credits; thanks entirely to Carolyn Landry talking her into playing on that team too. While I'm sure that Carolyn would have loved to win a championship in her senior year, and Rebecca did help their team; they did not make it to the volleyball championship tournaments. They're hoping for better with basketball, and while she will have the formality of the tryouts; I don't have any doubt that Rebecca will make that team. Michael and I will need to be more supportive too; and try to attend more of her games than we did last season.

Yes, I know; and have no idea how that'll fit into my schedule – especially when I have such a long list of equally-important things on that not-enough-time-for to-do list.

Moving along again, our study time was followed by a music practice for Michael and me; a very minor make-out session; and an evening wrap-up chat with Jacob and Miranda in the living room before I headed home for the night at ten o'clock. It's been all work and studying since then; starting with my Magi lesson with Mom and ending with an hour and a half of family business work. I began my study of the Turkish language tonight too; and I'm going to learn it over the next two months – and hopefully have it mastered by Christmas so that I can take the holidays off from that part of my never-ending studies.

Since I had a lot to do tonight, and didn't want to use another time phase; it's heading toward three o'clock and time for me to wrap this up and get some rest. Tomorrow will be an even longer day with the usual three practices, and I want to be ready to keep up with everything; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

It's been a long, busy day, and I need to be up early to help with the start to Dad's birthday; so let's keep this report fairly short.

We've had another really nice weather day; but I've been indoors for most of the day; so I didn't get to enjoy much of the warmth and sunshine. Tai Chi by the river was nice; we were outdoors for our noon cheerleading practice; and I was outside to walk between home, school, and the church as needed – though I also needed to hurry to get to each place on time – and two out of three of my practices were longer than usual.

While cheerleading practice took up most of my lunch break, our band practice included the additional once-through for our Christmas songs for the upcoming parade and concert events we'll be helping with during the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Rowen and I weren't finished with our band practice until Michael and Tim were finished with football; so Michael and I needed to hurry back to my house to have dinner. We had that meal in the sunroom; cleaned up; and then we were on the run again – this time to the church for our Teen Praise Team practice.

The news of the day there is that we started work on the teen Christmas show, and this year; we're doing a Christmas musical called Bethlehem's Big Night. While most of the casting still needs to be done for the parts in the show; Michael and I have been told that we'll be playing Joseph and Mary; and we'll be performing a couple of duets and other lead songs. I know we're just days past Halloween, but we don't have that long to learn an entire musical; and that doesn't include the music we'll be learning for the regular Sunday and Christmas Eve services. We really do have a lot of music to learn; which is why our practice tonight went for nearly two hours.

Michael and I still needed to do our homework after that, so he came home with me again; we did that work; and then had a very minor make-out session before heading downstairs so that I could see him out after a short chat with Mom, Dad, and the twins in the office.

My Magi lesson came after that; I took care of getting Ehlana and Ethan tucked in for the night; and then it was time to climb into bed with Mandy and get to work on my studies and family business work. That was more than two hours ago, and while I could do more, I've had enough fun for today; and don't want to be too tired to have fun with Dad and the rest of our friends and family on his big day.

That's the main reason I'm going to wrap this up right there and head off to dreamland now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Happy 37th Birthday, Dad!

Tai Chi by the river was a great way to get Dad's big day started; and we had fun with breakfast too – including a video chat with Grandma and Grandpa; the special breakfast menu; and getting Dad to open his gifts.

After that it was time for most of us to get to work again, and for me; that meant helping with the clean-up, getting ready for school, and then spending the day in classes except for our lunch break and cheerleading practice. We did at least get to spend extra time outdoors today thanks to two teachers in need of temporary escape from the classroom; and our cheerleading practice was comparatively short because I wanted to be home in time to help Mom with the birthday dinner work.

She had other helpers for that, and contributions from my aunts; but the cooking still took longer than actually eating the meal did. Michael could have taken the night off from the Inn to join us, but opted to work instead – mostly because he'll already be off for the game on Friday; and his parents were already short-handed tonight. We had fun during the meal, but I doubt that Dad will rank this one among his top-five-ever-so-far birthdays. He had to work all day, and after we'd finished dessert and after-dinner drinks, our aunts, uncles, and cousins headed home; and Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and I went into the office and got started on our work or studies.

I did help out with one last birthday gift for Dad – a time-phase that allowed all of us to get our work and studying done much more quickly than we would have had we worked in 'real' time all evening. Mom and Dad are appreciating that gift more than the twins and I are right now; but let's not go there – or even think about how they're ending Dad's special day.

While it's definitely more boring up here on the third floor tonight, I still appreciate being done my work early tonight so that I can get the extra sleep. I'll likely end up having a late night tomorrow, the football game will keep us busy on Friday evening, and I'm sure we'll have another fall clean-up day on Saturday; so sleep could be in short supply over the next few days. Instead of thinking about that, or anything else; I'm just going to wrap this up and get started on that quality down time now.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

I'm going to keep this short because it's been a long day; and I need to get all of the rest I can to be ready for another busy day and our first football playoff game of the season.

Top personal news of the day is that Michael and I skipped game night so that we could come home to my house; get our homework done; have a music practice; and then spend some quality time making out in the lounge – with an emphasis on quality and not the amount of time we had for that before my parents, brother, and sister got home from the Inn. We did work the dinner rush at the Inn between our football and cheerleading practices and that best part of our day alone time; but we really needed the break tonight – even though that meant missing out on some fun with our families and friends.

The weather was still warm today, but we've had a bit of rain here and there too. That didn't get in the way of our practices this afternoon, but we did get sprinkled on during our walk between the Inn and my house; and it was raining lightly when Michael went home after the short Magi lesson that Mom did with us once they were back from game night. Michael went home at eleven o'clock; I took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana into bed for the night; and then it was time to get started on my bedtime studies and work.

I've managed to get everything on my to-do list finished tonight, but it's past-three o'clock; and I'm going to wish that I'd had more sleep by the end of the day tomorrow. Getting to the down time I can have right now is my current top priority, though, and I don't have anything else to report anyway; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, November 6, 2015

Happy 1st Birthday, Annette Bishop!

Annette is one of Michael's cousins; and my only involvement with her big day was the gift we picked out for her that Miranda sent along with the other gifts they got her; but I hope she's had a fun day.

We've had a fun day here; and a big part of that was thanks to our team's first-round playoff win over Winfield Farms. Michael, Tim, and Lucas were the stars tonight; Michael and Tim scored three touchdowns each; and Lucas had two. The guys also worked hard on defense, which is why Winfield Farms only earned two touchdowns on turnovers; and only managed one additional touchdown and one field goal during the rest of the game. Two of our eight touchdowns came fairly early in the game, and Winfield Farms was trying to play catch-up for the rest of the game; so I'll also mention that they tried riskier plays in that effort to catch up that mostly ended badly for them.

This really was a big win for our team, and football fever is catching all over town tonight – especially with Jason and the other senior players. A fifty-six to twenty-four win is a big deal too, and I don't want to take away from that; but I'm not sure that some of the players and most of the spectators saw everything that I did tonight. Winfield Farms made more mistakes than we did tonight, and if Jason and the other seniors think it's going to be that easy through the rest of the playoffs; they're going to be shocked in a bad way when we do go up against another of the top teams this season. That's very likely to happen next week, and we'll be on the road. The final match-ups for next week aren't official, but Tim was keeping track of the games that he could follow through online updates; and he's positive that we'll be up against Hillcrest next Friday. They're one of the favorites to reach the championship game; and Tim doesn't think we're ready.

We are having a really good season, and it seems as though I'm down on the team even when they have such a good game; but I'm writing about it this way because even the wins feel different this season compared to last year. For me, that's mostly because the egos of too many of the guys have run wild; and I especially don't like the instances of poor sportsmanship that I've seen or overheard that have been directed at our opponents or at our own players. Win or lose; I expect more from our team and players.

The after-game party was a good example of that, and while Michael and Tim are both confident guys; they don't sit around and brag about themselves – and neither does Lucas. Jason and his best friends on the team are so over-confident right now that it's a wonder they can get around at all with those over-sized heads of theirs. All the rest of us can do is hope that they won't get those egos trounced out on the football field.

While most of the teens at that party had fun, I was tired by then; and didn't really find most of the action and conversations much fun at all. I did like spending a bit of time with Rebecca, Lucas, and some of our other friends; but I was also ready to go home when Michael and I headed out at twelve-thirty. Rowen and Tim left then too; but we split up once Michael and I got to my house because we were all interested in some quiet cuddle time with our respective boyfriend or girlfriend. Michael and I had our cuddle time in the living room, and that didn't really last very long because I started to fall asleep by one o'clock; so Michael decided to go home so that I could go up to bed after he left.

I know that's not very exciting, but it's what happened, and if I wasn't this tired; then Michael and I would still be having fun together – and I wouldn't have been writing this update for a while yet either.

Getting some sleep now is an option, though; and one that I'm going to choose in the very near future. There isn't much else to really write about anyway, since our classes today at school were just a way for most of us to keep busy while waiting for the football game. Our cheerleading on the sidelines and for the half-time show were really great; the weather was cooler but nice-enough for the game; and I especially loved cheering tonight with more than half of my family at the game. Michael's parents took turns catching one quarter of the game each too; and it seemed as though nearly everyone in and around town came to watch the game tonight. I missed out on dinner and a football game with my family – other than the cameo moments I got to spend with them during the game; but Michael and I did have a quick dinner at my house before the game; and we even had time between school and the game to get our homework done and out of the way for the weekend.

That's good for me, since I will have lots of work to do with chores on Saturday; but I'll write about that tomorrow. Right now, I really just want to crash and nap until morning; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, November 7, 2015

It's been a long, busy yard work day around here; and I'm so tired that Michael went home early tonight because I kept dozing off and he told me to go and get some sleep.

I did manage to stay awake for a minor make-out session with him between when we tucked Ethan and Ehlana in for the night and my micro-naps, but I'll be honest and admit that I didn't have much energy left in me by then; so Michael had to settle for some play time that wasn't much more than cuddles, caresses, and soft kisses.

We did get a lot of yard and house work done around here today, though, and we should be done with the fall clean-ups soon; so I am at least glad that we had a good day for that – even if I'd like to have more play time with Michael too. Except for adding in the movie time with Ethan and Ehlana before they went to bed and mentioning that all three of our meals today were short and sweet so that we could keep at the work; that's pretty much it for today. I got ready for bed after Michael left; did an email check; and now I'll be crashing for the rest of the night once I've finished this update.

Consider that done; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Our day began with a very chilly Tai Chi workout by the river that was still nice; but reminded us that we won't get to exercise outdoors for much longer this year. Breakfast at Michael's house for me was really special; and let's give half of the credit for that to Jacob and his gourmet menu; and the other half to Jake and Stephanie for our breakfast video chat with them from Europe. They're doing great; look amazing; and it sounds as though they're continuing to do really well with their studies while also having fun with all of the new friends they're making over there. They're also starting to make plans for their holidays, and while I wish they could be home for Christmas; they are going to love their holiday adventures.

Compared to that, our day here wasn't very exciting; but I've still had a good day – even with a fair bit of work that has included the buffet shift at the Inn and a lot of bedtime studying and family business work. I didn't get around to any of that before spending a couple of hours at church and the afternoon playing with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden; and that's when I had most of my fun today. The church part of that reminds me that I missed reporting a classmate birthday yesterday; so let's take care of that.

Happy Belated 15th Birthday, Marcie!

I might have skipped mentioning Marcie's birthday completely, except her birthday trip to Crystal Springs yesterday was a top teen chat topic during Sunday school. She went there with her boyfriend, Allen, their best friends, and her family; and they apparently had a really good day filled with shopping, a visit to SportsFusion, dinner, and a movie. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I did have a gift for her that we gave her on Friday because we hadn't expected to see her on Saturday anyway; but that was the total extent of our involvement with her big day this year.

After church, I walked Michael to the Inn on my way home; helped Mom with making lunch for five after that; and after eating and cleaning up, I took Ethan and Ehlana with me so that we could go out and play while Mom and Dad needed to get to work in the office for the afternoon. We grabbed our bikes; collected Naomi and Aiden; and then went for a ride and some play time at the park. Michael met up with us there during his afternoon break; and he was able to play with us for nearly two hours before we dropped all four kids off with Mom and Dad when it was nearly time to get back to the Inn. I took a few minutes to change and freshen up first; and then we were soon immersed – literally – in the dinner preparations for four or five hundred.

Working in the kitchen meant missing out on a family and friends dinner – even though that was happening in the dining room at the Inn when Mom, my aunts, and a few friends collectively decided not to cook dinner tonight and let Miranda and Jacob feed their collective gang instead. I'm sure they had fun, since Miranda and Jenny passed on some stories from the dining room to Michael, Rebecca, and me; but we were too busy tonight for me to take the time off to join them without making the work harder for everyone else in the kitchen.

I worked until close tonight; walked home with Michael and his family; and stopped in at his house for a short bedtime visit and chat before moving on and getting to the work and studying waiting for me there. Mom did a bedtime Magi lesson with me; I stopped in to say goodnight to Ethan and Ehlana when Mom, Dad, and I all came up to bed; and then I started my work and studying with some Jacuzzi multi-tasking because I really needed the tub time after a play and work afternoon and evening.

The language studying is going really well; the family business work is challenging and getting busier right now; and my archive assignment tonight was so dull that it took a lot just to stay awake through the thousand pages or so of extreme tedium. Let's not spend any time going off on a side-trip about some of the ancient Magi studies and research into our abilities again; since I could better-use that time on my nap – which is all I'm going to have time for tonight after spending more than four hours on my computer tonight. For all I know, Magi will be thinking or saying the same thing about my journals and research some day in the future.

I guess the last thing I have for this update is a look at the week ahead. Other than the football game on Friday and all of the usual school, practices, studying, and work on my normal schedule, there isn't anything extra in the plans right now. Dad will be getting ready for his week in the city next week too, so other than helping him with another yard work day on Saturday; I don't expect to have much time to spend with him over the next two weeks. No parties or special events to look forward to might sound really boring; but a comparatively quiet week would be a good thing right now – especially when we are just a couple of weeks away from the start of the Thanksgiving-Christmas holiday blitz that will keep us busy until the New Year.

That's thinking too far ahead when I'm this tired; so let's not go there and just wrap this up without a pretty little bow and ribbons.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, November 9, 2015

Congratulations to the Burroughs' family; and welcome to the world, David Burroughs!

Stacey and David are both doing well; Pastor John is a very proud Daddy; and Rebekkah is going to be a wonderful big sister for David. I haven't been writing much at all about pregnancies other than Aunt Leanne's in quite a while, and not even much about hers; but I'm including this one because David is likely to be a future friend of Brianna's – and he'll definitely be a classmate. Pastor John and Stacey have become good friends with Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Uncle Mark, and Aunt Grace; so their kids will spend time together as they grow up. I'll be on the outside edges for that too because of the age difference, but I'm glad that my brother, sister, and their cousins are all going to enjoy growing up with life-long friendships.

There is a side-issue that comes along with David's birth, and while it isn't something that even made the local gossip news; it is something that will affect me more directly than baby David will. Stacey is obviously going to be too busy with her new baby and toddler daughter to keep up with her work at the church; so we'll have a temporary teen praise team leader helping us to get ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Knowing Stacey, she'll likely be right back to helping out again as soon as she can; but our Tuesday evening practices are sure to be different now.

I don't want to get bogged down on thinking about that because our praise team will be fine even as we'll miss working with Stacey while she's busy with her family, and I do have more to cover; so let's move along.

Happy 14th Birthday, Jillian!

Michael and I sent a gift and card for her, and we exchanged a couple of text messages this morning too; but that was the total extent of my involvement with Jillian's big day. Dawn made sure that her best friend had a good day at school, though; and her parents had a party for her after school that included dinner and a movie out. Dawn's staying for a sleepover too; but I don't have many of the details yet – just a short email response with a promise of more to come tomorrow.

By the way, since I indirectly mentioned using my smart phone, I'll add that I do actually use it once in a while; but Mom and Dad will not have to worry about overcharges on my phone plan anytime soon. Dawn and Jillian are two of the very few people I even use text messaging to keep in touch with, and while it comes in handy for that; I'd much rather just talk to people in person. That might sound even stranger to you whenever you're reading this in my future, but to be honest; I really hope that's something that will change back to the old ways instead of continuing to advance. I love technology as much as the next teen; but sometimes the cost of it in terms of personal relationships is too high. That isn't a diatribe I want to get into tonight either; so let's not go there.

Closer to home again, today was the start of basketball tryouts at school; and Rebecca is trying out for the team again this year. I'm sure she'll make the team, since she is one of the best returning players from last year, but while that is all but a done deal; they'll still do the work and training – and Carolyn Landry will definitely want to push her team mates to help make her senior year a best-ever for one of her favorite sports. I'll keep you posted on how that's going for them, and Michael and I are going to do our best to get to more of Rebecca's games; but we'll see how that goes too.

Compared to births, birthdays, and basketball tryouts; my day was fairly uneventful – and too busy. Tai Chi by the river was too chilly again, but we made up for that with a hot breakfast in the sunroom. We're really digging into the new study modules in all of our classes; so that work kept us busy all day except for our break at lunchtime. We were outside for most of that, and while it wasn't hot out; it was nice-enough to have our lunch out there and enjoy some play time with our friends. Cheerleading practice went well; and we'll have our two half-time routine options ready to go by Wednesday – mostly because we're just adapting a couple of the routines from earlier in the season for this game.

We are going to be up against Hillcrest this Friday; and we'll be on the road for the game. I can also report that Tim is not a happy camper tonight after their first practice to get ready for that game. Since I've written about it here and there all season, I won't drag out the issues Tim has with his team captain and most of the senior players; and I'll instead simply mention that the egos are even more inflated now after the win this past Friday; and too many of the guys are not taking this next match seriously-enough. Rowen and I caught the end of that practice while doing a bit of homework after our practice and while we waited for Michael and Tim; and I can confirm that Tim is right about that. Coach Robinson is doing his best to deal with it; but he's up against a group of guys that just don't have much experience at all with losing many games – and some of them are undefeated in the playoffs during their High School careers – so far. As Tim's mentioned to us fairly regularly all season, they'd better get over their unbeatable complex before it's too late – especially now that they're in the playoffs; and the season is over for them if they lose.

They still have three more days to get ready for hillcrest. Let's hope for the best!

Michael came home with me after our practices; we had dinner in the sunroom right away; and then we were on the clean-up crew of two – with supervisory and entertainment help from Ethan and Ehlana. We did our homework after that; had a music practice; and followed that up with a Magi lesson with Mom. Some play time with Ethan and Ehlana kept all of us busy until we took care of getting them tucked in for the night, and then Michael and I had a minor make-out session in the lounge before having a short chat with Mom and Dad in the office when it was nearly time for Michael to get home again.

I've pretty much been working on my computer since seeing Michael out; getting ready for bed; and snuggling in for the night with Mandy. The archive assignment was actually fairly interesting tonight; my language studies are blasting along ahead of schedule; and the family business work continues to be fairly heavy right now thanks to seemingly unending new business opportunities. I won't bore you with the financial details, but since your perspective on that statement might be through the lens of a history that will record our current economy as quite a mess; I will add that there are quite easily as many business opportunities in bad times as there are in good. The only difference between most companies and our family business is that everything we do is meant to help others. We're always looking for new ways to do that – and I'll modestly admit that we're pretty good at it too.

Some of us are also working a bit too hard at that – and everything else we have on the go; which is why I'm still awake and writing this update when I should have been sleeping hours ago. That's all of the news I have for tonight, though, and getting started on my nap is an option and priority; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

It's been another crazy-busy Tuesday for me; though there's been enough fun to go along with all of the work to keep me happy – if not well-rested.

Our morning routine didn't include anything newsworthy to report; and my school day was fairly uneventful – except for cheerleading and band practices at lunchtime and after school. The cheerleading workout was outdoors, and we were pretty much ready for the game on Friday by the time we wrapped that up; so the next two practices should be comparatively easy. Band practices now are all about getting ready for the Christmas parades and concerts season, and though it's hard to believe; we're down to just weeks until our first Christmas parade of the year! That's why we spent a little extra time on our practice again today; and then Mrs. Robinson and I had a chat about the latest news for getting our marching band and trip to Disney plans. Most of that was just a bunch of boring details, and the only important news to report from all of it is that we will soon have all of the necessary approvals from the school and town to go ahead with the project; and there will likely be some financial support too – though not for the actual trip to Florida. We'll need to raise the money for that ourselves.

Michael and I went to his house for dinner; we took care of the clean-up; and then moved on to the church for our teen praise team practice. While Stacey is off taking care of David, Pastor Martha and Mrs. Robinson are going to share the work for the Christmas musical and all of the rest of the holiday music and services we'll be involved in. Mrs. Robinson led our practice tonight, since it was mostly about the music; but we'll be adding in the 'actors' for the musical fairly soon; since we'll also need to teach them all of the chorus music. We were at the church for nearly an hour and a half; and then I went home again with Michael so that we could do our homework and have a bit more time together before he'll be back to his after-school work at the Inn tomorrow.

The homework was easy-enough to get done; we had a nice bedtime chat with his parents and Rebecca; and then I came home again after we shared our goodnight hugs and kisses out on his front porch. There was no make-out session of any kind tonight, but Michael's getting tired too; so we decided to save that for another day.

At the rate we're doing that saving; we'll need to take a month off sometime to make up for all of the making-out we don't have time for now! ;^)

Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana were all working in the office when I got back, so after catching up on what they'd been doing all day; Mom did my Magi lesson with me and then sent me off with orders to tuck my brother and sister in for the night and then get to bed. I did that, but going to sleep too wasn't an option; and I've been working on my computer for the past three and a half hours. That means that bedtime will be a bit earlier than yesterday; but I'm just as tired out thanks to a more-tedious archive assignment. That is pretty much all of the news I have for today, though, and I don't want to waste that extra nap time by dragging this out for no reason; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

My classes and cheerleading practice kept me busy at school all day. Studying and family business work filled the rest of my day up to now – except for a break for dinner; and the time I spent with Ethan and Ehlana while tucking them in for the night before coming up to my room and getting ready for bed.

It's still early compared to normal for me, but my work and studying is done for the day thanks to some quality time phasing that allowed all of us to get a lot done while we worked in the office. Mom and Dad are likely taking advantage of the extra time in a much more exciting way than I will be tonight, but they don't normally stay awake as late as I do; and sleeping is my top priority right now.

Thankfully, I can actually do that now, and there isn't anything else newsworthy-enough to get in the way of doing that; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, November 12, 2015

I went to school; had a short cheerleading practice; helped out with the dinner rush at the Inn; did my homework with Michael; and went to game night with our families and friends before heading home for the night. Mom did my Magi lesson with me once we were here; I took care of getting the twins tucked in for the night and had a nice little chat with them while doing that; and then I came up to my room to start my bedtime computing from the comfort of my Jacuzzi. That start of my usual nightly studying and work didn't happen until shortly before midnight, and that was more than three and a half hours ago; so I'm pretty much exhausted now.

My work is done, though; and I'll be able to take the weekend off – except for any work that comes up that can't wait until next week. Round two of the football playoffs is tomorrow night, and since we're sure to have another late night with the road trip for the game; I'd better just wrap this up and get started on my nap.

Before I skip Rebecca's news of the day; I'll add that she made the basketball team – not that anyone was surprised with the news. She is probably the next-best player to Carolyn Landry. I've been out of the loop for basketball tryouts this week – and the basketball cheerleading tryouts too; but I'm happy for everyone that made the different teams today even if I don't have time to be involved in any of that.

I don't have time to sit up and write a long report either – not that I have any major news to include for posterity. Sleep needs to be my top priority right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, November 13, 2015

Our Friday the thirteenth has turned out to be very unlucky for our football team tonight; and our season came to an abrupt end.

Congratulations to Hillcrest – their team; and their faithful fans!

The toughest part of the night for me wasn't the loss – it was not being able to be with Michael to help him deal with the disappointment nearly as much as I would have liked after the game; and during the trip home. We did spend a bit of extra time together after we got home; but I'll get to that part of the report in a while.

Since football is the top story of the day, though; let's get all of the bad news out of the way – and cover the good parts of the game and trip too; since it really was a good game despite the loss for Michael, Tim, Lucas, and a few others. The final score was fifty-eight to forty-nine for Hillcrest. While the score was close during the entire game, they had the first touchdown; and we never even managed to tie the game even once through to the end. Hillcrest won by three field goals, but we matched their seven touchdowns; and didn't try for any field goals because we always needed touchdowns.

Michael scored three of our touchdowns; and he was the star of the game for our team – though since Tim had two touchdowns; it's more fair to say that they were co-stars. All five touchdowns included long runs after the catches; and they were quick scores. We did not do well on most drives without those big plays; partly because Ray had a fairly low completion percentage today and also gave up four drive-ending turnovers. Lucas earned a running touchdown that was from just a bit over twenty yards away; and Reid scored once too on one of the trick plays that he's become really good at pulling off. All of the big plays and scoring on both sides was exciting, and while I'll point out that our Raiders weren't ever in a great place for a serious comeback; it wasn't a blow-out either; and our guys never gave up.

Hillcrest was definitely ready to take advantage of our weaknesses, and while they did earn three of their touchdowns and all three field goals on 'normal' offensive drives; the two interceptions and two fumble recoveries their defense earned off of Ray gave them well-timed, short-field opportunities that they turned into four touchdowns. We managed a couple of turnovers too, but neither was picked up with good field position; and defensive turnovers are definitely not a strength for us this season. The last point I'll make before moving on is that Hillcrest played better than we did as a team. They also didn't have any real stars – except possibly for their quarterback and a couple of guys that played on both their offensive and defensive lines. That was the biggest difference tonight.

Rowen and I didn't hear about it until after we were home and on our own with the boys; but Jason and the other seniors were apparently quick to blame Friday the Thirteenth for our 'horror story' loss, and Jason had other targets for his post-game ranting; but Michael, Tim, and Lucas weren't on his hit list tonight because there wasn't much he could say about their play when they were so obviously having a great game. Michael and Tim are as disappointed as everyone else on the team, but then they were better-prepared for the loss since they hadn't expected another championship this season. Tim even admitted tonight that he hadn't expected our team to do as well as they did.

We – the cheerleaders – didn't have any blame-game action going on during our trip home. We had a good game too; had lots to cheer about during the game; and our half-time routine was yet another hit for us – always a good thing when we're the visitors. We didn't have summer-like weather for the game, but the sky was clear; the temperature stayed in the fifties until after the game; and the wind was much calmer compared to the higher winds we'd been dealing with at home over the past couple of days. That worked out for us, and since the weather might not be nearly as nice during the last two rounds of the playoffs; I'm not entirely disappointed that we won't be continuing to the next round. That extra ten or fifteen hours a week will come in handy now too – especially when we'll soon be spending more time getting ready for all of the Christmas parades concerts, and shows.

I can start thinking about all of that tomorrow, but I'm tired out now; and it's time to speed this up so that I can get some rest.

We were late getting back to the school; Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I all helped out with the gear before heading home. Rowen and Tim walked with Michael and me; we stopped on my front porch for a chat; and then Michael came in with me for a while and Rowen took Tim over to her house. It was too late by then, and Michael should have gone home; but we came up to the lounge and enjoyed a very minor make-out session. The cuddle and talk time was more important for both of us; and I'm glad that I could help Michael with the first steps of his football loss recovery.

Okay, he was taking it pretty well anyway; but why mess up a perfectly good excuse for staying out for more than an hour past what should have been his game-night curfew? At least we didn't shoot for another sofa sleepover! ;^)

Yes, we're saving them up for the holidays; but won't mention that to the parents either.

I've skipped over the rest of my day before the football game and trip to Hillcrest, but to be honest; I don't really have anything to write about. It was a fairly normal Friday, and the only non-school chat topic was the football game. While I was away, I missed the dinner and a movie night that Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah hosted this week, but while I'm sure they had fun; I seem to be getting used to missing out on family time like that now that I've been doing it for a couple of years.

Michael went home shortly before two; I got ready for bed; and got started on a bit of bedtime computing while cuddling with Mandy and talking to her. I've only done the basic computer checks and dealt with one email that needed to be answered before getting started on this journal update. That hasn't taken long, but it's still past two-thirty; and I'm not going to get much down time before I'll need to be awake again and ready for another yard and house chores day. Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I talked about getting together tomorrow night during our little front porch visit, and we might even see about putting together a sleepover; but that's just an idea right now; and would need all of the parental approvals first – not to mention a location and possible expanded guest list.

I'll let you know how that goes with the next report, but for right now, it's time to crash and nap; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Our chat last night about having a teen night and possible sleepover turned into solid plans this morning; and Mom and Dad were happy to let me use our house for the event with just a few conditions.

The first was that Ethan and Ehlana got to invite Naomi and Aiden; I was in charge of food and snacks – including for dinner and breakfast; and I also had to babysit the four younger kids so that our parents could escape the teen invasion for the evening. I was good with all of that; and Rowen and I soon had Michael, Tim, Rebecca, Lucas, Jenny, and Peter signed up for both a teen night and sleepover. Before I get to that part of my update, though; let's cover the rest of the action from earlier today.

Tai Chi by the river was nice; and we've had another warmer-than-normal day with the temperature climbing into the low-seventies. That worked out great for the outdoor chores this morning, and we're getting to the end of the fall clean-up work now – and I'm glad that we don't need to work in the yard all day every Saturday anymore. That worked out even better for me today because it allowed me to take care of some afternoon shopping for our teen night after having lunch with Mom, Dad, and the twins. Rowen helped me out with the shopping; we picked up frozen pizzas, chicken, and appetizers for dinner; lots of snacks and drinks for a movie night in the lounge; and Olde Bakery treats for breakfast to go along with fruit and other treats for breakfast that will keep the work in the morning to a minimum. Michael caught the tail-end of that trip for the start of his afternoon break; he helped with getting everything home; and then Michael and I spent the rest of his break with Ethan and Ehlana at the park before we needed to split up again while he worked the dinner rush at the Inn.

Rowen hadn't stayed for the park play time, but she came over in time to help me with getting the lounge set up for our evening of fun; and then we started working on making dinner with supervisory help from Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden. Michael and Rebecca couldn't come over for the meal, but Lucas, Tim, Jenny, and Peter were able to join us; and they began arriving by a bit after five o'clock. Mom and Dad had decided to go out to the Inn for dinner and then go out to the pub for at least a few hours; and they headed out at five-thirty while we – the kids and teens – sat down to have our finger foods meal in the sunroom.

That was fun, and so was the early-evening play time with my brother, sister, and their friends while we waited for Michael and Rebecca to be set free from the Inn. The boys played some video games; kept up with the college football games; and managed to munch on more snacks despite the fact that they'd recently demolished a lot of food during dinner. Yes, I knew that we were going to have three football players to feed, and didn't run out; but it's still impressive to see just how much a group of guys can eat in just one night.

Maybe that's the origin of the family farm – some husband and wife in the distant past had to figure out a way to feed their teenage boys; and decided to try growing and raising their own food. ;^)

While the guys are still into football despite the end of their high school season; they didn't try to get us to watch football all evening. Once Michael and Rebecca joined us, we had a bit more video gaming in the lounge while the guys continued to play and Rebecca joined the girl chat in progress while we waited for the start of our mini movie marathon. Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden got to pick out the first movie when we were ready to settle down for some quieter entertainment and cuddle time with our respective boyfriend or girlfriend. That didn't technically apply to the four younger kids, but they were paired up too; and as adorable as always when cuddling together. That's true cuddling for Naomi and Ethan; and sitting close together and holding hands for Ehlana and Aiden.

We didn't have enough room on the sectional sofa for all of the teen couples, so Michael and I were on the floor with the four kids while the other three couples sat on the sofa. That isn't really as crowded as it might sound; since it is a very large sectional sofa; but it also wasn't as comfortable for them as it normally is for Tim, Rowen, Michael, and me when we're here and able to stretch out at opposite ends while hanging out together. None of the kids fell asleep before the end of their movie, so we didn't have to carry any kids to bed while taking an intermission between shows. Michael and I took care of getting them tucked in for the night; though I know that the girls went into Ethan's room to hang out with the boys about two minutes after we started our first teen movie of the night. I'll guess that they were also doing some boy-girl cuddling in the two beds too; but I didn't check in on them. Ehlana and Naomi were still with the boys when Mom and Dad got home; pictures were taken; and then the girls were moved back to Ehlana's room for the rest of the night.

Yes, I could have dealt with that sooner; but why mess up a perfectly wonderful parental moment for Mom and Dad – and one that Naomi and Ehlana will love too even if the boys might be slightly embarrassed over the teasing they're sure to get from another junior cuddle incident?

We were just beginning teen movie number three when Mom and Dad stopped in to say goodnight to us and have a quick chat before heading to bed; and then we went back to our movie while they didn't go straight off to sleep too. That ended up being our last movie because the intermission ended up being a wind down chat and play time that included a bit more video gaming for the guys and catching up on the rest of the college football scores. It was a bit after two o'clock when we collectively decided to call it a night; and then we split up into couples for the goodnight hugs and kisses.

For Michael and I; that meant hauling glasses and dishes down to the kitchen and cleaning up before saying our goodnights on the sofa in the living room. That was fun, but I still managed to make it back to my room before Rowen did – and before Rebecca and Jenny joined us there for one last quick girl chat before we all finished getting ready for bed and they camped out on the sectional sofa in the lounge while Rowen camped with me.

That decision was mostly so that nearly all of us could be on the third floor; and Michael was the only teen on the second floor. He's in the room beneath the lounge; and I half-wish that I was there with him. Rowen, Mandy, and I are having fun with our sleepover; but being with Michael would be quite a bit hotter. I'd better not take that thought any further; or I'll change my mind about being good tonight.

I wouldn't be the only girl thinking about some bonus boyfriend cuddle time; but really don't plan on being the second to act on those thoughts! ;^)

Adding the name of that girl isn't something that I'm skipping for some state secret – but it will be more fun not to name names so that anyone reading this in the not-too-distant future can have fun speculating about it; so have fun with that!

There isn't much else to write about. Our girl chat wound down as we relaxed and I played some soft music on my computer while doing my nightly computing. Two of my best friends are sleeping now; the third is cuddling with her boyfriend in his room; and I'm only still awake now because I had a bit of family business work come in via email that I decided to take care of tonight instead of leaving until Sunday night or Monday. We're sure to have a crazy morning around here with eight teens and four kids to get ready for church, and while I'm not going to work at the Inn tomorrow; Dad will be getting ready for his week in the city and I'll help out with Ethan and Ehlana while he's busy.

Before I wrap this up, I'll add a few comments about tonight that were particularly important to me. First up, but not in order of importance; I'd like to mention that I really like Jenny's new boyfriend, Peter. This was the first time that we got to spend some quality time getting to know him; and I'm ready to award him the title of Jenny's best boyfriend so far. That's at least partly because he's a lot like Lucas, Michael, and Tim; with a personality that's probably closer to Tim than Michael or Lucas. He gets bonus points for both being interested in getting to know Jenny's best friends and for wanting her to get to know his friends too – something that they'll be doing more of now that Jenny's finished with cheerleading for the season. He's also smart, funny, and easy on the eyes; but I'm only adding that because Jenny appreciates those qualities a bit more than some of the more subtle things that I notice about Peter that really do make him the kind of guy that fits right in with our little group of friends.

Peter is also really good with kids; and enjoyed playing with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden. That's something else I want to mention – the inter-action between my brother, sister, and their friends is changing a bit; and I think that's at least partly because Naomi's in school now. Sure, they're all getting older and can do more with us; I'm also sure that the teen-kid dynamic is different for us than it is for most of our friends with similar sibling issues. It's not even the same when we're babysitting, and while we still have fun with that; it isn't the same as it is with just the four kids. Ethan and Ehlana still play the 'normal' kid for their age; I also feel as though they're junior teen couples when hanging out with us tonight. I'm not making any conclusions about that in any direction; but we might need to pay attention in case we need to make a few changes if it seems as though they're standing out for acting too grown-up.

Fortunately, I'm pretty sure that they're just getting away with looking adorable when they cuddle as couples and they have everyone so charmed that nothing else gets noticed.

Finally, though the guys are still disappointed that the season is over; I have to admit that I'm glad that we're going to have more time for doing other things – like this teen night and sleepover. It's tough to do that when so much of our 'free' time is taken up with sports and cheerleading. Sure, we have more getting added to our plate for the holidays; but at least Michael and I will get to do a lot of that together. We don't really get to do that during the football games and practices; and being in the same place doesn't always count as being together.

I'd better not go down that trail of thought, and Michael's likely asleep by now anyway; which is what I should be doing now too. It has been one of those really great days, and I'm so blessed to be able to share these moments with the people I love the most. While I won't be sharing the rest of the night with Michael; I can bring him along into my dreams. That sounds much more interesting than typing on my computer anymore tonight; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, November 15, 2015

We had an even better start to our day than I'd expected; thanks to Mom and Dad inviting Jacob and Miranda to join us for breakfast – and Jacob's contribution of one of his breakfast specialties to the light breakfast I'd planned for everyone. Tai Chi by the river had a bit of bonus entertainment because we had a small audience – including first-time spectator, Peter. He was especially impressed with the twins and their best friends; but thought that Mom, Dad, Michael, and I were fun to watch too. Since Jacob whipped up his dish in our kitchen, Mom added pancakes and bacon to the menu too; with the only downside to the expanded breakfast being the extra clean-up after we finished eating.

Getting everyone ready for church and then walking there kept us very busy; and I was a bit amazed that we actually all made it there on time. Jenny was particularly happy about that because Peter came to church with us; and that earned him bonus points with me – and with Jenny's parents. I sat with Michael and his family during the service until we went to Sunday school; and then we enjoyed the comparative quiet in our class – though that started and ended with football talk that was mostly with the guys and girls that hadn't been at the game on Friday night. Michael was able to skip most of the post-church chat time with our friends and everyone else because he needed to get to the Inn; and I walked him to the Inn to spend that bit of extra time with him before he went to work and I came home.

We had some drop-ins to pick up overnight bags and one car before lunch; and Mom just went with an easy-meal before I took care of the clean-up and she and Dad went to work in the office. The temperature wasn't quite as nice today, and it was cloudy most of the day, but it was still nice-enough out for Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and I to decide to go out to play instead of staying cooped up in the house. We rode bikes; played at the park; and had our snack break at the falls. Michael joined us for some of the playground action and the snack break; and then we saw him safely back at the Inn before we walked Naomi and Aiden home on our way back to our house.

Other than stopping for another easy-meal dinner; we worked or studied in the office for the rest of our day. That included all of my work, studying, and Mom's Magi lesson; and we spent a lot of that office time in a time phase. My only goal with that was to work faster and get to bed early after a string of very late nights. That worked; and we were all ready to head for bed by nine o'clock. I let Mom and Dad take care of the bedtime routine for Ethan and Ehlana – and spend that time with them ahead of Dad's trip to the city; while I came up to my room for a nice soak in my Jacuzzi.

I'm still doing that as I write this; and it's time to wrap this up, get out of the tub, and into bed so that I can get started on the bonus sleep I really need right now. With Dad in the city next week, Mom and I will still be busy around here; but it won't be as bad now that I'm done with cheerleading for another year. Now that I'm thinking about Dad's trip, though, I will lose a bit of sleep tonight with our usual early-morning wake-up call to see him off on his trip. I don't want to miss that, and don't have any other news to report; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, November 16, 2015

We're starting the second half of the month; and that began early for everyone in our house as we all got up to visit with Dad and see him off to the city.

That was easier for me to do after going to bed so much earlier than I normally do on Sunday nights; and we had fun with that little blast of early-morning action before Dad hit the road and Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and I moved on to our usual group cuddle and nap. Tai Chi by the river without Dad wasn't quite as much fun as usual, but we had a break in the rain that started overnight and continued off and on all day; so we were glad to be able to exercise outdoors. Breakfast in the sunroom included a few Olde Bakery leftovers from Sunday; and enjoying that meal in the sunroom is still a new favorite part of my day when we can do that. Michael didn't stay for breakfast with us, but he also didn't need to rush off to morning weight training either. Tim may still have some morning workouts between now and the New Year; but they might also end up taking a break and starting up again sometime after we go back to school in January.

Before I continue on with the rest of the news from home; I have one family event to add – though we didn't have much involvement in the celebration.

Happy 8th Birthday, Kaitlyn!

We'd sent gifts, and had a very short phone call with Kaitlyn, her parents, sister, and brother; but that was barely enough time to wish her the best and hear nothing about her birthday plans because she had no idea what they were at the time. Her surprises were more along the lines of what she was doing and where than a surprise party; and I now know that her after-school and evening entertainment included dinner out at her favorite restaurant; and a play night at an indoor sports center that isn't quite the same as SportsFusion in Crystal Springs; but similar. A sleepover for a couple of her friends is likely in sleep mode by now; and I'm sure that all of that was more fun than my evening has been – even though getting to spend my time with Michael has been pretty good.

He was ready for a break from school and the rest of our friends by then – and from some of the guys on the football team. That was entirely because there was too much time spent hearing condolences that were often more appropriate for something serious instead of a football game loss; and the rest was because he didn't like the excuses that Jason and some of the other senior players were telling anyone that would listen. Sure, our team made mistakes, but we didn't embarrass ourselves; and simply got beat by a better team. Michael, Tim, and Lucas didn't want anything to do with making excuses – and they had a real problem with some comments that were too personal toward a few of the younger guys; as well as being wrong. I'm not going to go there with any details, since that'll just get me annoyed too; so let's just move along and just add that even here in our nice little town there are some guys that can act like total jerks.

The football game should be old news by tomorrow, and the rest of our school day was actually pretty good. Having the bonus of getting done for the school day early now that we don't have football and cheerleading practices was one of the top reasons for that; though we had fun in all of our classes too. We briefly debated doing our homework with Rowen and Tim; but we decided to split up for the rest of the day and have some couples and family time instead.

Michael came home with me; we did our homework; helped out with making dinner; and then we took care of the clean-up before meeting up with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana in the office. Mom took a break from her work to do a Magi lesson with Michael and me; and then she got back to work while the rest of us came up to the lounge to have some music play time and watch a show together until it was time to put Ethan and Ehlana to bed. Michael and I had some alone time after that, and while we didn't watch a movie, play video games, or even talk very much; we did have a fair bit of non-verbal fun until he needed to head home for the night.

That play time meant a late start to my bedtime studies and family business work; and Mom and I had a bit of girl chat time after Michael left too; so it was nearly eleven-thirty by the time she went to her room for a soak in the Jacuzzi and I came up to my room and snuggled in bed with Mandy and my computer. The work and studying kept be busy for more than three hours, and I did a bit of surfing on the web after that; so it's getting fairly late – and I'm seriously worn out now. Before wrapping this up, though, I'm going to need to add a comment or three about the news surrounding the terrorist attacks in Paris last Friday.

I don't normally write very much about the news around the world because there is just so much of it; and there are better sources than my journal for getting the current events news for my time in your 'now'. It's time for an exception to that general rule not because of the attacks themselves; but because of the reactions of people – whether they're close to the action in France or half-way around the world from it. Yes, the attacks were awful, and we have a real mess in the world hanks to everything that's going on in the Middle East and other countries. There are a lot of reasons for those issues that I won't get into either; since this is about the fear and emotional responses to the attacks, deaths, and injuries in Paris.

In a nutshell, I'd like to suggest that people in general need to get a grip and deal with reality instead of being afraid and striking out in search of revenge. Some perspective would be good too, and while I wouldn't dream of minimizing the seriousness of the situation in Paris; there was nowhere near this much outrage over the Russians killed in the plane crash in Egypt that may very well have been a terrorist bombing; and barely a whisper by comparison for the wedding attacks in Yemen and elsewhere that have killed hundreds if not thousands. Those are just recent examples, and there are far worse ones in history that didn't get as much attention as this attack.

We've collectively seemed to have lost the ability to apply perspective to situations; and that's creating a lot of stress between people, different groups, and nations. I'm not offering answers here; though sometimes I'd really like to offer a Magi intervention to help fix as many of these problems as I could. That isn't going to happen; so let's hope that cooler heads prevail and this doesn't spiral into an even broader conflict. The last thing we need on this little planet of ours is more war and hatred. Unfortunately, we're not hearing much love being spread around right now – especially by our leaders or the media that seems more interested in spreading fear and inciting hatred than in helping to defuse the situation.

Okay, let's move on and wrap this up. I really am tired; so ranting about things that I have no control over anyway is just a waste of time. Since you're reading this in the future, you'll likely know more about how all of these conflicts work out anyway; or you can just look it up in the archives somewhere if you don't. I'll have to wait for my near future to unfold, though, and the only thing I can tell you for sure is that sleeping is in my immediate future. I'm going to get started on that right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

It's been another late night; so this is going to be a short report.

The highlights of my day were dinner at Michael's house; and Lucas came for dinner too – though he went home to do his chores after school first before driving back into town. Michael was able to go to band practice with Rowen and me now that football is finished for the season; so that was more fun than usual too – and we also rocked a saxophone duet that's going to be part of our Christmas concert program this year. Band and teen praise team practice didn't leave us with much time for dinner, and we couldn't help very much with the clean-up before needing to hurry to the church; but being indoors all day worked out because it's rained most of the day anyway.

Our practice at the church was busy as we worked on a lot of music for Thanksgiving and Christmas; so it was going on nine o'clock by the time we came home to my house to do our homework and have another Magi lesson with Mom. Ethan and Ehlana had been studying in the office while Mom worked, so Michael and I did our homework first; followed that up with our Magi lesson; and then took care of getting the twins tucked in for the night. Having a bit of make-out time after that would have been ice, but we'd pretty much run out of time by then; so we settled for a few minutes of alone time before we rejoined Mom in the office for a quick goodnight visit; and then I saw Michael out and on his way home before coming up to bed and getting started on my bedtime computing.

That was a bit more than three hours ago, and while I was tempted to use a time phase; I resisted the urge and worked at 'normal' Magi speed instead. I'd have been tired out either way, but the work and studying got done, and that's all the news I have for today; so it's time to get on with the sleeping part of my night.

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

It isn't late as I write this, but some quality time phasing was required to get my work and studying done as quickly as possible; so it feels about the same as it would had I been awake and working until three or four. That's why this is going to be a quick report.

We had a fairly normal morning; though Tai Chi by the river was a bit chilly. The highlight of my school day was going to Rebecca's first basketball game with Michael and Lucas. We won't be able to attend any road games, but this was their first home game of the season; and we wanted to be there to support her – and the rest of our team. The Raiders won a fairly close game, and while I'm sure that our team is a bit better this year than last; it'll still be tough to go far against other teams that field teams every year with taller players.

Michael headed over to the Inn right after the game, and I came home in time for dinner. That was an easy-meal, so my clean-up was easy too; and then it was time to get to work in the office with Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana. Thanks to that time phase, we all put in the equivalent of a double or triple shift worth of work and studying; and still managed to wrap up by nine-thirty. Mom took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana into bed for the night while I came up to my room and got ready to crash for the night. I've just finished a bit of personal computing and a last email check; and I really will be crashing for the night as soon as I'm finished with this report.

That is all of the news for my comparatively boring, exhausting day; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Ethan and Ehlana have their favorite sleepover buddies spending the night at our house, and while I was tempted to invite my favorite sleepover buddy to stay too; Michael went home shortly after Mom got home. Aiden's and Naomi's parents are enjoying a kid-free night thanks to grandparent babysitting offers for Eli and Hailey; though that isn't as big of a deal for Aiden's parents when his father needs to be at the bakery so early in the morning.

Michael and I were here all evening instead of going to game night; and we had the four younger kids with us so that they could hang out with us and Mom could have an evening out that didn't include taking care of us. We skipped game night because I didn't want to end up with another too-late night – or need to use time phasing to catch up after spending the entire evening playing at the Inn. Michael and I did work at the Inn after school; we had dinner there; and did our homework while having our meal.

Taking Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden home with us was a last-minute offer, and while we were teased about that; Mom did not require us to have four chaperones to keep us out of trouble. While we did our homework and had a music practice, we also had fun playing together; and I multi-tasked a lot of my bedtime computing while we kept ourselves entertained. None of that was particularly exciting or newsworthy; but it was a really nice way to spend the evening – and I really need to have more moments like that with Ethan and Ehlana whenever I can fit the bonus play time into my too-busy schedule.

Mom went out to Sheldon's after game night with some friends – but only for about an hour before she was ready to come home and wrap up her day with my Magi lesson and some quality Jacuzzi time. Michael went home shortly after she got back, and the four kids were in bed by then, so we did a quick Magi lesson; and then I came up to my room to get back to my studies and work while she checked in with the kids on the way to her tub time action.

I've skipped everything that happened this morning and while I was at school, but it was basically a very normal, uneventful day; and there just isn't any news to write about. It was cooler today and it's going to get colder for the next few days. We could even see a dusting of snow – though it won't likely stick around for long if we do get more than a few snowflakes. The guys would still want to be playing football tomorrow night, but with freezing temperatures and snow and rain a possibility; I'm not terribly upset that we won't be out on a football field. The really good news is that Michael and I will be able to join my family for dinner and a movie night tomorrow, and while we'll be working on Saturday and Sunday; we'll have some bonus fun too – with the return of some of our favorite collegians while they're on their Thanksgiving week break.

Violet, Dillon, Christina, and Josiah will all be home this weekend; but then they'll spend the holiday weekend with their 'in-law' families. We'll be doing some pre-cooking and baking this weekend too; so even that part of our chores should mostly be fun. I'm working at the Inn on Sunday, but that's partly because I know that Dad will be working in the office anyway – especially when he'll be trying to fit his entire work week into three days next week.

That won't be the same for me on the school front, but I will need to get my work and studies done ahead of the holiday weekend. Spending time with Violet, Dillon, or any of the other college students could be tough; but I'll try to do that too. Thinking about all of that has me wondering why I'm still doing this instead of being asleep already, and I don't have a good answer for that; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, November 20, 2015

It's Friday night – and I have no football report! ;^)

I'm especially happy about that because I was able to be here for our family and friends dinner and a movie night; to welcome Dad home; and then to welcome Violet and Dillon when they got back here from school.

Before I get to that part of the report, our day started out with Naomi and Aiden adding bonus fun for us during Tai Chi and breakfast. Ehlana, Naomi, and I had some dress-up and hair fun before Rowen, Michael, Rebecca, and I walked to school with Naomi while Mom was left with the twins and Aiden until she was ready to take them to KidZone so that she could spend the morning running errands.

Our school day was busy-enough; and we had a couple of tests that our teachers wanted to get out of the way ahead of the Thanksgiving action that will take up most of next week – or the three days of classes we have before the long weekend. Michael and I stopped in at the Inn for a visit with his parents, but we didn't stay long; and then he came home with me so that we could help Mom with getting our contributions for the family dinner together. We had time for a snack and chat too; but then we headed over to Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's house with time to spare so that we could help out with the rest of the dinner and movie set-up. We had quite a gang together for the evening, so we needed to use the dining room for the adults and kitchen table for most of the kids – with Michael and me on kid control during the meal. That was fun, but Michael also joked that the Friday night football games were easier – a line that my aunts were happy to run with and have fun teasing him over.

The dinner and play time with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, Aiden, and our cousins was great; and so was getting to spend time with my aunts and uncles. I have not been able to do that enough lately; and I'm so glad that we could be here tonight. We had a long break between the meal and movie, but Michael and I didn't get put on the clean-up crew because we were kept on kid control instead. I got to spend some extra time with Brianna while we were doing that, and one of the really great things about being Magi is that I never have to worry about babies forgetting me when I don't see them much while I'm busy with other things. Brianna and I have a really special bond, and while it's different than what I have with Ethan and Ehlana; it's more than I have with the rest of my cousins so far. I haven't spent any time analyzing that, but I do have a special relationship with her mother too, and she is definitely her mother's daughter; so it could be as simple as that.

Then again, it could be much more; but I can't go there right now – and won't anytime soon.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne have Christina staying with them while she's here, and we had Violet and Dillon coming home too; so we went with just one movie tonight – and it was a kid-friendly flick. I had to share Brianna during the movie, but Michael and I always had at least one junior cuddle buddy with us. The movie was cute, if not a future animated classic; and all of the action and family time had the youngest kids tired out by the time we began splitting up to head home. I went with the twins to walked Aiden and Naomi home; had a bit of extra fun when Naomi needed to give Ethan a goodnight hug on her front porch – and then got caught in the act as her father opened the door to welcome her home.

Once we were home, we still had a bit of a wait until Violet and Dillon got home, and they only stopped in at first for a quick visit and to drop off their luggage before heading over to Dillon's house for a visit with his family. They're spending the night with us. They will likely have some late night out; but I expect that Dillon will be staying with us every night while they're here – unless they spend a night at his house instead. After our visit with them, Ehlana and I decided to have a sisters' sleepover in my room; we cam e up to the lounge; and watched another movie in there once we'd gotten ready for bed. Michael and Ethan watched that movie with us, and Michael and I got to have the bonus cuddle time together; but they did their own thing while Ehlana and I were getting changed.

For a change, Michael and I didn't end our evening together. After our movie, he went downstairs to take care of tucking Ethan in for the night; and they played video games and talked for a while until Ethan was ready to get some sleep. Michael did stop in again for a goodnight hug and kiss before he went home; and then Ehlana and I sat up in my bed and talked while I did some work on my computer and we both waited to have a bedtime chat with Violet once she and Dillon got home again. It was after midnight by then, so that chat didn't last very long – and that was because Violet was worn out from a busy school day and trip home. I hope we'll get to spend time with her while she's here; but it won't be easy for her to add us to her busy schedule – especially when I'll be at school for two of the four full days they'll be here.

I'd suggest that I'll get used to that eventually; but doubt that I ever will. These cameo moments won't change much for quite a while either, since Michael and I will head off to college the summer after Violet and Dillon graduate; so holiday visits like this one will be part of our lives for quite some time.

That wasn't something I wanted to get into tonight, or really even think about anytime soon. I'd rather just be glad to have Violet and Dillon home; and we'll enjoy the moments we do get to spend with them. Breakfast with them in the sunroom will be up next – and a first; so I should wrap this up and get started on my nap time to be ready for another early start for a busy holiday weekend prep day. That might not sound very exciting, but the holiday weekend fun is always worth the extra work that goes into making it happen.

I really don't have anything else for today, and Mandy and I have a nice, warm cuddle buddy to sleep with; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, November 21, 2015

Okay, we might be slightly crazy to go outside for Tai Chi on a morning when the temperature hovered around freezing, but the majority of us aren't ready to move indoors yet; so we bundled up and braved the cold to enjoy the fresh air instead of exercising indoors.

The highlight of my morning was breakfast in the sunroom with special guests Violet and Dillon. Michael stayed too; and we had a nice long chat while enjoying a full country breakfast. It was time to get to work after that, and while we also took turns getting ready for the day; I spent a lot of my day helping out in the kitchen. I worked in all of my chores during the day too; but it was the cooking and baking that was the most fun – especially when we had visitors dropping by to either chat or help out with the work.

Aunt Leanne and Christina stopped in to do both for a while – and to visit with Violet. Brianna came with them while Uncle Adam kept busy with Zack and Eli – the two boys spending some time together during the morning while Philip and Naomi got to have a bit of father-daughter time. Getting to see Violet was the main reason for most of the visits, and she spent the entire morning with us; but then she and Dillon headed out after lunch to spend the rest of the day with his family and their friends.

My work day continued on until dinnertime, and then I was set free after we ate so that I could go over to Rowen's house for the evening. Tim was already there, but we had to wait for Michael to finish up at the Inn before he could join us; so Rowen and I talked while Tim and Patrick played video games. Michael joined in for a while after he joined us; and then Patrick escaped the living room as soon as Rowen and I convinced our boyfriends that they really would rather cuddle with us and watch a movie or two instead of holding their game controllers. We were glad to have the time together with just the four of us, but I won't suggest that the movie was anything to write about; and we had more fun joking about the show than we had from watching it.

I'm not going to do any major football reporting tonight, but the guys did talk about it a bit; and they watched a couple of football update reports before and after the movie to keep up with the college games. First up, Tim felt a bit better about our team's loss last week after finding out that Hillcrest has advanced to the Championship match. He'll be even happier if they win that game over Clairmont; since that'd mean we were beaten by the Champions for this season. On the college front, the only match I'll mention is for Kyle's team – and only to report that they lost. While they aren't likely to make it to a bowl game this year, they are getting better; and Kyle's goal of a bowl game win while he's at college could happen before he graduates. If you're interested in the rest of the college games today, feel free to check that out elsewhere.

I've had a long day, though; and it's past-time for me to head off to sleep.

Wrapping this up, Michael and I stayed at Rowen's until midnight; we came home to my house so that we could spend a bit of time alone for our goodnight hugs and kisses; and then he went on to his house while I came up to my room. Ehlana was there and napping with Mandy; and she was still sleeping while I got ready for bed too. By the time I was done in the bathroom, Violet and Dillon were getting home; and Violet stopped in for another bedtime chat that Ehlana woke for – though she was happy to cuddle with Violet and half-doze while we traded stories about what we'd each been doing since Violet and Dillon had left for his house after lunch.

Violet didn't leave for her room until about ten minutes ago, but I only did a quick bedtime computer and email check; and now that I've covered the highlights from today, I'm ready to call it a night. Tomorrow is mostly going to be a work at the Inn day for me, and I'm planning on working the lunch and dinner shifts; so I really do need all of the down time I can get. Cuddling with Ehlana and Mandy will be more fun that working on my computer too; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Another frosty morning gave way to an only slightly warmer day, but since I spent most of my day indoors; it wasn't an issue.

Tai Chi by the river was too chilly for comfort, but breakfast in the sunroom was again a lot of fun and much warmer. Our time at church was highlighted by the work we did during Sunday school to get ready for the holiday weekend service; and we are ready for that with everything except the final set-up. The service was a bit long, so Michael, Rebecca, and I headed straight over to the Inn once we were set free; and then we kept busy all day – including during our afternoon and dinner breaks. I'm not going to bore you with the work details, but we were surprisingly busy for the Sunday ahead of a holiday weekend – and that was partly because of my family.

More specifically, that was to collective family and some friends of Violet's, Dillon's, Josiah's, and Christina's; since they were the guests of honor at the late buffet sitting for 'our' family group. The parents or cousins of the four collegians hosted the dinner; and they booked tables for the late buffet so that all of the store owner members of the family could attend. I couldn't join them for that because we really were too busy in the kitchen for anyone to take the extra break time; but I did stop by for a quick visit that didn't allow me enough time to talk much with anyone.

I skipped over our afternoon break, but then Michael and I just did our homework and had some down time at my house before heading back to the Inn; so there isn't anything newsworthy to report there. While I was busy at the Inn and doing homework, Mom and Dad needed to work in the office; Ethan and Ehlana spent the afternoon with Violet and Dillon – and part of their afternoon was spent playing in the lab with Uncle Adam. There's a very good chance that Dillon and Ehlana will spend some extra time in the lab while he and violet are here; though that might depend on how much work Dillon needs to get done for his college classes – including getting ready for his final exams. Ehlana will be happy with any time he can spend with her at the lab; and Violet can always hang out with Mom or Aunt Grace while they're busy.

Moving along, while I missed out on spending time with my family; I was happy to spend the day with Michael. The work was tough because we were also a bit short-handed today; and that was mostly because of people wanting time off this weekend knowing that next weekend will be an all-hands-on-deck weekend. Sure, we'll all get Thursday off, but Black Friday will be crazy; and so will the four-buffet shift on Sunday. I'm not going to think about that too much – especially when Michael won't get to miss two of those work days while playing football instead. I still need to decide how much time I'll spend at the Inn, but since this is an 'away' holiday for our family; I might put in more time there this time; and maybe a bit less over Christmas.

Michael, Rebecca, and I put a lot of hours in at the Inn today, and we were late getting out of the place once we finally had all of the work finished. That's why I was late getting home – and why everything else on my schedule has been behind since then. Mom still did a Magi lesson with me; I spent some time with Ethan and Ehlana when they were sent up to bed; and then I had a short girl chat with Violet while Dillon took his turn grabbing a shower – and after she'd finished using my Jacuzzi. It was past-midnight by the time Violet went to her room, and though everyone else was in bed by then, nobody was sleeping; so I decided to have a soak in my Jacuzzi too instead of just getting changed and into bed with Mandy.

My multi-tasking while in the tub wasn't very effective because I needed some down time to just relax before getting serious about my studies and family business work; and that delay pushed my schedule back even further. Once I was finally in bed, I kicked up the work speed quite a bit, but didn't use a time phase – mostly because you shouldn't do that when you're tired. The results can be a bit unpredictable, and if you start nodding off; it's possible to actually have your time phase invert so that you slow down time instead of speeding it up. Even working as quickly as I could in normal time, it still took hours to get everything done; and it's now heading toward four-thirty. The work is done, though; so I won't need to play catch-up in a week when I'm trying to stay ahead of the game so that I'll be able to take the holiday weekend off from my studies and most of the family business work.

I will likely need to do a bit of self-healing, though, and should get started on what nap time I can get; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, November 23, 2015

Warm weather returned to town, and while it isn't going to last for long; we'll try to enjoy it while we can.

The highlight of my day was spending the afternoon and evening with Violet and Dillon – something else that Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, Michael, and I were also glad to enjoy while we can. Tonight was 'our' time with Violet and Dillon. Michael and I came home after school, and other doing our homework; we spent all of our late afternoon and early evening with them, my parents, and the twins. The highlights included some play time at the park before dinner; the meal out in the sunroom; and an evening indoors that included watching a movie and playing some video games in the living room.

Dad took that time off from his work despite being busy; which is why I wasn't the only person in the house starting my work and studying even later than usual – after Michael headed home at eleven o'clock. Mom skipped my Magi lesson so that she could spend that time working with Violet and Dillon instead, so I opted to work in the office with Dad; and Ethan and Ehlana decided to stay up late and work on their college courses. The twins were allowed to do that because I decided to use a time phase so that Dad and I could both catch up on the lost work time; and it gave my brother and sister the chance to get a lot of their studying done in a short amount of 'real' time.

I won't make this tedious by writing all about any of the work and studying details, but it was productive; and we wrapped up our time phase by a bit after midnight. It was time for all of us to head for bed after that, and while it isn't three or four in the morning; the time phase effort took just as much out of me as staying up that late would have done. Violet and I had our bedtime chat with Ehlana and Mom in Ehlana's room while we tucked her in for the night, and while we stopped in to say goodnight to Ethan too; he'd spent most of that time with Dad and Dillon.

Once I was in my room, I was tempted to hop in my Jacuzzi for a soak, but decided to just get changed and into bed instead. Other than one last email check and a bit of casual surfing on the web; this update is the only job I had left to do on my computer for the night. That's a good thing, because I'm seriously ready for the down time.

Before I go there, I'll note that my school day was fairly quiet. There was a lot of Thanksgiving-related action going on there; but most of that was with the primary grades. Michael and I didn't get around to any music time tonight, and we should have done that to get ready for our band and praise team practices tomorrow; but photographic memories do come in handy now and then and we'll be ready anyway. While I wasn't involved in the action for everyone else in my family today, Dillon did spend some time at the lab with Ehlana and Uncle Adam while Ethan opted to play in the archives with some new books that had recently been delivered and were still being catalogued and put away. Mom and Violet did some family business work at home then; and Mom continued to work on her holiday weekend pre-cooking and baking. This year, without the entire gang home for the holiday weekend, it's going to be a home baking event, and while I love Olde Bakery treats; it's going to be great to enjoy some of the old recipes that Mom likes to dust off for special events. She isn't likely going to do that very often for the big family holidays, since that's so much work when she's already so busy; but then Hannah's very happy to help us out with those big orders whenever we need them! The great news for our home town family is that we win on the dessert front either way! ;^)

We're down to two school days to the holiday weekend, and Wednesday will pretty much just be a play day; so tomorrow will be our last day of 'real' classes this week. I'm good with that, and if I get enough work done tomorrow night; I'll start my long weekend off from family business work and studying early. Sure, I'll still have work at the Inn, and I'll help Mom out as much as needed this weekend too; but all late nights should mostly be of the fun variety – even if that won't include a championship football game for our team.

That, but the way was news at school, and while our team won't be playing in that game; there was a fair bit of interest over finding out that Hillcrest will be up against Clairmont – the perennial champions that won so often before we interrupted their dominance over the past two seasons. While our football players have motivation to cheer for Hillcrest; I think that I'll quietly root for Clairmont – and then hope for another rematch against them for our Raiders next season. That kind of a rivalry could be a lot of fun – or at least it would be in the years that we win those matches!

I hadn't planned on going off on a football side-trip, and I really am ready to crash now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

It's been a long, too-busy day; so this is going to be a short report due to extreme exhaustion.

Tai Chi by the river and breakfast in the sunroom was great – especially getting to spend the meal time with Violet and Dillon. School time through to band practice was uneventful; though lunch time outdoors was fun. Band practice was drawn out now that we're running out of time to get ready for our first parade a week from Friday night – and the rest of our holiday parade and concert schedule. Michael and I were at his house for a quick dinner and study session between band practice and our teen praise team practice; and then we had another long music practice to get ready for the holiday weekend Sunday service while also continuing to work on the music and musical for Christmas.

Michael came home with me after that practice; and we got to spend some time with my grandparents before they headed back to their house at the same time that my visiting aunts and uncles took their kids home to put them to bed. Michael stayed to do a Magi lesson with Mom and me; we took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana tucked in for the night; and then we came up to the lounge for a too-short bit of alone time so that I could say goodnight to him in a mostly non-verbal way. That was a fun little interlude between all of the busy, but after seeing him out; I got ready for bed and busy with all of my studying and family business work. I've been doing that for more than four and a half hours; and that's the main reason for the exhaustion.

I'll be heading off into dreamland very soon, but before I go there; let's cover the news that I was too busy for today.

As you've gathered from the news of my short visit with Grandma and Grandpa; they got home for the holiday weekend today. Surprisingly, they didn't have any travel delays; and managed to get into town by mid-afternoon. While they were traveling, Mom led a small crew of helpers that included twin supervisors; and they had Grandma and Grandpa's house ready for their arrival – including some fresh groceries and bakery treats. My grandparents were here for dinner and an evening visit with most of our home town family, and while I would have liked to be at the dinner; they were sitting down to eat too late for Michael and I to do that.

Violet and Dillon had plans with his family and some of their friends tonight, so they weren't at the dinner either; but they did stay and have a visit with Grandma and Grandpa after helping out with the house work there – and they helped with unloading the minivan too. Yes, they might have been able to reverse the family time days, but there was no guarantee that Grandma and Grandpa would have such a comparatively easy travel day today; so they didn't try to change things up when my grandparents could have just as easily been late getting home from Arizona.

Missing out on the family time wasn't something I wanted to do, but there just weren't enough hours in the day today; and there's a good chance I'll feel that way a lot over the next, well, from now until the New Year! ;^)

The only thing I'm feeling right now, though, is numb and sleepy. Only having time for a nap before I'll need to be up again will mean another early-morning self-healing session ahead of Tai Chi; but I'll deal with that – and hope to get a chance for more sleep tomorrow night. I did get everything done tonight and can take the weekend off except for any work that comes up via email, and that's all I have for this update; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Compared to the rest of my family, I've had a fairly uneventful final school day of the week.

Tai Chi by the river was nice; breakfast in the sunroom was a bit sad because I had to also say goodbye to Violet and Dillon; and then I headed off to school while everyone else was either getting ready to travel or had a birthday party to look forward to for Sebastian.

Happy 1st Birthday, Sebastian!

I can honestly say that I haven't really thought about Sebastian's birthday being so close to Thanksgiving as a potential childhood issue for him, and it isn't one at his age this year; but I can envision him feeling as though the holiday gets in the way of his special day in the future. Having his big day when there is so much going on around here today was more of an issue for everyone else close to him. To deal with that, Aunt Deborah and Uncle Nick had his birthday party at the Inn during Uncle Nick's lunch break from school. That allowed the traveling members of our family to attend before heading out of town; and didn't get in the way of friends and family that were busy with holiday weekend work or incoming guests during the rest of the day.

Violet and Dillon stayed for the party, but left directly from the Inn. Uncle Mark, Aunt Grace, and Caleb are spending the weekend in Granite Park for the 'away' holiday with the other side of Aunt Grace's family; so they were also glad to still be able to celebrate Sebastian's birthday before heading out – though they didn't leave right after lunch. Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana were invited too, but Michael and I had other commitments at school; and needed to use parts of our lunch break to get ready to help out with the afternoon fun that was planned for the primary kids.

While we did have fun today at school, Michael, Tim, and Rowen were all working after school, and since we don't have any visitors or house guests this weekend; I ended up with nothing specific to do from the time I got home from school until now. Though I had my work and studying done for the week, there's always more to do with the family business; and I decided to go with the bonus work time – mostly because Ethan and Ehlana were busy with Naomi and Aiden anyway; and playing with their friends at Naomi's house once her father had picked them up after he was finished at the school.

They were gone for dinner too, so Mom and Dad decided to work in the office after we had an easy-meal and cleaned up. Dad even got all of his weekend homework done thanks to another time phase that I was happy to help him out with until shortly before Ethan and Ehlana were brought home for the night. The twins and I decided to end our day with a movie in the lounge; Mom and Dad opted to join us for that; and then Michael came over after he was finished at the Inn for the night so that we could have a bit of cuddle time ahead of what will definitely be a busy holiday weekend. He caught the tail-end of the movie; we took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana tucked in for the night; and then we had nearly an hour of alone time in the lounge while Mom and Dad opted to go to bed then too.

No, sleeping is not yet involved; but let's not go there!

While a more serious make-out session might have been fun, Michael was as tired as I am after not getting much sleep last night; so we were both happy to keep our play time soft, sweet, and tender instead of hot and heavy. We half-watched some music videos while cuddling and caressing, and when I eventually started to fall asleep; Michael decided that it was time for him to head home. A sofa sleepover would have been nice, but we're expecting to need one of those later this weekend and don't want to use up our bonus points on that tonight.

I saw Michael out with hugs and kisses on the front porch; watched him walk home; and then came back up here to get ready for bed. Other than an email check, this is the only bedtime computing I'm doing tonight; and I don't expect to be awake for very long after I wrap this up. The Inn is closed for Thanksgiving tomorrow, and Michael and I will get to spend most of the day together, but even without any visiting family; it's going to be fairly busy keeping up with our families. Michael's parents are hosting the Bassett clan Thanksgiving dinner; we'll be there for that; and then we'll move on to the dinner at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house that will include my family, the home town Johnson clan, and some of Uncle Nick's family – including the Seagers.

Maybe it's a good thing that I'll be helping out at the Inn quite a bit this weekend. With two major meals tomorrow; I'll need the exercise! ;^)

That sounded a bit too much like Aunt Grace, and since I don't actually have to worry about stuff like that with my hyper-active metabolism; I won't joke about something that really does matter to a lot of people – and be grateful for inheriting some awesome genetics.

Those physical gifts from Mom and our ancestors doesn't keep me from getting tired out, though, and I really am ready for some quality down time; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have had a really great day; though I'll begin with the not-so-fun news that we also had to deal with a very rainy day too – and I mean very, very rainy! That was too bad, since it was also fairly warm out; and it would have been nice to spend time outdoors enjoying that warm instead of just dodging the raindrops as we ran between houses for the family dinners and visits to other neighbors and friends.

The rain hadn't started first thing this morning, so Tai Chi by the river was an option; and then I got ready for the day right away so that I could go over to Michael's house and help out with the work going on there to get ready for their family dinner. I had breakfast there too, but that was just a snack meal that we ate while continuing the work on the main meal of the day. Lucas wasn't there for breakfast, but he did come over by mid-morning to hang out with Rebecca. They've been doing the same thing today that Michael and I have been – attending the early dinner with the Stone-Bassett clan; and then they spent the rest of the day with his family while Michael was with me and mine.

Working all morning might not seem like a fun way to spend the day, but it wasn't all work and no play. We watched the Macy's parade in the living room when we could – and even brought some of the work with us so that we could do that; and the chat time was really special too. The guys talked football quite a bit too, but Miranda, Rebecca, and I were happy to do our own thing whenever our favorite boys were busy talking sports. Jacob puts on the best family dinners in town – and possibly one of the best in the world, but compared to running the Inn; getting all of the work done for a holiday meal for under fifty people was easy. Most of the hard work was done by the time most of the members of the Bassett clan and a few other guests began arriving; and then Michael and I were put on kid control through until the end of dinner.

I was really happy to spend that time with Michael's cousins. It's been tough making enough time for Ethan and Ehlana; and we've hardly spent any time with Jessica, Ryan, and Sophia at all over the past few months. That isn't fair for them, and we'd like to do more; but let's not get into my usual regrets over things like this today and move along.

While the living room television was being used for parades and football today, video gaming was an option for the kids in the second-floor room that neither Michael nor Rebecca really use as a play room much anymore. We were up there a lot until shortly before dinner was served; and that was a fun little interlude before the familial chaos that was our first Thanksgiving dinner of the day. The food was amazing; Michael and I got to sit and talk with the other teens and young adults at the far-end of the table from the parents and grandparents; and I especially loved hearing about what Michael's college cousins had been doing over the past few months while away at school. I don't keep in very close contact with them compared to the rest of my favorite collegians; but that's mostly their choice. I do exchange emails with them – they just don't usually offer nearly the same amount of details that Violet, Stephanie, and Christina do with me.

College stories are getting to be more interesting to Rebecca and Lucas now that they're getting closer to their senior year; but Michael and Lucas were also both happy to talk college football with the other guys too. Tim would have loved being there for that; but I'm sure he's had lots of football talk at the Landry family Thanksgiving – even if he probably didn't get very much of that with Rowen's family. While Michael and I weren't into the college living stories quite the same was that Rebecca and Lucas were, I have been thinking about college more; and it'll soon be time to start working on that part of my future plans fairly soon. That's going to include getting Michael, Tim, and Rowen on-board with what I'd like to do, but I don't need to go there with this report; and won't need to begin dealing with that until sometime next May or June.

While we spent most of the dinner time talking with the older cousins, I also had Jessica next to me; so there was a bit of kid time action too. She tried to keep up with our collective conversations too, and Jessica is the eldest of the younger cousins, but she also can't quite relate to some of the college chat topics yet; she was bored with some of the topics; and had to split her time between us and the other kids. As usual, it felt a bit strange to be at a family dinner with Erica and Caleb – especially this year when I've not only been a cheerleader with Erica; but I've also been around her during quite a few chats about how tough it has been to have her boyfriend away at college for her senior year of high school.

I'm glad that Michael and I won't have to deal with that; and I'm sure that Erica and Caleb have both been enjoying his time at home – even if she has been stuck in classes for three of the days he's been here.

Dinner was winding down by a bit after two o'clock, and then it was time for some of us to get back to work on the clean-up crew. Michael and I were two of the draftees; and that's why we didn't end up having much down time to just hang out with his family before it was time for us to head over to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house. We stopped in for a quick visit with Rowen and Tim at her house on the way there, but they were in between family meals too; so we didn't have much time to spend with them. Everyone else in our collective group was already there by the time Michael and I arrived; but we still had more than an hour to just hang out and have fun. We split that time between the living room and the play room; enjoying chances to visit with the adults and then play with the kids until everyone was called for dinner.

Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had quite a gang over despite it being an away holiday for our family; and that was mostly because they invited Uncle Nick's family to join us so that he and Aunt Deborah didn't have to try and do two family dinners too. That plan worked out pretty well for Ethan, Ehlana, and Zack too, since Naomi and Eli were there with their parents and some of their Ayres and Seager relatives. Michael had a tougher time, since the younger boys all wanted to hang out with him, but I ended up with a bit less to do for the kid control work; and I got to spend bonus time taking care of Brianna. Sure, she was popular with the parents and grandparents in the house too; but I got to take care of her while we had dinner.

I volunteered for that job, and while I did eat some food; two major meals was just too much for me to be able to handle eating a second full dinner. Michael did better for that than I did; but then he's also done a fair bit of running around with the boys both before and after dinner. We were both on the post-dinner clean-up crew because we didn't help with any of the pre-dinner work; and then we again split the rest of our evening between playing with the kids and visiting with the adults. The number of guests at the house began to drop not long after the kitchen and dining room clean-up was finished; and that slow exodus began with Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah when they made the fairly last-minute decision to hit the road for their weekend away with her family tonight instead of early Friday morning.

We kept Leah and Sebastian with us while they went home to pack their car; and then they picked up the kids once they were ready to leave town. Since Sebastian was nodding off before they even pulled out of the driveway and Leah didn't likely stay awake through the first show they put on for her to watch on her iPad; I'll guess that they have had an easy trip. Not having one or two cranky kids in the car for the long drive will be worth the trade-off for the late night – and they can always get family support for the kids in the morning if they want to sleep in and miss out on some of the Black Friday shopping fun.

That isn't going to happen for me, since I'm going to be up extra-early to go and help out at the Inn with the breakfast buffet; so I'd better move this along and get some sleep.

Michael and I were among the last to leave Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house – and that was after Mom and Dad took the twins home for the night. We helped out with the final living room, play room, and kitchen clean-up; took care of Brianna's bedtime cuddle and music time; and Michael helped with getting Zack to bed too when my too-busy cousin wanted to try and party all night instead of listening to his parents. All of that work and family time was fun, but I was ready to come home – and glad that Michael came in with me so that we could have a bit of cuddle time for two before he needed to move on to his place. Ethan and Ehlana had still been awake then, but they were also in their rooms; so we stopped in for bedtime visits with them on our way up to the lounge. That was at the same time that Mom and Dad went to bed; so all was fairly quiet in the house after that.

We watched a movie, enjoyed a bit of quiet make-out play time; and then Michael headed home at a bit after eleven-thirty. He wouldn't let me see him out this time, so I was likely changed and in bed before he was; and Mandy was happy to snuggle with me while I fired up my computer to do my bedtime computer and email checks. That didn't take too long, and even with one tiny bit of work to do for the family business; that didn't even take as long as writing a few emails to my cousins did. I haven't been sent any holiday reports yet, but I sent news from home with those email; and will likely hear back from most of my cousins by tomorrow night.

This report hardly seems to even begin to cover everything that happened today, but holidays are just like that – a blur of cameo moments that would take too long to write about; yet add up to an amazing day with my family and friends. I really need to get some sleep now, though, and I have covered at least some of the highlights; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, November 27, 2015

It's been a long, busy, amazing day, but I can't write about it now because Michael and I are going to have a sofa sleepover that I'm really looking forward to starting with him in a few minutes. Since we've both been awake since shortly before five o'clock this morning, sleeping will definitely be more likely than a major make-out session, but as long as we're together; I'm okay with that.

Look for the double update tomorrow night – or since you can do it while reading this in the future; just flip the digital page and read on! ;^)

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, November 28, 2015

This update is coming to you live from Rowen's bedroom; and she says "Hi!" to everyone reading this in the future – including herself some day when she'll be able to do that.

I'm here because we're having a pre-birthday sleepover, but before I get to that part of my report; we need to back up to Friday morning for our double-update.

As I've already noted, Michael and I were both up very early on Friday morning; and I was at his house in time to go over to the Inn with Michael and his parents. Rebecca stayed overnight at Lucas' house; so she wasn't asked to work the breakfast buffet. Michael might have been wishing that he was playing in the championship football game today, and that would have been great too; but I was really glad to be home for the first time in two years – and I'm not just saying that because of the shopping I got to do with some of my favorite girls once I was finished for the morning at the Inn. The work in the kitchen was crazy-busy, but the breakfast buffet menu is fairly easy to deal with; so it was the clean-up work that was just as busy as any buffet – and why I spent more than half of my time working with Michael on dishwashing instead of on the prep line.

The Black Friday shopping was more fun than the early-morning work; and I'm happy to report that there wasn't even one fight or pushing match anywhere in town – unlike the scenes of temporarily insane shoppers that have been posted on YouTube over the past two days. My family was not at the breakfast buffet today; choosing to instead do their own thing – and sleep in where possible. That worked out for me, since they were just getting together to start shopping when I was set free from the Inn to join in on the annual tradition.

After two years away from the event, you might think that I'd make up for lost time and buy, buy, buy; but I didn't end up buying very many things. I couldn't leave Abby's store without a couple of new dresses that will be perfect for Christmas, and I bought a pair of shoes to match them at Taylor's; but those were my only major purchases. The Olde Bakery treats were for a snack on the fly and an assorted box of favorites to have in the lounge – and to bring here for my evening at Rowen's house. My only other purchases today were little Christmas gifts or things that I thought would make cute stocking stuffers for some of the members of my extended family.

We shopped until around one o'clock; I went home for lunch; and then Michael and I spent his afternoon break playing with Ethan and Ehlana. After that, it was time for both of us to get back to the Inn for the dinner rush. While I was busy with that, Ethan and Ehlana got approval for a sleepover with Naomi and Aiden; and their best friends ended up being dropped off in time to have dinner with Mom, Dad, and the twins. I'm sure that they had more fun with that than I had at the Inn; and I'm not just saying that because I was on dishwasher duty for most of the time I was working in the kitchen. Since we'd worked the open and breakfast buffet, Michael and I were set free early; and we got back to my place in time to watch the end of one movie and another one after that with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden before Mom and Dad ordered them to bed.

You already know about Michael staying for a sofa sleepover, and there weren't any complications with that last-minute decision – not that I'd expected any parental intervention. There are some advantages to being responsible and working hard to help our parents at the Inn or with the family business. I don't have much to report for the time last night after my micro-update. Michael and I snuggled under a blanket; played for a little while; and then I fell asleep. I'd expected that, so we weren't terribly disappointed over missing out on another perfect make-out opportunity; and we were happy campers when we woke up on Saturday morning.

Life got crazy for us then because Mom and Dad decided to take us to the Christmas tree farm right after breakfast instead of the planned trip that we'd tentatively booked for the afternoon. The weather forecast was the reason behind the change, and it worked out especially well for Ethan, Ehlana, and me because it made it possible for our best friends to come along for the adventure. For me, that included Rowen and Tim as well as Michael – which is why we took both the truck and minivan to have room for everyone. We weren't alone, since Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and the kids came with us; and we had a four-vehicle convoy heading out of town when we hit the road by eight-thirty.

What can I say about the Christmas tree farm? Since my first year here in Witch Falls, it's been one of my favorite places for making Christmas memories. Today was no exception; and I really loved getting to pick out trees for our families with Michael, Rowen, and Tim – as well as for everyone else in our group. Surprisingly, we managed to do that without taking any extra time on the hayride, and while it took a bit longer to load the trees up because we also needed to use minivan roof racks in addition to Dad's truck; that was only a bit of work in between the hay ride and our visit to the Christmas store. We bought more ornaments for the trees; picked up boxes of cookies and jugs of cider; and enjoyed a hot chocolate or warm cider and cookies snack break before heading for home again.

Our goal with leaving then was to beat the snow and rain in the forecast to get home and deliver all of the trees; and we managed to do that. Rowen and Tim went home with my grandparents because they had their own tree and Tim's on their roof rack. Dad, Michael, Ethan, Aiden, and I were in the truck and delivered trees to the Draper's, Seager's, Stone's, and Ayres' homes before finishing up with delivering our own tree; and then Michael went home to get cleaned up on his way to the Inn to help with the rest of the lunch rush shift.

After Michael left, I helped Mom with making lunch; Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, Zack, and Brianna came over after that so that we could decorate the tree; and we spent an amazing three hours doing that together before it was time to split up again. For me, that meant getting cleaned up and heading over to Rowen's house for the rest of the night. She was home by the time I got there; and we cooked an easy-dinner for her family that we had nearly ready to go by the time her parents, Patrick, Scott, and Tim joined us – after the stores closed for the night. Being on the cooking crew worked out well for us because Patricia put the boys in charge of the post-dinner clean-up. Patrick complained about that, but we didn't feel too sorry for him; since we had kept up with the cookware clean-up as we went along; so they only had to deal with the dinnerware, glasses, and cutlery from a spaghetti dinner with salads and garlic toast.

Michael couldn't join us for dinner, and had to work until close, so after the boys were finished with the work in the kitchen; they opted for some video gaming and college football action while we waited for Michael. Since I mentioned football; I'll note that Clairmont regained their high school football championship on Friday over Hillcrest. Tim was all over that; and has mixed feelings about it. He wishes that Hillcrest had won so that our team could claim that we'd at least been beaten by the eventual champs; but he's also happy that Clairmont won because he's hoping to repeat another feat that Kyle managed by defeating Clairmont while they're defending champions.

For the day you read this sometime in the future, Tim, I love you; but quit trying to one-up your cousin! You're an amazing guy and can blaze your own trail.

Rowen says she loves you too; and smacked me for admitting that I love you too – even if that is only here in my journal. ;^)

Go ahead and tell Michael on me, Rowen. He loves Tim too – even if guys aren't allowed to admit stuff like that to each other. We both love you quite a lot too; so deal with it, sister-of-my-heart.

That last bit was more a narration of our conversation at this moment, and Rowen is having some fun with me; but it's getting late and I really need to move this along.

The boys played their games and watched Football through until about an hour after Michael caught up with us. After that, Patrick and Scott decided to leave us alone in the living room; and Michael and Tim picked out a Christmas movie for us to watch while snuggling with their respective girlfriends. A Christmas movie for guys generally means that stuff needs to get blown up and there also needs to be chases, fights, and bad jokes and acting. All of that and more is available in that Christmas classic – 'Die Hard 2'; with Bruce Willis saving the day yet again at Christmas. I can't complain about that choice too much, since the guys generally get to watch more than their fair share of chick flicks with us – including the Hallmark Channel movie we watched for our second movie choice of the night.

That was a nice way to wrap up our evening with the boys; and they were much more interested in the cuddling and some kisses during the second feature than they were during the action flick.

A pair of sofa sleepovers wouldn't have gone over well at Rowen's house, so Michael and Tim went home at one o'clock; and Rowen and I made sure that our respective boyfriends were able to stay warm for the walk home. Once we'd seen them out and on their way, Rowen and I got ready for bed, and once we were tucked in for the night; I started in on my bedtime computing while Rowen surfed YouTube for everything from Black Friday horror videos to cute Thanksgiving day moments that were either hilarious or heartwarming. We listened to some Christmas music too; and I've been doing a full computer and email check after taking last night off from anything more than a quick email check.

Since it is technically Rowen's birthday now, and it was before the boys left; Tim had a small teaser gift that he gave her while we'd split up to say goodnight to our guys with a bit of privacy; and I'm about to give her another little gift once I'm done with this that I hope she'll love – even though it's also small compared to the main gift that Michael and I will give to her tomorrow. I'm starting to nod off while listening to the Christmas music and writing this; so I'd better just wrap this up and do that before I'm out for the rest of the night.

In addition to it being Rowen's birthday, we'll also have to deal with stores being open for the last day of the holiday weekend; it's Advent Sunday; and I'll be helping out at the Inn for the four buffet sittings that will start at noon. Michael and I will need to somehow also fit in joining Rowen's birthday dinner at the Inn – the last buffet of the day so that her store owning or working guests can be there to help with the celebration. We'll work that out somehow, even if it means working late after that with the clean-up in the kitchen; but I won't be doing any of that if I run out of steam and fall asleep on the job or at the dinner table.

We wouldn't want that, and Rowen will want that gift before I crash for the night; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Happy 15th Birthday, Rowen!

Compared to getting a boyfriend for her birthday two years ago and our football game trips the past two years; this was a fairly uneventful birthday. She will get her driver's license tomorrow, though; so that'll make up for this being her least-exciting special day in a while.

We did put on a birthday breakfast for her, and then we followed that up with a holiday weekend church service that was particularly special because we celebrated the start of Advent as well as Thanksgiving; and the teens and kids led a lot of the service music and bible readings along with a few skits. All of that was amazing, and I loved every minute of it, but we were late getting out of church; and Michael and I had to run over to the Inn with his parents, Rebecca, Jenny, and the rest of their staff to get ready for the first of the four buffets we put on today – all of them sold out.

To be honest, most of my afternoon was a blur of work on the prep line and dishwashing as needed. Michael and I did take a couple of short breaks when we could, but we also wanted to take the time off to have dinner with Rowen, Tim, and the rest of their birthday dinner group; so we worked more during the afternoon to be able to do that. By the time we sat down with Rowen, Tim, and everyone else at their table; I was already getting tired; and it was just nice to get off of my feet for a while. We roasted Rowen for a while as we ate; she opened gifts between having dinner and dessert; and then we did the birthday cake and ice cream thing before Michael and I needed to get back into the kitchen to help out with the clean-up and Inn closing.

That took a while, since it took extra time to get the dining room cleaned up and ready for the breakfast shift in the morning; so it was around ten o'clock by the time I was dropped off at home so that I didn't have to walk from Michael's house in the rain. With the holiday weekend just about over by then, it was time for me to get back to my usual work and studies too. Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana were working in the office when I got back, so Mom did my Magi lesson with me; and then I took care of getting the twins into bed for the night on my way up to my room.

While I needed to do a lot of work too; some multi-tasking was needed because I seriously needed some Jacuzzi time too – for more than one reason. Self-healing is nice; but soaking in a tub is more fun! ;^)

I did my archive assignment while in the tub; kept my bath time short so that I could get into bed before doing starting in on my family business work and language studying, and once I was snuggled in bed with Mandy; I spent another two and a half hours on that work and studying – along with the rest of my usual bedtime computer and email checks. The work side of that wasn't particularly exciting, but I did enjoy catching up on email from my cousins and favorite collegians. Violet, Dillon, and the other students that had been off school for the week were back again; and everyone arrived without any major travel issues despite the rainy weather – and snow for some of them. I also had email from Dawn, Jillian, Jaimie, and Kaitlyn with holiday weekend reports; and I'm glad that our extended family had fun with the other sides of their families.

Since this is my best friend's big day, there ought to be more to my report today than what I've covered so far, but while I didn't cover every little detail; there really isn't anything newsworthy to add – even with those birthday celebration parts of my day were really great. While the holiday weekend is over, what's really exciting is that we're just getting the Christmas holidays started.

That's going to be a big part of my coming week, and in addition to all of the regular action on my schedule; I'll have quite a few additions. The Christmas fun is going to include our first Christmas parade on Friday evening and the kids' and teens' shopping trip to Crystal Springs on Saturday. In addition to that, Michael and I will start working with some of the primary classes to get ready for the Christmas concert. Rebecca's sixteenth birthday is on Wednesday, and somewhere, around all of that; I'll need to keep up with my work, studies, and everything else I have on the go.

I'll guess that there will be a lot of late nights in my near future to keep up with all of that – or I'll need to use a lot of time phases to keep up and still get extra sleep too. There won't be much sleep for me tonight, though, and I want to get all of the nap time that I can right now, so that's all for now; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, November 30, 2015

Grandma and Grandpa are back in Arizona until they come home again for Christmas in three weeks. As usual, I don't feel as though I spent nearly enough time with them, but even if I'd been around them more; the chances are good that we'd have spent that time competing for play time with my younger cousins – especially Brianna. They had fun while they were here, and I'm glad that they're able to enjoy their retirement; so I'll be grateful for the time we can spend together – and hope that we can do more of that while they're home for a longer visit at Christmas.

Their travel day probably wasn't as much fun as my day at school. You might think that wouldn't be a tough threshold to cross; but Michael and I did have a pretty good day thanks to our first practices with the primary classes that we're accompanying for the school Christmas concert. The kids are always fun to work with, and we're going to get to play with them at least once every day between now and the concert; so I'm sure that the daily musical entertainment will keep Michael and I in the Christmas spirit – even when we get into the next round of tests that we'll definitely be doing over the next couple of weeks ahead of the Christmas break.

We won't have final exams to deal with like my favorite collegians will before most of them come home for Christmas, but I won't go there; since exams just aren't that big of a story anymore for Violet, Dillon, and the others now that they're veterans at writing them.

Here at home, the last day of November was a bit dull – both for the weather and the non-play time parts of the day. Football talk ruled for the guys in our usual group; the girls were happy to talk Thanksgiving and Christmas; and the gossip network was busy with all of the latest buzz on teen relationships. The last part of that does not include anything I need to pass on for posterity in my journal; so let's just not go there.

While the Christmas concert practices were the highlights of the day for me at school; most of those fun moments of my day happened while hanging out with Michael from the time we were set free from last class until he went home at eleven o'clock. Doing our homework and helping out with the cooking and clean-up on both sides of dinner wasn't very exciting, but our Magi lesson; music practice; play time with Ethan and Ehlana before they went to bed; and a bit of make-out time in the lounge to end our evening did add up to make a dull day a pretty good one too.

Mom's Magi lesson was more important in the grand scheme of things, but our music practice was longer because we're working on a lot of things – including band, teen praise team, and all of the music we're doing for the school Christmas concert. The school music includes another duet we've been drafted for; and we picked the Christmas duet from the new Pitch Perfect movie – my current favorite Christmas song from a non-Christmas movie! We're making up our own arrangement of the Winter Wonderland – Here Comes Santa Claus mash-up; mostly because Michael doesn't want to include much of the rapping that's in the album version of the song. I like this pick because it's the first duet we'll have done that is just a fun song instead of the more emotional songs we've done together so far – at least when it comes to concerts at school or services at church.

Our play time with Ethan and Ehlana included them hanging out with us while we were practicing our music; but our real play time was some video gaming in the lounge and setting up and decorating the little tree that helps to make my room feel so festive during the holidays.

Thinking about that has me thinking about Rowen – and our first Christmas as best friends. She was doing her own thing today with her family – and Tim; so she wouldn't have been able to help decorate the lounge tonight. Since she did get her shiny new driver's license today; I'll guess that she'd have picked going out for a drive with her mother and everything else she and Tim had planned for tonight over that anyway. It's a bit sad that we don't still get to do everything together the way it seemed that we did when I first moved here, but that isn't all bad; and there are some things that we just don't want to share anyway – like make-out time with our respective boyfriends! ;^)

Moving along and not thinking about that too much; it was back to work and studying for me after Michael went home for the night. I didn't want to be up all night doing that, so I opted for some quality time phasing to get everything done faster – at least in real time. That's the only reason it isn't heading toward five o'clock or so as I write this now; but it feels that late to me after the power drain it took to make that happen. The work went well; the archive assignment was tough to get through without falling asleep; and my language studies are far-enough ahead that I should be done early and be able to take an extra week off at Christmas before moving on to my next language.

The only thing I want to move on to right now, though, is some serious sleep time. I have covered the news highlights, and I'll need all of the sleep I can get since my schedule is just going to get busier through the rest of the week; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!
December 2015

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Happy 34th Birthday, Mr. Seager!

My involvement with his big day was limited to dropping off a gift with him before first class this morning, but I've heard that he's had a good day – including Naomi's first in-school birthday visit to her father where she gave him flowers, hugs, and kisses in front of his entire class with the willing help of some co-conspirator teachers.

I'd write that my day wasn't birthday party kind of fun by comparison, but it actually was; thanks to Jacob and Miranda having Rebecca's sweet sixteen birthday dinner a day early so that they could celebrate it with her while not working at the Inn. There's actually another reason for doing that, but it's a surprise for Rebecca; so we'll save that up for tomorrow. I'm getting ahead of the story; so let's cover the news from home and school first.

Tai Chi was indoors; the rest of my pre-school morning was uneventful; and the highlights of my school day were that birthday visit with Mr. Seager, music time with the kids, and lunch time with my friends. Band practice was all about getting ready for the Pinehurst parade on Friday night; and then it was time to head over to Michael's house for Rebecca's early birthday dinner. Lucas was with us for that, though he'd needed to go home and do chores first before getting cleaned up and hurrying back to town again. Jacob cooked one of Rebecca's favorite meals, and there was an Olde Bakery cake; but Rebecca only got gifts from Jacob and Miranda today. Michael, Lucas, and I will do our gifts with her tomorrow.

Michael and I didn't have a lot of time between practices; so it didn't feel like we got to spend enough time with Rebecca before we needed to hurry off to our teen praise team practice. Now that we're down to just a few weeks to the musical; we had a fairly extensive practice that included working on putting the entire show together. The first full run-through will be next week; and we'll be having extra practices too – at least one a week; and two if we need to do that too. It was past-nine by the time Michael and I got back to his house; and we still needed to o our homework. Lucas was still there, but he and Rebecca had finished their studying by then and were happily hanging out in the living room with Jacob and Miranda – with both couples enjoying the cuddle time while watching a Christmas show on television.

We couldn't use our Magi gifts to speed up the homework with non-Magi in the house, so it took Michael and I over an hour to get our work done; we had time for a short visit with everyone else; and then it was time for me to head home to the studying and work waiting for me there by a bit before eleven o'clock. Lucas left then too; though he and Rebecca waited for me to leave and the rest of her family to head up to bed before getting around to their goodnight hugs and kisses.

Once I was home, Mom did my Magi lesson with me first; I took care of tucking Ethan and Ehlana in for the night and having bedtime chats with them; and then I decided to multi-task the first part of my work with some quality Jacuzzi time. The soak in the tub was sped up in real time thanks to another time phase; I kept on with that while getting ready for bed and dealing with all of my studies and family business work; and now I'm back in normal time while writing this and winding down to the point where I'm ready to sleep.

I'm just about there, but before I nod off, it is the first day of December; and time to add the first installment of my Christmas music choices for this holiday season. Hopefully, you'll love some or all of these songs whenever you hear them in my near or distant future when you're reading my journals as much as I love them now!

"All is Well" is one of my all-time favorites; and I really love this performance by Michael W. Smith and Carrie Underwood. For the first song of Christmas; let's remember what the season is really all about – and remember to celebrate that perfect gift!

All is Well – Michael W. Smith and Carrie Underwood

Merry Christmas; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Happy 16th Birthday, Rebecca!

Happy 1st Birthday, Caleb!

Our day started out great with Tai Chi for six followed by a birthday breakfast for Rebecca that Michael and I put on for her while their parents were busy at the Inn. We cooked up a large batch of pancakes and bacon; enjoyed our meal; and had Rebecca open the gifts that my parents, Ethan and Ehlana, and Michael and I had for her. That was a blast of fun, but Michael and I also needed to do the work before and after breakfast; so we had to hurry to do all of that and get ready for school too.

My school day was filled with quite a bit of fun too. The highlight was Rebecca's birthday lunch with her friends; and a close second was the music time that Michael and I had with the same primary class we'd worked with on Monday. Rebecca's had even more fun, and while I know she loved the birthday breakfast and lunch; getting her driver's license topped that; and the best part of her day is the sweet sixteen dinner and a movie in Crystals Springs with Lucas that he surprised her with – and is still ongoing as I write this update. Since I think that's an awesome choice for a birthday celebration instead of having a big party, and Lucas and Rebecca don't exactly get to have date nights very often; I'm really happy for them.

While going on a date to the city would be amazing, my late afternoon and early evening was still pretty good because I was with my family at the Everett house; celebrating Caleb's first birthday. I split a lot of my time there between the dinner and clean-up work crews and kid control, but even the work was mostly fun; and I really enjoyed spending that time with Mom, Dad, my aunts, uncles, and the other adults at the party. The kids had fun too, and though it wasn't nice enough outside to play in the yard; Aunt Grace had lots of indoor games for Caleb, his cousins, and daycare friends to keep entertained with – along with a birthday craft and a birthday story time.

While I'm thinking about that, I haven't mentioned that our Elf on the Shelf, Sparkle, returned to us from the North Pole the morning after we put up our tree – along with our three reindeer pets. I bring that up because we had a family first today when the Everett's Elf on the Shelf returned from his visit to the North Pole last night wearing his birthday outfit to help Caleb with celebrating his big day. Caleb's a bit young yet to enjoy that kind of fun – at least officially; but Ethan, Ehlana, and the other older kids had a blast with that – and the story that went along with the birthday elf.

Also, in case you're wondering from reading my journals from last Christmas, yes, my reindeer, Winter, is hanging out with me pretty much everywhere I go. I'm not getting teased about that as much as I did last year; so maybe the other kids and teens at school have decided that it's okay for me to do my part to make sure that Winter saves up enough holiday love to help out with the magic Santa will need for his sleigh on Christmas Eve! ;^)

Moving along, dinner was kid-friendly; the cake and ice cream dessert was a bit scary with a dozen toddlers in the house; and the play time with all of the kids was really great. The fun had to end eventually, since most of the one-year old kids were ready to go to bed before eight o'clock; so Mom, Dad, Ethan, Ehlana, and I were home by eight-thirty – even after helping out with a final clean-up before we headed out for the short walk. It was time for all of us to get started on our work or studies then; and I helped to speed that up with some quality time phasing.

Mom let us study and work until eleven o'clock; and then we all came up to our rooms for the night. Mom and I took care of tucking Ehlana in; that gave Dad and Ethan some father-son time; and I was up here in my room by twenty-past eleven. Ten minutes later, I was in bed and snuggled in for the night with Mandy and my computer; and this update is the only computer work I had left to get done before I'll be able to head off to dreamland. I'd have been awake much later if it hadn't been for the time phase, but it feels that late; so it's past-time to wrap this up and get started on that quality nap time.

My Christmas song choice for tonight is from a new praise and worship Christmas album by Chris Tomlin; and it's one of my new favorites. I hope that you love it too!

Noel – Chris Tomlin – featuring Lauren Daigle

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, December 3, 2015

This has been my quietest day of the week so far, and that isn't saying much; since it feels as though I've been as busy as every other day – even without any extra practices or special events.

Tai Chi was indoors, breakfast was standard weekday fare, and we didn't have anything special going on before school or work. Michael and I had another Christmas music practice with some of the primary kids this morning; but that was the only play highlight of the day because we were busy during our lunch break with a bit of prep work for the parade tomorrow night. Rebecca had an away basketball game after school, so Michael and I went straight to the Inn after school to help out during the dinner rush; and then we skipped game night so that we could spend the evening at my house.

That time together was the highlight of my day, and while we did our homework and had a music practice to get ready for the parade and practice for some of the other Christmas music we'll be performing over the next few weeks; it was the make-out time that was the best part of our alone time for both of us. Okay, the Magi lesson with Mom after my family got home from game night was fun; and taking care of Ethan and Ehlana's bedtime entertainment was good too; but we were seriously overdue for some quality alone time.

Now if only we could work that kind of fun into our schedule more often! ;^)

Moving along, Michael went home at eleven o'clock; and then I got to work on my studies and family business computing. Since Mom and Dad were working too, I did that in the office; and we collectively worked in a time phase that allowed us to get everything done by shortly after midnight. Some Jacuzzi time was in order after that, so I had a nice soak in the tub; and then snuggled happily in bed with Mandy once I was changed and had my hair dried – which can take quite a while when not using a time phase to speed that up too. I did do that tonight, though, and sped up my Jacuzzi session too; so it's much earlier than it would have been had I done everything in real time tonight. I'm also exhausted; so let's wrap this up.

My Christmas song pick for tonight is the Little Drummer Boy by Pentatonix; and they are still one of my favorite a Capella groups again this year. I hope you'll still enjoy their music as much as I do!

Little Drummer Boy - Pentatonix

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, December 4, 2015

We've had a really good day, and the highlight for me was the Pinehurst Christmas parade – and everything that went along with the band trip to our first Christmas parade. Bonus decent weather was great too; though it was starting to get cool-enough by parade time for it to feel a bit Christmassy without being uncomfortably cold for either the participants or spectators. That helped to make for a great turnout; and that was even more fun for us.

While our band adventure was far from the only thing going on in my life today, it was the biggest part of the fun; so I'm covering that news because I want to keep this update short so that I can get all of the sleep I can to be ready for our Christmas shopping trip in the morning. My pre-school morning was fairly uneventful; and the highlights for action at school were two tests that I seriously doubt anyone else in my class would classify as a highlight at all. Michael and I didn't have any music practices today; mostly because our music teacher and her helpers needed to worry about the trip to Pinehurst – and Fridays are generally not a great day to throw in extra activities for kids that are all looking forward to the weekend anyway.

The bus rides to and from Pinehurst were a lot more fun for me; since I got to do them with Michael. Tim isn't in the band, so Rowen didn't appreciate that as much as I did; but she still had fun hanging out with us – even though she wasn't able to cuddle with Tim. I get why Coach Robinson wouldn't want his players distracted by girlfriends while traveling on game days; but those away game trips would be a lot more fun for all of us if we could travel with the team.

No, that won't change; but it's nice to think about! ;^)

Moving on, and as I think about the parade; there really isn't anything particularly newsworthy to write about. We really had a lot of fun, and I humbly think that we have a talented group of musicians in our band; so we sounded great too. As usual, at least in my limited experience so far, we were heckled by quite a few of the Pinehurst football faithful along the parade route. That wasn't as emphatic this year; and I'll guess it was simply because they won our annual match-up this year.

After we were finished the parade route, we were allowed an hour to wander around the little festival going on downtown; Michael, Rowen, and I played some games and enjoyed hot chocolate and Christmas treats; and then we headed home again. Once back at the school, we helped with getting all of the school's music gear put away in the music room. Tim met up with us at the school and helped too, but then Rowen went home with him while Michael came home with me. Mom, Dad, and the twins were still awake, so we had a visit with them before Michael and I took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana tucked in for the night. While we were at the parade, I missed out on dinner and a movie night at our house; along with the final meeting that Mom and Aunt Leanne had for getting the shopping trip ready for the morning. Their guests had all gone home early because of tired out kids or to turn in early ahead of our big trip tomorrow, and even though Michael and I should have called it a night once the twins were in bed; we wanted a bit of cuddle and wind-down time before we were ready for that.

Mom and Dad hadn't gone straight to bed when Ethan and Ehlana came up to their rooms, but they were in bed by the time that I saw Michael out on his way home by shortly after midnight. I'd report that we had fun with a major make-out session, but we were both too tired for that by the time we snuggled together on the sofa in the lounge with Mandy; and settled for the cuddling and just a tiny bit of play time for two that was fun; but not even remotely hot.

Once Mandy and I were on our own, I took care of the usual bedtime computer checks; worked on a small family business issue that couldn't wait until Monday; and answered several emails. That's pretty much it for today, and I really am tired out; so let's wrap this up with my pick for Christmas song of the night. This is still my favorite version of the song; and it's also one of the Christmas songs that Michael and I love to sing together when we're playing around for fun. I hope you'll love it too!

A Strange Way to Save the World – Rascal Flatts

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Congratulations to Luke and Ashley Spencer; their daughter, Paige; and the entire Spencer family!

It's a good thing that we did have a doctor in town while we were away on the shopping trip, because Donnie Spencer apparently didn't think that he should be required to wait until after the annual event to arrive. That will be a fun family story for the future, though; since his imminent arrival did mean that some members of his family needed to cut short their trip to Crystal Springs so that they could get back to town in time to welcome him into the world! That news didn't affect our shopping fun at all; though I'm sure that Brianna will be happy to meet another new future classmate and friend whenever she does get to meet Donnie.

While the new baby news was the top story for the Spencer clan; the Christmas shopping trip was the event of the day for a lot of people in town – including everyone staying behind and planning on enjoying the big sale going on here to thank them for staying and shopping at home. The breakfast buffet was the launching point for our adventure, and since I was up early anyway; I decided to meet up with Michael and go over early to help out with the prep work until the rest of my family arrived at the Inn too. That hour or so of work in the kitchen was fairly entertaining even while we worked hard; but I felt better doing that since having Michael come with us for the shopping trip meant leaving his parents a bit short-handed on a busy day at the Inn.

Rebecca and Jenny had felt that way too; and we collectively had a plan for helping out with that. Lucas needed to work on the farm this morning, so Rebecca and Jenny stayed to help out at the Inn until he was finished; he picked them up at the Inn; and then they met up with Peter along the way to Crystal Springs. That made for a late start to their Christmas shopping adventure, but then they got to stay late while Michael and I came home early-enough to help out with about half of the dinner rush and working until close. That's getting ahead of the story, though; so let's back up again to the breakfast buffet.

Mom, Dad, and the twins were at the Inn by seven o'clock; and they were among the first members of the shopping gang to get there – mostly because Mom wanted to be there to keep track of the incoming and start getting the travel groups and leaders together. Aunt Leanne helped with that; but didn't join us until about twenty-past seven. Michael and I were on kid control during the meal; so that time was a blur of non-stop busy as we tried to eat our own meals while getting my cousins fed and ready to travel again too. For the record, Zack does not need to be such a mess during public meals; but he takes his 'public' persona development very seriously and acts accordingly. I'm sure there's a very good reason why he didn't choose to grow up being a quiet, sweet little angel for his parents! ;^)

We started to load up into various types of cars, trucks, and minivans by a bit after eight o'clock. The total shoppers this year was down slightly from last year, but we still had one hundred and twenty kids and teens, and forty-four adults signed up for the adventure in the city. There were also forty-one vehicles – not including Lucas' truck, and while that might sound scary for the parents; Lucas was just one of the teens that were driving groups of siblings and friends so that only about half of the parents were driving without any adult sanity support.

Michael and I went with Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne so that we could help out with Zack and Brianna. Mom had a group of girls with her in the minivan, including Ehlana and Naomi; and Dad had Ethan, Aiden, Patrick, and Scott with him for both the drive and the day. Our drive time to the city was entertaining and thankfully uneventful. Michael managed to keep Zack amused; and Brianna split her time between playing with me and having a nap so that she'd be rested up and ready for the shopping. While we met up with Rowen and Tim once we got to the Mall, and planned on spending most of the day together; we also helped out with the younger kids in the collective group that Mom, Dad, and my aunts and uncles were taking care of for the day.

We started that effort out by taking the 'sisters' with us and shopping for gifts for their brothers – a job that Michael and Tim were happy to help out with while the younger boys were stuck shopping for gifts for their sisters and other girls on their collective shopping lists. Our guys had a lot of fun with that; Rowen and I enjoyed watching them play with my sister, cousins, and friends; and I'm fairly sure that Michael and Tim have at least a couple of little girls crushing on them today – even if Tim is totally oblivious to the attention. I didn't include Michael in that last part because he's just too strong an empath not to be aware of such strong feelings. I will add that he does a pretty good job handling the junior adoration.

That part of our shopping fun took about an hour; we – the teens – were then given an hour or so for our own shopping; and then we met up again to take another group of kids shopping for gifts for favorite adults. Rowen and I were able to help out more with that group because we helped with the girl gifts while Michael and Tim helped to shop for the father and grandfather gifts. We met up for lunch in the food court after that; the meal time was a crazy rush; and then we headed out for our favorite big box toy store. Michael and I spent most of that time with Rowen and Tim; and then we headed for home with Uncle Adam, Aunt Leanne, and the kids. Zack and Brianna were shopped out by then, and Aunt Leanne was tired too; so that worked out fine for Michael and me – and others too; since we avoided the need for a return trip shuffle so that someone could bring us home in time to help out at the Inn. We weren't home in time to help with all of the dinner prep work, but we were working shortly after the first major round of appetizers went out into the dining room.

It was all work and not much play after that, but before I go there; let's cover the news I wasn't around for while at the Inn. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne dropped us off; took the kids home; unpacked the minivan; and eventually ended up back at the Inn for a late dinner before doing a quick round of the in-town sales. While we didn't even see them in the city; I know that Lucas, Rebecca, Jenny, and Peter made it to Crystal Springs by lunchtime; and then they stayed and shopped until nine o'clock or so before heading home again – with Jenny going home with Peter while Rebecca eventually went out to the farm for the night with Lucas. Mom and Dad were part of the last group of town shoppers to leave the city after wrapping up their day with a long stop at Wal-Mart that included some supply shopping. Dad needed to do a round of deliveries after getting back to town and dropping off his passengers; so Mom had the minivan unloaded by the time he got home. I found out about most of that while having a bedtime chat with them after Michael and I finished up at the Inn.

Getting back to that, I spent the first hour or so of our time in the kitchen helping out on the prep line while Michael jumped right in on the dishwashing; and then I moved over to work with him for the rest of the night. For a non-holiday weekend, the Inn was very busy; and that included a lot of guests looking to dine out while also enjoying the shopping sale experience – just as Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne had done. Speaking of – I also should have mentioned that Uncle Adam is taking a turn at the med center talking care of Ashley and Donnie Spencer; and Aunt Deborah is going to take an early-morning shift while Uncle Mark gets the rest of the night off after a very busy day.

This update feels a bit disjointed; possibly because I'm a bit distracted thanks to the thoughts I'm currently having about keeping Michael for a sofa sleepover. Maybe I shouldn't attempt to write journal updates while cuddling with Michael, but I managed to get through the rest of my bedtime computer checks while getting changed and while Michael and I got snacks, drinks, and a movie ready to go before getting around to the cuddle time. We've been chatting telepathically too – including with Mandy; but I'm quickly losing interest in doing any computing – or with watching the movie in progress either.

Since that sofa sleepover really is looking great right now; let's speed the rest of this report along and be done with it. Michael and I worked until close; we were late getting away from the Inn; and walked his parents home before continuing on to my house. Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana were pretty much ready to call it a night by then, but we did have that visit with them and compared rest-of-the-day stories before doing the bedtime thing with Ethan and Ehlana and then splitting up so that Michael and I could have some alone time in the lounge and Mom and Dad could get some sleep – which they actually did tonight.

As I've already mentioned, I got changed and freshened up before Michael and I got everything ready for our cuddle and movie time; we've done more actual movie-watching and telepathic chatting than normal without much effort toward making out; and right now as I write that; I'm wondering why I've been doing this instead. I have no good answer for that, and while getting the computing done is important; so is the Michael and me time that I haven't been taking advantage of so far.

I'm going to fix that little lapse in good judgment right now! ;^)

Now that I'm on that track, with keeping Michael for that sofa sleepover firmly in mind; let's pick this fun little Christmas song for tonight!

Santa Tell Me – Ariana Grande

Okay, maybe Michael likes that video a bit too much, but let's not go there; and I do still think it's a fun song and video too – if not for all of the same reasons that my boyfriend has for liking it. The good news for me is that he's here cuddling with me instead of Ariana Grande and her buddies; I can probably help him out with a suitable distraction; and plan on doing just that right now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Happy 14th Birthday, Dawn!

In a year when getting driver's licenses is such a big deal for my friends and classmates, it's fun to report that my cousin's best birthday gifts this year were flight time and flying lessons that will help to keep her head in the clouds and her dreams of being a pilot alive and well for at least a few months. That's her preferred main gift for every occasion now; and it seems to be working out for her just fine. The even better news is that it seems, according to her instructors, that she is also quite talented; so her choice of future career and passion is backed up by a true ability for the job.

Michael and I did not send her a coupon for flight time, since that's a bit out of our official budget, but we did send a gift along with the card and flight time gift that Mom, Dad, and the twins sent for her; and she seemed happy with both presents when she opened them while we had a phone chat with her at breakfast today. That was the extent of our involvement with her birthday today; but I'll add that she also had Jillian stay for a sleepover last night; and they were having a birthday lunch and afternoon at the movies with their family and friends today that was likely quite a bit more fun than the work day at the Inn that kept Michael and me busy here at home.

Compared to birthday party fun, I don't really have much to write about for my own day at all. Waking up cuddled with Michael was great, and keeping him for Tai Chi and breakfast was good too; so that made for a fun start to our day. We were busy at church, particularly with Sunday school because we – the teens – worked on the Christmas musical instead of having classes. While working on sets or costumes was a big part of that for more than half of the teens; Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I were all put to work on practicing the script. It is a musical, so learning the lines for the various scenes isn't really that tough, but then I do have the photographic memory thing going on; so maybe that isn't fair to make that part of the work sound so trivial. That part of the preparation is coming along great, though; and I'm sure we'll be ready for the first full rehearsals that will be starting next week.

As usual for this time of year, the service went long; so Michael, Rebecca, Jenny, and I had to hurry to get to the Inn. Yes, Jenny was there even after spending the night at Peter's house; and it was nice to see him at church too; since he could have just brought Jenny home and left again. I'd say that he's getting rather seriously in love with Jenny; and I love seeing her dating someone that is just as interested in her life as she is in getting to know him and his family and friends. He didn't offer to apply for a job at the Inn, so he hasn't totally lost his mind over Jenny; but that choice might actually be a bonus point to the good for him – not that I'm suggesting that you have to be a bit nuts to work at the Inn on buffet day.

It does help, though! ;^)

Seriously, the work at the Inn hours of my day is really nothing to write about. We were a bit under-staffed today, and while we had some cameo moments of fun here and there; the work was exhausting and occasionally overwhelming as we just did our best and plugged away until each job was done – over and over again. Miranda had a full house for lunch; more than two full buffet sittings for dinner; and a gang of very tired workers by the time we had everything done for the night and could close the Inn at around ten-thirty. Michael and I didn't even really get a major afternoon break because we used that time to do our weekend homework and eat a late lunch before getting back to work early to help catch up on the dinner prep line ahead of the first buffet sitting.

After getting home, Mom did my Magi lesson with me; I took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana tucked in for the night so that we could have at least a bit of sibling time today; and now I've been tucked into bed with Mandy and working on my computer for the past three hours. I didn't get everything on my bedtime computing to-do list finished, but I'm running out of steam fast; and did at least get my language studying and family business work done. The archive assignment would have just put me to sleep; so it'll wait until I can get around to it tomorrow.

While I was busy all day, Mom and Dad worked around home or in the office; and Ethan and Ehlana spent their afternoon with Naomi and Aiden at Naomi's house – or outdoors playing for part of the afternoon. I can report that they all had more fun today than I did at the Inn; but let's not go into any details on why that was true for my parents when they were supposedly working all afternoon while also having an unexpected batch of consecutive kid-free hours. As always, and something that does need to be repeated here in my journals now and then, if you must use your imagination on that; keep those thoughts to yourself – especially if I'm still around and you know me whenever you're reading this in my future! ;^)

Okay, I'm just about done here; so let's take a quick look at the week ahead; and then wrap this up with the Christmas song choice of the day.

It's going to be a very busy week, starting with the Moms' Christmas shopping adventure to the city tomorrow. No, I don't get to skip school to go along, but I will be helping out with Ethan, Ehlana, and our cousins after school tomorrow; so that'll keep us busy while the women in our family are away. In addition to our practices on Tuesday, Michael and I have a friends' birthday party to attend too – though we'll only be able to stay for the dinner; and maybe not even all of that. Wednesday is a work night, but we're also planning on going to Rebecca's basketball game after school; and the busy will continue on Thursday thanks to a bonus practice for the Christmas musical at the church that's going to be a full run-through; but not a dress rehearsal. We have the seniors' Christmas party with the band on Friday afternoon; the school Christmas dance on Friday night; and the Maple Valley Christmas parade on Saturday.

Wow, and I thought this past week has been busy!

If that isn't enough on the go, most of our favorite collegians will be getting home this weekend. Since they're also busy writing final exams this week; I'll take a wild guess that they'll all be ready to come home and get a break for the next month or so. Jake and Stephanie won't be coming home, and we'll really miss them a lot over the Christmas holidays; but then they're also going to be having a remember-forever kind of holiday adventure traveling around Europe while they're off from school. While the adventures are something I'd love to do, I'm also okay with admitting that I'm not interested in being anywhere except right here at home for Christmas – and hope I never have to be away from home during my favorite family time of the year.

Okay, that just leaves the Christmas song pick of the day; and I think it's time to let the girls take over the song list for a while; since Ariana Grande and her friends got that off to such a fun start yesterday. Next up is Fifth Harmony; and their version of 'All I Want for Christmas is You'. I'm not sure that any guy actually buys that line, and many of them that might likely learn to regret it if they don't have a gift or three under the tree for their special girl; but let's just enjoy the song for the fun and harmonies and skip the debate over the potential to mislead the unsuspecting men of the world.

All I Want For Christmas Is You – Fifth Harmony

Have fun; Merry Christmas; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, December 7, 2015

The kids' Christmas shopping trip might have been one of the highlights of the season for the kids and teens around here, but the Moms' trip to the city today very likely has more of an impact on us – if our parents are prepared to help Santa out with making our Christmas wishes come true.

Mom and Aunt Leanne were in charge of setting up this trip too, as usual; so they were up early and off to the Inn for another breakfast buffet before heading out of town for the day – along with forty-six other mothers and grandmothers. They both drove too; with Mom taking Dad's truck while Aunt Leanne drove a group in her minivan. Since they were heading out early, we skipped Tai Chi today – and Michael was helping his father out at the Inn anyway; so he couldn't exercise with us either. Mom was at the Inn before seven o'clock, and while she was gone; I helped with getting Ethan and Ehlana ready for a day with their friends at KidZone. Dad took us out for breakfast at the Inn too, so we were able to see Mom, Aunt Leanne, and the rest of our favorite shoppers on their way before getting to enjoy another breakfast buffet that Uncle Adam, Zack, and Brianna joined us for before Grandma Carrington took custody of her grandkids for the morning. Zack and Brianna spent the afternoon at KidZone too; but Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne didn't want Brianna spending the entire day there – and Grandma Christine was happy to get some time with them while Uncle Adam was busy at the med center and lab.

That made for a fun start to my day, and while I didn't have shopping-in-the-city fun at school; Michael and I did have two Christmas concert practices with the kids that offset the two tests we had to write today – a theme that will continue this week so that we get that out of the way ahead of our last week of school for the year that will be all about Christmas fun next week. Babysitting and fun were the words of the afternoon for Michael and me once we were set free from last class; and we went over to KidZone to pick up Ethan, Ehlana, Zack, and Brianna. Uncle Adam was hosting the family dinner today so that the men could team up to take care of all of the kids – with the bonus help from some grandparents, Michael, and me.

We didn't go straight there, since Uncle Adam was still working, but we stopped in at our house to drop off bags and check on the crock pot lasagna that was our contribution to the pot-luck dinner effort that Mom put together last night and we only needed to turn on this morning to cook it. That plan, by the way, was apparently popular with some of my aunts; since more than half of our dinner options tonight were of the crock pot variety. There was some collusion involved too; since every dish was also different. The main exceptions were the smiley fries and chicken nuggets that Uncle Adam cooked up in the oven after getting home; and that was specifically to appease the younger boys – not that Michael and the Dads turned down having at least a few smiley fries too. ;^)

I've gotten a bit ahead of the story, since we went out to play after the stop at my house. The temperature was in the mid-fifties this afternoon, so we had fun at the playground; did some biking on the trails because Michael and I took Zack and Brianna in the bike trailer while Ethan and Ehlana rode their own bikes; and then we headed over to the Carrington house after a stop for treats at the Emporium. Grandma Christine was heading there by then, so we met her there; and then Michael and I helped out with both kid control and getting dinner ready while we waited for the rest of my cousins, uncles, Grandma Ayres, and Dad to join us. Uncle Adam came home a bit early while Uncle Mark wrapped things up at the med center; which is why he was able to cook for the kids and be there to welcome everyone else. While the grandfathers needed to work because most stores are open late every day between now and Christmas; we had bonus guests – including Naomi, Eli, and their Dad; Aiden; and Jessica, Ryan, and Sophia. Michael's cousins were added to the group because their Dad and Uncle couldn't get away from the gas station or grocery store; so Michael was asked to help out when his Dad ended up helping out at the Inn for dinner too despite it being his day off.

Our dinner was a blast of too-busy fun; the clean-up that followed took quite a while; and then Michael and I were set free to come back to my house so that we could get started on our homework and the music practice we needed to have to get ready for all of the Christmas entertainment we're booked to help out with at school and church. That was fun for us, and while we didn't get any time while we were there alone for a major make-out session; we did make a bit of time for that later before he went home for the night. Dad brought Ethan and Ehlana home by a bit after eight o'clock; they all worked in the office until Mom got home; and then Michael and Dad helped Mom with unloading the truck while I took care of the bath side of the full bedtime routine for Ethan and Ehlana. We followed that up with a group bedtime snack; Mom and Dad went to bed when Ethan and Ehlana did; and Michael and I had that alone time fun in the lounge until he went home at a bit after eleven o'clock.

Mom skipped my Magi lesson because she was too tired by then; so I also didn't have an archive assignment. Thanks to a time-phase; I've also done all of my family business work and most of my language studies for the night without staying up until three or four, and if I wrap this up now; I'll even be sleeping by shortly after midnight – if I can make it over to dreamland without needing any major wind-down time. This really has been a crazy-busy day, but I've also covered the highlights; so let's pick our Christmas song of the day and then I'll get to that nap time.

While the Jordans aren't actually a group, 'Not That Far From Bethlehem' is still one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs; and always will be after singing it with Michael. This version by the three Jordan sisters is also the one Michael and I based our own version of the song on; which is why I love it even more than the Point of Grace version. I hope you enjoy it as much as I always do!

Not That Far From Bethlehem – The Jordans

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Happy 15th Birthday, Lily!

I really like Lily a lot, and while we don't spend a lot of time together other than in class or when she's been around with Reid during football season; we're not close friends because we hang out in different groups most of the time. That, by the way, isn't a Magi thing. Lily spends as much time with Reid and his Grade Nine friends as with her best friends in Grade Ten; and then she's also as likely to spend time out at his farm as hang out around town where we might run into each other at the park or elsewhere. Add in that she's the youngest in her family; and w don't even have younger siblings in common.

Having said that, Lily invited Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I to her birthday dinner and party, and while we really do like each other; the invitations likely had more to do with Lily trying to help Reid out with becoming better friends with Michael and Tim. He's hoping to be our starting quarterback next year; so having the top two players on the team in his corner will help a lot with that effort. Tim will be more impressed if Reid continues to work out with him doing the morning weight training, and especially next summer when he'll want to start football training early; but I think that Tim should remember that being friends makes a big difference too.

I don't want to get into a long football side-trip; so let's get back to the regularly scheduled update!

We've had another really nice weather day, and while everything else feels a lot like Christmas to me; temperatures that climb into the fifties and sixties isn't part of that – not that I'm complaining. A dusting of snow Christmas Eve that's gone by Boxing Day would be fine with me! ;^)

While it's still cold in the morning, we bundled up and went out by the river for Tai Chi today. Since we haven't spent any time with his parents, and couldn't hang out with them tonight; I got ready for school right after Tai Chi and then went over to Michael's house for breakfast. In addition to getting Miranda's shopping trip report, we talked about Christmas in general; I got the latest remodel news; and we enjoyed another amazing Jacob Stone breakfast. That time together wasn't long enough, but school wouldn't wait for us to start classes when it was more convenient for us; so Rebecca, Michael, and I headed out on time and got started on another day of fun and learning!

Okay, most of us would say that the tests today weren't any fun, but Michael and I enjoyed our music time with the kids; and Reid put on a birthday lunch for Lily that was entertaining too. Band practice was another highlight of the day; and we're definitely ready for both the seniors' Christmas party and the Maple Valley parade. That practice didn't leave Rowen and I much time to get ready for Lily's party – and yes, that is totally sexist not to include Michael in that statement. The guys around here don't have a problem with that kind of thing, though; and would be insulted if we suggested that they needed a lot of time to get ready for a dance or party – even in the cases where they do take nearly as long as most girls need to be date-ready for our favorite boys.

Speaking of favorite boys, we may have a new couple in our class – or I expect that we soon will have an addition to the Grade Ten couples' club. Gretchen and Marc came to Lily's party together, and while that might have just been two farm kids getting a car pool; they spent a lot of time together too; and sat next to each other during dinner. I'll give it a week before it's official; and then we'll be down to just one single left in our class. Gil has been dating, but hasn't had an actual girlfriend in a while now; and doesn't seem to be in any hurry to 'settle down' the way the rest of his classmates have done – or are currently doing. I'm not suggesting that we can start booking the weddings for everyone in our class quite yet, but this is a small town; and I won't be surprised to find out that most of the matches we have now survive the rest of our high school and college years.

Lily's party was a short blast of fun and excitement for Michael and me because we didn't have a lot of time between practices. We weren't the only guests at the party needing to move on to the church for the teen praise team practice; which is why Lily's parents started dinner early-enough for us to get all the way through to the birthday cake dessert and gift opening parts of the night before we needed to hurry over to the church. Michael and I were at the far-end of the table from Lily, Reid, and their best friends; so we were out of the loop for most of that action. We did have fun chatting with Rowen, Tim, Sally, Joshua, Gretchen, and Marc – even though the guys wanted to talk football most of the time. I won't go into major details about the gifts, but I will mention that Reid did a great job with the boyfriend gifts for Lily. He might be a year younger than us, but some of the older teen guys at our school could learn a lesson or two from Reid when it comes to gift-buying for girlfriends. Maybe he's just smart-enough to ask for help with things like that, but whatever he does to get it right; Lily certainly appreciated his efforts and thoughtfulness!

There was a lot going on at Lily's party, but nothing particularly unusual for having a gang of teens together; so let's move on to the teen praise team practice. We spent most of the time working on the musical tonight; and we started out with it because we had extra teens and kids around to work on the acting side of the show. While we did some of that together; we also split off into groups when needed to work on different scenes. That was a bit crazy for Michael and me because we're two of the leads; but it was fun too. After spending an hour and a half doing that; the 'actors' were set free; and the 'musicians' moved on to do a quick run-through of the rest of our holiday music – including our contributions for the Christmas Eve and Christmas weekend Sunday services.

I went home with Michael after that; we did our homework together; and then had a short bedtime chat with his parents and Rebecca before I left at a bit before eleven o'clock. We didn't have time for any make-out sessions, but we did still have a fairly awesome day to that point; and I really needed to get home and started on my usual nightly studies and work.

Ethan and Ehlana were in bed by the time I got home, but Mom and Dad were still working in the office; so she did my Magi lesson with me; and then we all headed up to bed by midnight. While I was busy with practices and the birthday party, I didn't really miss out on much of anything; though Mom, Dad, and the twins did have some play time and wrapped some gifts while I was out and they watched a Christmas show while doing that before moving into the office to work or study for the rest of the evening. My day was more fun than that; but then I've been making up for that with a late work night – mostly because I didn't want to do yet another major time phase. Sure, I get done the work early; but there is a cost to using so much power every day.

I stopped in to kiss Ethan and Ehlana on my way up to bed; got changed and snuggled in bed with Mandy and my computer; and got straight to work – starting with my archive assignment. That was more than three and a half hours ago, and while I've gotten a lot accomplished; I'd put myself to sleep listing everything here before I got as far as number three on that list; so let's just not go there. With barely enough time for a nap now; let's just pick our Christmas song for the day and call it a night.

Since I've been on a minor roll with girl-power Christmas songs, let's keep that trend going a bit longer with this pick by Barlow Girl.

Hallelujah – Light Has Come – Barlow Girl

Okay, time to get to the napping part of my day; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

I've officially run out of steam tonight; so here's a micro-update before I crash and nap until morning.

Tai Chi, breakfast, and the rest of my morning routine were good. School was fun – whether that was playing music with Michael and the kids, writing tests, or hanging out with my friends. Michael and I went to Rebecca's basketball game after school; and then we followed that up with a work night at the Inn for him and home for me. My only break from that was dinner; and I used a time phase for most of my work and studying – a choice that helped my parents, Ethan, and Ehlana to get all of their work or studying finished for the day too. I wrapped up my work at ten-thirty; had a soak in my Jacuzzi after saying goodnight to everyone else; and now I'm just doing this report before going off to sleep.

The Christmas song of the day is from another girl group; and I've picked it because I liked the mash-up they've put together with some favorite classic holiday tunes. I hope you like it too; and watching the video will give you something fun to do while I move on to the being unconscious part of my night!

A Very A Capella Christmas Mash-Up – 1 Girl Nation

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

A decent night of rest had me back to full power this morning, and the warmer weather allowed us to have a fairly comfortable morning workout by the river before enjoying breakfast in the sunroom. Michael stayed for the food today; helped with the clean-up; and then we split up long enough to get ready for school before meeting up with Rowen and Rebecca for the walk there.

Our school day was fairly uneventful, though Michael and I again had fun with our music time with the kids; and we enjoyed being outdoors for our lunch break. We headed for the Inn after school; worked the dinner rush there; had a quick dinner break around the work; and then we hurried over to the church in time for the bonus Christmas musical practice that was also our first full run-through of the show. We won't be doing full dress rehearsals until next week, and this practice was a bit rough, but the musical is coming together just fine; and I'm sure we'll be ready by show time in a week and a half.

Since we'd already missed more than half of game night at the Inn anyway, and had homework to get done; Michael came home with me once we were finished at the church. We did our homework; practiced for the seniors' Christmas party the band is playing at tomorrow afternoon; and also did a quick run-through for the music the band is playing at the Maple Valley parade on Saturday. Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Ehlana were home by then, so Mom did a Magi lesson with Michael and me while Ethan and Ehlana each wrote a college exam; we took care of getting them tucked in for the night after that; and then wrapped up our night with a minor make-out session in the lounge before stopping in for a micro-chat with Mom and Dad when it was past-time for Michael to get home for the night.

That meant getting a late start to my bedtime studies and work, so once I was ready for bed and tucked in with Mandy; I kicked things up into high gear – including using a time phase. I had a lot to get done ahead of taking most of the weekend off from work or any major studying, so even with a time phase; that took a while. I'd have been awake all night if I hadn't made the time I needed, though; so it was worth the effort even though it's also meant wearing myself out again. The good news is that I won't have to do any work other than keeping up with the usual bits of family business action that is bound to show up in my email inbox; so I'll be able to enjoy all of the fun things going on this weekend!

Now I just need to get re-charged enough to stay awake for the parties, parades, and dances. With that now my top priority, let's do the Christmas song pick for the night; and then I'll crash and nap for the rest of the night so that I can do that!

My pick tonight is going to expose to everyone reading this that I am a total sucker for romantic chick flicks. At Christmastime, that means watching Hallmark Christmas movies; and I have a special love of those shows when music is involved. This song is from one of my more recent Hallmark holiday favorites, so feel free to check out the movie too if you like the song. If you're a guy reading this in the future and too cool to admit that you like sappy movies; I'm not sorry for sharing this with you. I'm a girl; this side of me is as real as my Magi Master abilities; and I'm okay with everyone knowing that.

Okay, maybe I don't run around school or town advertising what a sap I am for Christmas romance movies, but even Magi Master teens have to live in the real world; and my friends and classmates generally have enough material to use on me already without me going out of my way to give them more joke material to use against me! ;^)

Christmas Star – from 'Catch and Christmas Star'

While you wrap up this update with that bit of entertainment, I'm heading off to dreamland; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, December 11, 2015

It's been quite a day around here! Tai Chi by the river, while fairly chilly again, was also the happy quiet before life got very busy for me during the rest of the day.

I'm including our breakfast break for that because I also needed extra time to get ready for the day, so between that and helping out with the work before and after we ate meant that I was more than a little rushed to get everything done in time to meet up with Michael, Rebecca, and Rowen for the walk to school.

My morning there didn't slow down at all. Michael and I did a practice with one of the primary classes; we helped out with getting things set up in the church hall for the band and Christmas party for the seniors; and still even managed to make it to parts of two of our regularly scheduled classes. Our lunch break was shortened so that we could again be available for the band; we were back at the church early for a warm-up; and then we were kept busy entertaining many of our favorite seniors for the next couple of hours. That was a blast of musical holiday fun; and I can once again humbly report that the duet that Michael and I were asked to sing and play at the party was one of the hits of the day with our audience. Michael took some heat from the guys for making all of the girls cry during the song; but at least that happened for all of the right reasons.

While I'm thinking about that; thanks, Grandpa Grant! I am so glad that you married Grandma Eleanor after she advised Michael that she'd have waited for him if he'd been singing to her like that before she was already married to you. I'd be crushed if she was available and Michael ran off and married her sometime after we graduate from high school or college. ;^)

Moving along, our day didn't slow down at all after the party ended. We had to pack up and haul the gear back over to the school music room; and then Michael and I needed to get home to my house to help out with the dinner prep work for the dinner and movie night that Mom and Dad hosted tonight. We also needed to get ready for the school Christmas dance; so we split up to do that once Mom had some kitchen help arrive after my aunts were finished work for the day. Dinner was delayed because Uncle Adam, Uncle Mark, and Aunt Deborah were delayed at the med center with last-minute walk-ins; so Michael and I ended up eating on-time in the sunroom so that we could be done in time to get to the school early and help out with some of the work for the dance.

We haven't done that much so far because of everything else we've always had on the go; so we were overdue to take a turn. Rowen and Tim met up with us to do that, so we had fun with them; but we were also ready to enjoy the party once the dance started – with our top priority at that moment being getting drinks and sitting down to chat with our friends and catch our breath for a little while. Those cameo moments of comparative calm were really nice, but my favorite parts of the dance tonight were every moment I spent dancing with Michael and two karaoke songs that we were badgered into singing by Rebecca, Rowen, and some of our friends. We sang one Christmas song and one country ballad; both went over well-enough with our audience; and we had fun with it even though I'd have been good with not being in the spotlight at all tonight.

That, by the way, isn't because I'm shy; which I'm sure that anyone reading this in the future who knows me too knows very well. I just prefer not to be the center of attention most of the time; so getting so much attention between the seniors' party this afternoon and the dance tonight just felt a bit uncomfortable. Those feelings don't exactly match up with some of the things I do – like cheerleading or taking lead roles in Christmas musicals; but that doesn't change the fact that I do often feel that way.

Moving along, Michael and I had a really great night at the dance; we stayed to help with the clean-up as the dance wrapped up; and that's why we were among the last teens to leave the school and head home. Michael walked me home, but we took care of our goodnight hugs and kisses on the front porch before he continued on to his house instead of coming in for what would have likely ended up being a sofa sleepover. We have an ulterior motive for not doing that; but I'll save that news for tomorrow – if the plans we talked about tonight get the appropriate parental approvals in the morning.

I missed most of the dinner and movie night at my house; and that included the arrival of incoming collegians. Violet and Dillon are home and with us; but they were also asleep by the time I got home from the dance. That didn't surprise me, since they did have exams to write today before packing up and hitting the road for home. They're here in Witch Falls this weekend because Isabelle and Andrew are home now too; and they decided to hang out with us while waiting for Martin and Dawn to finish school next Friday. They'll likely head for Woodvale next Thursday or Friday; and then I'm not sure when they'll be back with us. That might even depend more on whether they want to put in some extra work time at the lab over the holidays to make some extra money or not. They do have ongoing part-time jobs with the family business now; but that isn't the same for Dillon as working in the lab with Uncle Adam – and Ehlana when she can be there too.

Mom and Dad were in bed when I got home too, but Mom came out to say goodnight to me while I was between stopping in to give Ethan and Ehlana goodnight kisses – which is also when I found out that they had Naomi and Aiden spending the night with them. That had me wishing more than a little that I'd kept Michael for the night too; but let's not go there or I might be tempted to sneak over to his house and stay there – or bring him back home with me. Mom and I had a micro chat while I was between Ehlana's and Ethan's rooms; I stopped in to see the boys; and then came up to my room and quickly got ready for bed.

There was a bit of family business work to deal with through my email; a couple of cousin emails to read and answer from Dawn and Jaimie; and then I did a quick computer check before starting to write this update. Now it's time to wrap this up and get some sleep so that I'll be ready for the Maple Valley parade in the morning – and the tentative teen plans we have for tomorrow night if we get that approved. My Christmas song pick for tonight is from another Hallmark movie – this one my favorite musical version of 'A Christmas Carol'. I'm not sure if this is the only Hallmark romance movie that doesn't have a happy ending for the lead couple; but then I suppose there wouldn't have been any need for the ghostly visits if Scrooge had chosen to live happily ever after with the love of his life.

A Place Called Home – A Christmas Carol – The Musical

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, December 12, 2015

This is going to be a half-report because I won't be able to write about the best part of my day until tomorrow night. I'm currently getting ready for my teen Christmas play night that Michael and Rebecca are hosting, and since that includes a sleepover; I don't expect to have time to write this update later tonight – and don't even plan on taking my computer with me. I will include all of the news with my Sunday report, and since that's just a digital page flip for you reading this in my future; I'll be the only one waiting around to find out what happens in 'real' time.

The rest of my day so far has been pretty good; so let's get started on that news.

Tai Chi this morning was by the river and shorter than usual because Michael and I didn't have a lot of time before we needed to be at the school to help out with getting the bus loaded with our band gear. He stayed for our quick breakfast; though Mom and Dad made sure it was a hot meal too by whipping up a quick batch of pancakes for us without any of the usual sides. Hot chocolate helped to warm us up too; so we were good to go when Rowen first stopped in to meet up with me; and then we caught up with Michael at his house after he'd gone home to quickly shower and get ready for the day too. We only had about a quarter of the band members at the school early to help out with the work; so we barely got everything done by the time we needed to load up and head for Maple Valley. Yes, most of us take care of our own instruments, but we still needed the music stands; music; and all of the larger instruments. That includes boxes of percussion gear; and they use quite a few instruments beyond just the basic drum set for our Christmas parades.

The bus ride was a blast, and while teen chat time was a big part of that; we also had fun singing Christmas songs and playing a couple of games. Once we were in Maple Valley at the staging grounds for the parade it was time to get to work again, but with the full band there; it didn't take that long to get our trailer set up and ready to go. We followed that blast of work with our warm-up; and then we had time to wander around, get drinks and snacks, and enjoy the entertainment that always goes along with every parade set-up. The actual parade start time was ten o'clock, and while rain was forecasted to start this morning; it was still dry and comfortably cool when we were back on our trailer and ready to head out onto the parade route.

Maple Valley's parade was a bit smaller than the one in Pinehurst last weekend, but not by much; and the night time parade feels different anyway. The crowds lining the parade route were just as large and enthusiastic; and I'm sure that the weather had everything to do with the great turnout again today. Once again, yes, I want a white Christmas; but parades are more fun to play musical instruments in when it's fifty or sixty degrees out than when it's snowing and ten or fifteen degrees below freezing. As with Pinehurst, our band gets some razzing from the teens and other football fans because of our team rivalry, but we have fun with that most of the time; since the boos and cat-calls are generally delivered for the entertainment value.

My family had a fairly large group of kids and parents at the parade; and passing them along the way was great too; since my brother, sister, their friends, and our cousins made sure that we heard their cheers of support as we played our hearts out for them. Naomi and Aiden were still with Ethan and Ehlana – and still are now; though Ethan will eventually be spending the night with Aiden while Ehlana has a sleepover with Naomi. I'll have to pass on any news from those sleepovers tomorrow too, and don't expect to include any news about the kid-free night that Mom and Dad have ended up with, but instead of going there; let's continue with the parade part of the report.

Small town parades are never particularly long routes, so our actual playing time was only about forty minutes – including a few bonus minutes at each end of the route. Considering how much time goes into the work and drive time, that seems more like a break in the rest of the action, but we did a great job; and it's nice to be able to play at our best for the entire parade. That's probably not possible for big city parades that have long parade routes. Once we were finished with the music part of our morning, it was time to load up the bus again; and then we were set free to go and enjoy the Christmas festivities going on downtown.

Rowen, Michael, and I stuck together, and while Tim was there too with his Dad, Uncle, and some of the guys from the shop that were all driving trucks and trailers or farm equipment in the parade; he wasn't able to meet up with us until after the parade had ended and they'd finished dealing with most of the equipment. That was before we met up with Mom, Dad, and the rest of my family; but then we didn't get to spend much time with them anyway while we were still there. We played a couple of games with them and stopped to pick up drinks and Christmas treats, but then Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I went off to do our own thing until we had to either meet up with the band at the bus or for Tim to go home with his father in one of the trucks that were now loaded with one of the tractors that had been used in the parade.

The line-ups to see Santa were too long for us to have time for that, but we did play more games; did a bit of shopping to pick up some Christmas treats for our sleepover tonight; and Rowen and I each bought a couple of little stocking stuffers that were being sold at a charity booth. It took a while to get everyone rounded up, and we had a few teens push the limits a bit by meeting up with us twenty minutes later than ordered; but we did eventually make it home without losing anyone. After helping out with the post-trip work too, I still made it home before Mom and Dad were home with their gang – even after walking Rowen to the computer store and leaving Michael at the Inn with hugs and kisses before he went inside to get to work.

The rest of my afternoon until now has actually been fairly quiet. I did some housework on the third floor; ran a couple of loads of laundry; and had a bit of play time with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden before they headed out to Naomi's house. They're having dinner there; and then they're going to decide what to do for the rest of the evening after that. While we'd dodged the rain for the parade and festival in Maple Valley, we have been getting rain for a while now – as of me writing this – and it's expected to continue through until late tomorrow morning or early afternoon. Hopefully I'll be able to dodge over to Michael's house during a break in that rain; but I won't know about that for a while yet either; since I'll be having dinner with Mom and Dad before going over there to meet up with Rebecca and help her with getting everything ready for their guests.

I guess that's really it for now anyway, so I'll wrap this up with the Christmas song pick; finish getting ready for my night out; and then go and help Mom with making the easy-dinner we're planning on having so that we won't have a major clean-up to deal with before I leave.

Let's not think about what my parents might prefer to be doing once I'm out of here! ;^)

Christmas chick flicks are going to be part of the entertainment tonight, and while I'm not going to suggest this particular movie, I am continuing the Hallmark movie songs with this choice because I really do love the musical moments in those holiday shows. Add in that I can totally picture Michael playing and singing this song the same way – and looking just as hot doing that, and I'm sure that the girls reading this will understand why I like this version of the Christmas classic. For the guys that just feel weird about that – including Michael; I am so not sorry! You are reading my journal; so sometimes you're just going to be stuck with the reality that guys occasionally do not understand girls at all – even though I'd like to think that my journals might help out with that just a bit.

Anyway, here's the song; and I hope that you do like it – even if that isn't for the same reasons that I do! ;^)

Joy to the World – from Finding Christmas

Maybe I'll see about some music time with Michael, Rebecca, and our friends tonight too, though what I'm actually picturing for Michael right now is the two of us having a sofa sleepover later if we can swing that when his parent are going to have a house full of teens spending the night there. Some of our best friends might not have a problem with sneaking into the 'wrong' bedroom, but we're not in that group of adventurers – no matter how much it might be nice to think about spending the night cuddled with Michael in his room or mine.

I'll let you know whether a sofa sleepover works out for me tomorrow night too, but that really is it for tonight; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, December 13, 2015

We're having a rainy day around here, but that hasn't really gotten in the way of anything that we were doing today; and I'm a very happy camper tonight as I'm writing this report and a half. Since that does begin late yesterday afternoon; let's start there and work our way through to now.

Once I was ready to go out – and for my sleepover – I went downstairs and met Mom in the kitchen to help out with our easy-dinner plans. Easy didn't mean no work at all, but we cleaned as we cooked; so there were only three place settings and a couple of bowls worth of dishes to wash up after we were finished our meal. Dad had been working in the office until we had everything ready; we ate in the sunroom and I really enjoyed having that bit of alone time with Mom and Dad – something we really don't get to do very often anymore. What we talked about wasn't really important at all – it was the being together that mattered; and I have another happy little cameo memory to keep forever.

My night at Michael's house was filled with great memories. Rebecca was set free from the Inn early so that she could get things set up for our fun night in; and Lucas picked her up from the Inn for the ride home – and so that he could help with the work. I got there just a few minutes after they did, carrying my load of snack donations; and we got right to work. Rowen and Tim joined us shortly after that; and it really didn't take very long for us to have the living room, kitchen, and play room ready to go. No, the second-floor room that Michael and Tim used to use all of the time for their video gaming and to hang out isn't technically a play room; but it isn't a lounge, family room, den, or office either; so I'm just picking a label – just as we were having a party last night; but it was really more of a hang-out night with our friends.

By the way, and before I get to that part of the update; I should have included the parental approvals that went into making this teen gathering possible with my report yesterday. Michael and Rebecca were first up for that; since their parents were going to be stuck with the gang of teens in their house, and, according to Miranda; it worked because they were caught first thing in the morning while still half-asleep while getting ready to head over to the Inn to get ready for the breakfast rush. She's just kidding about that, but even if she wasn't; the parents of the teens staying there last night for the sleepover were all very happy that Jacob and Miranda did approve our tentative plan. My parents didn't have a problem with losing one kid for the night; and getting rid of all of us was thanks to the twins and their friends colluding to make that happen for them. My parents weren't the only recipients of a kid-free night, but while Tim's parents only need to get him out of the house for that; Patrick decided to go and spend the night with Scott instead of being home alone with his parents; and Lucas' brother and sister opted for other overnight plans too so that their mother and father were temporarily child-less too.

Jenny and Peter were the fourth couple spending the night with us; and they came over at a bit before eight o'clock. Michael wasn't finished at the Inn yet; but he was still set free a bit early instead of being stuck there until close. He made it home by eight-thirty; and we had other teen guests there by then too. While it was just the eight of us having the sleepover; Rebecca, Michael, and Jenny all invited friends to stop in for part or all of the evening; and three of those teen couples were there when Michael got home. Rebecca was having a social hour to start the night, but the first Christmas movie was started at a bit after nine o'clock; while video gaming was available upstairs; music and hanging out was an option in the kitchen and dining room; and fresh, if damp, air was an option outside on the back porch.

I was in the mood for Christmas movies, and Michael was happy to cuddle with me to do that for most of the night except for one video gaming break after the first movie ended. There was a shorter intermission before the second movie started so that we could deal with things like washroom breaks; but Michael didn't rejoin me in the living room until about thirty-five minutes into the Christmas chick flick that was Rebecca's second choice for the night. Rowen and Tim joined the movie-watching gang then too, and while she'd watched a lot of the first movie with us too; Tim had been with some of the football guys for most of the evening until then. Rowen had split her time between the group he was with, the girl chat in the kitchen, and the movie-watching crowd; but she was ready to take it easy for the rest of the night by then.

Miranda and Jacob came home during that second flick, and while they stopped in for a visit with us – and with the other groups of teens; they also soon went off to bed instead of staying up late to hang out with us after a long day at the Inn and the shorter bit of play time they'd had with some friends at Sheldon's between closing the Inn and coming home. Our evening-only guests began to head home before the end of the second movie; though everyone watching it stayed through to the end – including the guys that were only watching it for the cuddle time with their girlfriends.

There was a blast of busy after that movie while Rebecca and Michael saw all of our friends out; and some of us helped with that while also cleaning up from the party. I was busier with the work side of that; and Rowen, Jenny, and Peter helped me out with everything from dishwashing to cleaning up all of the rooms and packing up leftover snacks. It was past-one by the time we were done and it was down to just the eight of us. Jenny was exhausted – or professed to be; and so she and Peter were first to head up to their rooms. I am sure that they didn't stay in two rooms for very long; but I'm only basing that on my exceptional hearing and ability to count door openings and closings. No, I didn't go upstairs at all last night after that, but the only way they didn't end up in the same room would be if they were both sleeping in the hallway – or in a different room with the door open. ;^)

Rebecca, Lucas, Rowen, and Tim joined Michael and me in the living room after we all got drinks; we started another movie; and had a wind-down chat while watching the show and cuddling with our respective boyfriend or girlfriend. Within twenty minutes, Rebecca was dozing off; so Lucas convinced her to go up to bed. Rowen and Tim waited a while to give them time to take turns using the bathroom; and then they headed up to bed too. By then, Michael and I had no intention of going up to our rooms too; and Rowen knew that because she came back downstairs a few minutes later and draped a warmer comforter over us so that we'd stay warmer than we would have been with the throw blanket we usually used for cuddling emergencies.

With a house full of parents and teens, a major make-out session wasn't an option, but we did have some quiet play time while watching the rest of the movie; and I really loved falling asleep in Michael's warm, loving embrace.

Miranda's wake-up call for us was a lot of fun; so were the good morning hugs and kisses; and then we were immediately thrown into the Sunday morning rush that was more than a little crazy with eight teens trying to get ready for church while also dealing with a major breakfast and clean-up. As you might guess from that comment, Michael and I missed out on Tai Chi this morning; but we mostly made up for that with the work before and after breakfast. There were so many highlights from that couple of hours or so that I can't include all of them here; but let's include a few of them for the record.

Number one on the list would be the video chat with Jake and Stephanie. That entertainment was as much for the jokes and stories that Miranda had for them about our teen sleepover and party; but I loved hearing about their ongoing adventures in Europe too. The sleepover jokes weren't just limited to that video chat, and while teasing Michael and I about our sofa sleepover was entertaining for everyone; Miranda did make more than a few inferences about how many bedrooms were actually occupied all night – though she didn't offer any proof or admonishments. For their part, Rebecca and our friends managed to either be innocent or do a fair job faking it; and I'll leave the rest of that train of thought to your imagination.

Just as a little aside, for the parents reading this in the future that have teens and might find the whole co-ed sleepover thing weird or wrong; let me just remind you that there are twenty-four hours in a day. Midnight to eight in the morning aren't really any more dangerous for what you might be worried about than the rest of the day could be for them. I'm not going to suggest that every teen couple will be like Michael and me; but I am suggesting that you probably can't stop these kinds of teen decisions no matter how much you'd like to have that ability.

Moving along, we did manage to eat, clean-up, get ready for church, and make it there on time. We needed to drive there because of the rain; but had enough vehicles thanks to Lucas and Peter. The part of the service we were in the sanctuary for was fun; and our Sunday school time was all about getting ready for the Christmas musical next Sunday night. That was definitely a highlight of my day; and I was in a great mood when it was time to go home. I did go home then instead of over to the Inn; and I'm taking the day off from working there because I really wanted to have an afternoon with my family instead – especially since I will help out more at the Inn over the holidays.

Violet and Dillon were with us for lunch, and while I didn't mention it earlier because I didn't really think about it at all; they spent the night at his house instead of ours last night. That was partly for Mom and Dad; but then they were also having some friends over for the evening – along with Isabelle, Andrew, and some of their friends. Dillon was going to the lab for part of the afternoon with Ehlana and Uncle Adam after lunch, so we had a quick and easy meal of soup and sandwiches; and then we headed over to the lab while Dad got to work in the office and Violet and Mom went over to Aunt Leanne's house to hang out with her and the kids for a couple of hours. I was part of the lab-going 'we' because I'd decided to spend that time with Ethan in the archives while Ehlana played in the lab with Uncle Adam and Dillon. Ethan and I went up to the second floor with them for a visit and to hear about their latest projects; but then we went downstairs to the archives and played with Ethan's books.

They already are his books, or I think of them as his; and Ethan loves the archives – and working with the books – especially the millennia-old books and scrolls. Grandma Eleanor and Grandpa Grant still have a long way to go with their travel and work before all of the archives around the world will be moved here, but they are making progress; and the huge, two-floor archives here are filling up quickly. Ethan and I had fun with that today because we worked on processing and storing one of the latest shipments; and the entertaining part of that was using our telekinesis to put all of those books away where they belong after meticulously cataloguing them and verifying that a digital archive version of each book had been created. That last part was a bit redundant, since our chief volunteers had done that during their original visits to the archives; but Ethan is eventually going to also make sure that every digital copy and translation, where applicable, is perfect.

Yes, that'll take decades to accomplish; but he loves his job and the challenges that go along with it!

We managed to get out of the lab by four o'clock once we dragged Ehlana and her research buddies from their work; that gave us time to get ready for dinner at the Inn; and Ethan, Ehlana, and I also watched a Christmas show in the lounge because we were doing the late buffet so that everyone in our collective families could come to the Inn too – if they wanted to join us for another amazing Jacob Stone buffet. We had a gang with us for that, including quite a few members of Dillon's family; and the bonus for me was that Miranda let Michael join us for his dinner once the first wave of food was delivered to the buffet tables. I was on kid control for the meal, so we sat with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, Zack, Eli, and Leah while the parents spent time with their favorite collegians and had the younger cousins with them – or with grandparents.

That hour and a half of family fun and food was yet another highlight of my day, and I really loved getting to share that with Michael too; but eventually it was time for him to get back to work and for me to head home to the studying and work waiting for me there. Dad needed to get home to work too, and still had a lot to get done – just as I had a fairly extensive to-do list. Neither of us wanted to stay up all night doing that work, and Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana all had work or college exams that they could do too; so I used a time phase once we were all set up in the office with our computers, drinks, and Christmas snacks; and we kicked our work into high gear. We were finished all of that work by ten o'clock; I kept my goodnight hugs and kisses short; and wrapped up my night with a time-phased soak in my Jacuzzi.

That's why it's still just-past ten-thirty as I write this; and I'm going to be sleeping before eleven o'clock because I'm tired enough to do that within minutes of finishing this report. Before I do that, let's take a quick look at the week ahead; and then I'll wrap everything up with my Christmas song picks – and that is 'picks' tonight.

Dad will be in the city next week, so my Monday will start out early so that we can see him off to Crystal Springs. While I know that Mom will need extra help this week, I'm booked to spend the evening at Michael's tomorrow because his parents won't be taking days off over the holidays except for when the Inn is closed; and we can't do that tomorrow night because of our band and praise team practices. That makes Tuesday night a problem for me too; but then Ethan, Ehlana, and I plan on talking Mom into going to the city for Tuesday and Wednesday anyway – and this time the surprise is for her because Dad's in on it and has a Christmas dinner with the Malloys already set up for them. Wednesday will be my last work day before taking as much of a break from the family business work and studying as I can until the New Year; and then the Christmas fun really kicks up a few notches on Thursday.

The school concert will be the highlight of the day on Thursday; the last game night of the year will be Christmassy and fun; though Michael and I will have to miss it for the dress rehearsal we'll be busy with at the church for the Christmas musical. I'm hoping that will go well and then Michael and I can have some alone time in the lounge ahead of the holidays; but we'll see whether that happens or not. Our weekend is sure to be busy, and while we don't have any specific plans for the last day of school for the year; Mom and Dad have a Christmas party at Sheldon's to go to on Saturday that Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I will be babysitting for – and we'll be having a sleepover for that too. Sunday will be busy with church, work at the Inn, and the Christmas musical; so I expect that I'll need some of that holiday break time to rest up by a week from Monday!

We are going to be working on another amazing Christmas, and since music is going to be a big part of that for me again this year; let's wrap this up with the bonus Christmas music choices I have for you tonight. I'm still on a Christmas movie music kick; and my picks for tonight are all from George Canyon Christmas movies. I hope that you enjoy the music, and if you like the songs; watch the movies too!

The Ballad of Wild Bill – from One Starry Christmas

Christmas Miracle – from Christmas Miracle

Home for Christmas – from Coming Home for Christmas

Home for Christmas – George Canyon Music Video

That should keep you entertained while I have a nice long winter's nap; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, December 14, 2015

It's been a long, busy, eventful day; but I'm going to keep this update fairly short because it's also late and I'm ready to crash for the bit of nap time I can have before it'll be time to get up and going again in a few hours.

Mom, Ethan, Ehlana, and I were up early to see Dad off on his trip to Crystal Springs; that was a fun, if too early, start to the day; and then we enjoyed some quality cuddle time together in Mom's bed until we needed to get the rest of our day started. That began with indoors Tai Chi, and while Mom worked with the twins; Michael and I worked on something new for him – Pushing Hands. These two-person Tai Chi forms are something that I want to teach Michael because we're both going to need those skills some day, but it's also a lot of fun, and while it might not be a good idea for us to practice this outdoors anytime soon; we can work on it all winter over the next two or three years.

I really don't want to drag out this update; so let's try to keep things moving along.

Michael didn't stay for breakfast, so we had a quick, easy, school-day meal; cleaned up; and then I got ready for school and headed out while Mom planned on spending the morning at home so that Ethan and Ehlana could write one or two of their college exams. They want to be finished by the end of the week so that they can take the holiday break off too; though they're juggling that with Ehlana's desire to be in the lab with Uncle Adam and Dillon this week too. Violet and Dillon were here last night, but got back sometime after I was sleeping; and they were just coming to life by the time I was ready to head out to school; so I didn't talk to them much this morning. Yes, that seems like a late start to their day, but they are on Christmas break already; and they're allowed some slack! ;^)

With the countdown on to the holidays, we mostly played today at school. The tests are finished; there aren't any assignments due in before Friday unless you're one of the teens or kids on the naughty list for overdue projects; and we're now just filling up the class time with Christmassy fun and entertainment. Michael and I had our music practices today too; so playing and singing Christmas songs was a big part of our day both at school and at his house when we spent a couple of hours after dinner practicing for everything we've got coming up over the next two weeks. I loved all of that music time, and especially enjoyed the practice in Michael's room that ended with a minor make-out session; but the highlight of the day was dinner at his house – and getting to try out another new experimental entree that Jacob made for us.

Just in case I haven't mentioned it enough lately, I am not going to keep Michael just because of his Dad's amazing cooking – I'm hoping that Jake will cook for us once he's a world-class chef too! ;^)

Yes, I'm joking; but the great food is a really awesome bonus!

Okay, we've covered the basics for my day at school; I skipped the after-school homework at Michael's house; dinner can't be adequately described so I won't make the attempt; and our music and make-out time was great too. That just leaves the fun little chat time we had with Jacob, Miranda, and Rebecca in the living room that wrapped up my time with Michael; and then I came home at eleven o'clock and got started on my 'real' work and studying. Mom was still awake and working in the office, so we did my Magi lesson; I stopped in for bedtime kisses with my sleeping brother and sister on the way up to my room; and then I got changed, into bed, and to work on my computer. I've been doing that for the past three hours and change, and while I have everything done; it's been exhausting to get there. I was too tired starting out for time phasing to be a smart choice tonight; so I'm just dealing with everything as best I can right now.

That means getting to the sleeping part of my night right now; so let's wrap this up with my Christmas song pick. I'm mostly going to switch to songs from kids' Christmas movies or shows this week because I'm on that track for the school concert anyway. This song and movie continues to be a hit with kids of all ages; so I hope it still is whenever you're reading this in my near or distant future.

Where Are You Christmas – Faith Hill

Enjoy the music; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

This report is coming to you live from Rowen's bedroom. I'm doing my sleepover here because we're overdue; though the parents are having fun with the bonus entertainment of teasing Michael and me about leaving me with Rowen to avoid the risk of too many sofa sleepovers in a single week.

You have no idea how tempted Rowen and I were to keep Michael and Tim here tonight too; but we resisted the urge and sent them home by midnight instead.

By now you've deduced that Mom is in the city for the night, and while I didn't write about it yesterday; I'll guess that you didn't expect her to turn down the trip suggestion – and she didn't. She's hopefully had fun with her shopping and the Christmas dinner with the Malloys; and we won't discuss what my parents are likely doing with the rest of their night when Dad isn't trying to get his homework done for the night too.

While our parents are away, Ethan and Ehlana are spending another night with Aiden and Naomi, and while a sleepover with Aunt Leanne and Uncle Adam is overdue; they have enough on the go right now with Zack and Brianna; so it's easier on them not to give Zack any reasons to be overly fired up on a work night – which he always is whenever Ethan is around.

Maybe next time I'll suggest that Aunt Leanne and Brianna take Ehlana and Naomi for the sleepover and ship Zack off to Eli's house; but then that isn't really fair for Liz on a work night either. Either boy is a handful. Putting Zack and Eli together is usually more than a bit scary! ;^)

Moving along; let's get to the news of the day.

Tai Chi was indoors, and though the rain stopped overnight, it was chilly out; and Michael and I were okay with staying indoors and continuing his Pushing Hands lessons. Mom worked with Ethan and Ehlana while we did that; and then Mom and I cooked breakfast for six while Michael headed home to spend the rest of the pre-school morning with his parents. Violet and Dillon were awake in time to have breakfast with us today; and they took care of the clean-up after we finished eating so that I could use all of that time to get ready for school. They also took care of Ethan and Ehlana after Mom left; and their play time included spending most of the day at the lab before Violet and Dillon dropped them off with their friends and moved on to their own plans for the night.

By the way, yes, the twins and I could have spent the night at home with them; but we decided that they needed a kid-free night too ahead of the holidays – and that includes the lack of alone time they'll have while in Woodvale too.

My school day was all play; including more music practices with the primary kids that Michael and I are playing guitar and keyboards for during the concert on Thursday afternoon. We'll only have one more round of practices tomorrow; and then we'll likely end up spending Thursday morning setting up in the gym for the annual event. Band practice was fairly short because we only needed to work on the music we're doing at the concert; and then Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I all went over to Rowen's house to hang out until dinnertime. We also cooked so that Rowen's parents didn't need to do that; and then took the food on the road so that we could have dinner with them at the store – which is open late every weeknight between now and Christmas Eve Day so that we could have that meal with them.

Michael and I needed to head over to the church after that for the teen praise team practice; and that was another long blast of musical fun as we first went through the entire musical with all actors; and then the praise team worked on the rest of our holiday music once the actors were set free. Rowen and Tim came to the church for a while because they do have minor, behind-the-scenes mobs for the musical; but neither of them wanted the extra work that would have gone along with being on-stage; so they didn't try to do that too. They were back at Rowen's house long before Michael and I were; but the four of us did still hang out together in the living room for that last couple of hours we had until the boys needed to be home at midnight.

No, they don't change into anything scary or weird if they're not home by then; and we were just glad to have the curfew extension that the parents allowed because we really are just having a play week at school.

Rowen and I got ready for bed after seeing them out; got our computers; and hopped into bed before Rowen started surfing YouTube for Christmassy videos for comedy or music; and I got to work on my usual bedtime computing. I took it easy with that tonight and just worked on the family business jobs that couldn't be left until tomorrow night. I'm skipping the language and archive studying; so I'll be ready to call it a night once I'm finished with this update. I've really loved getting to have the chat time with Rowen tonight, and while we spend a lot of time together every day; we definitely need to think about finding more time for just the two of us to do things like this. No, I have no idea how to fit that into our already too-busy schedules, and we won't be trading in any boyfriend alone time to make room for it; but maybe we can do better over the holidays – at least on the non-special holiday days.

It could happen!

It isn't late compared to my weeknight normal, but I'm okay with getting a bit of bonus sleep tonight; so let's wrap this up with my Christmas song pick of the night.

There are a few songs from Christmas movies that aren't actually Christmas-themed songs; and this is one of my favorite examples of that – the song from an animated version of A Christmas Carol. Kate Winslet is certainly better known for her role in 'Titanic' than for her voicing of Scrooge's love interest in this cartoon; but I'm also sure that a lot of people have listened to and loved this song without even knowing that it is from the Christmas movie. Hopefully, you'll love it too!

What If – Kate Winslet – from 'A Christmas Carol' (2001)

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

It's time for a micro-update so that I can get a decent night of rest – just as Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana are all either already doing or will be doing soon.

Tai Chi was for one this morning; breakfast with Rowen and her family was great; and we had a fun play day at school that included a movie and more music practice time with Michael and about half of the kids we'll be accompanying tomorrow afternoon. While I was busy at school, Mom wrapped up her visit to the city with a bit more shopping and a fast good stop for Aunt Leanne on her way back home; and then she spent the afternoon at the lab with the twins, Violet, Dillon, and the rest of the usual gang that works there. I made it home from school before they were back from the lab; and I started working in the office as soon as I got back while Michael was busy at the Inn getting an early start on his work shift there while Rebecca needed to be away at an away basketball game.

Time phasing was involved in getting my work and studying done early; and Mom, Ethan, and Ehlana took advantage of that too for their own work or exam writing efforts. Violet and Dillon are still out with friends as I'm writing this; but they will be home sometime tonight. They aren't positive when they'll head for Woodvale – it'll be tomorrow or Friday morning, but even though they don't have any 'kids' in the show at school tomorrow – other than Michael and me; I'll guess that they'll at least stay to watch the concert with Ethan, Ehlana, and the rest of our family.

I really am exhausted, and sleep could be in short supply from tomorrow through the weekend; so I'm going to take advantage of the chance to get that down time now, so let's do my Christmas song pick for the day; and then I am out of here and heading off to dreamland!

Since the Christmas concert is tomorrow; here's one of the kid-choice songs Michael and I will be helping out with – a favorite for a lot of the girls at school; if not necessarily one that the boys love too.

A Perfect Christmas – from Barbie – A Perfect Christmas

Let's hope that our Christmas will be amazing this year too – without any of the bad things that the kids have come up with for their version of the song! ;^)

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, December 17, 2015

We didn't get any snow for the school Christmas concert, but it was appropriately cold outside today; so it at least felt a bit wintry if not Christmassy.

The extra sleep helped me to be fully-charged by the time we gathered for Tai Chi; and Michael and I had fun with our new training before enjoying a hot breakfast in the sunroom with Mom, Violet, Dillon, Ethan, and Ehlana. Michael stayed for that because it was better than the Pop Tarts on the menu at his house today; and he helped out with the cooking while I got ready for school. That meant that I ended up with the clean-up while he went home to get ready for the day too; but it was a fair trade-off to have something more than cereal ahead of what I knew then was going to be a very long, busy day.

Michael and I were on the work crew that decorated and set up the chairs in the gym for the concert this morning; we had some lunchtime warm-ups with the various groups of kids we've been practicing with; and managed to fit our lunch break in there too – though part three of that happened in between those warm-ups as the groups of kids were brought to us in the music room. The concert was the highlight of the school day, and while there was too much going on to write about here; let's cover a few highlights. You can always look up the video of the concert on the town intranet website – or if that doesn't still exist in your now; then there will likely be a copy in our archives instead.

My first musical highlight was with the kindergarten class – and Michael and I got to accompany Naomi and her class for the first time. They were adorable singing 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman' from Frozen; and their props included kids on bikes, a large trio of 'snowballs' to make the snowman with as they sang, and all of the accessories to accomplish the task – most of them attached using Velcro as the non-bikers took turns getting that fun little job done. Ethan and Ehlana were two of Naomi's biggest supporters; and another of my best moments came after the show when I was one of the witnesses to the hug and kiss Naomi shared with my brother once they were able to spend a few moments together during the post-concert snack break. They really are adorable, and while it's way too soon for him to publicly deal with it; there is no doubt that Ethan is already off the market for every other girl thanks to Naomi.

Moving along; my next-best musical moment of the afternoon was my duet with Michael. We went with our own version of the 'Winter Wonderland – Here Comes Santa Claus' mash-up from Pitch Perfect 2, and while Michael didn't rap during the song; what we did come up with was pretty cool – and a hit with our audience. Since we're talking about it anyway, this is also my Christmas song pick for the day; and it's my favorite Christmas song from a non-Christmas movie for the year!

Winter Wonderland – Here Comes Santa Claus

Pitch Perfect 2 – Movie Clip

Winter Wonderland – Here Comes Santa Claus

Pitch Perfect 2 – Album Version

We based our version of the song on the album recording, but replaced the rapping with our own thing; and the sound was very different with a simple guitar and keyboard arrangement. Michael and I especially loved performing a fun, upbeat song that was a lot different than most of the duets we've done in public; but don't worry – we won't be starting up a rock band; and aren't interested in seeking our fame and fortune in the music or movie business! ;^)

Other music highlights included playing for the kids that picked 'A Perfect Christmas' from the Barbie movie; and their modestly-changed lyrics to fit in better with the hometown audience earned the hoped-for laughs in all of the right places. Lights were still tangled, but while the Mistletoe got mangled; the boys were happy about that. Santa's sleigh was flying so low that he wasn't saying Ho Ho (Ho) anymore; and there were also holiday-themed mishaps involving the Olde Bakery, Emporium, and our school that helped to make the performance personal and fun for the kids and their audience. 'I Do Believe in Christmas' from the Search for Santa Paws movie was back again this year, and while Michael and I had fun helping with that too; we had some music highlights that we were spectators for too – like Ryan Bassett's guitar solo and a beautiful A Capella quartet of girls singing 'O Holy Night' that would make an awesome addition to our church Christmas Eve service – if the girls haven't already been drafted by the Pastors to do that.

After the concert ended, the snack break reception was a fun break; and Michael and I were kept busy with 'our' kids; visits with family and friends; and too much attention for our musical efforts today. I was actually glad to move on and help with the gym clean-up. That blast of busy was just the beginning of our next batch of work time; and we followed that up with some quality time in the kitchen at the Inn while helping with the dinner rush there until Michael and I needed to be at the church for our last Christmas musical rehearsal. That was a full dress rehearsal except for going through the make-up stage; so we had to get into costumes first and then we did a non-stop run-through of the entire show. There were some glitches that slowed us down a bit here and there, and quite a few mistakes throughout; but we didn't stop – and worked on the problems in a follow-up that only about half of us needed to stay for while everyone else was set free for the night.

I brought Michael home with me from the church; we did a Magi lesson with Mom; she went back to work while Michael and I took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana tucked in for the night once they were finished their exam writing for the night; and then we enjoyed a bit of alone time in the lounge that included a minor, moderately hot make-out session while we watched a Hallmark Christmas chick flick. Mom called it a night shortly before midnight; so that's when Michael went home too – though I was tempted to keep him for a sofa sleepover. I had a lot of studying and work to get done tonight, though; so that wasn't really an option for us anyway. Since I didn't get that computing started until nearly twelve-thirty by the time I'd had a short chat with Mom and gotten ready for bed too; it's made my day even longer than I'd expected it to be. Only having time for a nap sucks a lot now, but I didn't want to time phase tonight; and I can always do a bit of self-healing in the morning – or ask Mom for a bit of help if I'm too tired to do that myself.

The work and studying is done now, and I can take most of the weekend off – except for all of the work I'll be doing at the Inn and with some babysitting on Saturday night; so the effort and loss of sleep time was worth it. We're down to one day to the Christmas holiday break, and that's all going to be fun and games at school tomorrow; so let's wrap this up and I'll get on with that nap time.

My last bit of news for the night is about Violet and Dillon. They're in Woodvale now, but they did stay for the school concert before leaving town for a long weekend away. A morning playing at the lab again was an option for them too; and Ethan and Ehlana did that with them – though Violet worked with Aunt Grace and Ethan played in the archives while Ehlana and Dillon played in the lab with Uncle Adam. I didn't hear about what they did for lunch today; but that probably just means that they did something easy at home before coming over to the school for the afternoon. They – Violet and Dillon – left from the school, and while I haven't heard the details yet; their plan was to stop in Crystal Springs on the way to Woodvale so that they could have dinner and a visit with Dad. I'm sure that was fun for all of them; and they'll love spending time with the Rice clan while they're in Woodvale. Violet isn't sure when they'll be back in town, but it is a home for Christmas year for our family; so they'll definitely be here by Christmas Eve – and maybe a day or two early if that works out for them. I'm hoping that Dawn will be able to come with them – and early too; but I'll let you know how that goes for us.

Right now, I really do just need to get some sleep; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, December 18, 2015

Waking up to below-freezing temperatures felt wintry even without any snow, and we had a very Christmassy sort of last day of school; but the rest of my day wasn't exactly the most exciting start ever-so-far to my Christmas holidays.

Tai Chi this morning was good, and so was breakfast for five with Mom, Michael, Ethan, and Ehlana; so my day did get off to a great start. Most collegians might not think that their day was very good to write two final exams in one morning; but I'm sure that Ethan and Ehlana did have fun as they wrapped up their unofficial fourth year of college and earned their Bachelor's Degrees while I mostly played at school until we were set free for the next two weeks with the usual, customary early release. The movies and class party was great; but most of the rest of my day has been all about working with only the entertainment that goes along with helping out at the Inn and at home adding any holiday fun to the mix.

Michael and I took a break between school and helping out with the dinner rush at the Inn, but it's an all-hands-on-deck weekend; so full days off are not an option for Michael. They won't be for Rowen either as she helps out with the Christmas rush between now and next Thursday; so Tim's putting in extra time at the shop too. They're busy-enough with the extra auto servicing and winter tune-ups right now; but that really just helps to keep all of the mechanics busy while they have less work to do for the farms during the winter. Lack of work won't be a problem at the Inn through until the New Year; and we had a full house in the dining room tonight as the Christmas parties began in earnest.

I was happy to help out with that, and spend the time with Michael, Rebecca, Jenny, and the rest of the gang working the Inn tonight; but I did have to trade that off with missing out on the family meal and the early evening parts of the dinner and holiday cooking night that Mom and Dad hosted tonight. Okay, Mom hosted it on her own until Dad got home from the city, and he missed the dinner too; but our house was home base for the cooking this time so that Aunt Leanne didn't have to deal with that extra work along with everything else she has on the go right now – including dealing with some extra property closings and rental moves that her customers all want to have done in time for Christmas or year-end.

Compared to that kind of wheeling and dealing, or Dad's lawyer work; helping out on the prep line or washing dishes at the Inn is easy. Don' take that the wrong way, since most of the jobs at the Inn are physically challenging, and working the dining room comes with a whole host of issues; but I also don't think of my work there the way I do about my family business job. Maybe I would if Michael and I could do that work using our Magi gifts, but that isn't ever going to happen; so let's not go there – especially after a night where we've washed a lot of dishes the old-fashioned way – with industrial-size dishwashers! ;^)

That's really only half-true, by the way; since we scrub a lot of the cookware by hand; but I don't really want to go there right now either.

I helped out at the Inn until the major dinner rush was finished, and then I came home to help out with the cooking there. Spending that time with Dad, my aunts, uncles, and cousins was great too; so I really loved being home for that – even if we did do a lot of work too. Michael stayed at the Inn until close, and he's working the breakfast buffet that Jacob and Miranda are offering tomorrow; so he didn't come over after work tonight. That's too bad for us, and made sure that our Christmas vacation didn't begin with any kind of make-out time; but that trade-off is so that he doesn't work until close tomorrow night – and can instead help out at my house with our babysitting services instead.

We are going to have quite a gang of kids here for that, so I'd better wrap this up and get all of the sleep I can to be ready for another long day.

The cooking wrapped up at around ten o'clock; though the oven was in use until the last batch of baked dishes was finished at ten-thirty. Our cooking helpers were all at their own homes by then; I had the twins in bed; and I was in my Jacuzzi before Mom or Dad took care of that last batch of cooking. My tub time was relatively short, so I was in bed with Mandy and my computer by about a quarter-past eleven. I've only done my basic bedtime computer and email checks before starting this report; so I'll be in nap mode before midnight for sure. I don't have any news from around the family or elsewhere; so all that's left for this update is my Christmas song choice for the day.

My cousins watched the Holly and Hal Moose Christmas show tonight, and it's becoming an annual favorite for lots of kids around here, so while this song isn't really very Christmassy at all; I'll include it in the list again this year for my favorite siblings, cousins, and their friends.

When You Dream – Holly and Hal Moose Official Video

Maybe Michael and I should have done this song for our duet at the Christmas concert this year! Moose antlers would have been easy, and while Mom probably wouldn't let me make Michael fly too; it still could have been fun.

There's always next year! ;^)

That is all I have for tonight, and I really will need to be at full power to keep up with a gang of kids tomorrow night; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Congratulations, Natalie and Derrick Taylor; and welcome to Witch Falls, Katie!

While Katie was keeping my favorite doctors and nurse busy for a fair bit of the day – and her mother and family too; the rest of the action around town seemed to be all about Christmas. Before I move on to that, though; I'll add that Amy and Jared are two of Katie's proud aunts and uncles, and while I rarely write about them in my journal; Amy will always be one of my favorite-ever teachers; so I'm always happy when good things happen in her life!

My day started out with Tai Chi indoors, and while it was great to have Dad home again for that; I missed having Michael there too. Our workout was still fun, and so was our breakfast in the sunroom; but then it was time to get to work for most of the day. Ethan, Ehlana, and I had chores to do; I helped with the ongoing holiday cooking adventures in the kitchen; and we fit in some fun here and there with visits from Michael during his morning and afternoon breaks; and from some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. There was just one shopping trip that Dad and Ethan took care of; and they reported that the holiday shopping was crazy in most of the stores – though they only visited the grocery store and Emporium for some supplies that Mom needed for her cooking.

My last chore of the afternoon was getting the lounge and my room set up for the babysitting and sleepover fun that is now winding down as I write this; but then I just traded chores in for the actual babysitting after that as the kids were dropped off starting at around five o'clock. Rowen came over then too; and Tim joined us by five-thirty – in time to help with the kids while Rowen and I cooked up the pizza and sides and my parents started to get ready for their night out with their friends.

By six o'clock, we had all of 'our' kids for the night, including Ethan, Ehlana, all of my in-town kid cousins, the Seager and Draper kids, and Sophia Bassett. We didn't have Jessica and Ryan too because they're spending the night with friends instead of with us. That was mostly a parental decision; though I'm sure that Michael's cousins will have more fun with their friends compared to playing with a bunch of under-five kids.

Rowen and I had the first wave of food ready to go by the time we had all of our kids with us; we had dinner in the dining room; and our meal-time entertainment was also the majority of the work for Tim, Rowen, and me as we tried to get the kids fed while keeping some of them from turning the dining room into something that looked more like a war zone than a formal gathering place for family and friends. Zack and Eli were especially enthusiastic with their food, and while Tim really wasn't trying to encourage them; there's no doubt that the two boys were doing their very best to impress him in ways that were just scary and gross to all of the girls in the room.

Christmas movies, video gaming, music, and 'normal' games were all available entertainment options on the third floor after dinner; and Rowen and Tim took care of the kids while I dealt with the dining room and kitchen clean-up. Mom and Dad had long-since left for the Inn by then, so I was on my own for that work; but there's a good chance that I had the easier job compared to what Tim and Rowen had to deal with for the kids. Okay, I wasn't totally kid free while I worked, but Brianna was happy to hang out in her seat and supervise while I worked; and Ehlana and Naomi only stopped in for a short visit before going back upstairs to help out with our younger guests.

Michael was set free from the Inn at seven-thirty; he grabbed a shower at home before coming over; and he was already tired by then. Unfortunately for him, most of the boys were still fired up; and his arrival just got them going even more for a while. That meant that he and Tim were kept busy playing for another hour or so before we managed to round up all of the kids to watch a couple of Christmas shows and start the wind-down process that eventually led to getting them all in bed and off to sleep by a bit after midnight. Holly and Hal Moose, a warm bottle, and some quality cuddle time with Michael and me put Brianna to sleep first; and that was the start of the rounds of carrying kids off to bedrooms and getting them tucked in for the night. All of the younger kids were sleeping by eleven except for Zack and Eli, and while they tried to hold out until Ethan and Aiden went to bed; they didn't make it through to the end of 'The Grinch' before passing out – a fact that actually surprised me a bit considering how much sugar they consumed tonight while munching on treats regularly since dinnertime.

Ethan, Aiden, Ehlana, Naomi, and Sophia were the last kids to head for bed after the end of the movie, and though Naomi had cuddled with Ethan through most of the movie time; she did end up in the correct bedroom with Ehlana and Sophia when we did get them tucked in for the night. For the record, Ehlana didn't do much cuddling with Aiden tonight; and that was mostly so that he didn't get razzed by Zack and Eli the way they happily made fun of Ethan and Naomi. Ehlana was likely also thinking about keeping things from getting weird for Sophia too; but then I don't think that she really cares right now if she is a fifth-wheel for their little group now and then – especially when that also gives her the option to have some cuddle time with Michael and me instead the way we did with her tonight once we'd run out of younger kids to rock to sleep.

Speaking of that, Tim might be too cool to admit this to his football buddies, but he's pretty good with baby and toddler cuddling too. He and Rowen helped to get Caleb and Hailey off to sleep tonight, and while I wouldn't dream of scaring them anytime soon; Tim is going to be an awesome father some day.

Hopefully you won't be reading this in a future where I'm proven wrong about that! ;^)

Don't take that train of thought into this next one, but I'm going to wrap this up now because I'm planning on having a sofa sleepover tonight with Michael; and I'm only writing this now while taking my turn getting ready for bed while Michael's doing dishes downstairs and Rowen and Tim are straightening up the lounge and keeping an ear out for the kids. I'm not getting out of all of that work either; so I really should get back on the job soon too.

There are lots of details from tonight that I haven't included – like Tim's occasional disappearances that involved checking out the college football bowl game action tonight; or the specifics from the play time that included rounds of hide-and-seek and other games that Rowen and I set up with holiday themes and prizes. What is most-important, though, is that we had a lot of fun tonight – and that includes the babysitters. A bit of Michael and me fun in the near future will be nice too, but I'll have to let you know how that goes for us with the next update – assuming we don't just end up falling asleep once we're cuddled together for that sofa sleepover.

My Christmas song for tonight is another Fifth Harmony holiday tune that I hope you enjoy while I get started on what will hopefully be a really great end to my day!

Silent Night – Fifth Harmony

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Michael and I were able to end our day with a sofa sleepover in the lounge, and while Mom and Dad didn't mention anything about it with a gang of kids around; there's no way that they didn't notice that Rowen must have fallen asleep while tucking Tim into his room for the night after leaving us in the lounge. I don't get to report any major or minor make-out sessions too, but that's because Brianna woke up needing a diaper change; she wanted to cuddle and have a bottle after that; and she was still with us for the first part of our sofa sleepover. That was really special for all of us, so I won't regret the lack of alone time with Michael; and there was the added fun that went along with Mom and Dad finding us together there when they got back from Sheldon's Pub.

They had fun teasing us about leaving Brianna with us for the night and then letting Aunt Leanne know that her baby girl had already had her first sofa sleepover with a boy. While the eventual decision was to put Brianna back in her crib for the rest of the night after Mom and Dad had a bit of cuddle time with her too, they had already taken pictures of us; and that choice didn't keep them from having fun with Aunt Leanne, Uncle Adam, and Brianna today. Michael had the worst of the teasing, since he was 'caught' having a sofa sleepover with two beautiful girls, but he managed to survive the jokes; and is learning to handle moments like those better than he did when we were tweens.

Indoors Tai Chi was a bit crowded with Naomi and Aiden here for bonus exercise buddies, so Michael and I went with the same forms that everyone else was doing instead of trying to continue our Pushing Hands training. That was fun – and also the last bit of quiet we had through until we arrived at church for the morning service. Rowen and I were in charge of getting all of the younger girls ready for the day and fed; Michael and Tim did the same for the guys; and Mom, Dad, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Leanne tagged-teamed the kitchen work with the men cooking and the women cleaning up. Mom and Aunt Leanne had some teen support for their job, so that wasn't as bad as it might have been after feeding our gang; but it was still quite a challenge to get everything done and be at church on time.

The highlight for the start of the service at church was the welcome home hugs and kisses for my grandparents – at least for all of their kids and grandchildren. They came home from Arizona yesterday; but didn't get into town until late last night after getting to spend most of their last day in Arizona enjoying the comparative warm before coming to spend the Christmas holidays with us. They look great, and while they were a bit tired this morning after the late night; the same could be said for the rest of us after a late night of babysitting or Christmas party fun. I haven't had time for any vacation stories from my grandparents yet, but I'll get around to doing that story time with them sometime while they're home.

For me, the main fun during the service and Sunday school was the work we did for the Christmas musical. That was mostly getting things ready so that the sanctuary could be set up starting not long after the service ended this morning, and while Michael and I couldn't stay to help out with that part of the work too; we did help to make sure that the transition from our normal sanctuary stage to scenes from Israel-past would be as easy as possible. We couldn't stay to do that with the rest of the volunteers because we needed to be at the Inn to help with the lunch rush, and while the service went long; I still took the time to run home and get changed before meeting Michael at the Inn.

Our day from that point until we needed to be back at the church was a lot of busy without much time for fun. The Inn was full for lunch; the two buffet sittings started early because of the concert at the church; and Michael and I didn't get much break time mixed in with all of the work. I was eventually set free a bit earlier than Michael was so that I could go home and get cleaned up and changed before going on to the church; but that was only because my hair takes longer to dry after a shower than Michael's does. He went home for a quick shower and change too; and I met up with him there before we walked over to the church together.

For the record, since that statement earned us some teasing from Tim and a few of the other guys; I did not meet up with Michael in the shower. The guys left the jokes there, though; so they didn't find out that I was there in time to help Michael out with getting dressed; since he wasn't done with that quite yet when I did get there. ;^)

While that was mildly fun, and I might have used a short time phase to allow us a bit more play time; we didn't get side-tracked; and we were at the church in time for make-up and costumes – and the teen praise team warm-ups. I'm not going to do a major review of the musical, since I'd rather leave the reviews for others; but I can report that we had a lot of fun putting on the show. My duets with Michael were awesome too; and I'm only reporting that from the perspective of how wonderful it felt to do those duets with my boyfriend – though I'll also modestly admit that we were pretty good too. Including the pre-musical part of the show and the extended sing-along we did at the end of the musical; the show ran for a bit more than an hour. For me, that time breezed by; and I hope that our congregation loved the musical as much as we loved putting the show on for them.

Since I'm about to move on from this part of my day, let's include my Christmas song pick for the day – which is one of the few YouTube videos I could find of our musical. Our rendition was definitely more teen-friendly than this one, with the comedic moments hammed up more than a little; but watching this video did help us with getting ready for our show; so that's why it's my Christmas entertainment choice for you tonight. We also picked other songs for our sing-along; but that was mostly because we wanted that music to fit in with the rest of our holiday season music this year.

Bethlehem's Big Night – Christmas Musical

We had a reception after the musical, but before we – the teens, kids, and adult helpers – could get to that, we had some work to do first – including getting out of make-up and costumes; part of the sanctuary clean-up; and tear-down of the extra musical instruments and other tech gear that was on loan to us – like the lighting. Michael and I didn't even make it to the fellowship hall until a bit after nine-thirty; and the 'party' was more than half-over by then. We were okay with that, since the delay helped to cut back on the one part of our singing together that makes us uncomfortable – the praise from our families and friends. That isn't because we're shy or too-modest, but we don't sing and play our music for the attention – we do it because we love music.

It's late, so I should keep this story moving along. Our day wasn't done after the reception. We needed to go over to the Inn after that so that we could help with the clean-up that had been on-hold while everyone was at the church. That work still needed to be done to get ready for the Monday breakfast rush, and while Jacob and Miranda took a crew there after just a short break at the reception; we still needed to work there until shortly before midnight. I went home with Michael; we had a bedtime snack and drinks with his parents and Rebecca; and then we had a bit of cuddle time together in the living room before I came home at a quarter-to-one. Everyone at my house was sleeping by then, so I stopped in for kisses with Ethan and Ehlana on my way up to my room; I got changed and ready for bed; and then snuggled in for a mid-length winter's nap with Mandy.

My computer work needed to come first, and thanks to some family business work that needed to be dealt with; I've been working on my computer for more than an hour now. That's not a very exciting way to end my day, but it needed to be done; and I've saved up one really great bit of news from today to make sure that my report for today ends on a high note.

Congratulations, Aunt Grace and Uncle Mark!

That's unofficial, of course, but they're going to have some amazing news for our family that they'll get to deliver in time for Christmas – even though the actual gift delivery won't arrive until sometime next August or September! ;^)

With that to look forward to next year, I can't possibly top that with a look ahead at next week, so that's all for tonight; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, December 21, 2015

Our first day off from school for this Christmas holiday break was a mix of fun and work, so while I've had a good day; I won't be able to rank this as a best-ever-so-far start to one of my school breaks.

Tai Chi was indoors, and while Michael joined us for that; he went home for breakfast and to help his parents out with chores around the house and yard for most of the morning. They all then needed to head for the Inn because they had too many Christmas luncheons and dinner parties booked to take their usual day off – just as they have on Tuesday and Wednesday; along with one last blast of Christmas luncheons that are booked for Christmas Eve Day. While Michael was busy all morning anyway, I helped Mom out around the house; we both did some work on the family business; and then we had lunch with Ethan and Ehlana before I was ready to take the afternoon off and play with my brother, sister, our friends, and some of our cousins.

Okay, that quickly changed to a lot of our cousins – including Jessica, Ryan, and Sophia Bassett when we collected them along the way while on our outdoor adventure part of the afternoon. It wasn't exactly a best-ever kind of day for playing outside, so we were only at the park for three-quarters of an hour; and then we came back to our house for hot drinks, snacks, and some play time in the lounge and my room. Michael was with me for most of that play time, and though we were seriously out-numbered; we managed to survive until it was time to head for the Inn so that we could both help out with the dinner rush.

That blast of work with minor moments of fun kept us busy until seven-thirty; and then Jacob set us free for the night instead of keeping Michael until close. I brought him home with me again – Michael, not Jacob – and we got started on a fairly quiet, fun evening in the lounge. Ethan and Ehlana joined us for that; we played video games for a while; and then settled in to watch a Christmas movie together. Mom and Dad were both working in the office for most of that; but they did join us for a bonus Christmas movie after deciding that they'd rather spend the time with us instead of in the office. The good news is that we had a really nice time together; while the downside was that Michael and I didn't have any time left for a make-out session once that second show had ended.

We instead helped out with getting Ethan and Ehlana tucked in for the night with girls-only and boys-only bedtime chats before Mom and Dad went to bed too and I saw Michael out and on his way home before coming back up to my room for the night. While everyone else in the house had turned in by then, they weren't sleeping yet; so I opted for some Jacuzzi time with a time phase before hopping into bed with Mandy. After all of the work and play time today; I'm sure that she appreciated that a lot! Since getting into bed with her, I've only needed to do my usual bedtime computer and email checks, and I haven't got anything important to report there; so I guess that's pretty much it for tonight – except for the Christmas song pick of the day.

Now that we're down to just four sleeps until Christmas, I'm going with songs that remind us of the reason for the season. This classic is again one of my favorites thanks to the efforts of one of my favorite A Capella groups. I hope that you love it too!

Angels We Have Heard On High - Pentatonix

I'm going to listen to this – and other Christmas songs while drifting off to sleep now; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Happy 15th Birthday, Marc!

I'm sure that it has been – especially when it's also his first with new girlfriend, Gretchen! Other than getting a gift to him, Michael and I weren't involved in his big day at all, and while that would have been fun; we were also busy enough without the added bonus of a birthday party to fit into our schedules today.

The highlight of the day for me was the Christmas dinner at the Inn that Michael and I attended with my family. Dad and Aunt Leanne were hosting the dinner and party that only included our families and the Nortons, and while we were officially with that group; Aunt Grace was also hosting the BMR Labs Christmas dinner with everyone really just one big happy group. Before I go there, though; let's do a micro-review of the rest of my day before the dinner party.

Tai Chi and breakfast were uneventful; I spent the morning helping Mom out around the house; and then worked the lunch shift at the Inn with Michael. I had the afternoon off to play, and while Ethan, Ehlana, Michael, and I went outside for a while; we spent most of Michael's afternoon break in my room and lounge playing video games and music. Michael had to help with the dinner prep work at the Inn before getting to take the rest of the evening off to spend with me; but our dinner didn't start until six-thirty anyway so that everyone could be there after finishing work for the day. While Michael was busy with that, Mom, Ehlana, and I had fun getting ourselves appropriately beautiful for the occasion; though we stayed relatively casual with our clothing choices.

By the way, since I'm thinking about clothes – and shoes; let's do a quick side-trip about something that came up in conversation today – heels and height.

I rarely think about it, but Michael and I – and most of our friends – have either reached or are closing in on our adult heights now. That's becoming more noticeable for me when I do wear heels; and it was a chat topic before dinner tonight because I was taller than quite a few of my favorite women attending the dinner. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, since I'm still about an inch shorter than Mom, but now that Michael's four inches taller than I am at five-eleven; adding an inch or two with heels is an option that I wouldn't have used when we were near the same height not all that long ago. Maybe discovering that I'm taller is only annoying because I'm still fourteen for another month and a half or so, and that'll be easier once I'm a bit older; but the issue was entertaining for a while tonight – even if I was on the receiving end of most of the jokes.

Getting back to the update, we were wrapping up our mini makeovers when Dad got home; and we were ready to go by the time he'd grabbed a shower and gotten changed – including having the gifts ready to go for Claire and her family. Aunt Leanne had a bunch of little gifts for the youngest kids at both parties too; but I didn't actually find out about that until we were at the Inn. I met up with Michael in the kitchen; he'd already freshened up and gotten changed; and then we joined the gang in the dining room for the half-hour or so of socializing that we had time for before sitting down to dinner. We didn't have the only Christmas dinner party of the night; but we were collectively the largest group – mostly because Uncle Adam and Uncle Mark had invited all of the med center staff too; though that was at least partly because three-quarters of them had some involvement with the lab anyway.

I'm sure you can guess that Michael and I were on kid control duty for the evening; and we had help with that from Rebecca, Lucas, Emma, and Benjamin. The bonus help was great, but it also meant that we weren't at the same table with any other teens so that we could have teen or older kid supervision at each kid table. Michael and I had Zack, Brianna, Leah, and Sebastian, and Caleb with us; though we had some parental support when needed. To be blunt, Zack was bribed to be good; and actually managed to get through the meal without any major issues for us. It's a bit scary that he actually considers things like that while building his 'public' image, but it is also fairly entertaining to watch him work on that as seriously as he does – despite the fact that most of his current and future peers will not remember much about their toddler years once they're all older anyway.

Dinner was pre-selected so that Jacob and Miranda could be ready for the big gang on a Tuesday night, and while Michael and I went with one of the special offers; the rest of our dinner companions went with fries, chicken strips, or baby food. Brianna tried a bit of the pasta from my plate, and then ate more of it than her own meal; but that still wasn't very much because she was more interested in everything that was going on around us than in eating – at least until we got to the dessert stage and she wanted some ice cream and cheese cake. That part of the meal time was scary despite Zack being on his best behavior; and Michael and I spent as much time feeding and cleaning kids as we did eating our own desserts.

I'd have needed to apologize to Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne for winding their kids up on sugar and sending them home after dinner, but that ended up being our problem anyway because Zack and Brianna wanted to come to our house after we wrapped things up at the Inn instead of going over to the bigger party at Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's house. Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne left them with us to make an appearance at the other party first too; and then wrapped up their night at our house with the rest of the adults in the living room. I hosted the kids and teens in the lounge; the boys played video games for an hour or so; and then we wrapped up our mini-party with a Christmas movie that helped to get most of the kids wound down and ready to sleep by the time their parents collected them and took them home for the night.

All of that was still fun for us; and Michael and I especially loved getting to hang out with Rebecca and Lucas – even if we were also busy keeping up with the rest of the kids. Rebecca actually ended up going home with Lucas for the night, and while I was tempted to keep Michael too; we didn't do that because we'd already booked a sleepover for tomorrow night that Ethan and Ehlana will have their best friends doing too so that we can spend the time with them ahead of the holiday weekend. The Nortons were the last to leave at a bit before midnight, and while that was really late for them when Karl, Lucas, and Benjamin are used to being up very early; they really don't get to enjoy parties very often – especially when they also have a teen designated driver available for the ride home. Michael stayed to help with the post-party clean-up; we took care of getting Ethan and Ehlana tucked in for the night; and then he headed home while I came up to my room again and got ready for bed.

Yes, there were a few goodnight kisses and hugs before he left, but Dad had a bit of work to do in the office, and Mom was still busy in the kitchen then; so there wasn't an opportunity for any make-out sessions tonight. I'll see what I can do about making that up to Michael tomorrow night! ;^)

I've had a bit of family business work to deal with since getting into bed with Mandy and my computer, but no studying to do this week while we take a break from Magi lessons and I'm ready to move on to my next language in the New Year. The computer and email checks took a while; but I have all of that finished now too. Sleep is next up on my to-do list, and I am so ready to go there now; so let's wrap this up with my Christmas song pick for today and call it a night.

I've already mentioned that one of my favorite Christmas albums for this year is a praise and worship album from Chris Tomlin. Here's another song that we're using at our church; and I hope that you enjoy it as much as we have been over the past few weeks.

Chris Tomlin – He Shall Reign Forevermore

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

It's warmed up around here overnight, but we have also had lots of rain too; so it's mostly been an indoor day that's included quite a bit of work for me. Tai Chi and breakfast in the sunroom made for a fun start to the day; Mom and I followed that up with a work morning to continue getting ready for the holiday weekend; and then I spent the afternoon playing with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden after Ethan's and Ehlana's best friends were dropped off in time to have lunch with us. Michael joined us for the play time while on his afternoon break; and then I went back to the Inn with him to help out with the dinner rush that was again mostly Christmas party bookings that had the dining room filled. That wasn't as crazy as the next two weekends are going to be, and while we were very busy getting all of the meals out to the dining room; Michael and I didn't need to stay until close for the clean-up.

He picked up his overnight bag on our way to my house once we were set free, and by the time we got home; our four junior movie night buddies already had the lounge set up for the rest of the evening. After taking most of last night off, Mom and Dad had work to do in the office, so after a quick visit with them; we headed upstairs and got started on our first Christmas chick flick. Yes, it was girls' choice tonight, but our boys didn't really mind at all, and with no other friends over; Ethan and Aiden didn't have a problem over cuddling with Naomi and Ehlana for a few hours. Michael and I had one end of the sectional sofa; Naomi and Ethan had the other; and Ehlana and Aiden had the corner.

Watching the movies was fun, but it was the cuddling with Michael and the chat time with the twins and their friends that made the night special. Mom and Dad came upstairs and caught the tail end of the second movie before collecting the four junior cuddlers and taking them down to the second floor to tuck them in for the night. There were some jokes about making sure that there weren't any sleepover mix-ups that were directed at Michael and me as much as the kids; but nobody seriously expected that Michael and I wouldn't be doing a sofa sleepover tonight.

I'm getting ready for that as I multi-task and write this; which is also why I've been using a time phase to get all of my usual bedtime computing finished so that I can get to the sofa sleepover part of my night. There was a bit of family business work to do too; so the time phase really was needed since I had no intention of delaying the best part of my night just because some multi-million dollar deal needed to be approved first. ;^)

Before I wrap this up, I should mention one thing that didn't happen today – Violet and Dillon didn't come home early for Christmas. There had been talk of coming here today or yesterday, and maybe bringing Dawn with them, but the friends and family commitments piled up on them in Woodvale; and they needed the extra time there to get all of that done before coming back here. They are planning on being here tomorrow morning, so they'll catch at least some of the Christmas Eve Day fun around here; but I'll let you know how that goes with the next update. Right now, I have something else to get to that's going to be way more fun that telekinetic typing on my computer; so let's get this update finished!

My pick for Christmas song tonight is Mary, Did You Know, and just for fun; you, dear future Magi reader, get to listen to two of my favorite versions of the song and choose the one you like best!

Mary, Did You Know – Peter Hollens

Mary, Did You Know – Pentatonix

We're down to two more sleeps to Christmas, and the first of them is that sofa sleepover with Michael that will hopefully begin with a fairly amazing make-out session; so I am so out of here and back to the real world!

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Congratulations (again) to Aunt Grace and Uncle Mark!

It's now official, and the 'we're pregnant' news hit the town news network within minutes of their arrival at the med center this morning. That announcement made for a great start to the day for our family, but the fun level started earlier than that for me – and for Michael too.

Our sofa sleepover was amazing; and the pre-sleeping part of that was also fairly hot as we happily made some very special holiday memories. Michael's wake-up call was a lot of fun too; though we didn't really have much time to play before meeting up with everyone for Tai Chi. Our workout was great, and Michael stayed for breakfast; but then he needed to go home and help out with some work there while Jacob and Miranda were busy at the Inn.

He was okay with doing that because one alternative would have been to go shopping with me – and the group of girls that Mom had with her for the annual Christmas Eve Day shopping adventure. We even had bonus shoppers to go with us because Violet, Dillon, and Dawn arrived home in time for Violet and Dawn to go with us. They'd decided to leave Woodvale very early so that they could do that; and made it to our house shortly after we finished with the breakfast clean-up – and before everyone was ready to go for the day.

While some fun shopping was involved in our outing; the work part of our shopping came first. I suppose you can't really call all of that part of our morning work when those stops included things like picking up the Santa-approved cookies and reindeer treats along with our weekend desserts and snacks order from the Olde Bakery or the rest of the holiday food and treats shopping we took care of for the first hour and a half or so of that girl time; but hauling everything out to the minivan and then unloading everything at home once we were done did require actual work and a fair bit of physical exertion. That could be why we didn't feel guilty about the Olde Bakery snacks we enjoyed before heading out again for the fun part of the shopping – and why we didn't have to worry about those treats affecting our clothing sizes either.

Having a late lunch was an option for most of us, so we happily shopped until shortly before one; and then we gathered at our house to have a soup and sandwiches meal that included most of my cousins and some of my aunts and uncles. Violet, Dillon, Dawn, and I were on kid control for that meal, and our group was in the sunroom while the parents sat in the kitchen so that Mom could do a bit of work while they ate; and then Dawn and I were on kid control for the rest of the afternoon. That included helping out with incoming family; since nearly everyone that is here for the holiday weekend with us took the afternoon off and hit the road early. Uncle Blaine and Aunt Alison were among the first to arrive with their kids, and while they were busy getting settled in at Uncle Mark and Aunt Grace's house; Jaimie, Kaitlyn, and Jayden eventually came over to our house to play until dinnertime. Michael spent his afternoon break with us too, but he was kept busy playing video games with the boys; so I didn't actually spent much time with him at all. The grandparents arrived early too, and since Chris and Martin came with Grandpa Richard and Grandma Carrie; they were able to take over the video gaming supervision by the time that Michael needed to be back at the Inn to help out with the dinner rush.

I was busy-enough with my family today, but Michael and Rebecca were even busier because not only did he help out here and they both worked at the Inn for as long as they could; they also had to welcome their grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins when they arrived – just in time to have a quick dinner at the Inn ahead of the Christmas Eve service at the church. While I would have loved to help Michael with that, there just wasn't enough time for us to do everything together; so we did the best we could – even though that meant missing out on some of the holiday fun with our respective families.

We weren't having a major family meal tonight, so most of the kids playing at our house were picked up or escorted to their dinner destination homes. Not every business was closed early tonight, but most were – including the lab and Dad's office; so we had lots of parental support by then to go along with the teen and grandparent kid control. We only had the Rice clan at our house for dinner – along with Grandma and Grandpa; and part two of that was mostly because they'll be doing the early-morning Christmas and breakfast at the Carrington house this year. Actually, all of the Proctor and Rice Grandparents will be doing that in the morning from what I heard after the church service tonight; though they all had at least two options – and picked what they hope will be the quietest one.

With Zack in the house, that might just be wishful thinking; but it could happen! ;^)

Ethan and Ehlana were the only kids at our house for dinner, but with nine guests for the meal; we needed the dining room to have everyone enjoy that meal time together. For me, that was shorter than for everyone else because Michael and I needed to be at the church early for warm-ups and final instructions from Stacey. That meant leaving Rebecca to deal with their weekend guests and get them to the church on time; but since they'd been having their dinner at the Inn; she did have Jacob and Miranda there to help out for the walk to the church. Dawn and I spent most of my time at dinner talking about everything and anything with some support from Ethan and Ehlana; that was fun; and the food was great too thanks to all of the pre-cooking we did over the past week.

Before I get to the Christmas Eve service report, I'll mention that Aunt Grace's pregnancy news was a top story at the Inn when I stopped in to meet up with Michael on my way to the church. It was also big news at the church – at least with the teens and adults that asked us about it during the warm-ups. While I wasn't able to be there for the fun; I'm sure that Aunt Grace and Uncle Mark had a lot of fun before and after the service too; though I'm sure they'd say that about the entire day – and especially when they were able to spring the news on our incoming family members. Michael and I were only in on the warm-ups for the teen praise team, and we went off on our own to do a quick run-through of our duet; but then we had time to hang out with the rest of the teens and chat while waiting for the service to start.

That gave Michael enough time to give me a micro report on his time as co-host for his visiting family; and the most entertaining moments came thanks to the two pregnant women in the family. His cousin, Sally, won the most laughs and jokes contest because she's about eight months into her pregnancy; so the Magi Moms reading this in the future can imagine how she was doing after a very long trip that was longer thanks to her need for more-frequent stops. She did manage to get in and out of vehicles, chairs, and sofas without the need to call Landry's for heavy equipment – or Lee's help; but that apparently didn't keep her husband and brother-in-law from having fun with her mobility issues. For her part, Sally is sure that the two men will be on Santa's naughty list now; and I'm going to leave it up to your imagination to guess at where the comedians in their family took that suggestion – especially since Heidi is pregnant too.

She's just past her first trimester, so her pregnancy issues aren't as obvious as they are for Sally; but that didn't keep Drew and Eric from having fun anyway. Michael earned bonus points for staying out of that kind of fun entirely, and while he was drafted to be a porter too; he and Rebecca especially enjoyed spending time with their two youngest cousins – two-and-a-half-year old Gerry – Eric and Sally's son; and one-year old Annette. Their Christmas gift loads were apparently even more impressive than the stacks of boxed-up gifts that we unloaded at our house for the Rice clan; though I'm not really surprised by that despite the fact that their two kids are so young. Chris, Martin, and Dawn aren't interested in the kind of gifts that come in large boxes anymore; since video games and flight time or lessons gift certificates really don't take up much space at all. That'll be a bonus for Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa when it's time to go home on Sunday; while Michael's family might need Landry's to help out with a trailer or truck rental to haul everything they'll have home again.

The church service was one of my favorite parts of the day. Pastor Martha delivered her now-annual Christmas message that's based on the Magi Christmas story that Mom gave to her during our first Christmas here; and it's just as wonderful every year as she fine-tunes it. I'm not sure when Pastor John will take over the Christmas Eve service; but I have a feeling that he'll continue this new tradition whenever he does. I wouldn't say that Michael and I are starting a tradition with our Christmas Eve duets – mostly because we won't be able to do that when we're only about two and a half years away from going off to college; but I do love singing with him, and Christmas Eve is a very special time to be able to do that together. Our song assignment from Stacey was O Holy Night; we worked up a mixed version that was part A Capella and partly with guitar and keyboard music. The opening and ending were A Capella; and I can't even describe just how wonderful it feels to make that kind of musical magic with my boyfriend – and do that for the people we love the most. The teen praise team songs were a lot of fun too, and while we couldn't go and sit with our families when we weren't on-stage; Michael and I did still manage to have fun sitting together while we enjoyed the rest of the service.

We were ordered to stay at the church after the service for the comparatively short meet and greet as everyone hurried home to get on with their Christmas Eve fun; but Michael's parents headed back to the Inn with a small work crew because they still needed to finish the post-dinner clean-up and get the dining room set up for the Saturday morning buffet they were going to be offering for the Boxing Day shoppers on Saturday. Nobody wanted to go back to the Inn on Christmas Day, so while that wasn't fun for them; it was the preferred choice of the majority.

I eventually went home with Michael, and while Lucas, Rebecca, and their weekend guests had gone on ahead of us; we were still there before they'd finished putting together drinks and snacks for everyone. I couldn't stay long, and neither could Lucas; but we did spend a half-hour or so chatting with everyone in the living room before I headed home to rejoin my family there. That meant that I didn't get to wish Jacob and Miranda a Merry Christmas tonight; but I did leave Michael with bonus hugs and kisses to pass on to them. He'll do that too – even though Drew and Eric teased him about keeping them for himself. Michael did agree with them that being the intermediary for those hugs and kisses was more fun for him, and I'm okay with that; but his cousins seemed to be just a bit too merry tonight compared to even their normal selves; and I'll guess that their holiday cheer was at least partially aided by the very good wines and other adult beverage options that have been available to them tonight.

Maybe Rebecca didn't get to drive one of the minivans home just because her cousins wanted to see for themselves whether it was safe to be on the roads with her while they're here for the weekend.

The Christmas Eve fun was in full swing at my house, and the one big change from previous family Christmases was that Chris and Martin are much different now than when Mom and I first moved here. To be honest, there was more teen-guy sort of goofiness going on at Michael's house tonight than at mine; and Chris really has changed after his first semester at college. Sure, there was football on the television in the living room, and the guys talked sports; but the general conversation was fun and entertaining that was both kid-friendly and happy without any weirdness.

Once I was there, Ehlana and Dawn wanted to head up to the lounge so that we could watch Christmas movies instead of football, and we ended up being on our own for that until Ethan could get away from the other guys without breaking any football-related man-laws. Dawn and Ehlana picked The Muppet Christmas Carol for our movie entertainment; and we settled in to watch it and have a nice, long girl chat. Violet and Dillon were with his family for the evening, and the Moms in our family were more interested in the cuddle time with their spouses and adult conversation than having the movie time without the cuddling; so Ethan was the only addition to our group – and he arrived just in time for the big break-up scene that wraps up the 'Ghost of Christmas Past' part of the movie.

By the way, I'd like to mention that the usual version of the movie that gets shown on television or on the internet now has that break-up scene song cut out of it, and that's a shame; since it really is one of the best moments in the movie. Just in case that original version of the movie has been lost to time by whenever you're reading this in the future; here's that full scene clip with the song included from the movie!

When Love Is Gone – from The Muppet Christmas Carol

Note to television broadcasters that will never read this anyway – sometimes you should skip the edits and either make the show longer if you must push all of those ads at us; or try something novel and cut back on those ads in favor of the art! ;^)

Moving along, we watched the movie; went downstairs so that the twins could put out the treats and drink for Santa and his reindeer; and do a round of goodnight hugs and kisses with everyone before heading back upstairs and off to bed. I took care of tucking them in while Dawn stayed in the living room and helped with the clean-up that the parents and grandparents were ready to start with because Ethan and Ehlana had tacitly given them the green light to get started on playing Santa. The fun with my brother and sister wasn't totally over at that point because they had me run interference for them; get everyone else into the kitchen or sunroom; and then they 'snuck' downstairs and hid their gifts under the tree. They also took some cookies and reindeer treats along when they left; and shared with me when I rejoined them for the bedtime hugs and kisses.

I'd better not skip mentioning that our reindeer were fully-filled with Christmas magic and ready to go with Santa and help to keep his sleigh magically powered, and in case you're wondering; Aunt Leanne has worked that into her 'Santa is a Magi of the Light' story. We actually leave residual Magi power in our reindeer as we love them during the weeks leading up to Christmas Eve; and Santa uses that power the same way that we can share power so that we help out with the telekinesis, time phasing, and everything else Santa does to deliver toys on Christmas Eve! ;^)

I really love you, Aunt Leanne!

Once I had the twins tucked in for the night; I joined the work crew; and we spent more than an hour getting everything ready for Christmas morning – including eating more treats, enjoying drinks, and doing a lot of running up and down the stairs to haul the loads of gifts down to the living room. I loved stuffing stockings too; and Dawn and I really had a lot of fun getting to do that together this year. Violet and Dillon caught about the last half of the playing Santa fun, but they spent most of that time with the parents and grandparents; and only a bit of time with Dawn and me. By the time we were finished, it was heading toward two o'clock; so we all headed up to bed after one last quick clean-up. Dawn and Martin are in the two street-side bedrooms on the third floor, and the boys let the girls get ready for bed first; so Violet, Dawn, and I then had a bedtime girl chat in my room while waiting for Martin and Dillon to take their turns using the guest bathroom. That wasn't a very long chat, and then we split up to get some sleep that I couldn't get to right away because I needed to do my bedtime computing and deal with a minor family business issue that was charity-related and a last-minute Christmas wish that I was able to help make happen from half a world away.

That's why I'm hoping that Ethan and Ehlana will sleep in a bit so that I can have at least a couple of hours of nap time, but if that doesn't happen; I'll just use a bit of self-healing to make up for the lack of down time. I really do need to get started on whatever sleep I do actually manage to get, though; so let's do the Christmas Eve song pick and get right to the napping!

Since Michael and I sang this for our duet tonight; I'll go with one of my favorite A Capella versions of this Christmas classic. I hope that you love this as much as I do – and I'm going to let my A Capella Christmas music help me on my way to dreamland while you enjoy the entertainment interlude!

O Holy Night – Home Free

Merry Christmas, everyone; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Friday, December 25, 2015

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

This has been a crazy, busy, amazing day, but I am way too tired for a major report right now, so here's some Christmas music to enjoy; and then you can flip the digital page whenever you're reading this in my future and get the double-update that I'll write tomorrow night!

Christmas Day – Michael W. Smith and Jennifer Nettles

Adore – Chris Tomlin

Until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Boxing Day is now over, but since this is a double update; let's back up a day and begin with my Christmas morning wake-up call.

Ethan and Ehlana delivered that to me, and while that didn't happen ten minutes after I went to sleep; my nap time ended at a bit after six o'clock. They cuddled with me for a few minutes while wishing me a Happy Christmas; and then moved on to Dawn's room next while allowing me to freshen up a bit so that I'd be ready for the dozens or hundreds of pictures that were sure to be taken by the parents all morning.

Mom and Dad were already downstairs and in the kitchen by then, so we shared some Christmas hugs, kisses, and best wishes too before I joined in to help them with making up carafes of hot drinks, platters of Olde Bakery snacks to munch on until we could get around to having breakfast, and setting out the plates, glasses, cups, and cutlery that we'd need for the early-morning treats and drinks. Uncle Rick and Aunt Melissa joined us before that work was done; and it wasn't long before Ethan and Ehlana had our cousins rounded up and downstairs too. That round of hugs and kisses happened around getting drinks and snacks; we moved into the living room; and started out our Christmas morning fun by finding out what Santa left for us in our stockings.

That's always more entertaining when we have a house full of family to share the entertainment with; and there are always some laugh-worthy stocking stuffers to go along with the sweets and more practical little gifts. My brother and sister were not the only fired up kids in the room that were ready to find out what was under the tree, so once we finished with the stockings; Dawn and I were drafted to hand out the gifts. I'm not going to make the gifts the story here because it was that time with my family that I loved the most – even though I loved the gifts that were chosen for me too. I can assure you that it's more fun to watch Ethan and Ehlana opening gifts with a gang in the room; and they need to play 'normal' kids when they've also just earned their unofficial Bachelor's Degrees.

Then again, Dillon and Chris didn't have a problem playing with some of Ethan's new toys – even if they didn't want to play with Ehlana's dolls and toys.

While there were lots of gifts to open, we still managed to get through all of that by eight o'clock – partly because Violet and Dillon needed to be at his parent's house for Christmas with them, Isabelle, and Andrew. The Dads were in charge of cooking breakfast after that while the girls were allowed to hit the showers and get ready for the day; and Chris and Martin selflessly offered to help out by playing with Ethan and Ehlana – as long as they played with Ethan's new toys and video games. Sofia the first was not allowed to join in – even if she was flying Minimus; but Doc McStuffins was allowed to treat the injured PAW Patrol pups or remote control car crash victims at her mobile clinic with some help from Nurse Ehlana.

Dawn and I took turns using my bathroom, and since I went first; I had time before breakfast to run down to Michael's house to share a few Happy Christmas hugs and kisses with him – and some of the members of his family. Some of them had been up early too, but that was more because Jacob and Miranda are used to starting their days early – and because Jacob needed to get the turkey in the oven early too. Gerry was still awake and fired up by seven, though, and they were well on the way toward wrapping up their gift un-wrapping by the time I stopped in for those fifteen minutes or so of fun. Michael and I didn't do our gift exchange then, but only because we did that a bit later at my house when we could do that on our own in the lounge – and have a few quality moments of alone time for the non-verbal kind of thank-you fun!

I was back at home with time to spare before we sat down to have breakfast; we did that in the dining room; and then Dawn and I were on clean-up duty while Mom got to work on the Christmas dinner work. We hosted the family dinner this year, and while that meal was scheduled for around six o'clock; Mom had a very large bird to cook and it needed to go into the oven early-enough to be ready by then – just as Jacob had put his turkey in early enough to be ready for their noon meal. All of the cooking and kitchen action isn't exciting at all, but it was a big part of the day – and Michael and I were both on a lot of work crews today. I was okay with that, since I don't think that only a few people should get stuck with all of the work every year; and I'm glad that my grandparents, aunts, and uncles got to spend more time having fun on Christmas this year.

That isn't to suggest that Michael and I didn't have fun today because we've had an amazing day! We just spent quite a few hours working too. For me, that started with the post-breakfast clean-up; some cooking prep-work help; and some third-floor work to get ready for the teens and kids that would be using the lounge and my room – even while I was away and with Michael and his family. Michael came over after he was finished with the breakfast clean-up at his house; we spent some time with my family; did our private gift exchange; had a very minor make-out session; and then we were on the go for pretty much the rest of the day.

I couldn't possibly cover every detail of the day; so let's try and speed this up a bit. Tim was at Rowen's house by then, so we stopped in for a visit with them and another gift exchange; stopped in at the Bassett house to collect Jessica, Ryan, and Sophia on our way back to Michael's house; and then split the rest of our morning time between playing with Michael's cousins and helping Jacob and Miranda out with all of the work. The rest of the Bassett clan arrived by noon; we had an amazing Christmas dinner; dessert included a video chat with Jake and Stephanie while everyone was in one place; and then Michael and I were drafted for the clean-up crew. That work took well-over an hour; we had a bit more play time with his family; and then it was time to head over to my house to spend the rest of the day with my family.

That next round of family fun and adventure was great too, but I was getting fairly tired by then – and having a nap wasn't an option. Along with the play time, there was more work to do both before and after dinner – with an emphasis on the after dinner part of that. The teens and collegians were on the front line for the clean-up, and while we had fun with the work; some of us had a bit too much fun that made for extra work. I won't use names, but let's just say that some of my cousins haven't completely grown up yet and still like to prank their sisters and cousins now and then.

Michael and I didn't have much time left to spend together after that clean-up because he was booked to help with the breakfast buffet at the Inn while Rebecca stayed home and hosted their weekend guests. We caught part of a movie in the lounge, had some play time with my younger cousins, Ethan, and Ehlana; and then we found a quiet room where we could say goodnight to each other without much talking right before he headed home for the night. My day wasn't finished yet, but the fun at our house was winding down by then. Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah were first to leave; and that was entirely because they were spending the rest of the weekend with her family and decided to do the drive tonight with hopes that the kids would sleep all the way to Rosemont. They'll be busy with their 'away' family Christmas, and while I sometimes wonder what that would be like; it is really nice to stay home for Christmas every year – especially now that Mom and I have such an amazing family to share the holidays with – along with all of our best friends too!

I was recruited to help out with hauling gifts and kids home to other houses, and while I totally skipped mentioning the whole gift-exchange thing for either family Christmas; that was part of the fun time that Michael and I had to fit in around the work that didn't stop for those special moments. Since we missed a lot of that action; I don't want to make a big deal over the time we did spend opening our own gifts. The playing with the kids parts of our day were way more fun for us – and the moments I'll remember best.

Okay, I can and will remember every tiny detail about everything; but you know what I mean. ;^)

Once we were down to just our family and weekend guests, life at home got a lot quieter – but my night still wasn't done yet. There was more cleaning to do on the main floor and in my room and the lounge; and then Dawn and I watched a movie with Ehlana and Ethan before they headed to bed at a bit before midnight. The parents were heading for bed then too, but Violet and Dillon were still out and at his house; and Chris and Martin were playing video games in the living room. I'm not sure if they were waiting up for their big sister and Dillon or just needed to make sure that they didn't turn in first; but Dawn and I were ready to crash by then and didn't really care if they stayed up all night or not.

I only did my basic email and computer checks last night before writing that micro-update; and then I was out for the count from then until morning. My wake-up call was self-inflicted; and I was up early enough for Tai Chi for three because Mom and Dad slept in and skipped it again today. Ethan, Ehlana, and I had fun with that, though; and the rest of my morning was certainly more fun that Michael's breakfast buffet shift at the Inn. All of my family was there for that buffet; and Rebecca was there with her weekend guests too. We weren't sitting in the same section of the dining room, but I did spend a few minutes talking with her before going to fill my plate at the buffet tables.

The shopping adventure began immediately after we left the Inn, but the boys went off to do their own thing while the girls headed across the road to start out our fun at Palmer's and Taylor Shoes. I didn't buy very many things, but I did pick up one new outfit and a pair of shoes; and added a few more purchases as we made our way around town. I missed getting to do that with Rowen, but Dawn and I had fun; and we did get to have a few cameo moments with some of my friends as we shopped – including with Rowen while we were at the computer store. We shopped until noon; had lunch at home; and then I had some play time that Michael was able to join us for during his afternoon break before we both headed over to the Inn to help out with the two bonus dinner buffets that Jacob and Miranda were trying out this weekend so that they could try having just three buffets on Sunday instead of the usual four.

We worked hard until the last round of food went out for the second buffet, and while I missed out on the second family buffet at the Inn of the day tonight; I was glad to help Jacob and Miranda instead. Michael and I were set free early so that he could host his family at home once they were finished at the late buffet and Rebecca stayed to help with closing the Inn; and we mostly played with Gerry while the parents and grandparents wound down or went to bed early. Gerry lasted until nine-thirty because he'd also had a long afternoon nap; we watched a movie with the adults that were still standing once he was tucked in for the night; and Jacob, Miranda, and Rebecca were home in time to catch the tail end of that show.

It was bedtime for everyone after that, though Michael and I were left alone in the living room so that we could say goodnight to each other before I came home for the night and he went up to bed. We didn't really seriously consider a sofa sleepover tonight with guests at both houses; but that would have been nice. There were still parents and kids awake at my house when I got there; and Chris, Martin, Violet, and Dillon were playing video games in the lounge while the parents were not really watching a movie in the living room. I stopped in for goodnight hugs, kisses, and a minor recap before heading upstairs; and then I only joined the action in the lounge for a while before advising my cousins and Dillon that I was too tired to party anymore today. Mandy was all for that plan, so she came with me when I went into my room and closed the doors between the two rooms so that Chris and Martin could continue their gaming for as long as they wanted to do that.

I was ready for bed fifteen minutes later; did my usual bedtime computing along with a minor bit of family business work; and now I'll be off to dreamland about a minute after I wrap this up.

It really has been an awesome tow days; and I really hope that everyone I love most got to have as much fun as I've had so far this weekend. We're down to one day left for the holiday weekend, and I'll be working most of the day tomorrow while helping out with those three buffets at the Inn; but we'll have lots of fun too – especially if that change in the buffet schedule works out as well as Miranda hopes that it will.

I'll let you know how that goes, but right now I really just need to get to sleep; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Sunday, December 27, 2015

The snow has been falling for a while now as I write this; and the weather forecast really changed things up for us around here as our guests opted for an early departure and a lot of locals spent the rest of the day getting ready for the storm. I know that I was a bit disappointed over not having a white Christmas, but I don't remember asking Mother Nature to make that up to me by dumping the snow on us a foot at a time! ;^)

It remains to be seen how much snow we actually get; but I'll guess that clearing snow from the driveway and sidewalks is going to be in my future tomorrow morning.

For today, I'm going to keep this report fairly short so that I'll be ready for whatever snow play and work we'll be dealing with in the morning.

Tai Chi was fun, and breakfast was awesome because I ended up having that meal with Michael and his family instead of mine. The clean-up work was about the same as it would have been here; though I will note that Michael, Rebecca, and I didn't have any help from their aunt, uncle, or cousins. Michael and I had to be at church a bit early too, so we were a bit rushed to get there on time for the teen praise team warm-up. We weren't leading the entire service; but we did lead the first section of the praise music before the adult praise team took over for the rest of the service. The hour and a half or so that we spent at the church was fun and busy; but nothing compared to the work at the Inn as we got set up for the first buffet at noon.

That was especially crazy for Miranda because she also ended up shuffling some cancellations and replaced all of those customers with new walk-in guests that would have normally just been turned away. While the 'fun' stores would normally be busiest on a holiday weekend Sunday afternoon; the snowstorm forecast changed that too; and it was the grocery store, Emporium, and Hardware stores that were busiest today as everyone got ready for any issues that might come with the storm.

While that first buffet was still sold-out, there were more cancellations for the second buffet at three; and that sitting was harder for Miranda to fill with walk-ins. The good news there was that Michael and I were able to take a bit of extra time off between the first and second buffet so that we could do a quick round of goodbye hugs and kisses with our collective families. Rebecca drew the job of helping her family to pack and load up their vehicles after having one last meal at the Inn at noon, so she had more time off; but Michael and I were still there in time to help with part of that work. We didn't need to do that with my family; and all of the goodbyes were fairly quick. The feel of those partings was very different for Michael's family and mine; but I'll skip the commentary on why his family doesn't feel the same way about our home town as most of the members of my family does.

It was back to work at the Inn once we were done with that, and I only wish that I could have also helped Mom with all of the work that needed to be done around the house after having a house full of guests. I helped with dishwashing for most of the rest of the day except for getting the third buffet food ready to go at six o'clock; and I stayed until close – which was a bit earlier than expected thanks to a low turnout for the last buffet. We did get some bonus store owner families for that buffet; but only because that was faster for them than going home and cooking a meal before getting to the pre-storm preparations and holiday weekend clean-up.

A sofa sleepover with Michael was very tempting, but I had a lot of work to do on my computer tonight; so I came home after just a short bedtime visit with his parents and Rebecca – and a too-short round of goodnight hugs and kisses out on the front porch while the snow was softly falling around us. That was a bit magical, but we were also both really tired by then; and I'll appreciate the moment more tomorrow. Mom and Dad were still awake and working in the office when I got home, but the twins had already turned in for the night. I had a short chat with my parents; stopped in on the way up to my room to give Ethan and Ehlana kisses that they didn't wake up for; and then I spent some quality time in my Jacuzzi while multi-tasking my work. I used a time phase for that – and stayed in a time phase until all of my work and usual bedtime computing was finished so that I didn't need to stay up half the night to do that. The work was challenging and it felt great to get everything done; but I'll again appreciate the accomplishments some other time when I'm not just ready to crash and nap for eight or ten hours.

Time phasing is going to allow me to be asleep by midnight, so getting that much down time isn't going to happen; but six or seven hours is way better than the two or three I'd have been able to have if I'd worked at normal speed. That is all of the news I have for today, though, and going to sleep now is an option; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Monday, December 28, 2015

The snow storm that was the best guess for the forecasters was more of an ice storm with a lot of freezing rain for us here in Witch Falls; and we're especially grateful for the new power system and Solar-Wind farm because we didn't lose power at all in town. I can't say the same for all of the farms around us, since there are some power lines down out in the country; but every farmhouse around here is equipped to handle the occasional power outage – just as we still are at our house.

We've had snow too, but the freezing rain has made a real mess of that snow; and we've been busy dealing with that mess as much as possible. Michael's had the day off, and so has Rebecca; but Miranda and Jacob worked at the Inn today and left their kids to deal with the work around the house. I was doing that too, but Michael and I also had a fair bit of both indoor and outdoor play time with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden around the work – and around the blasts of lousy weather for the outdoor play time.

Once the worst of the freezing rain and snow hit us; we were only outdoors when we could work on the driveway and sidewalks – and that involved salting, shoveling, and scraping as needed. I also helped Mom out around the house with the ongoing post-holiday chores; did some work on my computer; and helped with cooking two meals. Dad worked in the office most of the day despite the weather; and the busiest workers in our family were the doctors and nurse. That was because of the ice and snow; and they had quite a few injuries to deal with at the med center today. I heard about some of those stories while helping out at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house with a round of salting that Michael and I did at a handful of houses on our street; and I'll admit that it might have been fun to help out with healing some of those injuries – even if that wasn't really an option today. Maybe we'll be able to do that kind of thing openly some day; though I don't expect that to happen anytime soon.

Michael spent the evening here and we watched a movie in the lounge with Ethan and Ehlana in between outdoor work sessions, but we were both tired out by eleven o'clock when we wrapped up our final blast of driveway and sidewalk clearing fun; so he went home and I came up to my room and got ready for bed. My bedtime computing was the basic checks and this update only; and now I'm going to crash until morning – and maybe even sleep in.

Okay, that isn't likely an option; but I'll let you know how it goes. The storm has mostly blown over now; but there's a good chance we'll still have a mess for most of the day tomorrow. Now we'll just have to see whether we'll be tobogganing tomorrow or skating on the roads and parking lots. ;^)

Sleep is now my top priority, though; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

The storm left behind a messy blend of ice and snow that we spent some of the day dealing with – or all of it for the people working to get the roads cleared and the other storm-related issues dealt with.

While the adults were stuck working all day – even the retired members of our little town like Grandpa; Michael and I were among the kids and teens that also got to have some play time today too. It's gotten a bit colder since the storm, and while I've been okay with temperatures in the sixties and seventies in December; the sub-freezing temperature will keep the snow around with us for at least a couple of days – and that's nearly as good as a winter weekend away before returning to warmer weather back at home. No, I haven't been able to do that here; but Mom and I have lived other places that were mostly-warm in the winters so I do remember what that's like.

Snow and ice was big news around town today, and getting to play in the snow – even though it was fairly messy – was fun; but my top story of the day is actually about the surprise that some of our parents sprang on us today after getting together and setting it up for us. We're doing a ski trip to Blue Ridge Ski Center tomorrow, and not only are Mom and Dad taking us; but we have a group of parents going along – including Jacob and Miranda! We're also doing some sleepovers, including the one at our house; so that's made for a fun night too – though we aren't staying up too late ahead of the early-morning start we'll be having for our little snow adventure trip. I'm not even going to have a sofa sleepover with Michel tonight – though that has been very tempting.

Since Rowen and I really do need to get to sleep soon, though; I'd better speed up this report so that I can pack up my computer and we can do that.

Tai Chi was out today; Michael and I spent an hour or so before breakfast clearing and salting driveways and sidewalks; we split up to eat; and then we spent more than another hour and a half finishing up the snow and ice clearing work before splitting up again to hit the showers and get ready for a play day. The hills were a bit too icy, and we needed to be very careful; but we took Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, and Aiden tobogganing on the ridge with help from Rowen and Tim. We hung out with other kids and teens too – including all of Michael's younger cousins; so we helped out with Sophia and Ryan so that Jessica could spend more time with her friends – and with us when she wanted to do that too.

We had the usual gang back at my house for lunch, and Mom had already whipped up two soup options to go along with hot drinks, bakery buns, and various meats and cheeses options for our mini subs. In hindsight, I know that Mom had been working on our surprise by then, but it hadn't been finalized; and we didn't hear about the plans until dinnertime – and we were at different houses when getting that news. Our afternoon included more sledding and outdoor fun; a warm-up break back at my house; and one more, shorter blast of fun before we'd had enough for the day and split up to head home.

Michael and I were at my house for dinner, and while there weren't extra kids; we did have Jacob and Miranda with us – to help with springing that surprise as well as contributing to the dinner food options. Rebecca was having dinner with Lucas; but that was negotiated with his parents because all three of the Norton kids are staying with Rebecca at her house tonight – and they're going on the trip with us tomorrow. That's why Naomi and Aiden were home for dinner tonight too – to spend time with their own families ahead of their sleepover and snow adventure with us. While we'd missed out on most of the work after our blast of action this morning, we did not get out of the dinner clean-up; and didn't have a problem with that after getting the surprise dropped on us shortly after we sat down to enjoy that meal in the sunroom.

It was seven-thirty or so when we had that work done; Michael went home to pack an overnight bag and everything he'd need for tomorrow; and I got the lounge set up for teen and kid entertainment. Mom and Dad both had work to do tonight to start making up for the day off tomorrow, so they worked in the office; and let me host our kid and teen guests. The boys had been stuck with chick flick movies a few times leading up to Christmas, so I gave them a break from that; and watching college bowl games and video gaming were the television options tonight. Tim was okay with multi-tasking that; and Michael, Ethan, and Aiden pretty much went along with him as they played games in between the main action for the football game.

The twins and their friends were ordered to bed by ten o'clock; we had until eleven to wrap up the teen fun and clean up; and Rowen and I have been in my room with Mandy since splitting up for a while to say goodnight to our respective boyfriends before they went on to their own rooms. Violet and Dillon were out tonight, and aren't back yet; but they will be here tonight eventually. Last I heard, they hadn't decided whether to go with us tomorrow or not; but that might have more to do with Dillon wanting to work at the lab and make extra money while he can before heading back to school in January. I'll let you know about that with the next update; but I guess that really is just about all I have for you tonight.

My bedtime computing has just been the basics; there wasn't any major family business work that can't wait until tomorrow night or Thursday; and I might even be sleeping before midnight if I hurry up and get to that napping. We've had a really good day, and I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to awesome. It's probably too much to ask for temperatures in the sixties and seventies to return for January and February, but that will be a fun thought to take into dreamland – as long as Michael has a starring role too; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Sofa sleepovers with Michael are really great, but Rowen and I had quite a bit of fun this morning doing wake-up calls with our respective boyfriends when it was time to get ready for our adventure at the Blue Ridge Ski Resort and hit the road as soon as we had everyone together and loaded up into minivans and trucks.

We had to rush around a bit to get everything done – including loading our gear into the vehicles; and I was an even happier camper as a few bonus surprises were sprung on us as we gathered outside of our house. Not only did we have Jacob and Miranda going with us, but Philip and Liz decided to take the day off to go along with Naomi – thanks in part to help for babysitting support for Eli and Vicki's assurance that she could actually run the salon for a day on her own – even during the Christmas holidays. I was a bit surprised at that with New Year's Eve just a day away; but I guess that most of those party appointments will be tomorrow anyway.

That reminds me that I'm overdue for a visit with Liz; but that'll have to wait for sometime after we're back to school.

Rowen's and Tim's parents had made arrangements to take the day off too, and including Lucas and Peter; we had lots of drivers and vehicles available for everyone. In addition to our gang, Miranda and Jacob had offered to bring Jessica, Ryan, and Sophia along; Owen and Patricia had extended their invitations to include Patrick, Scott, and Lindsay; and, as I mentioned yesterday, Emma and Benjamin were with Lucas for the day. The Moms wanted to pair up for the morning trip, so Mom, Miranda, and Liz had a full minivan with Ehlana, Naomi, and Sophia with them. Patricia and Tracey ended up with Rowen and Tim in the Landry's SUV; and Michael and I went with his father, Martin, Jessica, and Lindsay. The girls chose us over going in the same vehicle with Patrick and Scott; which is also why Dad and Owen had Patrick, Scott, and Ryan with them in Dad's truck. Peter and Jenny were on their own for the trip because he'd need his car to get home from the ski center; and Lucas had room for Rebecca, Emma, and Benjamin – though we did some travel trade-offs at the half-way stops both ways so that Emma and Benjamin could have more fun with the other kids and teens.

Michael and I got teased about it, but we didn't have a problem with claiming the back bench seat in the minivan so that we could cuddle during the long drive – and I had a couple of naps that I'm stating here were not just so that I could share multiple good morning hugs and kisses with Michael – those moments were just really great added bonuses! ;^)

When I wasn't napping, we had fun during the drive – whether that was chatting with our travel companions; munching on snacks or the breakfast food we picked up in Crystal Springs; or watching a movie on the iPad or tablet that had been brought along for our entertainment. We arrived at Blue Ridge nearly a half-hour before the lifts opened for the day, but it was surprisingly quiet there; and we were able to get the rentals set up for everyone in our group by the time the lifts were running. The teens and pre-teens were paired up and set free for the morning along with some of the parents; but Mom, Dad, Philip, and Liz were in charge of the youngest kids and novice skiers or snowboarders; and they'd apparently called ahead yesterday to set up morning lessons for their group.

My top news there is that their instructor was a hot, young collegian, and while it was fun to catch Emma, Jessica, and Lindsay joking around about staying for those lessons too; it was a bit weird for some of us to have more than one mother in our group joke about doing that too – or warning Dad and Philip to keep a close eye on their wives all morning. Let's not go there; except for adding that I'm sure that Aunt Leanne would have had fun with that – and agreed about the hotness of their instructor.

Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I stayed together for most of the day, but we also spent time with everyone else – whether that was to do a few runs together or just cameo moments in passing; but the only time we were all together was when we met up for lunch. The parents had collectively insisted on that – if only to make sure that we were all still alive and well by then. We had so much fun today I don't have a chance of covering everything; but let's see what I can do about mentioning the highlights.

First up has to be skiing with Rowen. Yes, I do mean Rowen and not Michael; though that's always great too. Something happens to my usually mild-mannered best friend when we get out on the slopes – or on our bikes at home; and she becomes an amazing, fearless daredevil. Okay, I'm like that too; but nobody is surprised by that with me. The point is that even at a small ski center; the snowboarding tricks can be fairly extreme – and there isn't anything that Rowen and I aren't willing to try when it comes to the really cool tricks. Among other things, Rowen and I played around with five-twenty inverted, side-by-side aerials starting from both sides – something that scared some of our parents when they were around to see us doing that. Michael and Tim are fairly adventurous too; but the main reason why we can't pair up with them as successfully for tricks is because of the size and weight differences between us. With a bit of Magi power use, I could fix that problem, but that isn't an option most of the time when we're not even all allowed to know about each other – and especially when some of my favorite Magi are right there on the slopes with us; so we don't even try to have that kind of fun.

It would be awesome if we could go Magi snowboarding, though; and that's not even talking about the kind of tricks we could do with a little Magi power help. The aerial flips and turns could last as long as we wanted them to with a bit of telekinesis applied to our boards!

Moving along, I'll pick snowboarding with Ethan, Ehlana, Naomi, Aiden, and Sophia as my next top highlight of the day. Not surprisingly, they learned fast, and while they weren't trying inverted aerials of any kind today; they were already 'catching air' by lunchtime; and going on the intermediate level slopes by the afternoon. They always needed help with the chair lifts, so there was always a parent or teen with them for that; and Michael, Tim, Rowen, and I took our turns doing that – including an hour or so of snowboarding that Jessica and Lindsay helped us with so that the parents could go off on their own for a bit of kid-free skiing – and it was skiing for most of the adults in our group. That does bring me to the next highlight; and Mom and Miranda made the list for being the most adventurous of the parents.

They were on skis all morning; partly because that made it easier to help with the younger kids while they learned how to snowboard; but Mom and Miranda traded in their skis after lunch for snowboards; and went on to prove that Michael and I came by our daredevil impulses at least partly from genetics. While attempting to keep up with Rowen and me wasn't something they tried to do; it was a blast to watch them do jumps and even a few one-eighties and three-sixties. What was just as much fun was watching them play with Dad and Jacob; since we don't get to see that side of our parents much – and I hope that Michael and I will be that happy when we're their ages.

Ethan, Ehlana, and I should try to do more to make sure that our parents get to have more fun days like this one has been, and as I think about that; they're way overdue for a getaway weekend or vacation. I'll have to see what I can do about making that happen for them!

I'm not forgetting to include the Michael and me fun; but I'll make it the last highlight for the day – which means that I can't quite go there yet.

The reason for that is because there were other highlights that deserve mentioning. Spending time with Michael's cousins was high on that part of my list, and while he had the most fun with Ryan; I loved hanging out with Jessica and Sophia. Add in the friend fun with Rebecca, Emma, and Lindsay; and we had some really great moments with the girls today – including some cameos that not even some of the participants are aware of – or admitting to noticing.

Let's begin that part of the report with Patrick and Jessica. Patrick is will be thirteen next April; Jessica will be twelve in April too; and it's fairly obvious to some of us that they've taken notice of each other in more than a neighbors sort of way. I'm sure that Patrick has noticed that Lindsay is becoming a tween knock-out, and she's easily one of the most beautiful girls at our school; but he never looks at her the way he was looking at Jessica today. Maybe that's at least partly some guy thing because Scott's his best friend; but I'll guess that it's more than that – and it'll just be a while before one or both of them are ready to deal with it. I can add that they won't have an issue with the timing for growth spurts that can be a problem for tween couples; since the one-year advantage that Patrick has is apparently enough for him to stay just a bit taller than Jessica as she's hitting her first major tween growth spurt must after he's been into his. They might not quite be ready to deal with it yet, but the attraction is mutual; so we'll see how long it will be until they take that next, inevitable step.

Yes, that will be a good thing for me too; though Patrick has gotten over his crush disappointment – even if he might still wish just a bit that things won't work out for Michael and me.

Patrick and Jessica weren't the only pre-romance story of the day. Lindsay and Emma both attracted a lot of attention from the boys on the slopes and around the lodge. Lindsay was her usual, kind self about the attention; but didn't respond to any of that interest – and stayed closer to members of our group the couple of times she had minor issues with guys that didn't want to give up when she didn't return their interest. Emma had fun flirting a bit with a couple of different boys; but big brother Lucas managed to be around often-enough to keep those suitors from getting too close to her for his liking. He might not be the biggest guy on the football team, but Lucas could be intimidating to any younger teens that don't know he's such a gentle person.

Finally, I'll mention that Ryan has a serious crush on Lindsay – though he desperately tries to hide it. That reminds me of the stories about Uncle Adam, but the one big difference for Ryan is that he sees Lindsay at his house nearly every day; since Lindsay and Geraldine spend a lot of time with his big sister. I'll guess that Uncle Adam's crush issues would have been very different if Dad had been the younger sibling and one of his best friends. I'll guess that Aunt Leanne would be as aware of his childhood crush as Lindsay is of Ryan's crush on her. She handles that fairly well, in my opinion, and while she's obviously not romantically interested in an eight-year old boy; she is always kind and friendly with Ryan in a way that works without hurting Ryan's feelings. She definitely handles her crush better than I ever dealt with Patrick, but then her Mom is probably an expert on dealing with crushes and had great advice for her! ;^)

For the guys reading this that have had crushes on Abby, you survived; so I'm sure that Ryan will muddle through some day too – or he'll hope that Lindsay will follow her mother's lead when it comes to younger me too!

The younger kids in our group were tired out by late afternoon, and while it would have been nice to stay later; the slopes were getting icy by then anyway and harder to snowboard or ski on – even for the best of us. A really good bribe from the parents encouraged us to agree to skip the night snow fun in favor of catching a movie in Crystal Springs. I'm mentioning that ahead of the Michael and me part of my update because that movie time was an important part of that story. I'll back up a bit for that, but I'll wrap up the rest of the snow time news by noting that we managed to return our equipment rentals; pack up; and hit the road for the city in record time.

Now we can get to some of the memory highlights that Michael and I made together today.

I've already covered the travel naps, hugs, kisses, and the rest of the early morning fun. The snowboarding entertainment with Michael included a lot of boyfriends chasing girlfriends time; quite a few minor make-out moments in the snow; a couple of snowball fights; and a lot of special cameos that we both shared with our families and friends. Our lunch break with our entire group didn't keep us from making time for one of those minor make-out moments while we didn't have all of our winter gear on; and the cuddle time in the minivan while we drove to Crystal Springs was a great way to warm up after our afternoon in the snow.

I should take a moment here to mention that Blue Ridge did an amazing job getting the ski center up and running in just two days – especially when they've really only had yesterday and today available for making snow and grooming the slopes. They didn't have all of the runs open yet, but they did get quite a bit more snow than we did at home; so the base they'd really just started now might survive if we don't have any extended weather warm-ups.

We picked up fast food to eat while driving to the city; and then the movie choice was a no-brainer with so many guys in our group – the new Star Wars movie. Our fathers have been fans since they were kids; the teen boys were hooked by the second trio of films; and I'm sure that Ethan, Aiden, and most other young boys will be hooked by this latest addition to the franchise. Ditto that for Ehlana, Naomi, and Sophia thanks to the young Jedi heroine in this movie, and while the princesses in the other movies weren't exactly quiet and demure while the boys did all of the fighting; they also weren't Jedi or fighter pilots. I'll admit that I was totally sucked in by the movie, and all I'll say in my own defense is that I think it's okay to just sit back and enjoy the show sometimes – even if it's something that isn't particularly stimulating from a mental perspective.

The fact that we, as Magi, could do a lot of those Jedi 'tricks' is just a really cook added bonus that makes these movies especially entertaining for us. Now if only I could have a real light saber and the rest of the cool Star Wars gear. Flying to other planets is just so tough for Magi without the space craft!

I don't need to advertise for the movie in a journal that nobody will read until the show is a classic – or long forgotten – so I'll just say that the movie lived up to the expectations for everyone in our group. For me, the cuddle time with Michael was great too; and I am so glad that we got to have lots of time for that today! Some of us needed to pick up fast food for another snack when it was time to head home; and Michael and I got to go with Rowen and Tim for that last leg – mostly because all of the younger kids were ready for naps by then and didn't need to be entertained. We had to flip a coin for the back seat, but we won that toss; so Rowen and Tim were stuck with the middle bucket seats that weren't quite as comfortable for cuddling – even with bags, blankets, and a couple of pillows that made it a bit easier for that – but didn't keep them from having the space between them due to the seatbelt locations.

That last hour and a half of cuddling included some quite make-out time too that Rowen and Tim ignored while trying to have a bit of fun despite being right behind Owen and Patricia; but we also had some fun quietly talking together and listening to music too. Though we'd caught one of the earlier show times, it was still heading toward one o'clock by the time Michael kissed me goodnight and walked home after walking me to my house from Rowen's. Mom and Dad were home with the twins and their best friends by then, and we had Naomi again because Aiden was staying with us anyway instead of waking his parents in the middle of the night to return him to them tonight.

I helped out with getting our day trip gear inside and put away or into the laundry; Ehlana and Naomi talked me into doing a sleepover in the lounge; so I took care of them while Dad handled getting Ethan and Aiden into bed for the night. Once Ehlana and Naomi were set up on the sectional sofa; we had a nice little girl chat that needed to be quiet because Violet and Dillon were already sleeping by then. Since that's my first mention of them; you'll have guessed that they opted to stay and work at home – and then they likely opted to enjoy an evening with the house to themselves – though I won't know that for sure until Violet tells me about her day in the morning.

Mandy and I weren't in my bed until one-thirty or so; which is why I've only dealt with the work that I couldn't leave for tomorrow while doing my usual bedtime computing and computer checks. That's still taken me nearly an hour and a half, and Ehlana and Naomi have been sleeping for more than an hour now; so I'm pretty much past-ready to wrap this up and join them in dreamland.

That's figuratively; since I wouldn't actually want them in the scene for the dreams I like to have most with Michael in a starring, clothing-optional sort of way! ;^)

Suddenly, my interest in writing this report has completely evaporated as my mind wanders to thoughts of Michael and me having fun in a Star Wars-like setting; so, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Happy New Year!

It is 2016 as I'm writing this, and if you're wondering why I'm on my computer at all instead of sleeping; it's simply because I've decided to just stay awake instead of bothering to try and nap for the bit of time I have left before morning anyway. I have been multi-tasking some Jacuzzi time and doing a bit of self-healing while working on my computer; so part two of that will take care of the lack of sleep issue – and my need for getting clean after a very long, busy last day of twenty-fifteen that included a lot of work at the Inn and home along with the fun.

After a really amazing day out with so many of my favorite people; New Year's Eve day did not start out particularly exciting. Tai Chi was optional, but while Mom and Dad skipped it after needing to do all of the driving along with everything else yesterday; Michael and I did have four junior Tai Chi buddies with us to help get our day off to a great start – even though we both had long to-do lists to get started on as soon as we finished cleaning up from breakfast. Mom and Dad – and Violet and Dillon – joined us for that; Dad got ready for work and headed out before the dishes were finished; and then Michael went home while I got to work on helping Mom out around the house with chores that included an extra-special clean-up of the main floor so that we'll be ready for the New Year's Day football party we're hosting again this year.

That took most of the morning; we had help from Violet and Dillon because they took Ethan and Ehlana to the lab with them after Naomi and Aiden were picked up; and then we wrapped up that part of my day by making lunch for six that we had ready by the time that Violet, Dillon, and the twins were home again – after the lab was closed for the day.

I was then rented out to Aunt Leanne to help her out with both some holiday weekend guest chores and kid control for Brianna – which was only needed when she woke from her nap. Zack was with Eli for most of the afternoon to give Aunt Leanne a break – and so that Philip could return the favor for one of Eli's babysitters yesterday and last night; so we actually managed to blast through the work fairly quickly with a bit of Magi-powered cleaning that Brianna loved watching us do – and trying to help with a bit too!

Michael had to work the lunch shift and helped out most of the afternoon there too, but we were both booked to help with the New Year's Eve dinner and party; so I was home by a quarter-to-four and cleaned up, dressed, at the Inn, and ready for the work and fun by four-thirty. The buffet dinner had a few gourmet options that took time to prepare; and Jacob had me on the prep line working on those specialties instead of doing the usual basic veggies and meats work. I'm not going to be a future world-class chef, but I do have the memory for detailed instructions on the fly; and can repeat processes exactly as shown.

I'd be worried about being stuck on the prep line and dishwashing because of that talent, but Miranda definitely wants me on her server team once I'm old-enough for that in a year; so that won't be an issue – no matter how much Jacob would like to keep me with his gang in the kitchen. He'll only have to be disappointed for a few months when that happens; since Jake and Stephanie will be home to stay from college that following May.

That's taking a look past the year that's just started, though; so let's get back to the party and work story.

Miranda closed the dining room to walk-in business at four o'clock; and the last afternoon breakers were gone by the time I got to the Inn. While I was working in the kitchen with Michael and the rest of the gang; Miranda had her servers decorating the dining room and getting everything cleaned up and ready for the social hour that started at six. I stayed and worked in the kitchen until after the first wave of buffet food went out to the dining room, and while that meant missing out entirely on that social hour; Michael and I did get to have dinner with my parents, the twins, Rowen, Tim, and Rowen's parents. Patrick was there too, but he sat with Scott and his family; and we were at two adjoining tables with the parents at one and the teens and kids at the other.

There's already a lot that I'm skipping; so let's cover a few things that I wasn't in on; but happened during my work time in the kitchen.

Away from the Inn, Aunt Leanne, Aunt Deborah, and my uncles and cousins were already dealing with incoming family guests for the long weekend. Not all of them had been able to take time off from work to leave early; but more than half could – so they were here in town in time to eventually get together at Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne's house for a family New Year's Eve party. Two groups are driving here overnight – after spending New Year's Eve in their own home towns; and the rest will be driving up first thing in the morning so that they'll be here in time for the Johnson family Christmas tomorrow afternoon. I would have liked to spend some time with Uncle Adam's family tonight too; but didn't have time for that. Grandma and Grandpa weren't at the Inn tonight either; but that's only because they picked going to a different party with some of their friends this year. I know it's shocking, but yes; my grandparents do have a life that doesn't require their kids and grandkids to constantly be there for them. They will be spending most of the day with us tomorrow, though; so I will get to spend a bit of time with them – if we have time for that at all with a house full of family and friends.

Back here at the Inn, while work was keeping us busy, the guys were watching the college bowl games – with the one on the television when I got to the Inn being the first of the two playoff games to decide the teams that will play for the National Championship. Though I think that Michael's been really good about football season this year; he was as much into the games today as any other football fan; so I went with the flow for this one; and did my best to support him. Michael wasn't rooting for any of the teams today; but he did enjoy watching the games – and it did keep the guys entertained while they worked. There was a big screen television in the dining room that was tuned into the football games too, but our tables were about mid-way between it and the back windows where the music videos television was set up to eventually watch the New Year's Eve shows on after dinner.

Except for congratulating Clemson and Alabama for their big wins tonight that earned them the trip to the Championship game that I'm sure that Rowen and I will end up watching with Michael and Tim; I am so not going to spend more time writing about college football bowl games. I can comment on the action around the Inn that watching those games created, and even for non-fans of the sport; that was usually entertaining. Bets in the kitchen included job swaps depending on the winner for both games – with those job swaps lasting for up to a week of shifts. If money was involved, I didn't hear about it; and Jacob and Miranda would have had something to say about it if they heard anything. I can't say that didn't happen with the customers in the dining room; but the bets I did hear about were more along the lines of buying drinks; and the bets weren't only made on the final scores of the games. Mom or I could have had fun with bets on the outcome of individual plays, but we only do that kind of thing for fun; and I was only asked to demonstrate that twice tonight. Finally, the last football action I'll mention is of the video gaming variety. Michael didn't have much time for that tonight, but Tim, Ethan, and Aiden all got to take turns at the gaming console that was set up with the third television in the dining room. That area of the room was especially popular with the kids and teens before and after dinner – which was why Michael didn't get to do that much while we were busy helping out in the kitchen instead.

Dinner with my family and our friends was one of the best parts of the night for us, but we also only had time for one trip to the buffet table because the kitchen and server staff needed to split our dinner break times so that we could all eat – though not all of us did that in the dining room. Rebecca and Jenny sat with Lucas, his family, and Peter and her family; but not everyone had family or friends at the Inn; and some of the staff was only there until the post-dinner clean-up was done – though everyone had been invited to the party even if they weren't scheduled to help with the midnight buffet.

Michael and I worked in the kitchen from seven-thirty until nine-thirty; we got to play in the dining room until ten forty-five; and then we helped with the midnight buffet until a quarter to twelve. We were back in the dining room in time to share our first kiss of twenty-sixteen and do a round of hugs and kisses with our favorite people in the room; and then we were back to work helping with getting that buffet out to the dining room and then cleaning up in the kitchen again. We had one more break as the party wound down between then and two o'clock; but we also needed to stay until the dining room was cleaned up and ready for Saturday morning and the kitchen was ready to go for the planned breakfast buffet that Jacob and Miranda were having for the only morning meal they'd be serving for this holiday weekend.

The good news is that we got all of that work finished; but it meant that some of us needed to stay there until three-thirty or so to make that happen. I went home with Michael after that for a while; but that was only so that we could have a bit of alone time in the living room while winding down from our very long, busy last day of the year and start to the New Year. We were too tired by then to do anything more than cuddle and share a few kisses after his parents went to bed, and since you're likely wondering why I didn't include Rebecca yet; that's because she were set free early so that she could go home with Lucas and his family for the night.

My parents, brother, sister, Violet, and Dillon were all in bed and sleeping by the time I got home, and while I could have woken them by running my Jacuzzi; I just used a sound shield to make sure that wasn't a problem. I really needed to get cleaned up by then, so it's just as well that Michael and I were too tired to play; and I'm sure that Mandy appreciated not having me in bed with her while smelling a bit too fragrant for her sensitive nose. Having a long soak was an option, since I'm skipping the sleep time anyway; and my multi-tasking included a fair bit of family business work that kept me busy beyond the tub time and while I took extra time doing my hair and getting ready for our New Year's Day fun. We won't be doing Tai Chi today; but I am going to get an early start on making breakfast so that Mom and Dad can sleep in a bit longer than they expected when going to bed. I'll send that empathic signal to Mom through our link when she starts waking up; but I still have a bit of time before that'll happen.

I still have a bit of time left before I'll need to get started on the cooking, but that's pretty much all I have for this update, so I'm going to wrap this up; head downstairs; and enjoy a bit of quiet time in the sunroom with a hot drink before getting to the work again. Twenty-fifteen ended on a high note, and I'm sure that twenty-sixteen is going to be amazing too, so I'll again wish you a Happy New year; and, until next time...

...May the Magi Force be with you!
***Notes***

Thank-you for visiting the Heirs of the Magi world, and spending time with us in Witch Falls!

Cassie's Journals are originally posted on the Heirs of the Magi Blog, and will cover the time between the end of Magi Master and the start of Magi Ascension; which continues the Heirs of the Magi story from Cassie's high school graduation in June, 2018. Cassie's 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Journals are also available for free at my  Smashwords Author Page.
